《Yin &amp; Yang Pleasures of Cultivation》


 Chapter 1: Yin Dream

    Chapter 1: Yin Dream

    Standing upright and tall with an unassumed expression was a young teen, currently bearing witness to a luxurious sight.

    The strange and whimsicalbination of utter darkness and dazzling light made for phenomenal scenery. There was no other being or object beside the young boy in this endless ck and white mixed space.

    Surely this coiled mix of two opposing forces of darkness and light would''ve been enough to astound anyone! Plus, in every inch of this ce, a majestic aura filled the air.

    A majestic empyreal aura that would make anyone feel as mighty as a god!

    Yet the boy only slightly opened his mouth and leaked out a small sigh,

    "Great, here''s my monthly ''profound dream.'' And just like the first time, it''s still only a change of pacepared to my usual dreams."

    Darcel, the boy, shrugged his shoulders and decided to walk after that snide remark.

    Truly he could never understand why people put so much importance on recurring dreams despite nothing in real life ever getting affected.

    Like it was a simple routine, Darcel walked upon the ck and white mix ground akin to walking on air. His shoulder-length ck hair swayed slightly as if it was matching the silent rhythm of this mysterious space.

    Always in these dreams, his body feels weightless as if there were no shouldering burdens on him. Even for unamused as he was, Darcel could still appreciate this weightless feeling.

    "Now then, where will they...ah, don''t you ever consider moving from this single ce? It feels quite good to walk here, based on my experience."

    Eventually, while walking, Darcel''s eyes spotted a lone figure, a few meters from in front of him, and his mouth began moving. Though he was talking like he expected the person to respond, all he received was silence.

    This lone figure simply sat upon an enchanting looking white-dark mix rock. All Darcel could see of this character was their freakishly long white-dark mix hair and towering back.

    Despite this odd yet enthralling appearance, Darcel only gained a smirk to being seemingly ignored. "So, now that I have managed to spot you, I guess I''ll just wake up now. Seriously, I wonder if you''re actually just a stature with hair or not"

    When finishing his piece, Darcel prepared to close his eyes. Everything for him was as normal as it usual been until,

    "Your Yin Pleasure has finallye."

    A strange ethereal voice boomed all around the space. The voice held a mystic charm. Darcel couldn''t identify if it was male or female, but it pulls you in to want to listen to them.

    "Hm? So you''re not some useless statue. Oh? What''s this?" During Darcel''s sarcasticment, slowly but surely, he saw this lone figure turn its body.

    ring light and darkness spewed out of the figure as it decrepitly turned around. An exalted sacred feeling had suddenly enraptured the whole ce!

    Darcel, for the first time, felt a small anticipation bubble up.

    And right when he believed he was going to finally see this figure voice, the celestial voice spoke again with,

    "Wake-"

    ''Chi!''

    "Up?" The eyes of Darcel burst open! Only instead of that dreamingndscape, he came face to face with a dreary dark ceiling. Slowly sitting up, his eyes blinked a couple times before reorienting himself.

    "What was that supposed to be? Some kind of fate premonition for great destiny? Meh, I''ll think about itter. Got work to do." Darcel simply shrugged his shoulder and already put the dream at the back of his mind.

    No use dwelling upon things that are impossible to solve anyway...it''s how Darcel manages to get through his ''special'' life currently.

    Next to his bed, a ring blue sh hit the corner of his eyes. Rubbing his eyes a bit, he looked over to a floating blue jewel just beside his bed.

    Grabbing the jewel, the blue light in the room died down as he remarked, "Just in time for the day too. Though I just wish these lights didn''t assault your eyes when waking up."

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    Amazingly enough, all Darcel did was put a little strength into his hands, but the blue jewel had shattered into tiny small pieces!

    With a flick of his hand, Darcel threw the shards of blue jewel to the ground, not caring in the slightest about making a mess. And with onest crack of his neck, Darcel hopped out of his bed.

    Looking around his room, he nodded at the usual dark, dreary atmosphere of the ce. There was absolutely nothing here beside his bed and a door that led outside.

    ''Honestly, it makes you wonder why they keep this room so spacious for nothing'' Darcel thought to himself and just shook his head.

    And without a second breath, he waltzes on over to the door, opening it for his eyes to meet with a strange ck substance.

    It was like materialized ck energy! Darcel, however, held no reaction to the ck substance and promptly walked through it.

    He felt nothing when walking through, and Darcel was immediately graced by a massive, expansive corridor. Everything here was wide and far spread apart, allowing for many people to walk through.

    Though the general feel of the corridor was rather...depressive. Upon the walls was a dull samey grey color, to which set the bleak mood.

    There was no unique design nor any kind of ornaments to set this ce apart. However, for Darcel, he came to appreciate this dull design. At least every day, his eyes won''t get stered over extravagant colors.

    Glossing over to the assortment of people walking in the corridor, they as well held the same dull, depressive feeling.

    Most wore ragged gray clothes or wore an odd-looking gray wristband. These people''s expression was all either neutral or a slight dread as they trudge their feet through this endless corridor.

    It didn''t matter if they were a man, women, or the elderly, nobody looks like they held special treatment.

    All except for one young boy...

    Eyes took immediate notice of Darcel since he wore in ck clothing that held decent quality. His face was also cleaner and retained a distinctive, attractive quality all otherck.

    The eyes on him were of envy, jealousy, hatred, or even a small bit of killing intent. But no one was foolish enough to try anything.

    Darcel had paid no attention to wandering stares and, at his own pace, began walking towards his unique job.

    ncing around, he always finds it a wonder how this dull corridor can carry so many doors leading to all kinds of different rooms. Rooms that would innately excite someone''s curiosity to explore beyond it.

    Although doing so wouldn''t be rmended. As Darcel wasing up on a particr room on his left side, the door''s quaking rattled his ears.

    That room was only a couple of meters ahead of him, but Darcel stopped walking.

    He put up his hand and slowly counted down to five. While he was counting, Darcel saw everyone else had the same idea to avoid this door too.

    And finally when Darcelst finger went down,

    ''BANG!''

    A sickly red-figure burst through the ck substance of the door like a bullet!

    That person crashed into the wall with a sickening thump. The power needed to achieve this was far beyond what any average human can do, but nobody paid attention to that person.

    Looking at the one who crashed, it was a man. Though by the state he was in, you could barely tell he was even human before.

    Disgustingly putrid red blood poured down his entire body, staining a spot in the corridor. The man was heavily mutted, and one can see his rotten bloody organs drip out of him like a wet sickle.

    At this point, logically, one would think the man is dead seeing his condition. But Darcel and everyone else know better.

    "Subject failed, requesting extermination."

    Everyone heard a cold professional voice traveling out of the room. Like the mutted man was merely trash, he was left there bleeding out on the floor until ''extermination'' came.

    ''Heh, Parasol is just as cruel as ever.'' Darcel cynically thought as he then continued on his trek.

    For as long as he could remember, he was forcefully taken and got trapped in this cruel strange ce known only as the Parasol Organization.

    By the use of the mystical, enigmatic property known as Cultivation, this Organization can securely hide from the secr world in their own independent realm.

    Darcel, like all other dreary-looking people here, is far too weak to even think about escaping. And by their natural survival instinct, they all sumb to the violent testing of this Organization.

    Though for Darcel, he at least was somewhat treated better than the averagemon here. Mainly it was because, since his birth, he could wield a mystical power that this Organization found immense worth in.

    ''Still, I wonder what poor sap I''m going to have to work on today.'' Darcel thought to himself as he turned down a left corner.

    It was then a piercing cold voice slithered into his ears,

    "You''re nearlyte. Once again, skirting on edge. Taking another chance, I presume." Looking down the hall, Darcel''s eyes came to witness two men standing in front of one of the many gray doors in this ce.

    Compared to the rows of people walking earlier, this corridor''s left turn had barely any people walking. If they did, they stick to the other side of the wall as if they''re trying to blend into it.

    The man who spoke was a tall rigid stature one. His very being screamed perfectionist, and his sharp ice-cold face provided for an aloof presence.

    His attire consisted of a silk, clean long white button-up shirt that was open and showcased a professional uniform underneath. In his hand was a clipboard that strangely held no writing on it.

    To anyone else in this ce, they would give this man a wide berth, not even wanting toe a meter towards him.

    Yet for Darcel, he kept his samefortable walking pace as he nced over to the younger man beside him.

    Like the first man, he was also dressed in the same outfit and carried a simr cold daunting vibe. His face held a slight disdain while his eyes gained a hidden malicious glint.

    "Well? Aren''t you going to answer Dr.Zhi?" The younger man''s voice held the same cold and superior tone to Darcel.

    However, for Darcel, he merely shrugged his shoulders, saying, "I still made it on time, didn''t I? Besides, I can only work at my max potential at my own pace."

    "You''re own pace, hm?" Dr.Zhi repeated in a questioning voice. His eyebrows quivered a bit, and then, without even moving, a massive pressure came crashing down for Darcel and everyone else for miles!

    This was a feeling akin to death''s de resting on your neck.

    The dull gray clothed people''s bodies trembled, their face poured with cold sweat as an intense fear washed over them.

    Hundreds of people could barely move by this mysterious power that Dr.Zhi exuded. Yet, no one dared speak up for themselves or Darcel.

    All the while, Darcel, who was affected by Dr.Zhi aura, only shed him a mocking smile. With more calm and controlled steps he told the Doctor,

    "A new day to think your little intimidating tactics would work, eh? Let''s just cut to chase and get this job over it. I''m sure a doctor like you has vital tasks to do."

    This unfathomable aura of Dr.Zhi, Darcel had no way of identifying it. Still, it was carved into his bones to never back down. His eyes and tone were even while Darcel wonders about this Doctor.

    By the same element of Cultivation, could Dr.Zhi achieve an incredible power like this!

    Although Darcel only knows a couple things about Cultivation. One of which being he''s apparently in the starting realm of Cultivation named the Qi Foundation Realm.

    But he was only able to gather he was merely at the first level of this realm through several dangerous practices.

    And even then, all Darcel could gather was how his body is far stronger than the average human.

    However, it was better than the majority of the gray clothed people here who most weren''t even in this realm at all.

    And through his time in this Organization, thoughts about being weak no longer bother Darcel that much. Especially since his uses are far too good to get rid of...

    "Dr.Zhi, there''s really no need to spend time on him. Eventually, no matter how long it takes, all experimenters sumb to their ces." The younger man spoke up, already taking his eyes off from Darcel.

    "I suppose you have a point, Luo. Though I wish we would stop receiving long cases like these ones." Dr.Zhi calmly said while recalling his aura.

    The single breath everyone else was holding was all quietly released at the same time. This had essentially be a daily routine for them, treading extremely carefully around exclusive figures like the Doctor.

    The two men didn''t bother Darcel a second nce and opened up the door. On the other side was the enchanting but strange ck substance.

    Without any hesitation, the two men stepped through the door. Darcel peered over to the other people walking, taking notice of their timid faces. Shrugging his shoulder, he said,

    "How depressing."

    And walked through the odd ck substance. Immediately he was greeted by a gray room and a single table at the center of the room.

    Darcel''s eyes ran through what was on the table.

    A strap up man in tattered clothing along with a sizable bloody wound in his shoulder! Looking into this man''s eyes, one can clearly see the immense fear and dread crazily ravaged there.

    His body was entirely still not because of choice but because of gray color binds suppressing his entire being.

    In the corner of the room, there was another doctor-like figure standing like a silent ghost. Darcel only just barely managed to see him.

    Unfazed by the strap man''s appearance, Darcel walked past Dr.Zhi and Luo, going up the bound man while saying to himself,

    "Now then. Time for the somewhat enjoyable part of my tedious day."

 Chapter 2: Darkness Work

    Chapter 2: Darkness Work

    Sweeping his eyes around the current room, the deadly daunting silence would be enough to slowly but surely frighten anyone.

    Especially seeing how the chained man couldn''t make any noise while bleeding out, yet his eyes were terrified. Furthermore, the three Doctors here exuded abined intimidating presence.

    Dacrel cracked a snide smile as he turned his eyes to the open wound on the chained man''s shoulder. "You know, maybe for today, you''ll get lucky in this crazed research of yours."

    "Get to work."

    The cold voice of the other Doctor drained into Darcel''s ears. In this gray room, he was barely noticeable as if his natural presence was supposed to be inconspicuous.

    Darcel snide remarks were ignored, and despite finding it a bit amusing to rile up these cruel people. He also knows when not to go too far.

    "Already on it." Raising his hand up, Darcel closed his eyes and began to focus. His usually cold and dark mind became deathly still along with his body.

    Concentrating far into himself, Darcel sensed and felt something. It came from his soul''s depths, an unique magical power as far he was concerned only he could wield.

    This power gave Darcel a cold yetforting feeling. Like it was an extension of himself, Darcel called upon this power and willed it into existence!

    ''Chi!''

    Immediately a dreary cold feeling wrapped the entire small room like a cage. Even for the almighty Doctors, their eyebrows wrinkled a bit from this feeling.

    They were obviously thousands of times stronger than Darcel, but a tiny, decrepit feeling crawled in the back of their minds by him.

    This was a clear reminder for them on why this kid is so troublesome

    There was only one significant change for Darcel. With it being the hand he held up was now utterly covered in this strange ck energy.

    Staring into his hand was akin to staring into the abyss itself, nearly making you get lost into it. When this energy had formed, Darcel clutched his stomach with his other hand, feeling a stinging sensation there while he thought,

    ''Ahh...indeed in this suffocating ce, my Darkness element let me stay sane''

    Darcel gazed into his Darkness energy hand, admiring the simplicity of his work.

    The power of Darkness. It was all Darcel could gather what to call this, but even he could tell his Darkness power is more uniquepared to others.

    Otherwise, he wouldn''t be different from the ordinary folks here.

    The time that Darcel could use this power was a bit short, however. Swiftly he took a step to the chained man and focused on his wounded hole.

    The chained man''s scared eyes re into Darcel''s calm, unwavering one who didn''t have a shred of sympathy. It was an emotion he lost long ago when performing tasks such as these.

    And then without warning, Darcel immediately plunged his darkness hand into the man''s open gaping wound!

    Like it was a bloody soup, Darcel''s hand easily tore into the man, causing a ck and red mix to drip on his bound table. Terrifying immense pain ran through the man, yet he could not scream.

    The enormous power of the chains holding him suppressed every bone in his entire body. His mind was off the fritz.

    What could be worse than watching a cold, unsympathetic youth dig into your body like you were nothing?

    It was then the chained man abruptly felt a tremendous change inside himself! Something that was a part of him made him whole was getting forcibly taken out of him!

    Darcel, in a habitual pattern, expertly controlled his Darkness power, causing ck like tendrils to drill into his body.

    Due to his unique mystical Element of Darkness, Darcel''s ck tendril rushed into man''s veins! From there, Darcel sensed and felt an incredible source of energy, getting suppressed and contained there.

    At this point, Darcel felt his soul quiver slightly. It was like his Darkness was budding in anticipation of what happens next.

    Carefully, Darcel drew out more power inside himself and clenched his hand! Blood spurted from the wound, and Darcel''s ck tendriltched on to this man''s power source.

    Because he was suppressed and already bound, Darcel simply had no problem in reigning control. If this man was anywhere near close to his full strength, this would''ve been impossible to achieve.

    The chained man felt like Darcel had just forcefully punctured right into the deepest ce of his body.

    His soul!

    Moreover, his blood was getting profoundly affected by the mystical power of Darcel''s Darkness element.

    Now the feeling of death was imminent, but the terrifying nightmare was nowhere near over. Indescribable pain ran through his body as Darcel slowly took his hand out of his wound.

    It was like his very essence of being was getting pulled from him!

    ''Hua!''

    And with one clean swift pulled, Darcel pulled out a blue ball of energy. The ball swirled around in his Darkness hand, pulsating like a beating heart.

    ''I guess this should be the Element of water Qi or something like this. Not bad at all.'' Darcel thought to himself as the blue ball got absorbed into his hand.

    On the outside, it looked like his Darkness energy was devouring this mystical blue ball of Qi. And this assumption wasn''t far off from the truth.

    In Darcel''s body, he felt slight energy coarse to him. It was a bit refreshing to feel actually as he let out a slight small smile.

    Though that smile soon quickly turned into a frown when the same stinging sensation took away the energy. The process, at least for Darcel, was quick and painless though he wasn''t satisfied.

    For the chained man, his eyes turned dead and lifelessly bore into Darcel''s. What made him, him, was ruthlessly torn out by this youth who looked like he didn''t have a shred of remorse.

    Worst of all, he simply didn''t have the power to resist at all

    The gray bind wrapping the man up disappeared once Darcel severed his power away from him. Yet the man justy there, still, like a broken doll.

    Even if he wanted to, he had zero power running through his body, and if left like this, he would have none for the rest of his life.

    "I''ve done my part, now for part two," Darcelmented while backing up from the chained man.

    Even when staring into the man''s lifeless eyes, Darcel''s emotions or consciousness didn''t change. Not even through choice did Darcel be desensitized; rather, it was a tremendous forceful change.

    By Darcel''sment, the three Doctors whipped out three syringes. The syringes all had corrupt fluid that he never wanted to get close to.

    "Dr.Zhi, what are chances with this one?" Luo asked the Doctor when they walked up to the table.

    With three presences overshadowing him, the chained man slowly turned his head around to meet indifferent people''s eyes.

    "Given the readings from his core, I would say, we have a small probability for this to work." An astounding low sess rate! Yet neither other doctors were bothered at all.

    "A bit higher than usual. Prepared the syringes." The third Doctor ordered, and the other twoplied.

    Dr.Zhi hovered his syringe in between the man''s eyebrows. Luo kept his over the man''s chest. While the third Doctor ced his over the man''s lower stomach.

    "Now."

    And with the third Doctor cue, in sync, they plunged their syringes fully into the man. Whatever disgusting fluid prepared in the syringes got forcefully injected, causing an immediate reaction in the once lifeless man.

    His eyes sprang open like they were about to burst, and for the first time, Darcel heard rather unpleasant noises from the man.

    "A-A-AHHHHH!!!"

    The thunderous shriek of pain bounced off the walls of the gray room. Unaffected by his wails, the three Doctors took several step backs as they awaited their results.

    "GEH, ACK, AHH!!"

    The man was continuously puking up this strange putrid mix of red-green blood while thrashing about on the table.

    And for all four participants watching, they didn''t need to wait long before dramatic changes to ur on the man''s body. Intensely the Doctors watched as they brought out their nk clipboards.

    The man''s skin began to transform into this vile green, sickly color. His teeth began to suddenly grow, changing into something far sharper and terrifying to gaze upon.

    Red veiny lines began to appear on his bodies while his eyes changed into pure white ones.

    And most of all, an immense rise of power started to spur from the man!

    ''Whir!''

    "GEAHHH!!"

    Ominous green-red mixed gases oozed out of the transforming man. It was like some kind of aura Darcel noticed since the gases swirl slowly around his body.

    But Darcel couldn''t focus on the gases for long as he had to prepare himself to stand tall in the face of this surging power.

    A suffocating, crushing aura weighed down his body like a mountain! Stubbornly Darcel gritted his teeth, clenched his hands, and remained rooted in his spot.

    The three Doctors had no problem facing this crashing wave of power. A pen floated above their clipboards, writing down whatever notes they needed.

    And after what seemed like a couple hours to Darcel, when in reality it only been a few minutes,

    ''Bang!''

    A ground shaking popped had sted their ears! All at once, the gases cleared up, and the man ceased screaming and thrashing about.

    For the final result, three bloody protruding ws grew out from both of the man''s hands. His skin nearly looked scaly like, and foam dripped from his mouth.

    "Hm, a small bit of progress for today. At least the transformation process is a fraction there." Luo remarked not that upset over this result.

    "Indeed, we''re inching close every day with every small step." Dr.Zhi alsomented while he finished writing down notes.

    The third Doctor didn''t speak up, but he had nodded his head. To go against the naturalw of cultivation and nearly every species ideals, one would need a bit of patience.

    Though for Darcel, for the life of him, he''ll never be able to understand just what they are doing exactly.

    He could clearly tell this was some kind of inhuman power transformation though to what degree, how it works, and other aspects he doesn''t know. Nor will he ever probably know.

    Although does he want to know? Darcel could safely say ignorance is bliss in this type of situation.

    "Clean up well. Dr.Li still needs some valuable information from this failed test." Dr.Zhi spoke out without even looking at Darcel. And promptly, when saying his piece, he and Luo left the room.

    As they left the room, Dr.Li had suddenly flung a small silver needle into the transformed man''s neck.

    "Can''t even give me a chance to prepare?" Darcel sarcastically said once he saw the silver needle go in the man.

    It took all of two seconds and then,

    "DIEAH!!"

    The mutated man bounced to his feet! His eyes, filled with a murderous red bore into Darcel. This was a gaze that would cause tremendous fear in any average person.

    Unfortunately, this man was facing off against Darcel

    ''Hua!''

    Like a ravenous dog, the berserk man pounced towards Darcel! Spits of green-red mixed-blood spew crazily in the air staining several spots of the gray room.

    The berserk man''s speed was astonishingly quick, and he needed only one second to jump a few feets to Darcel.

    Smirking a bit, Darcel was able to instantly react!

    This time both of his hands ignited in his Darkness element. And with urate precision, Darcel ducked to his right of the berserk man pounced and grabbed on to his wounded arm.

    Just barely did the mutated man red ws graze his cheek.

    With superior strength, Darcel stood upright as he lifted the man with both of his Darkness hands!

    "Gah?!"

    The berserk man was confused at Darcel moving with such timing. This kind of speed had slightly edged out his!

    And savagely, Darcel smashed the man into the gray floor!

    The beserk man coughed up blood, but his mind was soon overtaken by this strange blood lust feeling. By Darcel Darkness''s hand, his blood swirled in a certain way, and Darkness interjected into his bloodstream.

    This moment of daze was the perfect opening for Darcel!

    ''Chi!''

    Cleanly without any resistance, Darcel plunged his other Darkness hand into the man''s head. Simply, Darcel''s hand tore through his skull and pierced his brain!

    The soft mushy feeling made for an unpleasant sensation for Darcel, but he still showed no hesitation in killing.

    It was either kill or get maimed, and Darcel wasn''t up for that experience.

    Immediately, the light died in the man''s eyes as his life slipped away from him.

    Taking his hand out the man''s head, Darcel was saved from any blood. His Darkness hand absorbs any blood negating any dirt froming on to him.

    Though the stinging sensation dide during the blood absorption, it wasn''t as intense as the Qi absorption.

    "It''s quite curious. For a mere special experimenter, you''re oddly quick and efficient." Dr.Li noted while he was still writing down notes.

    Darcel didn''t look back at him while walking towards the door though he did say,

    "I would have to be braindead to not improve myself around these cruel parks. Until next time Doctor."

    .

    Back in the depressive gray corridor, Darcel took a minute to calm his mind. While he did keep a calm facade through that short battle, his body and mind was hopped on the adrenaline.

    Always, no matter what, the thrill of battle did cause a bit of excitement in him. Although he would''ve preferred it if it wasn''t in this kind of setting.

    After taking a couple of minutes, Darcel was prepared to walk again until he noticed the door rattling next to him.

    Sighing slowly to himself, Darcel stayed put when the door began to crack open.

 Chapter 3: Intuition

    Chapter 3: Intuition

    In this section of the lone depressive corridor, Darcel held a slightly exasperated look while watching the door next to him open. Several people walking by cast odd looks at him, yet they still went on about their day.

    Only someone like that boy would be daring enough to wait for a person in this Organization.

    Slowly the gray door open and out step was an odd yet enchanting mix of ck and white. It was a young woman, around Darcel''s teenage age and also quite attractive looking.

    What catches eyes the most was her dazzling pure white hair that neatly swayed down to her waist. In an Organization were dark or dull monotonous color was the norm, this girl was a massive contrast.

    Her face was cute, spouting enchanting ck eyes and an ever-present small smile. Looking down to her body, it was curvaceous but still held a youthful charm as she''s still growing.

    Her breasts, along with her behind, were at a modest cute size. Her assets carried their own unique attraction to her.

    And on top of all, precisely like Darcel, she wore ck clothing, which signifies her slight specialty among themons.

    This was a cute girl that could cause several heads to turn back at her. Although for this ce, the heads that did turn to her didn''t look on in lust or appreciation of her beauty.

    Rather, entirely like Darcel once again, their eyes held envy, jealousy, and a small leakage of undisclosed killing intent.

    Only one pair of eyes differ from the others. And of course, it was Darcel''s already tired eyes when watching the girl step out into the corridor.

    Promptly, for the girl as well, akin to having a sixth sense, she turned her head to her left and locked eyes with Darcel''s. ck eyes met ck eyes, and the girl was the one that gained an even more full smile.

    "Once again, the standoffish Darcel can''t ever bear to lose to his cute friend! But, he''s at least chivalrous enough to wait for me~!" The girl''s bright, cheerful voice bounced off the corridor walls.

    Not only was her appearance in stark contrast to the rest of the ce, but also her light demeanor went against everyone.

    And besides people slightly quirking their eyebrows, nobody changed their passing nces towards the girl.

    Even Darcel could never hope to achieve the level of energy this girl could somehow muster up. And he didn''t bother nor care to try. All he simply did was blinked his eyes before turning around to his left.

    Then, without a single word utter, he began walking down the corridor.

    For the girl, despite being outright ignored even when Darcel stared into her face. She didn''t get mad nor sad and swiftly matched Darcel''s paced while walking.

    "Just for one day, would it destroy you to just give me a simple hi! I even gave you a decent opener today!" Uncaring about anyone else walking, this girl was as merely as loud and bright as she wanted.

    Likewise, with the very atmosphere being oppressive and crushing, that won''t break this girl stride a single bit.

    And towards talking to Darcel, her wide smile didn''t lessen in the slightest.

    "Ani, weren''t you the one to say it''s enough to cross eyes with me? But since you''ll keep pestering me about it, I''ll make sure to say hi the next time."

    Darcel shrugged his shoulder and cast Ani a sidelong nce. It was the least he could do for this troublesome girl.

    "You said thatst time! Hah, no matter. Today we''ll just have another memorable day so you for sure won''t forget. Oh! By the way, how was your task this morning?"

    This question made Darcel wonder, how the hell could she tell it was morning? There were no windows, magic watches, or anything of the sort to know when it''s night or day here.

    But Darcel didn''t bother really questioning it since it was her own made-up logic. Looking over to Ani, he said, "As per usual. A failed test and then a quick test to see if I live or die. You?"

    "Mnh, mnh. I was a bit of the same. After failing to make those weird Doctors lighten up the mood, their test failed, and I had to mess about for my life. Honestly, Darc, I think one day, I can get through to them."

    Ani had a proud and confident smile while stating this. Such a bold, outreaching im did cause Darcel to raise an eyebrow at her.

    "What supposedly makes this daypared to the years we already spent any different?" Unhesitatingly, Ani pointed her finger at him with a cute teasing smile.

    "A natural feeling, of course! There''s also the fact you seem a bit more pepper in your step. I can already tell that''s a good premonition." Darcel creased his eyebrows though he wasn''t really surprised.

    Admittedly if his slightest behavior changed, this girl could always pick up on it. Though he had to relent since towards her, Darcel could tell he was the same way.

    "Eh, it''s just that recurring dream I''ve been having. Don''t look so deep into it. And for that ma-"

    "Ah?!? So you basically just confirmed today our fates really will change!" With high excitement, Ani proimed to the whole corridor!

    The two during their talk haven''t stopped walking. And when Ani made that loud shout, all the people that were passing by had focused their attention on them.

    Seriously, if they had to guess, they would most definitely say these two ''experimenters'' have more screw loose than even the deranged ones.

    Moreover, her loud shout didn''t even cause the two to pause and look around to themotion they just created. Instead, they kept on walking while Darcel told her,

    "Say, I guess your brain isn''t full of air since I thought the same thing for this specific version of my dream. But don''t take it too literally. Even you should be aware of how reality is often...disappointing."

    "Heh! That''s just your negativity! With my positivity, I''m sure something will happen today! And look, it''s already happening. The line is shorter for our fellow workers."

    Ani had pointed out to a decently long line of people in slightly lighter gray clothing. Like it was routine for the duo, they didn''t even notice the line until thest second.

    The ones on the line paid no attention to the duo and were intent on focusing on their tasks.

    "Are you now going to point out every strange little nuance today? Plus, for this Organization, there''s probably some messed up reason why there''s less on the line today."

    Despite pointing out the line, the duo didn''t even bother going on it. Much to the ire of their fellow ''workers,'' Darcel and Ani just walked right beside them.

    Now in this part of the corridor. There wasn''t a single person who dared to walk beside the line. Like loyal subjects, they all were supposed to wait.

    Well, nearly all people are supposed to wait

    "You raise a point. But I counter it with another, I mean just look at their expressions today. Some look like they''re expecting some good news." Ani stated, getting Darcel to look over to them.

    Truly when he or she isn''t talking, Darcel is reminded of this overwhelming depressive atmosphere this ce has since no one dared to converse with each other.

    Even with all their fair share of res and looks they get, no one ever decided to step up to them or also make a lowlyment.

    Moreover, those people''s faces don''t necessarily look like they''re waiting for good news.

    "You sure do have a unique observation. In any case, I wonder what dull tasks we have for us for today." Darcelmented once the duo finally arrived near the end of the line, where they saw a gray counter.

    This gray counter was connected to the corridor''s back wall, and behind the counter was yet again another cold-looking man wearing a doctor suit.

    The only difference for him was the surgical mask he wore that covered his face.

    No one dared to go up to him despite having zero people in front of the counter. The line was only about a few feet apart from the counter. Yet, due to a particr duo, the workers at least knew why to stop now.

    "Just watch this, Darc." Ani had suddenly gained a sly smile and tugged on his sleeves. The duo was just a mere couple of feet apart from the end of the line.

    "Hm?" Confusion for Darcel soon toon into realization as everyone suddenly felt a dramatic shift in the corridor!

    Unfathomable powerful auras burst through the corridor''s halls, and the chaotic sound of wind boomed into eardrums.

    ''Hua!''

    And right past the duo, several bursts of winds nearly knocked them t on their backs!

    As for the other workers?

    "Ahhh!?!"

    Unlucky for them, the whole mass line of people were thrown all over the ce, crashing hard into the gray walls.

    This was merely the raw, powerful speed of the mysterious Doctors here.

    Darcel and Ani had to shield their eyes, clench their legs and grit their teeth just to stay on top. Their saving grace was at least the Doctors were only using their natural speed and not a single bit of their true power.

    "You two. Stop pissing around and follow us now.''" ring right next to them, a superior disdainful tone made the duo look slightly up.

    All at once, the high intense winds didn''t affect them anymore, allowing for control over their bodies now.

    "Oh great, if it isn''t the high order, Doctor." Darcel''s eyes matched this time to a dignified man in a blue Doctor suit. Really, despite this mere cosmetic change, his presence was far higher than someone like Dr.Zhi.

    "Ah! If it isn-"

    "Follow now."

    The high order Doctor crudely cut off Ani and already set off walking. His direction was precisely where the other Doctors were heading.

    Once told what to do, Darcel and Ani, no matter their varying opinions, made sure to follow orders. This is why they promptly follow directly behind the high order Doctor.

    Moreover, without him, they would eventually end up knocked around like the rest of the workers.

    "My intuition knows no bound Darc. But what the heck? Any idea on this sudden rush?" Ani asked while keeping up pace with the high order Doctor.

    And for this matter, even with his dream, Darcel had no clue what''s going on.

    After all, his dream wasn''t very telling. "If I were to guess, most likely they got their hands on this extraordinary person. Not much can make these guys move like this."

    The duo could only shrug their shoulders and kept on talking while following. Just because some urgent meeting happened didn''t mean this would break their stride.

    Besides, the duo was convinced they''re onlying because theirbined unique powers are needed. Even with Ani''s intuition, she also didn''t believe the new patient could somehow be rted to them.

    If only anyone knew the future thaty ahead after this event

    .

    "Indeed, patience is a virtue. This woman was starting to be too troublesome to get."

    "Countless years wasted will be made up for it now."

    "It simply finally feels good to take a step in the right direction."

    Numerous chatter like this dripped into Darcel and Ani''s ears once they arrived in a massive spacious gray room. The size of this room could nearly fit hundreds of people!

    Moreover, hundreds of Doctors had gathered here!

    The high order Doctor had led the duo towards the front of the crowd. It leads them to get to the center of the room where advent anticipation filled this normally depressive ce.

    "Would you look at this, Darc? It seems like even for these cold guys when they want to build up excitement, they sure can deliver." Ani remarked, feeling and liking the excitement filling this room.

    Looking around, Darcel did notice the usual stoic face of the Doctors shine a bit brighter for today. And looking up even further, Darcel spotted something.

    "Ani, take a look up there."

    "Hm? Oh! A falling subject?" Up to where Darcel pointed was what should''ve been a magical sight.

    Four Doctors in this new green suit were currently flying in the air! Though this grand achievement was overshadowed by what they were doing in midair.

    Out from their sleeves were several metal chains that they all grip tightly. And on a long gray table, simrly floating in midair, did the chains wrap around a person.

    At this point, the person showed slight signs of movement, but the most peculiar action came from their head.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t know why, but to them, it seemed like this person was attempting to move their head to look down into the crowd. Furthermore, a minuscule odd feeling swelled a bit in their blood.

    "Be prepared! We''reing down now!" One of the four men in the air shouted out, causing the other Doctors to go silent.

    Slowly but surely, they descended to the floor. As they near the floor, Darcel and Ani were finally able to get a good luck at this person.

    It was a woman. Though you would have to squint your eyes to notice since this woman had a tragically mutted appearance.

    Her clothes were tattered, and fresh dark blood poured down the table.

    Although it wasn''t her tragic appearance nor the natural aura, this woman could still exude that caught the duo attention.

    It was the simple fact when this woman got into view, her eyes immediatelytched onto Darcel and Ani.

 Chapter 4: Dramatic Shift

    Chapter 4: Dramatic Shift

    If one had to describe Darcel and Ani''s mood right now, it would beplete awe. All other Doctors didn''t matter to them. Their deep ck eyes matched and couldn''t look away from this woman''s eyes.

    Even in her tragic mutted appearance, her eyes were of this strange yet attractive sight of ring yellow.

    These yellow eyes shined over every Doctor there, being even brighter than light. Combined with these unique eyes was an oddly familiar but unfathomable aura that the duo felt in tune to.

    More intensely, their blood swirled, and their minds became fuzzy. It was obvious to tell this woman at her peak condition was a terrifying monster in power.

    But a foreign yet familiar connection couldn''t stop itself from forming for the duo and this woman.

    Darcel had to calm his mind to rationally think about just how one look could affect them so much. ''Most obviously it''s a part of our bloodline...but just what is our bloodline?''

    "Darc, no matter what, we''re all breaking through today." Ani had nudged his arm and spoke in a confident tone.

    She as well had no possible way of knowing their bloodline. But one thing is for sure. Her intuition was a hundred percent correct! She clenched her hand in small anticipation, already feeling the edge.

    All the while, the duo were having their inner moment. All Doctors here were intensely focused and excited!

    They all had nk clipboards magically floating beside them, a pen already right beside it. If they were to seed today, then their whole way of cultivation will achieve a fundamental breakthrough!

    "High Order Doctor, I trust the two special experimenters are with you?" The same Doctor who spoke before asked while situating the table.

    ncing to his left, where the duo looks somewhat dazed, the High Order Doctor nodded, saying, "They''re right here. When it''s done, just called the order, and they''ll immediately respond."

    Darcel and Ani had no outward response since their attentions were still raptured on the woman.

    Though neither the high order Doctor nor the green suite Doctor cared about their shock state. As long as they performed their tasks, it was enough.

    Turning back to the chained woman, the green suit Doctor told the other three green suits, "Now, fully neutralize her."

    Promptly the other three green suit Doctors violently clenched their chains, causing a green substance of energy to flow through the chains.

    Like slithering ooze, the green energy drizzled down the chains.

    Oddly enough, though, even when the green energy wrapped around the woman. Her mutted face didn''t change at all in expressions.

    Her body and Qi may be entirely suppressed. And she''s suffering from intense pain, but it was like such matters were small to her with staring at the duo.

    This did cause the three Doctors to feel a bit curious though her reactions meant little to them.

    "And now"

    The final green suit Doctor said and flicked a green liquid syringe towards the woman.

    With precise aim, the syringe plunged deep inside the woman''s neck. Now more severe pain did get the woman to crease her eyebrows, but her eyes still remained unmoving.

    All it took was a few seconds until a green slit opening formed at the center of the woman''s bloody forehead. Akin to her very essence being dragged out, a bright yellow ball of Qi was slowly getting dragged out of her.

    ''Whir!''

    Immediately when the Qi ball took even an inch outside her body, tremendous waves of power caused utter chaos in the room!

    All the Doctors were forced to put up Qi shields and drain all of their energy into protection. They knew what they were dealing with, yet they didn''t expect their overestimation to still be an underestimation!

    The room itself was cracking, and some of the weaker Doctors had to take a knee from this overwhelming power.

    Although, before any more damage could ur,

    "Hold it now!" The leader of the green suit Doctors roared out, and Ani knew it was her time to shine.

    Thanks to the high order Doctor, she and Darcel were fine against this unfathomable power. Without him, the two would''ve simply turned into mushy meat paste by this mere extension of aura.

    Moreover, for the high order Doctor, even he was sweating against this far beyond power.

    And what was even more terrifying to him was the fact this woman could still wield so much power despite being a step away from death.

    In the same process as Darcel, Ani raised her hand and focused deep inside herself. The familiar calming powers of her that helped keep her sane red up in response to her calling.

    This was her inborn power that stemmed from the soul.

    ''Chi!''

    Ani''s hands had ignited in a brilliantly white sh! Doctor''s eyes turned to her with undisclosed expectations. And Ani was sure to meet such waves of expectations.

    Calmly she focuses her attention on the small ball of yellow Qi. This yellow Qi though gave Ani a sense of closeness, but she wasn''t in any position to explore this sensation.

    Pouring all of her power, causing herself to sweat, a white glow had smoothly formed over the yellow Qi ball.

    And instantly, the dramatic power considerably dropped! Now the Doctors could finally move again and regain back their focus. Though cold sweat still drizzles down their faces.

    This woman was far too rule breaking!

    "You only have thirty seconds. Sever her Qi." The high order Doctor exined to Darcel while all three of them walked up to the woman.

    Because the woman was majorly suppressed by waves and waves of power, it was now the perfect opportunity for Darcel to strike. Still, Darcel had to focus up since this won''t be anywhere as easy as it sounds.

    Igniting his hand in the Darkness Element, Darcel''s eyes matched one more time with this woman.

    A tremendous mysterious premonition had overtaken Darcel then. He just had a faint feeling that he and Ani''s lives will undergo a fundamental change if he goes through with this.

    Realizing this, a small crack of a smile etched on Darcel''s face.

    Swiftly, under hundreds of anticipating eyes, Darcel reached out to touch the yellow ball of Qi.

    And when he made the first contact with the Qi,

    ''Zzztt!!!"

    A Massive amount of uncontroble power of the woman broke out in the room! Her chains were sted off from her, and her bloodline red up in frantic excitement!

    "Wh-AHHH!!!''

    The wailing shrieks of the pain of the Doctors bounced off the walls. All hundreds of Doctors got their bodies bloodied and shredded by the woman berserk power,

    The green suits Doctors were flung hard into the wall, creating little craters of themselves on impact.

    Furthermore, the high-order Doctor was pushed back for a few feet and was forced to kneel under this berserk power.

    "Ani!" Instinctively Darcel reached and wrapped his arm around Ani''s waist. He was simrly feeling the frantic call of his bloodline re up like the woman.

    Moreover, he ispletely fine in the face of this absolute power.

    Ani didn''t resist and leaned into Darcel''s chest with an awe expression. Her bloodline frantically stirred, and she also didn''t need to rely on anyone to resist the woman''s powers.

    It was then the high order Doctor witnessed a small red glow in the mutted woman body. His eyes burst open with disbelief!

    He struggled to get up, but he knew there was simply no time to make it towards the woman or gather up his Qi. In frustration, he could only roar out, "No! After all, we''ve been through!!"

    s, his frustration roars would go on deaf ears for the woman.

    In a simple manner of a second, the red glow had abruptly grown in size to where everyone''s eyes were blinded by red. Sight was impossible, yet all there could tell this was just the beginning.

    ''Chi!''

    Arge red sh fully lit up the room! No screams of pain or bewilderment were heard anymore.

    When the red sh had disappeared, so did every single person in that room

    .

    "Yin Pleasure, Yin Pleasure, Yin Pleasure, It''s time!!"

    "Geh?!"

    With a startling shout, Darcel burst opens his eyes and shot up from the ground.

    ''Wait a minute...dirt?'' Immediately Darcel took notice of his surrounding environment. Before it was odd for Darcel to describe it, but he was sure that very phrase red in his mind for however long he''s been out.

    But, whatever that phrase meant was put on the back burner. Slowly his hand clutched the ground and confirmed Darcel''s suspicions. He indeed was lying on a patch of dirt!

    Looking around to where he was, all that came into his vision was dark ck trees filled with an ominous atmosphere. It didn''t help that the sky above was also dark and shined with numerous silver lights.

    ''Somehow, it really did happen'' Standing on his feet, Darcel finally understood where he was.

    The natural air he breathed in was far more vibrant, and leaked a bit of enchanting power. Being able to stare in what he identified as a sky and no foreboding feeling of someone watching, Darcel smiled.

    ''Finally...even if it was a stroke of coincidence or luck, I''ve finally escaped that godforsaken ce! I have no idea what or realm I''m in, but anything is better...well first thing first.''

    The realist side of Darcel kicked in before he tried anything. Just because he was out of the tiger den didn''t mean he was entirely out of the woodworks.

    Dropped in an unknown forest on an unknown, Darcel''s mind worked fast. Looking around, he quickly spotted an inconspicuous bush that he could hide in to n out his next actions.

    Using several skills he picked up back in the Organization, Darcel moved silently in the forest.

    Skillfully he made sure to avoid any grass patches or tree branches that could make obsessive noises. And seamlessly, Darcel got inside the bushes after making sure there was nothing wrong with it.

    ''With quite literally no family, background, or wealth. The only thing I have to focus on now is raising my personal power to not be torn to shreds.'' Darcel concluded to himself since doing it in here would be far better than out in the open.

    The images of the Doctors and that woman popped into his mind as he was sure they got teleported along with him. But then his mind had promptly gone to that troublesome white hair girl.

    When getting teleported, Darcel had clearly felt that girl attached to his body until that weird phrase red into his mind.

    And more likely than not, that girl could be on the same as him.

    But if he wants to make sure, there are vital things needed to bepleted first. With no more people tracking or watching his every move, Darcel ignited his hand in his Darkness element.

    Gently he put his hand on his lower stomach. Calming his mind to its most rxed state, Darcel clenched his teeth and reared his hand back.

    And swiftly with zero hesitation, he struck towards his stomach!

    ''Chi!''

    Brutally, Darcel tore through his own stomach, crazily spurting blood in the bushes.

    Pain wracked through his body, and cold sweat poured down his face. But in one shot, Darcel managed to grab a foreign object in his body.

    Pulling this object out, causing himself even more pain, Darcel came face to face with a small, disgusting ck bug.

    ''This little shit has been eating up all my progress and work for thest years. Even if my blood could attract scent of Spirit monsters, I''ll have more than enough power to at least run away after devouring this bug.''

    A full broad smile grew on Darcel''s as hatred flow through his veins staring at this bug. The wound on his stomach wouldn''t kill him quickly, but it will matter little now.

    ''Ani, hopefully, you don''t make too many stupid decisions until Ie and get you.''

 Chapter 5: Rapid Breakthroughs

    Chapter 5: Rapid Breakthroughs

    ck tendrils whisked out of Darcel''s palm and wrapped around the small dark bug. Fruitlessly the bug couldn''t even dream of escaping once Darcel got his hand on it.

    His eyes slowly closed while his mind rxed into a tranquil state. Carefully, Darcel pulled the bug inside his Darkness Element.

    And immediately, Darcel''s eyes nearly burst open! The absorption was immediate as he sensed and felt the mass wave of Qi wash over his whole body!

    Vibrant, refreshing Qi coarse through his body, significantly changing and improving Darcel''s body.

    Moreover, Darcel was in total control of the amount of energy he wanted to absorb from the bug.

    Everything went as smoothly as possible. There wasn''t a single hint of harmful effects by Darcel absorbing other people Qi.

    It was then a mental block suddenly formed in his mind. This block attempted to confuse him and damage his mind as he tried to increase his cultivation realm.

    However, Darcel merely smiled as he thought, ''Theprehension of cultivation...so it''s as I guess. Just like the first time, everything is iparably clear for me''

    For any Qi Foundation realm cultivators, the essence of Qi itself should be an incredibly confusing and profound topic toprehend.

    To breakthrough, one simply can''t just gather more Qi that exists in the air. They would have to firstprehend every mental block that forms in their mind when advancing to the next level.

    And if yourprehension abilities are low. You can forget about ever breaking through since the mental block will prevent you from doing so.

    Inbination with theprehension, there''s also the matter if a person can correctly absorb Qi and efficiently control it throughout their body.

    Failure to do so would result in wasting whatever amount of Qi one had absorbed.

    But for all these matters, such things had never once been an issue for Darcel. During the most crucial step for cultivators to sense out the mystical Qi and absorb into their head.

    Darcel encounters zero troubles when doing so! Even when his first-ever mental block formed, Darcel had smoothlyprehended a small meaning of Qi on his first try.

    Surely this level of talent would''ve been monstrous! Unfortunately, Darcel had an unexpected cruel twist in his life.

    At least now he''s able to make up for lost time

    ''Bang!''

    Apanied by the sound of something popping in his mind, Darcel smoothly broke through the mental block and could sense a higheryer of Qi!

    Thisyer was far more profound and powerful, yet Darcel wasn''t done.

    Slowly and urately, Darcel absorbs more Qi from the bug, eventuallying across more mental blocks.

    He went from the secondyer of the Qi Foundation realm to the,

    Third,

    Fourth,

    ''Bang''

    The fifthyer of the Qi Foundation realm! Immediately, Darcel stops the absorption of the bug energy. His ck tendrils kept the bug inside his hand, suppressing it to make sure it doesn''t affect his body.

    And on the outside, Darcel was slowly refining the fifthyer of Qi inside his body. Even if he had geniusprehension, it was impossible for Darcel''s body to keep up.

    If he were to absorb more energy, then not only would it damage his body beyond repair. It would also heavily damage his lying foundation for cultivation.

    Taking his time, Darcel familiarizes himself with his body''s whole new tier of strength. It was a fantastic feeling...like he could punch through a tree with ease!

    Furthermore, he no longer felt any pain from his torn open stomach! The wound, because of his repeated breakthroughs, had entirely healed!

    After an unknown amount of minutes, Darcel slowly opened his eyes. And the first thing he noticed was a putrid stenching from him, along with ufortable sweat that stuck to his clothes.

    Looking down to the ground, the spot he was in had this disgusting ck substance all over the dirt.

    ''So this washes away the impurities. Good thing, I remember this neat trick.'' Darcel thought, and a small ball of ck Qi appeared above his finger.

    Because of his inborn powers, this was the color his Qi would form and then, with a snap of his fingers,

    ''Chi!''

    A ck sh shined on Darcel''s body. With no effort at all, he was clean enough to smell decent and got rid of all that ufortable sweat. Darcel cracked his eyes and took a fresh breath of air.

    ''Now if only stabilizing my body was this easy...oh? What''s that noise?'' While Darcel was humoring himself, the sound of rustling grass and twigs slithered into his ears.

    Because he didn''t hear any people talking and it is the night''s dead-end, Darcel had a guess on what it could be.

    Carefully he peeked out the bushes without making too many noises, and his suspicions were indeed correct. Even at the firstyer of the Qi Foundation realm could Darcel see well in the dark.

    And what his eyes gazed upon were two intriguing figures. Decked out in full-on blue fur were two Spirit Monstruosos beast wolves, several meters long, slowly scouring around this woods area.

    Their snouts were at the ground, continually sniffing as if they were searching for something or someone.

    In a more control state, Darcel was able to study the woods better. Besides the ominous ck color trees, the leaves and bushes were in this odd blue color.

    Some trees as well were freakishly tall being able to scrape out the midnight sky.

    Looking towards the Spirit wolves again, Darcel began to ponder. They both seemed highly intent on suddenly searching over here. And he just had a recent breakthrough.

    Deciding to test a guess, Darcel formed a minuscule ck ball of Qi. And his suspicions were soon immediately proven right.

    The two wolves'' heads perked upright when Darcel formed his Qi. Although because it was extremely tiny, they had no way of following that maic sensation that brought the two here.

    Following that, Darcel dispersed the Qi after only seeing a second of their reactions. And a second was all he merely needed.

    ''So this another special property of my Darkness Element. Well then, let me see first''

    Darcel had suddenly closed his eyes and fell into deep focus. Sensory abilities was a topic someone at his realm shouldn''t even think about it. But Darcel still put all of his attention on these wolves.

    And just barely, Darcel felt ayer of Qi simr to his own! His eyes had then snapped back open while his forehead was sweating some.

    ''Past tricks really are useful sometimes. And since I just recently had great breakthroughs, I might as well nip the stabilization problem in the bud right here.''

    Darcel calmed his mind to its best-performing state. His blood began to bubble a bit in excitement, and his hand clenched while still keeping his eyes on the wolves.

    This shall be his first battle in a new world! Moreover, now he could freely use his prowess and abilities without the constant threat of someone breathing down his neck.

    Sneakily Darcel maneuvered out of the bushes without making a noise. With the course these wolves were taking, it would only be a few seconds until they would notice Darcel.

    The wolves were several feet away from him, putting a reasonable distance between the two.

    But this distance matters little for Darcel. Without any weapons and just his fists, Darcel bent his legs and concentrated more Qi there.

    In a natural state, Qi always flowed through Darcel''s body. Still, he could also amplify certain parts of his body to boost that attribute of his strength.

    And when the wolves had started to turn around to his location, Darcel zeroed in on one wolf!

    ''Swish!''

    Leaves, trigs, and bushes were all chaotically blown by a massive gust of wind! Dirt scattered in the wind among the intense pace of the wind.

    The wolves'' head snapped towards Darcel''s location, but it was already toote. A smiling human that held that faint maic sensation popped right in front of them!

    Several feet of distance was crossed in a mere second by Darcel! And instantly, Darcel inmed his hand in Darkness.

    "Rwa-"

    The wolves attempted to react as their pupil had suddenly diluted. However, Darcel had the superior speed!

    His Darkness hand sailed with lightning swiftness causing,

    ''Bang!''

    One of the wolves tounch off like a ragdoll! The wolf boomed like a bullet and crashed hard into a tree, making several cracks form along the tree.

    "RWA!!"

    Immediately in blood lust, the second wolf pounced at Darcel. Itsrge mouth opened, revealing sharp bloody teeth, and it precisely went for Darcel''s throat.

    Nevertheless, Darcel''s speed was once again a vital advantage.

    Skillfully he narrowly dodged the wolf pounce with lightning-like reflexes! And using his same Darkness hand,

    ''Bang!''

    Darcel violently struck the wolf on its colossal head, sending it crashing into the ground. A long thin crack formed under the wolf just from the sheer force behind Darcel''s punch.

    ''Now then, let''s finish this.'' Darcel thought to himself and felt his instincts scream at him from behind.

    "HWO!!"

    With limited intelligence, the second wolf used its incredible speed to once again pounce at Darcel''s neck.

    At such speed it was going, it would''ve been extremely difficult for any other 5thyer Qi Foundation cultivator to react.

    Darcel, however, swiftly turned around and increased the amount of Qi in his hand. Right when the wolf reached close to him, Darcel ducked under its swipe and,

    ''Chi!''

    Tore through the wolf stomach with his Darkness fist! The tough fur and bones were like soft tofu for Darcel.

    "Hwuu!!"

    Blood spurted like crazy from the wolf''s stomach. Its eyes erged from the iing pain and from a second fist appearing in its vision!

    Quickly, Darcel tore his hand out of the wolf and sent another punch towards its head, violently knocking it to the ground.

    Relying on his instinct again, Darcel crouched down to avoid another pair of sharp bloody mouth. And using his same hand, Darcel punched up without even looking.

    ''Chi!''

    "Hwoo!!"

    A simr roar of pain echoed out from above him. Again his fist effortlessly tore through flesh and bones as fresh blood sprayed out in the air.

    Moving over a bit, Darcel took his hand out of the wolf and let it fall to the ground like a puppet with its string cut. Two fifthyer Qi Foundation wolves nowyed heavily damaged at Darcel''s feet.

    Amplifying the Qi in his foot, Darcel lifted it over one of the wolves head and,

    ''Bang, Bang!''

    With two sickening loud crunches, Darcel shattered the wolves'' skulls, brutally killing them. Blood poured out from their heads, dying the ground red, but Darcel ignored that.

    After the fight, Darcel felt far more in tune with his body. His explosive Qi was now smoother control, and he felt hisprehension deepened from the battle.

    ''Still, I didn''t expect to achieve this level of strength at just the mere fifthyer'' Darcel thought as he cracked his knuckles.

    Combined with his superior speed, the wolves didn''t stand a chance at all. This highly impressive fight surely would''ve caught anyone''s attention.

    And only seconds after Darcel''s battle did he now clear and loud rustling of leaves.

    His attention spiked, and his guard was put up. Although there was a faint feeling in his mind that whoever this person was, was far stronger than the wolves.

    It was then a smooth girl voice called out to him saying,

    "Well now, that was quite the impressive battle boy. Do you have time for a small chat?"

 Chapter 6: An Immediate Lead

    Chapter 6: An Immediate Lead

    "A chat in the middle of the night in a dead forest? I suppose if you wanted to attack me, you would''ve already done so. Well? What is it then?" Darcel dryly said without a hint of fear in his voice.

    Watching the group of five approach him, he had to note their eyes lit up a bit in hearing his bold tone. Like it was a sh of respect.

    Although Darcel could swear, from the girl at the center, her eyes for a brief second gained this realization glint.

    This group had alle out from behind one of therge ck trees, clearly watching Darcel for some time. Furthermore, this group was dressed simrly.

    Their attire consisted of a more tribal look. They all wore a mix of ck and brown leather armor that wasn''t too long, showcasing off some of their bodies. Still, the armor did perfectly fit them.

    In the night glow, Darcel was able to clearly see their faces and bodies.

    Two females and three males, all youths who looked around his age, and the most eye-catching of the group was the girl at the center leading them.

    Her face held a natural wild cute attractiveness, that gracefullybined with her hazel brown eyes. She had shoulder-length brown hair and a charming curvaceous body to boot.

    Plus, the light armor she wore also highlighted her beautiful brown skin and lean fit figure.

    And the most significant feature about this girl was her enigmatic aura. An aura that kicked in Darcel''s instinct to tell him that he couldn''t beat this chick no matter what.

    When walking up to Darcel, the leading cute girl gained a slight smirk towards Darcel dry remarked. "Quite smart but also with a hint of an attitude, eh? Let me guess, no spatial ring, uniform clothing, or even a mere bag. A lone wandering adventurer, right?"

    The girl held thisplete confident tone as she and her group had a good first impression of the boy. Not even when outnumber or outmatched in power did he ever change his calm expression.

    Even if he was faking, this acting is too perfect then! All of their eyes trailed all over Darcel taking particr notice of his bearings.

    Despite having a good looking face, at first nce, one can tell he hails from shabby origins. From his dirty ck clothes that now, on his shirt, has a rip opening to his stomach.

    And he didn''t even have a Mortal Weapon! Only a crazed or lone person would dare to venture out so far into these woods without one.

    Though this all was just an inferred guess, this group of youths gathered, purely going off from his appearance.

    Still, the nagging feeling the leader girl felt about this boy only gotten stronger while they were talking. Although she didn''t let any major reaction show on her face.

    Darcel also didn''t have any significant reactions. Though Darcel could count himself lucky for making human contact so quickly and he would rather not venture out aimlessly.

    Who knows what other powerful Spirit Monster lurks here? And if he encounters one that''s simply too powerful to resist? Then everything would be for naught.

    With just a shrug of his shoulder, Darcel answered back with, "Maybe I am. Are you perhaps trying to recruit me?"

    Towards Darcel''s question, the cute girl held a broader smile, and in unison, she and the other youths'' eyes matched with each other.

    It was like some sort of signal to Darcel, and suddenly he felt a small but dangerous feeling seed into his mind.

    This feeling was because of the presence of powerful aura leakage! A subtle yet forceful persuasion tactic? They''re quite the daunting ones

    Yet, Darcel remained tranquil. He faced terrifying auras far more powerful than theirs after all.

    Once again, this mysterious group of five eyes sparked up. Darcel''s calm prestige under power far stronger than him made them all see even more value in the boy.

    "Heh, for the second week in a row, my luck strikes again. People like you are very much wee in our Wrathful n. And bluntly speaking, you cane with us to be a servant there."

    The leading girl straight up told Darcel and gauge his reaction. For someone their age to effortlessly kill two Spirit Monsters on the same level as he was no ordinary feat at all.

    Primarily since he only used his speed and fists! Moreover, he was going at speeds that some of the weaker ones in their groups had trouble following.

    In addition, there''s also this calm yet standoffish presence he has. Not even when bluntly telling Darcel that''ll he only be a servant at their n caused a reaction.

    Hell, it also seemed like he didn''t even know or care about their n influence!

    Although what Darcel was honestly thinking was about this girl line about striking lucky again.

    Since this n lives in the forest, he could already guess they just regrly take or force people to be servants for them.

    However, he couldn''t help but think about that troublesome girl again.

    It was only during theirst moment together did they get stripped apart. And it wouldn''t be a surprise to Darcel if that mutted woman somehow manipted just where they would teleport to.

    Her undivided interest and attention in them spoke volumes about her.

    "A servant, huh? Do you just pick out any random shabby-looking person under your night watches." Darcel prod a bit in his words wanting to subtly get more information.

    "Obviously, you can tell we don''t. With so many random weak people here, it would be all too simple to pick trash. We only choose those with decent enough power and skills..."

    The girl said as her face wrinkled more as if she finally recalled something.

    With a small eyebrow raised, Darcel began to say, "Well, well, looks like I was just able to make the cu-"

    "Wait. Before we continue there''s just one thing that''s bugging me"

    Since she first witnessed Darcel''s clothing, this feeling of Deja Vu was continually eating at her mind. Everything about this situation was far too simr to just be a coincidence.

    "Are you rted to this noisy white hair girl in the same style of ck clothing like you?" The girl asked, expecting to now see a reaction.

    And like she wanted, Darcel did freeze when hearing her description. In some stroke of luck, his guesses was actually right! But the question for him was, how the hell did Ani get here before him?

    Nevertheless, Darcel still smoothly answered, saying, "Is she that stroke of luck you had when finding a servant?"

    Given how calming Darcel''s tone was when asking, the lead girl and her group knew he wouldn''t be troublesome. Smiling, the lead girl said, "Indeed, and if you''re wondering, she''s doing quite well in the n."

    Unknowingly Darcel felt some tension leave his mind and body. Even with his superb abilities to show calmness, he still worried about Ani. At least now, he can make up his mind temporarily about this n.

    Whether she was lying or not, Darcel had to see for himself. "I guess you can say we''re friends. Alright, no need for forceful ways, I''ll peacefullye with you."

    Words and actions can vary a lot, despite this seemingly calm and peaceful conversation. Darcel could tell it could get ugly fast if he does something that they dislike.

    Such was the defining rule of worlds with extraordinary powers.

    And while the Wrathful n group was a bit surprised over Darcel agreeing so quickly, they aren''t going to make things unnecessarilyplicated now.

    "The name''s Anne, the group leader here. Yours?" Anne asked, causing Darcel to shrug his shoulders.

    Practically as an unknown existence, there was no harm in telling them his name.

    "It''s Darcel." Was all he simply said.

    "Not much for words, hm? No matter, let''s get on back to the n." Anne orders and swiftly turns around, already walking back in a specific direction.

    The other three youths took onest look to Darcel before promptly following behind Anne. And as for thest one, an average looking, skinny boy. He said to Darcel,

    "As long as you keep showing usefulness inbat, you''ll survive." With his piece of advice said, the boy followed behind the group as well.

    Staying at the back of them, Darcel followed while thinking to himself, ''Hopefully, by the time Ie, Ani should have a lot of things we need.''

    His eyes shed a devising glint. In Darcel''s mind, this was just another twist in life that he''ll eventually ovee

    .

    "Sheesh, your right, Mary. I haven''t heard a squeak out of him this whole time, just like he is some sort of mute. It''s like night and day if he really knows that white hair girl."

    The second male of the group who had a more burly rouge look remarked to the others.

    "Opposites do attract, or at least that''s what most people tell themselves. Maybe he''s just secretly timid." Mary, the other girl in the group, stated. She was a cute one with an athletic body type and pretty long ck hair.

    "I''d more say he''s one of those cultivation nuts who only talk more when it''s about Qi and stuff like that." The third male in the group, a lean looking boy, suggested to them.

    The three of them were quietly talking among themselves about Darcel since he showed rather odd characteristics.

    Like for example, his eyes just randomly closing at times, yet his feet still followed them. Or how he basically never even tried once to gain more information on where they were going.

    Either he was just always calm, or was too focused on that white hair girl.

    However, Darcel was simply making various ns on what to do when he met up with Ani. His eyes took mental notes of the surrounding woods and its unique habitat.

    By the route they walked, the group of six avoided any Spirit Monstering to attack them.

    And Darcel had to remark that these woods just seemed endless and far too broad. They hade across ominous pitch ck caves, or even ring bright blue ponds scattered throughout the ground.

    The oddest thing for Darcel though was in distances, he could see vast ck wood structures building. But for most buildings he gazed upon, he had a feeling that no one could possibly live there.

    In fact, he wonders how a whole ecosystem of a n can live here at all!

    Then again, he was also kidnapped to an unknown independent realm and was also magically teleported to this ce. So really anything is possible with special powers granted by cultivation.

    "We''ll just see more of him because look alive! We''re already at the n." Anne suddenly spoke up, gaining the whole group''s attention.

    And gazing at this n for the first time, Darcel had to admit it was quite impressive.

    Expanding for as far he could see, this n was iparably enormous. At the n''s entrance was a long ck wood gate that seemed to stretch on for miles. And at the center of the gate were two ck wooden doors.

    Darcel could also see colossal tall ck woods buildings that reach up into the sky. Every building had this wild exotic look towards them, much like the natural atmosphere the n exuded.

    Moreover, despite everything being made out of ck wood, the material itself had this unique glossy design to it. At a single nce, you would be able to tell this isn''t any ordinary wood.

    "I hope you''re ready, Darel," Anne spoke to him without even looking back. The group went up to the doors, and with Anne at the lead, she put her palm on it.

    Instantly her palm ignited in mes, with hers being this unique ck color!

    At the back, from the brief sh of her power, Darcel now confirmed it was a good idea to not raise a ruckus with them. Her strength was enough to kill him without even knowing how he died.

    With a loud rumble, therge ck wood doors promptly opened. Looking inside the n, it was simrly another pretty sight to gaze upon.

    This n was incredibly spacious and expansive, allowing for thousands of people to walk around with free space.

    There were several decorative ck wood trees nted here and unique design ornaments hanging around the ce.

    At first nce, Darcel could easily tell the people here were lively and bustling.

    Groups of people were gathered together, either talking, doing manualbor, or engaging in whatever fun activity they coulde up with.

    And like this first group, everyone dressed in light revealing clothes that showcased their gorgeous brown skins.

    Walking through the n''s doors, immediately a middle-aged looking man walked up to Anne just from the right side of the doors.

    ''Bang!''

    The doors had promptly closed, causing a massive impact that no one really took notice of.

    And while the doors closed, the middle-aged man asked Anne,

    "So? Any luck tonight?"

    Nodding at the man, Anne gained a slight smirk as she pointed behind herself to Darcel, saying,

    "Just one pretty special boy that I''m sure will do fine here."

 Chapter 7: Wrathful Clan

    Chapter 7: Wrathful n

    "Oh? I guess he must have some useful abilities then?" The middle-aged man questioned while looking at Darcel. And at first glimpse, the man could already this boy has a steady mind going by his calmness.

    Their eyes matched, and steadily, Darcel looked straight into his eyes. Like Darcel expected, even higher than Anne, this man had an enigmatic unfathomable presence.

    "I wouldn''t say it if I didn''t mean it," Anne assured the man.

    Looking at Darcel and thinking about it more, the man notices something. This situation was simr to the white-haired girl! Moreover, even the clothes this boy wore were identical to her.

    Pondering upon this point, a sh lit up in the man''s eyes as he told them, "Shall we get straight to testing then? Now I''m rather curious to see what he can do."

    "He''s Elder Wen, and this won''t be a problem for you, right?" Anne sweetly smiled towards Darcel while basically asking a rhetorical question.

    "No. I also don''t like to mince words. Shall we?" Darcel walked past Anne''s group and promptly stood only a foot away from Elder Wen.

    Being straightforward and blunt was always a quality Darcel liked to see in people.

    And Elder Wen seemed to be in the same agreement as slightly nodded at Darcel.

    "Follow me then."

    Elder Wen told him and swiftly turned around to walk to a specificrge ck wooden hut. This hut looked particrly fancy with several decorative ornaments on it and the glossy shine of the wood.

    Darcel promptly follows behind, leaving Anne''s group to themselves.

    Turning around to them, Anne stated, "I''m sure the rest of you have some other tasks that need tending to. I''m going to see what else our newest servant can do."

    Swiftly as she said it, Anne walked towards the same hut Darcel and Elder Wen was heading to.

    "Tch, even with his standoffish ways, I would''ve liked to also see what else he can do. But, damn it, she''s right. Haah, the privilege of being at the Qi Formation Sea realm"

    Marry sighed out as her curiosity about Darcel''s abilities only grew stronger. She was at the seventhyer of the Qi Foundation realm, yet her eyes had trouble tracking Darcel''s flying speeds.

    "Look at it this way, with the way he acts and his abilities. That guy will probably ask to be abat servant. Then we''ll really get to see what he can do, but for now, let''s just get our shit over with."

    The burly boy told her with a simple shrug. And after taking onest look to Darcel, the other four youths went about their own tasks.

    .

    Inside the hut, Darcel found the ce, like everything so far, as incredibly expansive. Several bookshelves were containing exotic looking scrolls and tablets.

    Several male and female people were working around this hut, either cleaning or putting more items on the shelves. And overseeing all of this was a man who exuded power and ferocity.

    He stood at the back wall donning a high quality of brown clothespared to the others. He also had a muscr physique and showcased his powerful bulging muscles to the world.

    Most of all, his face carried a fierce intimidating expression that already tells someone to not mess with him.

    Darcel instantly felt mild pressure as soon as he walked in the hut and traded nces with this man. It was like his eyes were two sharp daggers that were trying to pierce his eyes.

    Nevertheless, Darcel managed to keep his cool as he heard Elder Wen say,

    "Elder Lian, Anne just brought in another servant. And from her words, he''s quite the special one." As Elder Wen talked, Anne had walked in the hut, and eyes turned to Darcel.

    Immediately the people working around here found Darcel as a shabby boy. Still, he at least looks like he knows how to confidently carry himself.

    Elder Lian''s eyes still haven''t left Darcel finding this boy a bit intriguing. He could count on one hand how many youths dare to match his gaze and even keep calm under him.

    Contemptuously smirking at Darcel, Elder Lian said, "Another ''special one'' so soon again, eh? Though his realm isn''t that high, just a mere fifthyer boy."

    Now more eyes began to gather on this little exchange since they knew testing is about to begin. Hearing Elder Lian, Anne attempted to talk so she could back up her choice.

    "I give you full honesty El-"

    "Action speaks louder than words, Anne. Elder Lian, I''m all ready for testing." Boldly, Darcel cut off Anne and walked up to Elder Lian.

    Honestly, he didn''t have the time nor care for any words or thoughts they have of him.

    Just as long he can finally get to Ani, it''ll be enough.

    Anne, however, was momentarily taken aback! No servant ever dared to cut her off, yet Darcel didn''t even look at her when doing it. Her eyebrows wrinkled but before she could talk again,

    "Hoh? Bold and eager? I''ll give you this much boy you''re showing as much enthusiasm as ourst special servant. Alright then. Fore! Come over here!" Elder Lian eyes held a devious light as he called this boy over.

    For Darcel''s confident and bold act, Elder Lian now wants to truly see if he is full of hot air or not. And already, Elder Lian has a faint premonition; his words will hold true.

    "This boy is quite fearless, I wonder if he is just ignorant of his situation."

    "He acts a little too confident to simply be ignorant. And now we''re probably going to see a brutal beatdown."

    "Even for just testing, Fore is simply too much for anyone at this boy level."

    All other servants now put their full undivided attention on the group, making idle gossip about Darcel. One lone boy walked over to Elder Lian with a curious expression out of the people working.

    Fore stood at an average height, smooth brown skin, and a decent looking face. One could tell he regrly trains his body to stay in shape by his lean fit physique.

    "Elder Lian. You want me to test him?" Fore nodded to the Elder and asked.

    Despite only being at the fifthyer of the Qi foundation realm himself, his tone about Darcel already shows the absolute confidence he has over him.

    "That''s right. As per testing rules, this boy will have one minute to see if he could best you in battle. Use whatever tricks or skills you have; you''ll need it, boy."

    Elder Lian told, and with a p of his hands, everyone made space for the two boys. Because the hut was incredibly spacious, Darcel and Fore had enough room to fight in.

    ''Hm, in our realm, we can''t really rely on overwhelming power to quickly defeat an enemy. So this is supposed to test my adaptability inbat...I''ll show off a bit to make things easier for uster.''

    Darcel thought to himself as his unwavering eyes matched with Fore utmost confident ones.

    "I wonder if he''ll truly be as special as you im. Fighting a human is far different from a Spirit Monster." Elder Wen remarked while standing next to Anne.

    "For his sake, he better show what I saw from him!" Anne said a bit irritably, still annoyed over getting cut off. Though she wasn''t so petty to immediately go against him, she brought him here after all.

    "You seem pretty damn confident with that small smirk of yours." Fore pointed out nearly finding Darcel calm confidence a bit annoying.

    In response, Darcel simply shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Maybe it''s because I''ll be able to rx some after beating you with only two moves"

    "Eh? Heh, hahaha! Alright, this boy''s confidence is bing quite funny!" An immediate reaction came from the observers, and simrly, everyone else held disbelieving expressions.

    From what they knew about Fore, this was undoubtedly an impossibility! But it''ll be all the funnier when Darcel inevitably fails.

    Anne stayed quiet during Darcel''s im while Elder Wen had cracked a small smile.

    "Begin!"

    Elder Lian from the sides called out, also finding it a bit amusing about Darcel''s unwavering confidence. Still, though, the nagging feeling that what Darcel is saying was true couldn''t leave him.

    "Two moves? Really now? Two moves?" Fore repeated with unamused expression while looking into Darcel''s eyes. Holding his palm out to him Fore called upon his powers and,

    ''Chi!''

    His whole hand ignited in ck mes! Seeing the ck me, all others thought this would be very quick. Nobody knew what Qi could Darcel possibly wield if he had any special Qi at all.

    But it was impossible to match the Wrathful n power of ck mes!

    Anne, however, recalled Darcel''s pitch ck hand when he was fighting with the wolves. She didn''t mention it back then but, from her senses, that Darkness hand made her even a little weary.

    Only a second pass when Fore brought his ck me in an intimidation tactic. The power he exuded should''ve been more than enough to make Darcel realize how foolish he was.

    However, Darcel merely cracked an even wider smile.

    "Heh."

    He snorted and then immediately sted off to Fore with zing speed!

    The servants who were watching had their eyes widen once seeing Darcel speeds. Even the ones at the seventhyer of Qi Foundation had trouble keeping track of him!

    Darcel and Fore were only a few feet apart, yet all Fore could see was a ck bur! Such groundbreaking speeds should be impossible for someone at his mere level.

    Yet, in a split second, Darcel faced already came up close to Fore.

    Fore couldn''t even react when a palm coated entirely in Darkness shed towards his chest.

    ''Pa!''

    "Bwaaah!!"

    With one swift clean palm strike, Darcel sent Fore flying like a bullet! At high speed, he crashed into the back wall while crazily puking out blood.

    Through sheer will, Fore managed tond on his feet after bouncing off the wall. Though when his feet touch the ground, Fore felt intense pain coarse through his body.

    And the most damaging was how he felt his blood stir in away the heavily affected his mind. He felt his head continuously buzzing, and a mix of primal emotions dazed him.

    This dazed state couldn''t continue for long as Fore suddenly felt a gust of wind swirled before him.

    "Like I said, two moves."

    Darcel''s cold words red into his ears. Holding his hand up, Darcel had then precisely chopped at Fore''s neck, effortlessly knocking him out.

    As Fore body lifelessly dropped to the floor, Darcel turned around to the servants'' astounded eyes. Primarily, Darcel zeroed in on Elder Lian and asked,

    "My results?"

    Even if he did ask, everyone was still surprised at how quick and clean this fight was! Not only did Darcel have the speed to outstrip Fore, but he also had the strength to knock him around.

    Moreover, he also had the precise aim to correctly knock out Fore with the least painful way possible. And most of all, there was that brief power of Darcel Darkness'' hand that seemed extraordinarily strong.

    Anne even had to do a double-take since this kind of prowess was even better than the one Darcel showed in the woods!

    "Hm, you pass wlessly, boy. Crain, you go take Fore to get checked. And what was your name again, boy?" Elder Lian asked as an older looking male went over to pick up Fore.

    "It''s Darcel." Truly in Darcel''s mind, he was also a bit surprised by this fight. After flexing his body with those wolves, he didn''t think it would increase his prowess like this.

    Yet during this fight, Darcel felt his Qi was at a higher stage before. His control over it was continuously improving.

    If any of the people truly knew how Darcel cultivated, they would''ve recognized him as a genius!

    Although Darcel had no ns to stay here for long

    "Darcel, eh? Alright,e with me." Elder Lian told him and promptly started to walk out the hut.

    "Hey...are you still holding back or something?" Anne had to ask, being even more impressed at Darcel''s recent disy.

    Darcel already started walking behind Elder Lian, but he did turn to Anne saying,

    "I showed everything I need to show."

    His eyes bore into hers before promptly leaving the hut with Elder Lian.

    "I guess you were more than right Anne." Elder Wen remarked, but he didn''t receive a reply back.

    Anne''s mind was still wondering about this odd boy...

    .

    "This is where you''ll mainly be staying, boy." Elder Lian had taken Darcel over to a more normal building.

    However, Darcel couldn''t pay attention to the building''s detail, the people here, or what they were doing.

    It was all because as soon as he set foot in this building, a mix of ck eyes and white hair had immediately gazed over to him...

 Chapter 8: Duo Plans

    Chapter 8: Duo ns

    Darcel was a bit surprised, staring into this cute girl''s face. Instantly he felt a mass amount of tension leave his body as his shoulders began to rx.

    Relief swelled up inside him, and after only a second of staring, everyone heard,

    "Darc!"

    Uncaring about others, Ani dropped everything she was doing and jumped over to Darcel while shouting his name in a fervent passion.

    She smoothly dodged out of everyone else''s way and wrapped Darcel in a big hug.

    "Finally, you''re here! I just knew my cynical friend couldn''t bear to leave me behind!" Ani''s soft and fragrant bodytched around Darcel''s neck since she was a bit shorter than him.

    It honestly felt rather nice and warm for Darcel. Towards the feeling of her soft face in his neck, to her stic hands and modest twin peaks squashing on his chest.

    Furthermore, her beautiful white hair''s scent brought a calming sensation for him, and the most potent feeling was the small yearning he felt in his blood.

    The yearning made his and Ani''s body heat up a bit, further enhancing this reunion.

    Although the reunion would be even better if they didn''t have waves of poking eyes on them. The eyes of people who held various emotions such as annoyance, curiosity, or even envy.

    Usually, Darcel wouldn''t care about this, but Ani''s hugging made him a bit more reactive. However, while subconsciously, Darcel began to pat Ani''s head, the duo had then heard

    "Don''t the rest of you have work to do?" Elder Lian''s cold voice sted into their ears. A small portion of his unfathomable aura leaked into his words as well.

    And the effect was immediate as the other servants quickly took their eyes off the duo and went back to work.

    The first rule ever to be ingrained into them was to never provoke the terrifying Elder Lian!

    "Get up already. You had your fill." Darcel had caught himself after Elder Lian''s words and almost reluctantly stopped patting Ani''s soft hair. Even if it was very brief, Darcel couldn''t deny how good it felt to do it.

    Ani was of the same opinion once she felt the sudden burst of warmth from her head stop. Pulling away from Darcel, she had an adorably cute pout on her face though before she could talk, the duo heard once again,

    "Ani, fill him in on what to do and get back to work. You''ll have a few more hours until you can rest." Elder Lian spoke in amanding voice and swiftly walked off without giving the duo a chance to respond.

    As the Elder walked off, Darcel took the time to truly obverse the ce they were in.

    This ce held valuable items such as books, scrolls, jade tablets, or weapons all neatly lined up on shelves or other areas. It was massively wide in here, and there were several doors on the side of the walls.

    This nearly reminded Darcel of a far wider dome type of ce. Especially seeing the hundreds of servants dutifully working here. Some were cleaning with Qi or using special tools to clean.

    While others were carefully assorting these items or bringing more objects into this ce.

    And seeing the manualbor done here, Darcel''s mind was further reinforced on his decision.

    The decision to leave this ce as soon as possible!

    Even if he and Ani were to stay here and slowly cultivate, it would take years before they could even get to the prowess of a talented youth here.

    Mainly because along with natural talent, cultivation resources y a huge factor in someone''s progress rate. Furthermore, Darcel was tired of being under the foot of someone and doingbor for them.

    His musing was cut short when Ani had spoken up in a chipper tone,

    "This may not be the best way to meet back up, but at least we''re together now! Come on, let''s go and catch up while working." Ani was already pulling Darcel along to her workstation while talking.

    It was always a bit shocking to Darcel how this girl could still maintain this high energy level, no matter the environment. Even with something as mundane as manualbor, she looked even excited about doing it.

    Though he could suppose it was because he''s here. ''Speaking off, I wonder why we weren''t given any strict rules. Unless it really is because of our prowess.''

    As Darcel was thinking to himself, Ani had pulled him over to a remote section of this enormous ce. There was a neat expansive order of unique exotic looking scrolls all lined on rows of shelves here.

    But neither of the two focuses on that. Ani was much more interested in Darcel as she turned to him and asked, "So? What was holding you up? I noticed something was up as soon I felt you disappeared."

    She was talking in a low voice to cover their conversation, and following her tune, Darcel told her, "As far I can tell, I somehow got here a week or so before you. But I''m almost certain this was the doing of thatdy. Us meeting up so easily and luckily is far too much to just be a coincidence."

    "Is that so? I have to give that woman my thankster on then. But for now, Darc, lighten up that expression! Now we can move on to more manageable tasks together!"

    Darcel merely shook his head while saying, "You already know that we will leave this n soon. But I domend your enthusiasm for doing worthless work."

    "It''s not totally worthless. Like maybe one day in the future, we''ll stumble upon some ancient cave we''re we''ll need to carefully dust off some divine artifacts." Ani said it with a serious tone and a convincing smile.

    But Darcel just shrugged his shoulders, doubting something as niche as that would happen.

    Moreover, while talking, Darcel ponders for a second of just how quickly they agreed to travel together. They didn''t say it aloud, yet both knew they needed to go together.

    It just felt right and natural to Darcel.

    Ani was even more straightforward in thoughts. As soon as she first saw Darcel, her happiness bloomed by ten folds. In her mind, she already had marked the next destination they could travel.

    "Besides your possibility of these imaginary hidden caves, we should at least pretend like we''re working. It''ll be troublesome to mess with that Elder." Darcel said, getting Ani to brightly smile.

    "I''m d you''re seeing it my way now. Let the charitable Ani show you the ropes." Darcel nearly cringed from the way Ani referred to herself. Still, even when she saw that face, Ani''s smile only got wider.

    "This is going to be a long few hours"

    .

    "Here, we are! The quarters where us servants can go and sleep." Ani proudly showed Darcel a long hall with numerous doors running along the sides.

    Time flew like the wind for the duos as the two mainly got lost in talking with each other to pass the time.

    And after getting the signal from Elder Lian, Ani escorted Darcel towards an interconnected hallway that led to the dome-like room.

    Everything here, even for the servants were rather fancy and intricate in designs.

    "So, does this ce have any specific living arrangement?" Darcel asked as he watched at least pairs of people double up in a room.

    "Not at all. All that really matters is that we don''t get in the nsmen or Elders way. Are you ready, Darc? This is going to be the first time you''re visiting a girl room at night~." Ani was teasing with an incredibly cute smile that could, for sure, fluster hearts.

    Yet all Darcel did was raise an eyebrow while saying, "How did you manage to get your own room?"

    Pouting a bit, Ani took Darcel''s hand, pulling him over to a specific room while telling him, "Mnnh, I''ll get you to react one day...but for this room? It''s just something I got with my own ''special'' ways."

    Like many of the other structures here, the door was built in glossy ck wood showing a bit of polish for them. Once Ani opened the door, Darcel was at least satisfied with the room they were staying in.

    The room was expansive and had a door that Darcel was sure led to a bathroom. Surprisingly, the decor in here was decent and miles ahead from the Parasol Organization''s dark, dank room.

    "Truly, it may not be much, but this bed far surpassed my old one"

    Ani had immediately shot towards the bed and restedfortably on it. This bed was big enough for at least three people and even had nkets on them.

    Sitting down next to her after closing and locking the door, Darcel got straight to business. He started by saying, "Ani, how much have you managed to discover while staying here."

    Perking up, Ani took out a blue ring from her pocket. She smiled while saying, "I managed to score a space ring and a map through some clever tactics with my powers. The most important thing you should know right now is that these woods are called the Necropolis Woods, and we''re not too far off from our next sight."

    "Hoh? You already n this far airhead?"

    "Of course! I don''t let my cynicism bring me down Darcy~." Darcel''s mouth twitched from that annoying pet name of hers before saying,

    "Just say where the damn ce is."

    "It''s called the Necrotic Crystal City. From the map, I saw this ce has several academies or sects that are epting younger generations. It''s at least perfect for us toy low and learn more about this new world we''re in."

    "Perfect, with a destination, we can go over our n to leave this n tomorrow," Darcel smirked as his best course of action came to his head.

    "Eh? So soon? But how? Even some of the stronger servants here can still best us in battle pretty easily." Ani questioned with a cute, curious expression.

    She wasn''t ashamed to admit when she was massively weaker than someone.

    "Indeed, we''re pretty weak in terms of power. But, in terms of skills and abilities, no one here can outss us. Cause you see, our gateway ticket is Anne."

    "Oh? I know that girl. She was one of the first people I met whening here. She''s an inborn member of the n but works as some sort of resource worker here...are you suggesting to trick her?"

    Cracking a smile towards Ani, Darcel thought back to the Parsol Organization for a quick second. While he could never get anything from the Doctors, Ani did receive one crucial thing from them.

    "You do still have that purple scalpel, right?"

    When asking, Ani''s eyes widened a bit as she took out a small purple scalpel from her second pocket.

    "I think I know where you''re going with this"

    "Right, you were basically always as strong as I am. And it seems like things haven''t changed. I assume you''re already in the fifthyer of the Qi Foundation realm?"

    "I would be embarrassed if I couldn''t deal with that bug in me." Ani nodded and answered since Darcel didn''t have the Spirit Sense to tell her level.

    "Good, with our special prowess, we can request to further prove our might despite our low levels. And I know Anne is curious enough in us to agree if we ask an Elder."

    "Ah! You mean like thosebat servants? During my first day here because of my special abilities, Elder Lian did ask if I wanted to be one. But I only said I''ll think about it since my mind preupied at that time. And it really was!"

    Darcel was going to continue, but he did get slightly curious about what she could be thinking about during her week.

    "Don''t tell me it was me-"

    "It was you! I was so worried about if anything happened to you! I had the feeling that the yellow-eyeddy must''ve done something, but actual proof is much more relieving"

    Ani, much like Darcel, had her mindset on finding each other again. Just unlike Darcel, she was much more open to expressing this concern.

    Shrugging his shoulder, Darcel felt his natural body instinct kick in when seeing Ani''s worried and concerned face. His hand reached and began softly stroking her hair while saying,

    "Well, I''m here now, so stop uselessly worrying over stuff like that. Back on topic, though, by what you said that Elder probably knows we''re going toe with abat servant request."

    Ani''s face lit up in a broad joyful smile while the familiar warmth of Darcel''s hand course through her head. It was then her eyes shed, recalling some information.

    "Hehe~, this is actually perfect~! Not only your hand but when one bes abat servant, usually a Qi Formation Sea persones to test them out in the woods. And Anne would surely go to ours. You may not know, but she has unique connections in this n~."

    Ani ended while melting into Darcel''s hand.

    Darcel as well was feeling quitefortable while stroking her hair. However, he still continued saying, "With this, then, during our outing tomorrow, I''ll use my Darkness element to call upon Spirit Monsters to us. It''s an ability I discovered I could do just today. But importantly, all you need to do is get close to Anne, warm her defenses down so I can get one-touch on her and swirl her blood and mind. Then you''ll immediately plunge that scalpel into her."

    "Sounds simple enough. Anne is not too strong, so her mind isn''t that resistance towards my goodwill. But...what I''m sure is that there will be other Qi Foundation Sea people with us. The n doesn''t send two Qi Formation Sea people. Still, even when Anne goes down, we''re not out of the clear."

    Ani said as her eyes closed, feeling endless warmth.

    "You''ve been waiting for me, so you didn''t let your cultivation advance, right? Well, no more, you can stop suppressing, and we''ll both breakthrough during the night. If we''re at least at the sixthyer, I''m confident in our abilities to run if we can''t kill them. Plus, then I can just attract more Spirit Monsters to finish them off. I''ll be working on this Darkness attraction thing to limit the risks."

