Chapter 220: Looming Sign


    "You do have your own way of cultivating the power I put in your soul, right? I want you to practice masking your presence with it." Darcel asked Raven Sako, still not all too sure of where Mages get their powers from.


    In the time he spent in her soulscape space, the most Darcel could feel was a different form of energy he had never once experienced in his life.


    But he couldn''t get farther than just a light sensation feeling from that energy.


    Darcel fathoms since it''s their souls; whether you''re a cultivator or a Mage, they all had the same attributes and principles.


    Raven Sako even had the soul''s core form body just like cultivators.


    Without missing a beat, Raven Sako nodded to Darcel''s inquiry. "Yes, I do, Master. When we want to grow more in power and understanding, we Mages have different methods toprehending the mysteries of Magical Power. We do share a few simrities to cultivators, however. Mainly in awakening our Magical Sense to perceive the Magical Power in the air. I believe the equivalent would be what you would call Spirit Sense, Master."


    "Oh? Now that''s helpful to know." Ani expressed out loud what everyone else was thinking about Raven Sako''s exnation.


    Neither she, Darcel, Masami, or Kassidy know anything about the Mages Magical Power system.


    The thing was, cultivators are far more well known as it''s moremon for people to be cultivators than Mages.


    Despite how even Masami and Kassidy are genuine residents in this Mortal world, even they have no clue on how a person bes a Mage.


    Furthermore, what also didn''t help theck of knowledge was Mages being so secretive and reclusive. And it wasn''t like cultivators could force their secrets out, seeing as they were equal in terms of prowess and sometimes even craftier than them.


    While Darcel''s group thought over what Raven Sako told them, she had briefly closed her eyes.


    In an instant, she had surged the nestling power of her Darkness Soul link deep within her soul''s core.


    Raven Sako opened her eyes back up a split secondter, telling Darcel, "Master, the power you gifted my soul had already augmented to my Magical Core. I can use this power to quickly enhance masking my presence."


    All Raven Sako needed was a second to quickly arrive at this conclusion.


    Darcel''s Darkness Soul link pulsated the same unfathomable energy that swirled inside his cultivators Darkness Servants. And she already analyzed that herprehension abilities will speed up from this.


    Darcel nodded towards her, exining to her next, "Alright. Next, go to a good hiding ce and pour all of your time into masking your presence. This will be far less troublesome than you having toe up with some sort of lie towards your group. Await my further instruction until then, ok?"


    Raven Sako bowed to Darcel, a route already filling her mind. "I already have a ce in my mind. I shall take my leave now, Master."


    Without another word, Raven Sako turned and took off into the skies, already devoted toplete Darcel''s orders.


    As Raven Sako left, Masami trailed her eyes around the ground. She still felt a satisfying sense of superiority seeing Zhaun and Cui''s battered knocked-out bodies.


    "I''m d they''re knocked out, but what are we going to do with their bodies in the meantime? If we nt them in some cave, they''ll probably get eaten by some random roaming Spirit Monster."


    Darcel put a hand to his chin, quickly thinking it over. He stared at Kassidy for a second, who seemingly had a knowing smile to Darcel''s unanswered question.


    He put that idea on hold for a little bitter as he said, "Let''s just take them back to the City with us. I''ll see what we do with them then."


    Before Ani and Masami could agree, Kassidy already readily walked over to Zhaun and Cui, picking up their fallen bodies under her arms.


    Despite her gentle, delicate features, she had no problem lifting up their hefty bodies as if they weighed nothing. "I will wait for your orders for them, Master."


    "Hm!" Ani nodded approvingly. "Finally, one that takes the initiative."


    "Hmph." Masami loudly snorted before grabbing both Darcel and Ani''s hands. "When she was still a he, she would always get so serious in wanting to do any Elder tasks."


    Darcel only took onest nce at Kassidy before telling the girls, "Alright, let''s get back to the city."


    And, simultaneously, Masami and Kassidy quickly shot off into the skies.


    .


    A little whileter.