    Darcel spoke confidently and didn''t sweat at all at learning a new ability overnight. Just like how learned to sever Qi, which was nearly instantaneous, he was sure he could quickly grasp this unique ability.

    "I would say to take it slow...however this n will be a bit troublesome in the near uing days. But knowing you, you just won''t ept staying another day anyways. Alright! It''s time for us to start making history!"

    Ani pumped herself up while still under Darcel''s hand. Realizing this with a more bashful tone she said,

    "Um...before you start, can we stay a bit more like this? It helps purify my mind"

    Darcel had already ignited his other hand in Darkness while he heard Ani question. Neither really wanted to move from their spots, so Darcel said in a rtively soft tone,

    "Just rxI can work on this technique with my other hand, and this helps ease my mind as well."

    "Hehehe~! You''re bing softer by the day Darcy~!"

 Chapter 9: First Step

    Chapter 9: First Step

    Waking up after a few hours of rest, Darcel''s eyes snapped open to a glossy ck wooden ceiling. Immediately the first thing Darcel could sense, feel, and smell was an enchanting sweet fragrance.

    A fragrance that he was all too familiar with. Along with this sweet smell, the iparably soft feeling of a girl''s body snuggled into his chest also took over Darcel''s senses.

    Of course, this girl could be none other than Ani. And as unfamiliar it was for Darcel to admit, this was one of the warmest andfortable sleep he could remember ever having.

    Her warm body temperature, soft snores, and how she cuddled into his body all brought about a rare feeling for himthe feeling of pure joy.

    Looking down at Ani, Darcel saw on her cute face was a content satisfy smile. Thinking about their position Darcel began to wonder how they got here.

    Considering just yesterday, before they went to bed, Ani was the one who brought up the issue of sharing a bed.

    Darcel witnesses a more bashful embarrassed side of the girl that night.

    Before she could oveplicate things, Darcel simply said they could just split the bed in half or something since there''s no way he''ll sleep on the floor.

    Ani, also not wanting to be too troublesome, bashfully agreed to share the bed. Though she did try to threaten Darcel about doing anything weird to her in their sleep.

    Unfortunately for her, that threat held no impact on Darcel since her face had a big bright blush. Plus, her tone was nearly too shy and cutesy to sound intimidating.

    And it seems like whether willingly or in her sleep, she still sought him out no matter what. Cracking a small smirk to the sleeping beauty, Darcel just shook his head and began to think about their big day.

    Closing his eyes, Darcel focused for a second until, ''Good, just like I expected. I''ve broken through, and Ani should have too''

    Indeed, during their practicest night and slowly cultivating, the duo achieved a perfect breakthrough to the sixthyer of the Qi foundation Realm!

    In all honesty, Darcel guessed they could''ve breakthrough further, but that would only cause more problems and raise questions.

    ''Better get started early.''

    Darcel made up his mind, and with a small pat to Ani''s head, he tried to get up. But he soon found out it was a bit difficult since Ani was tightly clutching his chest.

    Shrugging his shoulders, Darcel just decided to wake up, Ani. This girl could surprisingly be a heavy sleeper sometimes.

    In an attempt to wake her up, Darcel began fully stroking Ani''s gorgeous white hair. Doing so caused an immediate reaction as she softly cooed into his chest, making Darcel raise an eyebrow.

    "When you''re up, just get up already. We got plenty of things to do today."

    "Muuu, you''re a useless romantic! Yesterday I was giving you the shy close friend vibes, and this morning was supposed to be an awkward but intimate moment! Our bond should''ve subtly changed after yesterday, but you failed on both parts, hmph!"

    Ani''s big deep ck eyes matched with Darcel''s unfazed ones. Her face in her adorable pout mode, but it couldn''t affect Darcel much.

    "Right... I''m d to see your enthusiasm just never run dry. Airhead, you already know we have a strong bond. Still, we can dive more into our rtionship when we get to a more stable environment. After all, you still remember our promise back in the Parasol Organization, right?"

    While Darcel seems like the type of person to be oblivious on the social aspect, he wasn''t socially inept at all. He was always just rather blunt and cynical, finding great amusement in sometimes pushing people buttons.

    But towards Ani''s feelings, he at least had the respect and care to correctly handle them. He as well could somewhat recognize his own feelings.

    All Darcel figured they needed was time.

    Even now, just by them naturally being so close without feeling much awkwardness or embarrassment already spoke to Darcel.

    Although Ani still felt her heartbeat up more as she leaned in on Darcel.

    "Hehehe~, how could I ever forget it? Mah, I guess you pass my tests though nothing bad would''ve happened if you''ve failed anyways~." Ani said in a sensual teasing voice.

    She also understood there was a time and ce for everything.

    But the thought of seeing a rise out of Darcel was too tempting to her. It was just a mere shame for her that Darcel is far too strange for any kind of normal reactions.

    Though she could relent with the fact, Darcel''s hand and body still provided her that much-needed warmth andfort.

    Getting up from his chest, Ani exaggeratedly stretched her arms while asking, "Assuming, just like you, I''ve also made it to the sixthyer. So what should be our first agenda for today?"

    Sitting up like Ani, Darcel said, "Starting off, I''ll continue practicing my new abilities. By the time we get tested, I''ll have everything prepared. You should work on your telekinesis. It''ll be helpful when taking the others down."

    "Let''s not take too long with this. We already had plenty of timest night. Say in about an hour, or so we''ll start making moves?" Ani said while lighting her hand up in a white glow.

    Darcel nodded, simrly igniting his hand in a ck glow. Just after a bit more time, they''ll be ready to leave and start their new path in life

    .

    Back in the vast dome-like room from yesterday, Darcel and Ani were ncing all around for Elder Lian. Even on bright early mornings of the day, this ce was still massively crowded just like yesterday.

    Thankfully, Elder Lian didn''t like to change spots. He was near the building entrance, observing and noting the servants, seeing as well if any of them gets out of line.

    With their target in sight, the duo moved past everyone else and walked straight towards Elder Lian.

    "You two...what, is it?" Immediately Elder Lian could sense the duo pairs of eyes on him. And as the two got near him, Elder Lian couldn''t help but be surprised.

    Somehow this pair of brats managed to achieve a breakthrough in one night! From his senses of the duo''s quality of Qi, he could tell Ani broke through to the fifthyer just recently when she first arrived at their n.

    And Darcel seemed to be in the same case. While Elder Lian couldn''t tell how long recently could be, he was positive they were in the fifthyer for at least two months.

    This type of speed was certainly noteworthy since it would take the average cultivator several months or even close to a year to breakthrough.

    While all this is all hypothesis on his part, Elder Lian was sure to take note of these two odd brats more.

    Just, only if he knew the truth of their actual breakthrough...

    "Wee with a request to be abat servant, Elder Lian." Ani politely asked while swaying a bit of charm in her words. Out of the two, it was the clearest who held the most extroverted appeal.

    "Hoh? So you finally decided since he is here. Alright then, just stay put while I get your tester." Taking out a glossy ck ring, Elder Lian poured a bit of his energy into it.

    And when he was expecting to wait a bit, his ring had sparked up immediately! Information from the ring flowed directly into his brain, causing him to raise his eyebrow a bit.

    "Looks like you kids already have quite a good start. Anne will soon be joining us since she''ll be your tester." Elder Lian''s words caused Ani to gain a teasing smile as she looked over to Darcel.

    "That was quite the fast response, hm? Even as you''re right, I think you do have some natural charm Darcy~."

    "Or, we''re just very easy and useful to use airhead. And I''m more willing to put my bets on my reasoning."

    "I guess we''ll just have to see if your cynicism can top my intuition!" Ani overdramatically proimed, getting Darcel to roll his eyes while she sweetly giggled.

    Seeing the two interact, Elder Lian once again had to remark on these two underlying confidence since they can so easily talk without worrying about the uing test.

    After only a few minutes of waiting and talking, the entrance had suddenly opened. At the door, various eyes had to look over to who it was and held reverence for the two that appeared.

    There was the cute good looking Anne who had slight anticipation on her face. And next to her was a young good looking boy.

    This boy was amazingly tall for his age, standing at a towering six feet. He wore an open button ck jacket showing off his lean, ripped muscles and wore tight ck nts.

    Moreover, his face was the one that exuded a high amount of pride and confidence.

    Promptly their eyes had ignored the respected looks given to them and matched with Elder Lian''s, who was off to the door''s right side.

    "Anne, Young Anim. Didn''t think you kids would show up so quickly." Elder Lian correctly addressed them.

    "Well, Anne was far more curious about her testing ofbat servants...are these the one?" Anim spoke up first while observing Darcel and Ani.

    Their eyes crossed one another and did neither side back down from each other. Cracking a small smile, Anim leaked a tiny bit of his unfathomable aura to see how ready they were.

    And much to his surprise, the duo was unfazed despite getting solely targeted by his far more powerful aura!

    "Yea, they''re Darcel and Ani. At first nce, they may not seem like much, but these two have some good prowess." Anne exined, and unlike Anim, was more surprised at the duo level right now.

    Anne could barely sense it, but she could still tell that these two were in the sixthyer of the Qi Foundation realm.

    And while she wasn''t like Elder Lian with his more urate Spirit Sense, Anne still had to note how they could achieve a breakthrough overnight.

    "Since she''s here. Shall we get going then? Nothing will get done from some morning small talk." Darcel crudely said with an unchanging expression.

    Of course, he and Ani felt Anim unfathomable aura and didn''t take all too kindly to the sudden pressure increase. Towards people like this, it was useless to mince words.

    "Ah, I''m also quite pumped up to go like him. Doing it early truly puts your skills to test!" For Darcel being so crude, Ani immediately followed up with her bright, chipper energy.

    She, like Darcel, disliked this sudden pressure, but it was nothing she couldn''t handle. Moreover, it''s not like they''ll ever see this boy again after today.

    "Oh? These are some good seedlings, Anne. They''ll probably do great for today." It was like magic when Ani opened her mouth, Anim, and even the other three felt more inclined to listen to her.

    Ani was akin to this attractable enigma that you wouldn''t mind getting close to.

    And seeing Anim eyes shed and his words, Ani calmed her soul since it went perfectly.

    "If you''re so eager, then follow me!" Anne told the two, also influenced by Ani strange but enchanting charm

    .

    Deep in the Necropolis woods, seven youths were carefully walking through this massively vast and expansive area. All of them had their tension on high alert, just in case of the unexpected.

    Still, this didn''t stop Darcel and Ani from making the march to the first step of their ns.

    Throughout this whole time, Ani poured her radiant energy into chatting it up with Anne while Darcel closely followed behind them. And seamlessly for her, did Ani get Anne to enjoy talking with her.

    Currently, the test Ani and Darcel was on was to travel to a specifdmark in the woods andpare themselves with inborn members of the ns.

    They would make theparison by the way they''ll deal with the higher tier of Spirit Monsters inhabiting thendmark.

    Anne would get to see just what useful skills these two could bring to the tablepared to other nsmen.

    Although right now,

    "Seriously? You never once yed any of these advanced mages games? I know even for orphans they''re granted the chance to y."

    "Sadly, I just never was granted the opportunity. But even then! My handmade games do sound fun when you want to pass the time, right?"

    "Truly, your mind is mysterious." Anne was engaged in this light, enjoyable talk with Ani. Even with such little and random discussions like this, Anne was surprisingly enjoying it.

    In their power-hungry world, Ani was like a different kind of air that is pleasant to breathe in.

    s for her, Darcel''s eyes secretly glowed in Darkness.

    ''This should be far enough...now it''s time for stage two''

 Chapter 10: Full Prowess

    Chapter 10: Full Prowess

    Everything was seemingly normal as the youths trekked through the woods. There was no sign of Spirit Monsters nor any close noises of the rustling of grasses.

    Although for some reason, while talking to Ani, Anne was having this...strange but deadly premonition. It was like multiple eyes had just locked target on her.

    Trusting her gut feeling, she immediately stopped dead in her tracks. Ani kept an innocent, curious expression as she asked.

    "Eh? What''s wrong?"

    The other nsman shared the same confusion since they didn''t feel the same premonition that only got stronger for Anne.

    "It''s... it''s just...I don''t know, but I feel like somet-"

    "RWARGH!!!"

    Out of the blue, cutting of Anne, several Spirit Monster loud thunderous roars reverberated throughout the whole woods! Darcel and Ani acted along as the other youths'' bodies tensed and spiked up.

    The ground was trembling, grass and bushes were frantically rustling while the air swirled in a frenzy. Among all, everyone there suddenly felt the pressure slowly increase.

    "Shit! I can just barely sense there''s probably nine mad monsters rushing at us!" Anne roared out to warn the others. Now she finally understood that dangerous premonition from before.

    And to make matters worse, there were at least two monsters from this group that neared her prowess!

    "Just from their mere auras alone, most aren''t that strong! Quickly rush them down!" Darcel shouted to them while his hand had secretly turned off its Darkness glow.

    His face held a small devious grin as he locked his focus on two monsters specifically.

    "Don''t hesitate!" Ani shouted right after and in sync with Darcel,

    ''Swish!''

    The ck and white duo rushed towards their respective monsters leaving the other behinds in the dust.

    Their current distance from these monsters was several meters away, and frankly, this was the perfect time to strike. With Darcel stopping his Darkness call, the monsters were left temporarily confused.

    The sudden strong maic attraction that brought them here had abruptly stopped! Their maddening rush halted a bit as their eyes attempted to scan the woods.

    And in the wake of Darcel and Ani, the rest of the youths sobered up as Anne shouted,

    "Rash, but their right! Rush down these monsters!"

    ''Hua!''

    Swiftly as Anne called it, the remaining of them sprinted towards their monsters to gain an advantage. Like Darcel said, their auras weren''t so great that they would need to run away.

    Plus, Anne feltpetent enough in her prowess to truly kill everything off here if the others can''t do it.

    With a fire zing in their eyes, the nsmen all prepared for a great fight, unaware of the insidious nners behind them.

    .

    While Anne''s group split off to the right, Darcel and Ani rushed to their left. Three Spirit Monsters were over here, and Darcel thought this would be good practice for both of them.

    These Spirit Monster beasts, Darcel could vaguely sense, are at his level, the mere sixthyer of the Qi Foundation realm.

    With extreme precision and control, Darcel wouldn''t be able to call out to something far stronger than him, leading him and Ani to have some good target practice.

    "Ani, take on that fox, leave the two bears to me." Up in front of them were three terrifying giant beasts that would frighten any average weak cultivators out of their wits.

    Two bears standing over ten feet tall with gross looking ck fur, sharp bloody teeth, and piercing blue eyes! Moreover, these bears'' eyes were clouded in confusion.

    Their eyes darted all over the woods until focusing on the duo.

    Next to the bears was a huge fox standing over five feet tall. Like the bears, it had sickly ck fur, and in contrast, it had pointed ears plus an extraordinarily long tail.

    The fox monster yellow eyes had also locked on to the rushing duos.

    "Let''s finish it in record time!" Ani excitedly responded to Darcel. Just like him, she also felt a rush when battling and would never shy away from a fight.

    "Auroo!!"

    The Spirit Monsters shouted in sync and sted off to the rushing duo! With each step the bears took, the ground slightly shook, and trees quiver from their sheer weight.

    The Spirit fox beast nearly blended into the dark, dreary wood color, essentially going incognito with its extreme speed.

    Yet, this matters little for Darcel and Ani.

    For the first time in their lives, the two were now going to go all out! Even with all other previous fights they had, including those in this world, the two were cautious about using the full extent of their prowess.

    Showing off without sufficient nning was never a smart thing to do. But now, with these levels of beasts, it was the appropriate time.

    In only a split second, the duo closed their eyes and connected with their souls. Instantly, they willed far out more Qi than ever, significantly amplifying their bodies.

    And once the two felt their bodies strained, their eyes snapped open! Power, far greater than they ever felt before, course through their entire bodies.

    They felt like an entirely different being!

    Darcel''s eyes shed a dark glow while Ani''s shed a white brilliance. Their legs tightened and the several meters distance in front of them,

    ''Hua!''

    Was crossed in a single step by the duo! Quite literally, the dirt split apart from their speeds, and the air swirled uncontrobly. And their sudden eleration caused massive reactions.

    The Spirit Monsters bears, and fox only felt the wind''s razing gush before two massive auras pressed down on them. Their eyes widened like saucers, and the whole bodies felt instinctive danger.

    It was like clockwork! Just out of the blue, did the duo magically increase their prowess to majorly suppress them!

    Acting in tandem once again, Darcel jumped up and used both of his hands to stab towards one of the bears'' eyes. And Ani shot a clean, glowing fist to the fox head.

    ''Bang!''

    The fox couldn''t react at all to Ani''s insane speed and was sent flying like a bullet! Ani''s sheer power made the fox sail through trees, breaking them down with little to no resistance.

    Watching her work, Ani cracked a small smirk and rushed down the fox once again.

    ''Chi!''

    At the same time, when Ani struck the fox, Darcel plunged his fingers deep into the bear''s eyes!

    "Ruoo!!"

    The Spirit monster bear unleashed a painful wailing cry as Darcel''s fingers met no resistance when striking his eyes. It felt like watery tofu when Darcel punctured the bear''s eyes.

    Fresh, bright red blood dripped down its fur coat, and the bear knees nearly buckled from the pain. Darcel knew there was no need to fight some long drawn out battle with defense toughen bears.

    And at their stage, one of the significant soft, weak points of such a formidable creature was it defenseless eyes.

    "RUOO!!"

    While Darcel was momentarily stuck in the air by his fingers in the bear, the other bear unleashed a maddening roar!

    It couldn''t see Darcel''s first attack, but now that he''s in its line of sight, there''s no way he can dodge now!

    Swiftly, the bear ws grew longer and sharper while its ck fur had seemingly sharpened. The bear roar had gotten the other bear to stop iling around and hold Darcel in ce.

    A murderous glint entered the second bear eyes and, with insane speed, struck out with its w to the now still Darcel!

    Throughout this whole time, Darcel could have moved, but it wasn''t the right time. Now, as he saw the second bear''s terrifying w pawe at him, Darcel gained his own maddening smile.

    In all of one second, Darcel took his fingers out of the bears gushing blood everywhere in the woods. Speedily, he had then mped on the bear''s massive head and nimbly flipped himself on top of its head!

    Darcel''s moves were like a nimble rat, and before the second bear could realize it, its w paw headed straight towards the first bear throat!

    ''Chi!''

    Ruthlessly the second bear w paw tore into the bear''s throat, shredding out blood like a waterfall. Everything happens far too fast that neither bear''s brain could process what just happened.

    All the first bear could feel was its throat getting torn and blood bubbling into its mouth. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn''t be nearly as easy for either bears to one shot each other.

    But thanks to Darcel, the first bear felt its blood swirled frantically, bringing upon chaotic primal emotions that heavily affected its mind. Plus, getting stabbed in the eyes also majorly lowered its Qi defenses.

    "And now"

    Darcel said to himself as both his feet glowed a deep dark glow. Before the bears could have the time to react Darcel lifted his foot up and,

    ''Bang!''

    Cruelly stomped upon the first bear skull like it was an annoying bug. Instantly by the force of Darcel''s stomp, the bear felt its head cracked, and its brain ttened!

    Blood gushed out of every pore of its head while the light left its eyes. And ignoring the bear''s death, Darcel immediately turned its attention to the still shocked second bear.

    It simply couldn''t get any breathing at all! Only two seconds after it plunged its w into the first bear throat and Darcel stomping on its head, he acted again!

    Hastily, the bear took its w of the first bear throat letting its corpse fall to the ground with a sickening wet thumb. Its head then snapped up, trying to find Darcel only to see empty air.

    But its ears soon heard the chilling piercing words of a young boy saying,

    "Now it''s your turn!"

    ''Bang!''

    Darcel fiercely stomped upon the bear head, causing a sickening crunch like noise to shatter out from the impact. His foot had even sunken a bit into the bear head by his sheer overwhelming prowess.

    Upon the bear face right now was gushes of blood pouring out of every single pore of its massive head. Tremendous pain dazed its whole body, yet it could hold onpared to the first bear.

    But in this position, there was no way Darcel would give this bear the chance to counter-attack.

    Using his insane speeds, Darcel swiftly turned around and hopped off the bear head. In this position, Darcel came face to face with a bloody bear and its bloodshot eyes.

    Without missing a single beat, Darcel blitzed his fist towards the bear''s right eye and plunged it deep in there!

    Blood gushed out like a fountain from his strike, blowing out in the dark ck woods. And for the Spirit Monster bear, itsst line of sight was Darcel coldly smirking at it while he pulled his fist out of its head.

    Taking his fist out, Darcel safelynded on the ground. Simultaneously, the second bear corpse crashed into the ground with yet another sickening wet thumb.

    Turning around in Ani''s direction, Darcel was left wondering if that girl was as quick as him

    .

    Unknown to Darcel, Ani finished her fight even quicker than his.

    Right when Darcel began to fight against the bears, she sped off towards the sailing fox. Her hand was still glowing white and seemed to brighten up as she rushed to the fox.

    And right when the fox looked, it was going to reorientate itself in midair, Ani fist out her glowing white hand.

    Behind the wolf, the top half of arge ck wood tree began to shine a bright white glow! The fox couldn''t pay attention to this at all, and all it did saw was Ani squeezing her hand.

    When the Spirit foxnded on the ground, it suddenly heard a snap! Arge towering shadow covered over it, and its instinct screamed danger.

    Hastily, the fox attempted to run but,

    ''Bang!''

    Therge tree fell with speeds far superior to the fox and smashed it into the ground! Ani''s telekinesis was all but impossible for the fox to escape, plus this fall caused far more damage than an average fall.

    Swiftly Ani caught up the fallen tree and used her telekinesis to roll the tree away from the squashed fox.

    In a small crater, the foxid still, seamlessly utterly defeated. However, Ani knew better than to fall for Spirit Monsters'' simple tricks.

    Her hand shed towards the fox head as the beast snapped its eyes open. But even if it could feel Ani''s handing towards it, her speed still utterly trampled upon it.

    Quickly, Ani grabbed the fox head, and immediately a white glow shrouded the fox head.

    "This might feel a bit tight"

    Ani said it as some sort of joke while the fox promptly felt its head get tightly squeeze. Pain immediately overtook its senses, and on the inside of its body, a white glow appeared around its brain.

    Smiling at the fox pain-wracked eyes, Ani tightly clutched her hand, and with a sickening pop inside the fox head, its brain turned into a bloody mushed!

    While Ani''s telekinesis was limited on what she could truly control. If one is at the same level at her and she gets her hand on them, it was basically over for her enemies.

    Letting go of the fox head and letting its brainless corpse fall to the ground, Ani stretched out her body, feeling mighty refreshed and refined from this short battle.

    "I seem to finish this up a bit too quickly. Oh well, might as well take my time to get to Darcy~.'' She gleefully thought and didn''t believe Darcel needed help taking down the bears.

    Ani already had enough trust in Darcel to believe if he says he can do it, he''ll do it no matter what.

    Casually she walked back to Darcel''s spot and soon saw him finishing off the second bear with one clean eye strike.

    "We make such a perfect duo, Darcy! So now that this is all done, should we wait a bit before going back to the others?" Ani had cheerfully gone up to Darcel, who was using his Darkness to get rid of the blood on his hands.

    "We may have finished too fast...I suppose we should wait so we can have the perfect opportunity. Oh, and good job."

    Without warning, Darcel tenderly patted Ani''s head.

    It caused the girl''s face to lit up in a massive smile as she leaned her head more into Darcel''s hand.

    "See! You are a caring person! You remember every little thing I told you during our Parsol time!" Ani was really giddy and riled up, but Darcel couldn''t really understand.

    Because she liked it and he liked it, Darcel saw it as natural to pat her soft head if he feels like it necessary or he wants to do it.

    But even so, with Ani pure joy and happiness Darcel did form a small genuine smile as he told her,

    "Caring or not, I''ll always keep my words. And now we have just one more word to deliver to a certain, forceful group"

 Chapter 11: Reversal

    Chapter 11: Reversal

    "Hey...would you look at this? It seems Anne also went for a desperate climatic fight." Ani offered her ownmentary once the duo had arrived back to the nsman.

    Indeed the very first thing they saw whening back was the uncontroble frenzy of ck fire. Dozens of trees were lit up in a zing ck me while there were patches of ck fame on the ground.

    The raging sight of boiling ck mes made for an ominous, threatening view as if a great battle was raged here. Though for the duo, this made them smile with pure bliss.

    "Look over there. Anne''s group is also panting like a dog after fighting." Darcel pointed to his right, still with that gleeful smile on his face seeing their conditions.

    Moreover, one of his hands was deep inside his pocket, unknown to all on the outside world.

    Looking over to them, Ani figured why Darcel seemed even more satisfied. As she was delighted with this result also.

    Everyone in that group was holding on to ordinary looking silver swords, plunging them into the ground. Beads of sweat dripped down their faces as they leaned on their swords for support.

    Like Darcel guessed, for these average youths in cultivation, they struggled far more inbat.

    Anne''s group simply didn''t have their speed nor the overwhelming power to quickly dispatch those at the same level or nearing their levels.

    Anne seemed the most drained since she was taking the most extended and deepest breath. But she did have good reason too since like the duo had guessed, she exerted herself with using Qi ck mes.

    This was the sole difference between the ninthyer of the Qi Foundation realm and the Qi Formation Sea realm.

    While at the ninthyer, one can conjure up Qi for a ranged attack. There was a significant drawback if one chooses to do it.

    The drawback is the massive amount of Qi energy needed for a ranged attack. Plus, the range attack won''t be nearly as powerful as one expects.

    This was due to the fact the stable base for such attacks isn''tid out in the Qi foundation realm. However, in the Qi formation sea realm, one would have everything they need to perform destructive attacks.

    But looking at Anne''s condition now, it was all but impossible for her to perform any more powerful destruction.

    "Ah! Are you guys, alright?!" Ani raised a perfected acting cry of worry while she dashed towards the nsman. Darcel followed straight behind, nearly letting out a chuckle for Ani''s performance.

    Anne''s group snapped their heads to their left, hearing Ani''s bubbly voice. Somehow hearing her voice felt a bit soothing, and some were even d she made it back.

    Anne was especially d as she told her, "It''s nothing too serious. Just some exhaustion from fighting so hard."

    Ani got close to her with aforting broad smile that seemed to shine bright in the cruel dark forest.

    As Ani went to her right, Anne noticed Darcel going to her left side, but she didn''t pay any heed. By the extension of Ani, she also got used to the standoffish, cold presence of Darcel.

    "Oh, oh! You still have some slight minor injuries...hey, why don''t you let me help speed this process up?" Ani suggested to her while igniting her hand in her signature white glow.

    Immediately, everyone there felt warm and drawn into the white glow. It gave off this secure feeling that they needed more than ever at this moment.

    Even Ani was innately curious about her hand, so she asked, "Can you heal small injuries or something?"

    Ani didn''t even nce at Darcel as she told her, "Just watch, you''ll feel entirely new after I''m done!"

    Such bold confidence and reassurance did get Anne to relent a bit.

    Plus, just getting out of battle, she''ll take any small straws she can get. It also helped that she had considerably warmed up to Ani during their travels.

    "Alright, show me what you got then." Anne smiled at her and agreed.

    With her words, Anne felt her hand grab her shoulder. Anne''s mind was momentarily distracted just from this small touch since, frankly, Ani''s hand felt tender and soothing!

    But it was then that a second rougher hand tightly grabbed the back of her neck in this moment of distraction!

    "Wha-AHH~?!?"

    Anne''s body tensed for a second, but her senses, mind, and body were assaulted with this odd frantic wave of pleasure and pain. Her blood was crazily swirly, directly affecting her mind and body.

    Her loins immediately started to burn and wet with intense burning desire. All she wanted now was a release! Her defenses were all but gone for this specific moment.

    And Ani''s eyes shed a murderous glint!

    ''Chi!''

    Blood spurted out in the air as Ani stabbed that strange purple scalpel deep into her neck! Purple sickly lines formed on Anne''s neck and swiftly ran through her whole body.

    Pain, tremendous massive pain that Anne had never felt before, overloaded her senses and wracked every inch of her body.

    "Ge-Acl-AHH!!!"

    "What the fuck are you doing?!?"

    Towards Anne''s screams and chokes of blood and pain, the other nsman gained a fierce glint in their eyes. They pulled their swords out of the grounds and red at the duo with vicious killing intent.

    Everything was just too sudden and abrupt! Darcel''s hand shed towards Anne''s neck instantly, and no one even knew how the hell Ani fished out that scalpel in a sh.

    But one thing is for sure, these pair of mere sixthyer Qi foundation kids are courting death!

    Darcel and Ani simply turned around to face the youths that had drawn their weapons. Their faces still remained steady and called with a hint of a smirk.

    Both of them let Anne''s body go, letting her fall to the full while spasming in tremendous pain. Flexing out his Darkness glowing hand, Darcel told them, "Isn''t it obvious? We''re taking our official leave from your poor little n."

    "Indeed, it would never benefit us in the long run. We need to spread our wings!" Ani also chimed in with her own crude remark.

    "I should''ve known there was something off about the two of you, but really, do the two of you truly believe you''ll leave here alive?!" The one who was talking, Darcel recognized as therge, robust boy from yesterday.

    There was also the skinny sixthyer boy in the group.

    Darcel also saw Mary from yesterday, but the other boy next to her he didn''t recognize. But such little things were only cosmetic as Darcel said,

    "Do you think you''ll live past today?"

    Instantly his words got the nsman to tighten up and go into battle positions. They haven''t attacked the duo yet because of theirst exhaustion from battle, but it looks like these two woulde at them.

    Upon this point, they all gained a mocking cruel smirk. A murderous glint exuded from their eyes, treating the duo like mere prey.

    "How naive! Do you r-"

    Whatever Mary was going shall be forever unknown as her words got caught in her throat. By the fierce swirl of a gush of wind, all of Mary''s group were taken by a surprise.

    ''Chi!''

    The sickening sound of blood red into Mary''s group eardrums. Nobody knew what happened, but when they saw Ani clutch her hand, a deadly premonition rose inside them.

    Slowly they turn around only to see the skinny sixthyer boy corpse in a bloody pool. Out sticking from his head was a rock that had an eye-piercing white glow.

    Their heads snapped back to the duo with small worry crossing their faces.

    "How did you" The robust boy tried to talk, but another swirling gush of wind interrupted everything.

    In a ck and white sh, Darcel and Ani seemingly teleported right in their faces!

    Swift like wind, Darcel threw out his Darkness glow fist towards the robust boy face. He was at the eighthyer of the Qi foundation realm, yet he couldn''t help but get shocked at Darcel''s speed.

    In sync, Ani threw two quick fists at Mary and the boy beside her. These two were both at the seventhyer of the Qi foundation realm, but Ani''s speed was uncatchable!

    Hastily, all Mary''s group could do in a split second was a sudden counter-attack.

    Enforcing their arms, they shed up to intercept the duo mighty ck and white fists!

    ''Bang!''

    Contrary to Mary''s group belief, they were ones that had to take several steps back just from the sheer power of the duo''s attacks. Their eyes burst wide open, and disbelief filled their faces.

    "Geh! How?!?"

    Their arms stung slightly from their frontal collision, which caused even more confusion in Mary''s group. They all believed their partner died because the duo used another insidious surprise trick.

    However, this sh changed their whole perspective.

    This kind of insane prowess... it''s almost like these two could fight beyond their levels!

    But something like this should be impossible for where theye from! In their low-level ce, never had they heard any youths being able to have this genius prowess.

    Yet the living proof of Darcel and Ani''s calm and serene face made facts undeniable.

    Simrly to Mary''s group, Darcel and Ani were actually a bit surprised as well. They had a feeling they would be able to jump levels considering their domination of Spirit Monsters at theiryer.

    But, even as their hands stung from the sh, they didn''t expect their prowess to be this high.

    Initially, the two were nning on immediately running away. But now, their curiosity in their prowess peaked, and they couldn''t just let this go.

    Not missing a single beat, Darcel and Ani had a rising battle-hungry smile.

    ''Hua!''

    They sprinted to Mary''s group again with an intense craze. Darcel had his eyes locked on the robust boy while Ani took on Mary and the other boy.

    This time Mary''s group forced their bodies to react, causing more strains upon themselves.

    Right when Darcel near his face, the robust boy''s eyes lit up.

    Gripping his sword like his life depended on it, the robust boy swung a quick, precise sh at Darcel''s pursuit.

    At the diagonal sh he threw, the boy thought this way, there would be no way for Darcel to urately counter-attack this.

    Relying on his instincts, Darcel crouched down at thest second of the boy sword strike, just narrowly dodging the sword.

    He used his left hand to throw a quick but fierce jab at the boy sword holding wrist in this position.

    Simentounsaly, Darcel threw a clean right hook to the boy''s chin.

    Without even realizing why, the robust boy suddenly felt pain from his wrist, causing him to drop the sword and then,

    "Geh!"

    His whole world got rocked once Darcel upper connected to his chin!

    As bloody spit shot out from his mouth, the boy also felt his blood frantically swirl. Primal emotions like lust, rage, and sadness heavily affected his mind and blurred his vision.

    At the same time, Ani was also evenly matching the two seventhyer youths.

    Using her telekinesis, she swiftly grabbed on to their swords, infecting them with her powers. A white glow covered their swords, and Ani flung them far away.

    Mary and the other boy were stunned, but soon their visions met with tworge chunks of fast-flying rocks!

    Enforcing their arms, they struck against the rocks, breaking them. However, the sheer force of the attack also sent the two back a few steps.

    Coincidentally, they had also stopped right next to the robust boy whose eyes were still dazed after Darcel''s attacks.

    "We need to kill them now!" Mary roared out since her body felt like it was on fire now. Under normal conditions, they wouldn''t be struggling nearly as hard with these two.

    But now they had no such luxury.

    "Arrgh!! Die!!"

    In rage and confusion, the robust boy managed to fish out a talisman that halted Darcel and Ani''s rushing.

    Seeing the talisman, Darcel''s brain worked into overdrive as he got a risky idea.

    "Ani! Put as much Qi into your hands as possible!"

    At this point, Darcel dared to take the risk, and Ani immediately responded.

    The duo swiftly pushed out their arms with no question asked, making their hands glow a bright brilliance of ck and white!

    "Who cares what they''re doing! Put your hands on mine!!" The robust boy shouted in primal rage to the others. In this state, Mary and the other boy didn''t dare to argue and smacked their hand on top of his.

    Promptly they all poured their Qi into the talisman that greedily absorbed their energies.

    In no time at all, the talisman shined a ck me radiance! Mary''s group felt drained, but their glee to murder the duo was at an all-time high.

    "DIE!!"

    The robust boy shouted in feral rage and chuck the talisman at the duo.

    He was still trying to control his raging body, but a vicious smirk still etched on his face once throwing the talisman.

    Mary and the other boy as well gained a cruel smirk since there was no way these two can survive this!

    ''Chi!''

    Out exploding from the ming talisman was a vast roaring ck fireball! The temperature was immediately raised to burning degrees, scorching the ground beneath it.

    With blitzing speed, the ck fireball sailed straight at the duo.

    However, what happened next fried Mary''s group minds.

    "Hah!!"

    Unleashing their own battle cries, Darcel and Ani shed against the ck fireball with just their mere palms! Their legs buckled into the ground, and ck fire swirled around in a rapid frenzy.

    Nevertheless, neither youths moved an inch from their spots.

    "Just like in Organization, remember Ani!"

    "Right!"

    Both roared to each other, overextending their powers now. But it wasn''t without results.

    In the awe stares of Mary''s group, only a few seconds after sending the fireball out did the same piercing white glow covered the whole ck fireball!

    The white glow made the fireball still and managed to decrease the temperature around them. And to add on, a ck light had suddenly intermixed with Ani''s white glow.

    "Come to us!"

    With Darcel''s final shout, the vast ck fireball became absorbed directly into the duo palms!

    Mary''s group feet were firmly nted into their spots as their brains majorlygged. All they did was watch as their talisman attack was absorbed by Darcel and Ani.

    The pure and powerful ck mes, known to only their n, were quickly dealt with by them

    "Phew, I feel hotter than usual now," Ani remarked while stretching out her palms.

    Both she and Darcel felt a warm sensation run throughout their bodies and soul. But it didn''t cause any damage to their bodies.

    Before Darcel could alsoment, his senses spiked up as dangerous premonition took over his mind.

    "Get ready to run."

    Darcel said in a quiet voice to Ani when everyone there felt their ground tremble and heard,

    "RWARGH!!!"

    The roaring shouts of several powerful beatsing right at them!

 Chapter 12: The Dreadful Escape

    Chapter 12: The Dreadful Escape

    Mary''s group joint tightened up, their mind fell more into despair, and their flimsy wills was finally crumbling down. What started out as a seemingly ordinary servant testing quickly turned into their worst nightmare.

    Far more intense thanst time, the ground quiver from great forces of several raging charging Spirit Monsters beasts. Beasts that all far surpassed the might of the previous rounds of beasts.

    Mary''s group eyes all helplessly looked over to the ones that started this whole mess. The two shabby-looking youths, still dressed in their same ripped clothes, were smiling proudly at them.

    While Mary''s group despaired, the duo were quite happy with this sudden development.

    With their way, their bodies were reacting to the ck mes, while it still didn''t hurt, they knew they wouldn''t be at top tier condition. And now their work will be finished for them.

    Before anyone could react, though, Ani''s eyes glossed over to the now still Anne. The once mighty and confident Qi Formation youth of the Wrathful n nowy still in a sickly purple-red blood puddle.

    Purple Lines ran down her whole body showing off a grotesque appearance even in death. However, Ani paid her death no mind as she said, "When they''re not against us, that ce sure is handy!"

    Ani crouched down to take back the scalpel as she was sure it woulde in handy for the future.

    "Handy when ites to being as cruel as possible, now then," Darcel snided and suddenly,

    ''Pa!''

    He mmed his hand into the ground, making a dark shape hand imprint there. Looking over to Mary''s group while doing so, Darcel had remarked at least they have enoughmon sense to understand their position.

    Even if the beasts were all several meters away, their speeds would indeed traverse such a distance in mere seconds. But Mary''s group did be confused about this action of Darcel.

    Standing up, Darcel exchanged nces with Ani and told the group, "I wonder how savagely you''ll get ripped apart? Ah, well, it''s none of our concerns now."

    While talking, he turned off his Darkness glow hand and was reinforcing his warm feeling legs. Amplifying his legs, Darcel now felt hot down there but more soothingly hot than a painful one.

    "Darcy may be crude with his words, but your sacrifices will be remembered!" Ani proudly told them and amplified her legs like Darcel.

    She, too, felt the hot soothing sensation that admittedly fueled her with some excitement.

    The rustling of grass only grew closer and the ground shaking only got more intense. Still, Mary''s group couldn''t understand what these two were talking about.

    There was just no way they believed they could outrun these beasts, right?

    "Argh!! You! You two! What bullsh-" The enraged words of the robust boy were caught off when,

    ''Hua!''

    In a trail of ck mes did Darcel and Ani sprinted off! They ran in some random direction, but their speed caused even the robust boy eyes to widen.

    After only a second, neither he nor the others could spot just where they ran off to. And to make matters even worse, like the beasts were right next to them, they all heard,

    "DARGH!!"

    Fear, dread, and hopelessness spanned across all of their faces. With Anne dead, their talisman spent and them not even at one hundred percent, their deaths were assured.

    Theirst thoughts would be on just what the hell was that freakish duo of ck and white

    .

    zing through the woods at a fiery pace, Darcel and Ani felt entirely new with the addition of ck mes. Already they felt like they entered a whole new realm of cultivation!

    Darcel and Ani knew and were forced to practice with their devouring abilities regarding Qi. But they didn''t expect absorbing the properties of an Elemental Law would heed such good results.

    While thinking upon this, Darcel''s attention focuses on an uing vast cave. He calcted they have been running for at least ten minutes or so, and this would be a good pit stop far away from that n.

    Luckily as well, the two managed to avoid any of the previous beasts Darcel''s Darkness had called upon.

    Moreover, by smashing his imprint into the ground, he was sure those Spirit Monsters were enjoying their time with Mary''s group.

    "Here."

    Darcel simply said and pointed to the cave for Ani to see. She smiled and nodded, locking her attention on there as well.

    The distance of a few meters was crossed in a couple of seconds by the duo. Safely they made it inside the cave, skidding a bit when stopping their runs.

    Looking at the open, unsecured entrance, Ani immediately gained an idea. Her hand glowed white and focused on several random chunks of rocks lying around outside.

    With a squeeze of her hand, Ani pulled those rocks to the cave entrance, making a makeshift close door.

    "Fuuu, that went far smoother than I expected! And we even got a chance to spend quality team bonding time!" Ani sighed out while leaning down on the walls of the caves.

    Her glowing white hand illuminated the cave enough to see around. And Darcel promptly sat right next to her while taking in the sight of one of the mysterious ominous caves here.

    Like other structures in these woods, everything was in a glossy back texture. But just barely could Darcel notice a hint of a small blue glow in the ckness of the rocks.

    "Don''t get too rxed now, airhead. Even if we''re out of the fire, we''re still in unknown dangerousnds. So for no we sh-"

    "Should cultivate right, right. Oh, Darcy, if it wasn''t for mine brightness, you would be too cynical and boring on your own!" Ani finished his sentence as she immediately leaned on Darcel''s shoulder.

    Their already rising warming bodies felt another burst of warmth and soothe by this intimate contact. It was like their mind and bodies were getting purified by this warm sensation.

    Darcel had a small smile while feeling this sensation but still said,

    "You need someone like me to ground you in reality. Or else your head will fly off into the skies. Let''s just get to the eighthyer since I''m sure that we''ll smoothly make it to that city with our speed."

    "Hmmm, fine. In this position, I''ll relent...for now~." Ani had soft sweet giggles as she closed her eyes to cultivate. Leaning on Darcel''s shoulder gave her the calmest serene bliss she needed.

    Darcel as well closed his eyes, feeling steady, calm, and the same soothing bliss while cultivating.

    Focusing more in detail now, Darcel could sense a fiery warm sensation swarming around his soul. His Darkness had seemed to put the properties of ck me there, allowing him ess to its use.

    After all that fighting, his body was now in a perfect stabilized condition for another continuous breakthrough. Focusing on drawing out more of the bug''s energy, Darcel also familiarizes himself with this ck me.

    Andpared to other times when cultivating, things were strangely even smoother and faster for him.

    His mind immediately went to the cute white-haired girl lying on his shoulder, which provided him with anotheryer of warmth.

    ''Heh, she really is my good luck charm.'' Darcel tenderly thought about the girl before focusing back on cultivating.

    Only a few minutes passed since the two started cultivating, and in both Darcel and Ani''s mind,

    ''Bang!''

    They effortlessly broke through their mental blocks and stepped directly into the Qi Foundation Realm''s eighthyer! In no time at all did the two skips twoyers achieving demonic genius speed.

    However, no happiness was shared between the two when their eyes had abruptly snapped open. The perilous feeling of danger tensed up their joints and sharpened their minds as they looked around the cave.

    When they both had a breakthrough, a terrifying feeling of dread permeated throughout the whole cave. This sinister, deadly feeling was akin to several des being pointed straight at the duo neck.

    Ani shined her hand an even brighter white as the two both jumped to their feet. Still, all they could see for miles in this cave was just the glossy ck rocks and a long walkway down the cave.

    "No need to waste time here anymore," Ani spoke in a new serious tone since the situation was turning bad for them. Her eyes immediately snapped to the cave entrance, and she shined her hand over there.

    "Don''t need to tell me twice. Let''s go?" Darcel agreed with leaving, but he noticed something odd when looking at the caves'' entrance. The mere fact none of the rocks were moving already left Darcel worried.

    All of the rocks were glowing white, but they seemed just impossible to budge. And when looking at Ani''s expression, it was one of someone struggling to open something.

    Her hands were tightly clenched, her teeth were grinding, and her frustration was building. It didn''t matter how hard she pulled, even with her newyer, she couldn''t break her own damn rocks!

    "Heeeh...want to leaave?"

    Darcel and Ani''s body went cold, and all movement from them ceased. Actual cold sweat formed and dribbled down their faces. That person sounded far too close to them like they were right in their ears.

    Yet when looking around, their eyes didn''t see anything but glossy ck rocks! No matter where their eyes darted to, it would be in a vain attempt to pick up where that voice came from.

    It was then, a tremendous pressure wrapped the two from behind, giving them the terrifying feeling of death. Their pupils dted, and their bodies straighten up when hearing,

    "Juust behind youu"

    ''Hua!''

    Narrowly, Darcel and Ani desperately flung their bodies forward while feeling something incredibly sharp graze their clothes. The twonded on their feet and promptly turned around.

    Doing so finally allowed them to gaze upon who was making that frightening voice. But it wasn''t like anything the two could''ve expected.

    The being before them was mysteriously translucent! It had a figure resembling a human, but it had this strange long dress like clothes on.

    Though the duo was able to clearly see sharp blue ws extending out of this creature''s supposed sleeves.

    Never before in either of Darcel or Ani''s life had they stumbled upon such a creature. They also didn''t have any memories of someone talking about this kind of being.

    This would''ve been a neat discovery if the two weren''t feeling immensely pressured at this moment.

    "This...this is like some childhood story ghost or something." Ani breathlessly said, and Darcel was inclined to agree. Being translucent with a blue outline did at least speak ghostly vibes.

    "We''re not alooone"

    ''Chi!''

    The ghost-like creature''s eyes shed a harsh blue light while talking. The sudden and brief sh of light was far too great than anything the duo was expecting, and it forced the two to shield their eyes.

    "You can open uuup now"

    Like they needed the ghost permission, the duo was tempted to ignore the ghost mocking call. However, the feeling of dread and death had explosively multiplied!

    Snapping their eyes open, Darcel and Ani immediately felt the air get sucked out of them.

    Five new ghost-like creatures had joined the fray, all staring menacingly at the duo. Oddly enough, while watching, the two had noticed three of the ghosts had a figure simr to a woman.

    But this small detail meant little in protecting their lives.

    The pressure brought upon them wasn''t so great they wouldn''t be able to move. Still, the duo knows their chances of winning was extraordinarily slim.

    Their eyes bear witness to the ghosts raising their ws slowly, all proiming in a terrifying unison,

    "Diiieee"

 Chapter 13: Awakening

    Chapter 13: Awakening

    Giving the duo no time to react at all, the six ghosts pounced towards them like rabid dogs! By the sheer potent aura, each spirit exuded, Darcel and Ani were able to tell each of them were just as strong as Anne!

    However, despite being at this level of strength, their speed wasn''t impossible to react to for the duo. By their recent breakthroughs, their senses were heightened, and their bodies responded in an instant.

    ''Hua!''

    Darcel split off to the right while Ani split off to the right. Thankfully the cave was incredibly spacious, allowing room to dodge. But their swift movement didn''t ease the stinging paining from their shoulders.

    Taking one nce over, the two both saw three deep lines of dark red blood dribble down their arms. Their pupils dted even more as the situation was only getting worse by the second.

    Just from this one attack, their bodies looked to be fragile against their ghostly ws. The pain wasn''t unbearable, but they instinctively held onto their shoulders to control the bleeding.

    "Let''s y a bit before you diiieee"

    The dreadful haunting voice of the ghosts slithered into their ears like poison again. Darcel and Ani''s mind couldn''t help but fall into a mild panic in this perilous situation.

    This was a true authentic life or death encounter where their living options were decreasing by the second.

    Primarily when the duo felt the air whip around their back in a razor-sharp track. Only one of the ghosts appeared behind their backs, ws ring to them to shred the two into bloody chunks.

    Darcel, however, was unwilling to idly sit down and get dominated by mere freakish ghosts! He frantically called upon his soul, causing one of his hands to ignite in Darkness while the other lit up in a ck me!

    In sync with him, Ani''s will to live red up as well. Her hand ignited in her same white glow, but her other hand also gained the roaring ck mes.

    With precise movement, the two let the ghost ws graze their back slightly, only to instantly react in the next second!

    As small droplets of dark red blood trickled to the ground from their back, Darcel and Ani swiftly turned around.

    In one smooth motion, they grabbed on to the ghosts'' ws with their ck ming hands. Their speed actually took the ghosts in for a small shock, but the duo wasn''t nowhere near done.

    The ghosts felt a scolding burning sensation in its w. Like their mes was trying to eat away at its soul. Suddenly the next thing Darcel''s ghost saw was his Darkness glow fist roaring to its head.

    Same with Ani''s ghost, it bears witness to the blinding piercing white glow of the girl''s fist.

    But right when their fists were about to connect, Darcel and Ani violently stopped their attacks. Just behind them, an immense threat of death forcibly awoke their bodies'' protective instinct.

    ''Chi''

    With barely any time to react, the duo felt tremendous paine from their arms. The translucent blue ghost ws tore deep into their left arms, spurting their dark red blood like crazy.

    "Tch!"

    Surprisingly they both managed to hold down their screams of pains. Although the two began to feel their arms numb at an rming pace, nearly losing all feeling in there.

    "Interesting...you two struggle far more than oothersss" The leading ghost mockingly called out to them in a preying tone. It still didn''t leave its spot throughout this whole time and took glee in watching the duo.

    "Shit"

    It was then the slow realization began to speed up for Darcel and Ani. Honestly, if these ghosts wanted to, then the first could''ve just killed them when they were cultivating.

    No, these beings wanted them to suffer a cruel torment before dying. During this realization, the duo struggled to move out of the vice grip like ws, only to spurt out further blood from their arms.

    And helplessly, another re of immense danger came from their left side.

    ''Chi!''

    More fresh dark red blood flew from their left arms! Casually like they were ying with their foods, the first attacking ghosts plunged their ws deep into the duo arms while being held down.

    Massive pains, far greater than they ever felt in their life, simultaneously struck their senses. Both of their arms were nearly numb, and their blood loss was bing rmingly high.

    ''Death...am I really going to die in this shitty ce..'' Darcel thought unwillingly; however, in this desperate situation, his soul was frantically churning along with his blood.

    Profound dark, powerful sensation kept locked in him was bing undone until he suddenly heard,

    "Heh! Fine! Fine! Come and kill us if you dare!! Strike us right in the heart!!" Ani crazily shouted without a hint of fear at all.

    She was feeling the frantess from her soul and body, causing her mind to go on the fritz. She didn''t want to die here with her, Darcy! Not now or forever and especially in some unknown mortal!

    "Right...right!! Did you think we''ll start kneeling over and begging for death?!? Kill us and see what happens!!" There was no way he''ll ever let that troublesome girl die before him!

    And engraved deep into his bones was the will to never simply roll over and ept any bullshit given to them!

    The duo, crazed will and resolve, was awakening something slumbering and sealed deep inside them. A celestial divine power that from their desperate will and resolve was slowlying back to life!

    Although on the outside to the ghosts, none of them expected these two to get like this. They were akin to rabid dogs, barking on a chain at their worst enemies.

    "So eeeager to die...grant them...their wishes!!"

    The leading ghostmanded out, and two other ghosts pointed their ws out.

    In a single step, the ghosts sailed to the duo chests and,

    ''Chi!''

    Dug their savage ws deep into the duo''s hearts! All of the ghosts cruelly smile as they wait to hear wails of death and screams of agony from getting one''s heart ripped into.

    However, they heard not even a single squeak from the two.

    And it was then, from the ghosts that stabbed them, they realized no blood spurted out from their chests.

    Right when the ghosts ws tore into the chest and had a single touch on their heart, Darcel and Ani''s entire soul and blood violently trembled!

    Their hidden, slumbering bloodline had finally awakened!

    ''BOOOM!!''

    In a ck and white sh, the four ghosts on the duo were sted away, managing to connect and crash straight in the cave walls! The other ghosts'' eyes had to snap close because their shes were far too intense.

    Opening them up again, all six of the ghosts were treated to a magical spectacr sight anybody would kill to have the luxury to witness.

    ck angelic feathery wings, white angelic feathery wings all swayed elegantly throughout the whole cave.

    Like real angels themselves had suddenly deceased from the heavens, the ghosts were graced with this holy sensation. They nearly felt the need to kneel down and prostrate in front of the angelic being.

    And the angelic beings were two young youths bathing in this glorious light. From Darcel''s left arm, an ancient mystical tattoo appeared there, forming a symbol that resembles true angelic essence.

    ck angelic feathery wings exuded out from his arm and wrapped behind him like a protective embrace.

    Ani''s left arm shined a simrly looking ancient mystical tattoo, forming a symbol of true angelic essence. However, hers didn''t entirely match Darcel''s, but the symbol was too vague to tell the differences now.

    White angelic feathery wings spewed out from her arms, wrapping around her in a warm protective embrace.

    Darcel and Ani''s image being wrapped up in celestial angelic wings made them both out to be divine children. One a holy child of Darkness, while the other is a blessed child of light.

    And not only did the two look divine, they felt divine! All pain from before vanished into their air, and their fresh dark red blood was cleansed by their angelic bloodline.

    Darcel and Ani could safely say this was the best sensation they ever felt before in their lives. Moreover, this sensation felt like it had been with them ever since they were first born.

    It was almost like another extension of their arms growing out into a beautifulplete wing.

    And in all the glory, the duo''s attention had then squarely focused on the ghosts. In this state, they, of course, couldn''t forget just who had pushed them to this point.

    With their tremendous power now, the two knew revenge would be sweet and swift.

    In contrast, the ghosts felt their whole world crashing down!

    Already they felt their auras massively surpassed them. And now the suffocating pressure of death overtook them when the duo focused their killing intent.

    "We...we" The leading ghosts obviously had no clue on what to say now their situation had dramatically reversed. All of the ghosts shook with fear once Darcel and Ani cracked a small smile.

    "You...Die!"

    Darcel savagely stated and red at the ghost that tore into his arms first. With just a single step, Darcel vanished from sight!

    "Ack! How...how can you touch us." The ghost was utterly suppressed as Darcel clutched on to its neck. Like it was a mere sack of potatoes, Darcel held the ghost up, letting it fruitlessly struggle in its grasp.

    "Aack!! What...what are you" The ghost that tore into Ani''s arms was now dangling in her clutches as well. Death was imminent for them, yet they could do nothing but uselessly struggle in her grip.

    The other ghosts could only helplessly watch as their partners get strangled. For themselves, a tremendous pressure like several mountains weighed on them ceased every movement.

    "Us? We''re just people who enjoy a good fight. And you all perform fabulously for us" Ani''s voicepared to Darcel''s hypnotic cold one was more of a hypnotic, soothing one.

    Darcel made you want to kneel before him and give in to his demands. Ani made you want to follow her around and do everything that she desires.

    But the thought of the duo''s voices was thest thing the ghosts like beings thought before their hands clenched.

    ''Pa!''

    With a sickening pop, the two ghosts imploded into blue wisps of energy, forever disappearing from the universe. No struggle, only a clean, swift death.

    The middle order of the Qi Formation Sea realm? That meant absolutely nothing to the divine might of Darcel and Ani''s bloodlines!

    The now five ghosts felt their mind stopped after their partners'' popping deaths. For pure spirit beings like themselves, it was all but impossible to ever physically touch them.

    However, they, of course, could touch other human beings or Spirit Monsters.

    Unless one has a specific unique power or absolute power, these ghosts would be able to get away scot-free against most other cultivators at their realms or below.

    However, with a sickening demonstration, all of their previous beliefs and thoughts were thrown right out the window.

    Immediately after killing the first two ghosts, Darcel and Ani whipped their heads around to the other five with their own cruel smile.

    ''Pa, Pa, Pa, Pa, Pa!"

    Five sickening pops, five destroyed spirits turning into small wisps of blue substance like energy. Darcel and Ani''s speed was like they were teleporting, and in only a few seconds, everything was silent again.

    Once the ghosts were dead, the angelic tattoo shine on the duo''s arms promptly vanished. Their overwhelming powers immediately left them. And it was like whish once it was all over.

    Darcel felt his world be hazy, and his head became dizzy from over-exhaustion. They only used their power for mere seconds, yet they were about to pass out now.

    Somehow in his daze state, Darcel spotted Ani shakily walking over to him, slowly muttering,

    "Darcy"

    With hisst bit of will, Darcel caught the shaky Ani in his arms saying,

    "Just...go to sleepfor a"

    He couldn''t evenplete his sentence as they both crashed over on to the ck glossy ground.

    Still, though, Darcel never let his arms go off Ani as they drifted off to wondend...

 Chapter 14: Sudden Gains

    Chapter 14: Sudden Gains

    From the silent depth of Darkness, Darcel consciousness was left wondering in this endless abyss. He didn''t know how long it was until he realized he was here, nor did it matter much to him.

    For some reason, being in utter Darkness brought about a weing home feeling for Darcel. Like this was just a second home to him, Darcel was absorbed in merely swimming around in Darkness.

    What could''ve been seconds, minutes, or hours, Darcel couldn''t calcte it. Still, eventually throughout the deep Darkness, his eyes took particr notice of something.

    Just a few meters away from him did he see a single ck feather.

    A feather that looked strikingly simr to his own! Even if it was only for a couple of seconds, it was impossible for Darcel to ever forget his awakening.

    Slowly Darcel drifted towards the feather. As he neared closer and closer to it, the single ck feather began to expand. From just looking at a smidge simr, it suddenly grew to massive proportions!

    And most of all, could Darcel feel connected to a pure angelic sensation. A sensation he just not too long ago bathed in.

    ''This...this feeling. It just has to be...my bloodline!'' Everything about this power and sensations just spoke to him having a mighty bloodline.

    And while he couldn''t exactly tell how powerful this bloodline was, Darcel was for sure on it being heaven-defying. Or else it wouldn''t have granted him the prowess to squash Qi Formation sea ghosts like bugs.

    ''Hmm...hm? So early?''

    All at once, Darcel felt his entire being freeze up. That voice...he knows this voice clearly! Just like the first time he awoke on this, the voice was unidentifiable. Yet, they carried a majestic divine like appeal.

    No matter where Darcel tried to turn his vision to, he couldn''t spot a trace on whoever could have this powerful voice. All he kept on seeing was the one angelic ck feathery wing.

    Taking a shot in Darkness, Darcel tried to formte words to speak with this voice until he abruptly heard,

    ''The Yin of Pleasure begins.''

    Cryptic and mysterious words utter from the voice once again. This higher power mysterious being nearly got Darcel to roll his eyes. Though he was sure that white hair girl would eat something like this up.

    ''Just what plea-'' Before Darcel could finish, the vast angelic ck feathery wing began trembling!

    ''Chi!''

    By the trembling, an intense white glow shot out like a volcano! The magical scene of ck and white Darcel could only witness it for a moment before he felt a fierce jolting feel.

    It was like something was rampaging around in his body and forcibly,

    "Geh?!"

    Darcel''s eyes snapped open in frighten startlement. Immediately the glossy ck rocks of the cave appeared in his sights. And as well, he felt a soft stic body tightly clutched on to his chest.

    ''Yin Pleasure...I keep hearing it, but I can only assume it''s rted to feelings like lust. Well, I sup-eh? Did we really breakthrough? Can I really sense this girl now?''

    Two huge and sudden revtions that Darcel took quite calmly quickly exposed themselves to him. First off, his body and his own Qi. Everything about him felt massively stronger than anythingpared before!

    In this state, he felt his Qi was in perfect equilibrium in his body, and Darcel could sense he had achieved the ninthyer of the Qi Foundation Realm!

    The peak of the starting realm of cultivation, he achieved it after only merely two days of cultivating!

    Even if one has the bug in Darcel''s body providing them Qi to break through, their speeds undoubtedly still wouldn''t match his.

    This speed was beyond demonic and could even be called quite frightening. And along with this sudden advancement, Darcel also could barely sense Ani having the sameyer of Qi as him.

    Unlike his first time trying to use Spirit Sense, this time was precisely urate. Meaning, just at the Foundation realm, he somehow gained a small portion of Spirit Senses abilities!

    All of this shocking good news did astound Darcel, but he had a major question in his mind. He obviously assumed that he broke through and managed to gain a Spirit Sense because of awakening his bloodline.

    However, Darcel could feel something slightly off about his Qi. Like it was on the borderline edge of changing into something entirely new.

    Darcel found it was akin to a mutation of some sort, but it was only a vague faint sensation. He couldn''t put much thought into it however, once he felt the rustling of Ani''s body.

    Looking down, their hypnotic ck eyes met. And instantly, Ani was the one to form her bright, bubbly broad smile. Every time she would have this smile, Darcel knew she was about to run her mouth off.

    Though he didn''t mind it a single bit.

    "I broke through, you broke through, and we also gained Spirit Senses abilities! Now, this is a good way to wake up!" Ani proudly proimed, feeling refreshed all over her body.

    The previous exhaustion and tiredness were all gone. Everything was reced by a new burst of energy she couldn''t wait to share with Darcel. Furthermore, she was most excited by one particr news.

    "Well, even I can''t disagree with your point there. This cave did us more good than we could''ve expected." Even if they had almost died here, the awakening of their bloodline made everything worth it.

    And with fire in her eyes, Ani excitedly got up from Darcel. She swiftly grabbed his hand, pulling him up, though they both momentarily realized a difference when doing so.

    Direct skin to skin contact with each other felt far warmer and better than before! In both of their bodies, their bloodlines were soothingly cooing like it just met their best friends.

    Taking notice of this, Ani had put it on the back of her mind as she passionately said, "The greatest thing about this cave is the awakening of our pure, holy bloodline! A bloodline that has to be high ranked!"

    "Again, I can''t argue with you there. Not sure on our ranks, but I have no doubts it could easily stand on the summit of a Mortal." Darcel offered his two cents since the origin of their bloodline still confused him.

    Feathery wings, he couldn''t tell if it was a God Beast or another legendary Deity from history. But as long they could use it, Darcel knew they''d eventually find out this secret.

    "My guess is we''re true holy children. Hey, let''s see how much of our bloodline we can use." Before doing anything else, Ani believed it was essential to establish a base of knowledge.

    Unmistakably, their bloodline will reverse many situations they may get into in the future. But it would be foolish if they couldn''t use it correctly.

    "Our armstry to remember that feeling from our arms" Darcel said and already closed his eyes. Ani, without any other words, followed his lead and focused on her arms.

    Instantly though, on their left arms, did the duo touch upon a tremendous familiar power! The power that felt like another extension of themselves.

    In a simr process they do with their inborn soul powers, the two willed upon their bloodline causing,

    ''Whir!''

    A massive wave of tremendous power to spew all out in the cave! Although this time, there was no grandiose, majestic divine scene. Instead, there were only two harsh glows of ck and white.

    On Darcel''s left arm, his arm glowed entirely ck. And on Ani''s left arm, her arm shined entirely white.

    However, despite the difference in colors, the overwhelming prowess they felt was lower than the first time but still far surpassed their base abilities.

    Their minds felt vastly broadened, gaining a far wider Spirit Sense. With a single step, they knew they could cross meters of distances. And with a flick of their hands, they could destroy Anne''s group in a second.

    A slight drain feeling was swiftly taking their toll on their bodies, but this enormous power couldn''t be denied. After a few seconds, the duo turned off their bloodlines, silently taking a deep breath.

    "Too exhrating! I can tell we''re only at the mere surface of our bloodline power, yet this is already too great!" In total awe, Ani was staring at her left arm.

    When turning his bloodline arm off, Darcel suddenly felt his Qi churn faster. The borderline mutation feeling came about stronger, and Darcel''s mind quickly came to one option.

    "Don''t get lost too much in your stupor, ditzy girl. I think you''re also feeling this weird churning for your Qi, right?" It was time for another breakthrough! With their new prowess, Darcel was also itching for a fight.

    "I was going to bring it up first, Darcy~. But it looks like we''re going to need to fight again, so soon?" Ani was talking about leaving, yet her eyes were trailing down the cave''s darkness path.

    A path that seemed so inviting to go on, but was likely filled with countless danger.

    "It''s the quickest and frankly the most exciting way to breakthrough. Hm? What caught your eyes?" ncing over to the same dark path, Darcel had no ns on exploring further on there.

    "This cave has my eyes. I just feel like there should''ve been far more ghosts or any Spirit entity here that would''vee to kill us while we were out. But here we are still alive and standing...we should definitelye back here! My intuition is telling me to do so!"

    Ani held the utmost assurance in her words. And in her posture and tone, she wouldn''t take any no for an answer.

    "If you truly think that way, then just mark it on the map. Once we finish taking what we need, we''lle back here." Darcel honestly didn''t see the problem, so he readily agreed toe back.

    Nodding her head to Darcel, Ani fished out the map from the spatial ring in her pockets. With her attention to detail, she urately marked where they were.

    While doing so, the two were walking to makeshift closed rock doors of the cave, and suddenly Ani told Darcel, "You know for at least this area of the map. This whole ce, along with other cities are under the Blessed Spirit Province? And luckily? This is the lowest-ranked Province."

    Looking at the map, Ani decided to inform Darcel. Though she did wonder if ending up in some higher rank Province would''ve been more thrilling.

    "I see...it is at least enough to learn of the names of the ce we''ll be tearing through." Darcel gained a bit of a vicious smirk, thinking about their future adventures from here on out.

    Ani held more of a feral smile as the thought of adventure could always run her motors.

    Igniting her hand in a white glow, she pointed out to the rock''s entrance, making them glow white as well.

    Quickly this time, she moved the rock out of the way, letting the duo have an entrance back in the outside world

    .

    Out in a circr section of the Necropolis Woods, Darcel and Ani casually walked into this clearing without a hint of worry. Their eyes darted around this area of the woods, and their senses zeroed in.

    Promptly a smile etched across their faces as the roaring excitement for battle bubbled up inside them.

    After leaving the cave, Ani decided it was better to rely on the map to hunt out Spirit Monsters than Darcel''s Darkness. No matter how much sudden power they gain, their cautious nature couldn''t go away.

    Moreover, it wasn''t like they would be able to use their bloodline arms for extended periods of time.

    Which led them to this clearing where humongous trees in the woods were all frantically rustling about. Just barely from the Darkness of the woods, one would see constantrge shadows jumping out of each tree.

    But Darcel and Ani were able to clearly tell theserge shadows were powerful Spirit Monsters, scoping the duo out.

    Ani pointed to one tree, smiling to Darcel while asking him,

    "Shall we begin?"

 Chapter 15: Black Flames

    Chapter 15: ck mes

    "You would start even if I didn''t say anything." Pointing his hand out in a simr position to Ani, Darcel chided to her. Auras began to re up from all around, and the shadows in the trees started to move faster.

    This sudden increase in aura caused the whole atmosphere in this circr area to change. Numerous Spirit Monsters, all charged with savage killing intent, came crashing down on the duo.

    All at once, Darcel and Ani took the full brunt of these wild and savage Spirit Monsters auras. But neither looked panic, or distraught. In fact, the two gained an even wider smile.

    On their hands that they held out, the temperature around their hands had suddenly increased! Inside both of their souls, the duo, for the second time, called upon their ck fire element.

    ''Whir!''

    In no time t did the roaring power of ck mes wash over both of their hands! Despite their hands being quite literally on Fire, Darcel and Ani felt incredibly toasty under their own mes.

    Although, the same couldn''t be said for the Spirit Monsters in the trees.

    They all felt the temperature rise to ufortable ring degrees. Their bodies tensed for actions, but before any one of them could go out, they heard,

    "They''re all already so eager to start! Let''s get a headstart, Darcy!" Ani''s excited voice storms out through the woods. And during her talk, Darcel and Ani''s ck mes crazily swirled, causing,

    ''Ssssch!!''

    Two raging balls of ck mes to ferociously st out of the palms! The ground scorched beneath the wake of the fire, and the air burned to uncontroble degrees.

    None of the Spirit Monsters could react to the instantaneous speed of the duo''s ck fireballs. Their eyes widen, pupils dted but in a mere split second,

    ''Bang!''

    This towering tall ck wood tree that scraped into the sky had immediately erupted in a ck me inferno! The me spread across the colossal tree in seconds t, burning it in a ck me glory.

    "UWAAG!!"

    And from the tree did Darcel and Ani hear shrieking cries of agony and death. Just from their small bit of Spirit Sense, they knew some Spirit Monsters were hiding well in this tree.

    This was supposed to be an estimation of their strength. They could tell the Monsters were at early order Qi Formation Sea to the middle order by their Senses.

    Yet every monster in that tree was seamlessly swallowed up in mes.

    These results left Ani grilling like joyously. "In a ze of glory, they all went down spectacrly! Oh?"

    "Looks like these Monster monkeys weren''t all too happy with our little spectacle," Darcel smirked while Ani had a questioning face.

    More remarkable than ever did the aura locked on to them dramatically increased!

    "Gwaagh!!"

    The air was filled with chaotic roars of numerous Spirit Monster monkeys. Observing these monkeys, they all were, of course, ferocious-looking.

    Their height stood over five feet tall, they had grotesque ck fur and piercing red eyes. Furthermore, their ck fur tails were all freakishly long and held dirty looks about them.

    And on each savage monkey''s faces were the expression of vicious killing intent. Their red eyes held a faint shine as if they were all trying to pierce into the duo''s souls.

    From all sides were Darcel and Ani surrounded. No avenue of escape was possible, and the monkeys'' speeds were incredibly fast. Yet only a battle-hungry smile filled both their faces.

    With speeds faster than the monkeys Darcel and Ani grabbed on to their other non-ming hands. Warmth spread through their bodies, and the two felt their fire be even easier to control.

    "Fire Spin!"

    Before the Spirit monkeys'' very eyes, their two prey began to do something strange.

    They all heard Ani''s called, and with swift speed, did the duo start spinning each other around!

    For only a single moment did the monkeys find this movement weird. But it was then all of their minds were rocked! Nearly they all falter when their eyes couldn''t keep up with the duo.

    Smoothly did Darcel and Ani spin so fast they became a blur of a Darkness ck me glow!

    And upon bing this blur of ck mes did all the Spirit monkeysing at them had their bodies scream in instinct. The sinister crushing feeling of death was right before them!

    Being acrobatics Monsters, the monkeys all tried to change their course of descent. Only it was off to a fruitless avail when,

    ''Chi!''

    Numerous balls of ck mes spewed out of the spinning duo! Each ball was surprisingly urate, and the Spirit monkeys'' vision got filled with a ck inferno me.

    They all had insane speed, but Darcel and Ani were simply too fast!

    ''Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang!''

    "GWAAGH!!"

    For the second time that night, the wailing screams of monkeys'' agony spewed out the woods. Several figures of ck ming monkeys crashed into the ground, all spasming in their ck me hell.

    It didn''t matter early order or middle order, every Spirit monkeys were utterly helpless inbating these mes. Excruciating pain wracked their entire being as they burned a slow, painful death.

    And the ones that caused this whole gruesome scene had a tranquil smile etched on their faces.

    "Fire certainly is a watch when it''s spreading its power. Ohhh, I hope I don''t get a savage streak like you have, Darcy." Saying it though, Ani had this widest of smiles as if she doesn''t really care much if it does happen.

    "And, I hope I don''t get your poor naming sense." Seriously, why the hell would she name a move fire spin anyways? Darcel just shook his hand while Ani gained a proud smile suddenly.

    "Just proving once again on why I''m the brighter and more fun side of the two of us!"

    "Gwagh!!"

    Suddenly, a far more powerful and deep cry of a monkey washed throughout the woods during the two banter. Instantly the duo''s eyebrows pricked up, and their excitement increased further.

    "The bosses areing out now" Ani stated when real powerful auras descended on the duos. This kind of prowess made the two sure this was the power of ate order Qi Formation sea beast!

    ''Hua!''

    Swift like lightning, four slightlyrger Spirit Monster monkeys, dashed out from well-hidden spots in the trees. Landing a few meters away from the duo, thesete order monkeys held nothing but killing intent for them.

    They were merely observing and stalking their prey, waiting to see how long they wouldst. But in barely any time, nearly all of theirrades were ignited by a ck me ze!

    All of them wanted nothing to rip the two to shreds now. However, these monkeys were somewhat more knowledgeable than the usual Spirit Monsters.

    Darcel and Ani were both half expecting to immediately get rushed down. But if they''re going to be slightly cautious...then neither will hold anything back now.

    "Since these civil monsters are so patient, Darcy, let''s give them a treat" Ani began to flex her left arm and caused immediate tension to rise in the Spirit monkeys.

    "I wonder how well they will fare against this treat." Finally, with Darcel''s words, it caused a prompt flight or fight response in the monkeys. And being the Spirit Monsters they are, all four sted off to the duo!

    Their speed was akin to sailing through the air traversing a rapid distance in a few steps. However, right in the middle of their pursuit, the four monkeys suddenly felt their instincts scream with danger.

    Abruptly their bodies froze on the spot when a tremendous aura gushed out in the Darkness woods!

    ''Whir!''

    From just ahead of them, the Spirit monkeys witness the harsh glow of ck and white. Combining these two pr opposite colors created a maic attraction that nearly swept the monkeys up.

    But what got them out of their stupors was the massive, tremendous pressure that wholly suppressed their bodies!

    Immediate beads of cold sweat trickled down their face as the monkeys felt death''s de approaching closer.

    Around Darcel and Ani, the wind was on a frenzy rampaged because of their sheer power. ck mes mixed into the air giving the duo a strange mix of holiness and terrifyingness.

    Unknowingly the two still hadn''t let go of each other''s hands. Yet neither seemed to care about letting go, nor did they really have any ns about leaving from their spot.

    All the duo simply did was pointed their bloodlines arms to the beast and,

    ''Hua!''

    The threat of death was far too significant for the monkeys, causing them to run off! With their tails between their legs, their survival instinct kicked in. They didn''t even care if they were allte order stages beasts.

    None of them wanted to lose their lives! Just from the mere crushing pressure that nearly suppressed all of their movements, the monkeys didn''t want to fight a fruitless battle.

    "Wanting to run?" Darcel raised a simple question and pointed his bloodline arm to the sky. A small ck ball of me instantly formed on his palm, spewing out wisps of fire in the air.

    With a flick, Darcel sent the ball high into the sky. And Ani''s eyes shined a cunning light.

    "Fire and telekinesis...a terrifyingbination." Ani''s hand glowed a bright white as she focused on the ball up in the air.

    Through this shared hand-holding, Ani was able to barely sense Darcel''s ck me''s properties.

    And just barely was all Ani needed! Snapping her fingers, the ball me in the sky gained a white glow around it. The mix made for a spectacle sight to behold, though only the duo could genuinely look at it.

    Looking ahead to the monkeys, they didn''t travel much distance because their bodies were still severely pressured.

    Only a few seconds passed since they decided to run, but these few seconds would''ve met great distances crossed in normal conditions!

    Smiling at their struggling attempts, Ani clenched their hands causing,

    ''Chi!!''

    Numerousrge droplets of ck me to sail straight at thete order Spirit monkeys. Powered through their bloodline arms, the droplets sailed at an even higher speed than the suppressed monkeys.

    All the four monkeys felt a dramatic increase in temperature to burning degrees and a mix of ck and white from the corner of their eyes.

    "GWAAGHH!!!"

    Effortlessly, just like every other beast here, the mightyte order beats were helpless against the mes.

    Comparing the Qi Formation Sea''s middle-order level tote order was akin to massively vast chasms seemingly impossible to crossover to. Thete order-level offers an entirely new and evolved state of one''s prowess.

    Yet none of this held a slight chance as the four monkeys''te order bodies were ruthlessly torn through by the droplets of ck mes.

    Painfully their bodies were roasted alive with their final thoughts being, just what kind of freaks were Darcel and Ani?!

    Silence returned to the forest once the monkeys were dead. ck mes still raged about the area, and Darcel and Ani basked every second in it.

    They turned off their bloodline arms, feeling drained and an intense jolting feeling!

    "Ah! Darcy! It''s time!" Ani loudly proimed and shut her eyes tight, focusing on the inside of her body.

    Even if the duo wanted to have a more safe space to breakthrough, their bodies and Qi just didn''t allow that.

    Closing his eyes as well, Darcel felt tremendous changes in his Qi. It was beginning to mutate and change into something else entirely. Along with this, he felt his body overflow with Qi.

    This overflowing Darcel recognized as the sign of the Qi Formation Sea breakthrough! Focusing intently now, Darcel smoothly took hold of his Qi and located a specific spot in his body.

    His lower stomach area, right where his closed dantian was! Whether they''re a Martial Cultivator or not, everyone in the universe was born with a closed dantian.

    It was a mysterious independent entity in one''s body that requires excellent control to open.

    And to make things perfect, Darcel willed his soul power causing wisps of ck mes to permeate in his Darkness Qi.

    Gathering every single bit of his overflowing Qi, in one swift motion,

    ''Ka-Cha!"

    Darcel attacked his closed dantian, effortlessly opening it up! A mental block far more potent than anything before tried to halt his process. However, just like all other times,

    ''Bang!''

    Darcel tore through the mental block like ss!

    He felt his body quiver uncontrobly and felt his Qi morph into a more pleasurable feeling. And above all, he felt his small independent space in his body.

    His little Spirit Sense broadened, leading Darcel to sense what they called Profound Qi in this realm. To stabilize his Realm, Darcel greedily absorbed in Profound Qi like a sponge.

    Through his head, he made the formless Profound Qi convert into his own unique Qi before getting absorbed into his dantian. Filling his dantian a bit, Darcel Qi Sea, for now, was the size of a big pond.

    And filling the pond up was the element Darkness along with wisps of ck mes spewing out of the pond.

    This processsted for a few minutes until Darcel felt his body go back into a calm state.

    Opening his eyes, Darcel felt like he was in a whole new world.

    In this state, Darcel could tell he wouldn''t even need to activate his bloodline arms to kill thosete order monkeys.

    His eyesight got better, and he felt vibrant with energy. He couldn''t tell what changes specifically happened with his Qi, but he knew it was special.

    Specifically, he felt in tune with the feeling of pleasure.

    "Fuuu~, this feeling is one for the ages, right, Darcy?" Ani spoke up feeling like an entirely new person as well.

    She easily stepped into the Qi Formation Sea realm, and for her Qi sea, it was the Element of light with wisps of ck me spewing out of it.

    Although unlike Darcel, she didn''t feel a strong mutation of her Qi, only a slight subtle change towards it. Nevertheless, her happiness was at her highest as she basked in the sensation of breaking through.

    Throughout this whole time, Darcel had noticed their hands were still connected. Clenching her hands, Ani nced up Darcel meeting his deep ck ones with her own ones.

    In this position, they felt secure warmth, and a genuine smile blossom as Darcel said,

    "Indeed. This feeling is our true start in this Mortal."

 Chapter 16: Necrotic City

    Chapter 16: Necrotic City

    Trekking through the dreary Darkness of the Necropolis Woods, Darcel and Ani strode down a specific route. They walked carefully, not wanting to cause any more hell than they needed to.

    After their breakthrough, the duo decided to slowly walk towards the city. This is to not only familiarize themselves with their new prowess but also to let their minds clear.

    Neither of the two feared any strong Wrathful nsmaning after them. And if they decided to do so, the duo both held the utmost confidence in running away if that group is simply too strong.

    Currently, afortable silence permeated Darcel and Ani. They both walked close to each other, having their minds on various subjects. Though Darcel had more straightforward thoughts.

    All he was thinking about was just about his abilities in ck me maniption. With Profound Qi, if one is born with a unique type of Law, it gets much easier to control that Law in the Qi Formation sea realm.

    And Darcel was sure with his mutated kind of Profound Qi, he can go far beyond what any average genius could do in this realm. But this would require some testing, something he was preparing to do.

    Ani, on the other hand, had slightly moreplicated thoughts. Upon reaching a point, she silently tugged at Darcel''s sleeves, getting him to look at her.

    In her eyes now, Darcel could tell there was some slight confusion. He couldn''t tell where this puzzlement coulde from, but he was d that Ani, in her own way, was straightforward.

    "Darcy...uhm...have you ever thought of, well...some sort of goal?" Unlike the usually cheery Ani, she was now more unsure and hesitant.

    Her mind was focused on one central question that spawned all kinds of ideas.

    Seeing her like this, Darcel somewhat gathered what she was trying to say. "Like a goal aspiring to rise in cultivation like most others have? What''s bringing this up?"

    "Because...because I don''t want our adventure to be hollow! Everyone always has the same generic goal about cultivation, but I want us to have something unique to work towards. That way, we won''t drift apart and can always have a shared interest!"

    Towards the end, Ani''s face got a bit bashful, yet she still held on to her cheerful smile. Going to a new City as a fresh start leads her to think down their inevitable long future.

    And she couldn''t help it but reflect upon this aspect. Her ck eyes held a fiery determination as she stared right into Darcel''s. But even with this confident bravado, silently, she was still slightly nervous on the inside.

    Her nervousness, though, began to quickly slip away once Darcel just gained a wry smile towards her. Furthermore, her head suddenly felt iparably warm once Darcel''s hand came on top of it.

    "Is that what this is about? Even for an airhead like you, you still fall prey to everyday problems."

    "Muuu"

    The most adorable noises Darcel ever heard came out from Ani as her face morphed into a cute pout. Here she was trying to be serious, and yet Darcel was being crude again!

    Finding this look of her incredibly cute, Darcel just cracked an even wider smile, telling her,

    "Rx...realistically thinking about it. Wouldn''t it be foolish for either of us to drift apart since we only have each other? And about those goals...we don''t need to create a grandiose one now. With time I''m sure we''ll eventually find ours together. Besides, where''s your bubbling enthusiasm for adventure?"

    "Ah...ah! Hehehe~! It''s still right here, Darcy~! And your warm emphatic side is showing again cause you just filled me up with hope!" All at once, Ani''s usual chipper energy returned to her.

    She had the sweetest of smiles and felt a burst of warmth and joy from Darcel''s words. Always with times like this, Darcel just seemed to mostly have the right words to say.

    Liking the usual bubbling Ani better, Darcel smiled himself and grabbed her hand. The same soothing warmth spread throughout both of their bodies as Darcel told her,

    "Oh, and about our r-" Words were caught in Darcel''s throat when Ani had swiftly lunged up to his face.

    ''Chu~''

    Quick but sweet soft lips graced his cheeks, bringing about immense warmth and pleasure. Ani''s always lovely, scented fragrance made Darcel a little daze from her angelic cheek kiss.

    "I know, it''ll be better to settle down in the city first...but seeing your little dazed face is so cute~!" Ani took fantastic enjoyment in finally making Darcel falter a bit.

    Even if it was only for a little bit, having the tables turned around felt incredibly sweet!

    "Hmmm, I can admit it. Your lips felt soft and...nice. Thanks for the preview." In a not so romantic way, Darcelplemented the kiss with a straight face.

    Sighing a bit to herself, Ani couldn''t stop her smile as she told him, "I''m going to have to fix your useless romantic side, hehehe~. But for now, let''s go! Our grand city awaits us!"

    Taking the lead, Ani pulled Darcel along with her. From this short conversation, the duo felt some doubts in their minds alleviate and found their adventure all the brighter

    .

    From a few miles away from the Necropolis Woods, two distinct rustlings of grass could be heard. Walking upon this field ofnd were two youths in shabby-looking clothes.

    After what seemed like hours of walking, Darcel and Ani had finally made it out the woods! And at their own leisurely pace, the two finally came upon a grand city.

    "This...this is Necrotic City!" Ani informed Darcel as the two eyes observed a magnificent sight. For the first time in a long time, the duo felt a slightly refreshing feeling looking over to the city.

    Necrotic City, the first thing anyone would notice about is how massive and luxurious it looked. For miles, this city ran along, looking almost endless. It was far more expansive than say, the Wrathful n.

    In contrast to the woods'' dreary darkness, this city was under a bright clear blue sky. Moreover, the buildings here were all more colorful and distinct in designs.

    And many structures ran up into the skies. Or were long enough to even run along for a whole mile!

    At the entrance of this colossal city was a simple open gate. There weren''t any powerful guards there or really any sign of tight defense. And the duo notices numerous people walking in and out of this gate.

    Focusing their attention a bit more on the gate, the duo did sense something suspicious about this open gate.

    "Certainly not so shabby. Let''s get a move on." Darcel said, prompting Ani to start walking first. He followed close behind her as they took a route with no one else on it.

    But, they, of course, couldn''t avoid other people forever and slowly started to see others walking a few feet or meters around them. And the people varied far more than the ones in the woods.

    Nearly all here were dressed in more orderly standard clothing. Some were wearing specific uniforms, others wore special robes, or just wore sleek designer clothing.

    And the most significant thing the duo noticed was theck of attention everyone gave them. Perhaps it was amplified by their shabby appearances, but nobody seemed to regard the two existence.

    This was more than alright considering their current thoughts of staying a low profile. Seamlessly they blended into the crowd staying close to each other as they came upon the vast open gate.

    Subconsciously both Darcel and Ani''s body began to tense. There was something about this gate that sensed like someone was peering into them. With each step, they arrived closer to the entrance until

    Nothing. Besides a slight feeling of getting washed with some sort of strange energy. Nothing happens to the duo when walking through the gate. The two even felt a bit ludicrous then.

    "Fuu, talk about anticlimactic. Now that we''re here, should we just head to the Zakira academy first?" Ani asked Darcel as the two wandered off to a secluded spot among the crowds of people.

    Thankfully for this city, everything was wide enough that allowed hundreds of people to walk secludedly from each other.

    Looking to the ground, Darcel noticed they walked upon this shiny glossy blue floor. Everything here really went for this fancy vibe, and Darcel had several thoughts regarding this.

    "We have no currency, nor anything to sell. About that academy, will we need anything for that?" Fishing out the map, Ani looked at a specific portion, just where the academy was located.

    "Hmm, ording to this, all younger generations can take the academy test for free! Mnn, but it seems like you have to be very talented and smart since their tests are apparently challenging. Which is just suitable for us."

    Ani proimed with a confident smile. While the two could go out and farm some wild Spirit Monsters, the process would just be too troublesome for them. And the academy looked to be a major shortcut.

    "Might as well be a free tter for us. Lead the way, airhead." Taking a position in front after Darcel spoke, Ani exaggeratedly pointed off to a random direction saying,

    "Stay right behind me. I wouldn''t want you getting lost in this extravagant city."

    Promptly, the two took off, heading towards the prestigious Zakira academy. And while walking, the two took the time and obverse the city more closely.

    Their eyes encountered many wide ranges of stores, hotels, regr homes, or any other misceneous shops.

    Weapon shops, armor shops, pill shops, talisman shops, and other such cultivation rted things sprouted all over the city. This fits in naturally with the small sects or small ns situated in the city.

    Though the duo remarked them being small, those ns and sects were all established in decently big acres ofnd.

    For more of the average side of things, there were restaurants, ces that seemed to sell antique items or objects that could be used for fun. And there was one type of business that caught the duo''s eyes the most.

    This building read, "Mages Teleportation" on it. And numerous people were strutting the ce, signifying its a heavily popr business.

    "Mages...those people are so...unique. One day we have to read more about how those people''s powers work." Ani remarked while just being fascinated about the mere sign of their buildings.

    As far as these two know, Mages are this other mysterious side of power that can directly match Martial Cultivators! Although Mages are not known for theirbat prowess.

    They were more known for unique special powers that made life far more convenient for all.

    "Surely for this prestigious academy, they will have plenty of books about these Mages." Darcel alsomented since the way of Mages did pique his interest.

    Focusing back on their route, the duo kept their casual pace. They were in no need to rush to the ce though they did have quite the distance to walk.

    After some time of walking, their eyes could finally see in the distance massively expansive buildings. These buildings were all interconnected and all uniquely designed.

    The central theme of this ce was a bluish-purple mix design. And right on the walls, this vast ce were markings anyone can read from a mile away.

    This was the ''Zakira Academy.''

    "How big! It always seems like these ces must go for the most extravagant as possible." Ani was talking, but her eyes were noticing some strange nces directed towards them.

    "If they have the power to do it, then, of course, they would go as shy as possible. Just like the people here." Darcel said thest part quietly for only Ani to hear.

    He as well was noticing the odd nces passed towards them. As they walked towards the academy, Darcel was able to tell their kind of nces.

    The mocking nce of disdain. Smiling, the duo couldn''t really say they were shocked given their appearances though they did find it a bit funny.

    Already, the duo could tell they''re going to have to make some noise here if they want a low profile...

 Chapter 17: Prestigious Academy & People

    Chapter 17: Prestigious Academy & People

    "So many types of varying aspiring youths here...this is going to be a good time." Animented while observing various eager looking youths ahead of her and Darcel.

    From following the map directions, Darcel and Ani had eventuallye upon the new students testing area. This area held various different cultivation shops or misceneous shops on the side of this road.

    Businesses were blooming here as youths and older people wearing specific uniforms were going in and out of these shops. Moreover, the Qi in the air felt purer and far more potent in this section of the city.

    Just regrly cultivating here would be slightly faster than doing it in the Necropolis Woods.

    Up ahead beyond all other shops, was the endlessly expansive Zakira Academy. The line the duo was on led to a sizable courtyard area where several professional middle-aged adults were overseeing the youths.

    Darcel and Ani were at the tail end of what they assume was the testing line.

    They didn''t try to draw any attention to themselves, yet passing mocking nces from the other youths still came their way. Mainly due to their shabby clothes and extremely low level caused some disdain.

    After all, every youth taking this test was born from a somewhat decent background. And the majority were above the early order of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

    To all eyes passing on them, Darcel and Ani were nothing but country bumpkins trying to gain a swan dish. Although no one even bothered to mess with the duo since it wasn''t worth their time.

    Darcel and Ani however, took all of this with stride. Getting looked down upon didn''t bother them much, and Ani did find these youths intriguing.

    Intriguing as how much hope they put into this academy.

    "Frankly, I''m surprised there are this many kids here. From your description of the test, it looks like you have to be at least above average." Casually replying, Darcel wasn''t all that impressed with what he saw so far.

    Just the mere fact that he and Ani can surpass these kids in a few days with sufficient resources gave Darcel engraved confidence. But there were a few in the line that did somewhat capture his attention.

    Up in the front, Darcel could sense youths with simr aurasparable to Anim of the Wrathful n. And with his clearer Spirit Sense now, Darcel was sure they were at least at the peak prowess of Qi Formation Sea.

    "I would''ve thought the same, but our generation haves hopes and dreams that could spur their own wills." Ani carefully took notice of every youth ahead of them.

    And despite noting them, she also didn''t feel threatened by any of them. Though she was a bit more open-minded than Darcel, seeing if there could be someone decent here.

    At a moderate pace, the line moved forward.

    The duo observed as youths in intervals of fifteen were taken by either some middle-aged man or woman. Every man or woman wore this sleek dark purple uniform that exudes a noble presence.

    Plus, the youths there were dressed to impress, all wearing decent clothing there. Every group was lead into a specificrge building inside the Zakira academy.

    And before leaving, there was one sharp-looking man who identifies each youths making sure they''re at the Qi Formation Sea Realm. It did tell the duo trying to sneak your way into the academy won''t work at all.

    Soon it was finally Darcel and Ani''s turn. They were a bit tune out from the outside world as they talked to each other until they heard,

    "The next fifteene up!"

    The stern voice of the sharp-looking man slithered into their ears. Taking a closer look at the surroundings, the duo notice Zakira academy was far bigger up close. Even down to the courtyard, they would go into.

    There was no end in sight for the mass interconnected buildings. And the courtyard size was enough to fit at least dozens of people at the same time.

    Just from first impressions, it wasn''t a wonder why people would want to go here.

    Taking a look behind them, Darcel saw more youths turn up and waited in line to take the tests. And like the rest, they also held utmost confidence in themselves.

    ncing back to the front, he and Ani walked with the rest of thirteen youths into the vast courtyard. This ce was lovely and stunning, having vibrant and colorful nts and trees run about here.

    "It feels like stepping into a new world..."

    "Like this ce is nature itself!"

    Among all the other youths'' murmurs, they all stopped when the sharp-looking man appeared before them. Instantly the group all felt a suppressing powerful energy that lightly pressed their bodies.

    The sharp-looking man held a neutral, almost bored expression as he scanned the youths. That is until his eyesnded on Darcel and Ani in the back of the group.

    His eyebrows quirked a bit, seeing their appearances and realms. Not only were they the poorest looking here, but they also were the weakest. Just merely at the early order of the Qi Formation Sea?

    The man almost disregarded their existence entirely. Yet there was this odd feeling he got from the duo. It was a strange sinking feeling...like a premonition for something big to happen.

    But he quickly wrote off the feeling once he got done scanning them all.

    "Instructor Lei, you can take this group."

    And from the man''s words, a tall but slightly overweight man walked towards their group. He looked a bit more approachable than the sharp-looking man and held a kind smile.

    Also, like the others, he wore a sleek dark purple uniform.

    "So these are the new batches? Not a bad group. Alright, follow me!" As Instructor Lei spoke, the sharp-looking man was already walking back to the courtyard entrance.

    "Phew...that guy was intense."

    "No kidding, I felt like I was being preyed on by a wild beast!"

    "It is a prestigious academy after all"

    Numerous murmurs like this slithered out of the group as Instructor Lei led them down to one of the many Zakira academy buildings. ncing back at the murmuring kids, Instructor Lei held a slight smirk.

    "Don''t worry about Teacher Reade, he''s just a bit anti-social." Telling them in small reassurance, the group had then walked into the great Zakira academy.

    And everyone''s senses and eyes were in awe!

    Immediately the fresh new youths there felt the purest and potent Qi ever. It was far greater than what they felt from outside.

    As for the designs, everything was still in a bluish-purple color, just like the outside. Though somehow, this ce seemed even more expansive than it did from the outside!

    There were numerous wide hallways, all leading down to different long pathways. Each hall had either several doors lined up on the sides or stairs that lead to a different part of the academy.

    If you didn''t know your way around this ce, it would be too easy to get lost. Looking at the other present students and teachers walking here, they all though seemed to know they''re way around this ce.

    A curious thing Darcel and Ani did note was how the students'' and teachers'' uniforms here differpared to the instructors. Here they all wore a light blue sleek uniform.

    "Ah, before we continue, I must ask this now. Who''s here for the Martial Cultivation written test? Just raise your hand if you are." Instructor Lei surveyed the youths who all immediately reacted.

    With determined glints in their eyes, thirteen of the youths swiftly raised their hands. Seeing and feeling this academy''s inner working ignited their will even further to pass the tests and be students here!

    Darcel and Ani however, were curious about this portion of this test. Slowly they rose their hands, and Ani had to ask,

    "Excuse me, but if you don''t mind me asking. What is the other test?"

    When talking, Ani willed some of her soul powers in her voice. She didn''t want to deal with anything troublesome and just wanted her question answered.

    All eyes turned on the duo, and their ears listened to a soft, soothing voice. Still, no one held a good opinion about the two though, with Ani soft voice, it caused Instructor Lei to answer just to get it over with.

    "That would be the Mages Written-test child. Rarely would we get young mages though...in any case, since you''re all Martial Cultivatorse with me."

    Walking off again, the youths followed behind Instructor Lei. Darcel and Ani saw people in small pairs talking to each other, presumably already being friends beforeing here.

    "Hell, did you notice those two while we were walking? They might be...no they are the weakest ones here. Only in early order? A bitughable."

    "Tsk, tsk! Great, these kids are definitely going to hold us up during the written test."

    Even if they were speaking a bit low, Darcel and Ani could still hear the whole group baseless gossip.

    However, Darcel''s face still remained serene while Ani had a calming sweet smile.

    "It''s amazing how many ignorant people we cane across in one day. At least now, blind eyes will get open, right, Ani?"

    "I hear no liesing from you, Darcy. In fact, it''ll be an eye-opener for me to see how far ignorance go!"

    The duo spoke in not so low tones causing everyone to hear they''re indirect jabs at them. Promptly the other youths and even Instructor Lei gained an ever sourer opinion of the duo.

    Suddenly, Darcel and Ani felt a slight crushing aura on them. This aura had surpassed anyte order Spirit Monster!

    "Ignorance talking about ignorance... that''s a good one!"

    Up in front, a handsome looking young man brashly spoke up. He caused the rest group to break in small hearty chatters while his eyes only took one nce back at the duo.

    Against this admittedly strong aura, Darcel and Ani held no change in reactions. Their walking speed was still even and steady along with their faces gaining mocking smiles.

    "Delusional people"

    "How sad"

    "And just who is delusional?" The handsome boy held some annoyance in his voice as he tried to increase his aura more on the duo. There was rising tension between the duo and the other youths.

    Until Instructor Lei put a stop towards it, saying, "That''s enough now. We''ve made it to the testing room."

    Immediately the other thirteen youths took their attention off from Darcel and Ani. They would soon fail anyway, so why bother with them?

    Their thoughts now were on this fancy testing room.

    It was spacious and neatly designed. There were numerous desks with chairs, and fifteen had a single white paper and writing utensils next to them.

    Without a need for direction, the group all took the seats that had the test on them.

    "You will have an hour toplete this test. Begin!"

    Promptly when Instructor Lei called it, everyone got to work. Ani sat right behind Darcel, and those two were off to the side of everyone else.

    And up in front, Instructor Lei''s eyes were like a hawk. He was urately scanning everyone, and with his Spirit Sense, he could make sure there was no cheating here.

    Focusing on his test, Darcel understood why that map mentioned the test is challenging. For anyone who only had a basic knowledge of cultivation, this test would seem like an aliennguage.

    There question Darcel was even sure gone out of the scope of knowledge for Qi Formation Sea cultivators. Moreover, some questions required a profound understanding of Qi.

    And if one struggles with the mental blocks with cultivation, they would be basically be doomed for half of the test.

    To all theseplex questions, Darcel only cracked a smirk simultaneously with Ani.

    ''Once again that damned Organization is proving to be helpful''

    Both of them thought and picked up their pens, starting this easy test...

    .

    Only about ten minutes have passed since the start of the test, and Instructor Lei was somewhat impressed by this group.

    Typically everyone in the group would have confused severe expressions when taking this test.

    Those kinds of faces would already tell Instructor Lei that nearly all of them would fail, and maybe one would have some amount of experience and barely pass.

    But out of this group, the handsome young man and one small cute looking girl seemed to know what they were doing. Their faces held no confusion, and they calmly went through the test.

    The rest of the eleven were the usual struggling. And then there were Darcel and Ani. As soon as those two picked up their pens, they didn''t stop writing at all.

    He found their actions a bit ludicrous since he didn''t believe someone at their level could have many experiences.

    But then Instructor Lei had heard,

    "Instructor Lei, I''m finished. Can I bring up the test now?" Darcel said right when he dropped his pen.

    "Ah! I''m done too!" Ani cheerfully told while cracking her knuckles.

    The other thirteen youths'' heads had immediately snapped over to the duo. What kind of bullshit they''re spouting now?! Merely ten minutes pass, and there''s no way in hell those two could finish in such little time!

    Instructor Lei had even wrinkled his eyebrows, but this wasn''t against the rules.

    "Alright,e up, and I''ll grade it now."

    With confident strides, Darcel and Ani walked up to Instructor Lei, handing him their papers.

    Snapping his finger, Instructor Lei made the papers float as he brought out his pen to grade the two. Being at Instructor Lei level, it really only takes these instructors only a minute or two to grade these papers.

    Having tremendous experience, knowledge, and wisdom really helped in moments like these.

    Initially, Instructor Lei was expecting just terribly wrong answers. Rarely in their academy''s history had there been a youth that couldplete the written portion in only ten minutes.

    Each question on the test required long and hard thought, along with well written in-depth answers. This just wasn''t possible unless...you''re a genius!

    And when starting the grading process Instructor Lei was stunned. Swiftly his eyes went over their answer over and over again just for their first question.

    And their knowledge couldn''t just be simply learned

    Continuing down their papers, Instructor Lei nearly falters again and again. The apparent shock on Instructor Lei''s face did cause the other thirteen youths to look mockingly at the duo.

    They only thought Instructor Lei was so stunned at how terrible their answers were.

    But after a full minute of Instructor Lei''s face only getting more profound, an odd thought crept into their minds.

    It was then Instructor Lei''s next words caused himself and the thirteen youths to freeze.

    "Both of you pass...with perfect marks"

 Chapter 18: Strict Teacher

    Chapter 18: Strict Teacher

    Multiple eyes were in a permanent state of unending shock. The youths listening nearly thought their ears failed them for a minute. And Instructor Lei was still going over the duo''s papers.

    Perfect marks! In the entire history of the whole Zakira academy, rarely could anyone, even if they were a genius, score perfect marks. It was then another realization crossed Instructor Lei''s mind.

    Rarely would one finish the test so fast, and rarely can one ever achieve perfect marks. However, there has never been a time in their entire history where both happened simultaneously.

    Only until now...moreover, it wasn''t just one youth but two at the same time! Lowering their papers down, Instructor Lei''s attention and suspicion towards these two grew at an all-time high.

    Despite their shabby appearance, these two have made in-depth insight into Profound Qi and cultivation as a whole. And just from their writings, Instructor Lei can tell they hold plenty of experiences already.

    Truly you can''t judge one book by its cover. Now, all that left is to wonder how these two properly apply their knowledge inbat. Unknowingly this thought caused great interest for Instructor Le.

    ''These two have to get reported back to her...I have a feeling the final round of testing won''t be so ordinary.'' Instructor Lei already had future ns for the duo.

    Getting his face back into a neutral state, Instructor Lei nodded at the two, telling them, "You can go back to your seats now, you both perfectly passed. Once the others are done, you two can go first for the final round of testing."

    Darcel stoically nodded at Instructor Lei while Ani brightly smiled and nodded. Turning around, they saw the other thirteen youths still staring with slight bewilderment.

    By Instructor Lei''s acknowledgment, this just one hundred percent confirms Darcel and Ani''s perfect marks! Their perfect marks caused merely one big question in all of their minds.

    Just how can early order poor looking kids achieve this?! Unlike Instructor Lei, their thoughts were a bit more narrow-minded, given theirck of experience.

    However, their musing about the two was caught short when Instructor Lei told them,

    "I would rmend getting back to your own test. You''ll need the time."

    Like it was a snap back into reality, the thirteen other youths quickly switched focus back on their tests. Though the thought of those two achieving perfect marks will never get out of their heads.

    Darcel and Ani came back to their seats, rxing in it as the other youths'' scores were unconcerning to them.

    .

    "Well, well, this is certainly more than usual who pass our test. But nevertheless, good work! Now you all have only one more test to pass to officially make it into our academy."

    Currently, in the testing room, there was only Darcel, Ani, the handsome young boy, and the short cute girl.

    Compared to Darcel and Ani, the other two had only passed their tests with barely average marks.

    And of course, for the other eleven youths, they had all miserably failed. Once failing, another Instructor had shown up to escort them out of the academy.

    Failure was a part of anyone''s journey in life. Still, this failure didn''t have such a significant impact on those eleven youths. Not when there were apparently two intelligent freaks about to join the academy.

    For the handsome boy and cute girl they were also intensely curious about how the duo will perform on this second test now, whatever it may be.

    But they still had their own determination to not lose out again!

    "And? Just what would be our final climatic test?" Ani boldly spoke up and asked. While she didn''t bother sparing passing nces at the others who failed, it did feel good being in a superior position to them.

    It had fueled her excitement to once again show off and rocked the mind of anymore ignorant she and Darcel would for sure meet.

    Cracking a small smile at Ani''s enthusiasm, Instructor Lei told them,

    "This will be thebat portion of the test. Here you will have the option to choose any Spirit Monsters at your realm or higher to beat. And while this may sound simple, you will only be granted with a minute and a half to score a perfect kill."

    While Instructor Lei exined, Darcel had suddenly gained a thought. For a prestigious academy, this surely wouldn''t be the only way one can pass thebat portion.

    After all, what else is the perfect way to gauge somebody''s full prowess besides fighting another human? Swiftly Darcel had then asked,

    "Instructor Lei, this isn''t the only way we could pass this portion, right?"

    "You...well, yes, this isn''t the only way. If you so choose to, you can pit yourself against a pre-existing student here. If you win, you will gain much better rewards than fighting a Spirit Monster. But don''t think this way is easy. Every student here has had extensive training and sses where even the weakest students here are far stronger than the average adult at their levels."

    Even as he exined it, Instructor Lei didn''t see any change of expression on Darcel''s face. Hell, Ani seemed to be getting even more pumped up about this test.

    In direct contrast, the handsome boy and cute girl held serious expressions.

    They,pared to the duo, know of the various legendary tales about the students here. And they knew Instructor Lei wasn''t bluffing in the slightest.

    However, against all the odds, Ani''s bubbly voice spoke up first, saying, "Such great build up there! But we''re pretty sure what the best option for us is testing our might against these strong students."

    "Indeed, this option seems much more engaging than stomping on mindless beasts."

    Two ludicrous, bold statements were said withplete confidence by Darcel and Ani. Just what the hell is giving these two such convictions?

    Not even the handsome boy and cute girl wanted to try against the students. And they both were above thete order stage of the Qi Formation sea realm!

    "...Are you sure about this? Every student is blessed with various high tiers cultivation manuals and martial skills that give them an overwhelming edge in battle. It''s not so good to be so confident all the time, you know?"

    Instructor Lei had advised them as he thought about the academy history. And he could only count on his fingers of the time when an outsider had beaten an official student.

    If one doesn''te from official graded tier organizations, sects, or ns. Then it would be immensely difficult for that person to ever urately grow and train out their full prowess.

    Every graded tier ce has at base cultivation resources, manuals, weapons, and martial skills to beat any average person.

    And for most graded tier ces, they would even have their own unique resources for their people to grow.

    If one isn''t lucky enough to be born in a graded tier n or family, it was then all about joining one of these ces.

    Darcel and Ani knew a bit about such matters like this.

    But they also know their talent, andtent prowess isn''t anything like the average person. In fact, they were sure most students here would be ordinary inparison to them!

    "How could we not be sure? I wouldn''t have asked if I wasn''t one hundred percent." Darcel snorted slightly and exined with utmost confidence.

    "Mnh! There''s far more passion in trading blows with fellow talented people as well!" Ani felt her enthusiasm grow more at the second. Nothing can change their minds now.

    Realizing this point, Instructor Lei looked at the other two youths, telling them, "Since they are going first, you two will have to wait a bit. And as for you two, if you''re so adamant about this, then so be it. Everyone follow me."

    While talking, Instructor Lei had fished out a purple ring from his pocket. Injecting a small portion of his energy into it, the ring ignited in a little swift purple sh.

    ''I wonder what Z will think about them at first'' Instructor Lei silently thought to himself as he started walking towards the door.

    "Hey, you two! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled so you can expand your ignorant minds." Ani had suddenly called out to the two youths who were in a slight shock.

    Her words did get them to jolt back to reality and creased their eyebrows. Seriously, what''s with this girl and her jovial attitude?

    "Don''t fall behind now." Darcel sent them a condescending smirk as he followed out behind Ani and instructor Lei.

    "Tch! They''re acting like they already won! There''s just no way in hell they''ll win" The handsome boygged behind the three, still refusing to believe those two hold some great prowess.

    He thought the duo might''ve just read a lot during their childhood and had no real fighting prowess.

    Unlike Instructor Lei, the boy couldn''t understand most of the test''s meaning, which led him to still underestimate them.

    Only the cute short girl was quiet. Her thoughts were on figuring out the anomaly know as Darcel and Ani.

    .

    By Instructor Lei''s guide, the five had quickly made it to a massively vast arena. There was one colossal stone stage at the center of this arena where the bright blue sky shined down on it.

    Amazingly enough, as Darcel and Ani observed, this section of the academy had the sky on full disy. The Qi here was a bit more turbulent than other areas of the academy as well.

    The duo''s eyes looked forward, and off to the side stone stage were a small crowd of students.

    However, there was a particrly lovely sight most eyes seemed to be focused on, standing right in front of the stone stage.

    It was a stunningly beautiful woman that most eyes couldn''t stop looking at her. Her face was gorgeous with small cute eyebrows and bright pouty red lips.

    Flowing down to her waist, elegantly was strikingly gorgeous ck hair. And the most bewitching thing about this woman was herrge bountiful breasts, sexy curvaceous body, and a captivatingrge ass.

    Everything was also furtherplimented by her sleek dark purple uniform that tightly fit her body, enchanting all the right ces about her. She was a real beauty!

    Although what got Darcel and Ani interested in this woman wasn''t her appearance. It was the fact she was the strongest person the two had sensed sinceing to this.

    Her natural aura was graceful and unfathomable! Not even Instructor Lei had this kind of aura when the two had sensed him for the first time.

    "So you''re finally here, Instructor Lei...are those the two that will be challenging a student?" The voice that came out of this woman was a warm but stern one.

    Immediately you can tell she was by the books sort of person.

    And the ones that the woman had pointed to were not Darcel and Ani but were the handsome young boy and short cute girl.

    Logically it made the most sense since those two were far higher in levelpared to the duo.

    The small crowd of students also looked over to Instructor Lei''s group with somewhat expectant faces. Not every day or rarely at all does a random outsider decide to challenge a student.

    "Actually, Teacher Z, the one who''s going to challenge are these two." Instructor Lei motioned to Darcel and Ani, who remained calm and steady.

    "Eh? Really? Just those two?"

    "You''re telling me those two Peak order Qi Formation kids won''t challenge, but those two early orders will?"

    "I guess I could use a heartyugh"

    The crowds of students who were previously here for their own matches began mockinglymenting at all four youths. Teacher Z didn''t even care about theirments as she stared at Darcel and Ani.

    And as far as first impressions go, there was nothing significant about these two at all. Shabby clothes, low realm, and no real mysterious auras...it was almost disappointing knowing these two would fight.

    "So it really is you two? If you''re here believing you can take on the weakest student here and win, you might as well just leave right now!"

    Teacher Z''s words were cold and uncaring, cutting straight to the point. The students and even the two youths behind the duo also agreed with Teacher Z''sments.

    No matter what, random averages can''tpared with official training!

    Only Instructor Lei remained indifferent, but his anticipation was slowly rising.

    In response, Darcel and Ani only nced over to Instructor Lei, who was keeping quiet. Seeing this, the duo decided to cut loose if people are going to keep secrets!

    "Why would we bother with that? But I do only have one question. For students at our level, does anyone have a single shared room?"

    Darcel and Ani stared right into Teacher Z''s eyes with an unwavering expression. This time Teacher Z started to feel...a small odd premonition. As if something just started without her knowing.

    But she paid no heed to this feeling, indifferently answering Darcel''s question with, "We do have two roommates sharing one room. But they are one of the strongest early order Qi Formation Sea students here. Barely anyone even inside the academy can match them at their level."

    "Well? Isn''t this convenient for us! Darcel and I will take them on!" Abruptly everyone stuttered when Ani''s cheerful voice ranged out through the arena.

    Did they really just hear, right? Even after being told students at their level couldn''t match those pairs, she still wanted to fight them?!

    "Are you two joking around with this?" Teacher Z had slight annoyance in her voice, but then Darcel immediately countered with,

    "What reason do we have to joke? Since they have a room, I will take on one, and Ani will take on the other. Are there any rules against this?"

    Darcel''s calming bold tone echoed out in the arena carrying the same shocking impact on everyone''s mind.

 Chapter 19: Two Step Lesson

    Chapter 19: Two Step Lesson

    "Heh...heh...hahaha!! These two arepletely serious! They really think they can beat Gorga and Boldog?!"

    "Already, they''re pretty funny, and we haven''t even seen them fight!"

    "It''s tough to garner sympathy for clueless, arrogant kids, heh"

    The uproaring mockingments of the students frenzied about. Jeers andughter were thrown at Darcel and Ani way nonstop. In the first ce, what kind of decision making is going on in their head?!

    None of the students could understand, but they did get a riling kick out of the duo. And they could also say one more thing about the pair, at least they somehow managed to gain this foolish bravado.

    Instructor Lei was surprised hearing on who the duo wanted to fight but still opted to say nothing. And the handsome young boy and the short cute girl behind them also held slight smug expressions.

    For them, it will cause them great joy to see these high talking kids get taken down hard.

    The only ones who stayed calm and unaffected were Darcel and Ani. Their eyes still evenly matched Teacher Z. Even if they were getting disdained on all sides, everything would soon fall into its natural ce.

    Teacher Z stared back at them with an equally serene gaze.

    Indeed there were no rules about outsiders fighting strong students. And there were even specific rewards if an outsider can beat students with their own rooms.

    Observing the duo''s tranquil faces, Teacher Z made up her mind. If they want first handed humiliation, then so be it.

    Her eyes snapped to the left side of the arena, where another crowd of students watched this exchange.

    Once she saw the two boys, her eyes snapped back to Darcel. inly, she told him, "Get up on stage then. Your opponent will meet you immediately."

    Etching a small smirk, Darcel crossed his eyes with Ani in a single nce. She had the brightest of smiles and asked him, "Will you go all out for these ignorant people?"

    "We''ll go enough to shake their minds." They both spoke in low voices, so no one else could hear them amidst the students'' chatter. Although they weren''t exactlypletely unheard.

    Instructor Lei and Teacher Z eyebrows quirked, hearing the two short conversations. Just what did they mean to go all out or just enough?

    In their minds, these two could still be bluffing, but a small seed of doubt was imnted.

    Nodding at Ani, Darcel began walking up on stage under all scrutinizing eyes.

    No student held any faith in Darcel, and with their openly mocking smiles, they thought Darce would surely be nervous.

    But the false bravado on this kid was greater than expected! Each step he took was filled with an aura of natural confidence. He also didn''t even bother to look at the other students.

    Once on therge stone stage, Darcel took the time to notice the details of this stage. Just from standing on the stage, Darcel felt whatever material this was made up off couldn''t be broken by any ordinary means.

    Moreover, just barely, Darcel could tell there was some sort of special Qi covering the whole stage. He wasn''t sure about what it could be, but Darcel guessed it was akin to a barrier.

    His slight musing was cut short when he heard Teacher Z stern voice red out in the arena.

    "Gorga! You have received a challenger!"

    Looking at Teacher Z, Darcel turned to where her eyes snapped to. And it was yet another small crowd of students walking over to the stage. All who held simrly mocking nces towards Darcel.

    "So this kid really is going through with this...how long do you think this will take?"

    "Probably a few seconds or so, especially since he''s just some random no name."

    Out of the peanut gallery of students, Darcel crossed eyes with two specific boys. They both were handsome, elegantly looking youths that you know could charm women of their feet.

    "Really? He''s the one that wants our room?"

    "Meh, at least I''ll get some good practice in."

    Darcel heard what those two boys said. And the taller one out of the two began walking up on stage. This boy, Darcel assumed was Gorga, had a lean fit physique and a charming face.

    His hair was kept short and was a polished ck color. His fit was the same light blue colored uniform thatplimented his body well, further enhancing his charming natural presence.

    And on Gorga''s face, he only kept a bored indifferent expression. Like the others, Gorga held a negative connotation towards Darcel''s poor appearance and pitiful realm.

    Even if they were at the same level, Gorga already thought he was superior in every way. For good reasons too, since his skills and abilities put him far above nearly all early order Qi Formation students!

    The two stared at each other, each having their own unwavering still expressions. Darcel was just always calm in these types of situations, though he wasn''t merely some poor doormat.

    For the students, the anticipation was just sapped away. After all, this fight would be extremely predictable and fast. The only interesting question was, just how fast it would be?

    Ani still had a bright smile, though, even under the mocking scrutinizing of the students.

    And for the two adults? Their sinking premonition that they once ignored had suddenlye back at full force. In this position, there was something about Darcel that gave them this odd feeling.

    "Begin!"

    Teacher Z called out, yet neither youths moved.

    Instead, Gorga simply held out his hand, telling Darcel, "If you still want to challenge us after so far, then surely you must have some skills. Come, let me judge whatever skills you have."

    "Even with a poor fool, Gorga is still giving this kid shot"

    Now the students were curious about why Darcel has this much bravado. Maybe he will have something interesting to watch! However, Darcel next moved left them all confused.

    In response to Gorga''s provocation, Darcel simply put two fingers up. Cracking his own mocking smirk, he exined, "Two moves, in only two moves, you won''t be able to stay conscious"

    Two moves? Confused eyes rapidly blink as they thought there must be something wrong with this kid. Defeating someone at the same level at merely two moves? What aughable concept!

    However, before anyone could jeer or mock, the whole atmosphere of the arena had dramatically shifted!

    For all early order students, their bodies instinctively tensed up while the stronger students creased their eyebrows.

    ''Sssch!!''

    The roaring frenzied sound of pure scorching fire sted into everyone''s eardrums! All at once, the temperature increased exponentially, and the air felt ufortably warm.

    But the single biggest shock was the lone Darcel. From students to adults, all of their eyes widen in utter shock! Nobody would ever think this could be possible, yet Darcel just broke history.

    Standing with his serene gaze, Darcel had an ominous ck ming aura re up around his body! He felt incredibly warm in this aura and far stronger in this state.

    As he and Ani took hours to traverse to the city, they didn''t only idly talk. They both took the time to explore how their inborn Qi can amplify their ck mes properties.

    Because of his perfect control with his Element of Darkness, Darcel was able to wrap his whole body in Dark Qi. Smoothly he used this transition to use his ck me as a bodily aura.

    Not only was this aura amplified by his Darkness, but he also chose this since mes would be able to cause additionally burning damage.

    And looking at the students'' enchanted faces, he knew that was his Darkness at work.

    For some odd reason, even Ani had said it, that his Darkness really was strangely maic. Darcel could only guess this had to do with that strange mutation of his Darkness Qi.

    While Darcel was musing, Gorga was thrown into a sudden crisis! His eyes burst open like saucers, and his braingged hard. Most of all, he felt a tremendous crushing aura on him!

    This aura caused a suffocating pressure like being weighed down by a vast building. Gorga was just thrown into an endless loop. Having any kind of aura at their level should inly be utterly impossible!

    Unless you''re some sort borderline great genius...but how could someone as shabby as Darcel could be one!

    Gritting his teeth, Gorga forcefully willed upon his profound Qi. He concentrated solely on his arm causing,

    ''Whir!''

    Bright purple mes to cover his arm in a frenzy! However, unlike Darcel, Gorga mes were less profound in shape. Not only that, but Gorga was also already sweating pushing himself this far.

    Despite feeling stronger, he still felt massively pressured just by being locked on by Darcel aura.

    "I-it''s the Zakira purple mes arts! Th-there''s just no way he could beat it!"

    The students all felt their unwavering confidence in Gorga took a massive nosedive. Even when Gorga forcefully called upon his full power, he still looked like he was struggling to stand.

    Darcel was simply observing Gorga. He was taking in his disbelieving expression with great stride. A feeling like this he could get used to.

    "Gorga, was it? Are you ready? e" Darcel slowly talked as if giving Gorga a countdown. Really if he wanted to, he could end this without moving from his spot. But where''s the fun in that?

    Gorga felt his pupils dted hearing Darcel''s words and frantically gathered up more profound Qi in his arms. Even with this suppression, there would be just no way in hell he''ll roll over for this poor boy!

    ''Swish!''

    Suddenly though, the wind crazily swirled around him. Gorga felt the temperature get to boiling degrees. His eyes were soon up close with the ominous ck ming Darcel.

    Looking down at Gorga up close, Darcel smirked at him. Smoothly he clenched his right fist and threw a straight hook at his face.

    Hastily, Gorga tried to counter the punch. Matching Darcel''s speed, he threw his own purple ming fist to Darcel.

    ''Bang!''

    "Gaaah?!?"

    Agonizing shouts of pain made everyone freeze in shock.

    From outside, the audience watched as Gorga got sent rolling on the stage. He was tightly clutching his purple ming arm that now had wisps of ck fire on it.

    Surely the students and even the adults thought if Gorga couldn''t one-shot Darcel, then he would at least have an advantage. But this...this was utter domination in one strike!

    Gorga was wracked with tremendous pain all over his body. Adding on was a confusing mixed feeling of anger, sickness, and even lust.

    By the extension of his ck fire, Darcel''s Darkness became a lot stronger in affecting one''s mental state.

    Inplete scrambles, Gorga struggles to get himself up. Blood spurted from his mouth, and his arm felt like it was getting burned alive by hellish scorching fire.

    With only one move...this boy already severely injured him! It was inconceivable, and in Gorga''s eyes, fear slowly began to build up.

    "Just...what are you?"

    Gorga managed to barely pull himself only to see a ck ming knee. At this point, he could barely move his body, much less dodge the insane speed of Darcel.

    ''Bang!''

    With another sickening bloody crunch, Gorga was thrown off stage. He didn''t even get a chance to yell since his consciousness swiftly left him.

    Like a sack of potatoes, Gorga crashed onto the blue floor of the arena. His normally handsome face now spouted blood running down from his mouth and nose.

    "Doctor! Take him away!"

    Teacher Z immediately called out, seeing Gorga''s condition. Promptly from where Darcel couldn''t even see him, a mysterious man dawned in a white suit took Gorga.

    And all that was left was the lone Darcel. Turning off his ck ming aura, Darcel turned to stare at the disbelieving crowd. Not a single one could believe what just happened, yet the results couldn''t be faked.

    "Hehehe~! That was a shy lesson, Darcel!" Only Ani cheerfully smiled and called out to Darcel.

    Casting a brief smile at Ani, Darcel had then turned to Teacher Z asking,

    "So? What are my special rewards?"

 Chapter 20: Daunting Smiles

    Chapter 20: Daunting Smiles

    There was nothing that could be said. Reality was irrefutable; no matter what the students and adults thought of Darcel, his prowess was genuine. But all of this was just...too exaggerated!

    For years, outsiders'' status quo with no backing being weaker than any students never broke and could rarely be broken. It just made sense, after all, with this school''s abundance of resources.

    Yet this one shabby looking boy showed up like thin air with overwhelming prowess? This couldn''t simply be counted as Darcel only being stronger than Gorga.

    He proved himself to be on a whole other level! Early order students felt suppressed by Darcel ck me aura. Middle-order students had even lost sight of Darcel''s speed.

    Andte order students had a hard time tracking Darcel''s speed! But his prowess wasn''t only troubling to those students.

    The handsome young boy and the short cute girl even creased their eyebrows when watching the fight.

    Darcel''s speed gave them slight apprehension. They could tell if they were to fight him, his speed would''ve indeed caught them off guard.

    Moreover, they weren''t even sure if Darcel attacks would be so easy to take at their levels. And they were peak order Qi Formation Sea youths!

    Instructor Lei had finally realized why he had these premonitions about Darcel. His Qi was one of the rares and unique he ever sensed! There was a property about it that he was sure had some sort of grace.

    Now, more than ever, Darcel''s fight had just reinforced his decision about reporting him to her. Musing over this thought, he cast his eyes towards Teacher Z, simrly in deep thought.

    She now had to think profoundly about this standoffish confident boy. Nothing about him made any lick sense. Furthermore, this boy still has his friend left to fight.

    And more than likely, that annoyingly upbeat girl will be simrly freakish like him. Pushing all these thoughts down, Teacher Z had promptly answered Darcel question saying,

    "For beating a powerful early order student, you shall gain thirty orange crystals. As for your special reward, we shall see if your friend can win her next match."

    Her words came out a bit stiff. Still, her mind couldn''t get over the fact Darcel won so hard that it felt like there was a massive chasm between him and Gorga.

    But none of these emotions surfaced on her gorgeous face.

    Nodding at Teacher Z, Darcel began walking off stage as he watched a purple sh on Teacher Z''s finger. It was one of those spatial rings he assumed, and out came a small blue sack on Teacher Z''s hand.

    Under the bright spotlight of students'' gazes, Darcel remained only interested in this small blue sack.

    "Your crystals are in here."

    Teacher Z stated and tossed the sack at him. Catching the sack, Darcel had a small smirk. If things were to go like this, then rising in this academy will almost be too easy!

    "Good work Darcel! Now then, are you ready for me to steal the spotlight? I''ll go even shier than you!" Ani was already stretching out her arm once Darcel got next to her.

    She didn''t even care at all for pen dropping silence awe. All in her mind now was beating that Gorga guy roommate!

    Speaking off that guy, the duo''s eyes did nce over to the other handsome boy among the students.

    His once mocking disdain eyes now turn into ones of cautiousness. Going by Darcel''s prowess and Ani''s confidence, you would have to be a fool to not think she also has some hidden power up her sleeves.

    But maybe...her prowess won''t be as exaggerated? It was a reasonable hope for him to expect. Yet there was a gnawing sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

    A sense of uing perilous doom

    "Don''t get so excited. Just go for my enough, not your enough." Darcel exined to her as the students around them began jolting back up.

    Being so caught up on that dreamlike prowess just made them remember this white hair girl will fight next! Trading their eyes off from him, Darcel to her, several thoughts ran through their minds.

    "She...she can''t be as strong as that guy...right?"

    "Two for one...no way! Maybe she is only just slightly strong"

    "This is just, too much like some sort of weird dream"

    Murmurs, now in a more bewilderment confused tone crossed around in the whole arena. Even if this was reality, some students just had a hard time epting it. Not knowing Ani prowess was their only scapegoat.

    s, it was a very shame for their ignorance of Ani''s strength...

    "You will meet Boldog on stage now." Teacher Z''s stern voice was the highest among the murmurs. Her clear blue eyes crossed with Ani''s deep dark ones.

    And once again, another premonition spawned in the depths of her mind. Although this one was a bit offpared to Darcel.

    Ani gave Darcel onest big smile before walking up the stone stage with a pep in her step. Honestly, this wasn''t going to be a challenging fight at all. But it doesn''t mean she can''t have some fun!

    Boldog, in contrast to Ani''s cheerfulness, tried to make himself calm and steady. He carefully paced himself walking up on stage to clear his mind. But...nothing seemed to be working.

    His body was still tense, and his mind pricked with worrying thoughts over Ani''s prowess.

    It also didn''t help that this white hair girl exuded an overwhelming boldness no matter what she was doing.

    Getting up on stage, Ani could see the clear, tense tone Boldog was having. So she decided to have a bit of pre-fun. "Hey! Lighten up already! We all have to get hurt sometimes in our lives."

    The cute teasing voice of Ani actually didn''t help Boldog lessen up.

    Her specific choice of words only made much tenser in their context. Though Boldog was feeling a bit indigent now.

    No matter what mysterious power this girl has, he can''t let her walk all over him like a doormat! Taking onest deep breath, Boldog determinedly red over at Ani with a will to win!

    Apparent anticipation filled the air as these two squared off. One holding some sort of mysterious prowess and the other, a recognized strong early order student.

    A matchup that would''ve been predictable in people''s minds at one time. Now it was an unknown match where no one could tell how this will possibly go down.

    ncing at the two, Teacher Z had then officially dered,

    "Begin!"

    ''Whir!''

    Instantaneously when Teacher Z dered their fight, massive waves of profound Qi shout out of Boldog! The temperature was rising, and wisps of purple mes gathered around his right leg.

    He only needed a second before his right leg was covered wholly with purple mes.

    Nothing was going to be spared at the start. Going on full st, Boldog was determined to not have an embarrassing fight like Gorga.

    Feeling Boldog more clearlypared to Gorga, the students were impressed. Unlike how Darcel immensely suppressed Gorga, Boldog could let his full prowess be known.

    However, to Ani, she merely saw Boldog leg as a cosmetic fire leg. Starting off, she didn''t lift a finger, letting Boldog go all out. And once feeling Boldog full prowess, her eyes dazzled with an excited glint.

    Faster than Boldog could expect, Ani''s hand had shined a brilliant white glow. And out from the light,

    ''Sssch!!''

    A ck fireball came sting out her hand, sizzling the stone under them. It was like whish for Boldog. In only a split second, the temperature dramatically increased to burning degrees.

    His body poured cold sweat as this one attack exuded a powerful, terrifying aura. Immediately he could tell getting hit by this attack would roast him alive.

    On top of this, Boldog even saw his world darkened as the fireball came roaring to him.

    With only two seconds to react, Boldog tensed his body even more. Hastily he concentrated more Profound Qi into his right leg, causing his purple mes to frantically re-up.

    Feeling the air heat up his body, Boldog knew the ck fireball was right near him. Putting all of his weight on his right leg, Boldog scrambly jumped to his right.

    "Tch!"

    Though it wasn''t a clean dodge as he felt his stomach get grazed by the roaring me.

    For a second, he at least thought he dodged this blinding attack.

    But immediately, his pupils contracted. Instantly when he had dodged, the ck fireball had gained a simrly looking bright white glow. With one look at this white glow, Boldog''s fate was sealed.

    A crushing aura came down on him, severely suppressing his body. Nearly immobilized, Gorga was in utter shock for Ani''s next attack.

    Combining with the white glow, the fireball had burst into whitish ckish lines! These lines moved quicker than Gorga could ever and had speedily covered his whole body!

    "WhaaAAAHH!!"

    Gorga''s anguished shouts red out in the arena. Whatever these lines were, they caused tremendous heat and pain to Gorga. This was akin to getting slowly burned alive!

    Ani proudly smiled, observing her work.

    Her hand still had the white glow, yet it was like she was using barely any Profound Qi at all. Like how Darcel practices in the woods, Ani chose a different route for her prowess.

    Amplifying her telekinesis with the Element of Light majorly enhanced power. She preferred more long-ranged fights, so she decided to test her ck mes'' properties with telekinesis.

    The end results being, having the option to freely manipte her ck mes more so than Darcel. Combined with her enhanced power, Ani really could simply lift a finger to beat someone at her level!

    The students watching had to suck in a cold breath. Ani''s method was even more brutal than Darcel! Having mighty mes cover your whole body?

    The students dared not to even think about that pain.

    Teacher Z and Instructor Lei were once again shocked but for different reasons. While her prowess is the same as Darcel, her powers seemed a bit more unique than him.

    They couldn''t tell for sure for now, but this was definitely worth investigatingter.

    Darcel was still calmly smiling, watching the show. He didn''t expect it, but it really does seem like this airhead will gain a ruthless streak. But at least she still has her lovely smile.

    "Hm? So quickly! He passed out"

    Ani had dered once seeing Boldog''s eyes close shut. She obviously didn''t use much power since it would''ve killed the boy though not many can handle getting burned alive.

    Snapping her fingers, the fire lines disappeared off from Boldog. Like a stringless puppet, Boldog crashed onto the stone stage. His body was unmoving, and all scared up from the burns.

    Despite not wanting it, Boldog lost in an even more pitiful way than Gorga. Ani''s telekinesis was simply too abrupt and quick.

    "Doctor! Quickly, take him away!"

    Teacher Z called out this line once again. And likest time, it wasn''t for the outsider but one of her own students.

    Ani watched as another man in a white suit appear like a ghost! He quickly took Boldog and once again vanished from sight.

    ''Seriously, that speed is broken!'' Ani humorously thought to herself, not even fazed by the stares cast at her.

    So effortlessly and quickly did Gorga and Boldog drop like flies by the duo. For days toe for Teacher Z and everyone else, they wouldn''t be able to simply forget today''s events at all.

    "So? Teacher Z? Our special rewards?" Already Ani was walking towards Darcel while asking. The eyes on the girl were a mix of awe and fear.

    Her attacks were swift and brutal! There wasn''t a single shred of mercy for Boldog as well, just further enhancing Ani''s daunting image.

    "Here, you will also gain the same amount of orange crystals like him, for the other special e with me." Ani caught the small blue sack tossed at her once she reached Darcel.

    "We''ll be right behind you, Teacher." Darcel and Ani exchanged a smug smile while their eyes looked into the crowds of students.

    All who had mixed expressions of shock, disbelief, or even envy? No matter the facial expression, no one could speak up since the duo had destroyed their status quos.

    The handsome young boy and the short cute girl felt more awe than ever. Thinking about it, their perfect marks on their test scores just made a whole lot more sense now.

    "Ah, Teacher Z, before you go, will you meet up with meter? I have...important news to discuss." Instructor Lei called out to the three walking away from the arena.

    Stopping her walk, Teacher Z had a faint idea of what he wanted to discuss. Without turning around, she told him, "I''lle once I finish with these two"

    Saying herst piece, Teacher Z began walking again. nked behind her were Darcel and Ani, still with slight smug smiles.

    While it was mind-blowing for others. For them, today was only a short preview of their inevitable quick rise in this prestigious academy...

 Chapter 21: Rewarding Room

    Chapter 21: Rewarding Room

    Much like every area Darcel and Ani seen so far, the ce Teacher Z led them to was equally luxurious. Their eyes watched numerous students all entering or leaving various doors down a long hall.

    They arrived here in a short brief walking from thebat arena. And this specific hall, in terms of design, had a particr pallet. The pallet is a bright light blue color, exuding a fresh new atmosphere.

    Clearly, the duo assumed this spot is for Qi Formation Sea students. The fact that every student walking there was dressed in the same light blue uniform also helped confirm their thoughts.

    Walking down the hall, Darcel and Ani had realized something. Of course, they were casually talking like usual. Yet, this beautiful, proud woman in front of them hasn''t said a single word to them!

    Moreover, she didn''t even bother to turn back to them to at least see if the two were still following her footsteps. For any other youth, this woman would seem naturally untouchable.

    Being a top beauty, having a high realm, and a prestigious status made it extremely difficult to approach, let alone talk to her.

    Combined with the indifferent stern expression on her, it all made people be naturallypelled to respect her.

    However, Ani was having queer thoughts about Teacher Z. Surely she should be immensely interested in the two of them! But that stubborn pride seemed to be getting in the way for any conversation.

    Sneakily she got Darcel''s attention by nudging his shoulder. And once Darcel saw Ani''s slight mischievous smile, he knew it was time for a change. A weing change, in fact, for this short walk.

    "Darcy...back me up here." In a low voice, Ani told him. Simply Darcel nodded and kept his serene expression.

    The distance between Teacher Z and the duo wasn''t great. Only just a couple of feet in front of them. Meaning an eptable length to talk. Pondering on what to say, Ani suddenly got a good topic.

    "Ah! Excuse us, Teacher Z, but just where exactly we are? These have to be rooms for Qi Formation students, right?" It was simple but effective. Also helping was Ani''s confident and assured tone when speaking up.

    She didn''t have any apprehension in her tone. Or a voice that is used when regarding someone of upper status. It was like Teacher Z was a mere acquaintance of them.

    Teacher Z had a slight pause in her step. During this whole time, her thoughts were actually on the duo. Mainly trying to pinpoint any sorts of logic to their prowess.

    Sadly, nothing that could make sense came up for her. And hearing Ani so casually called out to her got her a bit piqued. It really does look like their bravado wasn''t just a facade for a crowd.

    Still, she didn''t look backed and continued walking. But she did answer Ani''s question with, "You would be correct. More specifically, these are rooms for Middle Order students and above. Only special early order students could stay here early."

    "What counts as being special anyways? Our fight with Gorga and Boldog went pretty fast to really tell any specialness." Simrly, Darcel had an assured, confident tone when speaking.

    Honestly, the two really only regarded Teacher Z as just a woman that could easily kill them. And while this thought may be off-putting to many, it didn''t bother the duo nearly as much.

    The threat of death held a rtively low ce in their minds. As for Teacher Z''s beautiful appearances? Ani didn''t care at all about it though Darcel found some appreciation in her beauty.

    After all, a beautiful sight was a beautiful sight. And Darcel was the one to regard such views like her.

    Teacher Z all the while only expected Darcel to hold the same confident tone. Though outright hearing how these two quickly destroy special students still caused slight mixed feelings.

    Whatever it was that was unique about their prowess, she must find out about! "The control you have over your profound Qi, yourprehension abilities, inborn powers, and talent all counts towards being special. And you two...well here''s your room."

    Changing the subject mid-sentence, the three had finally arrived at one specific blue door. On the door, it had numbers reading, ''365.''

    Darcel and Ani kind of expected toe up to the door so soon, but they were at least satisfied with that small and short conversation.

    Even if it was only for a little bit, the duo guessed Teacher Z still has an interest in them.

    Otherwise, she wouldn''t have answered their question so extensively. While they didn''t have much interest in Teacher Z, the duo couldn''t deny she could be a useful ally in the future.

    Reaching into her pocket, Teacher Z fished out a blue spatial ring. Handing it over to Darcel, she took the time to exin,

    "This ring contains your academic uniforms and keys to your room. Before I leave, remember these special rules. Uniforms must be worn at all times, random fighting is forbidden and must be done on thebat stage. sses here aren''t mandatory. Every month, only one of you needs to pay three hundred Orange Crystals to continue staying here."

    "Either way, you have to work here...so? How do we go about earning Orange Crystals here?" It was a reasonable assumption for Ani to assume you can earn extra crystals here.

    These students pride themselves on their trained strength.

    "The main ways are fighting students in thebat arena and winning to earn crystals. Or you can take on Academic Missions. The rest you need to know will be inside your room."

    Finishing her exnation, Teacher Z turned away from the duo. And without another word, began walking off. From the start and to the end, she still didn''t look the pair entirely in the eyes.

    Darcel and Ani only shrugged their shoulders at Teacher Z swift leave. No matter what, they''ll see each other around the Academy anyways. Though they did think she could be less of a prude.

    Holding the blue spatial ring, Darcel interjected a bit of his Profound Qi in it. With a small purple sh, he managed to take out a light blue orb that had the same numbering as the door.

    "Well, would you look at this? They even have automated keys! And...oh?" While Ani was talking, the light blue orb ignited when Darcel held it up against the door.

    Swiftly the door opens on its own, allowing the duo to witness a pleasant clean sight. The room wasfortablyrge and spacious. It allowed for two people living here to have plenty of room for themselves.

    There were several bookshelves here, all containing various books and scrollsa door connected to the room''s backside where the washing quarters was.

    And there was even arge window to gaze upon the outside world.

    Already this room was marginally better than the little servant quarters given to them at the Wrathful n.

    Stepping inside the room, Darcel and Ani felt a pleasant warm aroma run through here. It was a scent that could make you serene, getting into a perfect mood for cultivation.

    "Finally, a remarkable ce for us to stay in. They even have two beds for us. Though considering those guys, it makes sense to have two." Darcel remarked while looking all over the room.

    And to their left were two pairs ofrgefy beds. Ani gained a bit of a teasing smirk, grabbing Darcel''s hand to lead him to one of the beds. "It''s only a shame I''m too used to sleeping with your soothing warmth Darcy~."

    Sitting on the bed, the two took a moment to rest. Darcel, of course, didn''t let Ani''s cute teasing get to him. But he could admit in his mind that sleeping without Ani in his arms would be rather...ufortable.

    "Thankfully, while sleeping, you''re not as nearly as energetic when you''re up. Before we do anything, though, it''s time to make another set of ns since we''re taking an extended stay here."

    Ani''s eyes lit up at this thought. For a short amount of time, they finally have a stable ce to return, too, and no immediate threats now.

    "Ooohh...you know our obvious course of ns has to be those missions! It''s too dull to stay in one ce and cultivate. Everyone thrives on the thrill of battle to make great achievements!"

    "Indeed, it''s always the best way to perfect our foundations. Plus, we really only need resources here, not their sses, at least for now. Unlike others, our bodies can intake energy pretty easily."

    Darcel drew this conclusion from the bug''s energy they so quickly absorbed. Without much effort on their parts, their souls had easily cleared out any negative bacsh from absorbing Qi from another source.

    Compared to naturally cultivating from the energy that runs in the air, resources are the perfect method for the duo to monstrously grow.

    ncing down at her bloodline arm, Ani began to ponder.

    "Should we take on a risky mission? With our arms, I''m sure we''re probably nearing the peak prowess of this realm."

    "By tonight, we can use the remaining bug''s energy to break through to Middle order. And by then, we''ll be able tofortably hold our own against any Qi Formation sea missions."

    "Ohh! So we''re already going to get real intimate for our first-night ~? Been holding back enough~?" Ani dawned an outrageously cute sly smile while talking.

    Going by their previous breakthroughs, it did feel marginally satisfying to breakthrough together than separately. Darcel, however, only began to pat Ani''s soft hair while telling her,

    "Survival over pleasure first ditzy girl. Even if we''re safe for today, who knows if those two weaklings might bring people to start trouble again? We did embarrass them hard. For now, we''ll just read up on this Academy together."

    "Muuu~, fine. Hmm...at at least for this session, I''ll make what would be ordinarily boring, fun!" Ani did coo into Darcel''s hand but still had a bright determined face.

    Who said you couldn''t mix fun in with information gathering? Plus, it was just her style to do things more creatively. Something of which Darcel understood all too well.

    Cracking a smirk at her, Darcel said,

    "And I wonder just how you''ll make book readings fun?"

    "Fuuu! Just wait, you''ll see!"

    .

    While Darcel and Ani were having their own little moments inside their rooms, several different reactions were taking ce all around the Academy.

    Word traveled extremely fast about seemingly two strong outsiders.

    Strong outsiders who were able to ultimately crush two powerful early order students! Of course, not seeing it for themselves, many were inclined to deny this rumor.

    However, it was unmistakable that Gorga and Boldog were sent to the Doctor''s offices to get treated. It was a bizarre situation, and many were getting interested in these seemingly powerful outsiders turned students.

    Instructor Lei had picked up on all of this while walking through the Initiate Student level part of the Academy. He was hoping to run into Teacher Z as his mind was just as focused on the duo.

    And through sheer luck, while walking down a random deste long hall, Instructor Lei had crossed his eyes with the unfathomable Teacher Z.

    "There you are. Is everything all finished now?" Instructor Lei asked while taking notice of Teacher Z''s slightly distracted face.

    "I had recently sent them off...what is so important that you have to discuss with me." Out of all youths that came to take their tests, Instructor Lei never was so adamant about sharing information.

    But looking at who just joined, she could understand it now, somewhat.

    "Here''s the thing. The cultivation test they took, guess what marks they got on it." Instructor Lei first asked since he wanted to gauge her reactions.

    Thinking about it, Teacher Z told him, "Have they managed to get at most a seventy percent mark?"

    This was already a high estimate for outsiders! Rarely could one go past an even sixty-seven percent mark. Those two having such high prowess, it would only make sense they would score high on the test.

    "Not even close. Try a hundred percent perfect marks!" Teacher Z stopped in her tracks hearing Instructor Lei. Was she sure she heard, right? A hundred percent marks?!

    "Not only that, but they also did it within only ten minutes without a single break! Here, check out their tests if you want too."

    Instructor Lei tossed two scrolled up papers to her. Instinctively Teacher Z caught the papers. Her body moved on its own, and she slowly unraveled the papers.

    It was then her eyes bear witness to the most sophisticated and profound answers she ever sawing from a youth! Their knowledge and experience were something not even past geniuses couldpare too.

    "Judging by your expression, it''s quite mind-blowing, right? And with what we saw in the arena...don''t you think we should report them to the Vice-Principal? They match all of her criteria and then some."

    "...Lead the way then."

    Teacher Z was still in shock but agreed to Instructor Lei''s proposition. Today was like never-ending surprises for her, and going further, who knows just what kind of surprises those two have up their sleeves.

 Chapter 22: Tension Among Missions

    Chapter 22: Tension Among Missions

    Soft, warm, and cozy. This was the third time in a row Darcel felt pure warmth from waking up after a long rest.

    His eyes opened up to the luxurious light-blue ceilings of his room, providing a pleasant first sight.

    The soft fluffy bed under him also contributed to the warm feeling of waking up. ButDarcel could obviously tell the real reason why it felt just so good to wake up.

    Trailing his eyes down, Darcel came upon the cute sleeping form of Ani. She was snuggled up tightly into his chest, exhaling out sweet little snores. This sight did bring a genuine small smile on his face.

    Like always, Ani''s fragrance was hypnotic, nearly pulling him into dreand again. He couldn''t tell exactly why, but her body was iparably soft and almost too warm.

    So warm that Darcel just didn''t want to let go of her. Though Darcel had a sinking suspicion that his Qi might be affecting the amount of warmth they both felt.

    Still, Darcel did find it a bit surprising on how this troublesome girl enjoys sleeping so much. Naturally, by just making it to the Qi Foundation realm''ste levels, one can go without sleep or food for a few days.

    The mystical power of Qi washes away impurities, bringing the body to an entirely different levelpared to average mortals.

    And starting in the Qi Formation Sea realm, sleep is usually reced by close door cultivation.

    Ani, though sleeps as if she was just a regr mortal! At least during her sleep, she did manage to slowly absorb all of the bug''s energy, bringing her to the Middle Order of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

    And sensing his own realm, Darcel found he too managed to advance to the Middle Order! The substantial mental block from early order to middle order was casually smashed by both of them in their dreams.

    Being in the Middle Order level, Darcel felt his Spirit Senses broaden. His Darkness Profound Qi was elevated to a higher Quality. Furthermore, he felt his body slightly increase in the overall physical aspect.

    With the power Darcel was feeling right now, he had boundless confidence in taking on any Qi Formation Sea missions! Now all that is left is to wake up thiszy girl.

    Being direct, Darcel decided to go in for a precise strike. Tenderly, he began stroking her lushes soft white hair. This small action Darcel came to enjoy just as much as she likes feeling his hand.

    The burst of endless warmth flowed through Ani''s head. Her eyes flutter for a few seconds before swiftly snapping open! Deep ck eyes met with each other, both eyes holding tender affection for one another.

    Bright and early, Ani had immediately gained her trademark dazzling broad smile. Excitedly she said to Darcel, "Mnh! You''re getting better at being romantic! Already I''m fuel to take on any missions!"

    "I''m just growing too ustomed to petting your soft hair. But even if I didn''t, your chipper energy has no end." Darcel smirked at her while they both sat up on the bed.

    "And your cynicism fits right in with my chippiness! So? How do you want to start our first days as ''prestigious'' students." The duo sat close together at the end of the bed, holding hands.

    This simple act caused them to be serene and focus. They felt secure and calm for any challenges ahead. Towards Ani''s question, Darcel said,

    "First off, let''s take a bit of time to stabilize our breakthrough. Nothing wrong with being extra prepared. Then...I guess we wash up and change our clothes? We have to wear that uniform anyways."

    It took long enough, but the duo had realized neither bother to change clothes after all this time!

    Perhaps they just got too attached to these clothes, but they felt a bit weird to suddenly change, no matter how shabby their current garments were.

    "Changing, huh, haah. I guess we can''t wear these clothes all the time...but! I''m sure these new fits will greatly enhance our looks." Even Darcel and Ani could put in the care to have somewhat decent looks.

    Minds are easily swayed by first impressions.

    Especially if the first impressions show some sort of significant status, you wield. It also helps these Academy uniforms indeed aren''t bad looking; they were actually rather sleek.

    "Alright, let''s focus up, so we''re prepared when we meet even more ignorant people today." Darcel snided, getting Ani to sweetly giggle. If there''s one thing these students did prove, is that their eyes are all blind!

    "Hehehe~, you gotta admit it though, Darcy, it''s quite fun handing out lessons. I only wonder what our batch will be today"

    .

    Taking at least an hour or so, Darcel and Ani finally exited their rooms. Promptly they began walking down the halls of this overly extensive academy, knowing exactly where to go.

    Because of Ani''s fun book reading session yesterday, the duo at least know most part of the initiate level ces of the academy. As they guessed, only Qi Formation students roam these parts.

    Building on, there was a Middle level, High level, and Core level. But the duo mainly focused on the initiate level, at least for now.

    The walk was smooth since having a capable memory, and a good sense of direction made the academy easy to traverse.

    Although while walking, Darcel and Ani began to notice nces. They were...strange but inquiring, nces? Typically Darcel and Ani are used to envious, killing intent or disdain looks.

    But the initiate level students now were all just prying about the duo. Even the several teachers they came about threw inquiring nces at them.

    Darcel had chalked it partly to their recent breakthrough and their changed appearances.

    Compared to yesterday, the duo had arge glow up in looks. Properly washing themselves got rid of any excessive leftover dirt or grimes on their faces.

    Their shabby loose-fitting clothes were now reced by urately fitting, sleek light blue uniforms. And their uniforms multiplied they''re already good looks.

    Darcel now took more of an honest, attractive young man look. His serene face spelled absolute calming, and he walked with a bold stature. It was aplete overhaul from yesterday.

    Ani had a modest cutesy look going for her.

    The bright, radiant smile that etched on her pretty face made for an enchantingbination. Moreover, her modest breasts, plumb behind, and curvy body all came through today.

    These two sudden changes in appearance got students and teachers alike to have one question. Where were those shabby poor looking youths everyone was talking about from yesterday?!

    The ones that didn''t see them fight were confused.

    A girl with extremely long white hair that sticks out like a sore thumb following a boy with shoulder-length ck hair, this base description certainly matches them.

    Yet it also didn''t match at all! These two look like just another charming looking Middle Order student.

    And on that fact, students were even more puzzled. Weren''t they supposed to be early order students? Nothing just made sense, and some students were tempted to stop and question them.

    However, when Darcel and Ani neared the initiate level mission center, arge imposing figure ceased all thoughts about going up to the duo. This person had their sights clearly on the pair.

    "It''s...it''s a Middle-level student! But what he''s doing here?"

    "Ah! It has to be because of Gorga!"

    "Things are about to get interesting..."

    Quiet murmurs echoed through the hall Darcel, and Ani were walking on.

    The duo did feel a strong aura zeroing on them, yet they paid it no mind. Instead, their eyes focused on the mini building up ahead of them.

    It held the symbols spelling out mission above the entrance, making it easy to tell apart.

    Numerous students were walking in and out of the building. Most were in groups or pairs, but there was sometimes that lone wolf in the crowd.

    Feeling that colossal aurae dangerously closer, Darcel and Ani only cracked a smile. Without a word, they stepped into the Mission Center building.

    And right when doing so, they and everyone else heard a strong,manding voice.

    "Hey! ck hair and white hair! You''re the new students, right?" When the duo heard this voice, an unfathomable powerful aura descended upon them.

    This...this one of the strongest aura Darcel and Ani ever felting from a youth! The pressure on them was tight yet still gave the duo enough breathing room to walk around.

    It was clear this aura was mainly used for intimidation tactics. And going by how every other initiate level student made a wide berth from the duo, this tactic was highly effective.

    Effective for only the other students, however. Darcel and Ani''s eyes just kept ncing all around the mission center building. It was arge luxurious tavern-like ce filled with bulletin boards of papers.

    Without looking back, Darcel only said to this person, "And if we are the new students?"

    Because of Ani admittedly having unique white hair, Darcel assumed that''s how students can recognize them. His shoulder-length ck hair wasn''t that umon, but Ani''s pure white hair was a dime in dozen.

    "If you are, I expected something a little more...shabbier. Nor did I expect you two to suddenly be at the Middle Order level. But you asking already answers my question, no?"

    The voice that the duo identified as a young man neared just behind them. Surely being so up close with this massive aura would''ve been more than enough to terrified these newly fresh students.

    At least that''s what this boy and other initiate level students thought.

    But Ani never confirmed to standard expectations. Smoothly, she swiftly whipped her body around with the proudest of grins. Her eyes had then met with a slightly surprised, handsome looking boy.

    Immediately Ani could spot the simrities between him and Gorga. They had the same face, same eye colors, and even nearly the same height. Various thoughts spawned in Ani''s head as she said to the boy,

    "I get it...you...must be a fan of ours! I know we have quite the shocking rumors, but it''s all true!"

    For this little exchange, numerous initiate level students'' eyes gathered on them. This was a rare sight for them! A strong middle-level student shing against fresh new initiate students?

    It was simply unheard of! Yet here they were, watching the exchange unfold among their eyes.

    "Fan? Heh, hahaha! So you two really do got jokes? But your prowess... it''s quite a joke too, no? Somehow at early order, you beat my brother Gorga with a shy win getting his room. Now the very next day, you suddenly advanced? It''s all too much of a dubious joke!"

    The boy, now identified as Gorga''s brother, spoke in a loud, bold tone.

    His words did cause the surrounding students to start questioning the duo. After all, it''s still hard to ept random no-name outsiders can beat train students.

    Plus, nobody here even put a thought into believing Darcel and Ani had quickly cultivated to the Middle Order level. What''s more likely is these two were...suppressing their breakthroughs!

    Obviously, if they were just at the cusp of breaking through, it would make sense of why Gorga could lose. Even with all his training, their Profound Qi was simply only at a higher level than him!

    "Yea...yea, I think I finally get it! Giel right, their breakthrough timing is far too suspicious! They must''ve been deviously plotting their wins!"

    "How else could random outsiders win against one of the strongest early orders students! Natural talent, my ass!"

    Numerousments like these were murmured throughout the crowds of students. Smiling, Giel found this going far better than he expected.

    At first, he simply wanted to suppress these high and mighty fresh new students and take somepensation for his brother.

    But now he gets to already tear down their reputation on just their first day ofing to this academy!

    Hearing from Gorga himself how the duo beat him and his roommate so badly caused indignation and disbelief in Giel.

    Who could ept their talented family member getting beaten down by nobodies anyways? Giel certainly couldn''t. His condescending eyes gazed down at the duo, but he didn''t see a reaction like he hoped.

    Instead, the duo''s eyes were drawn into one piece of paper on a bulletin board with a few sheets.

    Darcel pointed to this paper, telling everyone there, "Kill a Spirit Monster Goblin nest nearby the city. S plus tier in difficulty for having several Perfect Order Goblins in its nest. Giel, was it? If you want to run your mouth, then lets at least make this interesting."

    Suddenly the whole mission center turned quiet.

    The mission Darcel pointed to was quite infamous in the initiate level of students. Many groups of Perfect Order students had tried to finish it, but none were ever sessful.

    And most of the time, each group barely escapes with their lives! Just what is this boy nning to do?

    "What could you possibly be thinking of." Giel was a bit intrigued since it looks like these two want to run into death.

    "Obviously, we''re talking about taking on this mission and you betting with us! If wee back as failures, your little brother can have his room back and all of our stuff. But, if we''re sessful, then all we request is a sum of crystals."

    Ani picked up with an excited tone. She knew she couldn''t be too outrageous when betting with someone who''s massively stronger than them. But this is enough for their trap!

    "You two, want to take on a mission that many Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea groups failed at? Just you two, at the Middle Order of Qi Formation Sea?... Is this another ridiculous joke?"

    Giel spoke when everyone else turned wide eye at Ani''s promation. These two either have to be foolishly brave or braindead! Yet no matter what they thought, Darcel''s next words confirmed their suspicions.

    "Does it look like we''re joking?" Darcel''s serene face exuded stillness and confidence. Ani''s broad smile spewed out boldness and passion. Neither held any sort of joking tone.

    And it was then Giel realized, this was a win-win for him! Many rules were ced in favor of weaker students that prevented him from gaining back Gorga''s room from the duo.

    But who would''ve thought these two have some mental issues and just want to serve him on a golden tter. No matter he didn''t believe they could beat this mission.

    And Giel had some...assurance to make sure his brother gets his room back.

    Giel''s smile was enormous and held a sinister vibe in it. Unaware of Darcel and Ani''s thoughts, he asked once again,

    "It seems like you''re not joking, eh? I''ll ask once again, are you two entirely sure about rushing towards your death?"

 Chapter 23: Mission Start!

    Chapter 23: Mission Start!

    "Rushing towards our death? Hey! Looks like you also can put out some good jokes! Nevertheless, our answer won''t change." Without a hint of worry, Ani jested towards Giel.

    Her bright smile spelled no hesitation about facing this perilous deadly mission. And along with Darcel, the two walked up to the bulletin board to im their mission.

    Each step they took only highlighted their distinct qualities even more. Darcel didn''t bother to nce at anyone else once, taking his eyes off from Giel, only focusing on their uing battles.

    Ani''s eyes casually darted around the mission center. All eyes on the two, she took in with massive strides. Her bubbling excitement only increased with each mock thrown against her.

    Giel and the students did nothing to stop the duo. If they really want to run into death, why should they care enough to stop them? This way too, all of the duo''s hot gas will be blown up to smoke!

    "I wonder if they''ll even make it halfway to the Goblin Nest."

    "Yea, I bet they probablye crawling back to Giel in just a day!"

    Kicking down on seamlessly ignorant and too confident targets would always be a delightful treat for any students there. Darcel and Ani were one of many with a high amount of pride.

    And like most with this kind of pride, they''ll get pped back to reality!

    While the students and Giel had their all kinds of disdaining thoughts, Darcel and Ani walked up to the mission center''s Elder. With the paper in hand, Darcel showed it to a sharp-looking middle-aged man.

    He, of course, was watching the whole exchange between these students. And frankly, the mission Elder didn''t have such a narrow view of the duo like these students.

    Being far more experienced, the mission Elder could tell the duo fight with Gorga and Boldog was a bit moreplicated than them suppressing their realms.

    There was an odd premonition that seemed to just naturally radiate from these two. It''s why when he saw Darcel holding the mission in front of his face, the Elder decided to warn them.

    "Must you two go so hard for this? As a fair warning, not even our number ranked initiate students can beat this mission. The number ranks are the cream of the corp at this level, shouldn''t this set some bells off for you two?"

    Now Darcel and Ani can admit it. They were slightly surprised this Elder did decide to fairly warn the two. Not out of disrespect but because he simply didn''t know of their real prowess.

    Smirking at the Elder, Darcel told him, "The only bells we got were those ranked students seemed tock our special abilities."

    "Exactly! They are them, and we are we! You''ll also see the eye-opening lesson of our abilities!" Ani backed Darcel up, sting out her chipper energy to the mission Elder.

    Looking at the duo''s stubborn, unchanging faces, the mission Elder forced out a sigh. If they still don''t want to listen even after official advice, they can''tin about meeting a disastrous end.

    "So be it. Take this ring with you. Once you kill Extreme Order to Perfect Order Goblins, this ring will automatically record your achievements." It was a light purple ring that the mission Elder handed out to Darcel.

    Putting the ring on his finger, Darcel could immediately tell this one differs from the average spatial ring. It holds a unique kind of energy, clearly made by ones talented in this kind of field.

    Darcel and Ani had then taken a look over at each other.

    They ignored all irrelevantments and focused on their own mental state. With no words spoken, they determinedly nodded and turned to leave the mission center.

    Under disdainful eyes and mockingments, the duo held their heads up, keeping their calm, even steps while walking. Though when heading out, Darcel and Ani felt...something.

    They didn''t know what, and the feeling went as soon as it came. It was like the feeling of being silently watched. Barely their eyebrows wrinkled, yet all they really could sense was just these ignorant youths.

    Quickly they pushed this feeling away and continued their track to this apparently dangerous Goblin nest.

    Watching them leave, nobody noticed it, but Giel''s eyes gained an ominous glint. Really for a bunch of nobodies, their arrogance is rather high. But in the end, there are still just a bunch of lucky outsiders.

    Lucky outsiders that Giel was sure no one would miss if they had suddenly disappeared on this mission. His smile turned vicious as he was sure Gorga would receive the ultimatepensation after their mission.

    And unknown to all, even the mission Elder there. A hidden mysterious presence had observed the entire exchange, even down to the ominous intent of Giel

    .

    Just a few miles away from the Necroptic City, Darcel and Ani were carefully pacing themselves. From the paper, Darcel picked up it held the directions of exactly where this Goblin nest was.

    And apparently, it was only some miles away from the Necroptic City, just edging near the outskirts of the Necropolis Woods.

    Only a couple of hours passed during their walk out of the city and on a specific path of the vast grassy ins. There weren''t many other humans walking their way, making this a nice pleasant walk.

    Even when their destination would be a not so pleasant ce. Thinking more about the Goblin nest, Darcel spoke up to Ani, saying, "This Goblin nest...these creatures should be wild and barbaric. But they are incredibly useful in stealing human treasures by kidnapping. This is a literal goldmine for us."

    Darcel had a rare excited tone in his voice. How could he not anyways? Since no strong cultivator bothers to wipe these Goblins out, they surely would have umted enough resources over their years.

    Resources that are silently waiting for him and Ani to pick up. This idea had also pepped up Ani as she told him,

    "Very soon, we''re going to be saying goodbye to that small initiate level room and hello to our expansive middle-level room!" Though she says small, that initiate level room was anything but small.

    "Plus, we''ll be able to efficiently deal with that, Giel. When wee back and take our crystals from him, he for sure won''t let this incident go."

    "If only his brain wasn''t so closed off...then maybe he''ll be able to keep that small face he has left. Sadly he''s just...too...eager!"

    Casually talking like this, the duo soon near the outskirts of the Necropolis Woods. The glossy ck woods appeared just a couple of miles from them, but the pair kept their eyes focus.

    Before taking a foot further, the two had stopped dead in their tracks.

    By the map, they were approaching the Goblin nest yet the duo knew better than to rush in. Closing their eyes, they expanded out their Spirit Senses.

    Focusing on the direction leading to the nest, the duo sensed two early order Qi Formation Sea beings hiding well in the glossy ck trees.

    The path they were overseeing gave the beings intel on who would dare trek forth there.

    Darcel and Ani assumed these two beings had to be...goblins! Their signatures weren''t quite like ordinary Spirit Monsters, yet they weren''t as developed as humans.

    Plus, these two were directly on the path leading to the Goblin nest. Basically, spelling out this was the correct way to go.

    And these goblins were going to be the first kill of their mission. Despite being a couple miles away, Ani still held up two fingers, covering them in a white glow.

    "See if you can track this, Darcy~." Ani teased out as two small pebbles were entrapped in a white glow. Slowly she made the pebbles float up, and her senses concentrated on those two hiding goblins.

    For only a single second, Ani went still. Darcel was wondering what this girl was nning when suddenly she had flicked her two white glowing fingers out!

    ''Swish!''

    Only the slight rustling of wind was heard on that in. But Darcel was quite surprised by Ani. Focusing his Spirit Sense on those two goblins, there was no sign of lifeing from them anymore.

    Silent, fast and deadly!

    Even if it was against pathetically weak early order Qi Formation Sea beings, this kind of attack certainly took precise precision and control.

    "Quickly, let''s go. And nice job, airhead." Darcel told her, and they promptly sped off to the trees with the dead goblins. The distance of a couple of miles was crossed in mere seconds by them.

    Making it to the trees, the duo saw on the ground two dead goblins. Both were quite nasty looking. They had this grotesque green color skin, razor-sharp teeth, and bulging muscr bodies.

    Their heights were only slightly above theirs, and they wore this strange type of green pants.

    The most noticeable thing about them was at the center of their foreheads, was a small bloody hole that shot through their heads.

    "I didn''t think these kinds of creatures would have a base intelligence for keeping lookout...this only getting more interesting," Ani remarked as she stopped and spread out her Spirit Sense on their current path.

    The duo was now surrounded by the Necropolis trees, but it didn''t mean their visions were limited.

    From just a few meters away, beginning down this path was a small batch of early to middle-order Qi Formation sea goblins.

    Darcel and Ani traded nces and nodded. With fire ring at their feet, the two focused extra Qi into their legs.

    ''Hua!''

    With zing speed, Darcel and Ani sted right to the batch of goblins! Instantaneously their eyes soon met with five goblins, all wielding this decently sized green club.

    This group of goblins was just having their daily outing of finding any humans or prey to eat. Until...the air around them became this ufortable hot temperature!

    But none of the goblins could question why. Primarily because of two youths appearing out of thin air right in front of their faces! Not a single one could sense or even react to this crazy speed.

    ''Ssssch!!''

    Coating their hands in ck fire, Darcel and Ani fists roar to the two middle-order levels goblin.

    Like these beings were made up of paper, their fire fists brutally tore through mouths, sting out blood everywhere.

    The raging ck mes instantly rampaged through their bodies, quickly frying them inside out.

    Instantly the middle order goblins perished with one move. And the early order goblins were frightened out of their wits! There wasn''t even a chance to scream!

    But their swift nightmare wasn''t over yet.

    Holding out two her fingers, Ani shot two roaring ck fireballs through the early order goblins head. Effortlessly, the goblins died on impact as the ck fireballs burned their brains.

    Darcel was more direct with his kill. Using his same speed, he shed to the other terrified early order goblin. And with his same fist, Darcel tore his fist through the goblin mouth, causing a more bloody kill.

    Taking a moment, the duo felt like a fish in water!

    Cutting loose like this felt refreshing and free. Combined with their rising intent to fight even more of these goblins, Darcel and Ani knew this was going to be a good time.

    Swiftly their heads snapped up head, and down this long path, the two sensed had now sensed twote orders goblins heading their way.

    These goblins managed to sense two humans there, along with this weird increase in temperature!

    They were just randomly searching, but it seems their luck had gone up today. It was only a shame their thoughts differ from reality.

    The distance between them and the duo was only another few meters. And Darcel and Ani wonder just how badly willter order beings fare against them.

    ''Hua!''

    Their legs sted off again with insane speed! This time, the goblins who appeared in the duo''s eyes were slightlyrger than the others. But they would still fall the same.

    "Gwa?!?"

    Having a bit faster reaction time than the other goblins, the twote orders did manage to stumble out voices of surprise. The air became too warm, and the aura before them was too mighty!

    Hastily the goblins tried to smack these kids out of their faces. However, how could their pitiful speedpare to the likes of Darcel and Ani?

    ''Chi!''

    And just like the other goblins, Darcel and Ani ck fire fists pierce through their mouths like tofu. The scorching ck fire had immediately run through their entire body.

    With little to no resistance, thesete order Goblins died in a single punch.

    "Like I expected, as our cultivation improves, our base prowess will only get stronger," Darcel remarked. At the same time, his Darkness absorbed any dirty blood on him.

    "Still, it seems like the real party begins at that final cave of the goblins. Any Perfect Qi Formation sea group can tear up this ce like us. Let''s go!"

    Ani was getting pumped up the second stretching out her prowess.

    And with onest shared look, the duo sted down this goblin path, ready to kill any goblins that get in their way.

 Chapter 24: Slaughtering Cave

    Chapter 24: ughtering Cave

    In well-hidden dark glossy bushes, Darcel and Ani held each other''s hands that contained their bloodlines. From just a few meters ahead, they were observing a vast, colossal cave.

    This cave was entirely in a molting green color and at the entrance of the cave were three giant goblins. These goblins looked far stronger and deadlier than any other previous ones.

    Their muscles were bulging ripped, their pupils were this light red piercing color, and their faces were horrific. In the goblins'' hand were three specifically made big green clubs.

    The most important note about these goblins was their aura. Their aura couldn''t merely be mentioned in the same sentence from the previous goblins.

    It was far more refined, deep, and powerful! Darcel and Ani had quickly identified this kind of aura. This was the natural prowess of the Extreme Order level of the Qi Formation Sea!

    From Late Order and after Peak Order, one''s entire being bes even more in sync with the mystical Profound Qi.

    This allows one prowess to enter an enormous leap,pletely suppressing the Peak Order level in every way.

    Now the level of difficulty is massively ramped up! Yet Darcel and Ani showed no worry. In fact, their eyes were burning even further with unyielding fighting intent.

    Everything was just too effortless whening here. All Early Order to Peak order goblins drops like flies during their rampageing here.

    It did feel good to be strong, but the duo wanted more of an exciting challenge.

    And once they came upon these three goblins, they knew they were in for a treat. However, their senses didn''t leave them. They knew it would still be quite foolish to recklessly charge up and start fighting.

    If then, the likelihood of getting swarmed by goblins is nearly a guarantee possibility. This is why, to start off their great battle, the duo wanted to go charge in as fast as possible.

    "Ooohh...I can feel my arm tingling doing this! Definitely, we definitely have to do this method again!" Ani remarked as she and Darcel felt their bloodline swirl just a tiny bit.

    The sure-fire way to get in quickly was for a surprisebined attack!

    If they were to try and charge up a powerful attack on their own, Darcel held some suspicions that the goblin might be able to sense their mass waves of Profound Qi.

    But together, the duo was able to suppress any power leakage and still gather up enough Profound Qi for a strong attack.

    Moreover, it seemed like their bloodlines were aiding this process going by the little sensation in their arms.

    Looking down at their hands, Darcel finally saw their raging ck mes cover their hands entirely. This perfectedbination caused a bncing warmth in both the duo bodies.

    Swiftly Darcel and Ani''s eyes lit up in a battle-hungry glint! The time to fight was now! In sync, they both stood up as Darcel said, "On three...one...two"

    "Three!"

    Ani was the one that finished for them as they pushed out their hands towards the three goblins.

    Amazingly enough, the whole surrounding was still the same despite the duo ming hands. But when Ani dropped the signal,

    ''Sssschh!!''

    Everything was ignited in an utter raging ck ming storm! sting out from the duo''s conjoined knuckles was a terrifying massive ck fireball!

    And with insane speed, the fireball blitzes straight towards the three unaware goblins.

    Before, the three goblins truly didn''t sense anything out of the ordinary, nor did they find any prey or humans walking nearby. It was a slow day for them.

    Abruptly, out of nowhere did these three goblins pupils suddenly dted.

    In just a mere second, they felt the situation dramatically shift! Uncontroble ming temperature red out in their area, bringing heat that was too hot even for the goblins.

    And most of all, their bodies locked up from an aura. A terrifyingly powerful aura that flipped their whole world upside down! Barely all the goblins saw was darkness before,

    ''BOOOM!!''

    The massive raging ck fireball swallowed the three goblins whole! ck fire burst all around in the forest in a rampaging frenzy. And from the center of the fire did the duo heard,

    "GEAAAHH!!!"

    Roaring anguish, death screams of the three goblins red out in the Necropolis Woods.

    They all were getting med alive without even a chance to resist! As their life painfully slipped away from them, none of the three even knew just who had killed them.

    Watching their burning results, Darcel and Ani had now gained a bit of a feral smile. Still holding hands, Darcel ignited his ck ming aura. And Ani''s body lit up in a white glow.

    Focusing Profound Qi in their legs, the duo flexed their legs and,

    ''Hua!''

    Only a second after they unleashed their attacks, did the two rush directly in the ck ming entrance! Their own mes didn''t affect them at all since they were protected by their own auras.

    Inside the cave, everything was lit up, thanks to Ani''s white glow. And the duo had soon gazed upon numerous shocked and surprised giant goblins.

    Goblins, who were all in the middle of gearing up for battle!

    And suddenly, seeing the two humans who dared to cause a huge ruckus and enter their nest, all of the goblins killing intent immediately spiked!

    "DIE!!!"

    Monstrous roars that sounded distorted and rough bounced off the cave walls. Promptly dozens of ferocious powerful auras zeroed in on Darcel and Ani, bringing upon a bit of pressure.

    From Late Order to Extreme Order and even a far beyond prowess. The Supreme Order level! This kind of entrapment would be tough for even a Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea cultivator.

    However, Darcel and Ani were just two steps ahead of these goblins. Their faces gained a devious smirk, and their conjoined hands tightened. Before any of the goblins could move, the duo began frantically spinning!

    All the goblins saw was a circr blur of ck fire, and they felt a massive increase in temperature and aura! These two humans'' speed was unbelievable! Even the Supreme Order goblins had trouble tracking them.

    But no matter what kind of speed they had, they were in their turf now! The goblins forcefully ignored the heat as their bodies began to move. s, as soon as they moved a single joint,

    ''Ssssch!!''

    Waves and waves of scorching ck mes spewed out of the frantically spinning duo! Just before rushing into the cave, their Profound Qi was already preparing for this attack.

    Andpared to thest time performing this attack, their fire waves were all massively bigger and far more potent. The moving goblins could only open their eyes in utter shock.

    ''Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang!''

    "GWEAAH!!"

    Continuous pained roars and shrieks echoed throughout the entire cave. Fromte Order to Extreme Order, the goblins were getting shredded by their ck mes.

    All of their bodies were ruthlessly torn through like fragile paper. And when an Extreme Order goblin would die, unknown to Darcel, his purple ring would lit up slightly.

    The seven Supreme Order goblins were violently struggling to resist these mes. Their Profound Qi swirled crazily in an attempt to sh with these raging mes.

    Only these mes were simply too powerful! They didn''t die like the others, but nearly all of their Profound Qi was drained, and their bodies coarse with fiery pain.

    "Now that''s what I''m talking about! A tough will to survive to the very end! Let''s give them a special reward Darcy~." Booming into their ears was the human girl''s sweet and soft voice.

    Though no matter how sweet it was. It only sounded like an angel of death and pain to the Supreme Order goblins! They struggle to turn their heads to the duo only to hear the human boy speak up, saying,

    "After this, I wonder how long those Perfect Orders willst"

    Still holding hands, Ani, this time, only pointed out one finger. Her and Darcel''s faces were brightened with enthusiasm as they performed utter ughter.