    Darcel''s group was already arriving near New Branch City.


    Masami and Kassidy took a more secluded route as they travel, going entirely unnoticed by the few wandering Mercenary members leaving anding into the City.


    As they were close, the group took to the ground, preferring to walk the rest of the way.


    While they briskly traveled, Darcel half-listened in on what Ani and Masami were talking.


    "That''s just the gratifying rush, Sami! With your first taste of dishing it out, it''ll be even more addicting for you." Ani told in an energetic tone as she spoke from authentic experiences of feeling that gratifying rush.


    "Hm! Oh, I just can''t wait to feel more of this rush when we get back to the Sect!" Masami was matching Ani''s excited tone, still slowlying down from the high of battle.


    Their discussions went like this, and Darcel was pleased they were only bing more eager for their ns.


    All the while, Kassidy remained silent, trailing just six feet precisely behind Darcel. She always had a more quiet nature, so she immensely enjoyed simply walking behind Darcel, being able to bask in his warm presence.


    Traveling like this, none of them expected anything to happen.


    However, when they were right upon New Branch City, Ani and Masami abruptly stopped talking.


    Both girls froze, Darcel froze, and Kassidy froze. And it wasn''t only them that ceased moving.


    From all around them, anybody, whether they were in the sky or on the ground, they all utterly froze.


    And this strange urrence didn''t just happen from outside New Branch City.


    Inside New Branch City, every single person residing there all went still like statues. There was a sensation nearly everyone felt at the same time. No unfathomable aura descended, nor any immense power surged in the air.


    However, everyone still felt a tremendous wave of fear overwhelm their entire beings!


    Anybody felt as if they took one more step; they would instantly get killed without a second thought.


    The ones who had a slightly different reaction were Darcel and Ani.


    Their eyes peered into the skies, rapidly searching for something that felt so familiar to them. Inside of their bodies, their bloodstreams were chaotically pumping.


    It was as if they were in the presence of something far more evolved than them.


    ''This.this-!'' Darcel''s eyes suddenly erged to wide saucer sizes. He instantly connected on what this familiar sensation was. ''That.this.it can''t be! Has she really found us?''


    There was an image that shed in Darcel''s mind.


    The yellow-eyed woman!


    Visually, there was quite literally no sign of her anywhere. But Darcel couldn''t forget this familiar sensation even if he lost all of his memories.


    No mistake about it, Darcel knew that yellow-eyed woman was somewhere close to New Branch City.


    While Darcel went through a shocking realization, Ani couldn''t precisely identify what this familiar sensation was.


    She didn''t experience the dreams Darcel underwent, but it didn''t mean she waspletely clueless. ''Perhaps,.... it''s.but I can''t-Ah! It''s just been too long since that time!''


    Ani felt a small plight of frustration over not being able to clearly recall a particr event. As Darcel and Ani were all in their thoughts, they didn''t even notice a critical detail.


    It was the fact that neither Darcel nor Ani felt any genuine fear.


    Darcel may have felt slight trepidation, but he felt it in his bones that whoever or whatever this yellow-eyed woman was, she wouldn''t hurt them.


    It was an entirely different case for Masami, however. She felt her legs quiver with fear as cold sweat pooled down her face.


    In all honesty, she even felt like copsing against this frightening sensation of looming death.


    Suddenly, in that instance, Masami felt her Darkness Soul link vigorously pulsate. A jolt shocked her body, causing Masami to break past the fear.


    A soothing sensation wrapped her whole body, and Masami even felt a tiny bit of familiarity towards whatever was going on.


    Kassidy, on the other hand, was on the verge of fainting. She only barely held on the same way Masami broke through her fear. Her Darkness Soul link pulsated, yet it wasn''t as powerful as Masami''s. It was only just enough to keep her from fainting.


    The rest couldn''t be the same for the other cultivators and Mages in and outside New Branch City. The weaker ones did straight up pass out from this terrifying sensation.


    For a whole tense, two seconds did this haunting sensationst.