    The massive swarm of goblins that would admittedly give any Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea groups problems was mowed down like grass under theirbined attacks.

    They did have to expand a bit of extra Profound Qi to achieve this result, but it was all worth it. Plus, with waves of adrenaline pumping in their veins, they didn''t even feel the slight energy loss.

    And when Ani pointed her finger to the seven goblins, the duo excitement only climbed! While with the goblins...they saw a glowing white finger of death!

    In a desperate rush, the goblins all swirl their blood. Theirst hope, until the bosses came, was to burn their blood essence! But right when they were going to bite their tongue,

    ''Chi!''

    Numerous whitish ck fire lines blitz out of Ani''s finger! The goblins had a split decision to make. Burn their blood essence quicking than her attack or try to hastily defend.

    And with determined res, the goblins went ahead with trying to bite their tongues!

    When their teeth struck hard on their tongues, blood crazily spurted out, but waves of frantic power fueled their bodies in a split second.

    For this very second, the goblins thought they would stand a chance. Their only mistake in this line of thought? They grossly underestimated thebined speed of Darcel and Ani.

    "GEAH?!?"

    As soon as the power came, a terrifying burning sensation ripped their whole bodies. Furthermore, their bodies felt tightly wrapped up, crushing their steel-like bones.

    Their raging power surge shed with Darcel and Ani''sbined attack. For a second, the goblins felt as if their powers would even out.

    But it was all futile.

    Darcel and Ani already injured them heavily from theirst attack, giving the Supreme Order goblins with little Profound Qi to defend themselves.

    Even with burning their blood essence, they all were too critically injured to contend against a fully powered up Darcel and Ani.

    Soon their bodies couldn''t move anymore, and the goblins finally saw just what was crushing their bodies.

    Numerous whitish ck fire lines wrapped around all of their bodies like a spider web! The fear of death rocked all of their goblins'' minds as they fruitlessly tried to go against the duo.

    Looking at these goblins'' current state, Darcel was impressed by how quickly they got them to near death. Fresh blood dribbles down from their heads and bodies, painting their bodies in this gross green-red mix.

    Sensing four giant beings barreling straight towards them, Darcel decided to finish this. Pointing a single finger out, he said,

    "Burn."

    ''Chi!''

    Seven roaring ck fire balls blitzed out of his finger and sailed straight to the goblins'' heads. And all the Supreme Order goblins could do but silently watch as death approached them.

    ''Bang!''

    With several sickening impacts, seven Supreme Order goblins heads erupted in raging ck fires. In a ruthless, cruel fashion, the seven died without even a chance to shriek in pain.

    Dispersing her lines, Ani let the goblins'' corpses smack into the ground. And Darcel''s purple ring began shing once again.

    Though they didn''t pay attention to this, as their eyes darted back to the second entrance.

    They could''ve sworn they sensed the uing arrival of several beings.

    "DIE!!"

    However, they couldn''t put much thought into this as four ferocious distorted goblin roars came barreling to them. The ground shook with their wild steps, and heavy auras came crashing down on the duo.

    Their prowess was of the Perfect Order level! Darcel and Ani let their hands go as they now wanted to expand all of their abilities. Soon they saw the four creatures.

    Four giant raging goblins, dawning the most fearsome appearance, came rushing at them. In these goblins, hands as well were spiky green clubs that had dried blood stains on them.

    The duo''s battle barely evensted a minute. Yet when they arrived, all of their men were charred corpses! These humans need to be put down right now!

    Smirking at their charges, Darcel and Ani shot out two ck fireballs from their fingertips.

    "Geh!"

    And surprisingly, this time, their fireballs barely had any effect on the goblins. In a quick reaction, the Perfect Order goblins had batted away their ck fireballs with a mere swipe of their clubs.

    Though they didn''t damage the goblins, they did achieve their desired results. Two goblins specifically zeroed in on Darcel, and two zeroed in on Ani.

    Speedily the goblins jumped up above the duo, raising their clubs high in their air.

    Despite their massive sizes, the goblins were in no shape or form slow. With ring killing intent, the goblins swung down with mighty force!

    ''Bang!''

    The whole cave rumbled when their attacks struck only empty groundsspider webs like cracked formed on the ground through their swings'' sheer force.

    Darcel and Ani were actually quite impressed with this kind of speed and power. They jumped back only a few meters as their bloodline began roaring in excitement.

    "Let''s turn it up, Darcy!" Ani boldly proimed as she and Darcel began surging their Profound Qi in a specific motion.

    ''Whir!''

    On full st, the duo aura fiercely shes against the goblins! The air swirled in a storm and the temperature arisen to burning degrees. Before the Perfect Order goblins'' very eyes, they had witnessed a magical sight.

    Covering Darcel''s hands were long ck ming ws that extended three meters wide. In both of Ani''s hands were long ck ming whips that stretched for four meters wide.

    From their previous cultivating session, did they manage to expand upon their ck mes maniption. Darcel could form more tight-knit things around his body while Ani was still a long ranger.

    The two now went all out with creating these ming weapons causing the goblins to regard them even more seriously.

    But even if their aura did match them, these humans will still die today! Their eyes filled with killing intent as mass waves of Profound Qi frantically surge in their bodies.

    Darcel and Ani were at peak excitement, and Darcel struct out his ck ming w hand to the goblins saying,

    "We finish this now!"

 Chapter 25: Perfect Order Fights

    Chapter 25: Perfect Order Fights

    Neither human nor goblins moved a single muscle. The rising tension to kill one another permeated throughout the entire cave. Only for just one second did everythinge to be aplete standstill.

    Darcel roaring ck fire ws sizzle with violent intensity enhancing his deadly prestige. Ani''s two ck fire whips slightly sway in the fiery air in a rhythmic motion, highlighting her state of eagerness.

    It was clear as day to the duo they''ll be able to fully enjoy themselves for a little bit. Moreover, they couldn''t help but get even more excited once seeing the goblins'' severe expressions.

    While the duo was treating this like a great exercise, the four goblins knew their life is at the line here. Even with a low-level mind, they had enough instinctive awareness to know when they are in danger.

    Suddenly, once that single second was up, Darcel''s and Ani''s eyes brightened for action! They didn''t need to signal each other as Darcel tightened his legs, and Ani grit her whips.

    And inplete sync,

    ''Hua!''

    Darcel sted off to the goblins with tremendous speeds! And along the rushing, Darcel was Ani''s two fire whips, matching Darcel''s exact speed.

    "Gweh!!"

    In the face of the insanely quick Darcel, the goblins unleashed a mighty battle cry. Darcel had managed to near them in an instant, yet the two goblins held the reaction speed to counter.

    With extreme precision and speed, the two goblins swung their massive clubs down at the puny human, breaking away the air itself.

    The heat of Darcel''s ws didn''t affect them much, and at his distance, it was impossible for him to dodge!

    And the goblins were right; Darcel had no way to dodge.

    But with a fierce glint in his eyes, he was never nning on dodging in the first ce! Pouring more Profound Qi into his ws, Darcel grabbed at the goblins mighty clubs.

    Both sides were speed had nearly equaled out, and in a shocking twist,

    ''BANG!''

    Darcel''s raging ck fire ws managed to tightly clutch the goblins'' massive clubs! Immediately the goblins went wide-eyed since there never had been a human who could match their strength!

    The two poured nearly all of their Profound Qi in this one swing. What should''ve been a bloody meat past of a human was instead tightly clutching their clubs, causing slight cracks in them.

    Though Darcel made it look easy, his arms and hands were ringing from this frontal collision. In terms of pure bodily strength, he''s nowhere near close to these goblins. But his unique Qi gave him that physical edge.

    Still, once Darcel had witnessed the moment of shock on the goblins'' faces, he knew he had a prime opportunity.

    Instantaneously, pure Darkness Qi formed in his mouth, causing a ck shadow to appear over his lips.

    And wasting no time at all, Darcel spat out a giant orb of Darkness Qi at the goblins surprised faces! Out of all the attacks Darcel could do, neither goblins expected him to suddenly spit at them!

    "Gwee?!"

    With a sickening ssh, the Darkness Qi spit sted their faces.

    However, it didn''t do any damage? The goblins were slightly puzzled by no apanying feeling of pain, but instead, they promptly experienced something far different.

    Abruptly a multitude of different emotions clouded their minds from rage to lust and sadness. A confusing mix of negative emotions to positive emotions caused the goblins'' minds to be enraptured.

    And this allows Darcel to give these grotesque creatures a taste of his real fire! Clutching their clubs even harder, Darcel willed more of his Darkness Profound Qi into his ck me ws.

    ''Ssssch!!''

    When doing so, Darcel''s ck me ws became frantically wild in intensity! Focusing up, even more, Darcel had then willed his raging ck mes to spread out the goblins clubs.

    Smoothly like wildfire, the ck mes swiftly spread from goblins clubs to their massive thick arms.

    Previously and for any other attacks, these Perfect Order goblins'' natural defenses would be able to handle Darcel''s base heat.

    But now? With the goblins mind not at the right ce plus Darcel''s putting forth more concentrated and controlled fire, it caused,

    "GWAARGH!!!"

    Tremendous searing pain to spread out to both of the goblins! The sensation of getting roasted by iparableva heated mes was too much, even for these mighty goblins.

    Adding on to their already messed up mental state, this action caused the goblins to...snap. Before the ck mes could consume their whole bodies, the goblins'' eyes had abruptly shined in entirely red light!

    "Geargh!!"

    In this berserk state, the goblins forcefully broke their clubs free of Darcel''s powerful ws! And with the ck mes only raging about on their arms, the goblins swung with feral intensity at Darcel.

    Now the goblins speed had far surpassed their previous ones.

    This time, they had even forced Darcel to regard this attack seriously. Hastily he was the one that had to cross his ws over his face as the clubs sailed towards him.

    ''BANG!''

    Just barely blocking the goblin''s berserk swings, Darcel got sent skidding back for a few meters. Gritting his teeth, Darcel kept his body upright and didn''t let himself get flung into a wall.

    His arms were left feeling numb, and when he had stopped skidding, Darcel felt a familiar warm presence skid right next to him.

    Just right when Darcel had shed with the goblins, Ani took on a different fighting method. Her whips had evenly matched the mighty goblins swing of their clubs.

    When they had first shed, Ani got a feel for their strength.

    Smirking, she recalled her whips, allowing the goblins to frantically rush at her. Their giant steps crossed the distance in a manner of seconds, swiftly arriving near Ani.

    And using the same speed, the goblins swung their powerful clubs to the still Ani. Of course, the goblin thought Ani was just too slow to react. But her next step caused utter shock in their minds.

    Her feet dazzled with her signature white glow. Right when the clubs neared a spec of hair, Ani had nimbly jumped right on one of the goblin''s club! And not even a split secondter did she jump off the club.

    Simentousnaly while jumping, Ani willed her ck ming whips to wrap around the goblin''s club.

    In a mid-air position, Ani gained a broad smile. Clutching her hands before the goblins could react, she crossed her hands!

    Down below, the goblins couldn''t believe Ani can dodge so agilely. Furthermore, they didn''t even realize that a ck ming whip wrapped around their clubs until it was toote.

    Without moving on their own, the goblins'' momentum of their attacks had suddenly shifted. In their eyes, their green clubs met each other''s faces.

    They held no other options, and with a loud thump, the two had smashed their clubs on each other faces. Getting hit by basically their own attacks caused the goblins to be slightly stunned.

    Even as tough as these Perfect Order goblins were, they couldn''t easily shrug off a blow from another Perfect Order goblin. It was like several bells went off in their heads, and Ani found her perfect opportunity.

    With precise control, Ani aimed her whips at the most vulnerable and softest part of most being bodies. Theirrge protruding, slightly red eyes! In their position, the goblins only saw a dash of ck fire before,

    "GWAARG!!!"

    Pain beyond anything they felt before wracked their entire head. Tremendous heat had sizzled in their eyes, utterly burning it from the inside out. This type of pain caused the goblins to immediately snap.

    Their other good eyes had glowed entirely red as the goblins fell into an enraged berserk state. The pain of their eyes burning was forcefully pushed down, and goblin berserk power welled up inside them.

    Faster than any of their previous speed, the goblins dashed over and swung their mighty clubs to the airborne Ani. At their state, Ani was simrly forced into a defensive position.

    Hurriedly she swirled her ck ming whips in a circr motion. Her speed was still fast but,

    ''BANG!''

    Therge green clubs had ruthlessly struck her whips. Ani was forced back on the ground skidding back as she felt her arms be numb from two powerful swings.

    Gritting her teeth, she used her Profound Qi to keep herself upright and not crash into any walls. And after a few meters of skidding, Ani had also felt a familiar warm presence just to her side.

    Lowering their arms down, the duo saw the goblinsing at them with berserk speed. Absolutely feeling it now, Darcel and Ani decided it was time to put everything to rest!

    During the goblins mad rushed, a dangerous, deadly feeling tore into their minds. They didn''t know what suddenly caused this until their bodies had instinctively frozen up out of nowhere.

    ''Whir!!''

    Two tremendous auras spewed out in the entire cave! The goblins had bear witness to another wondrous sight. An enchanting, elegant mix of ck and white exuded out of the duo, unleashing their bloodlines.

    In shock, watching these youths, they finally realized what that deadly feeling was and why their bodies had locked up. This aura...their aura, it was grand, majestic, and, most of all, powerful!

    Under their ck and white light, the four Perfect Order goblins felt small and weak. Cold sweat poured down their faces, and their legs were trembling a bit.

    What is this? Never before have any humans made them feel like this! All other Perfect Order Qi Formation sea humans that dared toe here always ended running with a tail between their legs.

    Some were even unlucky enough to perish here. But even for the strongest of Perfect Order Qi Formation sea humans, none could even be mentioned in the same sentence as these two!

    And during their awe gazes, it was then the four goblins heard a sweet hypnotic voice of death andmanding enchanting voice of death.

    "Ahhh, no matter how many times, this form feels great! Even these silly little goblins can appreciate our aura!" Ani felt refreshed like she was standing on clouds. That numb feeling in her arm had just gone away.

    "And since they can appreciate it so much... let''s give them a fair taste of our aura." Darcel simrly felt on cloud nine. Plus, his arm waspletely fine, like Ani.

    ''Hua!''

    Suddenly Darcel and Ani had vanished from the goblins'' sight! Their speed had now turned nearly instantaneous! But the goblins didn''t have to wait long at all to see where the duo was.

    In a ck and white sh did these two majestic youths popped right in front of their faces. Their enhanced berserk state meant absolutely nothing in the face of this broken speed.

    Darcel''s back ming ws shed towards his two goblins clubs. With ease, he tightly clutched the massive green clubs and willed ck mes to spread all on it.

    The two goblins had to immediately let go of their clubs since it was far too hot to touch now. And in merely two seconds did their terrifying-looking clubs melted into a ck bubbling pool!

    "Geh!!"

    The goblins, for their part, didn''t let this bother them. Gather all of their Profound Qi, they fiercely struck out their huge fists towards Darcel.

    But it all was a fruitless struggle.

    ''Chi!''

    Merciless, Darcel swung his ck ming ws down and shredded the goblins'' hands to bloody bits! Chunks of fresh blood spewed out in the ground, along with the goblins meaty flesh.

    Yet Darcel wasn''t done.

    Before the goblins had even a chance to roar out in pain, Darcel plunged each of his ws into the two goblins''rge heads! Smooth like butter did Darcel sink his ck ming ws in their heads.

    Instantly the goblin''s heads were wrapped with intense fire, dying on the spot as their brains were torn and melted.

    Ani was just as direct with killing. While Darcel shredded the goblins with his ws, she had wrapped her ck ming whips around the clubs.

    Effortlessly she yanked the clubs out of her two goblins hands, causing awe confusion for them. Those clubs at least weighed hundreds of pounds, yet this girl handled them like they were feathers!

    In the goblins'' confusion, Ani smirked and fiercely swung down their own clubs at them!

    ''BANG!''

    The clubs had shattered from Ani''s sheer force, and the goblins felt their heads nearly split open. Blood poured down their faces, yet their eyes still remained on Ani.

    In utter defiance of losing so easily, the goblins had gathered a mass wave of Profound Qi in their mouths. Swiftly they snapped their mouths open in an attempt to unleash a mighty roar.

    However, they only left themselves wide open for Ani. Faster than the goblins, sheunched her two ck ming whips inside the goblins mouths.

    ''Ssssch!!''

    Raging, powerful ck mes burned the Perfect Order goblins inside and out! Their roars of anguished pain were silenced by Ani''s whip. And in only a couple of seconds did another pair of goblins fall to the duo.

    Standing next to each other, Darcel and Ani watched as the four Perfect Order goblins corpses smack into the ground. Turning their bloodlines arms off, the duo gained a satisfied smirk after this battle.

    "Fighting seriously like this...I didn''t expect to be this powerful" Darcel remarked, though he felt slight exhaustion.

    Ani was feeling a drain as well, but her chipper energy couldn''t disappear as she told Darcel,

    "We''re bing so much of a surprise to even ourselves! But now that they''re dead, how about we go and collect our waited treasures?"

 Chapter 26: Na?ve Approach

    Chapter 26: Na?ve Approach

    Lightly lighting up the goblin cave again, Darcel and Ani could now take the time to observe it''s...peculiar design. Oddly enough, just like the outside of the cave, the walls here were in this dry molting green color.

    Furthermore, dried dark red blood stains cover patches of the wall and ground.

    Definitely, this ce wasn''t something for the faint of heart. Just this mere ominous design could easily terrify someone from wanting toe in here.

    "Oh? Eh? Darcy! Some of these goblins'' heads are justpletely gone!" Ani pointed out first once, ncing at the goblins charred corpses. Upon dozens of them, some really were noticeable without heads.

    Darcel and Ani knew how they kill. It was all either roasting them alive or shredding their bodies apart. Not even for the Perfect Order goblins did they remove their heads, yet their heads were also suddenly gone!

    It was then Darcel remembered the slight fluctuation that came from his hand. Looking down at this purple ring, Darcel had finally decided to see just what in it.

    Promptly his eyes were in for a huge surprise. From Extreme Order to the Perfect Order, several goblins'' heads floated around in the ring. And on each goblins head ran down varying purple lines.

    If it was an Extreme Order goblin, the lines would be light purple. Supreme Order was a regr shade of purple, and then there was the Perfect Order.

    These were the most eye-catching since they had the deepest shade of dark purple, plus their lines had also dazzled a bit.

    This was...odd?

    Darcel didn''t understand this at first until he sensed the auras of these goblins.

    Just slightly but still noticeable, did these goblins carry the remnant aura of their previous prowess before death! Basically, this told Darcel their proof and evidence for clearing this mission couldn''t be faked.

    While drawing this conclusion, Darcel did have to wonder just who was the person that created this ring. It seemed far too, well...magical! And the possibility of it being a mages work shouldn''t be far off from the mark.

    After all, from what he could tell, mages have more varied misceneous powerspared to cultivators. Pushing these thoughts down, however, Darcel told Ani,

    "It''s this...weird ring. Apparently, it transported the goblin''s heads in here once they were dead and even kept a tiny portion of their remnant aura to confirm their previous prowess."

    "Ah! So there''s no way for the Elder to use us of cheating!...Yet, those poor ignorant students. This will be too much of a pill to swallow that they might think something strangepared to reality."

    Ani exaggeratedly sighed while shaking her head. The duo already knowspleting this mission will only further shroud their prowess in mystery. But being mysterious, for a little while, isn''t such a bad thing.

    "Once this mission is over, and we collect our crystals from that fool, Giel. I''m afraid the Academy will only be further shrouded in mystery about our prowess...for now, where do you think those goblins store their treasures?"

    Darcel''s eyes were darting at specific corners of the cave. With all the goblin''s charred corpses lying around, it was difficult to urately spot well-hidden ces.

    Well, at least for Darcel, it was difficult since he promptly heard Ani say, "Umm...I think I found it, Darcy! This ordinary ignorable rock is just odd to me."

    His eyes snapped to Ani, who was off to the cave''s left side, dusting off an inconspicuous rock after moving a charred goblin corpse off from it. This girl''s intuition truly is something.

    "If you think this is it, then turn over, and let''s find out," Darcel told her while walking up to this spot. Still, even when he tried specifically sensing this spot, Darcel didn''t find anything out of the ordinary.

    Grinning at Darcel, Ani flipped the rock, and the duo was immediately taken by a slight surprise. Just like Ani had guessed, there were five blue spatial rings, all having different degrees of condition.

    Two of them had small cracks running along on its surface while the other three were still stained with blood, supportingrger cracks. But despite their condition, the duo''s eyes had sparked up when seeing the rings.

    They took each ring and inspected inside of them. The process was swift, and a broad smile had soon formed on the duo''s faces. Everything they needed right now was stuffed inside these five rings.

    "To all those Perfect Order youths that fell before us. Their rings are now going to be put in good use! Though... it''s kind of a shame there''s no special weapons or strong talisman in here."

    Ani remarked while shoving two rings inside her pockets. Darcel took the remaining three while telling her, "Given the line up in this cave? These guys probably have no other option than to waste everything. Thankfully we got to these crystals before those goblins did."

    The duo was feeling elevated. This mission was a huge roaring sess, plus it was filled with adrenaline-pumping moments! With no more reason to stay, the pair were starting to walk out of the cave.

    Only their footsteps had suddenly stopped.

    Their eyebrows wrinkled, and that familiar feeling of arrival had gotten significantly closer now. Truly some group was trying to spy and intercept them!

    But now that the two could take the time and focus on this group''s prowess, Darcel and Ani formed back their smirks. Just another foolish Perfect Order group.

    At the entrance of the cave, the group had soon revealed themselves. Four young-looking boys had halted their way. They were donned in fancy red ropes with a design of the legendary Roc beast on it.

    Even if you didn''t know where theye from, one could tell they have a healthy background just by their clothes. Though on their faces wasn''t the usual calm and utmost confidence, most youths at their ages have.

    Instead, their faces were kindly smiling though the duo could notice a small dosage of distress. Obviously, before they came here, these four looked like they were in a dilemma.

    A dilemma the duo guessed was rted to them. Moreover, the two picked up on this subtle, faint hostile feeling. As if these four will spring into action at any given moment.

    Before Darcel and Ani could say anything, though, the boy in the middle had promptly started to speak, using an amicable tone in his voice.

    "You two...you guys are really powerful! Somehow you managed to kill every goblin here and still look unscathed. I''m sure as hell even we couldn''t achieve this result!"

    The boy''s tone sounded a bit forceful, but he was genuine in believing these two cleared this goblin nest. It was only just he, and the other boys missed out on a substantial crucial detail.

    All they saw and felt whening here were powerful surges of attacks.

    They were on the same mission as the two but being far slower, they only walked upon a trail of dead goblins dying with no signs of a struggle.

    Furthermore, in this cave, some goblins heads were mission or looked to have varying degrees of mangled corpses. Two Middle Orders kids couldn''t achieve this.

    For even themselves, they knew it was impossible to achieve this kind of prowess at their level.

    But now it made a bit more sense in their minds when observing the duo. These two were from the Zakira Academy! That prestigious Academy that''s essentially the richest in the whole City!

    So they must have some sort of background and brought powerful talismans, weapons. Meaning they also must have crystals!

    Sensing their realms, it made more sense than these two having defying jumping prowess.

    Now it was time for them to test their luck. And if worsee to worse, then no matter what these kids have, they will have nothing that can match their speeds!

    If they caused too much trouble resisting, they wouldn''t even have the chance to know how they die...

    "Ah! Why, thank you! It warms my heart to see other teens our age appreciate our talents. But...what are you four are actually after for?" Ani asked as she and Darcel slowly walked up to the four.

    Seemed like these boys were blissfully unaware of how past Zakira Academy students had failed on this mission if they thought they used something other than their real prowess.

    The duo managed to deduce this just from the boy simply saying ''somehow.''

    If they had indeed seen what they could do then, Darcel and Ani were a hundred percent sure these four wouldn''t dare go near them.

    But since their merely ignorant, then Darcel and Ani didn''t mind in the slightest about taking'' extra rewards.''

    "Oh us? Well...surely you two found some hidden rewards here? Being fellow youths in the same generation, it wouldn''t hurt to share and gain some new friends, right?" The boy on the far right had suddenly spoken up.

    And, upon doing so, it was time for them to test the waters. Silently all four of these boys leaked out their Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea aura! They all zeroed in on the duo and waited for their reaction.

    Depending on whether or not that boy or girl goes for a spatial ring tells them whether or not they would need to fight or not.

    It was a bit of a tense moment; however, all the duo did was creased their eyebrows.

    Well, Darcel creased in thinking how foolish these kids were. But Ani, she found something odd. Compared to the usually blunt Darcel, she could pick up on and read feelings in voices far better.

    Before the action started, she willed a portion of her soul into her voice and curiously asked, "So eager to make some friends! But...I couldn''t help but notice. You all are perhaps a bit too over eager for crystals? Even after guessing what we can do, why the sudden rush?"

    This voice...her voice, it started to be...angelic! Before when she talked, the boys felt it was soft and pleasant to listen to. But suddenly, it just went on a whole other level of holiness!

    Their minds buzzed with tender sensation, letting their guards rx some. Judging by how they tensed up, they could spot they most likely are very limited or ran out of special artifacts or talisman.

    And the leader boy didn''t feel any harm talking to them more. Though he was a bit confused. "Aren''t students in the Zakira Academy talking up a storm about the uingbyrinth expedition? We Qi Formation Sea youths need to hurriedly increase our prowess until then!"

    Common knowledge and news for these groups of boys was entirely new information for the duo. Because of their less than well-received reputation, they genuinely haven''t got a chance to know about this.

    Nevertheless, it still was all the more interesting. In a chipper, excited tone Ani had then asked,

    "Ohh! We have heard about that during our walks! But just when will this expedition start?" Ani had achieved a perfect, weing, friendly vibe towards these boys.

    Her big ck eyes sparkled in the dimly lit cave, and her bright expression even made the boys want to smile.

    Even if Ani looks wasn''t on some excellent beauty level, her cute personality made her far more endearing.

    The boys nearly even forgot they were just now trying to rob and potentially even kill this duo.

    "Ah, well, it''s going to begin in two weeks or so...if you don''t know, we hail from the Quicksilver Roc sect. And if you give us about...eighty percent of your rewards, I can promise you we''ll lend you our aid on this expedition!"

    It was like clockwork for Ani as she made people who still held malicious intentions make them want to partner up with them. s, it was a shame Darcel and Ani got what they needed from these four.

    "Hooh, we''ve been quite busy during our time at the Academy. So thanks for providing this useful update. But honestly, eighty percent is quite steep. Your arrogance in this...it must be because of some sort of backing? It''s almost pitiful how naive you all are."

    Darcel''s words were straightforward, and his voice held an undertone mocking one.

    He singles handily put a damper on their whole moods. For his first words spoken, he''s quite the bold one. But, his bravado...this is undoubtedly just a bunch of hot gas to scare them off.

    The boys'' smiles turned a bit more violent as they increased their aura leakage more. Looking straight at Darcel, the leading boy said,

    "You''re brasher than your friend...but really. What sort of backing do we need to deal with the likes of two Middle Orders? We''re naive? Answer me this then, do you really think you have enough talisman or whatever artifacts to beat us now?"

    "Better question! Tell us, what kind of devious ns do you have for us if we don''t have anything but still don''tply?" Strangely enough for the boys, Ani never let her smile go as if she was in no danger.

    "No matter what tricks you have, can itpare to the speed of a Roc? No one in the City can match our sect speeds! Now you have two options, peacefully fork over your rewards and don''t say a word to this to anyone if you don''t want the wrath of a True Soul Core genius. Or resist and die."

    The leading boy inlyid it out to them. Seeing the duo get increasingly aggressive, all previous pretenses about helping each other were off.

    Though they weren''t ruthless, they can''t help it if these two foolishly try to resist.

    Clearly now, Darcel and Ani can sense the boy''s leakage of killing intent! Frankly, for even other Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea youths, the boys'' threat would''ve been effective.

    Unfortunately for them, this was Darcel and Ani. And were they just mere doormats that they thought they could walk over?

    ''Whir!''

    Darker than the abyss ckness, and blinding dazzling of white mixed together spewing out an enchanting colorbination! The boys had seen Darcel''s arm lit up ck, and Ani''s arm lit up white.

    This magical scene was only crushed by one major factor.

    The all-mighty powerful aura that pressed down on the boys like a hundred mountains! Fear enveloped the boys realized a vast mistake in how these two killed all those goblins.

    They simply have no need for talisman or artifacts!

    Their aura was like meeting a whole new world. They were angelic, holy, divine, all kinds of blessed descriptionbined into one. And the worst part was their eyes bearing into their very souls.

    Without even the duo moving, the boys got hitched in their throats, their legs became a bit wobbly, and their pupils dted.

    "Wait! Wait! Wait! Don''t kill us! Don''t-Don''t yo-" As the leading boy tried to plead, an dramatic, massive increase in temperature had cut him off.

    ''Ssh!!''

    The ring sizzling sound of fire swift past the leading boy ears. He picked up on a sickening crunch like a body was getting punctured. Yet he didn''t hear any screams.

    Slowly the leading boy turned to his other partners. And immediately, he felt his body run cold once seeing two of his partners state.

    On the far right and left, both boys had a ck fire hole of where their chest used to be.

    Their corpse smacked into the group as the leading boy frightfully turned back to the duo. Who both held a single finger out and at the tip was ignited by ck mes.

    Smirking at thest remaining boys'' expression, Darcel told them,

    "You two have only one option. Roll over and die."

 Chapter 27: Mist

    Chapter 27: Mist

    There weren''t words to describe the unending feeling of dread that swelled inside thest two remaining Quicksilver Roc sect disciples. Their partners...they weren''t even given a chance to resist!

    This speed, it caused massive waves in thest two boys'' minds. They couldn''t believe it, they wanted to refuse it happen, but undeniably, it may just barely match their speeds!

    Still, even for a fast surprise attack, this was simply too broken. What helped Darcel and Ani also was theck of natural tough skin humans don''t havepared to those robust Perfect Order goblins.

    The duo smirked as they watched dread and terror permeate their faces. Since they wanted to rob and even kill them, why should they show any mercy?

    The stagnant feeling and dreadful sensation of taking another human''s life were squashed long ago before Darcel and Ani arrived on this.

    Though while they aimed their fingers at thest two, something changed.

    Quite surprisingly, what appeared to be faint orange wings in a Qi form had immediately sprouted out of the disciples'' backs. The boys fought against their tremendous natural feeling of instinctive danger.

    If they''re going to fight, they won''t be taken down by mere surprise attacks! Their utmost confidence in their speeds shined the most dazzling here. And under the duo''s eyes, they vanished from their spots.

    So, this was theirst ultimate trump card?

    Both Darcel and Ani thought as their senses still had a locked on the two. Admittedly their speed was quite good, but the final oue won''t change; the two already predicted it.

    To his left, Darcel sensed and felt the air swirl in a chaotic frenzy. Swiftly his head snapped to the left only to see a unique short sword sailing to his head at breakneck speeds.

    The air split apart from this speed, and the leading boy held utmost confidence in believing Darcel can''t dodge this attack. His smile grew broader, but it had suddenly frozen in ce.

    Abruptly, the temperature once again dramatically arisen in degrees! And being at such close proximity with this heat, the leading boy speed began to slow down.

    The boy couldn''t even notice his decrease in speed when pure ck mes crossed into his vision.

    ''Sssch!''

    Like his sword was a piece of stic, a ck ming w tightly clutched on to it!

    The leading boy was dumbfounded. His weapon, it isn''t possible to touch it under any circumstances! Its materials were just that high ss.

    Plus, how the hell did this guy even react to his instantaneous Roc like speed! With this ck ming w holding him in ce, the boy''s eyes soon met with the smirking dreadful Darcel.

    Simultaneously, when the leading boy went to attack, the other boy went to Ani''s right side. His speed was simrly instantaneous as a short silver sword near Ani''s face.

    And Ani''s eyes sparked with a harsh light. She decided, for this time, to finish this quickly by being honest and direct! This boy''s speed is good...but she''s even faster!

    Faster than Quicksilver Roc boy, Ani dodged his short silver sword and tightly grabbed his arm. The hand she used to hold him was her mighty bloodline arm.

    Like tofu, Ani''s hand had sunk into the boy''s arms, causing blood to spurt out of him.

    "Ack!"

    The boy grunted in extreme pain from having Ani''s hand tear into his flesh. Not only did she manage to outspeed him, but this grip of her, what the hell kind of bodily strength is this?!

    However, his train of surprise thought got quickly interrupted. The boy''s world was suddenly shifted on its entire head.

    ''Sssch!!''

    All at once, a searing ming pain spread throughout his whole body! Whitish ck mes raged on him, bringing about an misery that he never thought was possible.

    "AA-"

    His attempted screams of pain were immediately cut off since his throat erupted in hellish mes. Regret and hopelessness filled his mind; they should''ve never followed these two terrifying youths

    That momentary roar of pain urred at the exact same time Darcel had clutched the leading boy sword. Even if the shout was short, the pure raw pain his partner felt was still transmitted.

    For a brief second, his will nearly copsed. That shout of pain, could that even be him in a little bit? And for this boy''s unspoken question, Darcel decided to give him a physical response.

    ''Chi!''

    "GAHHHHH!!"

    Tremendous, hellish pain sparked through the leading boy''s head once a ck ming w ruthlessly plunged into his eye. Fresh blood squirted into the air mixing with the hellfire ck mes.

    And the pain of getting pierced in the air wasn''t the boy''s only nightmare. The sickening daze of emotions ranging from lust, rage, and sorrow buzzed in his mind like a fierce storm!

    For only a couple of seconds, the leading boy thought an eternity passed under Darcel''s w. Despite going all out, he still manages to end up pathetic, just like his other two partners.

    Letting go of the boy''s short silver sword, Darcel ended his life by flicking a ck fireball at his skull. And just on impact did the Quicksilver Roc boy die from his head melting on the inside.

    Two sickening thumps sounded out in the cave as the two boy''s corpses crashed into the ground at the same time. With just minimal effort, did Darcel and Ani kill off another Perfect Order Qi Formation sea group.

    Though the duo wasn''t focused on this achievement. Looking down at the leading boy corpse, he was happy to see a blue spatial ring adorning his finger.

    "Thankfully, before he burned to a crisp, I got his ring out of there! Darcy, with theirbined total, we once again made another profit in crystals!" Ani bubbly told him while collecting two of the boys'' rings.

    She was feeling a bit more drained now. Still, her natural stamina wasn''t low at all to simply lose her vibrant energy. Darcel was a feeling more drain as well while he took the other boys''st two spatial rings.

    But his stamina was also rtively high to keep going. Smirking, he said to Ani, "Ignorance sure is bliss. Our rewards have essentially tripled since starting this mission. Now then, shall we return?"

    "Mnh! I''m eager to see how wide eyes those youths can get." Walking shoulder to shoulder, Darcel and Ani headed towards the cave exit. They put no thought in killing Quicksilver Roc sect disciples.

    Simply because who is here to know that four Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea disciples had foolishly run into death at the hands of Middle Order Zakira students? At least that''s what the duo thought

    .

    Back on the goblin path, they came from, Darcel and Ani were in a serene mood. After all that fighting and killing, the two did take the time to slowly digest their experiences and sensation.

    The biggest thing they both noticed was, they needed stronger opponents! At their base full powers, the duo knows they can only match the Perfect Order level of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

    But once they activate their bloodline?

    It was a whole entire new tier they entered into! While it was exhrating crushing their enemies in that state, the duo wanted a more fair experience fighting in that overwhelming state.

    At most, they can control this state for basic and overpowering attacks. But theyck the finesse for moreplicated and or creative attacks they could do with their bloodlines.

    The only other option they had was to simply spar with each other in their bloodline state. The only problem was, they had no real private space where they could spar going all out.

    At least before this mission, they had no avable private options. Now though, with their wealth, they can buy all the privacy they need.

    "While we at it, besides our own personal prowess, we better start collecting some useful tools for valuable aids. We''ll be able to spice up ourbat with them!" Ani spoke her mind while they calmly walked.

    "True airhead, even I want some variety in fighting...hm?" While Darcel responded, Darcel and Ani both instinctively stopped. Something felt wrong, dangerously wrong.

    A genuine threatening feeling swelled up inside the duo. Swiftly their senses expanded out, and on a glossy ck tree just a few feet away from them, they saw the one who exuded this threatening feeling.

    It was a man, given the outline of his body. But he was dressed in all ck clothing robes. The duo couldn''t see his face very well, yet they could very well sense his aura.

    An aura that actually gave the duo a sense of worry! From the man''s position, the pair could tell he was staring straight at them. Before the two could say anything, however, they first heard his cold piercing voice.

    "Overconfidence and keeping your head up only leads to death"

    ''Whir!''

    While the man talked, he unleashed his full aura!

    It was...like the Perfect Order of the Qi Formation Sea realm, but at the same time, it wasn''t? Positively, the duo identified the aura as it being stronger than the Perfect Order.

    Yet it was like this man was teetering at the edge of a new, unfathomable power. A power that he could somewhat grasp but couldn''t use it to its full potential.

    Though the duo wasn''t given the time to contemte this aura when, right when the man finished talking, a vast purple mist enveloped the area!

    The mist''s spread was nearly instantaneous, and it hid the ck robe man from their view.

    Darcel and Ani couldn''t see even an inch in front of them. Their senses as well got clipped in half. However, the feeling of purebred deathing at them is a sensation they are all too familiar with.

    "Stick out, right!" Darcel roared out to Ani as he activated his bloodline and pushed out his bloodline arm in front of him.

    "Right!" Ani roared, in response, also activating her bloodline and pushing out her bloodline arm in front of her.

    Unknown to them, the ck robe man was surprised at this sudden speed increase and a dramatic increase in power.

    These two just turned into entirely different people! Nevertheless, it was toote to halt his rush now.

    ''Chi!''

    Dark red blood flew into the purple mist as Darcel and Ani clutched their bloodline arms. To think, they couldn''t even see this guy speed when he struck!

    Massive waves of pain assaulted both of the duo''s senses.

    It made the two grit their teeth as there was something odd about his strike. There was this strange liquid substance the duo felt trying to burrow into their bodies!

    This substance caused even more pain and made the two cough of dark red blood. It was then their bodies locked up, and their minds froze up.

    "P-poison!"

    Darcel managed to wheeze out as he and Ani were feeling delirious. Whatever poison this was, held a devastating damaging effect, to the point where the duo felt their consciousness slipping away.

    That is until...the poison met their bloodstreams. Instantly Darcel and Ani bodies jumped upright as for a single second, they lost all sensation.

    "Hm? Intriguing indeed...that previous aura and they haven''t killed over and die yet. Well...looks like they now will." The ck robe man remarked, watching the duo get stiff.

    That poison he unleashed would''ve been enough to kill someone at his level, let alone mere Perfect Order Qi Formation sea cultivators. So just for some small Middle Orders, they at least have this achievement in death.

    Or so he thought. Abruptly, this time it was the ck-robed man turned to feel incredible danger. His eyes that were overseeing the duo had suddenly erged!

    Frantically Darcel and Ani''s body shook. Their bloodline arms began to ring shine, and a tremendous power broke out of the two! The ck-robed man couldn''t even correctly react when he heard,

    "FUAHH!!"

    Darcel and Ani''s roaring shouts of pain and power! Once that poison substance touches their blood, it causes massive reactions everywhere in their bodies.

    Their bloodlines forcefully absorb whatever the poison was, quickly freezing it inside their bodies and temporarily boosting the duo''s prowess.

    All Darcel and Ani could tell now was that they needed to expel all this excess poison and power! And they knew just the perfect target.

    Worriedly, the ck-robed man watched with a startle fright as Darcel and Ani''s body snapped around to re at him. In both of their eyes were chilling killing intent and a harsh purple re.

 Chapter 28: Record Return

    Chapter 28: Record Return

    Through the deep purple mist, Darcel and Ani''s eyes still managed to directly lock on where the ck robe man was. Their eyesight hasn''t cleared up, but their senses were greatly enhanced!

    With the poison giving the two this sudden dramatic boost, the duo could finally identify this ck robe man aura. It was...just near the edge of the legendary realm above the Qi Formation Sea level.

    The Nascent Core realm!

    This realm is the start where one''stent potential and hidden talents began to surface. Furthermore, one could use the overwhelming power of Nascent Qi!

    Andpared to Profound Qi, Nascent Qi utterly dominates it in every way. Just a small dosage of Nascent Qi can crush any Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea cultivators.

    Thankfully, for the duo, this ck robe man seems to have this...iplete form of Nascent Qi.

    It was a vague trace of Nascent Qi this man could grasp, but even then, it puts him above ever Perfect Order cultivator.

    But no matter if this man was in this odd state with his Nascent Qi, the duo didn''t care in the slightest. A phantom image of a feather was forming on their bloodline arms, yet no one there could notice it.

    Seeing this ck robe man be momentarily stunned, the duo immediately pounced on this perfect opportunity. Instantly Profound Qi swirl in their legs, and their ck and white glow turned even harsher.

    ''Hua!''

    Speeds that nearly reached instantaneous level spewed out from the duo! In just a split second, the ck robe man felt the air storm around and saw a ck glow fist and a white glow fist sail to his head.

    The power of these fists, the speed of these kids...just what the hell changed?! Not even when they first red out their aura was it this powerful!

    It caused tremendous pressure on the man, but he wasn''t going to simply roll over and die. Hastily, he willed his iplete Nascent Qi throughout his body and into his hands.

    Forcefully, he gritted his teeth against the massive pressure his body was feeling, just barely resisting it. His hands immediately formed into fists, and within a split second, he hastily counter-attacked!

    The deep purple mists did little to affect either side''s movement when attacking. At equal senses, both attacks sailed towards each other at blinding speed, causing,

    ''BANG!''

    Tremendous frantic waves of Profound Qi and iplete Nascent Qi crazily spewed out in the area!

    The ground buckled beneath the ck robe man''s feet, dust flew everywhere, and even the purple mist was clearing up.

    Besides feeling like they hit a concrete wall, Darcel and Ani still raged on with power. The one who took a significant loss from this attack was the ck robe man.

    Pain, sorrow, joy, lust, rage, all mixed emotions, and sensations clouded the ck robe man''s mind. And above all this pain he felt...no mistaking it, this was somehow his own poison!

    Through their shes of fists, the poison that seeped into the duo expelled straight into the ck robe man. His body had immediately locked up, causing a single second ofpse.

    A second that Ani saw and capitalized on. Fighting this man with his poison is far too troublesome and dangerous. So if he wants to y with poison, then she''ll give him exactly that!

    Her eyes ignited in crazed killing intent, while her other hand quickly fished out something from her pocket. In all one smooth motion, before the ck robe man could even attempt to struggle,

    ''Chi!''

    Ani plunged the purple scalpel deep into the man''s neck! Darcel and Ani had both bear witness to a significant change in the man. Most notable was several purple lines rapidly appearing on his face and body.

    "GE-AH-AGHHH!!!"

    Nothing, no matter what pain the man experienced before, it couldn''t bepared to this pain now. It was like some powerful force was ruthlessly rampaging inside his body, shredding every part of himself.

    The purple mist had fully cleared up, and the man recalled his hand to begin clutching at his face. His legs frantically quiver, bringing the man down to his knees.

    Every second that he lived was astronomical pain that was worse than torture. Unlike Anne, who had immediately copsed by the scalpel since she was far weaker, the ck robe man prowess kept him hellishly up.

    But even in this extreme state of nearing a painful death, the ck robe man nightmare was nowhere near over. When two strong hands mped on his shoulder, it was then the man wished he never took this job.

    s, turning green with regret couldn''t save him now. Darcel and Ani''s bloodline arms clenched tightly on the man, digging their nails deep into his flesh.

    From thest sh, the duo can tell all they need to do to get rid of this poison is to simply eject it into something. And for the tinyst remaining portion, it was clear as day who will receive this treatment.

    "Gi..gi"

    The ck robe man uttered short, painful breaths as his life quickly slipped away from him. His own poison and whatever this freakish scalpel was led him on to an inevitable road to hell.

    Staring into the glossy ck trees ahead of him, the ck robe man only had onest dying thought. Those kids...whoever or whatever they are, they shouldn''t exist in their small city

    Letting their hands go after a couple of seconds, the ck robe man corpse crashed into the ground. His eyes were still wide open in disbelief, and the purple lines on him looked like they were searing his flesh.

    Taking a look around, Darcel saw the purple mist had finally fully cleared up, returning the area back to normal. But his main priority was on himself and Ani.

    Feeling himself, Darcel felt immensely drained and tired now. In this state, he would struggle with fighting any more foes. But he could at least still walk.

    Swiftly his eyes snapped to Ani, who was sweating and taking short breaths. She seemed to be feeling the toll from overusing their bloodline and expelling that poison.

    Shifting over to her, Darcel put his hand on her shoulder, asking, "Are you...alright? That poison did put us in a troublesome position."

    "Mnh... I''m fine...just worn down. But I''m already starting to feel better under your warm care." Ani looked up at Darcel, giving him a more tired smile after all they''ve been through.

    Remarkably even after getting heavily drained, her smile will always form on her face no matter the situation.

    It was...endearing.

    Her cute face seemed to just carry even more charm as she pushed through exhaustion.

    Cracking a smile, Darcel got reminded of just why he depends on this ditzy girl so much. Through small little actions like this could make him feel better.

    Suddenly Darcel felt the urge to at least pat her soft hair after this short odd battle. He didn''t fight this urge and simply relied on his instincts.

    Slowly his hand stroke Ani''s beautiful hair spewing warmth in both of them.

    Ani cooed into Darcel''s hand, already starting to gain some of her energy back. Darcel''s small action to show that he cared always warms her heart and supplies endless joy for her.

    "Luckily, our bloodline managed to stop whatever poison that was and help us kill this guy. If this was normal, then I''m pretty sure we would have a far more annoying time. Still, are you guessing what I''m thinking on just who sent this guy towards us?"

    Darcel''s eyes gained a cruel haze thinking about one boy. The Quicksilver Roc sect disciples were just a bunch of naive fools. But this attack was a deliberate attempt on their lives.

    "Yup! That closed eyes Giel just has to be the one behind this. Did you see his eyes when we were leaving? It was the eyes of someone assigning death towards you!" Ani had a rare expression of smiling rage.

    She held a more tender disposition to other peoplepared to Darcel''sck of care. Even people who disliked her tend to relent against her bright energy. But Ani did hold a clear limit!

    "People like him are endlessly annoying to deal with unless you can suppress them. Frankly, I should''ve expected for us to need to collect debts as soon as we enter this Academy."

    Ani''s smile grew even wider as she shifted out from Darcel''s hand. Excitedly she grabbed his hand, telling him, "And with what have, and we''re going to get, collecting Giel''s debt is just around the corner!"

    Smiling at her sudden eagerness, Darcel still held on to Ani''s hand and went to grab that scalpel. Once again, that Organization ended being dramatically useful for them.

    However, when the duo neared the ck robe man''s body, a substantial swift feeling struck their senses. This feeling, it was deep, profound, but also didn''t cause any dangerous or threatening feelings for the two.

    Two times in a row, whatever this feeling randomly appeared again. And in the same motion, as soon as this feeling appeared, it quickly vanished the very next second.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes crossed with each other. Their faces held intrigue, but they both knew that if this was a person causing this, they wouldn''t be alive if they had malicious intentions.

    Unspokenly, the two decided to ignore this feeling just to not raise any rms if they are being watched. Focusing back to reality, Ani''s eyes lit back up as she observed the scalpel sticking in the ck robe man.

    "Once again,ing in clutch, this weird scalpel...one day, we have to find out this small thing mystery," Animented while Darcel went down to take the scalpel out.

    "Until we get more powerful, is when I''ll feel safe exploring anything we got from that ce. Come on, let''s head back to the Academy to broaden some eyes."

    Darcel and Ani''s walking speed now was far slower thaning here, but they could catch their breaths this way. Ani breathed out a pleasant sight as she said out loud,

    "Ahh...another delightful treat to end this long day"

    .

    Making it back to the expansive Necroplic City, Darcel and Ani had promptly rushed back to the Academy. Their walking back here took a couple of hours, yet the day still hasn''t fully passed.

    Because of their student uniforms, the two were easily let back in the Academy''s initiate level. Once back here, the duo took notice of immediate queer nces at them.

    Since they were gone, news that the ck hair boy and long white hair girl had suddenly taken on that nearly impossible initiate level mission spread like wildfire.

    First, these two beaten trained students, and now they''re immediately taking on an impossible mission? It sounded like a strange joke! But the joke was confirmed by the mission elder there.

    Simentansouly another rumor popped up while the duo was gone. One in which they had suppressed their realms just to have an edge in battle.

    This rumor seemed a lot likely, considering the duo had broken through the very next day after their test.

    In just a short while did the two reputations be a bit tarnished.

    However, no one expected for those two to return so quickly? Not even a full day has passed! And in the eyes of the students, this can only mean one thing...failure!

    Although, no matter what the students may be thinking, Darcel and Ani didn''t waste any time.

    Remembering theyout of this side of the building, the duo swiftly trekked back to the mission center while word spread of their return.

    "Thankfully, no fools tried to stop us whening here," Darcel remarked when the two arrived outside the mission center.

    More eyes gathered on them from all around, and the duo saw two specific people they wanted to see, already inside the center.

    Ani''s eyes sparked with slight maliciousness seeing Giel as she told Darcel,

    "Look at this, Darcy? I didn''t know Giel and his little brother would be so patient to conveniently wait so we can quickly collect our rewards.."

 Chapter 29: Hefty Sum Of Rewards

    Chapter 29: Hefty Sum Of Rewards

    Being just outside the mission center light blue doors, Darcel and Ani took a slight pause for a single moment. The path they will go on after this leads to a bumpy road of troubles.

    Primary troubles that will stem from one pair of pesky brothers. Plus, there''s also the fact their radar of attention will noticeably increase after this.

    The simple question is, will this be all worth it?

    And in the slight moment of pause the duo had, their minds formed to once clear conscience answer. Of course, anything they do will be worth it!

    Their faces cracked in grins as their boundless confidence swelled inside them.

    Compared to their past experiences, this Academy is nothing but a stepping stone. And since this will be their stepping stone, Darcel and Ani will make it as enjoyable as possible for themselves.

    With their minds cleared up after the moment of pause, the duo boldly strutted inside the Mission Center. Their calm and even steps led them to the Mission Elder counter under students'' preying disdain eyes.

    All students, including the Mission Elder, attention zeroed right on the duo as soon as they walked through the doors. Conversations stalled when one train of thought entered into their minds.

    Merely hours have passed since these two left. So, why the hell are they back so quickly?

    Most, if not all, groups of students, when taking on missions, especially one that is as difficult as the goblins, takes up to two days at least toplete it.

    Students n everything out heavingly when taking these missions since they obviously want to preserve their lives. Signs of wear and tear were on Darcel and Ani''s uniforms, but it was nothing major.

    How could this have any other meaning other plete utter failure! Mocking smiles, scorning eyes, jeering expressions all etched upon the students'' faces.

    Their conclusions? These two really were chock-full of hot gasses! Even Gorga, despite still feeling bitter about his loss, took glee in the apparent failure of the duo.

    Once hearing Giel''s exnation about the situation. He was more than happy to witness Darcel and Ani''s reputation get immediately rip to shreds while also gaining his room back.

    This glee was simrly shared with Giel. Though there was only one peculiar thing, he had about their return.

    It merely being was, just how are they alive? More than anything, he was sure that guy wouldn''t leave them alive.

    But logically, because of their rtively quick return, Giel thought their paths just didn''t cross. Upon this idea, his disdain for the two had arisen even more so.

    In the first ce, their bet looked utterly illogical in his point of view. And it should''ve been illogical in their point of view. But Giel wasn''t here to guide people''s stupidity.

    Out of the students, Giel was going to be the first to open his mouth. When the duo made it to the Mission Elder counter, however, a purple spark sh on Darcel''s ring caused a bit of a stump.

    The small sh also prevented any other conversation from erupting. It was too odd. That ring will only activate if they had killed Extreme Order and above goblins. No possible way the duo could achieve that!

    Reality however, it was impossible to go against it. A bright big purple sh had illuminated the whole Mission Center forcing the students to shut their eyes for a second.

    Promptly once the sh died down, everyone''s eyes swiftly snapped back open. And what they had opened up to caused mind breaking shock and waves to run through all.

    It seemed too far fetched. Almost like aughable joke to think mere Middle Order students can even touch an Extreme Order cultivator, let alone a Perfect Order goblin.

    But clear as day for all to see was four goblin heads that all maintain several bright purple lines running down their heads.

    Everyone could all sense the grand auras these goblins used to have, and the Mission Elder breathlessly said, "Four Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea goblins... it''s truly genuine."

    Sharp intakes of breaths were heard all around the Mission Center. If even the Elder confirms it, then it indeed was impossible for these results to be faked.

    Even though performing this result should''ve been impossible!

    "Ah! My eyes are getting broadened by how much everyone else''s eyes are getting broadened! Let''s show them the cherries of our battle Darcel!" The sweet, excited voice of Ani bounced in the students'' heads.

    She...she had to be right. If these two genuinely have Perfect Order goblins heads in the ring, shouldn''t this mean they also have Extreme and Supreme Orders goblins?

    Towards the unspoken question of the students, Darcel condescendingly grinned as his ring sparked purple again. Breaths hiked in throats again as unknowingly, anticipation bubbled inside them all.

    With another bright purple sh causing the students to close their eyes, several thumbs were heard. Once again, reopening their eyes, a second impossible scene had yed out.

    All with varying shades of purple lines, various goblins heads were out in the open for all to witness. Extreme Order, Supreme Order, and Perfect Order...what kind of monstrous result was this?!

    Even if Darcel and Ani only killed all four Perfect Order goblins, it would''ve been enough to count the mission aspleted.

    After all, those Perfect Order goblins were seemingly invincible in the Qi Formation Sea Realm. Not even the strongest ranked initiate students could take them out.

    Yet here they were, all staring at a result that would put those ranked talented students to shame. Without even directly fighting, did the duo manage to one-up the most talentful in their level.

    Once again, Darcel''s ring shed, stuffing all the goblins'' heads back inside the ring as he said out loud, "I hope you''re all done staring now. No matter what you may think, this ring absolutely proves us. So Elder, our rewards?"

    Even if it was a bit blunt, Darcel was one hundred percent right. That ring attaches itself to the user, making sure every kill they did was recorded.

    And because of Darcel and Ani''s close rtions, the ring had also recorded Ani kills into one. The Mission Elder knew clearly of all the ring properties, though it was impossible not to be at least a bit shocked.

    "Indeed...everything checks out here. Because it''s a joint effort, you two will be granted five hundred orange crystals each and two low-quality Qi Formation Sea pills each. And Darcel, hand over your ring to me."

    The Mission Elder exined to them as disbelieving gazes still gathered on them. But when hearing the rewards, a wild uproar had sted out of the still silent students.

    "That''s... that''s a thousand crystals in total! So many forpleting this mission!"

    "Qi Formation Sea pill?! That''s like a god-given gift for us!"

    "How?! Just how did they do it?!"

    Through the noisy and disbeliefments, Darcel only smirked while taking his ring off. Handing it over to the Mission Elder, he granted both Darcel and Ani with two light blue spatial rings each.

    Stuffing it into their pockets, Ani''s gaze was like a hawk, immediately snapping towards Giel and Gorga like they were her prey. These two, contrary to other noisy students, were strangely silent.

    They were just in much of a shock about the duo seemingly, wlesslypleting this mission. Even more so for Giel since he wondered just where the hell his guy was!

    Even if somehow they did kill Perfect Order goblins, he was a real half step Nascent core cultivator! Unless...unless he also died to them? This line of thought that seemed ridiculously had to be left for another time.

    Since when Ani''s gaze zeroed right on to them, they felt slight tension rise up.

    Darcel''s gaze snapped over to them also, and the duo casually walked up to them. Smiling all the way there while walking, Ani voice was in a soft, yful teasing tone as she asked,

    "Oh, Giel, I can just see your eyes broadening by the second. So? Do you have our sum of crystals ready~?" Her words did cause everyone else to get reminded of that bet.

    The bet that seemed utterly foolish at first now was bing a troublesome matter for Giel. What also didn''t help was students curiously gazing over at them to see if he genuinely will uphold his end of the deal.

    Without changing his expression much, Giel stiffly asked to not lose face, "How much do you want?"

    "Mnh...let''s say about...ten red crystals. That''s a sufficient sum, right Darcel?" Ani''s words caused both Giel and Gorga to freeze up for a second.

    This was a massive demand, girl! They wanted to say, but Darcel had quickly spoken up saying,

    "Quite eptable indeed. As a Middle-level student, you should at least have this much, right?" The two had a tag team of pressure as they already are shown to not budge an inch.

    "You...you...we agreed on Oran-"

    "Uh-uh! Before you say anything further, we didn''t agree on any specific kind of crystals. I did only say you''ll have to give us a ''sum of crystals!''" Ani cut off Giel by wagging her finger.

    And to onlookers, it was understandable why Giel looked extremely reluctant.

    They would be too!

    Red crystals are far more valuable than Orange crystals since they have ten times more energy and are far purer.

    Starting from the Nascent Core Realm, cultivators would use Red crystals since Orange crystals be nearly negligent. And Giel wasn''t so willing to easily part with that many crystals.

    However, before he could adamantly refuse, the Mission Elder had shockingly spoken up saying, "If you made a bet, then no matter what forces are at y, we at Zakira Academy would uphold any bet! A Middle-level student should be more than aware of this fact."

    "To think we actually get to see a Middle-level student submit to fresh new initiate students! It''s like a fairy tale!"

    "Seriously, and they have the Elder backing! Giel might as well just give it up."

    More and more students''mon thoughts lean on Giel, just giving up the crystals. The Mission Elder held that much persuasion power, and his words resonated with the students.

    Even if the duo''s prowess was shrouded in mystery, a bet still must be upheld! The only ones who thought differently was Giel and Gorga, both of who had tight expressions.

    Silently grinding his teeth, Giel forced himself to relent. His purple spatial ring lit up, and he forked out ten small red crystal orbs on his palm. Each orb held a glittering red shine, exuding out pure, mystical energy.

    Dumping the crystals on Ani''s hand, he had then heard her say, "No was that so hard? At least your surface character isn''t a little liar! See you around soon."

    Ani put the ten red crystals inside her light blue spatial ring while giving the brothers a slight condescending bright smile.

    Being looked down upon by two small Middle Order students caused rage and irritation in both brothers. They didn''t decide to uselessly make a scene, but Giel held extreme sinister thought about them now.

    With all said and done, the duo turned on the heels to leave the Mission Center.

    They knew nothing about their prowess would make any sense to others, yet their heads were still held up high. In only one day, they made quite the hefty sum that''ll allow them to squash any near future troubles.

    Two near future troubles red down their backs like they were trying to burn a hole through them.

    Although unknown to all there watching the duo, this was their first step in shaking the Academy to its fundamental roots

    .

    Making it back to their rooms, word traveled fast about their astonishing results, but neither cared about other rumors. Ani was more fixated on their high rewards as her eyes sparkled while sitting on their bed.

    "Today was just a hefty amount of rewards, Darcy! Oh? I know that look in your eyes...still thinking about what those Roc guys told us?" The excited glint in Darcel''s eyes was easily noticeable for Ani.

    Rarely would he ever have this sort of look, and Ani knew more fun would being up for them.

    "You guess, right. Thatbyrinth expedition, it''s a literal goldmine for us! And in just two weeks or so, we can increase our prowess explosively, so we don''t even have to worry about showing up as mere Qi Formation Sea kids."

    "Mnhh...the adventures we could have in that ce seems more than worth our time. But first! We''re going to get a weapon and martial skill tomorrow. Oh! We should also rent out an Elemental Law room so we can peacefully cultivate with no interruptions."

    Despite the natural order of things, Darcel and Ani became attached to the average ways of taking a good sleep.

    Feeling their warm bodies pressed up against each other, safely holding each other is a rare moment of bliss. So naturally, Darcel nodded, agreeing to wait for tomorrow while saying,

    "Alright then, that fool Giel definitely won''t be letting this down so that room is perfectly suitable for us."

    "Right! Enough about that, Giel, it''s time for our fun cultivating session again! I know you really enjoyed yesterday one." Ani bounced off the bed with pepper in her step, already having back full energy.

    Darcel ruefully smiled at her while shrugging his shoulder, telling her,

    "It was more than what I expected from a ditzy girl like you. Show me what you got for today then."

 Chapter 30: Challenge

    Chapter 30: Challenge

    Strutting down the extensive light blue corridors of the Zakira Academy was a fully refreshed Darcel and Ani. Slight grins adorned their faces as they walked with a confident stride.

    After waking up from their admittedly fun cultivating session, the two did take the time to rx in each other''s hands before leaving their rooms. Small moments like those fuel them for the rest of the day.

    This time during their session, neither of the two decided to breakthrough. Before doing this, they want to fully train the Elemental Room offered here at the Academy.

    It never hurts to have an even more stable foundation than what they already have. Plus, with the amount of suspicion already on them, the duo didn''t want more prying eyes.

    Although, once again, while walking, the prying eyes of students and teachers couldn''t help themselves. Just yesterday, the confirmed words of the Mission Elder spread like wildfire.

    To achieve a result like them despite their level, there just has to be something up about the duo! However,pared to their first disruption, the initiate level students were more reluctant to get in their way.

    No matter how they did it, those two truly did kill Perfect Order goblins. Messing with them, without even knowing the full extent of their prowess, wouldn''t be wise now.

    Though this mystery about their prowess wasn''t seen in a positive light. Still, no matter what light they were in, Darcel and Ani cared little about it. Using their good memories, they soon made it to arge vast building.

    Above the entrance of this building did symbols spelled out, ''Weapon Pavilion.'' Students were bustling in and out of ce, all carrying a variety of weapons.

    "I wonder what will suit us" Ani thought out loud as she and Darcel entered the Weapon Pavilion. Once taking one foot in, immediately, they notice how bigger it was on the inside.

    Guessing it, Darcel and Ani reckon this ce could fit hundreds of people at the same time. Even with the already present dozens of youths here, the Pavilion was still pretty spacious.

    Rows of shelves in varying sizes filled this ce, and on the shelves were, of course, Mortal Spirit Weapons. For the Qi Formation Sea realm and under, anyone can use these types of weapons.

    The only difference in these weapons was the tier they were put in. A weapon''s weight and design will increase from low tier to high tier, making it a bit tricky to find a suitable weapon for a cultivator.

    ncing around the Pavilion, Darcel and Ani saw many varied types of weapons, ranging from blunt weapons to bows just for one example. Any sort of weapon they could think of, this Pavilion had it.

    Darcel observed to see which one would be suitable for them for now, until he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down at Ani, he saw a bright sparkle in her eyes as her attention was on two specific swords.

    "We have to check these out, Darcy!" Hearing her tone of voice, Darcel knew she wouldn''t take no for an answer anyways.

    Shrugging his shoulder, he didn''t mind much since he trusts Ani''s judgment anyways.

    "Lead the way then."

    Swiftly the duo walked up to a pair of purple color rapiers. The design on the sword''s handle was sleek and elegant, being made to perfectly fit in someone''s hands.

    Its overall size was just about three centimeters wide and the tip of the sword held this ring purple shine. des like these are used for precise, fast strikes, cutting straight into a foe''s defenses.

    And with how fast she and Darcel was, Ani thought this would be perfect for them! This weapon''s tier was high tier, meaning it would be far heavier to carry, though.

    At least, the weight would''ve mattered for average Qi Formation Sea youths. Effortlessly Ani picked up the rapier from its shelf, wielding it in her hand like it was a twig.

    "Try it, Darcy. For our speed, this more than suits us!" Ani told him while doing casual swings with her sword. Seamlessly her grip on this weapon was perfect, and itplemented her arm strength.

    Seeing Ani so easily pick up this sword, Darcel took his own test run of it. Putting only a little strength in his arm, he easily picked up the sword, wielding it like it had no weight.

    Despite these two seamlessly having no problem holding the des, unknown to them, these rapiers actually weighed at least twenty pounds! And there was one significant shocking thing, not even the duo realized.

    They weren''t even using Profound Qi to lift up the swords! No matter the weight, if one uses Qi, they can make almost any item weightless. The cost obviously being having to expand your Qi just to lift your weapon.

    This troublesome issue meant little for Darcel and Ani, however. Simrly, swinging the sword like Ani, Darcel also got ustomed to the speed to casually toss around the de.

    The rapier felt natural to use and offered little to no resistance when swinging it. Inbat situations, this can also give him and Ani a reach while also being able to go in for a quick kill.

    "I didn''t expect for airhead intuition toe into y even while choosing weapons." Darcel jested to Ani, already having his mind made up on the rapier.

    "Underestimating me again? One day, you''ll finally understand the power of my intuition!" Ani boldly said with a challenging smirk. Her mind was simrly made upon getting this rapier.

    Admittedly, they could try out other weapons. But holding this rapier felt the most natural to them. Moreover, the other types of weapons frankly didn''t interest the duo on first nces as much as these raipers did.

    Nodding to each other, the two traveled over to the Pavilion counter, overseer by a good looking woman. She wore the light blue uniform and had eyes like a hawk, surveying every little student that came in here.

    Although now, her eyes met with the deep ck ones of Darcel and Ani. Instantly when seeing them, did her mood drop some. A bit of disdain entered her eyes as she recognized these two.

    The rowdy troublemakers with this mysterious prowess no one can figure out. After word got out about the duopleting the goblin mission, one rumor had carried the most weight out of all of them.

    If no one knows their real prowess, yet they still managed to kill Perfect Order goblins despite being massively lower level. Then they must obviously use insidious dark powers or cheats!

    Because of the timing of their breakthrough to the Middle Order stage and the previous rumor about their entrance fight...this rumor didn''t seem far off. Otherwise, what other lead anyone else had to go on?

    Giel most certainly refused to believe those two could be anything close to a genius. In his mind, this rumor he caused undoubtedly had to be the truth. s, neither Darcel nor Ani knew anything about this rumor.

    Walking up the counter, Darcel ignored that slight disdain in this woman''s eyes, asking her, "How much for these rapiers?"

    "Hopefully it''s not too much! Darcel and I are kind of on a tight budget." Ani spoke up next and, at the same time, willed some of her soul into her voice.

    Compared to Darcel''s harsh and uncaring voice. Ani''s voice caused sweet sensations to run through the Weapon Pavilion Elder brain. It was soft, pleasant, having an enigmatic charm to it.

    Even if she held no goodwill towards the duo, Ani''s heavenly voice did make her relent a bit. Without changing her expression, she looked over the two purple rapiers, telling the two,

    "These are eight orange crystals each."

    Not a bad price at all...at least it wasn''t for Darcel and Ani. Both of their spatial rings shed as the duo fished out the crystals to pay. The only issue in their minds while paying was this disdaining issue.

    Ever since they first arrived to take the test here, they had been underestimated every step of the way. Whether it''s their appearance or realm, nobody treats them seriously at first.

    Moreover, the disdain still continues even after showing off little by little on what they can really do. It was bing a bit annoying in all honesty for the duo.

    But very soon will this all change. shing eight orange crystals on their hands, the duo paid for the rapiers and turned around without another word. This Elder certainly wasn''t a talkative one.

    Although there was a particr bias, she had against the two.

    Storing the rapiers inside of their spatial rings, the duo continued to walk out of the Pavilion. And on their way did they notice the subtle contempt nces thrown at them.

    Frankly, Darcel and Ani like it this way when no one tries to talk to them. They weren''t here to make friends, nor did they intend to have a clean status here.

    All they needed was strength. And with strength, they''ll surpass everyone in this City and soon leave this little province. On the outside of here, they still have a whole to eventually explore,

    The duo trekked towards their second destination of the day with clear motivations, after making out the Weapon Pavilion

    .

    This time the building they came across held a simr extensive design to the Weapon Pavilion. But the symbols above its entrance reads, ''Martial Technique Pavilion.''

    Taking a step inside, the interior also varied from the Weapon Pavilion. It still was incredibly spacious, housing dozens of students and can probably house hundreds of people.

    But the critical difference was whaty on the shelves. All sorts of jade scrolls, books, or jade tablets upied the shelves. Furthermore, the shelves had a clear division of columns.

    Some were under Zakira fire arts, Zakira water arts, Zakira sword arts, and so on. Under each Martial skill was a symbol depicting whether these Mortal skills were low to high tier.

    Each tier of a Martial Skill has varying qualifications that put them there. It''s either a skill that requires extreme control, a lot of Qi, or highprehension abilities.

    Ignoring looks directed at them, Ani said to Darcel, "Clear as day, we have to choose a fire skill. But the question is, low, middle, or high tier?"

    "Let''s go with...middle tier. Anything used by us might as well be a high tier anyways." The two began walking around the fire skill section of the Pavilion, observing the many jade scrolls there.

    And after a bit, their eyes came upon one specific Martial skill. It was a medium length jade scroll, and under it, it read, ''Mortal Rank, middle tier, Fiery Slice.''

    "Fiery Slice? This...this could actually go great with our rapiers! A Fiery Slice splitting from our des will be an absolute kill!" Animented while reading the basic description of this skill

    The skill requires extreme control over the Element of Fire and urate precision. Something of which both Darcel and Ani have! It was almost like this skill was made for them.

    "Then, we''ll go with this one," Darcel said while picking up the scroll. They didn''t need to go for something that was stronger and waste a lot of Qi. As long as it suits them, then it''s all they need.

    With surprisingly little interruptions, the duo neared the Pavilion Elder, who was a decently attractive man.

    His expression held a natural bored one though his eyes did be a bit curious seeing the duo walk up to him.

    Even more so, he got curious when his eyes darted to the youths at the back of the duo. And seeing their lineup, the Pavilion Elder knew a short little scene was about to y out.

    The students inside the Pavilion also notice the uing exciting scene. Now, two Middle-level students had shown up here!

    "Well, well, well? If it isn''t the insidious cheaters of the Zakira Academy!" A familiar annoying voice forced Darcel and Ani to stop. Oh great, it was the voice of the small-minded Giel

    His tone when speaking was loud and bold, immediately more causing attraction around them. The duo turned around forcefully since it''ll be impossible to ignore him if he gets in their path.

    With Giel was Gorga and another handsome youth the two never saw before. This youth wore the same blue color uniform as Giel had a charming face and long brown hair.

    Taking only a single nce at this neer, Darcel tiredly said to them, "And if isn''t the annoying gnats. Coming here to make another bet with us?"

    Being reminded of their previous loss nearly made Giel swell up with rage. Of course, he was still pissed about losing face, his crystals, and his damn assassin since he still hasn''t shown up yet!

    But Giel manage to keep it cool as he evenly said to the duo,

    "Do I need to make another bet with cheaters who can''t rely on their own personal strength? I mean...after all, you only need to make sure the goblins'' death was caused by you. The ring doesn''t solely rely on personal strength. Unlessyou have a way to prove me wrong?"

    "Heh, hahahaha!! What kind methods would cheaters even have if they''re put out in the open!"

    "Maybe they''ll try to pull another fast one"

    Nearly if not all students there went on board with the duo being dirty cheaters. This theory was a far easier pill to swallow since no one saw them fight.

    Gorga smugly smiled, hoping to see some panic in the duo while the third boy simply looked down on the two.

    However, Ani''s next words stun everyone to silence.

    "Fine, fine! If you really want to see our dirty tricks, then we challenge you to a duel! Darcel will face you, Giel, and I''ll face your little friend! You better not refuse if you don''t want all of your crystals plus our rewards!"

    A duel...a genuine duel between Qi Formation Sea youths and Nascent Core youths? They really want to fight someone vastly superior to them? All students had realized then...this...is just too funny!

    "Pffft-Hahahaha!! They really want to fight Middle-level students?!"

    "They must''ve gotten brain damage when cheating, hahahaha!!"

    The uproar of jeers andughs were directed towards the duo way, yet neither of them changed their expressions.

    "Heh! Giel, do you really want to ept their challenge?!" Gorga boldly spoke while crossing nces with his brother. He was waiting just for this moment, actually.

    Giel traded nces with his friend as his smile turn cold and vicious.

    "Really, there''s no rule that prevents lower-ranked students from fighting higher ranks. And truthfully, this simply wouldn''t be worth our times...but if you''re offering all of your stuff, then I guess my brother needs the ultimatepensation. Plus, we''ll get to truly expose you two. Heh! Alright! Name the day of the duel!"

    For their first real stepping stones, Darcel and Ani had been decided Giel would be it. And since he''s offering himself on a gold tter, then they''ll dly take him!

    What gave them this sudden and wild idea was their senses. Just barely, they could tell for a single moment, a familiar person was watching this event.

    "Two days from now, we''ll meet at the middle-levelbat stage. And pleasee at your best to expose us." Darcel said as he fished out six orange crystals from his ring and tossed them at the Pavilion Elder counter.

    urately the orange crystalsnded on the counter. For what he was purchasing, the Elder knew the skill only cost six orange crystals.

    epting the crystals, the Elder usually wouldn''t care about petty youth squabbles, but this one did get him a bit interested.

    "You better not disappoint us with your methods!" Ani chided with a bright smile. Seemingly these two didn''t even look anxious, but the students chalk it up to false bravado.

    Briskly Darcel and Ani walked past Giel''s group. Nobody tried to stop them from leaving the Pavilion. Only extreme scorn swirled in the students'' eyes watching them go.

    Only on Darcel and Ani''s face did they crack a huge smile. That same deep hidden presence for sure saw all of that, and when the day of the duel came, Darcel was sure they would have the ultimate insurance...

 Chapter 31: Elemental Fire

    Chapter 31: Elemental Fire

    "Mou...that poor witless Giel. By the time we fight, it''ll be toote for him to wish for regret!" Despite her words seeming sympathetic, Ani''s broad smile told an entirely different story.

    Eager anticipation built up inside her and even Darcel; all they needed was just a bit of time. And then, they''ll show all these proud students what a higher mountain truly means!

    Currently, Ani and Darcel were making their way down a unique area of Zakira Academy''s initiate level. This area vastly differs from others mainly because of the mixed aura exuded here.

    Auras of the different elements, sharp dominating auras, or serene, rxing auras, all conflicted with each in this corridor

    It was undoubtedly a shock to feel at first, but Darcel and Ani quickly adapted to this change of feeling.

    By looking around the corridor they were in, the duo could piece together why so many auras shed here. Dozens of doors were lined up here, all supporting different Elders and Teachers.

    Above each door, symbols were reading the variety of the elements or various weapon types. From water to lightning, or sword, this corridor certainly wasn''tcking in variety.

    And just barely,ing from behind each door was a small leakage of the aura it was hosting.

    Amazingly enough, despite having only a small portion of auras out here, the duo could tell none of these aurae were weak at all.

    From what they had read about, this was Zakira Academy famed Law training rooms! Numerous students were bustling out of these doors, all with satisfied looks etched on their faces.

    These rooms were one of the significant reasons outsiders and even small ns and sects were sockluster than Zakira students. Everything stemmed from if these students were born with an ingrain special Qi.

    To train with one''s own inborn special Qi provides astronomical advantages others simply can''t match.

    Training with regr Qi is far simpler, but practicing with one''s inborn special Qi greatly enhances theirbat potential.

    Furthermore, Darcel and Ani were no exception to this rule. In fact, they reckon,pared to the students here, their growth will explode here along with their basebat prowess.

    Looking down the corridor, thanks to the wide avability of rooms, it didn''t take long for the duo to spot a fire room that wasn''t upied. Of course, they would need to go for fire as their next best option.

    There really wasn''t any Darkness elemental room or a Telekinesis room. They had gathered their inborn powers were entirely above anything this low-level Province had ever seen before.

    Walking up to a middle-aged man who held an indifferent expression, Darcel asked him, "How much to rent a room for two days?"

    The Elder looked down at the duo, whose height came up to just his shoulders. His eyes shed in a slight realization about these two. These kids...they were those noisy trouble makers.

    Although despite hearing about the nasty rumors about them, the Elder obviously had far more maturity to bother disdaining them. But he didn''t hold any goodwill towards them either.

    "Two days is two hundred orange crystals. If you have it, just interject the crystals into my ring." The Elder held out his hand that contained a purple spatial ring.

    Hearing the price, Darcel and Ani were d they had back up crystals from the goblins missions and the Quicksilver roc sects kids. Wanting to get strong quickly indeed doesn''te cheap!

    "Being the richest Academy in the city sure isn''t an idle boast! I''ll pay up, Darcel." Even though it really doesn''t matter who pays, Ani still wanted this to be like a treat for him.

    Her blue spatial ring lit up, and she sorted out two hundred orange crystals among the massive pile already in there. Once ready, she lightly touched the Elder ring with her own, causing a mixed blue and purple sh.

    The Elder took a brief second to count out all two hundred orange crystals in his ring. Being a powerful individual at his level, counting up to hundreds at a time, is nothing but a simple blink of his eyes.

    Once confirming their crystals, the Elder stepped out of the doorway while igniting his finger in purple fire. Flicking his purple fire at the door, he told the two,

    "After two days, you''ll be immediately booted out of the room. Make every single count."

    Nodding at the Elder generic and fair advanced, the door had opened up on its own for Darcel and Ani. Without any hesitation, they jumped right in the door, taking them to a fantastical ce altogether.

    .

    Through the door of fire, Darcel and Ani''s eyes gazed upon a roaring purple fiery hellscape that was enchanting to look at. No matter what area they looked at, purple fire swirled everywhere.

    It was akin to a hail rising storm of purple mes. Even the ground they stood on was a ring molting purple! The sky as well was this ring purple color.

    Moreover, neither Darcel nor Ani can see an end to the fiery purple hell. Surprisingly it seemed like this Academy just had no limit on how expansive they wanted their rooms.

    And this oundish fiery hell appearance wasn''t just for show. This room had, of course, heed temperature to zing degrees.

    From the entrance of where Darcel and Ani stood, the purple fire was the calmest here, yet the temperature was still zingly high. Immediate beads of sweat poured down their faces, but the duo didn''t bother with using Qi to cool themselves off.

    Only this much wasn''t enough to get them to yield. After taking a moment to take in the elemental room, Ani stretched her arms, cracked her neck while asking Darcel,

    "So? What should our start be, Darcy? The fire properties in these mes are insanely high! Far, far higher than our own. Anything you suggest, we''ll be in for a good time!"

    Sensing around the ce, Ani was more than right. The aura of fire in her contained a deep profoundness simr to what Darcel felt from first meeting Teacher Z.

    Using a split second to make up his mind, Darcel told Ani, "First we''ll cultivate our ck me properties to expand our control and heat over it. Next up is practicing with our raipers along with our Martial Skills. We should at least use a few hours to refine this before continuing with our regr cultivation and bloodline."

    "Sounds perfect to me! For our fire though, here''s my suggestion...let''s jump straight into the heat! Raw and primal experience works out for even the lowest of talents, let alone our talents."

    Ani''s smile grewrge and feral now. In actuality, not many would be willing to jump straight into the powerful fire just for training. Only those who had an extremely high affinity with fire would even consider this.

    But Darcel and Ani were hardwired to never take the average route. Nodding his head in agreement, Darcel said, "While we are doing it, we should see how long we canst with a Qi barrier, just to see our limits."

    "Exactly what I was thinking. Let''s go!" And with Ani''s final words, the two took a slight pause. Just enough to flex their legs and then shot right into the raging purple mes of hell.

    Incredible heat that Darcel never experienced before circled around his body. All at once, his body became drenched with sweat, yet he gritted his teeth to withstand the heat.

    Ani clenched her hands tightly, digging into her flesh as the heat only raised more and more. In amendable effort, the two couldst for ten minutes before having to put up a Profound Qi barrier.

    This result was certainly better than any other Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea students. They wouldn''t even be able tost twenty seconds! Although this action might seem, well, just pointless to others.

    What benefits could they possibly gain from going through a fiery hell with their base bodies? And the answer to that thought would be Darcel and Ani slightly wide eyes when putting the Qi barrier up.

    Despitesting for a short excruciating ten minutes, the duo felt as if their bodies grew stronger and felt more in tune with fire. It was only a small bit of change but still enough for them to take notice.

    With this slight confirmation in their minds, the duo crudely smiled. It was a pain, but the right kind of pain! For now, though, the two took the time to close their eyes and hone their senses.

    The temperature only decreased barely enough for them to resist, and they took this to their advantage. Slowly theirplete focused senses mixed in with the purple fire as they recall their own ck mes.

    The element of fire. Destructive, dangerous, wild, and frantic. All terms the duo would describe while sensing deep into the properties of this element. Yet, this was only the naked surface of fire.

    After taking a few minutes, barely, just barely could the duo pick up on a profound consistent property of fire. This elemental fire property was enormouslyplex, but it spelled out one thing in their minds.

    Fire is all one smooth motion.

    It''s supposed to be unhindered and controble, swaying to whatever origins it maye from. Rapidly, because of their already highprehension abilities, the duo fell into slight realization.

    Moderately they were able to learn more about the surface level of the elemental fire properties. And with what they could figure out, the two began applying this to their own ck fire properties.

    The two fell into a trance.

    By a little bit, did their Qi barrier let up, allowing more heat to swirl around Darcel and Ani''s bodies. It became increasingly harder to hold on, but it also helped with cultivating their mes.

    Thirty minutes have passed since the two became still like statues. Their minds were experiencing ground shaking progress about elemental fire properties, and then,

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    Reverberations like something shattered in their minds, pushed the duo onto a new level with fire! It was a small jump inprehension, but Darcel and Ani had already felt a more in-depth understanding of fire.

    Just like how they can effortlessly crush any mental blocks in regr cultivation, theirprehension in special Qi types wasn''t any different. Their genius talent had shone brightly here.

    With their eyes still closed, the duo opened up their palm. All of their focus went into the center of their palm as they willed their new understanding of fire.

    Slowly, above their palm, the air went against the whole elemental room. What was forming at the center of their palms was several phantom images of ck mes.

    Andpared to before, their control over their me maniption dramatically improved. There wasn''t any high-end powering from them, but Darcel and Ani felt like they hadplete control.

    Steadily they made ck fire formed into small raging ck ming tornadoes! These tornadoes were frantically swirling but were held firmly in ce by the duo.

    The power of these tornadoes was undoubtedly weak. But power wasn''t what they were going for. The control the two had was excellent. No shortage of power leaked out, nor did the tornadoes get too wild.

    This progress over control andprehension of fire suddenly gave Darcel an idea. Dispersing the ck fire tornadoes, Darcel brought out the jade scroll of the Fiery Slice Martial Skill.

    Unsurprisingly the jade scroll wasn''t affected at all by the surrounding purple mes or heat. Darcel promptly opened the scroll and zeroed in on the content there.

    There were detailed instructions on controlling your fire and bncing out your Qi with the fire to create this attack. Swiftly, Darcel read every little instruction with shes of inspiration.

    After only a few seconds of reading, he was ready. Scrolling up the jade scroll, Darcel held up one finger. Remembering the contents of the Martial Skill to a tee, he began willing his ck fire and Profound Qi.

    Waves of massive fire and power swirled around Darcel, but it was in a calm state. And in only a few seconds of focusing,

    ''Chi!''

    A tall line of ck fire spewed out Darcel''s finger. It was only a single line of ck mes. Yet, the power behind this line couldn''t be ignored by any Perfect Order Qi Formation Sea cultivator.

    If he were to use this attack on the Perfect Order goblins, it would''ve been a dominating one hit kill! And Darcel was only at the beginning of this skill!

    "Ani."

    By only calling her name did Darcel chuck the jade scroll to her.

    Darcel peered over for a second to her, seeing that she caught it. Smirking to himself, Darcel went on for another few seconds to explore this Martial Skill.

    Until, simrly to himself, Darcel sense vast waves of fire and power spewed out of Ani.

    ncing over again, he saw Ani brightly smiling with a whitish ck line of me upon her finger. Excited by her progress, Ani spoke out loud in a passionate tone.

    "Fiery Slice. The skill that''ll burn through any eyes that are blind to us!"

 Chapter 32: Spar

    Chapter 32: Spar

    Against the raging purple mes, Darcel stood tall and proud. Within his hand was his shining purple rapier that created a dangerous look for him. His eyes were closed as he rummaged on time spent here.

    Darcel had to approximate that it had been roughly a day and a half since he and Ani came here.

    And within this time frame, they experienced tremendous growth that would surely rock any cultivatorsmon sense.

    What would get people to question their own sanity about cultivation was Darcel and Ani realm. In just their short time cultivating here, aided by their resources, the two sprang up to the Supreme Order level of the Qi Formation Sea realm!

    For anyone else, even great geniuses, this speed is beyond freakish! Their level ofprehension, control over their Profound Qi, andtent talent are all at a level no one in this city could genuinely understand.

    Moreover, there was another freakish thing about their extraordinary Supreme Order levels.

    At the Perfect Order level, one''s Qi Sea growth can typically expand at most up to the size of a smallke, edging along for a couple of miles.

    Geniuses are known to have muchrger Qi Sea, with some even going up to five or six miles! Depending on how long and deep one Qi Sea is, it tells the surface level of aptitude one would have for cultivation.

    Expanding your Qi Sea requires excellentprehension abilities.

    With highprehension abilities, one can intake the deeperplex meaning of Profound Qi. This greater Profound Qi is then permanently infused into your dantians, expanding your Qi Sea.

    In a sense, the longer and deeper your Qi Sea is, the stronger your Profound Qi will be, and the greater foundation you will have for future Realms. And this concept was utterly broken by the duo.

    The duo knew they were still readily advancing by the mental blocks they experienced whenprehending Profound Qi. But their growth of their Qi Sea underwent a dramatically massive expansion.

    Currently, the two had just broken through to the Supreme Order level, and their Qi Sea grew to the size of a nine miles vastke! Not even at the Perfect Order level yet, and they already far surpassed those at that level.

    Furthermore, their Qi Sea grew stronger, being molded by their special, inborn powers. Darcel deep ck Darkness Qi Sea constantly spewed out frantic wisps of ck mes.

    Ani Qi Sea grew to an even brighter shine of light. It made for a fabulous mix wisps of her ck mes that, simrly to Darcel, constantly spewed out of her Qi Sea.

    All it took to reach this frightening progress was using up most of the orange crystals they received from the goblin mission.

    These orange crystals provided pure essence energy that the duo absorbed to speed up intaking Profound Qi andprehending it.

    As per usual, normally, it''s far tougher to absorb these crystals because it could lead to a shaky foundation for one future.

    But, of course, Darcel and Ani''s soul made it possible for their bodies to still keep a stable foundation. No matter what the outside energy is, the duo could handle absorbing it.

    Although having a stable foundation doesn''t mean it''s a perfect foundation. Darcel and Ani still need to refine their prowess in battle and experience growth to truly have a perfect foundation.

    Still having his eyes closed, Darcel clenched down on his rapier. His body warmed up to resist more heat, leading to a slight bit of warmth in these conditions.

    Taking only a second to breathe, his eyes swiftly snapped back open. At speeds naked to the eyes, Darcel performed three instantaneous sword strikes that looked like it was all one movement.

    The air split apart from his sheer speed and power. Darcel had no wasted movement, doing each strike with extreme precision. Quite quickly, did he and Ani adapt to the surface level of using a sword.

    Their motto was simple. As long as they can control the de and strike fast and hard, that''s all they need for now. Obviously, theyck the finesse and skillpared to any novice swordsman.

    But in battle, the one who can strike faster than the other shifts the whole tide of it. Darcel had a slight smirk after performing his three sword strikes. Clenching his de again, he knew it was time.

    Turning over to his right, he spotted Ani just getting done with her practice set of swings. When his eyes zed over on her, it was like a switch went off in her head.

    Swiftly she had turned around to meet Darcel''s eyes with an excited smile. All of their training and cultivating was leading up to this moment. It was time to run wild!

    "So, Darcy? Are you ready to finally see where some of our limits lie?!" While walking up to him, Ani''s tone was passionate. Clearly, she was waiting for some time for this.

    "For once, I''m just as energized as you about something. I already feel my bloodline roaring to go." The battle-hungry smile on Darcel''s face spoke volumes about their uing spar.

    Witnessing this smile, Ani had suddenly gained a cheeky thought. Might as well add on to make this spar spicier! "Before we get at it, Darcy, let''s make this spar juicy~. If I win or you win, we get to request one absolute thing that we can''t refuse from the loser. Deal?"

    Ani had several thoughts running in her mind while proposing this. But there was one clear goal in her mind about this deal. To take their first massive step in their unconfirmed rtionship!

    Just the mere thought of this got Ani even more pumped up for battle and determined to win.

    And unknown to Ani, Darcel was having simr thoughts. Seeing Ani flushed cute face from cultivating amplified her attractiveness among the purple fire.

    It was time to finally calm this ditzy girl and solidify their rtionship. Finding this idea charming, Darcel as well grew more excited for their spar.

    "Deal. Though I wonder if either one of us will be a true loser after this battle"

    "Hehehe~ looks like you''re getting your own intuition Darcy~."

    Simultaneously, both Darcel and Ani jumped back to stand only ten feet apart from each other. A single second of stillness permeated between the two.

    Their ck eyes locked on to each other, their faces held the same battle-hungry smile as the tension rose around them. Both of them know this would be a challenging yet exciting battle to try to win.

    Like a signal went off after the second, both Darcel and Ani aura tremendously increased all at once!

    ''Whir!''

    Instantaneously, ck mes and whitish ck mes burst all around, shing with the raging purple mes. Darcel sted out his ck fire aura, and Ani spewed out her whitish ck fire aura.

    With no words or warning given, Darcel thrust out his rapier before Ani could move. From the tip of his sword, a fiery ck shine appeared, illuminating straight through the purple mes.

    Before Ani''s very eyes, a vast ck ming w sted from the tip of Darcel''s rapier as soon as the ck shine formed!

    Compared to using his hands, this w looked sharper, and its speed was superior to using his hands.

    Smiling widely at the iing surge of power, Ani''s own sword sparked with a fiery ck glow. Pouring Profound Qi into her legs and sword, Ani blitzes towards Darcel, gaining insane speeds!

    While rushing, a long ck ming whip shot from Ani''s rapier''s tip to meet Darcel''s ck ming w. Frantic powerful surges of Profound Qi swirled in the air, causing a gust of winds around the attack.

    ''Bang!''

    The ck ming whip and ck ming w canceled each other out in a tremendous frontal collision. ck mes crazily spewed out into the purple fire mixing together with it.

    Though when the attacks had shed, Darcel rushed forward to intercept Ani''s mad dash. Nearing close distances, both crazed youths only had a split second to react and attack.

    ''ng!''

    Two violent impacts of metal shing shook the ground. Darcel and Ani''s sheer power caused sparks of purple mes to rise around them. Their eyes locked as their rapiers entered a stalemate sh.

    No words were spoken between each other as their feral smiles spoke everything they needed to say. At equal speeds, Darcel recalled his sword slightly to strike out again.

    It was like they shared the same minds as Ani recalled her sword at the exact same time and speeds. Using a split second, they both poured more Profound Qi in their arms as their eyes gained a savage glint.

    ''ng, ng, ng!''

    In just over twenty seconds, Darcel and Ani exchanged dozens of fast, precise sword strikes. Their rapier de was suited to this sheer intensity of shes with neither edges showing cracks on them.

    During their shes, Ani''s mind went to overdrive as she gained a bright idea. Forcefully after another sh of des, Ani thrust straight towards Darcel''s chest.

    This strike carried a slight new speed Darcel didn''t expect at first. But instinctively, he perfectly counters Ani''s de, locking the two into another stalemate.

    Something of which Ani wanted! Her soul swirled, and her hand and rapier de gained a faint white hue.

    A hue that caused slight panic in Darcel. Immediately, Darcel felt his rapier be massively tough to move.

    Darcel clicked his teeth as he also felt a suppressing weight wrapped his arms, making it tougher to just move his whole body. Of course, it was this troublesome girl power of that dangerous telekinesis.

    If Darcel didn''t do anything for another second, then he''ll lose his weapon and already get put into a tough spot. But breaking free of Ani''s control wasn''t easy at all.

    Through her rapier, it seemed like her telekinesis became even more powerful! Immediately Darcel soon realized just his base form won''t be enough. Thankfully, he has another huge trick up his sleeve.

    His bloodline began frantically spurring while his right arm gained a dark hue.

    ''Whir!!''

    The ck glow of tremendous power crazily spewed out of Darcel! Instantly he felt his body returned to normal and a significant boost to every aspect of his prowess.

    Ani blinked, as a tremendous aura caused massive pressure on her. Darcel''s majestic ck glow pushed out the purple fire as his powerful bloodline aura caused fierce blows in the air.

    Ani felt a massive force pushed back her arms, forcing her to take a step back. And in the same motion did Darcel''s rapiere sailing at her neck.

    Finally, it was time for the real fun to start!

    Ani''s bloodline began crazily roaring as her right arm gained a white hue.

    ''Whir!!''

    The tremendous white aura of Ani''s bloodline shed with the abyss of Darknessing from Darcel. His once suffocating aura became negligent to Ani as her bloodline fought with his.

    Two mighty aura shes caused the ground to quake beneath them as cracks stter out from under their feet.

    ''ng!''

    Far fiercer thanst time did Darcel and Ani''s sheer bloodline power sh through their rapiers.

    Seeing that they were entering another deadlock, both Darcel and Ani''s eyes shed as they jumped back from the sh.

    While jumping back, Ani wasn''t going to let this opportunity slip. The tip of her rapier shined a violent, intense whitish ck glow that pierced through the air.

    Before Darcel could evennd on his feet, he saw several whitish ck ming whips blitz towards him. Amazingly, the whips urately spread out around Darcel, covering every avenue of escape.

    There was no option to dodge, only defend! At least that''s what Ani thought.

    Darcel, however, had different ns. Gathering his Profound Qi, Darcel exuded a suppressing aura as he called upon his Martial Skill.

    Right, when Ani''s whips neared him, at the tip of Darcel''s rapier was a long thin line of ck mes. This single me spewed out colossal power that caused the whips to slow in their attacking speeds.

    "Fiery Slice!"

    Darcel roared out as he swiped his rapier down. Instantly, that thin line of ck fire turned into an enormous line of ck mes that sted towards Ani!

    The enormous line of ck mes shredded Ani''s whips and neared her within a second. By the sheer aura of this attack, Ani knew she couldn''t quickly neutralize it or sh against it.

    Hastily, a white glow covered her feet, making her body feel nearly weightless. In a miraculous disy of movement, Ani shifted her body to just barely avoid the line of ck mes.

    At the same time, while dodging, he rapier spewed out a single line of ck mes.

    "Fiery Slice!"

    Like he did to her, the same enormous line of ck mes came roaring towards Darcel. The speed of the attack equaled his, reaching him in near-instantaneous rates.

    Before striking him, though, Darcel''s bloodline arm gained a deeper shade of ck hue. Promptly his rapier got covered in the pure Element of Darkness!

    Using extreme precision, Darcel sliced straight at Ani''s martial skill.

    ''Chi!''

    Instead of cutting through the skill, Darcel Darkness rapier managed to absorb part of the attack. From the middle did the skill get separated into two raging ck mes without an end goal.

    And this attack didn''t stop either Darcel or Ani''s momentum. Without a second to spare, Darcel rushed towards the blitzing Ani.

    At equal speeds, the two engaged in another fierce and swift exchange of blows. With every strike, they crossed, their finesse at controlling their bloodline rapidly improved.

    Waves of their mighty bloodline auras shed, crashing throughout the whole Elemental room, shifting the purple fire in a wild storm.

    Expanding this much power in their bloodline state already caused immense exhaustion in the duo. And it was then Darcel decided to finish and win this spar.

    Instead of shing against Ani''s rapier again, Darcel waited for Ani''sst strike toe right at him.

    ''Chi!''

    Blood spilled into the air as Ani''s strike grazed Darcel''s cheek. But in this exchange, he managed to get in close. Under Ani''s widening eyes, Darcel''s hand was coated in pure Darkness as he simply touched her arm.

    "O-Oh Damn~!"

    Ani surprisingly cursed out as she immediately felt the effects of Darcel overwhelming Darkness. Sorrow, joy, lust, rage, all mixed emotions clouded and overloaded Ani''s mind for a second.

    A second that was all Darcel needed.

    Helplessly, Ani felt Darcel de pricked on her neck. With just one push further, he could severely injure her if he really wanted to. Unlike others, the clouded mixed emotions only temporarily confused Ani.

    Her bloodline had managed to clean her up, but the results were undeniable; in a real battle, she would be on the floor right now.

    "My win?" Darcel questioned her with a bit of a tease in his voice. The blood from his cheek stilled as his body worked on healing himself.

    "Your win! This win and my loss... it''s the start of the greatest battles we will have with each other!" Recalling his sword back in his ring, Darcel found Ani taking this loss rather well.

    He could also admit that if he was the one to lose, he wouldn''t mind losing just like her. This adrenaline-pumping battle more than made up for any results.

    Plus, the victory wasn''t decided on who can overpower each other. Only through taking a slight risk and reacting fast could Darcel edge out a win.

    Darcel was sure if the fight dragged out any longer, then Ani would''ve been the one to find a way to trick and beat him.

    After taking a moment to calm their bodies, Ani gained a sly smile. She shrewdly slithered close to Darcel, taking on a seductive charm. With a tease in her voice, she asked,

    "So~? Your absolute request for me, Darcy~?"

    Seeing her like this, Darcel gained a more sinful smile. Immediately he hugged Ani''s soft body, causing immense warmth between them.

    Gently he lifted her chin up to witness the blushing expectant smiling face of Ani. With a hot tone, he told her,

    "My request...my request is to have you"

 Chapter 33: Passionate End

    Chapter 33: Passionate End

    "Have me?... In what way have me~? I didn''t know you also can be so coy, Darcy~." It indeed was magical holding Ani close like this. Against the raging purple mes, she seemed to shine the brightest here.

    Both Darcel and Ani felt their heartbeat pick up.

    For years they remained close at each other sides when no one else was there for them. That Parsol Organization may have screwed their minds, but they couldn''t touch their feelings.

    Unfortunately, neither was given any time to fully explore their feelings or deepen their rtionship. Living a life where you always have to watch yourself to stay alive is a pretty significant time-eater.

    But now? Darcel came to realize there was no time like the present! Their future will dramatically shift after their duel, and the time now was ripe to put everything on the table.

    "Still so sly in this position, huh? You already know...to have you be mine." Darcel sincerely spoke without a hint of embarrassment. Promptly his words caused bliss in his chest once seeing Ani''s reaction.

    The smile that she gave him was simply beautiful. Even the coldest of heart will feel warmth if Ani were to direct this kind of smile at them. But this angelic look was all for him.

    And how could Ani not be so happy?

    The words that she wanted to hear for a long time were finally uttered under a unique environment. No matter if their personality significantly differs, they hold a bond unexinable to others.

    "Ahh~, this is uniquely romantic~! After the heat of our spar, I want to feel the warmth of our feelings now~..." Ani''s heavenly voice slithered into Darcel''s ears like warm water.

    If she wants to feel it, then who is he to cruelly refuse this maiden request? No words were needed as Darcel tenderly held Ani''s chin even closer to him.

    Feeling the soft squash of Ani''s modest breast on his chest caused further tiny shocks to run down both of their bodies.

    Ani sweetly closed her eyes in preparation for their magical kiss. Engraving the scene of Ani''s cute expecting face in his mind, Darcel smoothly swooped down and kissed her bright cherry red lips!

    "Nnnh~..."

    Ani cooed into the kiss as she felt her entire being melt into Darcel''s arms. Immediately, pleasure, warmth, and joy coursed throughout her whole body. Like she expected, just this soft kiss was magical!

    Darcel as well let out a hot voice of pleasure kissing Ani. This wasn''t a kiss of lust but more of one to confirm their feelings for each other. Feeling her soft lips on his did felt iparably good, however.

    "Nngh~?!"

    And only a second into their kiss did both Darcel and Ani feel their bloodline frantically swirl!

    This sudden swirl in their bloodline sent out waves of immense pleasure and shock, causing the two to leak out surprised moans.

    Along with the pleasure, there was also an incredibly deep feeling permeating between them. This feeling, this was...vast waves of overwhelming power!

    Neither Darcel nor Ani knew what was happening. They could only tell their bodies felt incredibly good, and they felt a significant boost in their bloodline powers.

    Furthermore, for Darcel, he felt his Darkness element violently react. His own inborn power was raging about. I was like it wanted totch on to Ani and pull her into him.

    Feeling unsure about this reaction, Darcel took a split of his attention to suppress his Darkness Qi. Recalling his Darkness Qi mutating, Darcel had some ideas on why it''s acting like this.

    But this was a matter for another time. Darcel put more of his focus on Ani, who looked like she was in heaven. Her body melted more into Darcel''s arms, feelingplete bliss.

    Her element of Light didn''t react in such a violent way as Darcel''s did. Though there was something intensely maic about this kiss. All Ani chalked it up to was just Darcel being that good of a sweet kisser.

    A guess that would be half right as the two would soonter on discover. After a couple of minutes of lovingly kissing each other, Darcel let Ani''s lips go. However, his arms still were wrapped around her.

    The broad blissful smile still never let Ani''s face. Cheerfully she said to him, "Mnh...we''re skipping some steps in the romantic process, you know? But! Since this was such a good first kiss, I''ll allow it this time~."

    "When things have settled down, for the time being, I have a treat that you''ll greatly appreciate in terms of romance. How does tha-"

    "Oh?! You actually have a n! Mnh...Mnh! It definitely better be good after getting my hopes this high, Darcy!" Darcel was in the middle of affectionately stroking Ani''s hair when she had suddenly passionately cut off his words.

    The clear, bright sparkle and shine in her eyes once again reminded Darcel on how much of a romantic nut this ditzy girl was. Still, her excitement forced a genuine smile right onto Darcel''s face.

    "Have there ever been a time where I have disappointed you?"

    "Muuu...besides being a blunt blockhead sometimes, I guess you haven''t. Hehehe~! Now my hopes just dashed to a new level!" The position they were in, neither Darcel nor Ani wanted to let go.

    Slowly, they shockingly sat on the ring purple ground, not minding the heat in the slightest. Hell, the heat for them now was a weing warmth.

    Staying like this in a lovingly couple position for a few minutes, Darcel had recalled a vital fact.

    Stroking Ani''s head while she leaned on to his chest, he told her, "For our uing duel, I''m sure you also realized someone is undoubtedly watching us. Someone absolutely powerful to the point where no other Teachers could sense them. It''s a bit of a gamble...but we should go all out to see how this person will react."

    "Ah! Our powerful stalker, right. I''m sure she''s one of those secret talent Scouters. The noise we made over two days could...well, did make a lot of people interested in us. And even if this person still doesn''t show themselves at the duel, I''m sure there''ll be plenty of other Teachers lining up to teach us!"

    Darcel smiled in agreement since he had ns to ruthlessly crush Giel. Their time in this room would soon be up, and his anticipation for their uing fight was noticeably high.

    "For now, let''s rest back up to our peak state. Though I''m sure we can still crush those Nascent kids even while exhausted, it doesn''t hurt to be overly prepared."

    "Our unintentional rise really is beginning now, huh? Our lives just never have a dull moment" Ani snuggled up close to Darcel as they both began to close their eyes, to gain back their fallen energy

    .

    Today for the Zakira Academy, a noisymission spread throughout the Middle level of the Academy. At an arena even more expansive than the initiate levelbat arena, hundreds of students and Elders gather here.

    Nearly most of the seats in the surrounding stadium were filled up for today. Discussions was noisily packed here, and a slight tension filtered in the air. After all, this wasn''t an ordinary duel.

    The two infamous new students that nobody can seem to stop talking about was set to appear here today! And once and for all will everyone get to see the cheaters their Academy brought in.

    The achievement ofpleting that goblin mission went far beyond Darcel, and Ani could ever have expected.

    But reasonably so as they performed an aplishment, not even the genius ranked students of the initiate level could do.

    All while apparently being just at the Middle Order level of the Qi Formation Sea realm!

    The thought of Darcel and Ani simply having jumping defying prowess was immediately crossed out of everyone''s mind.

    Only the most extreme and real geniuses of the number one ranked Province have a slim hope of achieving that kind of unfathomable prowess.

    Definitely, not someone from the lowest of ranked Province could produce.

    So whatever cheats those two new students have must be incredibly insidious and maybe even groundbreaking!

    This was the students and even the Teachers and Eldersmon sense, and supposedly nothing can change this.

    Out of all the students, four stood out the brightest, even among the powerful Middle-level students. At a special reserve area of the spectating stadium were four geniuses of their generation.

    "Tch...honestly, this whole thing still seems like some sort of borate joke. Middle Order newbies being better than us? Just saying it out loud sounds like ame joke!"

    A handsome boy wearing a light blue uniform and sporting short ck hair cursed out loud. His face and words just screamed irritated. This boy was the number one ranked student of the initiate level, Numi!

    "If you stop and think about it for a second, you would realize whatever these kids have is some pretty good stuff. And that''s just putting it lightly! I, for one, am interested in seeing those kids tricks."

    Next to Numi was another handsome boy. He wore the same light blue uniform, had short brown hair and a charming face. His face screamed with curiosity as he patiently waited for the duel to begin.

    This boy was the second-ranked student of the initiate level, Opin.

    "Opin is right. Never judge a book by its cover. Who knows? We might get to see something truly sinister today." And right next to Opin was a gorgeous cute looking girl.

    She had the same light blue uniform, long blue hair thatplemented her fit, and a cute enchanting face to boot. Unlike the others, she wasn''t that interested in the current duel, but curiosity was still there.

    This was the third-ranked student of the initiate level Cusi. And the first thing anyone would notice about these three is they''re all at the peak state of the Perfect Order level!

    These were the extraordinary geniuses of the Zakira Academy. Just the fact they were at the top-ranked, they all were gifted with several special privileges, including special seating privileges.

    Though one girl was sitting close by to them, who outshined them all.

    "Still, I''m surprised you showed up here, Hao Cao. None of the other top-ranked middle students bothereding to watch." Numi pointed as his eyes trailed over to that beautiful girl.

    Hao Cao certainly could be considered a top-level beauty. Her face was iparably enchanting, her body was bewitchingly curvaceous, and her shoulder-length ck hair was gorgeous.

    She also donned the dark blue uniform of Middle-level students.

    Any boy in the Zakira Academy would count themselves lucky to be with her. But her being the third-ranked student among all Middle-level students created this unspoken pressure about her.

    After all, she was genuinely powerful, being at thete levels of the Nascent Core Realm!

    "Hm? I just find this event a bit amusing." Hao Cao''s voice was sweet and held a yful tone in it. Obviously, she didn''t take this duel so seriously, but it would do good for an entertaining show.

    Her smile was yful as she shed the initiate level, ranked students one, and continued staring back at the dark blue stone stage.

    Shaking his head, Opin only remarked with, "Even if she''s quite the beauty, she also kind of...weird."

    Out of everyone''s view, over at one of the far end corners of the stone stage were two grand figures. Instructor Lei and Teacher Z had shown to once again witness Darcel and Ani''s magical might.

    Unlike all others, they were the only ones who didn''t make immediate assumptions about the duo prowess.

    "As smart as they appeared to be, I didn''t think they would cause such amotion...unless" Instructor Lei trailed off slightly at the end, and Teacher Z instantly guessed what he was getting at.

    "From what I could sense, she''s still following them. But don''t tell me you believe those two could just magically sense her?"

    "I mean...is it that much of an impossibility?"

    The two Elders truthfully couldn''t deny this possibility. Moreover, they knew clearly that woman rarely bother with students unless they''re truly extraordinary.

    Upon the center stage, Luke stood tall with a bored expression. Frankly, he knows whatever little tricks or cheats they may have, it''s impossible to everpare with the prowess of the Nascent Core realm!

    He had been waiting for a couple of minutes up here, and already he thought those two might be a no show.

    However, his thoughts and all other thoughts stalled when Darcel and Ani gracefully arrived at the arena''s entrance.

 Chapter 34: Prestige Duel

    Chapter 34: Prestige Duel

    All eyes immediately snapped over to the arena''s entrance to see the infamous stars of tonight''s show. Darcel and Ani walked with calm gracefulness, but there was just something off about those two.

    Promptly everyone senses told them why the duo felt different.

    Expectations and reality truly are two entirely separate entities. Darcel and Ani were living proof of this. Everyone, from students to Elders, all expected those new students to still be in the Middle Order level.

    Merely two days have passed since they called the duel after all. However, the immediate auraing from the two, it...it far surpassed the Middle Order level!

    Darcel and Ani didn''t hide anything and let their Supreme Order aura naturally leak out from them. Today is the day when they finally put all of their cards on the table; there''s no reason to be reserve now.

    Confused murmurs began rising throughout the whole arena. Admittedly, everyone came to think the duo suppressed their levels when firsting here just to beat two Early Order students.

    Yet, now this was just an illogical consistency! Just how in two days can they shoot up from the Middle Order level to the Supreme Order level?!

    Even top-ranked initiate level students have to spend months to break through the next level.

    Besides using pills, crystals, or other such resources to speed up the process, you will still need to rely on your own talent andprehension to understand Profound Qi and breakthrough the Mental Blocks!

    All three of the top-ranked initiate level students couldn''t believe their senses either. Numi clicked his tongue, saying, "A sinister cheat...there''s just no other way they could advance so fast!"

    "Before even fighting, they''re already causing quite themotion. Maybe this will be more exciting than I thought." Cusi''s interest in the battle had somewhat increased now.

    "Like I said, we''re bound to see some groundbreaking tools in this fight." Opin also found a great new interest in this duel. No matter what, Darcel and Ani already made quite the first impression on the three.

    The only person who didn''t make so much noise was Hao Cao. Though her eyes did lit up, sensing the duo. The lively keen interest in this show had also significantly increased.

    On the center stage, Luka did feel some shock seeing the duo freakish cultivation speed. But his face soon turned back to its indifferent superior one.

    Even if they had some method to increase their cultivation speed, what does it matter now? No matter if they were Supreme Order or Perfect Order, they''re destined to lose to the prowess of the Nascent Core Realm!

    "Hey, would you look at this? Everyone is in such an excited mood! Even that guy on stage seems really eager for a new experience." Ani remarked as she and Darcel steadily walked up to the dark blue stone stage.

    "The blind always want to satisfy their curiosity. It is interesting to wonder how much their small worlds will break after our fights." Darcel crudely remarked as they finally neared the stage.

    Without saying another word, Ani jumped up on stage, gathering most of the attention on her. Besides Luka here, there was also a handsome older man up on stage.

    He had a serene, gentle face, neat long hair, and a lean body. His uniform was of the Middle-level students'' dark blue one. However, it had a slightly different designpared to the students.

    The most notable thing Ani noticed about this man was his aura. Unlike Instructor Lei or Teacher Z, Ani could tell this man was far weaker than them.

    Still, she only took little notice of this as she walked up to meet Luka at the center stage. While walking, her calm, smiling face crossed with the disdain eyes of Luka.

    "Really...nice trick of damaging your future cultivation for a short burst of speed. Honestly, this ba-"

    "Really! This battle will honestly have a quick eye-opening lesson, all of you will experience today!" Luka''s attempts at suppressing taunts were quickly interrupted by the bold Ani.

    When talking, she seemed to have this odd momentum that slightly affected Luka. It was like her words were the absolute truth, and nothing can change today''s oue.

    Thinking about this idea, Luka snorted to himself as his face gained a hint of mockery.

    "That mouth of hers truly didn''t change at all since thest we saw them." Watching the beginning exchange, Instructor Lei was already having faint premonitions about this fight.

    He, too, was endlessly shocked about the duo''s cultivation speed. While he didn''t really believe the two suppressed their levels before, he couldn''t understand how they advanced so fast now.

    "Still, this girl carries this odd boundless confidence no matter what she''s doing. This fight...it may very well be surprising to us." Teacher Z held a more biased mind since she did see the duo fight right in front of her.

    Although Instructor Lei was a bit surprised seeing her attitude. He also saw them fight, yet it looked like Teacher Z has more confidence in them than him. But he never heard her be so...open to a student before.

    Back on stage, the handsome older man, Teacher Ren, had a curious expression once Ani neared them. He still believed Luka would easily win, but he couldn''t deny Ani didn''t arouse his interest.

    Once the two were ten feet apart from each other, the students'' noisy murmurs died down some. The infamous ''cheating'' new student is about to face off against a prestigious Middle-level student.

    Luka, at the third level of the Nascent Core realm, will seriously fight against a Supreme Order Qi Formation Sea kid. It was finally time to see just how big of a joke this battle will be!

    "Begin!"

    Teacher Ren announced and promptly jumped back to allow the students to fight on their massive stage. Suddenly though, Teacher Ren gained this sinking feeling when he took another nce at Ani while jumping.

    Before Luka could taunt again, before the students could jeer at her, before anyone could move a muscle, Ani''s eyes shined a ring piercing white glow.

    Her spatial ring sparked, and the real prowess of her aura was unleashed all at once!

    ''Whir!!''

    Tremendous waves of Supreme Order level aura gushed out in the whole arena bringing up frantic gushes of winds! Simentousnaly, the temperature massively increased to burning degrees.

    Luka froze, the top-ranked initiate students locked up, and everyone else was in utter bewilderment. A second had only passed, yet Ani dramatically changed to a shattering world point.

    Everyone''s eyes bear witness to the raging whitish ck ming aura that elegantly wrapped around Ani''s body and a purple rapier in her hand.

    Not only was her current sight stunning...the sensation of her aura broke theirmon sense!

    All initiate level students who came felt suffocated and suppressed by her overwhelming aura. Even the early level Nascent Core students felt suffocated by the mere leakage of her aura.

    This aura indeed was of the Supreme Order level...and yet, it''s just too powerful! Hao Cao bounced up from her seat now. Her eyes held this exciting glint as anticipation built up inside her.

    Luka, however, was anything but excited or in awe. Ani zeroed the full brunt of her aura on him, causing tremendous suppression and pressure. His teeth clenched hard to the point of shattering as he tried to resist her.

    "ENOUGH!!"

    Luka''s roaring shout was apanied by the full st of his third level Nascent Core aura! What should''ve been an impressive showcase of power, instead turned into something slightly pitiful?

    "L-Luka power...it''s-it''s not overpowering hers?!"

    "Compared to him, I still feel that white hair girl power more!!"

    "This-this isn''t a cheat, but her true power?! How?!"

    Hearing the students''ments on how he still was weaker than Ani frustrated Luka to no end. Even more frustrating was the fact they were right!

    Him unleashing his aura did nothing to help with Ani''s suppression.

    Ani''s smile was nothing but infuriating to Luka. It was bright, broad, and condescending! She didn''t offer up any more words, but when she slightly moved her body, Luka felt immediate danger.

    ''Hua!''

    Ani sted off to Luka, ripping through air with lightning-like speeds! A trail of raging whitish ck mes was left in her wake as her speed became naked to many eyes.

    Relying on his protective instinct, Luka hastily called upon his Nascent Qi. His hands sparked in a ring purple glow that tried to resist Ani''s already ring glow.

    As Ani neared him, Luka swung his hand up, creating rumbling on the stone stage. From the ground, arge purple earthen wall quickly rose up to protect him.

    Seeing this pathetic defense was nearlyughable for Ani. Gaining a savage smile, she simply gathered a bit of Profound Qi in her arms, transferring it through her rapier.

    ''Chi!''

    With a mere causal swipe of her rapier, Ani split the purple earth wall in half like smooth butter. Luka''s eyes burst open as from the swipe, a wave of sizzling ck mes sted towards him.

    Having only a split second to react, Luka hurriedly formed purple Earthen arms to defend himself. Crossing his arms at his face, Luka already felt a scalding temperature burn up his body.

    ''Bang!''

    Luka got sent skidding back as the wave ck mes ruthlessly struck him. His body was trembling as pain wracked his arms, and a numbing feeling overtook his arms.

    The battle had just begun, and already Luka was put on the defensive! Was this kid actually real?! Everyone was now intensely engaged in the duel, and Ani wasn''t done after that attack.

    "Feeling the heat yet~?"

    Ani yfully taunted with a teasing voice that she knew would further enrage Luka. However, she didn''t want to listen to his response. Flexing her legs again, Ani sted off into another mad dash at Luka.

    "Feel my damn hammer!!"

    Luka''s purple spatial ring ignited as he fished out a long purple battle hammer. From the first nces of that weapon, you could tell its weight was massive and would tten any foe with ease.

    Well, almost any foe.

    Right when Ani neared him, Luka''s eyes had a wicked light in them.

    His whole hammer shined a vivid purple as Luka tightly clenched it. Savagely, he swiftly swung down his hammer in hopes of ttening Ani into a bloody meat paste!

    Ani''s smile turned mocking and feral, seeing the hammere down at her. Instead of dodging, she thrust her rapier right against Luka''s massive hammer!

    "BANG!"

    "GE-AHH!!"

    Akin to a rag doll, Luka''s body went flying, crashing, and bouncing on the stage multiple times. Forcefully, Luka flipped himself over in mid-air and dig his hand onto the stage, still skidding back after thatst exchange.

    Luka nearly felt like he lost all feeling in his other arm. Blood was rising in his mouth, and his chest heaved. ncing over to his other hand as he stopped himself, his eyes widened once noticing his state.

    His hand that wielded his hammer had split open with fresh, bright red blood running down his arm. Pain, humiliation, and shock all ran through Luka''s mind as he stared at his bloodied hand.

    Just two moves and he was thrown into a major disadvantage. Clearly, he had to do something, or he really will end up losing to this damn girl!

    Seeing Luka state, Ani had several different ways to quickly end this. But they were trying to get that person toe out, right? Smiling brightly, Ani decided to be the first one to bless everyone today.

    "You! Watch closely now!" Ani suddenly shouted to Luka, who snapped his head up in rage.

    However, before he could attempt anything, a piercing white glow punctured into everyone''s eyes.

    ''Whir!!''

    A power that nobody here had ever felt before gushed out of Ani. Overwhelming, angelic, and holy. These words could just barely describe the aura Ani exuded now.

    Her arm sparkled in a magnificent white glow, painting Ani in a holy light. Looking at her now, students and teachers alike felt as if an actual fairy was born.

    Numi, Opin, and Cusi had all fully realized then the massive chasm between them and Ani. Their mouths were agape, and their eyes were glued to the angelic-looking Ani.

    Teacher Z and Instructor Lei were stunned. Their own blood began boiling as if it met an absolute suppression. Everything was alling together in their minds.

    And out of everyone''s view and senses, one hidden powerful presence felt their confirmation rise in this one moment.

    Luka was the only one in utter terror about Ani''s newfound powers. It was too much!

    As he struggled to get up, his legs felt weak, his mind buzzed with danger, and he nearly copsed under her mere aura.

    This chasm of a difference...Luka couldn''t take it anymore! A maddening going entered his eyes, and Nascent Qi swirled in his mouth.

    Ani only stood with a calm, smiling expression as she heard Luka shriek with maddening rage, saying,

    "I''ll-I''ll-I''ll KILL YOU!!"

    In a shocking twist of events for everyone, Luka bit down on his tongue, causing a tremendous wave of frantic power to spew out of him! He truly was erupting his blood essence, sacrificing his life span just to win!

    But the only problem with this was

    "Luka is insane! He just wants to cripple himself!"

    "Yea! Even now, his aura is still so smallpared to hers!!"

    As the students pointed out, Luka''s eruption of his blood essence still couldn''t even bepared to the angelic Ani.

 Chapter 35: Overwhelming Duels

    Chapter 35: Overwhelming Duels

    Eyes couldn''t turn away from this supposed duel? No...what was going on now was just pure suppression! And all of it stemmed from a fairy-like girl with a massive smile on her face.

    Watching Luka pitifully squirm under her bloodline aura was almost too good of a sight for Ani.

    The way his expression still morphed into one of desperate fear and his legs yet to lose that wobbling brought about a sense of satisfaction in Ani.

    She can admit it; she no way near as vicious as she knows Darcel could get. But experiencing more and more full-fledged fights, she knew a hidden savage side in her was slowly awakening.

    A savage, feral side to oneself can be immensely off-putting to others. Even with all these tremendous power humans can get, most don''t want to lose their humanity and just be needlessly cruel.

    Yet, Ani and even Darcel saw no harm in enjoying ruthlessly stomping on their foes. It was just simply exciting for them to do. Especially when it''s someone who continually disrespects them.

    Before altogether ending things, Ani still wanted to squeeze out a lost drop of fun from the struggling Luka. Slowly, Luka watched as Ani raised her hand at him and mockingly beckon him over, saying,

    "Well?! Let me see the power of your blood essence if you''re going to make a big deal out of it!"

    Fear and humiliation mixed with unending pain as Luka felt massive frustration swell up inside him. He knows she''s stronger, he can sense she''s stronger, but dammit, he can''t ept getting looked down upon!

    Breaking down his body further, Luka surprisingly stood against Ani''s tremendous aura pressure!

    Forcefully, he raised his hammer to the skies, gathering massive waves of Nascent Qi for an all-out Martial Skill.

    Luka truly was putting all his might into this attack. A valiant effort Ani even had to im. But a cruel haze entered her eyes as she pointed her rapier to Luka''s hammer.

    Faster than Luka and even most students in the stands could see, a whitish ck me sted out with ferocious intensity from Ani''s rapier tip!

    The whip tore through the air, sailing at high speed to a wide eye Luka.

    He was utterly helpless against this kind of speed and could only watch in despair as Ani''s searing whip flew a bit above him.

    ''Bang!''

    The bright, shining purple hammer shot out of Luka''s hand as Ani''s whip effortlessly overpowered it. Luka''s arms trembled non stop, feeling bones broke upon the violent impact.

    Before he could even see where his hammer flew off too, Luka witnessed a second whitish ck ming whip blitz towards him. Against all the odds, Luka instinctively reacted and struck out with his heavily damaged right arm.

    Full power Nascent Qi came spewing out of Luka''s fist, soaring to meet the frenzied power of Ani''s Profound Qi ming whip.

    And before they sh, Luka already felt his Nascent Qi severely suppressed by Ani''s prowess.

    "Bang!"

    "GAHH!!"

    Like a bullet, Luka shot backward while spurting out blood! That one whip utterly destroyed his right arm, setting his hand on fire and causing massive wracks of pain.

    However, this nightmare power wasn''t quite over yet. A sudden gust of wind caused even more fear in Luka. Popping out of thin air for him, Ani''s purple rapier came sailing towards his right shoulder.

    At this point, Ani simply could''ve let Luka ragdoll off stage. But she had to set an example on her fighting style for all students to see. Plus, she also wanted to try a small experiment.

    ''Chi!''

    Fresh blood gushed into the wind as Ani quickly pierced Luka''s shoulder like it was made up of tofu. For a single second, Luka was utterly silent. And then...utter nightmarish pain!

    "AHHHH!!!"

    Luka''s anguish shouts spewed out in the arena, being akin to the shrieks of a dying pig. Inside his body, raging fire rampaged there, sizzling his bones and organs.

    Though, in her bloodline state, Ani managed to control her fire to not kill the boy. However, after only a second, Luka promptly passed out as the pain was far too unbearable to stand.

    Witnessing this, Ani shrugged and pulled her rapier out of Luka.

    Blood pooled down his body and Ani''s rapier, creating a quite graphic horrifying scene. Turning off her bloodline aura, Ani went back to her usual lively self.

    Her bloodied rapier shed back insider her spatial ring like nothing even happened.

    Luka''s unconscious body crashed into the stone floor, forming a pool of blood under him. Simentasnouly, the whole arena was utterly silent.

    Ani kept her head held up high though she sensed something swiftly approaching.

    Taking a few steps back and ncing down at Luka, like an actual ghost, a man in a professional doctor suit came and whisked Luka away. Seeing this for a second time, Ani frankly wondered if all doctors specialized in speed.

    Though Ani was nonchnt about her victory, students and teachers alike had one big question on their minds. Just what the hell...what the hell did they witness?!

    Among all confused and awe stares, Ani walked with a chip in her step to Teacher Ren. Basking in the utter glory of shocking ignorant people certainly felt good!

    "Excuse me, Teacher Ren, but I think I should be getting my sweet rewards from battle?" Ani''s voice still was bubbly, cheerful, and sweet to listen to. It had also broken everyone out of their awe stares.

    "She-she...that''s a genius"

    "There''s no other eptable term other than genius for her!"

    "This is...my eyes.I still can''t believe what happen"

    Chaotic murmurs of awe students ranged throughout the whole arena. Jumping up a whole realm to utterly crush that foe? The only way to describe this is a true genius!

    Ani, the supposed dirty cheater, is actually a hidden profound genius?! No matter how ridiculous it sounded, Ani really did just beat a Nascent Core student with the sheer power of the Supreme Order level.

    Furthermore, she also holds this odd majestic power that significantly boosts her prowess! Numi, Opin, Cusi couldn''t move from their seats at all.

    They couldn''t even be mentioned in the same sentence as Qi Formation Sea geniusespared to her!

    All the while, Hao Cao kneen interest in Ani had majorly increased. But her eyes had actually darted over to the lone Darcel. Fervent anticipation built up inside her, watching him now.

    "Ah-ah! Right...you will be granted with thirty red crystals as per rules." Teacher Ren woke up from his stupor about Ani. Suffice to say his world was rocked, simr to the others.

    Not only that, this would be the first time in his history where''s he granting red crystals to initiate level students.

    Pushing this conflicting thought down, Teacher Ren fished out a dark blue sack from his spatial ring.

    Handing it to Ani, she dazzlingly smiled at Teacher Ren while putting the sack in her spatial ring. Swiftly, she turned around from him and got off stage to meet up with Darcel.

    "So~? Did you enjoy my little show for you~?" Using a seductive teasing tone only granted for him, Ani slithered up close to Darcel. She enjoyed acting coy a lot with Darcel, though he rarely gets riled up.

    Forming a small smile at her, Darcel began patting her lushes soft hair, making Ani cooed into his touch. Boldly he told her, "Not even a god could look away when you spew out your endless supply of energy. But now, you should prepare to watch my style of a show."

    "Oh?! You''re going to put on an even bigger act than me?!" Ani was excited in seeing how Darcel will increase their prestige. She only hopes he doesn''t go overboard and ends crippling that Giel kid.

    "That''s why I say prepare. It''s a returning trick I already showed you before, just recently, in fact." Darcel simply said mysteriously. But not mysterious enough as he saw Ani''s eyes spark up in realization.

    While Darcel and Ani had their usual calm bantering talk, Giel was sweating hard. He wasn''t foolish enough to believe Darcel wouldn''t hold a simr power to Ani.

    They practically never separated sinceing to this Academy! And going by the full aura he felt from Ani, he could tell if he was fighting her, Ani would probably crush him just like with Luka.

    He was confident in his power but wasn''t a huge blind fool. However, aftering this far into the duel, how could he simply just back down? He''ll only lose face without even seeing Darcel fight!

    "Giel...maybe...maybe he''s isn''t strong as her? There''s just bound to be some differences between them...right?" Gorga attempted to offer some words of encouragement, yet he was also feeling utter despair about Ani''s prowess.

    Giel didn''t even register what his brother said.

    Without another word, he jumped on the center stage, making all eyese on to him. His eyes red to where the duo stood, only to feel a slight loss seeing Darcel be so calm.

    Darcel and Ani nced over to the stage, seeing Giel jump on it. Reluctantly Darcel stopped patting Ani''s head and shed her a knowing smile.

    She had the same smile too as eagerness swelled inside her chest.

    Like unspokenmunication, Darcel nodded at her and promptly jumped up on stage. Slowly and dauntingly, Darcel walked up to the center stage, pulling all eyes on him.

    "So...that guy going to fight too, huh" Numi muttered out a bit breathlessly, his mind still already spawning several ideas about Darcel.

    "Just look at the way he walks...already he built up massive anticipation inside, well, all of us." Cusi also remarked, feeling the clear expectation cut through the air.

    Simr to Giel, all other students heard Darcel and Ani just always stick together no matter what. And if that''s true...then he''s probably bound to have an incredible talent!

    Hao Cao showed a much more intense interest with Darcelpared to Ani. She doesn''t even know if his prowess could match hers, yet her eyes were glued to this duel.

    Instructor Lei and Teacher Z quickly focus on Darcel, putting down their shock about Ani forter. Depending on how he does will dictate their futures about these kids.

    Teacher Ren was silent, watching Darcel and Giel stand ten feet apart from each other. One was at the Supreme Order level of the Qi Formation sea realm, and the other was a fourth level Nascent Core talent.

    Before Ani''s fight, he and everyone else would share a heartyugh at this standoff.

    But now?

    No one had that much thought in doubting Darcel since the impossible was already broken once today.

    Crossing eyes with each other, Darcel could see the massive nervousness in Giel''s eyes. Giel saw this as a fight for his life and reputation while Darcel just wanted to let loose for a bit.

    "Begin!"

    Teacher Ren called out once again to signify the start of the battle. And this time, tremendous waves of power gushed out of the youths already!

    "Whir!!"

    ck fire crazily spewed out in the arena as Darcel gained his ck ming aura and brought his purple rapier. And trying to match his aura was the vague blue aura of a new power Darcel didn''t sense before but quickly identified it.

    Giel used the power of Sword Qi!

    It was sharp, refined, and incredibly potent to others, and Giel also held a straight silver sword. Fourth-level Nascent Core aura desperately tried to match Darcel''s Supreme Order aura''s iparably deep power.

    Giel was gritting his teeth a bit while the stadium was stun, but their suspicious was also just confirmed! Just slightly more did Darcel manage to outmatch Giel''s aura!

    Clearly, the students could sense Darcel''s aura more than Giel. Exactly like Ani, he already showed himself to be a threatening opponent.

    However, Darcel wasn''t going to be just like Ani. And it was time to unveil his little trick.

    Much faster than Giel trying to maximize his sword aura, Darcel gathered a massive amount of Profound Qi into his rapier. Instantly the power he was swirling caused Giel''s and everyone else faces to drop.

    Giel was just finishing unleashing his full aura prowess when a tremendous suffocation power wrapped up his entire body. It severely suppressing every inch of his being.

    All of it was just far too fast for him to evenprehend! As in the very next second, Darcel''s voice boomed out in the arena.

    "Fiery Slice!"

    Hearing the name called pushed people into further awe since Darcel was perfectly using a Martial Skill!

    ''Chi!''

    In utter shock, Giel watched as an enormous line of ck mes came blitzing towards him. The power behind this attack nearly locked up his joints in pure suppression.

    But Giel wasn''t content going down like this.

    "GEH!! SWORD FORMATION!!"

    Roaring in fierce indignation, Giel hastily swirled his Nascent Qi into his sword. His attempt at a Martial defensive skill came in the form of a translucent blue barrier Nascent Sword Qi.

    His silver sword glowed the same bright blue as Giel raised it to meet Darcel''s attack head-on.

    ''BOOOM!!''

    The tremendous explosion of Profound Qi shattering Nascent Qi sted everyone''s eardrums. ck fire crazily rampaged on the stage as Giel shot backward like a cannonball.

    "GE-AH!!"

    Forcefully, Giel grounded his body, rolling on stage as pain wracked his body, and nearly all feeling in his arm was gone! He coughed up blots of blood in a kneeling position and tore his eyes to his sword arm.

    Terror entered his eyes once he noticed the mangled state of his arm. His uniform sleeve was ruined, exposing his bare bloody arm. Gorey red flesh sizzled off his arm as the ck fire raged about there.

    Giel froze in a cold sweat for a second. He was sure, just now, his aura was only slightly weaker than Darcel. But why...why did this attack overpowered him so much!

    Nearly over half of his Nascent Qi was depleted, just barely defending that attack, leaving him only a small portion. Blood still trailed down from his mouth, and his chest violently heaved.

    Giel wasn''t in the right state of mind to understand it, but others certainly did. Darcel''s level of power showed off with a Martial Skill only means he achieved Perfection Mastery over it!

    When one perfected any kind of Martial Skill, the power they could exude would be significantly multiplied in a single attack. And Darcel achieved this result in two days!

    Moreover, what people didn''t know was his skill as well was amplified by his more profound understanding of the Element of Fire.

    Giel was inplete pain, despair, and unwilling shock. But like rapid-fire, an aura...an overwhelming aura caused him and everyone to fall into an enchanted daze.

    This power...it couldn''t be! But they couldn''t deny it, Darcel was unleashing a newfound prowess simr to the white glow of Ani''s!

    Hastily Giel''s head jerked up towards Darcel, who was slowly gaining a mystifying ck glow.

    Darcel cracked open a cold condescending smile at Giel as he slowly unleashed his bloodline. Mockingly he taunted to Giel saying,

    "Didn''t I tell you before toe with your best method to expose a cheater like me?"

 Chapter 36: Majestic Presence

    Chapter 36: Majestic Presence

    ck glow, darker than the abyss'' pits, pulled people into a different trancepared to Ani''s white light. Darcel stood like a grand majestic emperor with his bloodline arm.

    His mere leakage aura was of thismanding presence merely impossible to ignore.

    Ani''s aura made you want to serve and worship her. Darcel''s aura made you want to willingly bend to his will and leave their minds to him.

    A majestic fairy...and a glorious emperor! Theirbination fit each other perfectly to a tee! And somehow, despite being in the lowest rank province, Zakira Academy people were the first to witness their full glory.

    The raging ck fire on stage calmed down, bing entirely steady, swaying with an elegant rhythm. Giel''s Nascent aura was utterly negligent to the grand prowess of Darcel''s bloodline state.

    His breath caught in his throat as feelings of regret boiled into his mind. In just a matter of a few seconds, his whole world was utterly trampled upon by Darcel. He regrets ever crossing gazes with this freak!

    s, there was simply no pill for regret.

    But, could he simply give up right now? Logically it makes the most sense, but...he was a Zakira Middle-level student! It was just unbefitting to roll over like a dog and pathetically leave without even throwing an attack.

    Darcel''s cold, uncaring eyes mockingly stared at him, further destroying his confidence. Yet, even under this pressure, Giel forcefully swirled up Nascent Qi in his mouth.

    Uncaring about anything else, Giel forcefully erupted his blood essence! Attention momentarily snapped towards Giel as he was making the same move as Luka.

    And just like Luka, Giel''s tremendous waves of newfound frantic Nascent Qi was still nothingpared to Darcel. Even as he shakily stood up while erupting his blood essence, everybody already knows this oue.

    "Doesn''t he just realize it''s already over? Now he just uselessly wasting his life span"

    "Wait...wait a minute. Giel is actually forming a Martial Skill?!"

    Gushes storm of winds swirled around Giel as his aura dramatically increased! He tightly clutched his sword with his mangled arm, spurting blood into the wind, yet he didn''t care about that or the pain.

    In a simr manner, like Darcel, Giel''s prowess significantly multiply all at once!

    Meaning he is also about to unleash a Perfection Mastery Martial Skill! The area around Giel turned into a sharp piercing blue aura as phantom images of swords started to form.

    Darcel only held his vicious smile while watching Giel. No matter how much Giel tried to amplify his prowess, it was still nothing under his bloodline aura.

    He could just finish with Giel with one move. But, Darcel wanted to set in stone the example Ani provided in herst match.

    This example will forever be engraved in their minds, no matter if they''re a student or a teacher!

    "My, my~. Giel is going to use the penultimate of Sword Skills here. I wonder just how this special guy will deal with it~?" Hao Cao''s sweet, yful voice cooed out in the genius area, bringing the other ranked students'' attention to her.

    These three students were at first shocked at Giel''s sudden burst of power. Clearly, in a regr battle, this would be an unstoppable trump card!

    It was only a shame they and all other students could still sense Darcel''s mighty aura, majorly outssing Giel''s Martial Skill.

    However, their interest was now stolen as this was the second time Hao Cao decided to open up her mouth.

    Looking at her, the ranked initiate level students could see she held far more interest in Darcel than Ani. Hell, the fact she was interested in the two of them was surprising considering her weird track record.

    Yet before anyone of them couldment on it, they all heard a roaring shout filled with great power.

    "Hundred Layer Swords!!"

    ''Whir!!''

    Gushes of massive Nascent Qi spewed out in the whole arena! All around, Giel has numerous blue Qi swords, totaling to an actual number of one hundred.

    And around Giel''s body was aplete sharp blue sword Qi aura. It was like he was at one with the sword, having his presence be dangerously piercing, akin to a real sword.

    It only took a couple of seconds to form this Skill, and Darcel didn''t lift a finger to interrupt. Him doing this was even greater disrespect to Giel! Darcel didn''t even consider his frantic surge of power a little threat.

    Moreover, the cheeky smile he offered Giel sent him into a zing rage! Gnashing his teeth to the point where blood flowed out, Giel tightly gripped his sword and blitzed towards Darcel.

    However, before Giel could even move that far, all of the ck me on the stage suddenly was sucked into Darcel''s rapier. Causally holding his rapier out to the charging Giel, Darcel was ready to end it once and for all.

    Immediately, Giel froze up once, seeing a glowing ck fire shine form at the tip of Darcel''s rapier. That shine exuded incredible power that Giel didn''t know could actuallye from a human.

    The temperature dramatically shot up to burning degrees, already sizzling Giel''s body without evening close. Beads of sweats endlessly poured down Giel''s face, and then...he witnessed it.

    Unlike Giel, Darcel didn''t need to take even two seconds to form his attacks. Instantaneously when his ck ming glow appeared, Darcel''s ck fire aura ferociously sizzled.

    ''Chi!''

    Shooting out from Darcel''s rapier in a ck fiery glory was a massive ck ming w! The w grew to exponential size to the point where Giel''s hundred sword attack looked like an ant.

    Jaws dropped, eyes popped open, and minds were shattered. The power behind this w, the scale of this w, was all imagery that would forever be imprinted on students'' and teachers'' brains.

    Smacked right in the middle of the ck ming w grand aura was a terrorizing sensation.

    Giel couldn''t move a single muscle as he helplessly watched his hundred blue Qi swords disintegrate under the ck ming w.

    And in horrific realization, the enormous ck ming w came crashing down at him! Giel''s world was engulfed inplete darkness; he couldn''t even utter out a cry for help.

    ''BANG!''

    Darcel''s ck ming w ruthlessly crushed Giel and his ultimate Martial Skill. The resounding impact red into everyone''s ear, jolting them up to this mass rush of power.

    In total control, Darcel made his ck ming w disappear along with turning off his bloodline state. Back to his usual calm self, Darcel contently smiled at his work.

    The dark blue stone stage had several weblike cracks running under a sizzling, bloody Giel. Giel was, of course, still alive, but had immediately passed out from the overwhelming blow.

    Silence, utter silence permeated the whole Middle-levelbat arena.

    That level of attack Darcel had achieved, it was...it was mind-boggling! A scale of that attack size, only those legendary Core level geniuses could achieve something like that!

    The size of Giel''s Martial Skill was already a slightly special case that would be difficult to replicate. Yet it just utterly paled inparison to Darcel''s ming w.

    Before Darcel got his rewards from Teacher Ren, like with Ani, he also saw a doctor professional whisk Giel away. And Darcel took little notice of how the doctor wasn''t even the slightest bit fazed by his fire.

    Continuing on, Darcel walked up Teacher Ren, boldly speaking out loud and causing everyone to awake from their stupor. "My red crystals are ready, right?"

    Mastery over a Martial Skill...and overwhelming Profound Qi...Darcel was a true genius! He was even more dominating than Ani, considering Giel couldn''t evenst for two of his moves.

    Upproaring chatter broke out about Darcel and Ani. And among all the noise, Teacher Ren cleared his head and ignited his spatial ring. Taking out a dark blue sack, he said,

    "Right-right. Here, thirty red crystals."

    Taking the sack, Darcel transferred it to his spatial ring and promptly walked back to Ani. No wonder Ani seemed in a great mood whening back, basking in awe; glory was a refreshing experience for Darcel.

    The three top-ranked students were silent as they watched Darcel proudly walk back.

    Two massive chasms had appeared out of nowhere, and these chasms were one Numi, Opin, and Cusi knew they could never cross

    For the first time in a long while, Hao Cao felt excited about wanting to meet new people. Her yful grin turned into a genuine eager smile as she slowly muttered out,

    "At that meeting, they will definitely be there!"

    Teacher Z and Instructor Lei simply couldn''t expect they would identally pick up such level talent. And to think they both initially thought the duo were just shabby kids!

    Although before they could continue this thought, they both sensed her hidden presence moving out. Her presence caused them to tighten up since it was finally time to appear.

    "Muuu...fine! I''ll give it up to you, Darcy, that show was way shier than mines. But! Next time, I''ll show you what it really means to be shy!" Darcel didn''t even say anything, yet Ani immediately croaked once he came close with his slightly smug smile.

    "I''m sure you''ll try ditzy girl. But don''t be-"

    "AH?!?"

    Whatever snidement Darcel was going to say got caught off when fervent uproars of surprised shocks rocked the arena.

    The duo found the students and teachers to be even more astonished than when they fought.

    As the two turned to see who caused all of thismotion, both Darcel and Ani suddenly felt that same profound sensation of being watched. Only this time, the person hade out in full.

    "WE GREET VICE-PRINCIPAL!!"

    Every student''s respectful shout boomed into Darcel and Ani''s eardrums as they finally saw whomanded such respect. And frankly, the duo was also shocked by who it was.

    Generally, as one steadily advanced in cultivation, their appearances will also either quickly or slowly grow. Even Darcel and Ani, their once decent appearance was slowly morphing into something charming.

    But once people get to legendary high realms, at the very least, their appearances would be charmingly attractive. However, for the woman that just showed up, she went against that norm.

    This woman was, simply put, grand in stature. She was six feet tall, just barely taller than Darcel, but still towers over most men and women.

    Her outfit was this dazzling ck purple mixed majestic robes that exuded a leader like presence.

    But her face. It was just...in, average with no real defining features. A woman''s face that could simply be assorted into crowds of people and blend into the background.

    Moreover, a long scar ran down her cheek, giving her a slight violent look.

    Her body was no different in being in. Just ordinary proportions, leaning a bit on the t side. Compared to Teacher Z, she obviously outstrips this Vice Principal in terms of beauty.

    Yet, in terms of aura? Teacher Z couldn''t hold a candle to the natural aura this Vice Principal exudes. It was an aura that made the blood run cold, intimidated minds, andmanded a high degree of respect.

    This was a woman you wouldn''t ever dream of going against in primal fear for your life.

    So grand and majestic, she would undoubtedly frighten any, if not all, youths during the first meeting. But today, the Vice Principal came across two kids who were actually expecting her.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t back down at all from this majestic woman. Their eyes evenly matched with her cold blue ones, taking her aura in full stride.

    A small, barely noticeable smirk twitched the Vice Principal lips as gazed upon this bold duo. Ignoring all others who respectfully greeted her, her attention was only on Darcel and Ani.

    "You kids'' talent and potential are deserving toe with me. Unless...you have any other thoughts?" The Vice Principal''s voice was like steel.

    Indifferent, blunt, and straight to the point.

    She carried an undeniable momentum when talking as students and teachers were all engrossed in this exchange. Yet, neither Darcel nor Ani had reactions they would typically expect.

    "Finally, it''s here! Our golden ticket! Let''s get on with it!" Ani bubbly said out loud, spouting a massive grin on her face. She vividly walked up along with Darcel as he also said,

    "And like usual, everything just falls into ce thanks to our joint prowess. Ready whenever you are." Both of their tones were brazen and uncaring about giving high amounts of respect.

    Honestly, breaths hitched into throats as no one ever dared to speak to the Vice Principal this way! Surely they thought these two freakishly strong duos would get into trouble, but they only heard,

    "Two rare mouthy ones, eh? This truly will be interesting." The Vice Principal only indifferently remarked without a hint of anger. Waving her hand, an mysterious energy enveloped Darcel and Ani.

    And under all eyes, the two were swiftly whisked away by the majestic Vice Principal of the Zakira Academy!

    Though left behind, no one will ever forget the legendary fights two previous new initiate level students had for times toe...

 Chapter 37: Casual Bold Exchange

    Chapter 37: Casual Bold Exchange

    Truly, even as Darcel and Ani experienced rapid bouts of growths, leading them to trump their fellow generation. They still can''t forget just how many monstrous powerhouses that can kill them with a thought.

    Their minds had reinforced this idea when the Vice Principal''s mysterious energy instantly wrapped them up. Her power...it indeed lived up to her majestic grand aura.

    Neither Darcel nor Ani could move once in her energy, yet it wasn''t so much of a suffocating power. Though before they had time to delve their senses into her power, the two abruptly felt a dramatic shift in the air!

    It was like getting sucked in at high velocity through a tornado! Their vision was clouded by the Vice Principal''s mysterious grey energy, so the duo had no idea where they were going.

    Although, this sudden dramatic pull onlysted for a second. When their eyes blinked and re-opened again, their scenery changed. Now the two were in a ssical design office.

    There were shelves, file cabs, and various assortments of books and scrolls in this ce. The ce was also spacious, allowing room for several people toe and lounge around in here.

    But, there was just something about the color of this office.

    As far as the duo were concerned, this Zakira Academy loves the shade of blue and purple, constructing unique, elegantly designed mixes of colors with them.

    Yet this Vice Principal office.the blue here was enchantingly radiant. It held this cooling vibe about it that simply will capture your eyes to be drawn into its light pitch.

    And at the back center of the room was a luxurious design desk in the same enchanting blue color. Sitting behind the desk was the average yet grand in stature Vice-Principal.

    Frankly, both Darcel and Ani had some queer ideas about this room. For someone as average looking as the Vice Principal was, it seemed her taste in design is quite mystical.

    Although they would never say this out loud to her face.

    Even with this seemingly less strict attitude she has, it''s still best to watch their boundaries. Before the duo could say anything, though, the Vice Principal had immediately opened her mouth.

    "You kids were trying to perceive me anytime I was following you, weren''t you?" Her voice wasn''t of an using tone but more of a slight curiosity about their senses.

    Ever since the day Teacher Z introduced their tests and exined the result of Darcel and Ani''s first battle, her gut feeling piqued about them.

    After all, in her long history, not many can achieve perfect marks on the written test.

    That was borderline genius territory!

    And her interest in the duo was reinforced quite quickly from one act. On the day the two went out for the goblin cave, she precisely saw the very slight pause in their steps when they left the mission center.

    Nobody else noticed it, not even the Elder there caught on to it. But the Vice Principal clearly perceived the duo trying to sense something beyond the people in the mission center.

    Giving the duo the benefit of the doubt, the Vice Principal then decided to follow to see if that slight pause wasn''t just a fluke.

    And, well?

    Everything just snowballs about the duo as soon as they started their mission.

    Long before they had even fought against Giel and Luka, the Vice Principal was soon going to contact them through Teacher Z for another test. But it seems these kids truly like to cause a ruckus.

    "Mnh...Mnh! This is a great honor! How many can actually say they''ve been stalked by one of the most powerful people in the city?" Despite admitting to saying the Vice Principal is a stalker, Ani had a genuine massive smile and spoke in a bright, cheerful tone like it was a great thing.

    Shaking his head at Ani''sment, Darcel did see some truth in her statement. Shrugging his shoulder, he also spoke up, saying, "It was odd, alright...but I guess you can call it a new experience."

    "Already I can tell in terms of personality, you two are even odder than that loudmouth. But, I''ll cut straight to the point. Frankly, your talent and potential are among the highest I''ve ever seen in my life. Your prowess with Profound Qi is unprecedented...but, your foundation is still rough around the edges. For this, you will be directly under Teacher Z from now on."

    The Vice Principal gauged the duo''s reaction as she unloaded this bombshell of news onto them. Excitement over gaining a powerful teacher, or a face close like that, was what she expected from the two.

    However, she immediately realized she should''ve known better when both Darcel and Ani only held calm gazes. They didn''t even slightly react being told about their imperfect foundation.

    Admittedly she had to gain a small smirk seeing them be so natural. While Ani seems to not question it, Darcel''s eyebrows quirked once thinking about that beautiful teacher.

    "Teacher Z huh... she''s got to be at least one of the strongest teachers here if I''m not mistaken, right?" This thought abruptly came to him as there hasn''t been a single other teacher that ever came close to the deep profoundness of Teacher Z.

    Not Teacher Ren, any of the initiate level Teachers, or even Instructor Lei cane close to the intense aura Teacher Z holds. And then there''s this massive disparity between Teacher Z and this Vice-Principal.

    Call it an innate curiosity, considering they''ll be together soon. Plus, this curiosity got the Vice Principal to form a small, proud smile, telling the duo,

    "She''s not merely one of the top ten strongest teachers here...she''s the second strongest teacher out of the whole Academy. And under her, she''ll make sure your Profound Qi bes more refined and forcefully open up that hugetent potential locked inside yourselves. Also, that small little boy, Giel, his family won''t dare to bother you this way."

    All at once did the Vice Principal straightforwardlyid out everything for them. A quality that both Darcel and Ani like to have in conversations. And they''ll return the same straightforward favor.

    "I''m d everything is as smooth as this. You know I like people who have this straightforward and bluntness to situations. Wouldn''t you agree, Ani?"

    "Oh, absolutely so! In fact, I''m really drawn into people like you, Darcel, and the Vice-Principal! So since we have no logical reason to refuse, when do we start?"

    Such direct and bold ims utter from their mouths without a hint of nervousness. The Vice Principal could tell these kids weren''t just trying to court favor from their way of speaking.

    They honestly just say what''s on their mind, a rather admirable quality most don''t really have. Taking out a unique purple ring from her desk, she told the two,

    "Truthfully, you kids'' attitude varies from what I usually see. But it isn''t so bad." While talking, her ring ignited in a bright purple spark spewing out untraceable waves of energy.

    "Thankfully, I''m d we can appease. So when do-"

    "Vice Principal, I''m here...and it truly seems it came down to me." Darcel''s words got cut off when the gorgeous Teacher Z had suddenly popped up right beside the Vice Principal desk.

    Darcel and Ani were taken by a slight surprise as this literally was like a ghost popping up! Furthermore, around Teacher Z''s body was this mysterious purple energy.

    "Everyone at a high level sure does make traveling around look so easy" Ani lowly mumbled while shaking her head at Teacher Z''s sudden appearance.

    Ignoring Ani''sment, the Vice Principal told Teacher Z, "From now on, these two talented kids will be in your direct hand. Teach them and guide them with the utmost importance! Also, after this, show them to their new living quarters, where special geniuses living ces."

    Teacher Z wasn''t surprised in the slightest hearing what she had to do. It would be an utter waste otherwise to not raise and train these two. In the future, who knows what kind of achievements they will have!

    However, before Teacher Z could respond, Ani had suddenly spoken up in a teasing tone. "Ah! So soon did our fable meeting happen, Teacher Z. But Vice Principal, just one thing about the rooms. Darcel and I mu-"

    "Do you believe I have no experience in seeing youthful romances? There was only one key that would be granted to you two for the room." The Vice Principal bluntly told them.

    And honestly, Darcel wasn''t surprised she guessed this. It would be surprising to just think they''re still friends. Besides, he had no reason to be embarrassed about his, admittedly blissful rtionship with Ani.

    "Really...I guess everything was justid out for us as soon as we got into your office."

    "Hehehe~, it''s also good to know the Vice Principal can spot a rising youthful couple!" Ani as well wasn''t embarrassed and joined in the little banter while holding Darcel''s hand.

    The only person who was a bit stiff during this exchange was Teacher Z. Her expression was a bit cramped as she rarely had light-hearted conversations, or really, conversations in general.

    Still, Ani cast a bright smile to her that at leastpelled her to talk a little.

    "Then...I suppose we have everything we need here?" Now both Darcel and Ani''s eyes turned on to Teacher Z, hearing this queer tone of hers. This...this was a new change.

    She sounded far more unnatural than her usual calm prestige self. And the duo couldn''t help but find this amusing. Moreover, it also gave them some ideas on how to talk with thisdy in the future.

    The Vice Principal, however, ignored her tone and passed on a purple spatial ring to Teacher Z, telling her, "Quite, everything you need is right in this ring, for now. Be on your way; I''ll be closely monitoring you two especially. Oh, and take them on foot to their rooms first, Z, they''ll get to know the structure of the Academy this way."

    Teacher Z exhaled a little sighed as she began walking over to the duo. Though before Darcel and Ani turned around, their eyes directly matched with the Vice Principal.

    Profound ckness eyes and steel blue eyes meet each other. But this time, it was more of friendly gazes that crossed. To end this little meeting off, Ani simply smile while saying,

    "I hope our training will provide you with good content to watch Vice-Principal. Just say whenever you need us!" Despite her saying this, it''s not like they could, as of now, ever refuse a request from the Vice Principal

    .

    While Darcel and Ani were having a life-changing meeting, the whole Academy was still in an uproaring state.

    Official news spread like wildfire of two Supreme Order Qi Formation geniuses beating Nascent Core students!

    No one suspected or doubted they cheated this time since Darcel and Ani put their full aura on the table. Plus, many officials were there to confirm what the students saw.

    Moreover, there was also the undeniable truth that the majestic Vice Principal came to talk to the duo!

    The elusive Vice-Principal actually showed herself for two geniuses, already adding on the duo''s sudden rising reputation.

    Hao Cao was slowly walking by herself down the luxurious dark blue hallways of the Academy''s middle level. The area she was in was only reserved for the top-ranking geniuses allowing her space for herself.

    Of course, her thoughts were on the duo, especially on the grand emperor like aura Darcel had exuded during the fight.

    But before her thoughts could delve any further on him, she suddenly heard a charming male voice,

    "Hao Cao, is all this talk going on about the new students true?"

    Turning around, her eyes came face to face with a tall, handsome young man. He had sleek jet ck hair flowing down to his elbows and a face that exuded a noble charm.

    His uniform had also consisted of a fancy purple onepared to Hao Cao''s blue one.

    "Oh? Didn''t think a top-ranking, high-level genius would have an interest in new students. But the rumors are indeed true, Gerey." Hao Cao''s tone was teasing as the duo was obviously a hot topic right now.

    Still, she did confirm his suspicions, and Gerey fell into little thought.

    "Hmm.then surely if the Vice Principal came for them, they''ll have to join up for that meeting. It''s simply impossible to think otherwise."

    "Fufu~ is your foresight giving you nervous premonition about the new ones?" Though Hao Cao had a yful tone, she was fully invested in Gerey''s response.

    Shaking his head, Geres calmly said, "Going off from you.I can only say, that dramatic shift I felt and told you about from this morning.it might hit us harder closer and sooner than we think."

    "Is that so~? Well now, my attention to that special guy has raised all the higher"

 Chapter 38: Serene Bliss

    Chapter 38: Serene Bliss

    Time passes like the wind after Darcel and Ani''s chaotic duels. A few days have flown by since then, and Darcel could admit it, showing off that day was a splendid idea.

    His main reasoning in believing so was his current position. In a spaciously beautiful courtyard, Ani snuggled up against Darcel, leaning on to his chest. And he leaned on to a blooming purple tree.

    The surrounding environment of this courtyard was absolutely stunning. Various exotic flowers, roses, and bushes elegantly grew throughout the ce.

    Plus, the Qi in this area was far purer and vibrant than the initiate level of the Academy.

    However, what ultimately made this scene serene for Darcel was his cute little ditzy white hair girl in his arms.

    His hand graciously wrapped over her adorable little stomach, both in pure tranquil bliss about the past few days.

    With limited distraction, a far better environment, and a certified teacher, the duo cultivation grew at a calmer pace. They were currently at the Perfect Order of the Qi Formation Sea realm after taking the Qi Formation pills.

    And these pills were genuinely wondrous!

    Immediately when taking the pills, the duo was assaulted with frantic burst waves of Profound Qi.

    For average cultivators, this would only give them a significant boost to their Qi Sea, shaving off months of cultivation to advance to the next Order level.

    The only problem in pills, at least for average cultivators, is wasting the powerful surges of Qi forcefully ingested into your body. Most can waste up to sixty percent of the pill Qi!

    Only geniuses with good enough talent could precisely take hold of a pill Qi energy and increase their absorption percentages. And, of course, Darcel and Ani fell into this category.

    As in a small test for themselves, Darcel and Ani relied only on theirprehension and talent to absorb the pill. They knew if they used their bloodline, their results would undoubtedly be high.

    But having a perfect base foundation would also undoubtedly make their bloodlines stronger. Just on their own, their results edged up to a fantastic eighty percent of the whole pill Profound Qi!

    This result satisfied them more than even if they were to fully absorb the Qi Formation pill. They''ll need to achieve a Perfected Equalizing Serene state in preparation for the Nascent Core realm''s breakthrough.

    Meaning this process couldn''t be rushed or hasten at all. Plus, they can''t lose focus during this breakthrough.

    No outwardly distraction, only focused on themselves entirely. What had also helped the duo cultivate to this state was that besides Teacher Z, no one dared to bother them.

    Not even Giel''s family tried toe looking for debts. And how could they or anyone else try the duo?

    Once words officially spread out that the graceful Teacher Z was directly guiding them, everyone realized the duo changed in status.

    No matter how abrupt this change was, the point is, Darcel and Ani are now protected by the second strongest Teacher in the whole Academy! Moreover, there''s also the fact that the Vice-Principal may also have connections with the duo.

    Just like with all other top-ranking geniuses, Darcel and Ani became practically untouchable. And they achieved this in just a mere week sinceing to the Academy.

    Darcel had to crack a small smirk thinking upon this point. Honestly, he also had to admit Teacher Z just wasn''t all for show in terms of cultivation.

    Her teaching style did broaden the duo view by arge margin.

    She had taught them the urate and precise way to direct their Qi, gather their Qi, and amplify their Qi. Plus, she also taught them various other aspects of cultivation to which the duo quickly absorbed up.

    From the way energy crystals work to Martial Skills'' hidden depths and the craftsmen of Spirit Weapons. Darcel and Ani gained the essential fundamental knowledge that''ll for sure help them in the long run.

    Furthermore, Teacher Z had even lightly sparred with them in formal martial arts training.

    Although both Darcel and Ani didn''t see a huge need to use their fists, Spirit Weapons and their inborn powers are just more reliable options.

    But they still got the basics of hand to handbat nheless. Indeed Teacher Z was a gold mine of experience.

    Only...just only if her personality was as much of a goldmine.

    That stiffness was still there in conversations though Darcel thinks Ani is slowly cracking her shell. Although mostly what Teacher Z wants to talk about is cultivation. It was a step, nheless, for Ani.

    Darcel, on the other hand, admittedly just found Teacher Z a bit.boring.

    Personally, he finds only dragging on about cultivation is rather dull. And while he isn''t anywhere near as expressive as Ani, Darcel finds queer personalities like her rather endearing.

    He knows with someone like Ani or even someone like the Vice-Principal. They would be able to shrug off his bluntness and snide with ease while also offering their own delightful replies.

    Although that wasn''t to say he didn''t find anything amusing about Teacher Z.

    He, just by being his usual blunt self, can make Teacher Z get sort of aggressive with him. Seeing her emote more than her standard indifferent face was quite an achievement Darcel gave himself.

    Smirking at these thoughts, Darcel refocused back on the serene state he and Ani are sharing. It''s been a couple of hours since the two sat in this state, neither talking at all.

    This was their first step in achieving the Nascent Core realm, utter tranquility.

    And slowly but surely, in the firm, secure warmth of their bodies, Darcel and Ani fell into a trance.

    Their bloodlines that usually crazily swirl during their intimate moments suddenly became steady in perfect harmony.

    Simultaneously, inside the duo dantians, their Qi Sea became perfectly steady and calm. Darcel''s Darkness Qi Sea ran along for twenty miles long, glowing a perfectly blended mix of Darkness and ck mes.

    Ani''s white light Qi Sea also ran along for twenty miles long. Her Qi Sea shimmered a dazzling glowing mix of the element of light and pure pitch-ck mes.

    Because of their perfectprehension of Profound Qi, the duo had expanded their Qi Sea to twenty miles long!

    And now, as their Qi Sea sparkingly glimmered, their Spirit Senses broke into an enlightenment state along with their Qi Seas.

    The state where one truly reaches the absolute peak of the Qi Formation Sea realm! At this stage, both Darcel and Ani''s body hadpleted their remodeling and were ready to break through to the next realm.

    Darcel''s eyes shimmered a profound dark ck glow, illuminating the world in Darkness. Ani''s eyes dazzled a sparkling white light glow, spewing out ethereal grace.

    Neither of the two move, bing entirely still under this enlightenment state.

    Truthfully, to achieve this state would require far, far more time than what the duo performed. Top tier talents could even take up to a whole month of enlightenment before ever getting close to this perfected state.

    However, on their own, Darcel and Ani just keep on surpassing the known limit this mortal knows off. Furthermore, this blindingly fast achievement didn''t just slow down here.

    In only a few minutes after achieving enlightenment, both of their Spirit Senses manage to pick up on a mystical, powerful Qi.

    Powerful Qi that they.had already nearly sensed before!

    Yes, their minds had suddenly recalled back to the time where they fought Giel''s assassin.

    What the duo encroach on was pure, unfiltered Nascent Qi! Simr to that assassin iplete Nascent Qi but now at a significantly higher level.

    Swiftly, their Spirit Senses plunged right into this Qi, wanting to greedily absorb and breakthrough.

    However, in the process ofprehending the first bit of Nascent Qi, the duo felt their minds briefly get crushed under this enormous pressure.

    This immense dominating pressure.it was the pressure of the Mental Block of Nascent Qi! To transcend into Nascent means to altogether leave one former shell and enter into a new state being.

    Something of which takes even the peak tier of geniuses months to do!

    But in Darcel and Ani''s mind, something spontaneously awoke then. They didn''t know what it was, but in their mind, they felt a vibrant, profound deep sensation never touched before by them.

    In Darcel''s head, he heard a loud but warming blooming voice speak with awe inspiring power.

    "Yin is the basis. Yin brings forth pleasure!"

    At the same time, in Ani''s mind, she heard a gentle, mesmerizing tender voice say with power,

    "Joy blooms in all. Light is a connection!"

    ''KA-CHA!!''

    Loud ss shattering pops reverberated in Darcel and Ani''s minds. They didn''t know who or what that voice was, but they did understand it had to do something with their bloodlines.

    Their inborn Qi was violently swirling along with their bloodlines after those voices appeared into their minds.

    Unknowingly, it quickly pushed the duo to greedily absorb the Nascent Qi since they already utterly shattered the Nascent Core beginning mental block.

    For now, they had no time to put their attention on their Qi and bloodlines as Nascent Qi swiftly poured inside them.

    In a simr process, like when breaking through to the Qi Formation Sea realm, the duo converted the Nascent Qi into their inborn soul powers.

    Darcel created pitch-ck Darkness Nascent Qi while Ani formed bright white Light Qi.

    With the utmost precision, Darcel and Ani slowly infused their whole bodies with Nascent Qi. While doing this, they also carefully poured their special Nascent Qi''s into their dantian, gradually transforming their entire Qi Seas.

    It took some time, but their once twenty miles long Qi Seas, transformed into a vague phantom image. This image took on the appearance of a core asrge as a chicken egg.

    Forming this core only meant one thing. Both Darcel and Ani officially entered into the Nascent Core realm! Plus, they already achieved a phenomenal feat by the size of their core just at the first level.

    Compared to other cultivators just breaking through to the first level, Darcel and Ani''s core are far bigger than the tiny size core one would typically form.

    Moreover, the duo cores already exhibit their own uniqueness. Darcel''s phantom Nascent Core was pure ck with phantom wisps of ck fire spewing out of it.

    Ani''s Nascent Core was pure white with phantom wisps of ck fire spewing out of hers. The two took a few more minutes to stabilize their breakthrough, causing,

    ''BANG!!''

    Two tremendous waves of Nascent Qi power to wildly gush out in their whole luxurious courtyard! Flowers, trees, bushes, and roses all crazily swayed from the sheer power the duo now exuded.

    For Darcel and Ani, they felt aplete powerful change to their whole state of being. The breakthrough to the Qi Formation Sea realm couldn''t bepared to this.

    Their bodies were numerous times more powerful, their Spirit Senses massively broadened to a point where they could sense out for several miles. And their Qi''s were on another level of pureness.

    Slowly, the duo opened their eyes.

    A simple action actually caused the whole scenery to briefly change.

    If anyone was here to catch this, their eyes would''ve bear witness to a magnificent, glorious sight of a courtyard entirely in an elegant ck and white color mix.

    For only a mere second, Darcel''s eyes spewed out rich Darkness, and Ani''s eyes spewed out sparkling white light.

    No matter who the person was or how high their realm was, they would''ve undoubtedly been awed at this magical view.

    But as soon it came, did this view quickly end as the duo blinked their eyes. Darcel''s vision only peered down to Ani''s beautiful ck eyes that bored into his.

    "The Nascent Core realm.that was.I feel.I can''t ever forget this moment for my whole long life!! This! This is what you call bing transcended!" Ani spoke with a fervent passion tone, obviously still excited after their breakthrough.

    "In a simpler way, we''ve finally taken the first step in transcending mortal hood. And you know what? I have the perfect reward for us." Darcel gained a smile that was a bit sinful as he took in Ani''s graceful cute face.

    Hearing Darcel''s tone and seeing that sinful face crack on his charming face, Ani gained a slight blush, but her face spilled over in a wide beautiful smile.

    "Show it to me then, Darcy~."

    Tenderly, Darcel took hold of Ani''s soft chin. No other words needed as Darcel swooped in and kissed Ani''s dazzling cherry red lips.

    "Mnh~!"

    Ani leaked out a divine moan that was like music for Darcel''s ears. It ignited a burning passion for both of them.

    Immediately their mouths opened, allowing for their tongues to engage in this elegant steamy hot dance. This type of lustful kiss sent waves of pleasures throughout the duo.

    It truly was heaven for Darcel. Ani''s delectable tongue had an addicting taste that he didn''t want to stop dining on.

    His arms pulled Ani in close as she turned her body around, allowing for her soft, modest breast to squish in on his chest.

    Everything about Ani was just so soft and squishy that Darcel never gets tired of holding her.

    Their deep tongue-tied kisssted for a minute, and Darcel felt this gnawing growing feeling to just give Ani even more pleasure!

    But it wasn''t quite right.

    Mainly because Darcel felt his Darkness violent react more than even his bloodline.

    This isn''t the two first time kissing deeply like this, but it was the first time Darcel felt his Darkness get even more violent in wanting to pull Ani in.

    Luckily, Darcel can count himself experienced in this as he efficiently suppressed his Darkness and still enjoyed Ani''s heavenly sweet tongue.

    "Ahn~..."

    Ani knew of Darcel Darkness acting weirdly since he told her. However, she honestly couldn''t focus much on it since his kisses still feel too good either way.

    Slowly they both broke the kiss after a few minutes. A hot steamy trail of saliva connected their mouths as their smiles were full of affection to one another.

    "Maybe because of our recent breakthrough but this?"

    Ani had stopped herself short when she and Darcel sensed the familiar aura of Teacher Z heading their way.

 Chapter 39: Geniuses Greetings

    Chapter 39: Geniuses Greetings

    "Nnh.what would make this? About the third time, she''s about to intrude on our special moments! I''m starting to think the lonely Teacher Z may be fascinated by our youthful romance Darcy." Ani had a rare whine and slight annoyance in her tone.

    There were plenty of small annoyances that were easily tolerable for her, from the hassle of getting disdain or the tedious, slow part of Cultivation.

    But, one thing she actually could barely put up with is when anyone, no matter their power or status, interrupts her quality time with her Darcel!

    Thankfully, with Spirit Sense, no awkward situations arise from getting walked in on.

    Darcel, on the other hand, was a bit of the opposite. He simply believes if he has the right amount of power and if the situation calls for it, why should he put up with the annoyance of disdain?

    Even the almighty doctors from the Parasol Organization weren''t exempt from his snide.

    Though with romance?

    He only acted on pure instinct, and it wasn''t in his blood to hide or cover up his apparent feelings.

    Still, Darcel only shrugs while helping Ani to her feet, saying, "Maybe it''s the most amount of action she''ll ever see in her life. Besides, even dreary people would want some sort of new shifts."

    "Shifts.shifts, huh. Ah.ah! I can tell, despite her buzzing intrusion Today, that Teacher Z will have a shift for us for the next couple of days."

    While looking over to where Teacher Z was walking, Ani had this odd intuitive feeling in her gut that never led her astray before.

    "Your unique intuition acting up again, airhead? Honestly, at this point, I''m almost starting to believe it''s a real power you have." Darcel chided, getting Ani to shoot him a challenging smile.

    She wasn''t going to say a word and let her feelings work itself! Though they didn''t have to wait long at all since Teacher Z soon appeared as Darcel stopped talking.

    Seeing her gorgeous face, the duo already spotted a surprised yet praising reaction etched on it. A reaction that over these few days, Darcel and Ani got used to seeing.

    If only the duo knew what kind of aura and prowess they spewed off when breaking through to the Nascent Core realm.

    When Teacher Z was making her way to inform the two of important information, she was immediately assaulted with powerful waves of this unfathomable aura.

    Right when stepping foot into their courtyard, it was like stepping into another world. And for the briefest of shes, her eyes could''ve sworn a magical ck, and white color mix took over the whole courtyard.

    Apanying that sh was a snippet of this ethereal aura carrying a unique sensation Teacher Z never felt before. Furthermore, it was then Teacher Z could finally sense the duo powerful Nascent Qi.

    Observing the always present smiling face of Ani and Darcel''s indifferent one. Teacher Z just had to shake her head at how casual these two are with their mind-breaking achievements.

    "Congrattions on making it to the Nascent Core realm. It was.earlier than I expected. Though I should''ve expected no less." Of course, this wasn''t the first incident of Darcel and Ani''s talents rocking her world.

    Over and over again, these two monstrous youths just absorbed everything she taught them like a sponge!

    In addition to this, there was also their queer personalities that resemble one particr troublesome girl she knows.

    "Teach, seems like the more we impress, the less reactive you get! I think we''re going to need to step up our game Darcel." Ani lightly teased in hopes of seeing a more profound reaction.

    "If you were to basically see the same things over and over again just in slightly different variations. Any normal person would start to get unfazed; it''s only natural. Though, I''m sure you would somehow find a way to be fazed, Ani."

    Darcel remarked, getting Teacher Z to lightly sigh.

    Even if they''re personality does vary from others, high confidence still holds true for all geniuses. Although at least the duo seems a tad more.charismatic with their confidence.

    Pushing down such thoughts, Teacher Z cut straight to the point with them, saying, "Before we go any farther, we have no time to mess around. A vital meeting you two have to attend ising up."

    "Hm? Out of all time, what is so important now?" Darcel questions, still refusing to believe Ani has intuition powers.

    "Today, the disciplinary squad leader, every first ranked student and one other.special extra will meet since they will be leaders when the ck Dungeon Labyrinth expedition starts. And you two are special enough toe since you''ll also be working closely with them."

    Gauging their reactions, Teacher Z sort of predicted it.

    Darcel didn''t look much interested in the meeting though his eyes lit up when she had mentioned thebyrinth. And Ani just had innate curiosity towards most subjects.

    "Ohhh~, meeting the top peaches here already! But that''s not the only thinging up right, Teach?" Ani cast a brief slightly smug nce at Darcel as she awaited Teacher Z''s answer.

    "....Indeed? Well, as you''re somewhat guessing it, in just a couple of days, the Asylum of mysteries is opening up to the public. Essentially, you two will be able to explore the hidden, locked side of your Qi, gaining special, deep insights. It''ll be especially easy for you two since you have inborn ck ming Qi."

    Truthfully, it wasn''t a mistake that Teacher Z thought Darcel and Ani were born with fire Qi. Darcel had only ever subtlybined his Darkness element with his ck mes.

    And Ani only ever used her telekinesis with her ck mes. Moreover, neither Darcel nor Ani had any intentions to correct her or other people''s thoughts on their powers.