    Afterward, it instantly vanished as if it never existed in the first ce.


    Once it was over, Darcel''s group heard the crashing of knees and bodies copsing to the ground.


    Everyone else was bewildered, wracked with fear, and oddly exhausted.


    The one question on their minds was, just what the hell was that?!


    "Fuuu." Darcel leaked a sigh before turning his attention to the girls. "Is everyone alright?"


    "I''m-I''m, we need to get back now!" Ani had a rare serious tone in her voice.


    "Yea, we need to discuss this." Masami was the same as there were still remnants of cold sweat staining her face, even though she had broken past the fear.


    "I''m fine, Master. I can carry these two towards my Inn room and keep them there." Kassidy exined with a slightly weary tone.


    Darcel nodded towards her. "Alright, await my further instruction." He had then focused on the girls. "Let''s leave now."


    The girls quietlyplied, and they all quickly made it into New Branch City.


    .


    Darcel, Ani, and Masami swiftly made it back to the Snow Angel''s group Qi Haven space using Kyhra''s secret route.


    Immediately when they entered the Qi Haven Space, Ani blurted out what she was thinking. "It''s her, Darcy! The signs are lining up all too well. While we were making it back here, I had more time to recall that moment in the organization. And that sensation and this sensation.it''s unmistakably her!"


    There was little doubt in Ani''s words and her eyes shined with an assured glow of confidence.


    Masami followed up as well, whipping her foxtails up as she said, "Whoever you met, yea, it could be her. Butdidn''t you also feel that terrifying sensation! That woman could be a potential disaster to us!"


    Immediately before Ani could start up as Darcel sense iting, he raised his hand, telling the girls, "Calm down, you two. Even with that moment, it truly changes little on what we''ll do."


    Darcel spoke in an even soothing tone, letting his words smoothly flow into Ani and Masami''s ears.


    Both girls turned their gazes off from each other, focusing primarily on Darcel. They felt their previous slowly rising surge of emotions calm down, returning their mental state to a more rational side.


    Seeing the girls take a small deep breath as an understanding light glow in their eyes, Darcel continued to speak.


    "We all experienced that sensation, but afterward, nobody knows where the hell it came from. Everyone in the City was scrambling around trying to find this mysterious expert, yet nobody coulde up with anything. The yellow-eyed woman.she will only show up when she wants to show up."


    Ani paused, thought it over, before quickly relenting. She knew first hand how terrifying that yellow-eyed woman''s prowess is.


    And no matter what they do, she also knows it would be a fool''s dream to try and track her down. "Mnn.I guess you''re right, Darcy. But! We still need to be on the watch out if we can sense even a little part of her."


    Masami sighed while relenting as well. Her thoughts began focusing more on their immediate situation now. "Well, besides this, what''s your n on that Mage and apparently boy turned girl?"


    Darcel had already thought it over before that moment even happened. He quickly exined to the girls,


    "As I said before, it''s better to not risk acting against those Mages too much. For now, I''ll just let Sako continue enhancing her masked presence abilities, and I will tell Kassidy to do the same thing. Kassidy is mainly a cover, so your grandmother doesn''t get suspicious. But I can tell she can probably grab some useful things when the Exchange Event starts."


    "Hmmm.so if all our servants will be cultivating, what will we be doing? There''s a few days until the event starts, yet our cultivation ispletely stagnant." Ani asked.


    And as she thought more about it, some naughty ideas crossed into her mind.


    But before she could announce her ideas, Masami''s face gained a slight battle-hungry smirk. She swiftly stated, "With a high stakepetitioning up, isn''t it obvious what we should do? It''s time for some intense sparring!"


    Darcel thought it over for a moment, realizing he never had sparred with Masami before. He quickly looked over to Ani, seeing that she also had an equally excited smile over wanting to spar.


    Though in her eyes, Darcel could tell she had something else nned for after the spar. He began to smirk up as well, telling the girls, "Alright, it''ll be fun to go all out. Let''s get started, shall well?"