    But hearing that they would get a chance to truly explore their elements'' profound depth did ignite a bit of excitement in the two. More so for Darcel since he wanted to know just what''s up with his Darkness Qi.

    "Now, this sounds like a good time! So? When is the meeting going to start? Or can we just go now? I''m curious to see all the famous peaches here." Though Teacher Z wasn''t quite sure why Ani referred to them as peaches, she nodded nheless.

    "If you want, we shall go now."

    .

    Promptly and in no time at all, Teacher Z led the duo through the Academy''s Core level.

    The Vice Principal let the duo stay in the Core level''s special genius area. There was positively no doubt in her mind that the duo talent surpassed all Core level students.

    Walking through this part of the Academy, Darcel and Ani could admit to this area''s unique aesthetic. Frankly, all the duo did while in the Core level was just stay in their own room and courtyard.

    They did get a change in uniform to the dark purple one, but other than that, they hadn''t bothered with the distinct differences of Core level students.

    But taking a closer look now, the two notice the design of this level was of this dazzling dark purple one, much like their uniforms.

    Everything in the Core level as well was fancier and more intricate in scheme.

    There were also far fewer students and teachers roaming around the halls since achieving a Core level status is no ordinary feat for students.

    While taking in this area''s striking look, Teacher Z soon led them to a beautiful blooming dark purple courtyard. The breeze was iparably fresh here; nts and trees all blossom, exuding a unique tranquil here.

    Currently, the duo notices only four students already in the courtyard, chatting it up with each othernone of which neither Darcel nor Ani could recognize seeing around the Academy.

    But just at first nces and senses, the duo could tell these students certainly was a cut above most of the students here. There was one aura in particr that stood above the three other students.

    The four students had also instantly turned their attention to the duo as soon as they arrived.

    It was three handsome young men and one beautiful young woman. In particr, one of the handsome young men looked eerily simr to the beautiful young woman.

    These two had shoulder-length ck hair, simr charming facial features, and even the same crystal clear blue eyes. Among the four students here, there were varying reactions across the board.

    The girl''s eyes sparkled with intense interest gazing on Darcel and Ani. Two of the boys zeroed their eyes on them since this was the first time seeing the new rising stars.

    They did believe the duo''s outrageous prowess considering Teacher Z was with them, and they had also broken through to the Nascent Core realm already!

    Without even talking did Darcel and Ani created a silent pressure of talent on them.

    The only one left whopletely froze up seeing the duo was the young boy, Opin.

    His senses nearly shattered his mind once feeling Darcel and Ani levels. That massive chasm once felt before suddenly became even more endlessly vast.

    "Ah! If it isn''t the two infamous to famous stars of the Zakira Academy! We finally get to talk after all this time; you''ve left quite an impression on me ever since your duels."

    Boldly, the only girl there walked up to the duo, her voice containing this hint of sweet yfulness. The girl, Hao Cao, felt no indignation about simply introducing herself despite what the other boys might be thinking.

    And Hao Cao could tell, at least Ani appreciated this since she noticed her spouting a charming grin while she walked up to them. Darcel only just inly regarded her.

    "You just now left quite a first impression on me! At least your eyes and words are certainly good.what''s your name?" Honestly speaking, Ani wondered if this was the first time someone in their generation tried to amicably reach out to them.

    This was already a refreshing change of pacepared to what they fared against before.

    Getting close to them, Hao Cao tried to say,

    "Ah, I''m-"

    "This is Hao Cao, and I''m her Elder brother Hao Bao, a pleasure to meet bo-"

    "Acting real shameless once again, Bao~. After you slept in on the day of their duel, now you suddenly care about their stardom~?" The boy who bears a resemnce to Hao Cao grew a bit awkward from his sister teasing tone and interruption.

    He obviously couldn''t just sit behind and let his younger sister get ahead in forming connections. But he also couldn''t refute her words since he actually just stayed in his room on the day of the duo''s duel.

    Swiftly, Hao Bao tried to shift away from this by asking, "Cultivation is arduous, but enough about that! We still haven''t even gotten your names yet?"

    Darcel and Ani found siblings'' actions a bit amusing. Though the real kicker for them was Hao Cao.

    From their auras, the duo could sense Hao Cao was obviously weaker than Hao Bao. They had then guessed she must be that one special extra Teacher Z mentioned.

    Pushing the thought forter, Ani brightly introduces themselves, saying, "My name''s Ani. And I hope we don''t bore you to sleep Today! Just ask your sister, she knows how.entertaining we can be~."

    Immediately Hao Bao was put into a bit of a stutter since this teasing, yful voice dreadfully reminds him of his odd sister.

    "Fufufu~, I already quite like her." Hao Cao had to give it up. Even if her interest was more into Darcel, Ani certainly was an endearing, charming person you would want to befriend.

    "It''s Darcel. And I suppose you''re not such a bad bunch.so far at least." Compared to Ani, Darcel just bluntly said his feelings without a hint of that bright smile she holds.

    Though on his face was a small, confident smirk that was endearing in its own way.

    While they introduced themselves, Opin had still stayed rooted to his spot. The utterly overwhelming crushing the duo did was still fresh in his mind. Although the boy next to him wasn''t going to wait any longer.

    "I also suppose you two aren''t such a bad duo after all. The name Jamas, nice to meet both of you." The other boy who suddenly jumped into the conversation had the look and presence of a calm, hardworking disposition.

    Jamas wore a different version of the uniform, this time it being a splendid bright lighter purple color.

    He had a sharp, serious face that spells out his personality and a decently strong aura that most certainly towers above the three students here.

    "Oh? Finally, build up that nervous courage to talk to new ones, Jamas~?" Hao Cao lightly jested, getting Jamas to snort.

    "You''re sure talking big,ing from the one who held the most anticipation about meeting them." Already, Darcel and Ani could tell, at least these three, know each other for a little bit of time.

    Frankly, the duo thought there would be a more prominent division between these top-ranked students, but this reality was a weing change.

    Hao Cao''s smile grew a bit wider; however, before she could respond, a lively person entered the scene.

    "WAHAHAHA!! ALREADY MEETING THE NEW HOT SHOTS, HUH?!?"

    A bolstering blooming loud girl voice red in the whole courtyard. The first thing Darcel and Ani could tell was this one held absolutely zero noise control.

    Looking over at the students'' faces, they also saw exasperated reactions. Jamas and Hao Bao were lightly groaning while Hao Cao''s smile had even tightened a bit.

    ncing to where the loud voice wasing from, Darcel and Ani saw another top tier beautiful girl causally strutting over to them.

    Undoubtedly, not only his voice attention capturing her appearance also forcefully took your attention.

    This girl had to be the bustiest youth the duo had ever witnessed! She was charmingly sexy with bountiful D-cups breasts, a bewitching curvaceous body, and arge plump behind.

    On top of her head was stunningly gorgeous long pink hair that ran all the way down to her juicy behind.

    Her uniform as well differs from the standard. It was the same dark purple uniform the duo wore, but she had personally designed her sleeves, making it far shorter to showcase her clean, beautiful skin.

    The biggest thing Darcel and Ani note about this girl was her powerful radiant aura. It majorly surpassed all of them here to the point where the duo was sure this girl could p Jamas in one move.

    Truth be told, besides thinking this girl should adjust her volume a bit, Darcel didn''t have any problem with this kind of energy. Since right by him, Ani proved why he''s used to lively people.

    She had immediately walked up to the loud girl, directly asking, "Hey, nice energy! What''s your name?"

    The pink hair girl broadly smile and strut out her hand, telling her,

    "Shai Xia! Yours?!"

    In the same eagerness, Ani mped her hands with her, sweetlyughing in the process, telling her,

    "Hehehe~! It''s Ani! I can tell already you''re exciting to be around!"

    Tightly gripping her hand, the two girls stared into each other''s eyes as Shai Xiaughingly said, "Wahaha!! Finally! Someone who can match my tempo! It''s been too long!"

    "Haah.of all things to hear in the morning.learning that we now have another one of her in our ranks is already tiring." From close by, Darcel heard the tired sigh of a sweet soothing voice.

    Looking over to this girl, Darcel had immediately regarded her more than the other students.

    She had a more strict calm beautypared to the other girls. Her body was an athletic well-toned one spouting a dependable vibe about her.

    She was the only one that wore unique designer sses and even had a specific hairstyle. She had long light brown hair braided into a hair bun with gorgeous strands of her hair running down her neck.

    Her uniform consisted of a new design, with it being an elegant mix of blue and purple.

    And being thest one to show up, Darcel sensed she was by far the strongest youth he ever felt sinceing to this!

    The chasm between her and Shai Xia was hugely vast though her aura was much calmer and collected. Without putting much thought into it, Darcel could guess this girl had to be the disciplinary squad leader.

    While Ani and Shai Xia was having their energetic meeting, this strict looking beauty walked up to Darcel, also hearing Hao Cao say,

    "Fuuu, well, their kinds of personalities aren''t so bad. People like them are practically the life of the party."

    The brown hair girl only shook her head at Hao Cao''s exnation once nearing Darcel. She held out her hand, telling him,

    "My apologies for not showing up to your duel. That day I had prioritized my work, not realizing we have such a great rising star in our Academy. My name is Joyce, yours?"

    Hao Cao, Hao Bao, Jamas, and even Opin were at a slight shock. Since when did this professional and rigid girl suddenly be so amicable?!

    Darcel, however, had no information about her personality and evenly stared into her stunning brown eyes. Taking her soft, smooth hand, Darcel told her,

    "It''s Darcel. And I guess it''s also intriguing to meet with a star that''s already peaking."

    "She''s only the peak star here because she has cheats to speed up long and boring cultivation!" When Darcel finished talking, Shai Xia walked back over with Ani in tow.

    Ani went back to Darcel''s side while also saying, "Oh?! I didn''t think this Academy already had cheaters turned to stars beside us?"

    "Haah.it''s not cheating but just a part of my family arts. Xia, all your excuses amount to in Cultivation is you just beingzy and uncaring."

    Hearing the cold but undeniable truth caused the already excitable girl to get riled up even more!

    Although before she or anyone else could say anything, a steel-like sharp, powerful voice cut through the courtyard, ring in everyone''s ears. They all knew this voice; it only belonged to the profound Vice-Principal!

    "I see everyone has arrived and is getting along now.good, we can get straight down to business."

 Chapter 40: Excitement Days

    Chapter 40: Excitement Days

    "Ah! We greet Vice-Principal!!"

    The resounding respectful shouts of all top-ranked geniuses red around in their dark purple gorgeous courtyard. Every genius turned to the Vice Principal and respectfully bowed their heads.

    As per usual, the Vice Principal indifferently acknowledges these geniuses for some courtesy on her part. Yet, a small smirk cracked on her face when she only observed two particr exceptional geniuses.

    Darcel and Ani were the only ones standing tall and steadily amidst the grand Vice-Principal.

    Their deep ck eyes coolly bored into her steel blue eyes as Darcel gained a small smile and inclined his head in acknowledgment.

    Butpared to him, Ani decided to take it a step further in being casual. Her smile turned into a burst of dazzling sunshine as she began waving friendly to the Vice Principal, saying,

    "Finally, we get to meet again! So? How was your ''closely monitoring'' doing?" Opin, Hao Cao, Hao Bao, Jamas, Joyce, and Shia Xia all spiked up hearing the cheerful Ani outrageous words.

    Monitoring? As in the Vice Principal actually, cared about their progress?

    That''s simply a wild fantasy for them!

    However, when they gauged the Vice Principal''s reaction, and all they saw was a small smile, it already spoke volumes to them.

    "Still so bright no matter what.but that discussion is for another time. For now, you two listen very carefully about the ck dungeonbyrinth expedition. We only have a little week to finish preparing."

    Now the top-ranking geniuses temporarily put their thoughts on hold about the duo and put all their focus on the Vice Principal. Equally, Darcel and Ani were also hugely interested in this event.

    Seeing it as no good time than ever, Darcel asked her, "So it''s nearly time, huh. Just.what is thisbyrinth? From where Ani and I herald from, I don''t think we ever heard of one."

    Hearing Darcel says this was a slight bit odd for the other geniuses students. Surely they thought, wherever these two monstrous freakse from, they would''ve also got taught about dungeonbyrinths.

    Unless.unless these two really were all self-taught?!

    And their unspoken unanimous questions were quite actually the truth for Darcel and Ani. Though, for the Vice Principal, it was like she expected this question, spouting a knowing smile upon her face.

    "Truthfully, not even I or our Heavenly King Principal knows how long this specific dungeonbyrinth has been around. But, what we know is that thisbyrinth only opens up on specific dates. This is a tremendously dangerous ce that no one can take lightly. And yet, at the same time, thisbyrinth holds countless valuable rich resources and experience for any cultivator."

    "Soo.of course, all sects or whatever are going to send their most talented there, right?" Ani already easily guessed since with what she experienced so far, the older generation just loves the talented young.

    "Indeed, that would be the case. Any decently powerful sect or organization sends their talented kids to thebyrinth to sharpen their prowess and cultivate their talent. And just luckily, you two manage toe in on an extraordinary time for thebyrinth. We had calcted that thebyrinth will be significantly weaker for this expedition than it''s previous times when opening. Meaning we get to send a bit more students out, and you all might see a bit more from other kids in the city."

    The top-ranked students perked up more about this than Darcel and Ani. They didn''t have profound experiences with thebyrinth, but it was just enough to know this.this was a huge deal!

    "I don''t think I''ve ever heard from my Elder Sister about thebyrinth being weakened when she tread there. Does this mean the selection process will be different?" The one who asked was Joyce, with apparent anticipation in her tone.

    "Correct. We determined thebyrinth will be weak enough to allow more leniency. Opin, Bao, Jamas, Xia, Joyce, you five will be leaders that''ll pick out five talented ones from your own ranks to lead and explore the level that corresponds to your realms. Any disagreement?"

    "Eh?! That''s like.twenty in total going to the expedition! This is far more than.wait. Did you say that we get to be a leader?! I have noints there!" Shai Xia went through several motions until realizing that she gets to directly boss around people at her level.

    The other appointed leaders were also in a slight surprise at the sudden news. None of them could recall now about a selection process like this. But none of them will neither back down from experience like this!

    "No disagreements, Vice-Principal!"

    The others gave their verbal agreement, now feeling even more pumped about this event. Instead of the usual mix bag of students going, now they all can group up in familiarity prowess!

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao were the only ones left with inquisitive expressions. Frankly, it sort of made sense to them for the others being leaders since they''re the number one ranked in their levels.

    But where does this leave them now? Taking it upon herself to ask, Hao Cao said, "Mnh, well, that''s all fine and dandy that they have a set guide. So, where does that leave us three Vice Principal?"

    "You kids.count yourself lucky since you three will be a special group. You''ll see why once you get to know each other better. Any objections here?" Even if it was pretty obvious, Darcel and Ani did have their suspicions confirmed.

    ncing over to the pretty Hao Cao, who also nced over to the duo, shing them a cute smile. It was safe to say there was something hiddenly unique about her.

    They''re unsure what makes her so unique to be put on their team, but Ani was more curious to find out than Darcel. Smiling back at Hao Cao, Ani said,

    "Ah, this couldn''t be a better surprise, perfectbination then! No objections here!" The Vice Principal went on to obverse Darcel''s reaction, to which he only gave a slight shrug.

    And Hao Cao only sweetly smiled while shaking her head. With all this cleared up, the Vice Principal recalled another important event happening sooner than thebyrinth.

    "Before we continue on, I have to briefly mention the Asylum of Mysteriesing up in a couple of days." The Vice Principal started exining and pointed her fingers at Darcel and Ani.

    "You two may not know, but this event is for cultivators of all kinds to closely study their Qi without any real dangers. Simply it all depends on your own talent,prehension, and potential. Although, be wary of the little snakes at the Quicksilver Roc sect or Yodrine institution. If you''re grouped together because of your Qi, they may try to deviously trick you."

    "Oh? Those guys just simply never learn Vice-Principal. No matter what they try, they always end up on the losing side with us." Hao Bao threw out a confident statement while casually shrugging his shoulders.

    The other students seemed to agree with his statement as they all held small smiles, thinking about their rivals sects.

    Even Darcel and Ani could somewhat agree with him, considering they had recently destroyed four Quicksilver Roc sect disciples.

    "With an utmost attitude like that, I''m hoping for some good results then. Now for the rest of this meeting, I''ll go over some pre strategy for thebyrinth and the valuable items you''ll be taking with you."

    .

    For the next two days, Zakira Academy was in an uproaring excitement! This time, instead of two freakishly strong students, everyone was getting pumped up for the ck dungeonbyrinth expedition.

    Normally, the expedition would always get students excited since decently talented ones wanted to increase their strength for the selection process.

    However, now, the whole process has reasonably changed! Every level of students are trying their best to squeeze out their potential, so their number one ranked leader would choose them.

    Students were doing everything they can now to make it on the team, from taking on dangerously risky missions to training in high-intensityw rooms.

    Thebyrinth expedition was just that life-changing.

    Although not everyone was in a high state of excitement for the same reasons. Currently, Darcel, Ani, Hao Cao, and Shai Xia were all antsy for the Asylum of Mysteries!

    Under Teacher Z guidance, they and numerous other Zakira Academy students are making their way to the Asylum since it opened today. Though how they will get there is a bit surprising for Darcel and Ani.

    They didn''t realize it before, but the whole of Necropolis City is actually rtivelyrge. In fact, they read that the city is most likely up to several hundred miles or more long!

    To counteract the arduous process of getting around this vast city is where Magese into y.

    Teacher Z led theirrge group to the expansive Mages Teleportation center. Inside the ce is where Darcel and Ani could genuinely observe the unique way of Mages.

    This ce could be described in one word, mystical. Everything here was exotic in design, holding strange and unknown symbols that neither Darcel nor Ani could read.

    It was also incredibly expansive, being able to fit several thousands of people at the same time.

    And despite therge size, it still manages to be orderly and neat.

    From all around, the duo could see, there were numerous lines of people moving swiftly to go up to a counter with a person wearing magical robes behind it.

    And even more mystical was the fact besides each counter, Mage was a fancy looking blue door that took either crowd of people or only one person.

    "Phew.with all the bustling peopleing in and out of this ce, I didn''t expect it to be so civil here," Ani remarked as she and the others were in line for their own transportation.

    "Fufufu~, you may not know it, Ani, but the Mages here don''t tolerate impatience or disrespect, no matter your status or realm." Hao Cao said to her with an intoxicating yful tone in her voice.

    "Yep, and this way, we don''t have to wait obnoxiously long times to go anywhere!" Shai Xia also added with her own bright, energetic energy.

    Hearing the girls, Darcel smirked as, over thest two days, these two girls seemed to take a decent interest in them. They went out of their way to talk to them, and Darcel found they were enjoyable hangout with.

    Hao Cao was more of a calm yfulness, while Shai Xia always seemed to have a sunny answer for any subject.

    And thinking more of thest two days, Darcel honestly could admit fighting was better than regrly cultivating.

    Building a perfect foundation for his Nascent Core was a slower process than what he could achieve in the Qi Formation Sea realm. But this Asylum of Mysteries.it almost like a golden opportunity for a quick level!

    ''Hopefully, I can also figure up what the hell is up with my Darkness.I don''t think I''ll be able to perfectly control it with how fervent she''s been gettingtely.'' Darcel thought to himself, and he then heard Hao Cao speak again, saying,

    "I''ve only been here a couple times before, but it indeed left me a bit speechless on my first timeing here."

    "Leaving them just like this is an uneptable option! I have to find out more about these guys in the future." While walking up to the counter, Ani''s growing interest in Mages only increased as she watched those mystical doors open up.

    "Hmmm.I would agree. But! These Mages can also be as stuck up as normal cultivators! Like some of them are even more stuck up no matter their prowess." Even if Mages'' power is all whimsical and mysterious, it doesn''t change how their attitudes can grate on her nerves.

    "More stuck up than us cultivators? That''s a vast hurdle no ordinary person can cross." Darcel jested, and since they weren''t paying attention, they had heard Teacher Z suddenly say,

    "If you''re done with thements, let''s get a move on through the door." Darcel''s group peered through the blue door beside the Mage counter.

    Through the door was a lone blue robe Mage and behind him was a magically designedrge blue cart. The cart was luxurious, not looking like anything Darcel nor Ani had ever seen before.

    It was almost like.futuristic in design.

    Therge Zakira Academy group walked through the door, and the Mage eyes immediately matched with Teacher Z. Without a hint of emotion in his voice and a proud air surrounding him, he asked,

    "The Asylum of Mysteries, I presume?"

    "Indeed." Teacher Z simply said and nodded to the Mage. Without another word, the Mage brought a beautiful blue magical staff and pointed it to the cart.

    ''Chi!''

    With a brief sh of power, the cart opened up as the Mage told them, "Get in. And you should already know the return fees for wanting toe directly back here."

    For every action of the Mage, Darcel did notice this high noble air of superiority about him. Even with Teacher Z''s power and beauty, the Mage put her on an even level without caring about status.

    "I already have the fee. Alright, everyone, get on! This ride won''tst long."

    Darcel, Ani, Hao Cao, and Shai Xia all shared a brief smile at each other as they got on to the cart. They all could just feel it; this Asylum of Mysteries will be thrilling!

 Chapter 41: Mage of Mysteries

    Chapter 41: Mage of Mysteries

    For the second time in a row, Darcel and Ani were reminded of just how mystical these Mages really are. Inside the magical blue cart that was plenty spacious to hold their whole group, everyone felt a Mage shift.

    This sensation.none, not even Teacher Z truly knew what to call it or how to pinpoint it. The best anyone could describe it as was tearing through the air itself!

    This ride had even reminded Darcel and Ani of how they got first transported to this. Whatever that powerful yellow-eyed woman did to them, she undoubtedly sent them through a shift in space.

    Only, whatever power this Mage uses vastly differs from the yellow-eyed woman. Darcel and Ani''s usually supremeprehension abilities were at an utter loss against this Mage''s unique power.

    Perhaps only a couple or few seconds have passed since they got on the cart. Darcel couldn''t tell at all, but he and everyone else suddenly felt the cart stop and the Mage from just outside say,

    "We''re here."

    The cool, calm, collected voice broke everyone from their slight stupor. A ray of mystical blue energy shed beside where Teacher Z was standing, creating an opening for the group.

    "Ah? .For the first time, I''m at a slight loss for words! Mages are really just so, well, magical!" Ani remarked as she and the others walked off the cart.

    Shai Xia and Hao Cao were chuckling at her awement while Darcel only shook his head.

    "They only appear to be so mysterious because we haven''t studied their system of energy. I''m sure if we do, then all that awe will vanish into smoke."

    Darcel boldly said while shrugging his shoulders. Of course, he was surprised at a Mage power, but it wasn''t like he also didn''t hold his own unique abilities. ''

    Though unknown to Darcel, the Mage who was beside the cart, nced his eyes towards him with an uncivil haze covering them.

    "Fuuuu~, you really think you can learn the way of Magic? Well, if it''s you, maybe it''s not so much of an impossibility~...." Though her tone was teasing, there was assured confidence mixed in with it.

    After all, hermon sense was heavily altered by Darcel and Ani. What''s adding Magic to their arsenal any different from their already outrageous talent?

    "Heh! I can bet a hundred green crystals either he or Ani can learn Magic! A cultivator learning magic would also be a way to stick one-"

    "I see everyone is off. Alright, follow me now; we''ll have to do a short walk to the Asylum. And if you''re wondering, Darcel, Ani, no, it''s impossible for a Mage to travel right near the Asylum."

    Teacher Z smoothly cut off Shai Xia, who was nning on further irritating their only Mage ride back home.

    She quickly picked up on the Mage dissatisfied nces. With smooth elegance, she had then started walking off to the Asylum with the rest of the students immediately following behind her.

    Trading nces with each other, Darcel and Ani shrugged their shoulders since it was a small question they wondered when stopping here.

    Their own mini-group quickly walked up to Teacher Z as the other students shifted out of their way. They knew full well of the order chain of geniuses.

    While walking up, Darcel and Ani took the time to notice the more.rural atmosphere and scenery they were transported to.

    Compared to the loud bustling of the city''s central part, this area seems far quieter.

    Barely anybody walked the road, and the ones who did just look shady and odd. Just ncing at these people''s expressions, you can tell they''re not the ones you should casually mess with.

    Although they also had enoughmon sense to not mess with an Organized group like their Zakira Academy.

    The buildings here were of a more antique old design, and some look like they werepletely abandoned.

    Indeed, this was a whish in feeling from just being in a lively area. Although the appearance of this area wasn''t the most notable thing about this ce.

    As Darcel''s group progressed further and further down this area, the buildings became less; fewer people roamed the streets. Above all, enchanting, mystical energy invaded everyone''s Spirit Sense.

    Darcel wrinkled his eyebrows, sensing this energy. It was.no, most definitely, just this mere small leakage was already above the mystical Magic power he felt before.

    While Ani and the girls were talking among themselves, Darcel was going to ask Teacher Z about this. But surprisingly, like she could read his expression, Teacher Z preemptively spoke up, saying,

    "You''re wondering about this energy, right? It admittedly is quite shocking. What we''re feeling right now is the pure Magical prowess the Asylum holds. It''s not nationwide famous without reason naturally."

    Now the innate curiosity Darcel had towards the Asylum only increased further.

    Whatever this ce was, it was bound to have some profound secrets! Even Ani felt her curiosity rise as she listened in on them while still holding her conversations.

    Eventually, after around ten minutes or so of walking by what Darcel calcted, theirrge group finally encroach upon a ginormous profound looking building that''ll capture your eyes from miles away.

    No other buildings or structures surrounded this particr one. There also wasn''t any sighting of the rough-looking people roaming the streets in this part of the area.

    This lone building looked like it expanded on for miles! Amazingly enough, it''s design wasn''t antique or abandon but iparably luxurious, fitting a royalty aesthetic.

    And the most eye-catching feature was this building ring glowing orange color that you could swear shine brighter than sunshine rays.

    Up in front of this giant building were numerousrge lines of people, all swiftly filing into this ce. Now people are back to the usual high-ss appearances Darcel seen all throughout the city.

    Moreover, the natural auras of specific people were unfathomable.

    Darcel reckon some here were equal or even stronger than Teacher Z! Hell, Darcel might''ve sensed a presence that can even match the mighty Vice-Principal!

    "Now then, remember to not resist any magical power that''ll flow through you, we don''t want any.unfortunate ident. Also, when the Asylum exits you out, group up with each other."

    Teacher Z exined to all of them as they promptly got in line. Seeing this grand Asylum up close made Darcel and Ani recall just how odd this ce history and prestige was.

    Truthfully Teacher Z wasn''t kidding at all when saying this ce is famous nationwide. Evidently, cultivators from higher ranks provinces will go out of their way just for this single event here.

    And from the auras of some people, it definitely showed. But the mind-boggling thing for the duo was how did such a cee into being?

    As far as the duo learned, apparently, a mysterious Mage expert set this ce up countless millenniums ago.

    It was spected that Mage expert was finding answers to his own powers through other people''s enlightenment insights.

    The intangible thing was, frankly, no one truly knew who this Mage expert was or even sightings of him.

    All the undeniable proof people had was the Asylum results. Everyone with a unique inborn Qi type greatly benefited from here after experiencing a bout of enlightenment.

    Plus, no matter how high a person''s cultivation realm was, no one can stay here for as long as they want. The Magical power here simply went far beyond anyone can ever describe.

    A broad smile etched on Darcel and Ani''s faces as they drew closer to the Asylum entrance.

    No matter how mysterious or powerful this ce was, these two had full confidence in uncovering whatever profound secrets it has!

    "It''s a bit of a shame none of us will be transported together. All of us together would''ve made for a memorable experience." Hao Cao lightly sighed as their turn quickly approached.

    Ani had turned her broad smile on to Hao Cao now. With eager friendliness, she patted her shoulder, telling her, "Don''t worry, after this, I''ll make to give you a vivid detail of the sensation I felt to create a memorable image in your head!"

    "Hm? Ah! Wait, I just realized! You two have inborn ck fire Qi so you''ll get lucky enough to be put together!" Shai Xia eximed as it was their turn right next.

    "Maybe we will.or maybe we won''t. Try not to waste this chance now." Darcel actually didn''t think he would be paired up with Ani considering their real inborn soul power vastly differs from each other.

    And with hisst encouraging words, the five of them came face to face with a bright multi-color portal. Staring into it only a few inches apart was almost too dazzling.

    In a slight trance, Darcel walked through the portal first, followed by Ani, Hao Cao, and Shai Xia. Stepping to what felt like another world, their eyes soon met with this dazzling multi-color space.

    In this space, no one could see or sense each other, but they didn''t panic.

    Typically the process for this would be short, painless, and straightforward.

    Darcel and Ani knew they would be assorted into unique enlightenment ces corresponded to their special Qi. And since their Elements should stand above the normal ones, the duo felt eager anticipation on where they would go.

    However, immediately when they specifically walked through the portal, something was majorly off. Instead of a gentle smooth power flowing into them, their bodies hadpletely locked up.

    Someone, they didn''t know who it was, what it was, or how powerful they were, all they could tell some sort of being was boring their eyes into them.

    While everyone else was teleported in seconds, the duoid stuck there.

    In this ominous frozen state, abruptly, their bloodlines began frantically stirring! It was as if something deep inside them was responding to a call of this higher being.

    Once their bloodline had stirred, it was all enough for whoever was watching them to act. A strong suction force pulled up Darcel and Ani, letting them feel like they were tearing through reality!

    At speed they were going, the duo forcefully closed their eyes and braced for whatever impacting at them. Only.after a few seconds, the suction stopped, and nothing violently crashed into them.

    Opening their eyes, the duo were puzzled about just what the hell happened. However, all momentary confusion was put on hold once their vision came across an ethereal girl.

    This girl.this girl was a supreme beauty! Far far higher than the likes of Teacher Z. She looked like she was in her young teenage age with a slightly immature face that radiated a brilliant charm.

    She had bright silverish long hair that elegantly swayed down to her tight rump like an enchanting waterfall. Her body, not yet fully developed, still puts other teenage girls to shame.

    Twin towering peaks bounced from her bosoms, and she had nearly a perfect figure-eight body that''ll bewitch your soul.

    This girl wore a long beautiful white dress as well that only further served to highlight her beauty.

    The only odd thing about this girl was that there were no legs at the bottom of her dress! She was also levitating a few feets of the ground, making herck of legs especially noticeable.

    Though this was only a slight oddity as the duo were pulled into this beautiful girl brightly smiling face as if she just won the world.

    "Ah! Ah! Ah! After sooo long, I''ve finally met not just one, but another two that match big brother''s description! Ohhh~! They might even overfit your description, big brother."

    The voice that soothed into the duo''s ears was a lively, smooth one that instantly caused their guards to rx a bit.

    Still, neither of them knew just what the hell was going on! Giving this beautiful girl a sweet smile on her own, Ani asked, "Excuse us, but who are you, young beauty peach?"

    Darcel didn''t know for the life of him why Ani called her a peach, but he couldn''t deny that this girl certainly was a young beauty.

    The beautiful young girl only broadened her smile once hearing Ani. And with speeds iprehensible to the duo, the girl had suddenly popped right in front of their faces.

    "You''ll definitely meet a big brother in the future.for now, let''s take a rest." Under Darcel and Ani''s awe, they couldn''t react at all as this beautiful young girl lightly bopped the tip of their noses.

    The clear yet slightly translucent finger of the girl only barely touches the duo. Yet, instantly Darcel and Ani stood like statues as they fell into a unique trance.

 Chapter 42: Desirable Enlightenment

    Chapter 42: Desirable Enlightenment

    Darcel''s eyes hastily snapped open after being put in that strange yet hypnotic trance of that beautiful young girl. Immediately, before he could question the intention of that girl, his mind was in utter awe.

    Breathlessly he took in what he considered to be one of the most glorious sights he had ever seen. And this magnificent sight was plete and total swirling Darkness Qi.

    Yes, despite everything being no different than the ckness of night, Darcel couldn''t help but be entranced in this space. There was something, something far more personal with this Darkness than he ever felt before.

    It was akin to a nostalgic homing feeling that he didn''t even realize he so desperately needed. Whatever this Darkness ce was also felt iparably good to float around in.

    Almost like he was swimming in a pool of Darkness! This bliss, Darcel, could nearly equate to the heavenly pleasure he feels when getting intimate with Ani.

    Moreover, a soothing voice was whispering familiar calming words into his ear. He pieced out this silky voice was saying ''Yin Pleasure.''

    The repeated phrase he heard numerous times on profound enlightenment breakthroughs.

    Only now, Darcel decided to test something. Slowly, Darcel pulled his hand towards his face while feeling like head precise control over his Darkness.

    With a mere thought, Darcel coated his whole hand in Darkness Qi.

    Staring at his hypnotic swirling Darkness hand, it led Darcel down on a broad path of thoughts. All thoughts pertaining to how unique his Darkness really is in affecting people.

    The frantic emotions released from inside a person in order to distract was tremendously helpful every time.

    Still, thinking more clearly and feeling his Darkness up close now, Darcel realized the most prominent and strongest emotion his Darkness pulls out.

    The blissful, hypnotic feeling of pleasure! Unyielding rage, crushing sorrow, and even boundless joy were all just after feelings to the intense desire for pleasure and lust.

    The pleasure was first and foremost the gateway to heavily affecting anyone''s minds, allowing for the other emotions toe through.

    And realizing this point made Darcel think differently of his lovely intimate moments with Ani.

    Compared to when he only wants an edge in battle, Darcel was beginning to understand his Darkness was bing frantic with pleasure. It didn''t want to hurt Ani.

    No, instead, his Darkness wanted to pull her in and drown her in the face of overwhelming desirable lust!

    It''s no wonder that, even on his own, hearing Ani''s cute breathless moans and watching her glossy lustful blushing face gives Darcel a boundless sense of satisfaction and his own kind of great pleasure.

    Although, that wasn''t to say Ani was incredibly hard to please. Far from it. At least Darcel thought her soft, modest body is pretty sensitive and straightforward to make climax and experience bliss.

    Nevertheless, Darcel could tell extra forces were at y here since Ani bes clinging attach to his body during their sexy moments.

    And in this trance, Darcel knew what that extra force was. He could feel a second strong connection that heavily ys into granting the desire of lust and pleasure.

    Naturally, it was his holy, overwhelming bloodline!

    This Darkness space gave Darcel a far more profound connection with his bloodline than any other time he activated it. And just like his Darkness, his bloodline doesn''t only change the tides of battle.

    The tender touches and sweet kisses he shares with Ani subtly forces about power and pleasure in the both of them.

    This was something entirely out of Darcel''s control since this directly ys into their bloodstreams.

    Yet he could forcefully suppress his Darkness element. A significant hypothesis Darcel could draw from this is his Darkness wants to go beyond a physical side and affect Ani on a spiritual level.

    It wants to actively connect with Ani rather than merely giving base pleasure.

    Suddenly Darcel wrinkled his eyebrows.

    All of this strangeness led him to think about all other people he casually touched before.

    His eyes blinked a few times once,ing to see that his Darkness and bloodline only act in this specific way with Ani. Without skillfully using it in battle, his Darkness and bloodline won''t react with any other person.

    Hell, even during the first few years, he first met Ani. Whenever they did share brief intimate contact, his bloodline and Darkness never reacted as well.

    Plus, before he finally truly realized his deep feelings for her, Darcel''s bloodline and Darkness only slightly reacted because of the attraction he felt about her.

    All of this led Darcel to smirk as he gathered a straightforward conclusion. His own romantic feelings, his Darkness, and bloodline were all interconnected! At least there was a base sharing at some level.

    It was interesting.very fascinating indeed.

    If he''s entirely invested in strengthening his connection with someone. Then the amount of pleasure and desire of lust he can swirl in their minds already spawned ideas in his head.

    Of course, Darcel only thought of doing this with another woman and didn''t even consider men. Frankly, even with Ani, Darcel never really held intentions to get involved in a romantic rtionship at first.

    But over time, his walls were cracked by the bright girl, allowing her to drill deep into his mind.

    And now, there was this slow but budding developing curiosity and desire to see how far his connections and potentially other women can go.

    Something profound yet familiar inside him was pushing Darcel to this thought, and it couldn''t feel more right and natural! That sense of satisfaction, it was worthy enough to deeply explore.

    Although with a mind like Darcel''s, he still won''t go out of his way to chase women like a yboy or a hopeless romantic.

    This new enlightenment had just helped him broaden his mind and want to deepen his rtionship with Ani.

    More importantly, though, was Darcel wondered if he could apply this in a tactical sense. If somehow he could create like a fake connection with a hugely powerful enemy woman, he and Ani would gain numerous advantages.

    Pleasure, a real pleasure that can overload a mental sense, Darcel was sure not even self-proimed sex experts or even sex gods can achieve this!

    Darcel was mostly talking from arrogance, but he now understands that his Darkness is a gateway to a new often not talked about side of cultivation!

    ''PA!!''

    Reverberating throughout this whole space was a blooming popping noise that simultaneously went with a dramatic change in Darcel!

    He felt his Darkness element mutate once again, and the power of his Nascent Core deepened.

    Amazingly enough, Darcel stepped right into the second level of the Nascent Core realm! His mind-opening enlightenment of his Darkness and bloodline pushed his Qi and Core to greater heights.

    Now, inside his dantian, his Darkness Nascent Core becamerger and became a little bit more profound in shape. And above all, Darcel heard a clear, soothing whisper that nearly put him to sleep.

    "So young, yet so amazing, already reaching this step. You truly are a Ar-"

    "Darcy~!!"

    Abruptly Darcel''s eyes snapped right above him. That ancient soothing whispering voice immediately went away once a familiar angelic voice sweetly called his name.

    Despite feeling a bit annoyed that the voice didn''t finish its sentence, Darcel still put his full attention on a magical sight.

    Perfectlybining with his Darkness was a pure, dazzling white light that hovered above him.

    This white light spewed out secure warmth in his whole Darkness space.

    And in the center of this light was the gloriously cute Ani. That broadly smiling face he came to get lost in had promptly wiped away any previous feeling of irritation.

    Gracefully, Ani fell on top of Darcel, her hands immediately wrapping around his neck like a ko. Her soft face snuggled into his neck, unleashing her mesmerizing scent into Darcel''s noise.

    This.this stimtion made Darcel react entirely on instinct. Swiftly he wrapped his around her, pulling her into a tight hug while stroking her lushes white hair.

    "Hmmm.that was an odd way toe here, but it was undeniably cute. For that matter, just how did you st in here?" Darcel didn''t think he was talking any differently from the usual.

    Still, Ani had suddenly snapped her head up to him.

    Her face spouted this massive blush as she goofily smiled at him. In her own unexpected twist, Ani smoothly went up and kissed his cheek, using herscivious soft lips.

    "Mnh! I see you experienced your own enlightenment that blew your mind open! For me, I just wanted to spread my light with you and feel a stronger and deeper connection! And then I broke through and fell here. Hehehe~, it sounds so simply saying it out loud."

    So effortlessly could Ani spot the slight change in Darcel''s speech. Plus, she herself also changed a bit, bingxer in finding the fun in whatever situation she''s in.

    Darcel, who before would''ve merely sigh at this exnation, was now finding her odd quirks more endearing as his curiosity developed further.

    "Heh, it indeed does sound so simple saying it out loud, I bet your airheaded simplicity can rock even deities minds. Never a dull moment with you." Darcel affectionately said, feeling it became more pleasant to blurt out lines like this.

    Ani sweetly giggled as Darcel held her tender body even tighter. Their blend of ck and white became seemingly perfect as their thoughts somewhat lined up to each other.

    In their enlightenment, both honestly were thinking of each other. Darcel wants to give Ani a pleasure beyond pleasure, and Ani with wanting to spread her light into Darcel.

    It was a serene, sweet moment. That is until the bubbly voice of that beautiful young girl red into their space, saying,

    "Ohhh~! Ohhh~! You Darcy, I can tell you''ll have mind-blowing deeper bonds than what big brother aplished!"

    At the sweet sound of her voice, the duo only blinked once. Yet when their eyes opened again, they were suddenly back in the bright multi-color room of the beautiful young girl.

    Darcel and Ani were still holding each other as the translucent girl stared at them with a ray of sunshine, dazzling smile. Letting go of one another, Darcel hope they could get some answer this time as he asked,

    "Ok, while we appreciate the chance for enlightenment and breakthrough. Just who are you, girl? No.not who, but what are you?"

    Finally, like her moment hade, the beautiful young girl propped herself to be slightly higher than the duo. Her face, stature, and aura carried this natural, elegant confidence charm as she told them,

    "I''m d you finally asked! You two can call me Sari, and I''m.the gift granting spirit! For real special people like you, I can make your lifepletely turn around, but at a cost. A gift beyond your wildest dream will be made avable to you two, just if you meet big brother requirements."

    At the same time, Darcel and Ani''s eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. A gift granting spirit? What even the hell is this supposed to be, and this surely is a joke, right?

 Chapter 43: Deal

    Chapter 43: ''Deal''

    Ani and Darcel were admittedly a bit at a loss. Whatever this girl was trying to offer them just seems too good to be true. And just why does this girl keep mentioning some big brother as this grand like figure?

    Neither could tell why, so the only way to get info is to politely talk. At least that was what Ani thought. But before she could speak up, Darcel gained a different set of ideas on his own and swiftly said,

    "A spirit, huh? So? How do we get out of here, or are you going to send us out?" Bluntly and crudely, Darcel spared no expense in his words. He made his tone sound a bit impatient as well to further add on to his act.

    Ani raised one of her eyebrows at Darcel''s sudden rush. Yet, one look towards Sari gave her a general idea of what he was doing.

    A smirk as well etched on Darcel''s charming face once seeing Sari''s flustered reaction.

    Truly, Sari''s mind was thrown into slight chaos! From all the mind breaking feats she performed, usually, the reaction she gets is shock and innate curiosity.

    And these two really special ones were just curios a moment ago! Now suddenly the one name Darcy changed to be in a hurry? Never something like this had urred in her long life.

    "Mnh.Mnh. Really thanks for everything but time is probably screwy here. Who knows how long has passed since we were on our path of enlightenment! Our schedule is very tight, Sari!"

    Once Ani saw Darcel sh her a knowing smile, she instantly got the idea to y along in a hard way. Expectantly the duo watched as the beautiful Sari was thrown for an additional loop.

    Darcel was acting on a hunch here, but it seemed the right hunch to call.

    He thought about how Sari said before she was around for millenniums of years, making her probably the oldest person he and Ani ever came across.

    But, the way she''s acting.it definitely doesn''t fit someone with thousands of years of experience.

    Even with the oddest of personality, Darcel took a big guess here, but a person like this should retain some level of mature dignity.

    Adding on to the fact the Sari herself said she was a spirit, led Darcel to think, just maybe. she''s an iplete spirit! He had some vague knowledge aboutplete Spiritual beings from the Organization, which served as some basis for trying this.

    "You-you.but, don''t you two want the grandest gifts in cultivation no one can ever receive on this! Gifts that''ll.that''ll just crush yourmon sense of the world you know?!"

    Sari''s voice had a small bit of urgency. She absolutely couldn''t let these outstanding youths go! No one and she truly means no other previous special people areparable to them!

    Their bloodlines, especially Darcy, were just that.maic and powerful! Yet Sari couldn''t help but feel a slight frustration bubbling within her as she watched the duo faces only remained steadily indifferent.

    "For a supposed mighty Spirit, you look far too cute and delicate to be so grand. And frankly, your big brother requirements just sound too troublesome to deal with." Nonchntly shrugging his shoulders, Darcel outright told the Spirit.

    Especially more now, hearing her urgent pleads, Darcel gained more confidence in doing this. Evidently, she really wants them for something.

    Something that he and Ani could use for leverage if this girl speaks the truth.

    Backing up Darcel in a seamlessbination, Ani began giggling softly while saying, "Hehehe~, I can see your cuteness changing people''s views on beauty but not in the way of cultivation!"

    "Muuu.Hmph!" Unexpectedly, Sari started to leak holy cute groans as her face contorted into an adorable pout. But then an idea clicked in her mind, and her eyes brightly shed.

    The adorable pout soon changed into a small smug smile as she raised her hand into the air. Darcel and Ani watched in odd confusion since they didn''t feel any powerful or threatening auraing from Sari.

    Yet, in the very next second, they were at a total loss for words.

    ''Chi!''

    A mere snap of Sari''s delicate fingers caused the whole room to ignite in a blindingly white sh. Darcel and Ani hastily closed their eyes shut as they nearly went blind from the white re!

    Darcel even gathered this light was far brighter than anything Ani could produce.

    However, the intense white sh onlysted for a second. And before the duo could even open their eyes, an iparable powerful aura seeped through their senses.

    An aura so overwhelming that for the first time sinceing to this threw Darcel and Ani for a chaotic loop. Hurriedly, they snapped their eyes open only to witness a majestic grand scene.

    Above and behind the elegant Sari was numerous luxurious design looking swords all spewing out dazzling multi-colors lights.

    Somehow as well, the bright lights radiating from the swords outshined their mystical spirit room.

    However, the bright fancy design and shine had only added to the overwhelming power these swords exuded.

    Nobody, not Teacher Z, the Vice Principal, or even cultivators from those higher ranks provinces couldpare to these swords.

    By Darcel and Ani''s senses, they could tell just a few swings of these swords could split the whole Zakira Academy to pieces! Hell, only one sword could possibly pour the entire Necropolis City to shreds!

    To even go further back for their shock, these swords aura might have matched some of the Parsol Organization''s lower-level Doctors. And the duo was sure any one of them could easily destroy this city!

    Yet something was still bugging them.

    Neither Darcel nor Ani can still sense even a tiny leakage of aura from Sari. ncing at Sari''s face, that small smug smile suddenly grew much broader as she observed their bewildered reaction.

    "Hmph! Hmph! Now, do you realize the terrifying might of the gift granting Spirit?! And this is only a small portion of my mighty power!" Finally, proudness filled Sari''s aura as she manages to catch these outstanding youths for a loop!

    Although, even if they''re in slight shock, Darcel and Ani''s mind move at a constant pace. Seamlessly, the duo shifted back to their calm, steady face, causing shock again in Sari.

    While making sure Sari understands something like this isn''t much to the duo, Ani tells her, "Not bad, not bad at all, Sari! But.isn''t this a little too much broad? I mean, if you want us to agree with your big brother''s requirements, we should get one absolute request each. After all, we''re special, right?"

    Out of all the reactions they could get, Darcel and Ani were at ease when seeing Sari''s face brighten up like she just got candy. Essentially though, it was impossible for Sari to not lit up like the sun.

    She''s finally on some road of agreement with these two!

    Whatever outrageous request they have will cost very littlepared to gaining their help. Excitedly, Sari told the duo,

    "Mnh! I don''t normally do this, but for you two, I''ll give you extremely special exceptions. No matter what it may be in cultivation, your wish will be granted no matter the cost! Uhm.as long as it''s within reason. But before that, you have to do big brother requirements."

    "Well? Just what are these mysterious requirements?" Darcel asked since it wouldn''t hurt to listen. And besides, if the requirements are far too troublesome, they can always just lie and not do her quest.

    "It''s easy! All you have to do is beat this one stinky green guy to a pulp and collect his essence for me. Oh! And you can onlye back here once you reach the Heavenly Transformation realm."

    For initial reactions, Darcel and Ani didn''t have much. The Heavenly Transformation realm.that realm is quite far for them, but they know in due time they''ll achieve it.

    And only they could honestly think this with a supreme air of confidence.

    For any other youths in this city, even the extreme talents one, reaching the Heavenly Transformation realm, is quite literally harder than ascending to the heavens!

    The only thing that was on their mind was Sari''s vague description of this stinky green guy.

    Indeed with the power she just disyed, this beautiful girl should have no limits. But then again, why is she attached to the Asylum in the first ce?

    "Stinky green guy? And just who or what is this stink green guy peachy Sari?" Ani asked her this time.

    "Nuuu.just a rat that has been sucking and leeching on the beautiful nature! I''m stuck in this Asylum, or else I would''ve taught that guy a harsh lesson already! Also, his essence is absolutely useful to me."

    Sari exined to them, making Darcel and Ani wonder again. Asking another question, Ani said, "For the previous special people.did they also have to fight a stinky green guy?"

    "Unfortunately, yes. No matter what happens, that guy just doesn''t know the meaning of pain or death. But don''t worry! That guy over the years got very weakened and still is to this day. So don''t worry about him being freakishly strong." Sari readily assured them with boundless confidence.

    "So? Do you know where this green guy is exactly? Or at least the area he''s in?" Darcel asked now, feeling this requirement isn''t so bad. But he still remained carefully cautious.

    "Mnnn.nope! Last I know, that green guy was slithering in somece with extremely freezing cold temperatures. But you will know when you see him. Literally, that guy''s whole body is made up of green, inky goop! Trust me, for special people simr to you, you''ll end running into him inevitably."

    Darcel and Ani took one look over at each other. Frankly, there were still a lot of hidden, unknown variables here. Moreover, this girl is surprisingly sparse with information despite all her power.

    Turning back to the girl, the duo shrugged as Darcel told her, "We''ll think about doing it. If we have some spare time on our hands. But don''t expect us to rush back here anytime soon."

    "It''s alright. Approximately, it''s been about a thousand years since that guy even attempted something major and was beaten up for it. His rate of recovery is sluggishly slow, so a thousand years is far too little for him. Just like a rat, he''s sneakily hiding." Sari finished off for them with a smiling expression.

    Frankly, Darcel and Ani didn''t fully take Sari''s word to heart. They are positively sure their cultivation growth will have no problems in the future! Still, what Sari did describe sounds somewhat interesting.

    Before either of them could talk more, however, Sari suddenly jumped up. With a surprised look, she told them, "Ah! I''ve taken way way too much of your time. Now it''s time to leave! But remember this, whether you know it or not, special people alwayse back to me!"

    Sari pointed her finger to them, causing a multi-color light to wrap over the two. Before being entirely transported out, she heard Darcy squeak out,

    "We''ll just have to see about that, won''t we?"

    .

    Outside of the Asylum, only onerge group of people stayed near the ce. About thirty or so minutes passed since everyone got booted out of the Asylum. Yet the Zakira Academy people were all still waiting.

    "I knew it! I just knew it! Those two are one hundred percent showing off their talents, probably making the Asylum keep them longer!" Shai Xia threw out a random guess as she waited near Hao Cao.

    Softly smiling, Hao Cao just shook her head as she said to her, "Did you truly expect anything else? They''re already proven to be quite the rowdy duo, fufufu~."

    Standing to herself, Teacher Z had an inquisitive expression. This sort of prolonged waiting.she could''ve sworn she heard about a story happening like this long ago.

    A story about a rather odd and freakish youth: however, before she could delve her thoughts into that, everyone suddenly heard the light footsteps of two present freakish geniuses.

    "Finally! You''re out and.oh? Nice job on actually breaking through in this ce!" Shai Xia had cheerfully gone up to meet them while congratting them.

    "Oh, it''s only natural, you know? Our enlightenments were quite heavy in that ce." Ani spoke as she, Darcel, Shai Xia, and Hao Cao all grouped back up together, merrily chatting away.

    At first, Teacher Z wanted to question them, but she held it off for now. Clearing her throat to get everyone''s attention, she told them, "Now that''s everyone here, we''re returning back to the Academy. I''m sure you all have achieved numerous insights that need digesting...."

 Chapter 44: Sensual Darkness

    Chapter 44: Sensual Darkness

    At thete hours of the night, everyone always seemed to have something to indulge themselves instead of sleeping, especially on a particrly eventful day with the Asylum of Mysteries opening.

    Cultivation and insights were tasks that Darcel could easily indulge in without any rest. But, for tonight, he decided to take a more heated, sensual approach to his cultivation.

    Inside his luxurious room, sitting upon hisfy bed, Darcel was caught up in inhaling the sweet intoxicating fragrance of his cute Ani. She was firmly snuggled into his neck, finding pure warmth there.

    Although their position was rather erotic. Ani sat on top of hisp with a pleasant smile ster on her pretty face.

    Darcel was smoothly stroking her ever soft lushes white hair, having a more sinful smile on his own. Each time Ani inhaled on to his neck, it sent small bursts of ignited passion down Darcel''s body.

    "Nnnnh.your scent Darcy. it''s somehow much, much more mesmerizing and hypnotic! It''s enough topletely smooth out my mind." Ani didn''t know how it happens, but Darcel''s current scene and very aura expelled a more maic charming presence.

    During these intimate moments, her usual wild beating heart was now blissfully steady as she fell into a calm rhythm of breathing down on Darcel''s neck.

    While she talked, Ani pressed more of her supple body onto Darcel, causing further waves of warmth and pleasure. Those two soft pillows like breasts of her would never get tiresome for him.

    And it was at this time Darcel thought back to his Darkness Qi. With all he has been through today, it was now the time to show Ani the first step in experiencing a new side of cultivation!

    Gently and filled with affection, Darcel pulled Ani''s face out and fondly lifted her chin up to him. Warmly smiling to her, he said, "That''s not the only change I have in store. Let''s experience something that''ll taste better than just smelling it."

    "Even your tone is getting hotter during these times." Ani sweetly told him as her face began to morph into one of lustful expectations. A bright, sweet blush enhanced her beauty along with her fervent fill eyes.

    Taking on this sweet momentum, Darcel swoops down and pulls Ani into a hot searing kiss. Immediately his tongue licked at Ani''s delicious, soft lips, savoring the delectable pleasurable taste there.

    "Ahn~....Mnh~!"

    Erotic sweet moans leaked out Ani as she promptly opens her mouth to ept Darcel''s tongue. An hot elegant dance of tongues ensued as Darcel sucked on Ani''s pink juicy tongue like it was candy.

    Honestly, the pleasure and sweetness of Ani''s tongue are nearly too addicting! Moreover, squashing his nose against Ani''s small cute nose brought about its variation of warmth.

    And Darcel wasn''t only going to stay like this. Raising his right hand a bit, Darcel took a small amount of his attention to coat his hand in Darkness Qi. This time, Darcel had far better control over his raging Darkness.

    Using this control, Darceltched his hand on to Ani''s modest size breast, sinking his whole hand into her.

    "Ah-AH~!"

    Caught off guard by the sudden touch, Ani raised an even louder moan into Darcel''s mouth.

    Immediately when touching her iparable soft breast, newfound waves of pleasure and satisfaction assaulted their senses.

    Massaging Ani''s breast with his Darkness hand felt beyond heavenly. It fit right into the palm of his hand, allowing him to y around with it and brush against the tip of her hardening nipple.

    "Mnh~....Ahn~....More~, touch me more~!"

    Ani panted out in heated breaths while they kissed. She couldn''t feel anymore like she was in heaven.

    Darcel''s hand was pure bliss!

    Her mind enraptured to a lustful state as her movement became even sexier.

    She began erotically grinding on Darcel''s hardening crotch, feeling an iparable firing itch in her crotch. And the hardening of Darcel''s pole only made her increase the intensity of grinding.

    This sudden sexy movement of her sparked a brighter me inside Darcel. Temporarily taking his hand off her breast, Darcel unbutton the top of Ani''s dark purple uniform, allowing her gorgeous breast to pop out.

    "Nnnh~, Ahn~, touch them now~!"

    In Between kisses, Ani demanded from Darcel.

    She was hooked on his tongue now and couldn''t even think of not kissing himsteamy trails of saliva travel down both their chins as their making out be even more passionate.

    Darcel took a moment to admire Ani''s beautiful breast. They were still wrapped in a fancy looking dark purple bra that added to their modest cute charm.

    Saving this imagery forter, Darcel immediately lifted up Ani''s bra exposing her bare heavenly breasts.

    Her cute pink nipples had now fully stiffened from intense stimtion and were just waiting to get fondled by him.

    And without pausing, Darcel began sensually caressing her breast, feeling a whole new different sensation. Compared toyers of clothes on top, the bare naked feeling of her breast was perfect!

    "AHH~! Ohh~! Your hand is like pleasure itself~!!"

    This time Ani had to break their intense kiss to fully intake these incredible waves of pleasure. The feeling of Darcel''s Darkness hand was taking her to new heights she never thought could happen before.

    "Let me see how these perfect treats taste too" Darcel hotly said to her, causing immediate eager anticipation to build up inside Ani.

    Her loins were getting wetter by the second, and now a far greater lustful heat generated there.

    Not one to let down expectations, Darcel leaned down towards Ani''s chest. Admittedly, the thought of sucking on these cute breasts was leaving his mouth a bit dry.

    To fulfill this dryness, Darcel coated the tip of his tongue in a small portion of Darkness Qi and sucked Ani''s sulent sweet pink nipple.

    "AH-OHH~!!"

    A shriek of pleasure far higher than Ani mustered before bounced off the walls of their room!

    Darcel''s mouth was godly!

    It nearly sent her over the edge as she pushed down hard on Darcel''s already erected pole.

    Simrly, Darcel leaked a grunt of pleasure once tasting this savory breast. Greedily, he began licking up her breast as if it was god cuisine. While doing so, Darcel ignited his other hand in Darkness Qi.

    He was nearly at his own climax, but before that, Darcel wanted to send Ani high into the sky. Swiftly he moved his hand down to Ani''s moist crotch feeling the desire to take things further.

    Though not too far since he wanted to wait until Ani''s fully ready for that. With simple movements, Darcel began massaging Ani''s moisten loins on top of her pants, enjoying the wet sensation.

    "Oh-oh~?! R-ri-AH~!!"

    Ani couldn''t even form a sentence as her senses were heavily assaulted with all sorts of newfound pleasure.

    In both her and Darcel, they also felt their bloodline stimte, gushing out waves of pleasure and plower.

    Fondling her wet secret garden, Darcel took his mouth from her breast and looked Ani in the eyes. Her moans were growing louder, and Darcel felt something slowly forming.

    Ani''s eyes had thentched onto Darcel''s eyes, causing the two to fall into a strange yet magical trance. Their ck eyes bored deep inside each other as if wanting to see the other souls.

    Furthermore, in Darcel''s eyes, an enchanting ck glow exuded from him, pulling Ani''s mind more into his maic charm.

    In their previous session, both would always satisfy each other. And most of the time, Darcel would easilye out on top. The few rare times he didn''t would be if he wanted to let Ani feel a change of pace.

    But now, their rising climax felt far, far different than before.

    They felt like a strong link was forming a bridge between their two souls. Ani was trying to look in the deepest of Darcel, wanting to connect with this link.

    And Darcel already felt like he saw the white light of Ani''s soul. Physically, he used a finger to press down Ani''s pussy while spiritually, he was going into Ani''s soul''s deepest region.

    Once he felt like he reached far enough, Darcel pressed hard on Ani''s pussy. At the same time, his eyes dazzled a pure sh of Darkness!

    "AHHHH~!!!"

    Ani roared out in an absolute climax! Her previous times climaxing all paled inparison to this very moment.

    Moreover, she felt as if Darcel imprinted himself in the deepest region of her mind.

    Tiredly, she copsed onto Darcel''s shoulder while lowly muttering out, "Darcy.Darcy.Darcy."

    "Haah.Ani?" Darcel was alsoing down from his own high once Ani climaxed. He could feel itsomething definitely linked between them, which also brought about his own pleasure and satisfaction.

    And hearing Ani mutter his name in a post rity slur brought Darcel back to reality. Though he called for her name, Darcel got no reaction as he started to hear her cute, peaceful snores on his shoulder.

    Leaving herfortably like this for a moment, Darcel also for sure felt closer to Ani in an unexinable way. Plus, his Darkness now felt more refined and calmer to control.

    The pleasure of Darkness.indeed, it''s far more mysterious and magical than Darcel could ever think of. But leaving that forter, Darce returned his attention to his cute sleeping girl lying on his shoulder.

    Looking down the bed and their sweaty bodies, Darcel knew it was time to clean this all up. Compared to theirst session, this time was obviously far messier.

    Thankfully he could rely on the other properties of Qi to make everything go smooth and easy.

    .

    Blinking his eyes open, Darcel realized he was in a predictable ce.

    Pure Darkness Qi surrounded his vision as he unamusedly floated in this space. But before he could make any sorts ofments, the Darkness began shifting.

    White sparks of lights began spewing from below the Darkness, adding a vibrant aura to the dreary space. And before Darcel''s very eyes, an entirely white figure slowly rose from the ground.

    This figure.Darcel''s eyes widen once recognizing the body outline. It couldn''t be, but this was.

    "Ani?"

    Darcel called out to the figure so eerily simr to Ani''s specific body type. Somehow, Darcel managed to make out this figure''s eyes was closed, yet it stood facing him with seemingly a smile.

    "Truthfully, I expected her toe sooner.but waiting this long also came with its own benefits." Darcel had rxed upon hearing a familiar ancient power voice re in the space.

    "You.I''m nearly positive you''re the one from my recurring dreams. I can tell this won''tst long, so what information do you have for me?" Darcel smoothly asked, no longer in awe or stunned position, hearing this voice clearly.

    "Growing quite nicely as well. Remember this, Darcel, she is one of your special Yin links. Yin Pleasure is forgotten but lives within us. And we.we will spread the true side of Yin Pleasurable Cultivation to all Links!"

    The voice gathered this awe-inspiring momentum that heavily impacted Darcel''s mind. A smile slowly cracked on his face as he told the voice,

    "To uncover this side of cultivation.I won''t hesitate for a second!"

 Chapter 45: Heavenly King Principal

    Chapter 45: Heavenly King Principal

    Days quickly passed like flowing water. The people who were chosen to go to the Labyrinth were intensely cultivating or training just for that extra chance of making it through the dungeon.

    And finally, after a few more days since the Asylum of Mysteries opening, it was time. Bright early in the morning stood numerous outstanding youths and one grand woman, all behind a bright blue-purple mix door.

    They all waited in an expansive corridor, eager anticipation filling the youths'' faces for the uing Labyrinth. And at the front of this crowd of students, standing right beside the Vice Principal was Darcel and Ani.

    Darcel was lost in thought as mused about this goldmine opportunity. As he was expecting, he and Ani needed far more Nascent Qi than average cultivators to breakthrough.

    Furthermore, theirprehension of Nascent Qi had to slow down because of achieving a stable and perfect foundation for each level.

    This was the most critical lesson Teacher Z constantly drilled into them.

    Her exact words were, "Being fast to the end doesn''t make everything. Only rushing with no stability can crush the most talented of geniuses even before the Innate Core realm."

    Remarkably though, even as Darcel and Ani slowed down their cultivation, they did manage to nearly achieve a second level perfect foundation in only a little less than a week!

    And while they didn''t breakthrough yet, Darcel was boundlessly confident that together with Ani, they could defeat any sixth level Nascent Core cultivator.

    Besides their own individual prowess, Darcel did remark the line up behind them wasn''t bad as well. For each level of students, they had an astonishingly wide variety of prowess for this Labyrinth.

    Most amazing here had to be Joyce''s team, though.

    Darcel gathered from his senses four of the youths on her team are just barely weaker than some initiate level teachers. And Joyce herself could probably even match those teachers!

    Frankly, Darcel found that the only danger for this Labyrinth lies within and not other people they may encounter. Specifically, for the expedition this time, the Mages went hard at work.

    Upon everyone''s finger, there was a blue magical jewel ring. Apparently, this small ring ran for a high price at the Mages Association, though Darcel found out it was for good reasons.

    This bright ring ring attaches itself to any user soul, allowing it to instantly send thest sighting of what the user saw before death.

    And this information goes directly to the one who wears the specially crafted holder jewel ring.

    Every high-level Sect or Academy had their own set of holder jewel rings and regr jewel rings.

    For their Zakira Academy, the only person powerful enough to wear the holder jewel ring was the mysterious Heavenly King of the Academy: the Principal!

    To make sure other humans recognize these unique rings, the Mage Association had inscribed their own unique symbols in them.

    By just letting the ring ignite a bit will tell anyone to not mess with this specific group unless they want to bring upon an Academy''s wrath on themselves.

    And this ring was only one part of defense Darcel and the other youths have for any unexpected troubles. But there was only one odd trip Darcel had about this expedition.

    The odd trip was in the form of the steady Vice-Principal standing by him. For the life of him, Darcel couldn''t understand why someone as powerful as she wasing to this expedition.

    He had directly asked her before why, but all Darcel got in return was a vague response telling him, "It''s for insurance." But remembering all that she taught them about the Labyrinth, this "insurance" just doesn''t add up.

    Before he could muse anymore, Darcel heard the ever sweet voice of Ani speak up right beside him, saying, "Ah! It''s about time we finally get to meet our elusive Principal. I didn''t think it was possible, but she''s even more reclusive than you, Vice-Principal!"

    "Hoh? And I presume you think it''s so easy to run and manage an Academy as big as ours?" Snorting slightly, the Vice Principal quipped right back to her.

    Though even she couldn''t deny the secretiveness of their Principal.

    "Well, despite being basically the second inmand, you sure do have plenty of spare time to obverse us. Does the Principal even agree with your hidden observation?" Darcel joined in and chided as well.

    "Frankly, in our positions,ing across geniuses like Joyce or Xia is already rare. But you two kids specifically take the top with your freakish talent never seen before." Bluntly telling them, the Vice Principal cared little that the duo knows of her monitoring habits.

    "Hehehe~, it''s always nice and weing to hear we''re always getting regarded so highly!" Cheerfully smiling at the Vice Principal, Ani and even Darcel truly came to appreciate the blunt Vice-Principal.

    Especially seeing as she made their lives be a luxurious cruise here.

    From behind, all students watching the interactions admittedly couldn''t take their minds off it. Even while conversing with one another, there was just something so awe about their talks.

    The primary and still most shocking point being just how easily Darcel and Ani can talk with their grand daunting Vice-Principal! Yet now all the number one ranking level students still had a hard time believing it.

    Furthermore, neither Darcel nor Ani seemed to have the slightest bit of nerves about meeting their Heavenly King Principal. A figure that demanded respect alone in her title!

    Amidst all the conversation, suddenly then, a majestically sweet voice leaked out into the corridor. A voice that gotten all conversations to stop and put their full focus on her while she said,

    "Vice Principal, send Darcel and Ani in."

    Already from behind, the students couldn''t help but be shocked by her words. Who here hasn''t dreamed of a one on one meeting with the grand Heavenly King Principal!

    And now, right before their eyes, the duo were so easily invited in.

    Watching this event unfold, Shai Xia only clicked her tongue. Standing right next to her, Hao Cao also had an inquisitive expression as she then heard Shai Xia say,

    "Tch, just cause their freaks in cultivation; they always get the most supreme treatment! Oh, how I envy them!" Admittedly, Hao Cao found it amusing how Shai Xia just outright admitted her envy.

    Though looking inside herself and the other students'' faces, they all wield simr envy sentiments about the duo.

    Sentiments that also pumped them up more to achieve massive gains in this Labyrinth to match their freakish talents.

    All the while, up in front, the Vice Principal held no change of expression, hearing the Principal request. As if she expected this to happen, she nonchntly shrugged her shoulders and snapped her fingers.

    Under the students'' eyes, the blue-purple mix door swung open. Only Darcel and Ani could sort of see what was inside though they didn''t spot any grand figure.

    The Vice Principal decided to urge them by saying, "Well? Best not to keep her waiting. You did want this, didn''t you?" Darcel and Ani took a single nce over to the Vice Principal once hearing her.

    They did want to go in, but.a strange yet small gut feeling made them a slight bit queer about this Labyrinth expedition.

    Quickly they shook their heads, pushing this feeling down, and walked into the room under zing curious eyes.

    .

    Immediately when walking into the room, Darcel and Ani''s eyes locked on to a magnificent sight. Standing just a few meters away from there was a stunningly enchanting woman that can cause kingdoms'' downfall.

    Her gorgeous face radiates dazzling grace, with each of her features being unforgettable to all eyes. Combined with her mesmerizing face was her neatly long purple hair that elegantly swayed down to her hips.

    She was also well endowed, sporting juicy bountiful breasts that you wish you could sink your teeth into. Out of everyone in the Academy, this beautiful woman also wore the fanciest looking uniform.

    It was more of an ancient luxurious royal robe design, holding the magnificent mix of a blue and purple color. And on her ring finger was a ringrge purple jewelry ring that shined with her bright beauty.

    Indeed, Darcel and Ani could say that she worthy of this Heavenly King title just by her looks. But excluding her looks.the duo couldn''t sense the Principal aura at all!

    It was almost as if she was entirely invisible. However, the foreboding feeling of instant death still prevailed through the duo, telling them it was impossible to ever contend against her.

    Suddenly, something peculiar urred while the duo gazed upon her beauty.

    When Darcel and Ani''s eyes directly locked on to the Principal eyes, they both couldn''t move their focus from her deep purple eyes. And without warning, her eyes suddenly sparkled a glowing purple brilliance!

    This sparkle shined like the ring sun, nearly forcing Darcel and Ani to close their eyes. Already, just without even talking, the duo was a little surprised at their Principal.

    "Woah.that shine! I didn''t think as soon as we stepped in here, we would witness a beautiful light show of a Heavenly King!" Animented enthusiastically, fully taken in by her eyes.

    A beautiful small smile graced the Principal lips once hearing Ani. And when she turned her attention to Darcel, the smile stayed on despite him having a different reaction.

    Darcel didn''t exactly share the same amount of enthusiasm. With a slight smirk, he said, "Certainly was an eye-opening special. Though.I couldn''t help but feel like I was getting looked into?"

    The Principal''s face didn''t change at all towards Darcel''s question. Her cute little mouth only opened up to say, "You two really are rare special ones.but I can''t be a noisy bee. You will take this."

    Under her odd speech patterns, the Principal flicked a blue talisman to the slightly puzzled Darcel.

    While doing so, she exined, "Only you two can activate this underplete dire straits." Though she did give an exnation, the duo was still puzzled in her meaning.

    Obviously, Darcel and Ani wanted to continue this concise and brief conversation. However, before either one could speak up, the Principal took her attention off from them.

    Using the same maic voice from before, she spoke up to outside of the door, saying,

    "Vice Principal, you all cane in now. I''m ready."

    Hearing another snap from outside, the door promptly swung open.

    Shuffling a bit forwards so the others could enter, it was then Darcel, and Ani realized the Principal office was far more spacious than they thought.

    Easily their group of twenty or so people was nowhere near enough to fill up this massive room. Although, for the students who walked in, they also couldn''t focus on the room''s decor.

    Exactly like Darcel and Ani, they all were taken aback at the Principal''s stunning appearance. Even during thest Labyrinth expedition, none of the first ranked level students had the honor to meet the Principal.

    And in a way, thanks to Darcel and Ani. The students were granted a moment to truly appreciate the standards of beauty.

    Furthermore,pared to the Vice Principal, it was like night and day in terms of charm!

    The Principal, however, ignored the other students awe looks and whisked out several purple spatial rings. Swiftly she tossed the leader students each one purple spatial ring while saying to them,

    "Use everything wisely. And don''t resist now."

    Without giving anyone a chance to respond, the Principal raised her hand while igniting it in mystical blue energy. Everyone in the Labyrinth expedition group felt strange, yet warm energy run through their bodies.

    Doing as they were told, none of them resisted as the Principal hand shined an ever greater blue light!

    ''Chi!''

    A vast blue sh permeated the whole room as the group was promptly teleported out of the Principal ce. As the sh died down, the Principal was left alone to rummage on her thoughts.

    All thoughts pertaining to those two extraordinary youths and her own trusted aid. Her usual smiling expression went a bit serious as she out loud to only herself,

    "Zelle.that shift for our city ising far, far quicker than anyone of us could predict. This Labyrinth.it''ll be the start of it all."

 Chapter 46: Black Dungeon Labyrinth

    Chapter 46: ck Dungeon Labyrinth

    Busting his eyes open, Darcel forcefully pushed down the feeling of severe whish. His eyebrows furrow as he couldn''t help but think a fair warning would be delightful next time when getting teleported.

    Right beside him, Ani had fared even worse. Her deep ck eyes were nearly left in a sh daze. No matter if they let that magical energy run through them, it was a totally different experience going through it!

    However, she and Darcel soon couldn''t focus on the teleportation. To where they were brought to had instantly captured their eyes and threw out all previous connotations.

    Simply the ce they gazed upon was enormous! Easily this building was as tall as the sky-piercing trees in the Necropolis woods.

    The building didn''t have any windows but was pitch ck in color and exuded chilling, sinister vibes.

    Taking a second, Darcel took one look around the area they were in.

    Through what he assumed some magic formation, theirrge group was all teleported to a secluded spot in the Necropolis Woods. Nobody, not even wild Spirit monster beasts, was around for miles.

    Truthfully, Darcel thought getting to this ce would take a bit more time and be crowded when arriving. Luckily his suspicions of annoyance was proven wrong.

    At the back of him, Darcel started to hear the other students'' confused murmurs, also attempting to get rid of that whish feeling. Smirking to himself, Darcel turned his head to speak up to Ani.

    Yet, so abrupt and sudden did his sensestched on to an ominous looming feeling.

    His attention spiked while his body was raised toplete alert. And looking at Ani, he can tell she was experiencing the same feeling.

    Her face gained a massively inquisitive expression, unsure of just what was causing this feeling. She and Darcel both knew this dungeon, of course, would be dangerous.but to the point where it''s mere surrounding presence is setting off rms?

    For such a low-level province like there, it seemed highly unlikely.

    And the duo wasn''t the only one catching on to an ominous feeling. The Vice Principal had focused up her attention slightly, attempting to feel out this presence.

    Given that her Spirit Sense is far higher and advanced than the duo, one would think she would immediately seek out the presence.

    However.as soon as she spread her broad senses, the haunting feeling just suddenly.vanished.

    ''That was.'' The Vice Principal briefly thought to herself but had quickly reoriented her attention to the students. No matter what, the students'' safety will at least be assured with what they have.

    Stepping a few inches ahead of the group, the Vice Principal turned around and got everyone''s attention by saying, "Alright! Everyone assort into your groups and stick close to one another."

    Swiftly the students responded to her orders and began reorganizing themselves. Only Darcel and Ani didn''t move from their spots. Though one lone girl did walk up to them.

    "Fufufu~, With my one opportunity to spread out my wings farther than my brother, I''m d it''s with the two stars~." Hao Cao yfully teased as she got next to the duo.

    Even for someone as casual as her, Hao Cao couldn''t help but feel eager anticipation about this expedition. After all, she was one of the few that had the most knowledge of Darcel and Ani''s overwhelming prowess.

    Back then, when they were just at the Supreme Order level of the Qi Formation Sea realm, they quickly crushed fourth level Nascent Core students.

    And currently, at the second level of Nascent Core, just how powerful are they now?

    Hao Cao couldn''t imagine it, but she knew they would all be rich with resources! Though there was this odd nagging feeling about the Labyrinth, it was minusculepared to the excitement she felt.

    The excitement was also shared with the brightly smiling Ani.

    Eagerly, she grabbed Hao Cao''s soft hand while saying in a passionate tone, "Mnh! It may just be one of the wisest decisions putting as three as a trio! We''lle out ring full!"

    Hao Cao gently smiled while enjoying the feeling of Ani''s smooth hand and cheerful tone.

    Just beside them, they had also heard Darcel speak up, having a bit more charm in his voice than Hao Cao remembered him having.

    "Indeed, withpanies like you two, I can give it up and admit this deadly ce is already shaping up to be a good time." A slight surprise glint shed through Hao Cao''s eyes, hearing Darcel''s words.

    With a broader, teasing smile, she asked, "Oh~? The usual realist Darcel is genuinely warming up to be lively and charming~?" Giggling softly to herself, she expected to see a slight change in expression on him, but she only got his same calm facade.

    "Hehehe~, Darcey, just slowly learning how to lighten up a little. All thanks to me, of course!" Though Darcel and Ani were upbeat on the outside, inwardly, they were on red alert.

    They believed no one besides themselves caught onto that peculiar ominous feeling. Nobody else raised any concerns about it, and the Vice Principal''s face was as stern as usual.

    Still, Darcel and Ani weren''t ones that would take their senses lightly. Now for any unexpected trouble that may arise, both will take the step to quickly react to whatever that trouble may be.

    The Vice Principal, unaware of the duo''s thoughts, simply nodded once seeing everyone in their position. Sparing no time, she then proceeds to tell them,

    "Now, leaders, activate your reusable barrier talisman before going in. Since we''re in groups, it should be obvious why we wouldn''t people splitting off. Also, do remember you all have an escaping talisman that''ll instantly cover your whole group for hopeless situations. Are you all ready now?"

    "Ready!!"

    In sync, all of the students fervently shouted. Each leader brought out a uniquely designed purple talisman for their group, it being the reusable barrier.

    For Darcel and Ani, Hao Cao held the barrier talisman and activated it around them. And though inside the barrier, the duo could feel everyone''s eagerness and nerves were at an all-time high!

    Seeing all groups wrapped up in their shimmering purple barrier, the Vice Principal nodded while telling them, "Remember as well, this barrier is not immensely sturdy and can only tank one attack before disappearing. Now, go!"

    ''Swish!!''

    Right when the ok was given, the students sted off with swift speeds. They didn''t care who might''ve got in their eyes only held their eyes on the Labyrinth entrance.

    The Labyrinth entrance was this profoundly deep ck portal that dimmed even the darkness of the Necropolis woods. Watching from the back, the Vice Principal exhaled a small sigh.

    ''No matter what might change.those two kids will undoubtedly add to the shift.'' The Vice Principal mused to herself. Shaking her head, she had then begun preparing to go into the Dungeon Labyrinth herself.

    .

    Immediately when Darcel''s group opened their eyes after going through the ck portal, they all came across the unique design of this Labyrinth. The first thing that stuck out to them was the color of this ce.

    It was this particr glossy ck color.nearly identical to the shiny ck of the Necropolis Woods.

    This ce''s material was ck polished stone, filling out with seemingly unending pathways and ck glossy stone doors spaced out on the walls.

    Amazingly enough, the outside doesn''t do this Labyrinth justice on just how expansive it is. Even when spreading out their Spirit Senses a bit, neither of the three could tell the end of the ce.

    "For a dangerous ce, it''s quite.beautiful! Well, much like everything in our world. So Cao? Where to first?" Ani asked while also noticing their barrier indeed did go away after going through the portal.

    Darcel also expectantly looks towards Hao Cao, having no problem with her being in charge. Not wanting to disappoint the duo, her eyes began glowing a small spark of purple as she told them,

    "I''m sure you two also sense it. The level of monsters here is nothing for us. If we want true valuable resources, then we''re going to need to find a portal. It''ll take us to the next level."

    Darcel and Ani witnessed small sparks of now purple lightning streaks running out of her eyes during her exnation.

    Admittedly these bright sparks of lightningbined with her lovely face made for a mesmerizing scene.

    Gesturing at the duo, Hao Cao began carefully leading the way to the next portal. Even as their Nascent Core level could trump this level, Hao Cao wanted to take it slow for Darcel and Ani to get ustomed to the Labyrinth atmosphere.

    And certainly so, the duo could tell this ce was for the experienced minds.

    An aura of death was sprinkled all throughout the floor. Dark, bloody stains were stter everywhere from the ground to the walls and ceiling, creating an eerie look.

    Hearing their shoes hitting the pavement echoed throughout the Labyrinth also brought about its own level of haunting.

    For a short moment, nobody talked. Darcel and Ani were actually delving into their senses, attempting to see if they could pick up on that heavy looming feeling from outside.

    And not surprising to them, that daunting presence was nowhere to be felt inside the Labyrinth. Suddenly, during their trek, the trio had all picked up on Perfected Order Qi Formation Sea beasts running at them.

    "Keh!!"

    Severalrge rats all over ten feet long sprang out on to them from their back and front.

    If the trio could say one thing about these monsters, though, it was that their appearances are far more grotesque than anything in the Woods.

    Their teeth were massively long, sharp, and stained with dried blood. Their fur was all puffed up, revealing spots of gross ck spots and spots of horrid fluid.

    Furthermore, their tails all easily reached a length of at least six feet.

    This sort of entrapment would''ve been threatening and daunting to any Qi Formation Sea group. But it was a shame these Spirit Monsterscked the awareness to know when they''re genuinely outssed.

    Nonchntly, Hao Cao raised her hand high into the air. Looking up at it, the duo watched as a glowing bolt of purple lightning formed above her finger.

    ''Chi!''

    With a simple snap of her fingers, the bolt of purple lightning split off into several bolts and rushed the rats at unimaginable speeds.

    Before the rats could even process it, purple lightning tore through their heads, effortlessly killing them off.

    When lowering her hand, it was then a bright spark of purple lightning went off in Hao Cao''s eyes! Broadly smiling, Hao Cao told the duo, "Fufu~, it seems we''re luckier than I expected! I already picked up on the next portal location!"

    Darcel and Ani raised curious expressions as they were told this was Hao Cao''s power of the supposed sixth sense.

    Neither of them knew exactly what this meant, but Hao Cao told them it was what got her toe to their duels.

    Moreover, she also mentioned a friend wielding simr inborn powers to her. Still, no matter how strange it sounded, Darcel and Ani were d they had this cute girl on their team.

    "No need to go slow for our sake, then Cao! Lead the way, and let''s st through this level!" Ani gave her the ok, causing Hao Cao to nod her head.

    Quickly now, the trio rushed off with Hao Cao in the lead. It didn''t matter how extensive and broad the Labyrinth was currently; with Hao Cao, they were assured to be on the right track.

    After only a few miles running, Hao Cao''s right foot had sunken into the ground on one specific tile. She nearly tripped up from theck of bnce and also forced Darcel and Ani to stop right behind her.

    ''Hua!''

    Neither of three was paying attention to their surroundings until arge glossy ck door flew open right beside them.

    Taking only a single nce over, the three watched as many ck arrows, all exuding a poisonous aura, shot towards them.

    Igniting her hand in whitish ck mes, Ani casually erected a ck ming wall over the door''s massive opening. The three soon turned their attention back on finding the portal as the sounds of arrows burning slithered into their ears.

    "At least I would''ve thought the traps would be a bit entertaining.so, how far are we from the portal?" Darcel asked while unfazed from recklessly activating a trap.

    Turning to Darcel, Hao Cao gave his charming face a cute smile while telling him, "It''s ironic that the trap stopped us right here. We''re actually pretty close to the portal. Full speed ahead?"

    Towards her question, the duo nodded. Swiftly the trio began pouring a bit of Nascent Qi into their legs in hopes of not getting stopped by a trap again.

    With Hao Cao in the lead, the trio blitz towards an ignorable, ordinary-looking ck door only a couple of miles ahead of them. In only a few seconds, the trio sted through the door,ing across an odd sight.

    This particr room contained massive swarms of giant rats. And all rats there were at the peak stage of the Perfected Order level of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

    Instantly the gruesome rats'' attention turned on to the trio. But when doing so, every rat there met with the crushing feeling of death!

    Darcel''s hand sizzled a ring ck fire glow. With only a flick of his hand, he unleashed a torrent of wild raging ck mes!

    ''Sssch!!''

    The savage burning sounds of rats being burnt to death boomed in the trio''s ears. Using only a second, Darcel rid the room entirely of rats to were only ck ashes remained.

    "Heh, always with the shiness, Darcy! Oh?.... Hey, that has to be the portal, right?" All the way to the back of thisrge spacious room was a set of stairs in an odd sickly green color design.

    And at the top of the stairs, the trio could spot a sickly green looking portal.

    "Indeed, it is. Let''s mosey to the next level, shall we?" Hao Cao confirmed and rhetorically asked the duo.

    Darcel simply nodded while Ani set up some eager anticipation for the rest of the Labyrinth. With hope in her voice, she said,

    "No matter if this ce is in a weaker state, I hope we can get a greater challenge now."

 Chapter 47: Unforeseen Attraction

    Chapter 47: Unforeseen Attraction

    While the Zakira Academy students all marched their way through the Labyrinth, encountering various experiences. Other Sects and institutions were already making significant progress here.

    One particr group, Darcel and Ani, would recognize, had a specially powerful line up for the glossy ck first floor.

    Every youth in this group donned the signature symbol of the legendary Roc. Their robes were a brilliant color of orange and ck mix.

    This group hails from none other than the Quicksilver Roc Sect!

    Making this group up was four good looking boys and three exceedingly cute girls. Furthermore, all of them were at the Perfected Order of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

    Despite the dreary, haunting atmosphere of the rat-infested first floor, none of the disciples in this group had any sort of fearful or cautious expressions. In fact, they all still kept their excitement and eagerness.

    "Seriously, what a breather this ce is! All those rats have going for them is just being too ugly to look at it."

    "Last time I was here, none of this wasn''t even remotely simple. When they said the Labyrinth was weakened, they truly damn meant this ce is far weaker."

    "Hey, hey. At least the loot here is still as valuable as ever! Though I bet those Zakira rats and Yoderine snakes are having an equally smooth time here."

    Up at the front and center of the group, one particr boy with long flowing blonde hair listened in on the other conversations.

    He was the group''s apparent leader having the highest prowess of the group and a strategic mind.

    Though, while he was continually expanding his Spirit Senses for any unknown dangers, the blonde boy couldn''t help but agree with his teammates.

    But.there was just something wrong about this.

    Everything really shouldn''t just be this easy. Yet no matter what Perfected Order beast came at them or traps sprang at them, they all managed to effectively deal with it.

    There was only one slightly odd thing the blonde boy noticed.

    The only thing it being was fresh, bright red blood stains mixing in with the dried bloodstains. Or the fresh bloodstains would just be in its own separate space.

    Still, could this really be so odd? In a dangerous chilling ce like a Labyrinth where everything out to kill you, not seeing blood would be weirder.

    But, abruptly, the blonde boy stopped dead in his tracks, cutting off any musings.

    He felt it.at least he felt something.

    In the pit of his stomach, an instinctive gut feeling swirled around there.

    "Lian? What''s wrong?"

    Right beside him, one of the cute girls asked him, not understanding at all why Lian suddenly stopped. She, along with the other disciples, grew a bit alert now.

    Lian, as if he didn''t hear her question, jerked his head towards a specific pathway. There was nothing different about this pathway, and yet, a burning curiosity was pushing Lian to go down there.

    Taking only a single nce over to the girl, he only said, "We''re taking a new route now." Pointing down the path he snapped his head to, he continued on, saying, "Down here. I can sense something.special there."

    The other Quicksilver Roc found Lian''s behavior remarkably strange. For as long they knew him, nothing much can actually make Lian react so abruptly and shift his mind.

    Still, they didn''t pick up any tone of caution or worry in his voice. No, more so there was a rare hint of eagerness? Either way, the girl next to him said,

    "Alright, then. Surely it has to be good stuff down there then!"

    Lian barely acknowledged her words and began walking down this set specific path. His other teammates took a quick look over at each other before swiftly following behind.

    As they continued down this path, Lian''s teammates still couldn''t guess why he wanted to go down here.

    Absolutely nothing was different about this path! Yet no matter how samey the scenery was, Lian never stopped walking.

    "Maybe.maybe Lian senses are ying tricks on him? But he''s acting so odd for it to just be a trick!"

    "I couldn''t tell you either, Xue. Spreading my senses down here, yet all I got is the same dreary aura of this Labyrinth."

    Lian paid no mind to his teammates'' massive doubt and kept on moving.

    If there was even the slightest bit of threatening danger, Lian would''ve never chosen to go down this path. And at their distance, it was still only this maic feeling.

    For a few more minutes, they trudge on this path. Suspicions and doubts were growing higher, and one of the boys wanted to end this farce already.

    However, everything changed when they turned onest corner.

    "Wh-what the? What is this?" A ck hair boy in the group stuttered out.

    He and the other gazed in bewilderment at this strange gruesome scene. Filling out the path now were numerous giant dead rats, all withrge bite marks taken out of them.

    The manner in which these rats were killed stood out to them.

    Someone or something truly went to a pic on these disgusting rats! But none of the Quicksilver Roc disciples had yet to encounter a different being than the rats.

    It was quite unnerving gazing upon bloodied and bitten rats. Lian, though, he suddenly felt a dramatic shift in feeling. Peering down this gruesome scene, right in the middle was what looked liked a.human?

    Yet, at the same time, it held freakish characteristics. You could spot multiple ring red veins running across its forehead.

    It didn''t have hands, but these ferocious-looking ws and its feet were grotesque, barely resembling a human foot. Furthermore, its whole body was of this tall,nky type, and its skin had a bright red hue.

    The single most freakish thing was its tongue.

    It extended oundishly out, far longer than what any humans or Spirit monsters can do. And with that long gross tongue, it appeared to be licking on what looked like a human corpse!

    The other disciples'' eyes had also snapped on to this strange human-like being, simrly being in disgusted shock about it.

    Though none there felt danger senses go off since this creature was only at the Extreme Order level of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

    "Ugh.so that''s what got your attention so worked up? Sure it is rather.odd-looking. But there''s nothing other than that thing here." The girl beside him spoke up in a dismissive tone.

    "Right, plus it seems content with feasting on rats and whatever underneath it. Let''s just get back on track already." The ck hair boy also said, seeing no real reason to kill this thing.

    Unknown to the whole group; however, this human-like creature lips twitched upwards in the form of a smirk as soon as they stepped foot here.

    Besides a now disturbing aura, Lian honestly couldn''t disagree with them. But whatever that strange maic feeling was, he was sure it came from down here.

    Nevertheless, Lian gave up wanting to explore further and not bother their time with some gross looking weird creature. Taking one step around, he started to say, "I guess.yea you-"

    "Hey! That thing is trying to rush us!"

    One of the girls interrupted Lian, snapping everyone''s attention back over to the creature. As soon as Lian took one step back, that creature''s head locked towards them and began rushing at them.

    The distance between them and the creature was at least half a mile. Yet, for an Extreme Order being, it was surprisingly quick.

    "Tch! This is what happens when you try to show mercy to lower creatures! Let''s kill it!" The ck hair boy cursed out loud.

    Clearly, he and the other thought this was another Spirit Monster with the same amount of awareness as rats.

    ''Chi!''

    Casually, the Quicksilver Roc disciples even went overboard as they sted out several beams of Profound Qi to the creature.

    Obviously, the speed of their beams shouldn''t be something someone merely at the Extreme Order level could dodge.

    This only made it more surprising when nimbly, the human-like creature had just narrowly dodged the beams and jumped on the left wall.

    Further shocking the disciples was when the creature speed massively increased, being on all fours, running on the walls!

    "Hoh? That''s a neat little ability. But shall we see how it fares against the wind?" One of the boys said as blue wind Qi gathered into his palms.

    Stepping a bit out of the way, the boy swiped his down, unleashing a frantic torrent of wind Qi at the creature! Definitely this time, no matter how agile it is, it can''t avoid razor-sharp winds.

    s, theirmon sense theories were only proven to be wronged.

    Swiftly, the human-like creatures bounced up to the ceiling, where its speed seemed to enhance even further!

    Shockingly enough, this shift in movement and increased speed allowed the creature to dodge the frantic torrent of wind Qi!

    "Tch!"

    The Quicksilver Roc disciples all collectively clicked their tongue at this creature annoying agileness. Making up their minds, the others also began sending out waves of blue wind Qi.

    But no matter how much they threw out, this creature just avoided them all! And during the disciples'' growing frustration, none of them caught the human-like creature spitting out a red fluid.

    Flying out of its mouth, the fluid reached speeds far surpassing its own body! Even if the Quicksilver Roc disciples were at their fullest alert, they all would have a slightly tricky time seeing this kind of speed.

    But now, with their full focus getting diverted on annoyance, no one noticed this red fluid flying directly on the ck hair boy face and body.

    In just a second before, the Quicksilver Roc disciples were easily keeping the creatures at bay. But abruptly and out of nowhere,

    "AH-ARGHHH-GUAA!!!"

    The ear-piercing shrieks of paining from the ck hair boy froze everyone. Hastily, everyone''s head snapped to the boy only to see a terrifying transformation.

    The ck hair boy''s skin was sizzling in this ring red color, almost looking like he was melting. For the boy, unbearable pain wracked his body as overwhelming energy crushed every inch of his being.

    Moreover, it truly did feel like he was getting burnt alive with the hottest of me known to man! Instantly he crashed to his knees as his vocal cords were getting fried.

    Lian''s group was utterly petrified. None of them sensed any tremendous aura of power or hell; even the slightest bit of Qi leaked out from that creature.

    So how.how did he end up like this?!

    This petrifiedpse in judgment allowed the human-like creature all the time it needed. In only two seconds, the beast spread open its mouth, spewing out a downpour of red mist to the disciples.

    "Sh-shit, we ha-"

    One of the boys tried to talk and move until a sudden locking pain halted his body. Not only him, but others too soon couldn''t move their body! Combining with this was their vision getting clouded by a chilling red mist.

    The time it took for the creature''s mist to reach them was nearly instantaneous! And inside the fog, no one, not even Lian, could muster up any Qi to resist.

    Something directly enters their bloodstreams, making them all far weaker and vulnerable than before. However, Lian still frantically tried to struggle out.

    Gritting his teeth, he pushed past the pain to say,

    "B-Burn your-What the?!?"

    ''Chi!''

    Lian''s eyes widened when he could spot a gross bright red tongue sticking out one of the boy''s chest! In this mist, the boy couldn''t put up any sort of defense, allowing for a quick and brutal kill.

    The other disciples instantly felt hopeless despair seeing how easily one of their members was killed off. His Perfected Order body that should be naturally sturdy was nothing but tofu for the creature.

    And in a crushing realization, they all knew.they were next!

    ''Chi, Chi, Chi, Chi!''

    In merely a couple of seconds, the human-like creature pierced its tongue through the remaining Quicksilver Roc disciple chest. Their corpses fell into a pool of their own blood as the mist cleared up.

    Undoubtedly, with this Sect''s impressive speed, all of the disciples would have managed to easily outrun the beast. s, despite not thinking so, the disciples all fell prey to the human-like creature devious tricks.

    The ck hair boy had already killed over, his body asionally spasming because of that frightening red fluid.

    The creature''s mouth morphed into one that was supposed to resemble a massive grin as it finally has a big feast after putting in so much work.

 Chapter 48: Sickly Second Floor

    Chapter 48: Sickly Second Floor

    Ignorant to the disturbing undercurrents brewing in the Labyrinth, Darcel''s team were all fresh and ready for the second floor.

    They were currently taking the time to observe the Labyrinth''s floor after getting transported by the portal.

    And, shockingly, the trio could admit at least this Labyrinth doesn''tck a total change in scenery. The current floor they were on was painted in a full sickly green molting color that wasn''t all too pleasing to the eyes.

    Further adding to this floor more unsightly appearance was the strange-looking nts seemingly growing from the walls. If one didn''t take the time to notice, these wall nts could be mistaken as alien designs.

    Ani could even swear these wall nts were slightly moving!

    Yet squinting her eyes hard enough, she couldn''t exactly tell if it''s merely her vision ying tricks on her, even with her enhanced vision.

    Smiling to herself over this oddity, Ani turned around to Darcel and Hao Cao. With hope zing in her eyes, she told them, "Mnh, this floor looks sure is strange, but let''s take a first glimpse at our new challenges!"

    That hopeful, expectant tone in her voice was, to a degree was simrly shared by Darcel and Ani.

    With all of their genius talent and prowess, it''s a mere waste to not find anything to expand it on.

    Forming two small smirks on their faces, Darcel and Hao Cao nodded at Ani. Simultaneously, they all spread out their Spirit Senses, feeling out the general waters of this floor.

    Uniquely to them, the speed at which they can extend their Spirit Sense is amazingly swift. Using only seconds, the trio managed to cover a couple of miles on the floor.

    A couple of miles that didn''t really get the trio thirst for battle running. In slight disappointment, they retracted their Spirit Senses.

    Shrugging his shoulders, Darcel was the first to say,

    "I didn''t go far, yet the strongest I can sense was fifth level Nascent Core energy. To think this Labyrinth would have such a disparity in weaknesspared to previous legends we''ve heard about."

    "On the flip side, though, Darcy, it won''t be aplete bore up here! Plus, this floor just means we''re getting warmer to the true excitement!" Ani, of course, still acted bright in the face of slight disappointment.

    Mirthfully smiling to herself, Hao Cao was slowlying ustomed to the boundless confidence of the duo. She couldn''t even say much on it, though, since their bold charm was rubbing off on her.

    Still, they can''t waste the opportunities on this floor. Giggling softly to get their attention, Hao Cao told them, "Fufu~, no matter if our odds are still overwhelming, we can''t pass up the resources on this floor. It''s quite literally rted to our levels."

    Looking over to her, Darcel agreed in his mind. Though they were standing around and talking, he wondered why none of the floor monsters came at them yet.

    But then again, these floors are massively wide.

    Pushing this thought down, Darcel smirked and began tenderly stroking Ani''s head, telling her, "Well then, for this floor, let''s have this ditzy girl use her whimsical intuition. I have to admit it''s begrudgingly useful." As Darcel talked, he recalled the multiple instances where Ani''s intuition actually helped them.

    And immediately, Darcel''s words and actions caused an energetic start in Ani.

    Feeling the unending warmth pour into her head by Darcel''s hand, she raised her cute little nose in the air while also gaining a lovable proud smirk.

    "Hm! No need to ask Darcy. I already predicted you would call on me for this." Watching their small interactions, Hao Cao pleasantly smiles as it was genuinely amusing.

    Although she did have a curiosity about Ani''s intuition since it wasn''t like her abilities weren''t crazy enough.

    In just a split second, Ani pointed her hand down a hallway where the nts on the wall were growing far more intensely. Boldly, she imed, "Down here! There''s a door with plenty of resources for us."

    "That was.instant. Lead the way then."

    Darcel spoke as he reluctantly stopped stroking Ani''s addicting soft, lushes hair. Hao Cao also didn''t have a problem with Ani taking the lead.

    Nodding to each other, the trio all took one causal step towards the hallway.

    And with this one step, in sync, their foot sunken into one ordinary green tile that looks no different from the rest.

    Exasperatedly, their heads snapped back to each other. None of them could believe that with just one step, they seriously activated a trap.

    Yet above them, they all heard and sensed the swirl of energy.

    ''Hua!''

    ncing above them, the trio witness the ceiling glowed in a ghastly green color. And out from this glow came raining down numerous, vicious-looking sharp sickly green spikes of Nascent Qi!

    "Make haste and follow!" Ani hurriedly told her teammates. Even as they could simply block the trap, she still had a bit of caution since it was a Nascent Core trap.

    A weary sentiment shared by Darcel and Hao Cao. Before the trap could reach them, the trio all poured Nascent Qi in their legs, and without warning,

    ''Swish!''

    sted off running with lightning-like speeds! From behind, they heard the crashing of stone as the energy spikes pierced into the ground.

    Yet none of them divided their attention as Ani swiftly led their group.

    Though the trap didn''t stop at their initial spot. While running, the trio cleanly avoided mass clusters of sickly green energy spikes that continually poured down on them.

    Yet during their run to not get skewer, none of three spotted several changes happening on the walls.

    The seemingly moving nts on their all began to shimmer a bright green glow down this hallway.

    Rays of green glow refracted in the trio''s vision.

    At thest second, they all finally took notice of the dazzling green glow walls. However, it was all a secondte as,

    ''Hua, Hua, Hua!''

    Several nt beings in the shape of humans sprang off the walls in an ambush! From a few meters in front and on both their left and right sides did they get surrounded.

    When appearing, the nt monsters immediately thrust their hands out and sted out numerous vines at the trio.

    At such close range quarters, the nt monster vines would need a single second to wrap them up!

    For any other group with sixth level Nascent Core leader, this entrapment would''ve been dangerous. The aura of these nt monsters mainly rivaled the level of fourth and fifth Nascent Core prowess!

    Yet the trio remained steadily calm. Hao Cao showed off instantaneous reaction speed, already forming purple lightning around her hands.

    ''Pa!''

    Like an electric pop, Hao Cao pped her hands together, causing purple electricity sparks to fly around them.

    Before any of the vines could reach them, a dazzling purple lightning barrier securely wrapped the trio up. In the barrier, the trio''s momentum didn''t slow down at all.

    Effortlessly, Hao Cao''s lightning barrier shredded any vines that got close to them. And the nt monsters that appeared in front also got sliced to bits by the overwhelming lightning barrier.

    Seeing her prowess more clearly now, Darcel and Ani could definitely conclude Hao Cao has some exceptional understanding of the lightning element.

    No other average sixth level Nascent Core cultivator could instantly wipe off numerous fourth and fifth level ones simultaneously.

    Running like no tomorrow, this nt chase went for a few exhrating minutes.

    Until finally, Ani pointed at a specific spot on the nt infested wall. In front of this wall were even more nt monsters looking slightly taller than ones from before.

    Their aura was simrly sharper than the previous nt monsters. All of their auras evened out a strong fifth level Nascent Core Prowess.

    A freighting fiery ck glow ignited at the tip of Ani''s finger. Mobilizing her Nascent Qi, the air burned to intense degrees!

    ''Sssch!!''

    Torrents of an overwhelming ck methrower spewed out Ani''s finger and straight towards the blocked door.

    It came as no surprise to the trio when Ani''s ck fire melted away the nt''s monster and sted a massive hole through the covered wall.

    Rushing into the room, the ceiling trap from earlier had finally stopped chasing them. Yet, before the trio could breathe a sigh of relief at that, they all felt their bodies get tightly squeezed!

    Their eyes shot towards the center of the room, where they sensed the most potent aura yet sinceing to this Labyrinth. What held this aura was an exotic looking nt monster.

    It reminded the trio of the venus fly trap nt, only this one was enormous! The skin was still in that same putrid green color of this Labyrinth floor, spewing out repulsive vibes.

    And at the top of this monster was its giant ferocious-looking mouth, spouting menacingly sharp green teeth. From its mouth as well dripped disgusting sickly green fluids that melted into the floor.

    Inside the barrier, the trio was taken in for a slight shock.

    The vines covering them were extraordinary! Not only did it somehow manage to drill through Hao Cao''s lightning barrier, but it also seemed like this monster had an endless stem of vines.

    Moreover, the dog pile of vines seemed to have this suppression property on their Qi''s. Hao Cao shredded the vines off with her purple lightning, but it was less potent than before.

    Plus, every time she shredded a vine, multiple ones wrapped around her in ce. Darcel and Ani didn''t act yet since an effect that could slightly suppress Qi was a bit interesting.

    That is until the trio felt their bodies get violently tugged on.

    Slowly but surely, this nt monster was trying to pull them into its agape revolting fluid mouth. s for the beast, Darcel decided to end things.

    A shimmering ck glow sparked from Darcel''s bloodline arm. Mighty power spewed out in frantic waves from Darcel. Hao Cao and Ani saw their world darken as a Darkness barrier had covered them up.

    The vines on them suddenly couldn''t move anymore. Using his same bloodline arm, Darcel pointed to the venus flytrap monster. Tremendous Nascent Qi swirled there, causing the room to reach burning degrees.

    Instantly forming at the tip of Darcel''s finger was a long glowing line of ferocious ck mes. Unwaveringly, Darcel simply said,

    "Fiery Slice."

    ''BOOOOM!!''

    Darcel''s martial skill sted straight from his hand and into the venus fly trap monster mouth, causing utter destruction!

    Raging ck mes exploded everywhere in the room.

    In a dominating fashion, the venus flytrap monster was burnt to ashes along with its unending supply of vines. Though in precise control, Darcel made it, so his fire didn''t melt everything in the room.

    Snapping his hand, Darcel made the Darkness barrier vanish. And what greeted the trio was a hefty sum of resources right where that venus flytrap monster used to be.

    They spotted a vast sum of red energy crystals and numerous red beast cores of the Nascent Core realm. The trio''s eyes lit up like stars as Hao Cao also snapped away her lightning barrier.

    "See? See?! I told you this level, even with it still being weak, would undoubtedly be a bit more exciting!" Ani passionately said as everything that just transpired was a wild rush of experience.

    "Tricks really cane in any sort of sizes or levels," Darcel remarked while recalling that unique suppression feeling of the venus flytrap monster.

    Taking the lead and walking up to the crystals, Hao Cao sweetly smiled at the duo, telling them,

    "And I''m sure we''ll have a lot more tricks and excitementing our way. For now, shall we collect our hefty sum of rewards~?"

 Chapter 49: Haunting Encounter

    Chapter 49: Haunting Encounter

    Traversing the Labyrinth''s second floor in a simr cruising manner as Darcel''s group was the handsome brother of Hao Cao, Hao Bao. His group is now justing down from the high of battle.

    All around themid bits and pieces of destroyed nt monsters. Even as the vicious nt monsters matched the fifth level of Nascent Core, their sinister ambushes were no match to overwhelming power.

    And Hao Bao''s group, in terms of levels, was far superior to Darcel''s team. Hao Bao himself was at the seventh level of Nascent Core, the peak of the realm!

    His other teammates, consisting of three good-looking boys and two charmingly cute girls, also ranged from the sixth level of Nascent Core to the seventh level of Nascent Core.

    Clearly, nothing on the second floor could ever hope toe close to matching theirbined prowess.

    Hao Bao held a perplexed gaze in his eyes, however.

    While they were collecting a hefty sum of resources, he can''t help but think back to his sister group, more specifically Darcel and Ani. With their prowess, they surely would''ve directly jumped into the second floor.

    But the question was, just how fast was she progressing with those monstrous freakish duos?

    His group all have to concentrate on even the smallest of details given by their Spirit Sense.

    While Hao Cao had that cheat like sixth sense to sniff out treasures. And there''s no telling that Darcel and Ani didn''t have something up their sleeves to also achieve the same effect.

    While Hao Bao was musing, the gorgeous girl next to him seemed to have picked up on his thoughts. Her ck hair gracefully twirled in the air as she turned to look at his face, giving him a cute teasing smile.

    "Back to thinking about how your sister might be far, and I mean far ahead of us because of the famous duo? I say, Hao Cao, are you perhaps feeling.envious of your little sis?"

    Hao Bao merely furrowed his eyebrows at his teammate teasing.

    Frankly, at this point, he was beginning to think he had some sort of maic curse of most girls he talked to being yfully teasing.

    Turning to the girl, he gave her adorable face the nkest of expression while telling her, "Not even in a hundred years would I feel envy for her. Haaah, but perhaps it is so that their group is far ahead of us."

    While Hao Bao''s team were casually talking, none of them were utterly rxed. Their Spirit Senses still covered a wide range around them for any sneaky ambushes.

    However, throughout this whole time, none of them picked up on anything.

    That is until Hao Bao finished his sentence. He was the only one to abruptly stop moving altogether.

    Nothing in his Spirit Senses screamed for danger, and yet.a sinking feeling instinctively swirled in the pits of his gut.

    He didn''t know why, but he felt his blood run cold, his hand slightly shaking, and a cold sweat began to form on his face.

    Hao Bao''s change in demeanor was so sudden and swift that his other teammates didn''t catch on to it. Only the girl right beside him put on a concerned face seeing him go so still.

    But, before she could question him, Hao Bao swiftly jerked his head up.

    Above.he was nearly sure something was happening above them! Without warning, Hao Bao ignited his hand in purple lightning and violently pped them together!

    ''Sssch!!''

    Instead of the sounds of lightning or Hao Bao''s hands being the loudest, rather, it was the chilling sound of something sizzling.

    Hao Bao''s teammates were all thrown into a sudden frantic loop as the purple lightning barrier erected around them.

    "Hey! Wh-What the hel-"

    "Just look up!"

    Hao Bao ordered out before anyone else could question him. His eyes were already glued on staring at one grotesque, strange sight that''ll never leave his mind for days toe.

    Under his orders, everyone else snapped their eyes to the ceilings, only to be bewildered. What made this powerful Nascent Core group froze was the terrifying human-like creature from the first floor!

    Butpared to the first floor, its appearance was far more vicious now.

    Spats of fresh and dried blood stained its whole body, yet the blood had also managed to creepily blend into its ghastly red hue skin.

    That hideous long tongue swirled out of its mouth in what looked like an apparent gleeful motion. To what was supposed to be its lips that too twitched upwards in savage excitement!

    Combined with this creature''s gross appearance, what added to its terrifying shock was the fact it managed to sneak up on all of them!

    And everyone there sensed this creature was only at the fourth level of Nascent Core?!

    For a single heart-stopping second, Hao Bao''s group didn''t move at all. And simultaneously, the human-like creature also didn''t move. Still, its eyes were focused on a specific spot of Hao Bao''s lightning barrier.

    However, this shocking standoff didn''tst long at all. The girl right next to Hao Bao jumped from her startle state and yelled to her other teammates, saying,

    "Just kill it!!"

    ''Whir!!''

    Like a dam unleashed, everyone awoke from their stupor and spewed out tremendous Nascent Qi! Upon their palms, Hao Bao''s group poured most of their Nascent Qi into this attack.

    Right before Hao Bao''s group unleashed their attacks, the human-like creature''s eyes brightly lit up. It''s freakishly long tongue retracted into its mouth as its eyes never left that specific spot of the purple lightning barrier.

    ''BOOOM!!''

    Storms of powerful Nascent Qi exploded throughout the whole area!

    Staring at the same spot, Hao Bao''s group were all confident that their attack killed it.

    After all, even if that monster had some sort of concealing ability. It was impossible to have speed superior to them, only being at the fourth level of the Nascent Core realm.

    s, it was only a costly shame that none of them spotted the creature moving at lightning-like speeds at the veryst second.

    Making at a blind spot of the group, the creature spat out a batch of disgusting red fluids.

    The creature''s spit flew at zing speed and sailed straight at the specific spot on the purple lightning barrier.

    Even now, none in the group had the time to notice a small spot in the purple lightning barrier being darker than the rest.

    And it was their second fatal w. As Hao Bao''s group all were expanding their Spirit Senses for any other creatures, they abruptly heard once again a fearsome sizzling sound.

    Only this time, the fearsome sizzling was apanied by,

    "AHH-KEAHHH!!!"

    The blood-curdling shrieks of immense pain of the other girl on their team! Everyone''s eyes snapped to the girl to get shocked by a gruesome sight.

    The skin on her face was quite literally bursting off in a bloody fashion!

    And for the skin that wasn''t getting burst off, a bright ring red hue formed over her. Pain, excruciating, torturous pain that would destroy one mind overloaded the girl''s senses.

    Under the threat of imminent death, no one remained idle. Hao Bao''s group attempted to massively raise their Nascent Qi in order to fight, but a red shine burned into their vision.

    "Sh-shit! Why is Lin so-"

    ''Chi!''

    Before one of the boys could finish his sentence, a sinister red mist spewed out from the bloodied girl! This strange red mist exuded right out where her skin shined the brightest of bloody red.

    Immediately, everyone but Hao Bao suddenly couldn''t move any more!

    Their massive waves of Nascent Qipletely halted as immense horrifying pain coarse throughout their bodies.

    Inside their bloodstreams, the terrifying red mist quickly entered. None of them could even put up the slightest bit of resistance as their prowess was speedily and heavily weakened.

    "Augh!!!"

    Hao Bao could only helplessly watch as his teammates puke up fresh blood.

    He was able to just barely resist allowing for small use of his Nascent Qi. But it couldn''t change the fact it was nearly impossible to move.

    Because of Hao Bao nowck of Qi, the purple lightning barrier dropped, much to the group''s dismay. Though this was to the glee of the human-like creature.

    Its tongue eerily danced around its mouth as it just scored another big feast. Although for some reason, a bright purple sh emitted from the strongest looking boy there.

    The creature was confused and surprised as Hao Bao brought out a dark purple talisman and struggled to lift his hand. Seeing as Hao Bao was a rare exception to his poisonous mist, the creature sailed its tongue to him!

    "Cao'' er."

    Nearly fainting and in the face of imminent death, Hao Bao forcefully tore through the pain and crushed the talisman! Before the tongue reached him, magical dark purple energy covered the whole group.

    Sensing the violent shift of energy, the creature swiftly changed targets. Red acid-like fluids now coated its tongue as it directed its tongue to go for the girl spasming on the ground.

    Its tongue wouldn''t reach the talisman in time at its distance, plus the girl was also the closest to the creature. In only a split second, the creature tongue managed to wrap around the twitching girl as,

    ''Chi!''

    A blinding purple sh lit up the area!

    As the sh died down, all that was left was the human-like creature and one juicy body in its tongue. And while its feast wasn''t as big as it expected, this girl would do for now.

    Besides, the creature lips twitched upwards as it sensed the juiciest of prey just running distance from him.

    .

    "Ahh?!?"

    The confused and slight panic screams of Hao Cao got Darcel and Ani to abruptly stop. They were smoothly traversing the second floor, killing any nt monster, and finding valuable rooms of resources.

    Nothing so far even made the three bat an eye to danger.

    So when Hao Cao suddenly raised a spine-tingling scream, the duo spiked up for any threats. Though, oddly enough, they still didn''t sense anything to be wary about.

    It was a totally different story for Hao Cao, however. Her special sixth sense powers frantically sent off rm bells in her mind.

    A dark foreboding feeling sank in her gut as she felt her brother was in massive danger.

    And this perilous danger.it wasing directly at them!

    "We need to get to a portal now! It''s far too dangerous to stay here!" Gone was Hao Cao''s usual yful tone. Now there was only a deep edge of severeness in her voice.

    This dramatic, profound change in Hao Cao also got Darcel and Ani to be entirely focused. Nodding at her, Darcel said, "We''re ready whenever you are."

    Swiftly, Hao Cao called upon her soul and pour power into her eyes.

    Whenever doing this, she could always find whatever she wanted with extreme ease. However, now was the only time her sixth sense was all confuddled and disorder.

    That daunting death feeling disrupted the whole bnce of her mind. Gritting her teeth, Hao Cao instead poured tremendous Nascent Qi into her hands, igniting them in ferocious purple lightning.

    Without a second thought, she pped her hands together!

    ''Ssschh!!''

    Hao Cao clenched her teeth as the sounds of something sizzling slithered into her ears as she erected her purple lightning barrier.

    Darcel and Ani spiked up for battle as a deadly sizzling noise entered their ears. Try as he might, in his current state, Darcel couldn''t sense what tried to attack.

    And Ani only had an inkling feeling of perilous danger because of her intuition.

    It was then, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all froze in their steps. From a mile ahead of them, the trio spotted a haunting figure that immediately imprinted itself into their minds.

 Chapter 50: Perfected Arts of Killing

    Chapter 50: Perfected Arts of Killing

    Darcel and Ani may not have lived a long life, but the disturbances they''ve been through far surpasses any other youths their age.

    But this.creature?

    Whatever this thing was had to be one of the top five most grotesque beings they ever encounter!

    Parts of its long horrid red tongue slithered out of its mouth like a poisonous snake. Fresh, bright red blood stained its whole body, making it eerily stand out amongst this floor''s sickly green.

    Red beating booming eyes gazed at them with genuine chilling excitement. The human-like creature''s terrifying lips was twitching in a savage smile. Everything about this creature screams of terror.

    Andpared to the more experienced Darcel and Ani, Hao Cao was far out of her element dealing with this. Like all other youths that encounter this thing, she nearly froze up in disgust bewilderment.

    Though, beyond its horrid appearance, there was another massive reason why this creature immediately became so ominous.

    Striking the trio in the pits of their stomachs was an immense deadly dreadful feeling of imminent death.

    Hao Cao was already on edge after having her purple lightning barrier burn from whatever hit her. But for Darcel and Ani.they felt like this creature''s presence was.familiar?

    Instantly they recalled back to just before going inside the Labyrinth.

    Only, whatever they felt back then, it caused a different kind of hair rising dread. Darcel and Ani didn''t know what to call it, but the creature in front of them now had a different yet simr chilling vibe.

    And among all of this, the three also sense the single most terrifying thing about the creature. Its aura was actually at the sixth level of the Nascent Core Realm!

    Hao Cao even felt the slightest bit suppressed by the creature aura.

    While Darcel and Ani had then made a split-second decision. Before the creature took a single step, tremendous storms of power spewed out in the area!

    ''Whir!!''

    Apanying the massive waves of power was the magical sight of ck and white exuding from Darcel and Ani.

    Their arms glowed with extraordinary bloodline power sparing no inhibitions about going all out at the start.

    Whatever this creature was, it forced their instincts to scream at them to kill it as quickly as possible. But there was one worrisome thing about going all out that caused slight worry in the duo.

    For every fight that they used their bloodline powers, at least somewhat, whoever took the full brunt of their aura would have their minds and will stir.

    Yet this thing.its eyes only lit up in a sick passion about their powers!

    "Don''t hold back, Ani!" Darcel shouted to her while also speedily igniting his spatial ring. He brought out his purple rapier and immediately sparked in a ck fire ze in a split second!

    "Right! Do it now!!" Ani simrly shouted back while also hurriedly igniting her spatial ring at the same time.

    Using the same split second, she whipped out her purple rapier and ignited it in a whitish ck fire ze!

    Hao Cao couldn''t even react to the near-instantaneous speed of the duo. Moments after she blocked the creature attack, she suddenly felt tremendous power, and the temperature significantly rose!

    ''Chi!''

    With speed and power surpassing anything Hao Cao could do, Darcel and Ani unleashed their powerful ck ming attacks! Darcel sted a giant ck ming w that tore through sickly green walls.

    Ani, on the other hand, shot out severalrge whitish ck ming whips. Each whip sailed with speeds slightly faster than Darcel though they had lightly less potency in prowess.

    Despite being separated by a mile, Darcel and Ani attack near the creature in mere seconds!

    For any other sixth level or hell even a sixth level Nascent Core cultivator, this attack would be near impossible to dodge.

    But, in the face of such overwhelming speeds, the human-like creature only grew more excited. The creature quickly got all fours and sprang to the nearest wall before the raging ck fire attacks reached it.

    Nimbly, the creature skirted right by the duo''s ck ming attacks, clinging on to the left sickly green wall like a roach.

    The ck fire w and multiple whitish ck fires whip blitz straight passed the creature with no stopping intentions.

    "It dodged it?!" Ani eximed in disbelief.

    She, Darcel, and Hao Cao were all in slight shock at the creature''s extreme speed. They guessed it wouldn''t be so easy to kill this thing, but this kind of speed was unprecedented.

    Taking hold of herself, Hao Cao''s eyes quickly snapped to the wall the human-like creature was on. Swiftly she sprang to the wall with bright raging purple lightning swirling in her hand as she said,

    "Dodge this then!"

    Hao Cao mmed her hand into the wall while the creature was starting to charge at them. The sheer force of Hao Cao caused her hand to sink into the green wall as,

    ''Zzzt!''

    A massively wide field of purple lightning covered the giant wall from after Hao Cao''s hand! The human-like creature only moved a few steps before its eyes came to face with endless purple lightning.

    Being a special attack of her, the lightning reached speeds nearlyparable to Darcel and Ani attacks. A few seconds were only needed for the lightning to near the creature, but it took notice of Hao Cao''s stance.

    Her hand is sunken deep into the wall while her body rooted herself into the floor. The creature grossly swirled its tongue in small joy once guessing why its prey stood oddly like this.

    With immense speeds once again, the creature sprang up to the ceiling now, avoiding the massively wide purple lightning field. Simultaneously while jumping, the creature spat out rancid red fluids to Hao Cao.

    Darcel''s eyes snapped to the rapidly approaching horrid fluids. Without thinking, he poured immense power into his legs and practically shed over to Hao Cao''s side.

    Whatever this acid was shot off iparable dangerous gs in Darcel''s mind. Hell, he could barely see the gross red fluids at first and was sure without his bloodline state, he wouldn''t spot it all.

    Even more shocking was right when Darcel got next to Hao Cao.

    The rancid red fluid was only a couple of centimeters from the purple lightning barrier! Focusing on moving, Darcel grabbed the surprised Hao Cao''s waist and jumped away.

    ''Sssch!!''

    While dodging, they both heard a spine-chilling sizzling noise.

    Looking at just where Hao Cao stood, their eyes widened. The horrid red fluids had now broken through the purple lightning barrier and preciselynded where Hao Cao stood.

    Darcel didn''t even register the heavenly soft feeling of holding Hao Cao''s body close or her enchanting fragrance. If he was just a second slower, then they both would''ve been horrifically burnt!

    However, it wasn''t over yet as Darcel''s death senses frantically went off again.

    Hurriedly, he jerked his head up only to see that creature just a few meters away from them on the ceiling, and that same putrid red fluid sailing straight at him!

    At the speeds he was going, Darcel could barely control his midair mobility. Basically, he had no other options but to forcefully block this dangerous attack.

    Yet, before attempting to do so, a warm sensation wrapped around his waist. Quickly but gently did his body get tugged along with Hao Cao. Just barely did the two dodges another bask of red fluid.

    ''Sssch!!''

    Another chilling sizzling noise entered their ears as they knew that putrid red fluid tore through the purple lightning barrier. Safely, Darcel and Haonded on their feet next to Ani as she dropped her ck ming whip.

    Darcel and Ani only took one look over to each other but had silentlymunicated a couple of things. One that acid shouldn''t be touched at any cost, and two, this thing is too damn fast!

    Somehow, it can even match their bloodline state speeds!

    This fight only just started, yet the odds already weren''t in the trio favor. Before the trio could even think about their next move, however, they were soon in for another horrifying surprise.

    Something in Darcel and Ani''s blood crazily stirs, forcing the two to snap their heads back up to the creature. Their eyes narrowed in crisis as hair-raising red mist spewed down to them.

    And much like everything this creature does, the mist speed was nearly instantaneous! The mist was only a meter apart from surrounded them.

    This mist.it almost reminded Darcel and Ani of one previous purple haze they faced in the past. Only this mist was causing their bloodlines to go off before it even got to them.

    Every instinct in their bloodlines was signaling to them to not even get close to this particr red mist.

    Although Darcel and Ani had no ns in wanting to risk getting affected by another mysterious mist in the first ce.

    Matching the creature''s speed, Darcel''s bloodline arm brightly shimmered with abyss pitch-ck Darkness. Ani''s glowed with a luminous, radiant white light that perfectly mixed with the Darkness.

    ''Chi!''

    A brilliant dual ck and white light shed!

    Around the trio, a ck and white barrier formed as Darcel and Ani held their rapiers out to the red mist. For the first time in this battle, they finally felt like they got somewhere.

    The all-epassing red mist had seeped through the broken spots of the purple lighting barrier.

    Yet, it suddenly stopped before even reaching the trio. Quirking its eyebrows, the human-like creature was a bit surprised for its first time. Bits of white light sparked through its red mist, and patches of Darkness seemed to be neutralizing its mist all together.

    With Ani''s light holding the whole red mist at bay and Darcel''s Darkness neutralizing it, the duo thought they took a slight advantage.

    However, a bright red re that shined into their eyes spoke a different story. Straight through the mist and into the purple lightning barrier, did the trio see the creature''s sharp red hue wse right at them!

    At this point, Darcel and Ani couldn''t dodge and poured all of their Qi into their barriers. They head on met the first full-power strike of this grotesque creature!

    ''BANG!''

    The exchange of three immense Nascent powers widely stormed in the air and sted away the red mist. Darcel and Ani felt their feet sink into the ground but the two still managed to swiftly react.

    Immediately Darcel used his other arm and took Hao Cao by the waist while also emitting immense power into his legs once again. Simultaneously, Ani flowed all of her energy into her legs as well.

    ''Hua!''

    Darcel and Ani managed to swiftly jump back while avoiding the creatures ring red hue ws.

    The creature had broken through the dual mix barrier through its full power force and pierced its w into the green, sickly floor.

    And while the duo did manage to dodge, Darcel and Ani''s faces were filled with dread. Even as they used their rapiers for the barrier. Their hands still had this unbearable burning sensation raging around in it.

    Moreover, whatever power this creature slipped into them even forced their bloodline to swirl and obstruct this poisonous energy.

    This ghastly energy caused their stomachs to agitate slightly, causing the two to feel nauseated and a little bit weakened.

    Though only being a bit weakened was a colossal achievement, neither knew about. Any other Nascent Core youth that would directly sh with the creature wouldn''t be able to move their bodies at all!

    It had then dawned on Darcel and Ani like whish.

    This creature had perfected the art of killing. They could tell from this short exchange that if they can''t strongly resist its poisonous energy, it''s all but impossible to beat this creature.

    The mere fact that its red hue w already caused damage to their hands without even direct contact spoke volumes to the duo. Plus, this thing red fluids and ws also tore through Hao Cao''s barrier like it was paper.

    Adding to their decision was also the fact that this horrid thing could make even their mighty bloodline swirl on its own.

    Darcel and Ani, while in midair, quickly shared a look at each other.

    Instead of taking this tremendous risk of trying to beat this iparable dangerous foe, it was time for the second-best option. Darcel and Ani guessed they''ll most likely gain nothing for even killing it, so when their feets touched the ground,

    ''Swish!''

    The two sted off with instantaneous speeds! The human-like creature was just taking its ws from the ground as the duo reached the escaping conclusion.

    "Stop when I say so!" Hao Cao shouted from Darcel''s arms showing no resistance from his touch.

    "Kehh!!"

    From behind, the trio all smelt their air turn foul and spreading out their Spirit Senses nearly caused them to throw up from a putrid aura.

    Taking only a single nce behind them, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all felt their chest tighten.

    Madly rushing them down was the feral creature, and surrounding it was a wide area of the terrifying red mist. The red mist seemed far more potent, turning the sickly green floor into a nightmarish red hell.

 Chapter 51: Skirting Along The Edge

    Chapter 51: Skirting Along The Edge

    Disregarding the horrifying imagery behind them, the suffocating tightening feeling in their chests, Darcel and Ani focused squarely on escaping.

    Their faces were severe and small beads of cold sweat dribbled down.

    Yet.yet their lips couldn''t stop twitching upwards. Slowly on, Darcel and Ani''s face a feral elevated smile etched upon them.

    Fleeing for their lives, skirting on the edge of surviving was igniting something hot inside them.

    This perilous situation wasn''t anything like any frightening experience they''ve been in before. Every single time, Darcel and Ani were backed by a firm confidence in their unique, overwhelming powers.

    To the Parasol Organization, the wrathful n, the Giel''s brother, no matter what they were up against, they knew they would win. But for this.creature, this thing truly inspires a sense of crushing crisis in them.

    The crisis of near brutalizing death hanging right near their necks.

    Darcel and Ani both knew that it''s incredibly hard for even average cultivators to maintain calmness or hell to even feel any excitement in front of impending doom.

    But as their legs sprinted across the sickly green floor, Darcel and Ani could taste the adrenaline pumping in their veins. This is what they truly mean by a life or death situation!

    Still, while madly dashing, Darcel took a brief second to trail his eyes down.

    Even in such a perilous event, it was practically impossible to ignore the tender, soft body clinging on to him. Though to Darcel''s surprise, Hao Cao was managing reasonably well.

    Her gorgeous face was morphed into a full focused one making her all the more dazzling. Glittering sparks of purple electricity sizzled out of her eyes, putting all of her power into searching.

    Compared to the passionately enthusiastic duo, Hao Cao had a more normal reaction to a life or death situation.

    Her obvious main goal was focused on them all surviving and, hopefully, never encountering that disgusting creature again!

    At Darcel and Ani''s speed, they at least managed to stay several meters ahead of the creature. The only problem was, they couldn''t truly outrun it no matter how hard they try.

    Crawling like a madman on the ceilings, the creature''s luminous ring red eyes never went off the trio for even a single second.

    It honestly couldn''t believe its prey could run so annoyingly fast!

    For a few thrilling minutes, the chase between creature and humans carried on. All nt monsters and whatever traps that attempted to spring upon them were utterly crushed and destroyed in their mad dash.

    Just when Darcel and Ani wondered if this thing knows anything about stamina, Hao Cao''s eyes sparked in a bright purple lightning sh!

    Her hand ignited and swirled in raging purple lightning as she told the duo,

    "....Ok.now.STOP!!"

    The sweet natural voice of Hao Cao carried an awe-inspiringmanding presence now. On a dime did Darcel and Ani stopped near a seemingly ordinary looking sickly green wall.

    But immediately when they stopped, Hao Cao didn''tg behind for even a split second. Tremendous Nascent Qi spewed out of her as she thrust her beaming purple lightning hand to a specific spot on the wall.

    ''BANG!!''

    Powerful purple lightning sted from Hao Cao''s hand and demolished the sickly green wall!

    A big opening was made as the stones were destroyed to tiny pieces, revealing a massively spacious room on the other side of this wall.

    Peering inside the room, the trio only saw one non-menacing monster there. It was a vast, admittedly horrifying looking monster spouting a rotten molding tree''s appearance in a pale green color.

    Horrid sickly green tree branches spread out through the entire room, and at the trunk of the tree, therey arge putrid gaping green hole filled with disgusting green fluids.

    This mangled scene would''ve sure at least halt people or turn heads. But Darcel''s team didn''t even register this monster. Mainly due to the fact the aura of this tree monster was merely at the fifth level of Nascent Core.

    Though it being a fifth level Nascent Core monster in an expansive room, undoubtedly would mean fabulous rewards for killing it.

    Unfortunately, it was a shame the trio had zero time for bountiful resources.

    Springing into the room as soon as the entrance was destroyed, Darcel briefly sensed how close was that revolting creature. A smirk etched on his face once sensing they were about two meters ahead now.

    While smirking, Darcel didn''t getx at all. Numerous sickly green tree branches sted at his group in an attempt to wrap them up.

    The branches split the air apart, reaching lightning speeds, but it didn''t cause any panic in the trio.

    Stopping for only a second, Darcel''s bloodline arm intensely glowed in suffocating Darkness, painting the whole room in a night abyss. And matching Darcel''s Darkness was blinding pure white lighting from Ani''s bloodline arm.

    Her white light shimmered with maic intensity, beautifully mixing in with the Darkness. Furthermore, her white light caused all of the blitzing tree branches to halt right before reaching them.

    Before the tree monster could even muster up a semnce of thought, in a split second, the temperature raised to zing degrees! And in the exact split second, two powerful voices boomed around the room.

    "Fiery Slice!!"

    ''Sssch!!''

    Immensely powerful ck mes sted out of the tip of Darcel and Ani''s rapier, utterly destroying the green tree monster to near-instantaneous ashes.

    Amid the raging ck fiery downpour, Hao Cao''s eyes brilliantly lit up in intense streaks of purple lightning.

    Through the blinding ashes and fire, Hao Cao spotted precisely what they needed.

    Pointed her hand to a spot where even Darcel and Ani looked over, she said, "There! Jump there!!" Abruptly, while directing the duo, Hao Cao hurriedly ignited her purple spatial ring and fished out their barrier talisman.

    All in one motion, she activated the talisman, spawning the mystical dark purple barrier over them.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t question her action, and as Darcel tightened his hold on Hao Cao, they all heard a spine-chilling grunt.

    "Keh!!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all felt the small hair on their neck rise.

    Instantly when hearing the voice, Darcel and Ani frantically pour massive waves of Nascent Qi into their legs and swiftly jump to where Hao Cao pointed.

    Only, while jumping, neither of three would have predicted a bright red horrifying tongue sailing to them, nearly matching their speed!

    The trio only felt the previous nauseating feeling get worse as then,

    ''BANG!!''

    Violently and savagely did the creature''s beating red tongue fiercely struck the trio''s barrier! Immediately it caused the barrier to have numerous long-running cracks, almost breaking on impact.

    Inside the barrier, the trio felt an immense force strike their back as that creature attack bypass any standard rule of a barrier.

    But right when the creature struck them, there was a silver lining.

    Due to the sheer force and not being able topletely shatter the barrier, the creature ended up sending Darce''s group flying straight towards the portal at blitzing speeds!

    The trio only had a brief moment to nce at a dark, sickly green looking portal before getting sucked right into it.

    Seeing this from behind, the creature leaked out a grunt of annoyance and instantly gave chase to them.

    No matter what, that trio of juicy prey won''t escape from its gruesome w hands!

    .

    A deep, dark, sickly green brilliance shed on the same matching color dark, pale green floor. Out from the blinding sh spewed three charming looking youths.

    At high speeds, the trio crashed into the floor, skidding along on it for a few feet. Snapping his eyes open, Darcel felt ufortable sore pain coarse through his body.

    It wasn''t to the point of being unbearable, but it certainly wasn''t pleasant to have. Putting his hand on the ground to lift himself up, Darcel tasted an oddly sweet liquid in his mouth in the middle of this process.

    "Ack! I''m really am odd." Darcel coughed out unique dark red blood and quietly mirth to himself while shaking his head.

    Frankly, he had to give it to himself; his own deep dark red blood tasted like addicting candy. Though he prefers to not have the taste of his own blood in his mouth at all.

    "Ack!! Wow! That''s an oddly pleasant surprise." Right beside him, Darcel also heard Ani shock about her blood. He assumed her blood tasted just as impressive as his, and he was right to think so.

    Ani had an inquisitive smile on tasting the after taste of her blood. It was this sweet peach-like taste that could smoothly melt in your mouth like warm butter. Plus, her blood was also a very light red in color.

    ncing over to the duo, Hao Cao merely shook her head while spouting a mirthful smile.

    She didn''t know what they were talking about, but she assumed it was just another specialty about them judging by their unique looking blood.

    Standing on their feet, the pain the trio felt was noticeable but wouldn''t impact their movement or future prowess. After all, they wouldn''t be fit to be called cultivators if they can''t stand mild pain.

    Taking a moment, Darcel''s group observed the new floor they crashed onto. Immediately they noticed it was a bit simr in terms of colors to the previous floor.

    Now instead of sickly regr green, everything was a pale dark green color. Though a critical difference on this floor was theck of strange moving nts growing on the walls.

    Ani breathed a small sigh of relief and still managed to shine with exuberant energy while saying, "Huuu.so not only we have to deal with this Labyrinth crazed monster and traps. We also have a dangerous unknown variable to deal with now!"

    "Hmm.well, currently, we''re gonna have to deal with a couple of known dangerous variables right about now," Darcel remarked once spreading out his Spirit Sense on this floor.

    Suddenly before any one of the three could make a move, their immediate danger senses crazily went off.

    The brushing of fierce wind passed on their necks as two monsters were attacking at immense speeds from behind.

    Keeping their cool and remaining steady, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all at thest second ducked the swiping of sharp, feral ws!

    ''Hua!''

    Whatever passed by them indeed had a uniqueness in speed as the air was torn apart through their sheer momentum. Furthermore, the trio sensed two potent, refined aura at the sixth level of Nascent Core!

    Snapping their heads up, Darcel''s group had hoped to see whatever that attacked them. Only they were doomed to be disappointed as their gazes met empty spaces.

    Swiftly standing back up, Darcel and Ani felt the slight shift in the air from right in front of them.

    Hao Cao still relied on her Spirit Sense for these monsters'' extreme speed. Yet, clearly, these beings are even quicker than her senses.

    Once again, just at thest second before the monster struck them, Darcel and Ani narrowly counter attacked.

    A soul-stealing shimmering ck glow spewed out of Darcel in extraordinary power. And mixing with it was a blinding radiant white light that exuded out of Ani in an elegant presence.

    Unleashing their bloodline arms now did cause some fatigue in the duo. However, it wasn''t to the point where it would dramatically affect their overall prowess.

    Immediately as well, when activating their bloodline, Darcel and Ani''s hand ignited in raging ck mes.

    Matching the immense speeds of the monsters Darcel and Ani struck out their palms!

    ''Bang!!''

    A tremendous collision of powerful Nascent energy swirled in the air. Hao Cao had to root herself in the ground just to not get thrown off by this fierce sh of Nascent power.

    Peering over to what the duo struck, her eyes widened a bit.

    In Darcel and Ani''s ck ming hands were the enormous ws of dark green color wolves!

    These wolves easily topple over six feet long, had savage features, and frightening spiked up fur. Feral foam dribbled from their mouths as the two wolves bared their incredibly long, sharp teeth.

    Staying rooted in their spots, Darcel and Ani attempted totch on the wolves'' ws and break them in touch.

    But when trying to apply more pressure, the wolves managed to dash backward out of their grasps with their insane speeds.

    Promptly while dashing backward, the wolves gathered a small bit of air into their foam mouths, causing a tremendous swirl of Nascent Qi in the space.

    Before Darcel and Ani could react, the wolves'' bright green eyes locked on to them as their stomachs tightened.

    "HUOOOO!!"

    Both wolves unleashed a tremendous powerful howl fill to the brim with immense Nascent Qi!

    Not expecting it all, the trio had their ears sted by the wolves mighty howls, and their bodies were flung backward through the sheer power of the wolves howls.

    Sailing in midair, Hao Cao''s eyes sparked with bright purple lightning. Hurriedly she ignited her hands in raging purple lightning and smacked them together, creating her signature purple lightning barrier.

    The purple lightning barrier disrupted the wolves howl effect and let the trio forcefullynd on the ground. From up ahead, the three already saw the wolves'' lightning speed mad dash to them.

    Smirking while they skidded on the floor, Darcel and Ani were ready to end things.

    That is until Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao feets had all sunk into the ground, forcing their bodies into an abrupt stop!

    ''Chi!''

    Surprising them, this time, strings of dark green wolf fur quickly wrapped around Darcel''s group bodies. And on this floor, the trio immediately found out these traps were now actually dangerous!

    Hao Cao gritted her teeth as she couldn''t move at all in the wolf fur. While Darcel and Ani could barely move their arms now.

    A sense of slight dread filled their minds as only a few meters away from them will the wild feral wolves dash right up to them.

 Chapter 52: Terrifyingly Unstoppable

    Chapter 52: Terrifyingly Unstoppable

    For the second time in their lives, Darcel and Ani felt the awful dread of impending death assault their minds. Just one small slip up, and they''ll be wolves meat in the next seconds!

    On the outside, the duo struggled to move their arms even in their bloodline state.

    But inside their bodies, their bloodstreams were frantically swirling, pumping out even more power.

    Suddenly, Darcel''s bloodline arm ferociously ignited up in deep shimmering Darkness. Simultaneously, Ani''s bloodline arm intensely sparked in a blinding bright white light.

    In both their eyes, a chilling killing glint formed!

    They obviously won''t let some mere Nascent Core wolves kill them! Dying here wouldn''t fit their status of being freakish talents.

    And as determined thoughts filled Darcel and Ani''s minds, on their bloodline arms, their vague tattoo markings seemed to be moving to take on a vague shape.

    Of course, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao had no way of knowing this was urring.

    Only a meter apart before the wolves rushed up to them, Darcel and Ani instantly swirled tremendous ck fire Qi in their mouths.

    Gushes of immense surges of Nascent Qibined with an overwhelming powerful aura shifted the air. For a split second, the dark green wolves halted their charges.

    Previously when the duo unleashed their bloodlines, these savage, mindless wolves weren''t affected much by their maic presence.

    But this sudden change?

    Somehow.Darcel and Ani abruptly spewed out this ethereal aura!

    Legitimately, the aura they exuded even caused the mindless Labyrinth wolves death senses to frantically go off. However, no amount of pre-death insights can save their lives now.

    In their surrounding area, the temperature raised to levels equivalent to being around a boiling volcano. Hao Cao was protected from the heat by a subtle white glow around her, but the dark green wolves weren''t as lucky.

    Before the wolves could even try moving their legs, two majestic, powerful voices boomed in the whole floor.

    "Fiery Slice!!" Darcel and Ani roared with unrestrained fury.

    Opening their mouths wide, they both sted out a massively thick line of ck mes that scorched the dark, sickly green floor in its wake.

    ''Sssch!!''

    The wolves couldn''t react or dodge at all. In only a split second, the duo''s powerful ck mes tore through the wolves, utterly destroying them to pure ck ashes!

    Darcel and Ani''s Martial skill not only destroyed the wolves. It had also crushed Hao Cao''s purple lightning barrier and torched the dark green wolves fur wrapped around them.

    Feeling free control of their bodies, Ani exuded a sigh of relief. "Fuuu.things really are getting interesting. Just a secondte, and we would''ve had our blood stter!" Though describing a frightening scenario, an excited smirk formed upon Ani''s face.

    Hao Cao took one nce over to Darcel and Ani. By just going off their steady yet eager faces, she knew they''ll have to brave the intense risks of this floor.

    Helplessly smiling to herself, Hao Cao just shook her head. A focus glint then entered her eyes as she decided since they''re going to continue exploring. It''s time to put forth her best effort!

    Inside Hao Cao''s charming ck eyes, an intense glowing purple lightning spark spewed from her.

    Calling forth immense power from her soul, Hao Cao quickly sensed a valuable treasure room holding a fierce opponent.

    Nodding to herself, Hao Cao turned to Darcel and Ani with a sweet but serious smile. As she began to open her mouth to speak, Darcel had, however, spoke up first, saying,

    "No need to ask for our opinions, Cao. You practically got us away from that demented creature by finding that portal through the fire. Just say, and we''ll follow." The smile Darcel gave was charming and genuine since he honestly gained a new level of respect for her.

    "Mnh! We''ll leave the directions all up to you now. Your sixth sense is even better than my intuition! And that''s a huge honorable achievement in my books." Ani also encouraged with her always pleasant and bright smile.

    Hearing Darcel and Ani honest, kind words admittedly caused a burst of warmth to bloom in Hao Cao''s chest. Subconsciously, a beautiful smile etched on her face as she nodded to the duo.

    "Fufufu~! Aren''t these some sweet buttery words~? But if you''re putting this much trust in me.then I suppose I''ll show you my true talents~." Sweet soft giggles slid out of Hao Cao like a hypnotic melody.

    Sparks of dazzling purple lightning spewed from her feet as she set her sights on that specific treasure room.

    Without any more words, Hao Cao sted off in the lead, with Darcel and Ani easily following her lightning speeds.

    .

    While Darcel''s team was now beginning their long trek on this arduous Labyrinth Floor, other groups already traversed quite the distance here.

    Even peak level Nascent Core groups were making their way here.

    One group, in particr, would cause a slight shock in Darcel and Ani. It was only a pair of two middle-aged looking men, yet their appearances weren''t anything to scoff at.

    These men wore exotic looking wild brown robes signifying they were from the Wrathful n! Both of them were Elders of the n, being at the seventh level of the Nascent Core realm.

    They walked with absolute confidence among the dark green floor, feeling zero fear here.

    Around their hands, zing ck fire precisely the same as Darcel and Ani coated them.

    Behind their wake were charred corpses ofrge dark green wolves, none of the monsters even having the chance to resist the Elders.

    Their eyes were scanning every nook and cranny of the floor while their Spirit Senses were expanded for miles. The First Elder, who was slightly taller than his partner, began talking with slight hope in his tone,

    "Seriously, who says this had to strictly be a youth event? Despite these beasts being only a level below, they''re absolutely nothingpared to us! And when we get back.I can already taste the rewards!"

    "Indeed, but you know speaking of those little brats thate here. Do you think we''ll see the two sneaky rats that god only knows became famous in the city? I think.they were said to be in the Zakira Academy, right?" The second Elder question.

    Recalling Darcel and Ani and just how they escape under their noises while also savagely killing their nsmen caused a malicious smile to form on the first Elder face.

    "Most likely they''re here and who knows.maybe we cane back with two bi-" The first Elder couldn''t even finish his sentence as,

    ''Swish!''

    A fierce gale of chaotic winds sted right next to them!

    Immediately, both Elders spiked up and were ready for battle. Their minds were already severe as whatever just passed them, they couldn''t sense it at all!

    However, no matter how quickly prepared they got, neither could react to sudden red mist clouding their vision.

    Seemingly, out of nowhere did this strange and eerie red mist appear.

    But without missing a beat at all, both Elders promptly locked in ce being in this chilling red mist.

    Neither of the Elders could move at all. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as long with the locking of their bodies, tremendous pain assaulted their senses!

    "Ke-Ge-Ah-My-my blood-AHH!!" The first Elder shrieked with horrifying pain.

    Whatever it was, something was directly drilling into their bloodstreams. The pain from it was unimaginable. It wasparable to getting slowly roasted alive.

    "Shi-shit! My Qi!!" The second Elder also roared out in pain as he attempted to mobilize his Nascent Qi.

    Only when doing so, the pain only further worsened, and he could barely mobilize even a small portal of his Qi.

    The raging wisps of ck mes on their hands died out, and the first Elder suddenly gained a risky idea. Throwing all caution into the wind, he forced past the excruciating pain and swirled a small portion of Nascent Qi in his mouth.

    Madness filled the Elder''s eyes as he struggled to barely lift his mouth. When his mouth had just slightly raised above for a few inches, a small hope ignited in the Elder eyes.

    Yet just right then, neither of the Elders could sense a fast sailing, terrifying glowing red tongueing straight at the first Elder.

    ''Chi!''

    Blood stter everywhere, spilling right into the mist as the spine chilling red tongue pierced right through the first Elder head!

    The tongue had sailed right through the Elder''s mouth, creating a horrific mangled scene.

    "Gu-Geh.Gu." The first Elder gurgled out blood as the light was fading from his eyes. Basks of putrid red fluids drilled into the Elder''s head and body, swiftly destroying his body and granting him an excruciatingly painful death.

    The first Elder mighty reinforced body of being at the peak level of Nascent Core meant absolutely nothing as it was shredded like swiss cheese by the tongue.

    Thi-thi.wha-wh-is-KEAAA!!" Shrieks like a dying pig spewed from the second Elder as the red tongue sprayed out its putrid red fluid on him.

    In an absolute defenseless state, the Second Elder body burst with vivid red blood. No part of his skin was safe, and in a gruesome, bloody fashion, the Elder body broke down.

    His body gained a chilling red hue as he quickly copsed to his knees, experiencing unending pain before dying. And just right next to him did the first Elder corpse fell as the red tongue retracted from him.

    With both Elders dead, the red mist finally cleared up.

    And walking quickly from behind was the horrifying creature that polluted every floor it was on. The human-like creature tongue licked its disgusting lips, ready to im two more prey.

    Just by the hour was this creature growing more terrifying and freakish!

    At the sixth level of Nascent Core, it could take on a whole group of sixth and seventh level Nascent Core cultivators without even getting touched.

    Yet now?

    Its horrifying tricks increased, even more so being at the seventh level of the Nascent Core realm! Its red mist is still growing to unprecedented levels, and its red fluids grew right alongside.

    Nothing could be its match under the True Soul Core realm!

    But before it could feast on its prey, several presences were quickly rushing its way.

    Most of whatever wasing didn''t cause any fear in the creature. Still, there was one singr presence that raised excitement in its eyes.

    "Huooo!!"

    Three peak level Nascent Core dark green wolves from a few meters away from the creature unleashed their mighty howls attacks at it.

    The sheer force of three immense peak level Nascent Core attacks did nothing to worry the creature, however.

    Sharply turning around, the creature''s vivid red tongue swirled out of its mouth. Three putrid red drops of fluid had then sted from its tongue and straight towards the three wolves howl attacks.

    ''Chi, Chi, Chi!''

    Effortlessly, the putrid drops of red fluids tore through the howl attacks and drilled into the wolves heads at lightning-like speeds! The speed of fluids wasn''t anything like the wolves could react to.

    Immediately, the three wolves stopped dead in their tracks.

    Their bodies went still like statues, and just then, the most immense presence that caused the creature excitement had arrived.

    This wolf didn''t even regard the wolves next to it as its mouth snapped open to unleash a mighty cry.

    "HUOOO!!"

    Among everything, this wolf easily topples over the other in height.

    It easily reached over eight feet and had more fearsome feral features than the Nascent Core wolves. The major prominent part of this wolf was its terrifying aura.

    An immense grand aura of the True Soul Core realm exuded from the giant wolf!

    This wolf aura single-handedly caused the wind to stir in its direction. For any Nascent Core warriors, meeting this beast would ultimately spell doom them.

    Yet the human-like creature didn''t move a muscle. Its eyes matched the True Soul Core wolf''s ring green ones, both having the same wild savageness in their eyes.

    But unknown to the True Soul Core wolf, the three puny Nascent Core wolves right next to it were kindling in a bright red hue.

 Chapter 53: Peak Level Nascent Core

    Chapter 53: Peak Level Nascent Core

    Like their life depended on it, Darcel''s team was madly dashing through the dark, sickly green floor. Trails of bright purple lightning and zing ck mes were left in the wake of their immense speed.

    And around the trio was Hao Cao''s dazzling purple lightning barrier.

    Only this time for her barrier, wisps of ck mes constantly spewed out like glitters of ck fire.

    This was the trio''s more reinforced version of defense. They truly needed it as just behind them sixth level Nascent Core wolves and other such traps continually sprang on to them.

    With their mixed purple lightning and ck fire wisps barrier, nothing could genuinely halt their mad dash.

    And inside the barrier, Darcel and Ani held their rapiers as massive swirls of ck mes enriched their des.

    They were charging their Martial Skills, and while doing so, Hao Cao still effectively led them. Through various twists and turns, Hao Cao led with a clear sense of direction.

    And for five exhrating minutes, their immense speeds went on. Suddenly after five minutes, Hao Cao''s called out to the duo behind her saying,

    "Are you two finish charging your Martial Skills?!"

    "Just point to where ever and we''ll fire!" Darcel shouted back to Hao Cao.

    From just a mile ahead, Darcel and Ani could see a seemingly deading straight at them.

    Yet, as soon as Darcel gave her the call, Hao Cao had dropped her purple lightning barrier and pointed her finger directly to this dead end.

    A smile graced Darcel and Ani''s face seeing how this hidden room could go over most people''s heads.

    With the signal given by Hao Cao, the duo was ready to unleash! Ani turned her body backward but still maintained her pace of following Hao Cao.

    Thrusting her purple-ck ming rapier out, all of the savage wolves chasing them abruptly felt an immense crisis of death.

    Ani''s ck fire raged in violent intensity as a thick broad ck fire line appeared at the tip of her rapier.

    "Fiery Slice!"

    Ani unleashed a mighty roar and sted off her tremendously powerful ck mes! Immense waves of Nascent Qi and bloodline power swirled in the area, causing all wolves and traps to lock for a single second.

    ''Chi!''

    Ani''s roaring thick line of ck mes decimated the wolves and traps to bitter ck ashes in utter domination.

    And simultaneously, while Ani unleashed her Martial Skill, Darcel also fired his.

    "Fiery Slice!" Darcel shouted while aiming his purple-ck ming rapier at the dead-end wall. He was out of Hao Cao''s way as immense waves of Nascent Qi and bloodline power spewed into the air like a fierce storm.

    ''BOOOM!!''

    A tremendous explosion of power slightly shook the ground and wreaked utter destruction on the wall.

    Darcel''s ck mes tore straight through the wall and seemed to have made an impact with a strong force in there.

    Hao Cao''s purple spatial ring ignited at this time. She fished out a broad extensive scimitar, easily reaching a length over 40 inches long! For a yful, sweet girl like here, this weapon suited her in a way.

    Not hesitating for a second in their run, the trio managed to cross a mile in just a few seconds. Neither Darcel, Ani, nor Hao Cao held any fear about the unknown and rushed right into the vast hole Darcel made.

    With their weapons ready and in their highest adrenaline-pumping state, the trio all quickly sensed an immense aura in this space.

    Immediately when sensing this aura, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all thrust their des forward. Their des split apart the air to meet an enormous dark green wolf w sailing straight at them.

    ''BANG!!''

    Just barely did the trio manage to defend against this powerful w.

    Through the sheer mighty force of this w swipe, it sent the trio skidding back on the ground as their hand became a bit numb from one sh.

    Dragging their feet into the ground, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao forcefully stop themselves right at their man-made entrance.

    Raging ck mes and smoke made the space a bit troublesome to see, but the trio soon wouldn''t have to worry about vision.

    "HWUOOO!!"

    A mighty howl boomed into the space unleashing chaotic storms of fierce winds! Darcel''s team steady themselves by reinforcing Nascent Qi into their legs.

    While doing so, they observed as Darcel''s ck mes and smoke was cleared up in a second by the howl.

    And out from the fire stood a menacingly tall wolf.

    This wolf towered over them and any other previous wolves they fought, easily reaching a height over seven feet long. Its eyes were a deep dark shade of green, and horrid green foam dripped from its razor-sharp teeth.

    Sensing it clearly now, this wolf was at the seventh level of the Nascent Core realm!

    Although the wolf didn''t have that perfect majestic prestige of being at the peak of its realm now.

    A small smirk etched on the trio''s face once noticing its dark green fur.

    Wisps of ck mes still burned off there, creating sizzling ck smoke there. Still, it was remarkable that this specific wolf could tank a part of Darcel''s Martial skill.

    Right while the gigantic dark green wolf was finishing its howling, Ani decided to take the time and seal off any unexpected troubles.

    Holding out hand back, a white glow enkindled around it.

    Clenching her hand, several light whites glow formed around the surrounding stones in the area. With a gentle pull, Ani telekinesis the stones over therge man-made hole,pletely covering them up for now.

    As Ani finished doing so, the gigantic fearsome wolf finished howling.

    Without missing a single beat, the wolf sted out with immense speed. Nearly instantly, it jumped right above Darcel''s team before they had a chance to react.

    But Darcel was no slouch. Expecting this speed, he didn''t panic as the wolf''s colossal shadow covered them.

    Holding both of his hands over his rapier, Darcel''s bloodline arm intensely shimmered in Darkness. At the same time, his ck mes raged in ferocious tenacity.

    In all one smooth motion, Darcel thrust his back ming rapier up, ready to counter the wolf stomp.

    It was only a meter above them, yet if the wolf used its extreme speed to crush them while falling down, it would''ve been a challenge to dodge.

    "Taste my ws!" Darcel shouted up as the wolf was already dropping down to them. All the wolf saw for a split second was utter Darkness as the temperature somehow increased once again!

    Darcel''s rapier became the epitome of ck ming Darkness.

    sting out from the tip of his rapier in zing intensity was two huge ck ming ws that were the exact same size as the wolf''s giant ws.

    ''Bang!"

    Dark green ws met ck ming ws in a collision of tremendous peak Nascent Core power!

    ck mes sprayed everywhere in the room once again, drilling holes into the dark, sickly green floor.

    The colossal wolf eyes lit up in slight shock. From the only male prey of its target, his aura was somewhat equal to its. Yet when taking on the full brunt of its power, it couldn''t crush them no matter how much Nascent power the wolf poured into its w.

    Previously, to take down that hidden entrance, eighty percent of Darcel''s Martial Skill power was used there.

    It was why the wolf was still able to effectively defend and installed some confidence in crushing these small prey.

    However, with Darcel''s full power now unleashed on to it, the wolf eyes had then gained a savage killing glint. Only a second pass since shing with Darcel''s ck ming ws, but the wolf waited for no man.

    Its gigantic mouth had immediately snapped open, and swirling in there were massive waves of putrid green fluids.

    Promptly the wind kicked up into a fierce storm, nearly knocking Darcel''s team off bnce.

    Witnessing what the wolf was attempting to do, Ani''s smile grew massively broad. Her bloodline arm suddenly ignited in an intense white light as a dazzling white light barrier formed around her group.

    Holding up her fingers, Ani was waiting to try this specific move. Unleashing a mighty shout, she said, "sh!!" And along with her scream, Ani quickly snapped her fingers before the wolf''s next attack.

    ''Pa!''

    An intense blinding white shbang covered the whole room!

    This sh was so iparably bright that it forced the wolf to hastily shut its eyes and be stunned for a couple of seconds.

    Once hearing Ani''s finger snapped, Hao Cao had pointed her purple lightning-filled scimitar up. During this whole time of attacks, Hao Cao proved why she''s a top talent in the Zakira Academy.

    In only a matter of a couple of seconds, Hao Cao quickly mobilized immense surges of Nascent Qi to form her Martial Skill.

    Raging streaks of purple lightning spewed from her as she got all set when Ani''s shbang urred.

    Seeing Hao Cao pointing her scimitar up, Anis flexed her fingers. Through simple movements, it caused the white light barrier to open up above and show the briefly stunned wolf with its huge mouth open.

    "Voltage Shredder!" Hao Cao gave her finest shout as a single stream of bright purple lightning voltage sailed straight to the wolf mouth.

    With speeds nearly matching lightning, the stunned wolf had no way of dodging.

    ''Zzzt!!''

    Hao Cao''s lightning Martial Skill tore straight through the wolf''s putrid mouth and wreaked havoc there. Its eyes snapped open in pain as an electric frying feeling was causing some internal damage there.

    "Geah!!"

    The wolf opened its mouth further wide, showcasing its dark green horrid mouth in full glory.

    And in its state of slight chaos, a perfect opportunity had opened for Darcel.

    A cruel smile formed on Darcel''s face as he willed his pure Element of Darkness to enrich his rapier. Admittedly, it was bing quite tough to hold this stalemate against the wolf ws.

    And now, he knows the way to shift the tide of battle.

    In the distraction of the wolf, Darcel shot pure Darkness Qi from his ck ming ws and blitzed it straight into the wolf mouth.

    Immediately the wolf jerked its head up. All at once, an abrupt frenzy swirl of emotions heavily affected its entire being.

    Happiness, rage, sorrow, and the most prominent mind-destroying lust!

    "HA-HUWOO!!"

    The wolf''s whole body began thrashing about. The wolf couldn''t correctly utilize its Nascent Power because of its frantic mental state. It had also let Hao Cao''s purple lightning wreak even more havoc in him.

    Massive waves of pain assaulted its senses along with the frenzy mix of emotions, almost pushing the wolf''s mind to a breaking point.

    Yet this had also meant the grip of the wolf ws loosen considerably.

    Smiling, Darcel flexed his arms and swung his rapier down. Smoothly, his ck ming ws violently tossed the wolf towards the back wall.

    Although, while getting flung, the wolf''s mind snapped, and its eyes became bloodshot. Sailing in midair, the wolf swung its gigantic w down, unleashing a green wind Qi w at the trio.

    The prowess of the wolf Qi w was filled to the brim of peak Nascent Core power.

    Stone and fire blew everywhere as the green wind Qi w neared the trio in only a second!

    Hastily, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao gathered their Nascent Qi to form a barrier. At this speed, it was impossible to dodge! Meaning they now have to take the full brunt of peak Nascent Core power.

    And just right before the green wind Qi w crashed into them, a faint white glow covered around Hao Cao''s body.

    ''BANG!''

    Like rag dolls, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all sted into the wall by the stone covered entrance. All three of them coughed up blood as severe pain wracked their bodies.

    Even if Darcel and Ani could match peak Nascent Core power. It''s still incredibly tough to defend since their bodies are only equivalent to the second level of Nascent Core.

    Plus, their bloodline powers mainly focused on speed and power output.

    Hao Cao, however, fared the worst of them, nearly passing out from this one attack. She copsed on her knees and had to take a moment to catch her breath.

    But Darcel and Ani didn''t stop after tanking this attack.

    Aninded on her feet and shed right up to the slightly shaking Darcel. Her hand had enkindled in a bright white glow, capturing his attention as she got next to him.

    Their gazes crossed, and a silentmunication passed between them. Darcel determinedly nodded at Ani''s beautiful serious face.

    Immediately he began pouring all of his Nascent Qi into his rapier while his bloodline frantically swirled. While doing so, Ani''s glowing white light hand mped down on his shoulder.

    ck mes violently swirled on Darcel''s rapier as a dazzling white glow wrapped his whole body. From just several meters away from them, the duo red down the massive dark green wolf.

    Its berserk body was still spasming around because of Darcel''s Darkness Qi. Behind it, a vast crater had formed into the wall from itsst impact.

    Suddenly though, the wolf head jerked straight at the duo. An impending sense of crisis and dread shed in its berserk mind as it stared down at the glowing white Darcel.

 Chapter 54: Never Ending Dangers

    Chapter 54: Never Ending Dangers

    Forcing himself past the severe pain, Darcel focused entirely on gathering his power. As well, he didn''t resist the gentle warm power of Ani''s telekinesis taking over his whole body.

    Ani''s tender power.this power caused Darcel to widen his eyes a bit. He couldn''t believe how iparably light he feels right now! It''s almost as if he literally defied allws of gravity being entirely weightless.

    Taking a nce over at Ani''s beautiful face, slight concern entered Darcel''s eyes. Her sweet face was bing drenched in sweat as she, too, forced herself past the pain and poured all of her power into him.

    Feeling his eyes on her, Ani turned to give Darcel a tired yet confident smile. No matter what is going on, Ani always swore to herself to never lose her bright smiles.

    And Darcel knows full well of this. Giving Ani his own warm and tender smile, he swiftly told her, "I''ll make sure to reward youter."

    Immediately, Darcel could feel a spark of energy ignite inside Ani as her hand suddenly tighten upon him.

    "I already know you would~." Ani cutely squeaked out.

    Their entire exchange onlysted for a few seconds, but it was all the time they needed. In the duo''s eyes, savage killing intent zed over them.

    The gigantic dark green wolf still hasn''t charged them yet, but its eyes were seemingly enraptured with Darcel''s bright white glow.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t pay any heed to the wolf oddity, though.

    At the peak of their powers, Ani tightly clenched Darcel''s shoulder again. And slightly lifting her hand up, Ani had then pointed straight at the giant dark green wolf.

    ''Hua!''

    In a streak of lightning-fast white light, Ani had flung Darcel straight at the wolf using her telekinesis!

    sting through the air under Ani''s telekinesis felt otherworldly to Darcel.

    He didn''t feel weight downed at all by gravity. And the air split itself in half due to his immense speed. Darcel had even reckoned under Ani''s telekinesis, this was even slightly faster than his peak speed!

    The distance between Darcel and the vast dark green wolf was only several meters apart.

    But immediately when Darcel was flung by Ani, the dark green wolf eyes turned rabid. Its aura ignited in a frenzy.

    Matching Darcel''s charge, the dark green wolf madly rushed to the glowing white boy.

    The moderate distance between them was crossed in a mere couple of seconds by both sides.

    Precisely right when Darcel was only a few feet away from the dark green wolf, Ani''s face became further drenched with sweat. Her teeth ferociously gritted against each other as began overtaxing herself.

    Ani''s control over Darcel was nowhere near perfect. After all, this was the first time she tried fully controlling another human body.

    But in this situation, she only needed to make one swift move for Darcel.

    Steeling herself, Ani pushed past the exhaustion and pain. Forcefully, Ani moved her dazzling white, glowing hand up and to the right for a few inches.

    Struggling this much with small and easy movements may have confused some, but Ani''s face had split into a little victorious grin.

    In sync, right when Ani barely moved her hand, Darcel''s body managed to shift towards the dark green wolf right eye at thest second!

    Generally, at high speeds these two were going; it would all but near impossible to make such an agile movement like this.

    Yet, because of Ani''s telekinesis, all rules of gravity and momentum were temporarily thrown out of the equation! And Darcel didn''t miss a single beat experiencing this sudden movement.

    Darcel urately thrust and plunged his ck ming rapier directly into the widening eyes of the dark green wolf. Putrid blood sputtered from the wolf like a bloody storm. The wolf itself didn''t even have a chance to process Darcel''s agile moves.

    Abruptly the dark green wolf went absolutely still. Its brain was in pure shock, but before the pain could wrack its senses. Darcel raised his power to its peak degree, causing his ck mes to burn with savage intensity.

    "Fiery Slice!" Giving onest mighty roar, Darcel unleashed his Martial Skill directly inside the dark green wolf head!

    ''Sssch!!''

    Inside the dark green wolf body, immediate scorching ck mes utterly fried its organ, bones, and blood.

    The might of Darcel''s concentrated power far surpassed the dark green wolf mighty seventh level Nascent Core power.

    Furthermore, its mind and body were in a total berserk state, significantly lowering its defenses.

    All at once, the dark green wolf experienced the most excruciating pain. Although, quickly for it, the sheer intensity and power behind Darcel''s Martial Skill killed it off within seconds.

    As the light faded from its eyes, the giant dark green wolf crashed to the ground.

    Even in death, its eyes were still in a shocked state. It was simply impossible for the wolf to ever predict the craftiness of Ani''s telekinesis.

    Watching the enormous dark green wolf copse to the ground, Ani breathed a sigh of relief. Her body ached with exhaustion and overtaxing pain.

    Yet her head had promptly snapped to Hao Cao.

    She was still on her knees, heaving her chest from the wolf''sst attack. Despite being only a single level below, taking the full might of peak Nascent Core power isn''t a simple matter.

    Ani and Darcel can forcefully rely on their bloodline to work through the pain and give them more energy. But Hao Cao simply didn''t have any unique abilities like that.

    And if it wasn''t for Ani''s white glow covering her at thest second, her state would''ve been far worse than this.

    Still, Ani is d she at least hasn''t passed out.

    Amazingly for her current state, Ani once again worked through the pain and stumbled right next to Hao Cao. She grasped her hand on her shoulder, sitting straight down beside her.

    Leaning into her a bit, Ani gave Hao Cao a tired smile as she turned to look at her.

    "We.won." Ani breathed out through heavy panting breaths.

    All Hao Cao could do was weakly nod at her, still feeling the most winded out of the three. But right then, both girls'' eyebrows furrowed as they peered over to Darcel.

    While Ani went over to support Hao Cao, Darcel had fished out his rapier from the dark green wolf eye.

    Immediately when killing the wolf, Ani''s white glow dispersed.

    And like terrible whish, Darcel experienced the full brunt of exhaustion and overtaxing pain. For a second, Darcel just wanted to take a moment to catch his breath.

    But at that very moment, Darcel''s senses spiked up. His body instinctively straightened up as his face turned deadly serious.

    Rapidly approaching this specific area was a trio of immense powerhouses!

    Their aura, it was one Darcel had vague familiarness with. It was the powerful aura of the True Soul Core realm! And if they''reing here for whatever reason, it only spelled terrible news for Darcel and the girls.

    If they were at their normal state, then none of the three would have any reason to fear even True Soul Core warriors. After all, not counting their magical rings, they have other useful talismans to escape.

    But the problem came as they needed at least some portion of Qi to even activate their talisman!

    And sensing Ani and Hao Cao, there were all depleted of Nascent Qi.

    Even more so for Ani, she can''t muster up a smidgen of bloodline power lest she wants her body to shut down on her. Darcel, of course, didn''t think whoever woulde would kill them given their status but robbing them in an utterly helpless state wasn''t out of the equation.

    Some cultivators just wouldn''t care about the consequences and take on all the risks they can get. And it was in this moment of thinking, Darcel determinedly made up his mind.

    Compared to Ani, Darcel knows his bloodline heavily differs from hers.

    It''s why he could still feel a small portion of bloodline power running through his veins and not wholly destroying his body.

    Gashing his teeth, Darcel concentrated more bloodline power into his legs. Immediately it ignited scorching mes of immense pain throughout all of Darcel''s body.

    But if it matters concerning Ani''s well-being and, to a lesser extent Hao Cao''s, Darcel didn''t care at all for the pain.

    Putting his rapier back into his ring, Darcel rushed towards the girls who already had concerning nces shot towards him.

    However, Darcel had no time to exin. In just a few seconds, he shed right near Hao Cao''s side. Under the girl''s weary face, Darcel quickly but tenderly took Hao Cao''s hand that had her spatial ring.

    "Wh.?!"

    ''Chi!''

    A bright purple spark shed, illuminating the whole room for a brief second.

    Out from the sh, Darcel had fished out a light blue talisman. Seeing the talisman, Hao Cao''s eyes lit up in shock.

    Darcel really had just activated her ring on his own and even urately found what he needed!

    Activating a spatial ring that isn''t attached to your own body isn''t impossible. Still, it needlessly takes a lot of power to do.

    Yet, Darcel still manages to ammas that power even in his severely weakened state.

    Though it wasn''t a walk in the park for Darcel. For a split second, he felt light-headed and on the verge of passing out.

    But with those True Soul Core warriors nearly here, it snapped Darcel to stay awake. Under his forced bloodline powers, Darcel crushed the talisman.

    Promptly, magical blue energy wrapped over the trio.

    A mystical power swirled around the trio and had immediately turned Darcel''s group entirely invisible! Finally, achieving his goal, Darcel sighed a bit and swiftly got right in the middle of the girls.

    "Eh.Darcy.?" Ani panted out while questioning.

    She couldn''t sense whoever wasing at all. Only there was a faint worrying feeling she picked up on from Darcel before.

    In response to Ani''s question, Darcel wrapped his arms around the girl''s waist, pulling them close to his body. He felt more secure this way though he ignored the slight flush on Ani and Hao Cao''s face.

    Ani was only surprised at the sudden intimacy. While Hao Cao felt her heart pick up several beats. Darcel had hugged her waist before, but this time they weren''t getting chased or facing an immediate threat.

    Undeniably, she couldn''t avoid getting affected by the heat of Darcel''s body in this position. But before either girl could question this, Darcel only said,

    "Just wait and watch for a bit."

    Surprisingly, Darcel didn''t sound the slightest bit weary though pain was entwined with his voice.

    Doing as he said, the girls and Darcel nced over to the man-made entrance Darcel made.

    ''Bang!''

    Tremendous power burst through the entrance like a raging tsunami. Dark, sickly green stones sted all around the room, breaking into little pieces once crashing into the wall.

    This grand entrance made Hao Cao''s eyes widen. Not because of the output of power but for who had appeared.

    It wasn''t people she knew at all but people that she could recognize from miles away.

    Standing at the wide-open entrance were three handsome young male youths. Each of them wore fancy glossy ck uniforms, and on the left side of their chest, a unique Y symbol was imprinted there.

    These guys.they were from the Yoderine institution! Hao Cao looked over to Darcel and Ani only to see them have a more inquisitive expression while watching the youths.

    And looking back at the Yoderine youths, Hao Cao could tell why.

    All three should''ve exuded the mighty majesties of a powerful True Soul Core warrior.

    Only their faces and current stature was the farthest from being noble. Their faces were filled with frantic dread, sweat poured from their brows, and they were all slightly panting.

    Plus, in their eyes, Darcel''s team could observeyers of immense pain, trying to be suppressed.

    The boy in the middle, who Darcel assumed to be the leader there, his face had soon morphed into a disbelieving expression.

    His eyes were constantly darting around the room, never once looking to where Darcel''s team sat.

    Seemingly once failing to find what he was looking for, the boy clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth. In wild anger, his head snapped towards the other boy on his right, violently cursing him, saying,

    "The hell?! I thought you said this where that damn portal has to be?!"

 Chapter 55: Invisible View

    Chapter 55: Invisible View

    The Yoderine youth, to the right of his leader, held an expression of confusion and indignation. His eyes had darted continuously around the room as well, but just like his leader, he found there was no portal here.

    The boy balled up his fist in disbelief. Just how.why isn''t anything here!

    From his special Spirit Senses, he most definitely picked up on an overwhelming magical source of power here.

    That energy signature held the exact same divinity from the portals he sensed before. Yet, no matter how many times his eyes scanned around the already damaged room, no portal like energy came up.

    "This.this just wa-" Suddenly, while the boy attempted to argue back, he felt body shriveled in instinct fear.

    Pain from before resurfaced intensely on his face as a temporaryck of control overtook him.

    And the boy wasn''t the only one whopletely froze up. The leading Yoderine boy and the other boy on his left became as still as a statue. No one had the will to argue anymore.

    With fear evident in his tone and his teeth ttering, the boy on the right said,

    "That-that thing. it''s here already!?!"

    None of the boys held any hesitation in their eyes. Immediately all three of the Yoderine youths swirled whatever amount of Spirit Qi they had left.

    The power they ammas wasn''t a lot, but it was enough for a chance for survival!

    At least the boys thought it was a chance.

    ''Whir!!''

    Instantly biting their tongue and spurting their blood essence, tremendous waves of immense Spirit Qi spewed out of the Yoderine youth.

    The power they wielded trump''s Nascent Qi in every single possible way.

    But the boys didn''t only erupt their blood essence. Swiftly their Spatial Rings ignited. All three of the Yoderine youths had fished out long elegant looking ck spears.

    In their hands, the ck spears continuously discharged powerful Spear Qi.

    Around the Yoderine youth, beautiful ck lights of Spear Qi swirled in a frenzied storm.

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao admittedly got caught into this sight. They couldn''t tell how powerful these three were, but they could definitely sense their overwhelming might.

    Even for Darcel and Ani, they knew if they were to go against these Yoderine youths, their chances of victory would be heavily slim.

    Still, there was one other surprising thing about this moment.

    Realm suppression is unavoidable for those in a lower cultivation realm facing off against someone who is only one realm higher.

    Even if Darcel and Ani could face off against peak Nascent Cores cultivators, both of them will still feel massive suppression against True Soul Core cultivators.

    This is why this particr moment stood out for Darcel''s team.

    Darcel, Ani, and even Hao Cao all didn''t feel the slightest bit of pressure or overwhelming suppression.

    If they genuinely wanted to, the trio could freely move out while invisible and still be unnoticeable.

    Ani and Hao Cao had only taken short notice of this oddity before returning their attention to the Yoderine youths. They had only found this as a neat extra ability of the talisman.

    Only Darcel took the discovery differently. His eyes lit up in devious nning when he also felt his bloodline reacting strangely. It was only in small spurts, but Darcel could certainly tell power from his bloodline was slowly getting sucked into the talisman.

    Still, it was only in a minuscule dosage that wouldn''t overall affect his body besides worsening the aching pain.

    But for the girls, this much pain is bearable, at least to him.

    And it seemed it was only his bloodline reacting like this. Passing one quick nce over to Ani sort of confirmed this theory.

    Indeed, even if she has no power to spare, Ani''s base bloodstreams could''ve also slightly reacted.

    Darcel''s bloodline did it on its own without any input from him. But Ani still acted simply the same while watching. Either way, after these Yoderine kids leave, Darcel already has great ns for their team.

    Abruptly then, mere seconds after the Yoderine trio erupted their blood essence, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao were all struck with a daunting dreadful feeling.

    This feeling sank into the pit of their stomachs like an anchor.

    It was then the trio''s eyes widened while watching the Yoderine youths.

    The foreboding feeling of iparable dread.yes, it was exactly like the first time they encountered that horrifying creature!

    Although, while Darcel''s team could only dread the return of that monster, the Yoderine youths had to face the full brunt of that creature''s spine-chilling aura.

    Sharply like a hawk, the Yoderine trio snapped around to face that red, frightening creature.

    They had put quite the distance between them and it, allowing for at least a couple of seconds to charge their attacks.

    Fear hazed into their eyes as the Yoderine youths saw the terrifying creature crazily sprint at them.

    A hair raising vague red mist surrounded the creature''s body, further enhancing its frightening image.

    The Yoderine youths were lucky to have even escaped thanks to their various unique artifacts and talisman from their previous encounter.

    Now, at the end of their roads, they can only hope to struggle for victory!

    "Crush it in one go!!" The leader boy shouted to his partners. Forcing past their pain and fears, the dazzling ck spear Qi surrounding the trio had now swirled in ravage intensity.

    At the tip of each of their spears, a deep rich ck glow like the eternal Darkness sparked. With only meters apart from the creature, the Yoderine trio could only muster up enough Spirit Qi for one massive attack.

    The air froze around them, and out sting from their spear tips was multiple ck spears made up of Spirit Qi!

    It was like the floor was thrown into a night abyss as the area considerably darkened.

    The Yoderine trio spear Qi attacks sted to the creature with immense speed. Massive crashing waves of blood essence Spirit Qi aura directly shed with the creature before their attacks had even arrived.

    Yet the red creature merely licked its tongue in the face of the Yoderine trio petty attacks.

    Unaffected by the Yoderine trio''s powerful auras, the creature sprayed out multiple basks of putrid red fluids from its tongue.

    Slighter faster than even the Yoderine trio''s spear Qi attacks, the creature''s red fluids violently collided against them.

    ''Chi, Chi, Chi, Chi!''

    In utter domination, the numerous basks of putrid red fluids tore the ck spear Qi attacks like shredded paper!

    The Yoderine trio''s eyes shed with despair as in the back of their minds, they kind of expected this oue.

    If they were at full power, the human-like creature might have had to y its attack a bit differently. But now, critically injured and barely with any energy left, one can say the Yoderine youths were doomed from the start.

    With no other options left, the Yoderine youths could only struggle to the bitter end.

    Raising their ck spears once again, the trio attempted to overtax their very souls!

    Drawing upon desperate power from your soul was even riskier than erupting your blood essence. If one''s not careful enough, they could either immediately shatter their dantian, crippling themselves or outright explode in a bloody mist from overwhelming soul powers.

    However, none of the Yoderine youth had the chance to even attempt this insane move.

    The human-like creature tongue freakishly sted from its mouth like a bullet!

    Like it had no limits, the creature''s horrid tongue arrived nearly instantly next to the leading Yoderine youth ck spear.

    ''Bang!''

    The leading boy felt his arms quake as the creature tongue knocked his spear right out of his hands. His ck spear got sent flying, drilling deeply into the sickly green wall behind them.

    Before he or the other two boys had a chance to react, the creature''s horrid tongue moved at blinding speeds!

    The boy on the left and right also felt their arms tremble as the creature tongue violently knocked the ck spears out of their hands as well.

    Each of the Yoderine trios was left momentarily stunned.

    Physically, the sheer force of the creature nearly caused the Yoderine trio''s arm to go numb. And thispse of judgment would be theirst mistake.

    The human-like creature tongue ignited in a spine-chilling red hue. Before anyone of the Yoderine youths could react, its tongue spewed out a mini red fluid rain on them!

    "AH-KE-AHHH!!!"

    Three blood-curdling screams echoed out in the area.

    The Yoderine youths crashed to their knees as molting, scorching pain wrapped their senses.

    Every drop of putrid red fluid drilled into their skins like acid.

    Overwhelming berserk energy crushed down on their organs and bones, utterly destroying parts of their bodies.

    Apanying the pain on their faces, bright red hue spots had suddenly appeared there. And in a gruesome fashion, some bright red hue spots burst their faces, causing fresh blood to spew into the air.

    However, amazingly enough, these Yoderine youths still didn''t die.

    They had still fruitlessly clung on to life as their True Soul Core bodies made them far tougher to kill than Nascent Core cultivators.

    But these seconds of clinging on to life couldn''t change the end result.

    Through the bloody vision of the leader boy, his pupils dted once spotting bright red ws blitzing straight at him!

    At this point, the boy was utterly helpless to defend. All he could do was stare into despair as the creature ws had quickly reached him.

    ''Chi!''

    Blood stter on the ground once the human-like creature cores viciously tore through the leading boy heart. Even with a True Soul Core body, without a heart, it was impossible to live.

    As the light left his eyes, itsst sight was the red creature cruelly twitching its lips upwards in a horrifying smile.

    Seeing as their leader died, the other two boys threw all caution into the wind!

    "GEAA!!"

    Shockingly, both boys tore through the excruciating pain and pounced towards the human-like creature. Their near-death desperate punchesnded solidly on the creature''s body.

    But this was, of course, futile.

    The creature took their blows with high stride and ease. Pulling its w out from the leading boy''s heart, the creature swiftly stabbed at the other two boys on both sides.

    ''Chi, Chi!''

    Two more horrifying blood stter died down the dark, sickly green floor in spine-chilling red. Just like the leader boy, the other two Yoderine youths wound up with bright red ws piercing their hearts.

    Pulling its w from their chest, the human-like creature stood up. Its eyes began to constantly dart around the vast room, seemingly looking for something.

    And its eyes had only spared a passing nce at Darcel''s team location.

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao were legitimately slightly horrified. It was like this thing just never stopped growing!

    Currently, all three of them could vaguely sense this creature had the aura of the True Soul Core realm!

    Even more terrifying was that the creature aura didn''t even match up to three Yoderine youths. And yet, it still managed to brutally kill the trio off.

    Darcel''s team watched as the creature had then proceeded to drag the Yoderine youths corpses off, not noticing them at all.

    Once the creature had exited out of Darcel''s team range of Spirit Sense, the trio all breathed a sigh of relief. Smienatously, their hiding talisman had also dropped once Darcel cut off his bloodline powers.

    "Haa.that thing.that was-Ah!?!"

    Before Ani finished her sentence, she got Darcel and Hao Cao to quickly snap their heads towards her.

    A broad smile quickly formed on Ani''s face as she finally felt something pleasant just from under her.

 Chapter 56: Taking On Danger

    Chapter 56: Taking On Danger

    "Has your intuition gotten you so worked up?" Darcel asked the broadly smiling Ani.

    That excited prideful look in her eyes was something Darcel was all too familiar with. A smirk etched on his face since she''ll at least have some good news then.

    "Yes, don''t keep us in the dark now~." Hao Cao managed to say. Even having a yful tone.

    After resting for a while, the aching sore pain went down a bit, and she could at least talk now. Provided she doesn''t move a muscle now.

    Ani, however, didn''t respond to their questions.

    Her smile only grew wider as she held up her fist at them. Under the confused gazes of Darcel and Hao Cao, she had plunged her fist right in between her legs!

    ''Chi!''

    Amazingly enough, Ani''s fist still managed to drill through the stone dark, sickly green floor, even in a weakened state.

    Feeling around in the ground, Ani quickly managed to grasp her hand around a wooden like surface.

    Firmly grasping whatever she touched, Ani swiftly pulled her hand out of the ground. A prideful smirk epassed her face as she watched Darcel and Hao Cao''s expression morphed into one of shock.

    In Ani''s hand was a small dark, sickly green treasure box.

    The box surprisingly looked fresh and in mint conditions. It held a unique exotic design none of the youths could recognize.

    Furthermore, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao could smell the vibrant energy of crystals and monster cores naturally exuded from the box. Whatever was in the box, they had just unquestionably scored a jackpot!

    Ani''s smile became unrestrained. After all the trouble and horrors they have just been through, now it seemsdy luck is shining on them.

    "Like always, our team has the hidden luck of finding good treasures!" Ani happily proimed.

    "Indeed, not only our efforts weren''t wasted, but we also seem to possibly get triple the rewards from it," Darcel remarked, feeling a different sort of satisfaction swell up inside him.

    It was the satisfaction of oveing a challenging goal and being rewarded handsomely.

    Hao Cao was simrly happy though she still had a slight worry in her eyes. Speaking up, she told the duo, "Yes, we truly made it big this time. But should we continue exploring now? That thing will definitely still be roaming this floor, plus there''s the extra threat of running into True Soul Core wolves."

    Throwing out her concerns, Hao Cao was pleased to see Ani taking a moment to contemte this issue. As energetic as she was, Ani also knew when to back down and not get so far in over her head.

    But Hao Cao didn''t get this same vibe from Darcel. Instead, Darcel shot Hao Cao a charming, merry grin.

    This bold yet devious look he gave Hao Cao did cause her heart to skip a few beats. Though mainly, she wondered what he was going to suggest.

    "You certainly raise a good point, Cao. But truly, we don''t have to worry about fighting that creature or any True Soul Core wolf for that matter, for the remainder of our time here." Darcel exined in an absolutely assured tone.

    Hao Cao quirked her eyebrows, still puzzled about whatever Darcel could be suggesting.

    However, Ani''s eyes had quickly lit up. She swiftly spoke up to say,

    "Ah.Ah! Our hiding talisman! Realistically, it shouldn''t have held up for nearly as long, unless someone had tampered with it~?"

    Topletely erase one''s presence and aura from an even stronger cultivator''s senses requires a tremendous amount of magical power.

    Moreover, there was also the fact the talisman also shielded them from stronger cultivators auras, further adding on to the insane usage of magical power.

    Thatst encountersted for only about three minutes.

    Short, but it was even shorter than what their hiding talisman could initially hold out for. And that''s precisely where Darcel stepped in. He gave the girls a smirk and nodded at Ani.

    "As your keen intelligence suggests, Ani, I can indeed tamper with the talisman. My bloodline had slowly poured into it, making itst far longer than it should."

    Ani furrowed her eyebrows at Darcel''s exnation. She clearly didn''t feel any reaction from her own bloodline or any power seeping into the talisman.

    While generally, she does get their bloodline isn''t precisely the same, they do share a lot of simr qualities. Though she just assumes this one of their different abilities.

    Hao Cao, however, didn''t have a problem with this exnation. A hopeful inquisitive expression dawned on her face as she asked, "I see.so that''s why! But, just how long can your bloodlinest at full power?"

    "First off, we''re going to need to use some of our already resources to get back at full strength. And once there, I estimate I can hold for about.ten minutes or so. Provided that I''m not using any attacks or extra power." Darcel casually exined to the girls.

    And they in return thoughtfully regarded the news. If any other ordinary cultivator or powerful mage were to hear how Darcel could forcibly extend the use of a talisman, a lot more shock would''ve been heard.

    But at this point, Darcel''s team was a bunch full of mind-breaking surprises.

    Ani nodded her head and excitedly said, "Ten minutes.it''s enough for just one more room! We can take what we need and then swiftly leave this ce."

    Hao Cao knew at this point, there''s no changing the duo minds. She already got ustomed to their incredibly crafty daring side.

    Still, with caution in her tone, Hao Cao said, "Even so, we still have to be precise and especially careful when doing this."

    Both Darcel and Ani shed Hao Cao, a charming smile at the same time. Ani reached out and boldly patted her shoulder, telling her, "Of course! We won''t just take any risk, only assured ones!"

    "It''s as she said, every move we make is always calcted." Darcel picked up in a boundlessly confident tone.

    Hearing how unhesitating both Darcel and Ani were, gave Hao Cao that extra boost in confidence to be secured in their ns.

    "Fufu~, well then, shall we get to healing up first?" Hao Cao said as her purple spatial ring began to lit up.

    While energy crystals are a far slower process to heal and regain energy than pills, it sure is faster than trying to naturally heal up.

    .

    Several minutes passed by, and soon Darcel''s team was back in the dark, sickly green hallways. On Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao''s faces, a rosy vibrantplexion could be seen.

    For Darcel and Ani, they were able to get back to top shape far faster than Hao Cao and with half of the resources. Mainly because their bloodlines helping with the recuperation process.

    Hao Cao did have to use a bit more of their resources, but it didn''t majorly impact their sums. They scored far too big for that.

    Immediately when stepping foot in the hallway, did Hao Cao''s eyes spark with dazzling streaks of purple lightning.

    Quickly she poured soul power into her eyes, amplifying her sixth sense abilities. From miles away from them, Hao Cao managed to pick up on an excellent treasure room.

    Though it was surrounded by numerous beings far stronger than them.

    "I''ve got a lead.but everyone there is far beyond our prowess." Hao Cao had warned Darcel and Ani. Yet she was already pouring Nascent Qi into her legs.

    "Well then, lead the way, Cao." Darcel still spoke in a boundless confident tone.

    Darcel knew when their risks are involved, the rewards will always be the highest. Plus, it would be too mundane for their team to simply cower away in front of potential danger and rewards.

    Ani didn''t speak but gave Hao Cao the same assured, confident smirk. Her stance was in exact agreement with Darcel. Also, there''s always this exhrating thrill of skirting along immense danger for her.

    Hao Cao lightly sighed, seeing their adamant stance. Then with a fire ignited in her eyes, she swiftly became determined like the duo.

    Pouring more Nascent Qi in her legs, sparks of purple lightning enkindled under her feet.

    No more words were shared as Hao Cao, Darcel, and Ani sted off with immense speeds!

    ''Swish!''

    The trio traveled at lightning pace, avoiding all traps that attempted to stop them. Radiantly bright trails of purple lightning and ck mes tore through the dark, sickly green floor in Darcel''s team wake.

    While running, Darcel seemed to pick up on a slight change.

    After the battle with the wolf, Darcel could vaguely sense his cultivation foundation deepened. He could tell his Nascent Qi was the slightest bit stronger, providing him with slightly better speed.

    Darcel also assumed this was the case with Ani and Hao Cao since their top speeds had slightly increased.

    Following a few miles of running, Darcel''s team Spirit Senses had picked up on monsters at peak-level Nascent Core chasing them!

    But just like everything else, Darcel''s team speed far surpassed even the likes of peak level Nascent Core.

    While in direct battle, the situation would be different but purely based on speed?

    Not even these specialized agile wolves could keep up!

    After a few more thrilling minutes of running, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all sensed monsters far more powerful than theming up ahead. And it was at this time Darcel made a split decision.

    Before nearing any True Soul Core wolf, Darcel ignited his purple spatial ring. Swiftly, he fished out their concealing talisman and poured his powerful bloodline into it.

    Swirls of powerful magical energy surrounded Darcel''s team. In only a split second then, the trio became entirely invisible!

    All the wolves chasing from behind became stunned when suddenly their prey vanished from their senses and sights.

    And Darcel''s team didn''t slow down once under concealment.

    To run at their speeds barely cost any energy at all. Darcel did feel a draining tug at his bloodline power, but he knew, as long he didn''t perform any attacks, he could keep this state up for a while.

    And as expected, the trio dashed right under the noses of gigantic True Soul Core wolves. No beast had even picked up a whiff of their scent.

    Still, nerves were high for Darcel''s team. They knew one wrong move could end up disastrous for them.

    Eventually, Darel''s team came upon signs of fierce battles. After taking several turns, they saw destroyed parts of the floor, several corpses of True Soul Core wolves, andrge cracks spreading into the walls.

    This road of battle led to arge open room just on the dark, sickly green walls'' right side. From a mile away, the trio could hear the sounds of raging battle and shes of metals.

    Since Darcel activated the talisman, the time it took to make it here was around a single minute. The drain of Darcel''s bloodline power was still going strong, but he knew they had about nine minutes left now.

    Not hesitating for a second, the trio sprinted up the long hallway of ruined battles.

    Arriving near therge opening, Darcel''s team spotted shes of bright green light illuminating the whole room.

    Frantic waves of True Soul Core power spewed out from the room, yet Darcel''s team wasn''t the slightest bit affected. Curiosity getting the better of them, the trio walked up to peer into the opening of the room.

    But gazing inside the room, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all instinctively froze up.

 Chapter 57: Cornered

    Chapter 57: Cornered

    Inside therge opening, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao saw two men wearing green robes fight against two gigantic Spirit Wolves.

    Bothbatants moved at lightning-like speeds trading numerous blows in just seconds.

    Darcel''s team couldn''t urately watch the way each side attacked. Their speed at the True Soul Core surpassed what their eyes and senses could keep up with!

    Yet this battle wasn''t what made the trio freeze up.

    Not the insane speed, not their terrifying prowess that made the floor crack. No, it was the maddening rushing presence of one familiar, menacing bearing!

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao simply couldn''t believe their terrible luck.

    Not even an hour passes, and yet their beings are alreadying near to that creature once again.

    If their nerves were high before, now it just shot through the roof!

    Yet Darcel quickly got a hold of himself. Since that thing is rapidly approaching, there''s no use freezing up over it.

    Without moving from his spot, Darcel reached and grabbed Ani and Hao Cao''s hands, who were just beside him.

    He reassuringly gave their hands a gentle squeeze to calm their nerves and let them know nothing wrong can happen to them now.

    Ani''s head sharply snapped over to Darcel. His face was severe yet determined as he didn''t take his eyes off the battle in front of him.

    It''s almost like he didn''t regard that creature at all!

    Looking at his charming image immediately got Ani to sober up. A determined smile dawned on her face as her nerves rxed, and her mind became calm.

    As a team, she knows there''s no way they''ll fall even to that horrifying creature!

    Simultaneously, Hao Cao had also turned her head over to Darcel. Like all other previous times, Darcel kept his cool and collected image in front of massive potential danger.

    He didn''t have any thoughts about running off even with that creatureing. Moreover, he also has enough calmness to support her and Ani.

    Unknowingly a burst of warmth and joy swell in Hao Cao''s chest.

    She knows that Darcel and Ani are in a rtionship. Yet Darcel simply acted like he always did, never once treating her differently. Even before he had prioritized saving her against that insidious creature.

    Like budding roses, a blooming determined smile blossoms on Hao Cao''s.

    She may not have known the duo for long, but their act of warm friendship left an imprint in her heart. If they''re going to give it there all, then she would too!

    And while Darcel''s team had this silent yet intimate moment, a gust of wind passed over their heads.

    A bright red hue refracted in their eyes, signaling that the terrifying creature is here.

    With speeds incredible for the True Soul Core realm, the human-like creature eyes immediately spotted its prey in a perfect position.

    The two giant dark green wolves were skidding back on the ground, while their fur had small patches of this fiery green energy.

    Opposite of the two were the two green robes Elders. Around their hands was this smoking green aura that sizzled ominously. One look at their hands, and you can tell immediate danger.

    And at this point, neitherbatants notice their iing downfall. The human-like creature was practically undetectable when it was not attacking.

    But the creature had no intention of staying hidden.

    Before either humans or wolves could rush each other again, the creature spewed out its spine-chilling red poisonous mist from its mouth. Promptly the whole area was flipped upside down.

    The green robe Elders abruptly grabbed their stomachs. A sickening gut-wrenching feeling made the two want to heave their intensities.

    This sickness slowed their senses and made the Elders delirious. And from the illness, the Elder''s eyes widened as their bodies had utterly locked up!

    The Elders also weren''t the only ones experiencing several dramatic shifts in motions.

    At first, the wolves were also overtaken by the sickening gut feeling of wanting to heave their stomachs.

    And immediately then, their pupils dted as their bodies froze entirely.

    Simultaneously, both humans and wolves couldn''t react to sudden red mist clouding their visions and drilling into their bloodstreams.

    Previously, both sides were all exhausted from their long battles. So when the creature sprayed its mist, it exuded a sickening area effect that was able to affect both the Elders and wolves'' weary minds.

    It was all toote for them now to realize the red mist.

    Immediately both sides face contorted with pain. Their already tired bodies were bing weaker as scorching pain lit up their bloodstreams in a raging frenzy!

    "AH-AH! Geeh?!? Wha-ACK!!" One of the Elders attempted to speak, but only grunts and screams of pain were heard.

    He had also puked up sickly red blood as he felt the scorching pain worsen.

    "Bleeh!!" On the other side, one of the wolves copsed to the ground like a puppet without its strings.

    Sickly red blood foamed out its mouth as its body twitchingly spasmed.

    The other wolf legs were quaking. Just like its partner, it spat out constant sickly red blood dying the dark green floor in odd hair raising blood.

    In only a second, did their situation turn into an utter disaster!

    The poisonous red mist only grew stronger with each feast the licker has. Now it was slowly eroding both humans and wolves'' bodies.

    If they were at full power, the red mist would''ve only slowed their movements and made their overall attacks and defenses weaker.

    But in their current state, these two sides were easy picking! The creature lips twitched upwards, pleased with its works. Its eyes had then darted up to the roof, deciding to not drag this out for any longer.

    Swiftly, the creature pounced towards the roof, sticking on the dark, sickly green ceiling like a disgusting bug.

    The creature''s bright red tongue had then swirled out its mouth.

    Looking at the horrifying tongue, Darcel''s team could''ve sworn that its tongue somehow gained a natural brighter red hue.

    But before their thoughts could delve into that, the creature''s tongue had then sparked with an illuminating red glow!

    ''Chi, Chi, Chi, Chi!''

    Out from the creature''s red glowed tongue was terrifying batches of putrid red fluids! Darcel''s team watched as this scene was almost like a red fluid rain shower.

    But it was then, the most horrifying scene happened.

    With barely any defense put up, the putrid red fluids drilled into the wolves and green robe Elders bodies. Sizzling noises was apanied by,

    "AH-WHAAAA!!!"

    The blood-curdling screeches of unending pain! Looking in the mist, Darcel''s team could barely spot the wolves and green robe Elders'' outlines.

    But they were able to see each side spasming on the ground from tremendous pain.

    Overwhelming berserk energy crushed their organs and bones to breaking. Excruciating burning pain drilled into the deepest parts of their bodies like a sponge.

    It genuinely was the worst nightmare any being could go through.

    Even from just looking on, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao were feeling slight chills. Hao Cao simply didn''t have much experience in the ways of cruelty and was mostly pamper by her family and status.

    Though with Darcel and Ani, they were obviously a little different. They witnessed much horrifying torture in the name of experiments by the Parsol Organization.

    Yet, there was something about the screams here that felt just so.primal.

    They didn''t know what to call it, but the idea of never fighting this creature again was only reinforced in all three of their minds.

    As the trio watched on, the licker eyes were continually darting around and outside the room.

    Seemingly it appeared to be looking for something. But no matter what, its eyes never stayed in one ce for too long.

    Moreover, its eyes also ignored Darcel''s team presence at the opening of the room.

    Just, only a slight red hue enkindled in its eyes for a split second once passing over Darcel''s team.

    Darcel''s team, of course, didn''t notice that slight oddity. And after a few minutes that seemed to go on forever, the agonizing wails of pain had finallye to a screeching halt.

    The creature jumped back down to the ground, clearing up its red poisonous mist while doing so.

    Whatid in the view of everyone was four disgusting red hue corpses.

    On both wolves and humans bodies, patches of their skin burst off, revealing their transformed sickly red blood. As well both wolves and human''s eyes were still in widened shock, never knowing just what had killed them.

    With its work finished, the creature clenched its w hand. A red mist that seemed differentpared to its usual one sprayed from its w.

    The mist quickly wrapped over the four corpses and floated them right over the creature''s head.

    Having its prey in its hand, the creature had no reason to stay anymore.

    Swiftly it sted off with sonic speeds, still hovering the four corpses above its head.

    While passing Darcel''s team, the creature didn''t halt for a second. But while the trio saw this as good fortune, none of them could''ve ever seen its eyes sparked in red hue once again.

    Just right when the creature seemingly ignored Darcel''s team presence and rushed past them, its eyes lit up in a foreboding glint.

    Yet, the creature still continued on its way.

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all halted for a few seconds. Likest time the trio waited until the creature exited out of its Spirit Senses coverage.

    When it had finally left, Darcel had let go of the girls'' hands, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Phew.that thing is intense as always. And-Oh? Hey! Look over there at the corner!" Ani excitedly pointed to the right corner of the room.

    Thereid a suspicious-looking hole that would''ve been unnoticeable to some.

    "As always, your senses are sharp, Ani~! Let''s go im our final prize." Hao Cao yfully said. Still having their concealing talisman on, the trio walked into the room at a brisk pace.

    While walking, Darcel took a little moment to obverse the state of the room.

    Green fiery holes were made into the ground, chunks of dark, sickly green stone were flung everywhere, and continuous cracks spread out in the room.

    Smirking a bit, Darcel had then said, "So.this is the difference between Nascent Core and True Soul Core, huh? Even at our best, we didn''t cause this much destruction like them."

    "Fufufu~, but soon we to-" Hao Cao couldn''t finish her sentence as her soul had abruptly quaked with ferocious intensity!

    ''Zzzt!!''

    Numerous purple streaks of raging purple lighting burst in her eyes!

    Her body relied on natural instinct, surpassing speed she ever did before as her spatial ring ignited.

    Swiftly, their reusable barrier talisman appeared in Hao Cao''s hand. And she had instantly crushed it, activating their dark purple barrier.

    ''KA-CHA!''

    The sound of something akin to ss breaking into a million pieces ranged in Darcel and Ani''s ears. As well it was this sound that caused their bloodlines to frantically react!

    A bright red hue filled with the looming threat of death tried to sail through Hao Cao''s chest.

    But, the grandest sh of ck and white Darcel and Ani spewed out yet illuminated the whole room.

    A ck and white wall filled to the brim with pure bloodline power stood in the way of Hao Cao and that bright red hue.

    On Darcel and Ani''s bloodline arm, the immediate threat of death brought about some changes.

    Now their vague tattoo markings had a bit more of a defined shape. If anyone of the trio could obverse, they would notice it was in the form of one single feather.

    But currently, the trio minds were preupied. Darcel and Ani poured everything they had in their wall to sh against this red hue!

    ''BANG!!''

    Instantly, Darcel and Ani''s ck and white wall crumbled to pieces. But the red hue was also repelled back for a distance.

    "Ah! Damn!!" Both Darcel and Ani couldn''t help but curse in immense pain after that fierce collision. An unbearable burning sensation scorched their arms, plus they for sure felt some bones crack in their arms.

    As well, their concealing talisman dropped since Darcel used far too much power in that one attack.

    Their eyes met with the sight of the creature having its tongue sail right back at it.

    Though at this time, Darce, Ani, and Hao Cao couldn''t care about how that thing urately attacked them. Nor did they have the time to realize they couldn''t sense or felt its presence at all.

    Forgoing the treasure behind them, Ani quickly fished out their escaping talisman.

    But when doing so, the creature forcibly halted its whole body. At first, it was in a slight state of shock for the duo being able to repel its tongue back at him.

    It knows from previous senses that this group of prey has barriers that could temporarily halt its mist. Although it couldn''t stop its tongue.

    And now, a savage killing glint burst in its eyes! That talisman looked the same as any other he saw, but its senses didn''t deceive it. Just like how its first batch of prey escaped, it was because of this specific item!

    Faster than Ani could even mobilize her Nascent Qi, the creature sailed its tongue straight at her hand.

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all widen their eyes as the creature makes too quick of a recovery!

    But witnessing its tongue aimed at her, Ani''s eyes gained a fierce glint.

 Chapter 58: Savior?

    Chapter 58: Savior?

    It was now or never! Ani hastily poured bloodline power into the talisman, causing sparks of magic power to spew out of it.

    But right then, Ani abruptly tossed the talisman high into the air.

    Quickly, the creature''s tongue changed its course. Instead of trying to snipe Darcel, Ani, or Hao Cao, it wanted to make sure none of them had any avenue to escape to!

    Effortlessly, its bright red hue tongue sailed straight into the talisman. And almost immediately, the creature had found something off with this thing.

    ''Chi!''

    Instantly, purple magical power frantically whirled in the air!

    The very space around the whole room was continually shifting, bing dangerous and unstable.

    Although Darcel saw this as a prime opportunity. His eyes zed in a ck fire as colossal surges of Nascent Qi and bloodline power raged in his mouth.

    For whatever reason, the talisman seemed like it can''t be torn entirely through, but there was no time for Darcel to contemte that.

    Darcel grabbed the girls'' waist and held them close. Ani and Hao Cao didn''t resist though they felt the zing heat from Darcel''s body.

    It honestly surpassed any heat he had generated before!

    Snapping his mouth open, Darcel unleashed a raging torrent of frantic ck mes at the creature''s tongue.

    Even just firing off this concentrated st caused intense scorching pain to ze in Darcel''s mouth. Yet Darcel forced past every fiber in his body, roaring out in pain.

    Right when Darcel''s intense torrent of ck mes neared the creature tongue, its pupil suddenly dted.

    The creature could tell it would be highly unwise to ignore this attack just from the zing heat alone.

    Hastily, the creature pulled its tongue from the talisman shooting back to itself like a bullet. While doing so, the purple talisman still stayed afloat in midair, continually spewing out frantic purple magical power.

    For the second time in a row, the creature got put into shock. Once again, this trio of annoying prey forced itself to retract its attacks!

    Adding to its shocked was how during their first encounter, this trio was nowhere near this troublesome. The creature even had Darcel''s team on the ropes at that time.

    And it was then the human-like creature had enough of these youths tricks. Its hideous face morphed into a feral, ferocious expression.

    A brilliant red light shimmered from its w, spelling the end of the line for Darcel''s team.

    When the red glow shined over its w, the creature thrust out its arm and sted off a red Qi w at the trio!

    The whole room turned into a sea of red hell instantly.

    Hao Cao felt her body entirely lock up. Her teeth gnashed against each other as she fruitlessly struggled against sudden incredible pressure. But her eyes had then shed in realization.

    This was the supreme power of a True Soul Core cultivator attack!

    No matter if they all could match a peak Nascent Core, none of Darcel''s team should be able to resist this pressure.

    And yet, Darcel and Ani''s bloodline became even more frantic by the very second.

    The crushing realm suppression affected their bodies but not to the point where they couldn''t move at all. And as soon as the creature w shimmered a bright red, the duo was already active.

    Ani struck one hand up and instantly sucked back the wild purple talisman in her hand. With her other hand, Ani formed a white light barrier around her and Hao Cao.

    Simultaneously, Darcel formed a Darkness barrier that wrapped around the whole group.

    White and ck mixed together, hoping to withstand the oing bright red Qi w.

    In only a second, the red Qi w neared the trio. A frightful crushing pressure crashed down on Darcel and Ani.

    To protect Hao Cao, they took the full brunt of the pressure, causing blood vessels to pop on their face and eyes.

    Still, even under pressure, Darcel and Ani stood firm. There was no other option but to stand tall under this situation.

    The creature''s red Qi w violently struck the white and ck barrier, immediately overwhelming the duo.

    ''BANG!''

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao were all sent flying back like bullets as their barrier was torn to utter shreds. All three of them spurted blood, feeling their organs intensely churned.

    Darcel and Hao Cao saw their world be a bloody daze.

    But in Ani''s eyes, a sudden bright white light enkindled. Going over the edge, Ani''s enrich her body in a dazzling white glow.

    Amazingly faster than what the creature could''ve ever expected, Ani agilely shifted her body to be in the middle of Darcel and Hao Cao. Both her hands instantly grabbed on to their shoulders, drowning their bodies in the same dazzling white glow.

    In a state of absolute defenseless, Darcel and Hao Cao''s body couldn''t resist Ani''s power at all. Yet the energy that flowed through them didn''t cause any extra damage to their bodies.

    Rather.it was actually quite gentle.

    Abruptly though, the creature was thrown into a loop once again! Literally, in seconds, Ani managed to move at speeds he didn''t think possible from this group of prey.

    And when that white glow wrapped all three of them, they suddenly sted off with immense speeds!

    To where they were heading was the back wall of the room, but.it seemed like Ani was aiming for a specific spot.

    By using their thrown momentum and overdrawing on her bloodline powers, Ani could erupt with immense speeds under telekinesis.

    Specifically, a life-saving feeling sparked in her mind. Her senses became drawn into one specific spot on the dark, sickly green wall.

    Ani had the faintest of clue on how this feeling came about. She only wanted Darcel, Hao Cao, and herself to live no matter the cost. And it was this line of thinking that caused her bloodline to unknowingly tremble.

    "Keh!!"

    However, from behind, the human-like creature obviously wasn''t going to let this side.

    Unleashing a horrifying cry, the creature instantly gave chase to the glowing white trio.

    It sted off at lightning-like speeds, hoping to intercept the trio. But to its unending frustration, Darcel''s team was just the slightest bit faster for a second.

    In rising anger, the creature watched as Ani slightly raised her team higher and crashed right into the wall.

    ''Bang!''

    Debris of dark, sickly green stone scattered into the wind as Darcel''s team effortlessly smashed through the wall.

    Up head, Ani was able to spot for a second a bright blood red portal.

    In only a second, when seeing it, the trio plunged right into the portal, disappearing from sight. Yet the human-like creature didn''t give up its chance and directly entered the portal with them.

    ....

    Around Ani''s vision was a bright blood-red space. This was the mystical portal space she and the others had been through a few times already.

    Only this time, something was significantly different.

    On Hao Cao''s shoulder, the hand Ani used to hold on to her had the wild broken escaping talisman!

    Suddenly, the escaping talisman reacted violently in this space, causing a more giant frenzy storm of magical power.

    And only a couple of feet behind the trio was the human-like creature. Its ws were dangerously close to grabbing on to Darcel''s foot.

    But right when it was mere inches away, a blindingly bright purple sh illuminated the whole portal space!

    ''Chi!''

    Tremendous magical power spewed like wild storms in the portal space. The bright purple light onlysted for a few seconds. And once dying down, Darcel''s team and the creature were no longer to be seen.

    .

    On a new floor of the ck dungeon Labyrinth, spine-chilling dark red designs painted the whole area.

    Compared to previous floors, the air here was far more turbulent. The general vibe of the floor exuded a superior ominous dread.

    At one random area of the floor, where everything was eerily silent, massive surges of magical powers suddenly broke through the area.

    The air was split apart as a beaming, vivid purple shed brightened the whole dark red floor!

    ''Chi!''

    Out from the blinding purple sh spewed three damaged youths. Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all violently crashed into the ground, skidding along it for a few meters.

    At first, none of the three moved for seconds. Each of them had their face nted into the floor. Tremendous pain wracked every fiber of their bodies, making it difficult to just stay conscious.

    And it was then Darcel had slightly shifted his head up.

    Although, when attempting to do so, he found it was iparably painful to even raise his head!

    Along with their previous battle''s crushing pain, a powerful aura permeated throughout the floor,pletely suppressing Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao.

    This new and sudden feeling took the trio by surprise. Not even on the dark, sickly green floor did they felt this suppressed or even suppressed at all!

    Darcel knew their situation had just taken one of the worst turns.

    ncing to his right, he saw Ani struggling to maintain consciousness. Her eyes were going in and out, nearly closing altogether. While Hao Cao had just never opened her eyes since they crashed.

    But just when Darcel thought this couldn''t get any worse, his Death senses roared out to him. Darcel''s pupils shrunk as the ultimate sense of crisis overtook his mind.

    From miles away from them, a tremendous presence locked squarely on to them.

    Whatever that had just locked on to them, their presence had immediately reminded Darcel of someone on par with Teacher Z!

    Meaning, they are just about to face someone in the legendary Innate Core realm! Never in Darcel, Ani, or Hao Cao''s wildest dreams would they ever think they could take on an Innate Core cultivator.

    Even the weakest of Innate Core masters could kill them with a single p. Fruitlessly Darcel was the only one that tried to struggle and get up.

    s, he had soon discovered his body had entirely locked up.

    From the injuries on his bodies, the suppressing aura of this floor, and the aura of whatever monster that had locked on to them, it seems their situation was utterly impossible to escape from.

    The ground was slightly quaking as whatever giant Spirit Monster was approaching. Each step it tooking was casual and rxed, obviously not putting Darel''s team in its mind at all.

    "Nnngh?"

    With onest quaking step and a grunt of confusion, Darcel''s team knew whatever Spirit Monster it was, was just a mile behind them.

    And if the trio could look at the Spirit Monster, it would''ve sent slight chills in them.

    The Spirit Monster was a giant dark red bear. Its eyes held a suffocating red shade in them, its face was savagely ferocious, and its ws were long and razor-sharp.

    The bear gazed down at Darcel''s team, with only mild confusion. Usually, whatever human that traversed the floor was far, far stronger than any one of those three.

    But the bear couldn''t care how they got there and only saw this as free fresh meat.

    Savage hunger zed in the Spirit Monster bear''s eyes as it was going to savor this delectable meal.

    And while the bear was preparing to eat, frantic changes were happening inside Darcel and Ani.

    Both of them were feeling a multitude of dramatic shifts inside their bodies. Their bloodlines were in a wild, chaotic state, continually banging in their bodies as if it was attempting to break through into a new change.

    However, before anything could happen, Darcel''s team suddenly felt the bear aura lift off from them.

    A wild storm of winds gushed past Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao''s head, yet the current was clearly controlled and directed.

    ''Riiip!''

    Booming into Darcel''s team ear was the spine-chilling sound of a sword tearing through bloody flesh. None of the three heard any roars of pains, only a stiff sickening thumb hitting the ground.

    "Well, well, what do we have here?" A mysterious voice slithered into Darcel''s team''s ears.

    Apanying the voice was a wave of small mystical power that gave the trio full consciousness and slight control over their bodies.

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all snapped their eyes fully open. Wearily the trio shakingly picked themselves off the ground, working past the reminder pain.

    At this point, it''s taking tremendous effort on their part to not copse over, but they had no other options but to stand up now.

    Once in a standing position, Hao Cao leaned on Ani, and Ani leaned on Darcel. Their eyes tactically met each other for a brief second. They knew even walking far was out of the question, so their only option was to turn around and meet whoever just saved them.

    Slowly they turned around and came face to face with a handsome, middle-aged man. This man had slick ck hair that swayed to his neck and charmingly noble facial features.

    The man had also worn the brightest orange robes Darcel and Ani had ever seen before. On the robes was also a luxurious design of the mystical God Beast of the Roc.

    The man stood tall and proud, towering over Darcel''s team as if he was theplete superior.

    His aura was even more overwhelming than the bear and possibly slightly greater than Teacher Z! Although Darcel couldn''t tell for sure.

    In the man''s left hand was a short silver sword drenched in blood. And behind the man was the slumped over corpse of a beheaded bear.

    Having a better look at the Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao now, the man''s eyes lit up in an ominous mysterious twinkle.

 Chapter 59: Rivals Resentment

    Chapter 59: Rival''s Resentment

    The handsome orange robe man''s eyes zed explicitly over Darcel and Ani.

    He could recognize that specific style of uniform from a mile away. It was the Zakira Academy Core level uniform!

    Yet, the ones who were wearing were little mysteries. Only two brats merely in the Nascent Core realm? And it was then the man seemed to realize something.

    A bit of a malicious smile had grown on his face then.

    "Geniuses of the Zakira Academy, eh? Aren''t all of you a bit too weak to be traversing here?" The man correctly assumed these students at least had to have some talenting to the Labyrinth.

    Getting thrown this question, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao had varying reactions.

    All three of them recognize this man must be from the Quicksilver Roc sect going by the design of his clothes.

    And Darcel and Ani assumed he must have a pretty high position with those luxurious designs. It was far better than any other robes they''ve seen on the regr disciples, at least.

    Only Hao Cao felt the swell of dread in her eyes. This man was actually recognizable throughout the whole of Zakira City.

    He was one of the top five Roc Elders of the Quicksilver Roc sect!

    In their Zakira Academy, they''ve had widely famous figures such as Teacher Z or their Vice Principal. And the Quicksilver Roc sect has its own set of powerful and famous Elders to counter them.

    Still, Darcel and Ani had no way of knowing this. They honestly couldn''t care less about their rivals'' sects and organizations.

    Though the Elder aura was overbearing, Darcel remained as steady as he could under the pain.

    Ani, however, put on a pleasant wide smile for the Elder. Without any hesitation, she told the Elder, "Maybe we really are too weak, but! Let''s not beat around the bush here. Just why did one of our rivals sect save us?"

    Bold, fearless, and arrogant!

    It was these three words that the Elder used to describe Darcel and Ani in his mind.

    The boy stared directly into his eyes, showing absolutely no reverence.

    While this girl acted like she was speaking to a junior on the same level as her!

    Only Hao Cao had that slight sense of reverence in her eyes that the Elder picked up on.

    Creasing his eyebrows, the Elder decided to humble the duo a bit. "How bold. But I have no reason to tell three mere juniors, although you three wille with me, yes?" While talking, the Elder leaked a small dosage of his dominating aura.

    Now, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all creased their eyebrows. Barring the Elder''s increased majestic presence, the trio knew this man had obvious malicious intention towards them.

    And instantly, Darcel and Ani morphed back to their previous expression. Though Ani''s smile became one that seemed a bit more mocking.

    They both knew the Elder couldn''t just casually kill them, not if he wanted a full-blown out wrath of the Academy.

    Even if their sect was on par with their Academy, the cost of genuinely fighting between each other is far too great. Moreover, at this point, Darcel knew there were no other options than this Elder.

    "Perhaps we cane with. But you should clearly know it would be terribly unwise to critically injure us or kill us. We have exclusive connections above even special geniuses." Darcel confidently spoke without a hint of waver in his tone.

    It was then the Elder eyes had slightly widened for a second. Obviously, being able to wear the Core level uniform while still being a Nascent Core already told Darcel and Ani were very unusual.

    But just from this small interaction, the Elder''s brain clicked back to several sources of information.

    Sources detailing demonic talents the Zakira Academy was fostering.

    One was a bold boy with shoulder-length ck hair. And the other was an odd smiling girl with extraordinarily long and noticeable white hair.

    To confirm his theory, the Elder asked a straightforward question.

    "Darcel.and Ani, right?"

    Instantly, Darcel and Ani''s face fell, slightly faltering for a second.

    While they knew information about their incredible talented feats would eventually get spread around, they didn''t think they would be so easily recognizable.

    Then again.as Darcel thought about it, he did have to admit that cute little Ani had the most standout hair in the City. Rarely one would even see shing colors like Shai Xia vivid pink hair.

    But purely white hair? It indeed would be recognizable!

    And seeing this second of faltering, it told the Elder everything he needed to know.

    The malicious intention brewing inside his heart had suddenly exploded to exponential levels!

    "Ah.so it is so." The Elder ominously spoke with a broadening grin.

    Unexpectedly for Darcel''s team, the Elder had then pointed out his arm towards them.

    With just a squeeze of his hand, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao flew right into the Elder palms! None of them could resist this powerful suction force that took away all control from their bodies.

    The Elder roughly grabbed the three shoulders, uncaring about the changing emotions of the trio.

    Hao Cao tried to stay calm but felt incredibly nervous as beads of sweat rolled down her face.

    Darcel''s mind grew iparably cold. On the outside, his face still manages to retain its calm facade. But on the inside, killing intent brewed like a storm.

    Being treated like a mere ant didn''t sitfortably with Darcel at all.

    Ani, all the while, had a smile that tantly showed her dissatisfaction and frustration. When Darcel nced at her face, he admittedly had to regard it as one of the fiercest expressions he saw on the girl.

    Yet no matter what kind of looks Darcel''s team had, it all went over the Elder''s head. In fact, the mocking in his smile only seemed to grow.

    "If you two would''ve just said so sooner, we could''ve had a more smoother start. Now then, let''s go see your precious Vice Principal, eh? I''ve just had a run-in with her not too long ago."

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all froze for a second. This truly has to be a testament to bad luck! This Elder seemed tock the fear of consequences no matter how loft of status the Vice Principal was.

    And while the trio was cursing their luck, the Elder truly did see this as a God-given opportunity.

    Somehow these three were unlucky enough tond here, and he was lucky enough to meet them before their untimely end.

    Devious glints hazed all over the Elder eyes. His rtionship between him and the Vice Principal was already an incredibly hostile one. And just recently, he suffered greatly at her hands.

    Now.now it was the time for vengeance!

    Moreover, the Elder was assured what he''ll do in the Labyrinth will never get spread outside.

    Snapping his fingers, the Elder bound Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao in tight Wind Qi.

    Darcel''s team felt their bodies get more tightly pressured than previously. Their teeth gnashed together, their hands clenched, all three of them had to bear with the pain and the Elder devious ns for now.

    "Getfortable; it won''t be long before we meet her again." The Elder told the trio.

    And with no more words, the Elder sted off in tow with Darcel''s team at tremendous speeds.

    .

    Unsuspecting of the uing troubles rushing to her, the Vice Principal was slowly treading through the Labyrinth.

    Unlike her students or other youths that came here, she obviously wasn''t in it for resources or experience.

    Her eyes closely zeroed in on even the tiniest of details on the dark red wall.

    For several kilometers, her Spirit Senses covered the smallest of specks on this floor. Though amazingly enough, not even her massively broad Spirit Sense can cover the whole Labyrinth floor.

    But the Vice Principal didn''t mind this as she continued on methodically searching.

    Everything was as normal as it can be until she had abruptly stopped in front of a corpse. Now typically, corpses of Spirit Monster would never affect the Vice Principal.

    And yet.this one was different and familiar.

    The Vice Principal eyebrow furrowed since this bear corpse depicted a gruesome death. There were severalrge holes in the bear, all with a pale red hue color.

    Its eyes have bulged, nearly popping out of its socket, and sickly red blood dribbled from its mouth. This bear corpse would make the fourth time in a row the Vice Principal came across this kind of death.

    Adding to this strangeness was the fact each bear corpses was only a few minutes of walking distance between.

    Undoubtedly, this phenomenon is far too strange to be called a mere coincidence.

    In the pits of the Vice-Principal gut, a small foreboding feeling brew there. For someone at her strength, not many things can truly make her feel so worried.

    But for some reason.this feeling seems so familiar. Yet she couldn''t precisely identify why.

    However, all thoughts of wanting to explore this matter got abruptly cut off. A powerful presence the Vice Principal was all too familiar with was rapidly approaching her once again.

    "Ahhh.Vice Principal, Zelle. So wonderful for us to meet again." An annoying voice slithered into Vice Principal Zelle''s ears.

    A quiet sigh of displeasure leaked from her mouth as she thought he wouldn''t return so soon or again for that matter.

    Slowly, Vice Principal Zelle turned around, ready to shoo off this annoyance once again. However, when her body turned halfway and saw who was with the Elder, her heart ran cold.

    Immediate confusion and shock sparked in Vice Principal Zelle''s eyes. In that nuisance of an Elder hand were Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao!

    They all stare wide-eyed at her, feeling slightly hopeful.

    Although Vice-Principal Zelle just couldn''t understand it. She knew for sure anyone of those three would be far smarter enough to never attempt going past the third level.

    And even then, the fourth level would''ve been far too much for them!

    Seeing this much shock and confusion inside Vice-Principal Zelle''s face gave the Elder much glee. Finally, he could begin to see the despair of one incredibly prideful woman.

    "I see; you''re surprised to see these three, right? I just so happened to wonder upon them and even saved them from getting brutally mauled."

    The Elder spoke in a superior, condescending tone, genuinely believing he holds all the cards now.

    Hearing the tone and seeing the stature the Elder attempting to take caused Vice-Principal Zelle to quickly regain her unbreakable facade.

    "Cut the bullshit, Elder Fere; what do you want."

    As always, when this woman talks, she carries this unfathomable powerful tone. But Elder Fere knew this was all about to change. With a growing sinister smile, he told her,

    "Oh.nothing much. It just, we''ve had some past grievances with each other, right? But I''m willing to let it go for pensation. After all, I did manage to save your precious student lives."

    Vice Principal Zelle was in a bit of a hard ce now. Of course, she would have no problem dispatching Elder Fere even as he''s at the peak level of the Innate Core realm.

    But doing so, Vice Principal Zelle was sure Elder Fere would only use Darcel''s team as a shield for any attack thrown at him.

    Furthermore, Darcel''s team is constrained under his wind Qi.

    Meaning she couldn''t even try to separate them since the trio would just end up following Elder Fere''s body.

    While Vice-Principal Zelle never ced much importance on Hao Cao. She did ce the greatest importance and hope on Darcel and Ani.

    Truly, geniuses like them only appear once in every ten thousand years! Still, Vice Principal Zelle didn''t lose her calm and directly dered, "Just state it now, Elder Fere."

    Hearing the antsy in Vice Principal Zelle tone only further Elder Fere satisfaction.

    He began to open his mouth, but right then, he and Vice-Principal Zelle Spirit Sense spiked!

    Abruptly he and Vice-Principal Zelle jumped back as a blindinglyrge red object was hurled straight at them.

    ''Thud!''

    What crashed into the wall and onto the ground was a massive glowing red bear corpse.

    And this specific corpse caused all conversations between the seniors to stall.

 Chapter 60: From The Dead

    Chapter 60: From The Dead

    Whatid between Elder Fere and Vice-Principal Zelle was a gruesome, bloody corpse of a Spirit Monster bear.

    It held bright bloody gaping holes filled with sickly red blood. And faint red hue spots covered its whole body like a horrid pox.

    Elder Fere found the corpse incredibly odd. Never had he seen a Spirit Monster corpse killed in such a strange way.

    Although Vice-Principal Zelle began to feel the slightest of chills seeing the same type of corpse literally thrown at them.

    And yet the corpse itself wasn''t the strangest thing for the seniors.

    Obviously, for the bear corpse to be thrown here, somebody had to be somewhat nearby. However, neither Elder Fere nor Vice-Principal Zelle sensed anyone close.

    It was only on Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao''s faces that an incredible sense of dread filled them. The spine-chilling feeling of a crisis swelled in their chest like a chaotic storm.

    That sickly putrid red fluid.it was an image forever imprinted in Darcel''s team mind. Their pupilsrgely dted, and one horrifying thought struck them like a bomb.

    That grotesque creature, it''s here!

    Somehow again, it was like their destiny and fates was meant to be aligned with that disgusting creature!

    No matter what now, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao just have to warn the seniors.

    However, right when Darcel proceeded to open his mouth, the corpse of therge bear eyes had suddenly regained rity!

    And in the same motion, the should be dead bear, shot right back up to its free, standing tall.

    The suddenly alive bear tower over everyone there. And everyone simply couldn''t believe what just happened.

    Elder Feres stopped moving entirely. Vice Principal Zelle had endless confusion in her eyes, and Darcel''s team was locked in astonishment.

    For sure, when they all delved their Spirit Senses into the bear, it was absolutely dead! Zero signs of life came from it, and even its soul has dissipated.

    So just how.just how is it still standing?!

    What added to everyone''s shock as well was the dynamic expression apanying the bear face.

    Despite being seemingly alive and standing, immense pain overfilled its face.

    A berserk haze was apparent in its maddening blood-red eyes. Several red hue spots on its body began slowly glowing. Furthermore, an abrupt exertion of chaotic aura spewed out of the bear.

    Elder Fere and Vice-Principal felt the unexpected danger increase since this monster was at the Innate Core realm''s peak level!

    Their state of sudden shock onlysted for a second, however.

    Quickly rity regained back on their faces, yet before they could attempt anything, the bear mouth started to spasm. Sickly pale blood foamed from its mouth as its aura became further chaotic.

    Vice Principal Zelle saw the bear shifting its mouth in a process to open it.

    And in a split second while it was doing so, her eyes snapped over to Elder Fere.

    In his surprise and confusion, he momentarily let go of Darcel''s team, getting rid of the wind bind on them.

    Although when doing so, the trio already looked like they were going to immediately copse. This bear sudden turbulent aura surge was far too chaotic to instantly kill them. Still, it was enough to heavily worsen their injuries.

    And it was this split-second moment that Vice Principal Zelle used to her advantage.

    Before the bear could snap open its mouth, Vice Principal Zelle''s long blue hair had suddenly shot towards Darcel''s team.

    Her speed was nearly matching the velocity of actual lightning!

    In one second, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao had nearly passed out in excruciating pain from the bear aura.

    Yet in the next split second, the three felt something firm but gentle wrap over their waists.

    This gentle hold on their bodies provided Darcel''s team with stability. Tender power flowed through the trio bodies, yet on instinct, none of them even attempted to resist it.

    Elder Fere was, of course, unaware of this.

    Precisely at the same time, Darcel''s team was covered, the Spirit Monster bear mouth snapped fully open.

    With wild surges of Innate Qi spewing into the wind, the bear unleashed a mighty roar!

    "RWAAAA!!!"

    The bear booming shout was filled to the brim with powerful peak Innate Qi energy! Frantic waves of Innate Qi stormed for miles, and the floor trembles from the sheer onught of power.

    Promptly, Elder Fere was forced to set up a wind Qi barrier just to resist this mighty roar. Somehow, Elder Fere sensed, this used to be dead bear has power seemingly slightly surpass the peak prowess of Innate Qi!

    A slight pressure had weed his body when taking on the bear power and put a bit of worry into his mind.

    And it was then, Elder Fere suddenly remembered the three brats next to him. Surely his weak wind Qi bind wouldn''t be able to fully protect them.

    Yet, when Elder Fere nced over to Darcel''s team, immediate shock filled his eyes. What was so shocking was the fact none of the three brats were anywhere near close to him!

    Elder Fere didn''t see colossal blood puddles, indicating that the bear roar didn''t explode them into bits.

    So this would only mean.her!

    Hastily, Elder Fere eyes snapped to Vice Principal Zelle in evident frustration.

    Standing by Vice-Principal Zelle''s side were Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao!

    All of them were securely wrapped up in three blue strands of hair. Moreover, none of the three youths even felt any pressure from the bear anymore.

    Although Vice-Principal Zelle had to give this bear some regard. A bit of pressure was brought on to her by this bear, mere chaotic aura.

    She didn''t really need to set up a barrier to resist like Elder Fere though it was still concerning.

    After unleashing its mighty roar, the bear head then quickly snapped to Elder Fere. On instinct, it targeted the weakest one here since now it couldn''t sense Darcel''s team because of Vice-Principal Zelle powers.

    "Wha-"

    Elder Fere was in a slight daze since the full brunt of the bear''s chaotic aura locked on to him, but he didn''t even get the chance to finish a single word.

    Like the savage beast it is, the bear pounced at Elder Fere!

    For such arge monster, the bear managed to gain a bit of height in the air as it swiped down its massive bright red w at Elder Fere.

    "Tch!" Elder Fere simply clicked his tongue at the iing bear.

    Mobilizing his Innate Qi, Elder Fere swiftly jumped back, spewing fierce wind from his feet and easily dodging the bear w.

    ''Bang!''

    The bear''s massive w tore through the dark red stone floor. Spider web-like cracks quickly spread from the sheer overwhelming force of the bear attack.

    Additionally, the bright red hue spots on its body began to glow at a higher intensity rate.

    While Elder Fere dashed back, Vice Principal Zelle had also followed in a simr movement. In tow with Darcel''s team, the four jumped back, and it was at this time Darcel decided to quickly speak up.

    "We need to leave now! Something iparably deadly ising right at us!" Hearing Darcel, Vice Principal Zelle immediately became confused.

    Though before she could question, the small familiar foreboding feeling from before had abruptly exploded!

    Her mind was struck with a spine-chilling dreary presence that neared too close forfort for her. Swiftly, Vice Principal Zelle''s eyes snapped back to Elder Fere, only to see a hair-raising scene.

    While backing away, Elder Fere was furious! His perfectly good n was all ruined by this damn resurrected bear! Raging wind Qi gathered in both off Elder Fere''s palms as he swiftly decided to split this beast apart.

    Although this would''ve been a right course of action if Elder Fere didn''t get his whole senses thrown into chaos!

    Completely out of nowhere, Elder Fere felt overtaken by a horrendous nauseating sickness.

    Typically, cultivators strong as Elder Fere would never naturally feel mortal sickness.

    Yet at this moment, Elder Fere couldn''t stop heaving his chest, feeling like wanting to throw up his intensities.

    Landing for a second, Elder Fere had to clutch his stomach. Endless questions gued his mind as he couldn''t understand for a second where this random sickness came from.

    And it was then, in Elder Fere''s single moment ofpse in focus, an abrupt red mist clouded his whole vision!

    Elder Fere spiked up like a hawk as this red mist literally came from thin air. But no matter how hyper-aware he was now, it couldn''t stop the iing daze.

    Quickly, the red mist drilled into Elder Fere''s bloodstream. The nauseation and daze trance only worsen for Elder Fere then.

    Stinging pain tingles throughout his body, but he didn''tpletely shut down in pain like many others did before in the red mist.

    He was only having an iparably hard time focusing.

    But his ears did manage to pick up the loud rustling of the bear pouncing towards him again. With his senses, all distorted, Elder Fere could only go on the defensive now.

    Yet, when trying to stir his Innate Qi, he felt his flow of Qi get heavily disrupted! Plus, a slight burning pain jolted his body for even attempting to use his Qi.

    "Damn it! What is-Damn!!" Elder Fere fiercely cursed as the bear decided to use his second of failing to gather Qi to attack him!

    Just a few feet away from his face was the bear massive w that now glowed in an intense bright red hue.

    Elder Fere had no other option but for a haste counter attack now.

    Hurriedly he pushed past the pain and stir a small portion of his Innate Qi into his right fist.

    In a split second Elder Fere struck out his fist, violently shing against the bear''s massive red hue w.

    ''BANG!''

    "AAHH!! YOU!!"

    Elder Fere roared out in tremendous pain as he got sent flying backward.

    Scorching pain drilled into his hand and arm, and on his hand, his skin was bursting off in gruesome, bloody fashion.

    Waves of pain were then transferred throughout Elder Fere''s entire body. Moreover, Elder Fere was feeling his body naturally bing weaker and frail.

    And this was all from merely one attack?!

    Wild feral killing intent bloomed into Elder Fere''s eyes. Gritting his teeth, he forced past the pain and forcefully skidded on the ground to stop himself.

    This genuinely was like a sudden terrible nightmare!

    Yet, before Elder Fere could make any judge of the situation, the bear pounced at him once again. Being pushed in a corner already med the severe hatred in Elder Fere''s chest.

    "Enough of this!!" Elder Fere shrieked in naked killing intent.

    Uncaring about anything else, Elder Fere forcefully surged a tremendous amount of Innate Qi into his hand. His body broke down at an even quicker rate this way, but Elder Fere only wanted blood.

    "Gale Reaper!!" Elder Fere thrust out his hand and roared at the top of his lungs.

    Immense surges of Innate Qi spewed out of Elder Fere, slightly surpassing the bear peak prowess! And out from Elder Fere hands, sted a short form of wind Qi in the shape of a scythe!

    ''Chi!!''

    The Wind Qi scythe savagely tore through the bear''s chest, creating a massively wide bloody gaping hole there. Chunks of blood, guts, and bones spewed into chaotic storms of winds.

    Elder Fere had a smile in slight delight once seeing a direct killing hit.

    Although that smile couldn''t stay long as in the bear''s massive hole, a terrifying intense red hue sparked there.

    Elder Fere couldn''t react at all when the spark of red hue suddenly burst into numerous droplets of putrid red fluids! The vile red fluids blitz straight at Elder Fere, who barely register what had just transpired.

    ''Sssch!!''

    "AH-KEAH-AHHH!!" A blood-curdling scream squealed out of Elder Fere.

    With his defense at the lowest and his Innate Qi all out of control, the putrid red fluid easily drilled all over Elder Fere''s body.

    The rotten red fluid brought about overwhelming frenzy energy that crushed his organs and bones. Burning searing pain tore into his bloodstreams, further quickening the rate of his torture.

    Bright red hue spots covered all over Elder Fere''s body. And in a gruesome fashion, each red hue spot burst his skin in sickly red blood.

    Although, even with all of this, Elder Fere was still hanging on strong.

    But deep inside, Elder Fere was also feeling something poisonous trying to damage his soul. Elder Fere''s soul was tremendously tough at his stage and can support even the worst of injuries on his body.

    Even brutal injuries like his current one can Elder Fere keep going because of his soul.

    And now, it was like this red mist was also trying to cause irreversible damage to his soul! Luckily for him, the attempt was unsessful as his soul could ward off the red mist.

    But this process allowed for Elder Fere to be left wide open.

    Unknown to Elder Fere, a bright red tongue sailed straight at his back, reaching breakneck speeds.

    The tongue prated directly into the red mist, and brutally tore through Elder Fere''s chest.

    ''Chi!''

    Gushes of blood poured from Elder Fere like a fountain as the bright red tongue savagely appeared right through his chest. Making his hell even worse, Elder Fere felt his blood getting sucked right out of him!

    And it was then, Elder Fere finally called it quits. Amazingly, Elder Fere ignited his Spatial ring and brought out an escaping talisman.

    He wasted no moment in crushing it, causing,

    ''Chi!!''

    A bright purple sh to drown his body and teleport him directly out of this irreversible situation.

    From behind, the terrifying human-like creature retracted its tongue. Clenching its w, the creature made the mist go away and swiftly turned its sight on its next prey.

    Only, the creature got surprised as he looked down the long hallway.

 Chapter 61: Only One Option

    Chapter 61: Only One Option

    There was actually absolutely no one in the human-like creature vision and its Spirit Senses! Now the creature closed its eyes and entirely focused on finding any human signature nearby.

    But its search only turned up negative. Somehow that group managed to run immensely fast enough to escape its Spirit Sense.

    It wasn''t even like the group was hiding since it would''ve been able to vaguely sense that as well.

    With no other options, the human-like creature simply continued its trek down the dark red hallway. It only moved a few feet, but abruptly then the creature stopped dead in its tracks.

    Like a hawk, the creature''s head snapped to the left side of the dark red hall.

    Now, this part of the wall looked utterly the same as all other parts of the walls. There wasn''t even the slightest indication of a hidden room beyond these walls.

    Yet, the creature tongue eerily swirled out of its mouth. A bright red glow enriched its tongue, causing bubbles of putrid red fluid to appear on its tongue.

    With a simple flick of its tongue, the creature sprayed its horrid red fluid all over the wall.

    ''Sssch!''

    The apanying sound of its putrid fluids melting the wall slithered into the creature''s ears.

    Whatid beyond the melted dark red wall was.merely more dark red stones.

    However, this didn''t discourage the human-like creature in the slightest.

    More putrid red fluid flicked from its tongue, drilling continuously into this one spot of the wall.

    And the creature continued its questionable descent into the barren wall.

    Back on the outside, close to where Elder Fere fought the creature, it stayed utterly silent for several minutes. Undoubtedly if anyone were to pass by now, they would think nobody was here.

    But it was suddenly then, a hand covered in a dark purple robe reached out of the wall!

    From behind the hand, a whole portion of the dark red wall had enkindled in an enchanting blue glow.

    "Finally. it''s gone." Out from the wall, Vice Principal Zelle pulled her full body! It was like she thoroughly blended into the dark red wall!

    And Vice Principal Zelle wasn''t alone.

    "Fuuu.that thing can even take on monsters like you guys now. I don''t think that creature has a limit on its terrifyingness!"

    Ani stated as herself, Darcel, and Hao Cao all stepped out from the wall behind Vice-Principal Zelle.

    The trio now felt a bit better after hiding. Vice Principal Zelle''s warm power stabilize some of their injuries to the point where they could at least walk a bit.

    "It certainly has its spine-chilling moment, but I think we just witness a limit of the creature. Not even it could see through Vice-Principal powers." Darcel assuredly asserted, and the girls were inclined to believe that.

    What Vice-Principal Zelle had just performed was the mysterious power of illusions. They had genuinely blended into the wall, bing one with it and taking them out of sight and Spirit Senses.

    This hiding method was far superior to any concealing talisman as even beings with extraordinarily special Spirit Senses can''t even pick up on her illusion.

    Although Vice-Principal Zelle wouldn''t be able to hold this state for very long.

    Before speaking to Darcel''s team, Vice Principal Zelle ignited her hand in enchanting blue light. With a snap of her fingers, Vice Principal Zelle formed another blue illusion barrier around them. However, it wasn''t as powerful as the previous illusion.

    But it will do well enough to hide them from any Spirit Monster bears on this floor. Speaking of this floor, Vice Principal Zelle''s attention had then quickly settled on Darcel''s team.

    "Well? Just how the hell you three manage to get here? I know for sure even the third floor would be too much for you and that''s not even speaking of the previous floor before this one." Vice Principal Zelle swiftly questioned them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao all traded a nce. An unspoken signal was formed between them as Darcel nodded his head.

    He was the one to answer Vice-Principal Zelle, saying,

    "Because of that damn creature, we somehow shot right up here. That thing sneaked up on us and was nning on killing us until Ani got out our escaping talisman. Unfortunately, that thing damaged our talisman, making it go haywire and transported us here." Darcel gave her the general gist of the story.

    Vice Principal Zelle leaked a small sigh. She shook her head a bit as neither she nor the Principal could''ve ever expected such a fearsome creature like that one.

    Each group of students was only granted one escaping talisman.

    To acquire these talismans doesn''te cheap at all. Even for their Zakira Academy, they had to pay quite a substantial heft sum just to supply each student''s group with one escaping talisman.

    Moreover, Vice Principal Zelle and the Principal knew there would be no Spirit Monster that could directly interrupt the students'' escape.

    At least, it was that way until now.

    Looking at how lucky Darcel''s team was to survive this far, Vice Principal Zelle could only hope the other students didn''t run into that creature.

    "Since it came to this point, I shall send you three out with my own escaping talisman then."

    "Eh? Vice Principal? When did you get one?" Hao Cao confusedly asked.

    Unmistakably, with Vice Principal Zelle''s strength, she could enter and leave the Labyrinth if she really wanted to. Just having another escaping talisman seemed a bit redundant in Hao Cao''s eyes.

    "You don''t have to concern yourself with that. Now-" Vice Principal Zelle''s spatial ring shed, and she had fished out a bright purple talisman.

    But before she could finish her sentence,

    ''Rumble!! Rumble!!''

    The whole dark red floor began to ferociously quake like several earthquakes were going off all at once! It was like the entire Labyrinth was shifting apart under this violent tremor.

    "Wha-what''s with this ce?!" Ani shouted as she reinforced her legs with Nascent Qi to not fall on her ass. On her, Darcel, and Hao Cao''s faces, a sense of immediate crisis filled them.

    They only had a faint, fleeting guess, but the trio think that creature had something to do with all this shaking!

    And going off that creature horrifying feats, it wasn''t out of the realm of possibility.

    Vice Principal Zelle also follows a simr train of thought. It was especially odd as she recalled how that creature kept on digging into the wall.

    Abruptly then, Vice Principal Zelle''s eyes shed as if she just realized something significant.

    But first, Vice Principal Zelle had bigger priorities. Quickly she poured Innate Qi in her talisman and floated it to hover above Darcel''s team head.

    Surges of purple magical power wrapped around the trio like a vortex.

    Yet, when the wisps of magical power appear, it immediately disperses into thin air.

    Under the Labyrinth''s shaking, the escaping talisman magical power was interfered with, rending it utterly useless now.

    Great disappointment shed on Vice Principal Zelle''s face. She had to leak out another small sigh since, as of now, she was left with only one option.

    And that is to trace back portals leading to the entrance of the Labyrinth.

    "Wait.what happened? Did the talisman fail?" Ani questioned Vice-Principal Zelle.

    For the briefest of moments, she, Darcel, and Hao Cao felt the familiar swirls of magical power around them. Only for it to immediately disperse, not even a secondter.

    "Indeed, it must''ve been because of that revolting creature. Hao Cao sense out the portal that leads to the lower level aura floor. I can''t precisely distinguish these portals, which would only make our escape longer. And you three need to get out of here now." Vice Principal Zelle stated to Hao Cao.

    Hao Cao didn''t speak but had poured immense soul power into her eyes. Streaks of radiant purple electricity sparked from her eyes in a dazzling sight.

    Spreading her Sixth Sense out, Hao Cao was surprised by this floor.

    Compared to the previous ones, this floor holds far more portals in the general vicinity. It surpassed what she could find in the general area of the earlier floors.

    Plus, some portals held distinct weaker auras than others. Sweetly smiling, Hao Cao nned to answer until,

    "KEAAAHH!!!"

    Multiple roars of ferocious, feral Spirit Monsters red out throughout the whole Labyrinth floor. Along with the cries, the Spirit Monsters auras all chaotically erupted in violent wild storms.

    The floor that had slowed down in its trembling began to quake again from the onught of sudden chaotic eruptions of power!

    Vice Principal Zelle had even sensed several Spirit Monsters at the legendary Heavenly Transformation realm!

    "Tch." Vice Principal Zelle clicked her tongue since they were utterly surrounded.

    In only a matter of seconds, all Spirit Monster went wild in their roaming, and some incredibly powerful ones wereing to their spot.

    Now she was forced into only one other option. Vice Principal Zelle quickly shot out her blue hair and wrapped Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao up once again.

    The trio naturally didn''t resist and actually quite liked the feeling of Vice-Principal Zelle''s hair. It was surprisingly soft and warm, providing the three with energy that somewhat alleviated their remaining pain.

    "Surprisingly warm andfortable..." Darcel quietly leaked out.

    "Fuuu~, it''s almost like a warm bed~." Hao Cao softly sighed.

    "Mnnh...it''s just so-Ah!" Ani was also beginning toment until her, Darcel, and Hao Cao felt their bodies get quickly pulled.

    The trio didn''t get a chance to bask in this warm, gentle energy at all. In tow with Darcel''s team, Vice Principal Zelle sprang towards the man-made hole in the wall by that disgusting creature, unhesitatingly dashing right in it.

    This was their only clear option left. Vice Principal Zelle couldn''t go out and search for portals now with all the raging Spirit Monsters.

    Any attempt to fight with these Spirit Monsters would only result in Darcel''s team death. And with this entrapment of surrounding Spirit Monsters, they were all bound to attack, making fighting inevitable.

    After a few minutes of running into the whole, all Vice-Principal Zelle and Darcel''s team saw was an endless dark red stone.

    But just then, a bright white silverish streak of light refracted into their eyes.

    Taking the initiative, Vice Principal Zelle rushed further towards the light. Just behind her, she already sensed the swarms of Spirit Monsters all wildly rushing the halls.

    Some were even venturing into the hole, causing Vice-Principal Zelle to speed up her dash.

    Eventually, Vice Principal Zelle''s group came up to the center of the silverish white light.

    And of course, one familiar horrifying creature entered their sights.

    The human-like creature was stabbing one of its ws into a silverish whiterge round object embedded into the wall. The object in question appeared to look like a Spirit Monster core, only this one was muchrger.

    Furthermore, this core-like object exuded an unfathomably powerful aura that managed to seep into even Vice-Principal Zelle''s barrier.

    And sensing this aura caused Darcel and Ani to furrow their eyebrows.

    It was strange. This aura carried an odd sense of familiarity. But no matter how hard the duo tried to align what was familiar about the aura, it felt like their minds were being blocked by something.

    "Ah! This thing just never stops with its growth." Hao Cao quietly breathed out next to Darcel and Ani, forcing the duo to return to reality.

    And indeed, their eyes narrow once sensing the overwhelming might of the human-like creature.

    They didn''t know what level the creature was at, but they could tell it certainly advanced in the True Soul Core realm.

    But Vice-Principal Zelle was urately able to tell this thing held the exact same aura prowess as a fifth level True Soul Core warrior!

    And that was the only thing Vice-Principal Zelle could describe about the creature.

    Other than its aura prowess, the creature held zero familiarity with their regr cultivation system. Hell, Vice Principal Zelle reckon this creature had a vastly different cultivation style never before seen.

    The only silver lining news Vice-Principal Zelle did manage to pick up was how all Spirit Monsters seemed to be avoiding this one specific spot.

    They all either stopped traveling in the hole or went off in different directions in the hole.

    Yet, it made it all the clearer that this creature was manipting the whole uprising here.

    Before either side could make a move, Vice Principal Zelle''s eyes matched with the human-like creature''s bright red glowing eyes.

    Killing intent bloomed in both of their eyes, each of them having a wild hint of cruel savagery.

    Vice Principal Zelle prepared to act, but right then, a blindingly intense silverish white glow enriched the creature''s whole body!

 Chapter 62: Final Hurdle

    Chapter 62: Final Hurdle

    Before they even began fighting, Vice Principal Zelle was thrown into a slight surprise.

    This intense vivid white glow seemed to fuse with the creature''s body! An onught of chaotic power erupted from the white light like frantic cyclones.

    "Kehh!!" The creature swirled its tongue in its mouth and snapped it wide open.

    While in Vice Principal Zelle''s slight state of surprise, the creature blew out a stream of putrid red fluids at her.

    Instantly, Vice Principal Zelle regained back rity. The putrid stream of red fluid blitz towards her at lightning-like speeds, yet Vice-Principal Zelle could swiftly react to this.

    In merely a split second, Vice Principal Zelle ignited her hand in beautifully bright blue mes.

    The bright blue mes elegantly danced around her hand as she raised it up to create a vast dazzling wall of blue mes!

    Now it was the creature''s turn to be taken for a surprise. Nobody, besides that pair of boy and girl, nobody could appropriately react to its attack!

    Still, the creature pressed on its putrid stream of red fluids in ferocious killing intent. Its st of red liquids sailed right into Vice Principal Zelle''s blue mes, violently shing against it.

    ''Sssch!!''

    Abhorrent sounds of sizzles slithered into Vice Principal Zelle''s ears. The putrid stream of red fluids had nearly managed to drill into her blue ming wall.

    But, ultimately, the creature''s red fluids stalled right in the middle of the blue mes.

    Instantly, the creature''s eyes narrowed on Vice Principal Zelle.

    Explicit recognition of a threat filled his vision when watching the elegant blue mes of Vice-Principal Zelle.

    For her, she will be its most excellent prey yet!

    The human-like creature had then mobilized its enhanced power like raging storms. It''s signature spine-chilling red mist gathered into its mouth, only now, the red mist held a slight eerie darker shade.

    Snapping its mouth open, the human-like creature spewed outs its horrifying red mist before Vice-Principal Zelle could go on the offensive.

    Quickly, the horrid red mist sprayed everyone in this small space, creating a dark red hell.

    However, Vice Principal Zelle only felt a slight sickening feeling. It was nowhere near the level of nauseating that Elder Fere had experienced and ught through.

    Moreover, this little sick feeling didn''t bother Vice-Principal Zelle in the slightest. Something like was as trivial as a small cold for her.

    The chilling darker red mist began to ominously swirl around her blue illusion barrier, sealing all avenues of escape.

    Yet, Vice Principal Zelle only took a single nce behind her. Once making sure Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao wasn''t affected by the mist, both her hands had then zed in luminous blue mes!

    Instantly, Vice Principal Zelle began moving her hands at lightning-like speeds, to the point Darce''s team stared a bit wide-eyed at her hand.

    It was all merely a blue fire blur when watching her hand!

    Although, Darcel could vaguely point out Vice-Principal Zelle seemed to be doing some sort of hand signs. And with eachpleted hand sign Darcel presumed, her blue mes only picked up in its raging intensity.

    All around Vice-Principal Zelle''s group, the appalling red mist had mysteriously slowed down when trying to cover them.

    In Vice-Principal Zelle''s body, a special kind Qi surged in her, a Qi that was tremendously superior to Innate Qi in every possible way.

    It was a power close to the mythical Heavenly Transformation Realm, yet only a small step away. This was the critical half step state of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    Vice Principal Zelle couldn''t willplete Heavenly Qi. Still, she could use a small vague portion of it to triumph over any Innate Core realm cultivator.

    Sparks of zing blue mes shed against the chilling red mist as Vice-Principal Zelle was nearpleted with her hand signs.

    This process only took merely a couple of seconds. With onest hand sign, a torrent of immense blue fires crazily spewed up from Vice Principal Zelle''s body!

    ''Ssssch!!''

    Vice Principal Zelle''s torrent of dazzling blue mes formed into a whirlwind blue fire vortex!

    The scorching blue fire vortex shed with darker red mist, holding it in ce and even negating small parts of the mist.

    Both sides of darker mid mist and raging blue fire vortex kept each other at bay.

    No matter how much Vice-Principal Zelle''s mes negate the red mist, the human-like creature would instantly spew out more.

    And yet, the creature couldn''t simply overwhelm Vice-Principal Zelle''s mes.

    In this stalemate, Vice Principal Zelle''s eye gained a hint of a deep blue glow at her pupils'' center. Her unique kneen eyes manage to see through theplex red mist and blue mes.

    Through their sh of powers, Vice Principal Zelle observed something peculiar about this creature. This creature had kept its bloody red ws drilled tightly into that silverish white core as if it was absorbing it or trying to remove it.

    Smirking at this discovery, Vice Principal Zelle gained a sudden idea. She had seen how the creature''s eyes were having trouble focusing on her group since its own chilling red mist became far too dense.

    In the creature''spse of vision, Vice Principal Zelle ammas a massive surge of Heavenly Qi into her mouth.

    Using a split second, she had then spewed out a concentrated stream of blue mes to the right of her from her mouth.

    Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao were at first puzzled at Vice Principal Zelle''s action. Where she exuded her blue mes didn''t seem it would help out with killing this creature.

    That is until this random stream of blue mes quickly began to take shape.

    Promptly then, Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao were taken by colossal shock.

    This stream of blue mes swiftly formed into an exact clone of Vice-Principal Zelle!

    Down to the tiniest of detail, this clone was a perfect replica of Vice-Principal Zelle. It even held the same hand signs as the original when it was finished forming.

    ''Cloning, huh.I didn''t think it was-hm? Where did she go.''

    Darcel wasmenting in his mind, but right he had taken his eyes off the clone, the original Vice-Principal Zelle was nowhere to be seen.

    Ani and Hao Cao had also noticed this sudden disappearance leading them to quirk their eyebrows. All three tried to spread out their Spirit Senses to find her, but they could only pick up the clone signature.

    While with the human-like creature, it was growing weary of this troublesome stalemate.

    Taking a split second to change its course of action, the creature poured less of the mysterious core power into its mist and had then poured it into its eyes.

    Instantly the creature''s vision became far better than previously.

    Effortlessly it saw through the dense mix of red mist and blue mes, spotting Vice-Principal Zelle still standing around in the same pose.

    Twitching its lips upwards in a cruel grin, the creature decided to unleash a surprise to its most powerful prey.

    A small glow of silverish white shed in its mouth for the briefest of seconds.

    Swiftly then, the creature snapped open its mouth and spat out one condensed drop of its putrid red fluids.

    This drop of fluid surpassed any speed the creature attacked with before as it quickly tore through its and Vice-Principal Zelle''s sh of power.

    And yet the human-like creature had immediately stiffened up all at once. For the first time since breaking into this Labyrinth, a real sense of dreading crisis took over its mind.

    Hastily, the creature tore its w out of the silverish white core. And in the same motion, the creature quickly jumped to its right as it abruptly felt the temperature spike up to boiling degrees.

    Looking over to what tried to attack it, the creature''s eyes slightly widen. Its eyes caught a long blue spiral sword enriched in dazzling blue mes right by the silverish white core.

    And of course, one who was wielding this morous sword was Vice-Principal Zelle!

    She had found it a bit impressive that the creature managed to dodge, but currently, that didn''t matter now.

    Her confidence in killing this thing had just skyrocketed!

    Now that it was separated from that mysterious core, it shouldn''t be able to hold power to match her. After all, she thought that the peak Innate Core bear was the main reason Elder Fere miserably lost to the creature.

    Still, staying safe, Vice Principal Zelle didn''t try to give chase to the creature.

    Instead, she caused the blue mes on her spiral sword to chaotically surge, exuding a prowess above peak Innate Core power.

    Gathering an immense amount of Heavenly Qi, Vice-Principal Zelle horizontally swiped her spiral sword and unleashed a horizontal beam of raging blue mes.

    It was all but impossible to dodge in the creature''s position. It had no other options but to face her attack head-on.

    And though Vice-Principal Zelle was confident about her attack, her eyes had abruptly widened the next second watching the creature.

    Before the beam of huge blue mes hit it, the creature gnashed its rotten teeth, forcefully mobilizing the mysterious extra power within its body.

    Mysterious energy from that core still courses through the creature''s body, and at its feet, a dark red glow shimmered with a speck of a silver shine.

    The creature held zero hesitation and dived straight at Vice Principal Zelle''s elegant blue fire beam!

    Vice Principal Zelle''s powerful suppressing aura prowess didn''t matter in the slightest. Granted by the mysterious core power, the creature tore through Vice-Principal Zelle''s aura in its maddening descent.

    ''Bang!''

    Waves of blue mes spiraled in a turbulent storm as the creature managed to tear straight through Vice-Principal Zelle''s attack!

    At the tip of the creature''s w, wisps of blue mes burned there, but the creature didn''t care for the scorching pain at all.

    However, no matter how fast the creature went, Vice Principal Zelle had lightning like reactions. At the nanosecond, Vice Principal Zelle narrowly dodged the creature''s charging red hue ws.

    Though while dodging, Vice Principal Zelle suddenly felt this burning sensation in her blood. Her eyes quickly snapped to the creature''s w, spotting slight wisps of red mist shooting towards her.

    Ignoring this burning sensation, Vice Principal Zelle could still efficiently mobilize her Qi and body, unlike other previous victims.

    Quickly, Vice Principal Zelle counter-attack by speedily swiping her blue ming spiral sword at the unexpecting creature.

    Undoubtedly like many of its previous victims, the creature at least expected to hear a scream or grunt of pain.

    But Vice-Principal Zelle went against the grain again.

    Hastily, the creature sparked a considerable sum of the mysterious core power, enriching its body in a brief white glow.

    ''BANG!''

    Savagely, Vice Principal Zelle smacked the creature away for a meter, feeling like she just shed with hardened magical steel.

    Simultaneously she had also noticed that brief silverish white glow enriching the creature before she struck.

    Vice Principal Zelle didn''t be shocked or let her mind go at this revtion. No matter how much that mysterious core power is in the creature, she was assured it''ll eventually run out.

    Though, the creature didn''t stay idle after getting struck.

    Immense burning pain scorched its body, and a patch of blue mes was around its stomach. It also honestly didn''t have much of that mysterious core power left, but it was enough for its next course of action.

    There was something very....unique about Vice Principal Zelle''s power it had notice.

    Flipping itself in midair, the creature put one foot on the ground while also mobilizing a tiny portion of the mysterious core power.

    All at once, in a split second, the creature swirled out its tongue and flicked multiple droplets of putrid dark red fluids.

    The fluids sted off with immense speeds, but Vice Principal Zelle was always one step ahead.

    Before the droplets even reached her, she dodged to her left while also surging more Heavenly Qi into her spiral sword.

    Right when doing so, Vice Principal Zelle was prepared for the appearance of the creature who rushed right along with the droplets of fluids.

    Once again, blue mes raged intensely on her spiral sword as Vice-Principal Zelle fiercely swiped down.

    But in a surprise twist, the human-like creature crashed its foot into the ground. Strangely the creature bent its body in such a way impossible for a human.

    Doing so allowed the creature to dodge the initial strike of Vice-Principal Zelle''s blue ming spiral sword.

    Quickly then, the creature shimmered a silverish white glow at the tip of its w and savagely struck out to Vice Principal Zelle''s face.

    Abruptly, Vice Principal Zelle relied on her lightning-like reaction speeds and swiftly struck her spiral sword at the creature''s red hue w.

    Blue ming spiral sword shed against red hue ws, but Vice Principal Zelle had immediately overpowered the creature even with the mysterious core power.

    ''BANG!''

    The creature once again got sent flying back like a bullet.

    Only this time, the creature used the sheer overwhelming force of Vice-Principal Zelle''s attack to crash right into the silverish white core!

    The core was initially tightly embedded into the wall, but after the creature violently crashed into it, the core was smacked out of its ce.

    Swiftly, the creature hadtched on to the core, drilling its ws deeply into it once again.

    This time massive changes happened when drilling into the core. The creature could freely use more of its power!

    Previously it was like something was binding the mysterious core into the wall. Yet, now, thanks to Vice Principal Zelle''s unique power, it was able to set the core free.

    A massive frown etched on Principal Zelle''s face as she knew the battle''s whole situation had just massively changed.

    A harsh silverish white glow pierced into her eyes as she saw the creature be entirely encased in this glow. Even with her lightning speeds, she couldn''t prevent this from happening.

    In an instant, the creature snapped its body over in midair, ring into Vice Principal Zelle''s eyes as itnded on the ground.

    ''Whir!!''

    Immediately frantic surges of chaotic blue mes shed against an intensely dazzling silverish white glow.

    Vice Principal Zelle clenched her spiral sword as she needed to take a split second to gather enough Qi to attack.

    But the creature didn''t need to do it at all now!

    Tremendous waves of power perfectly infused with its body as a bloom of chilling, killing intent zed into its eyes.

 Chapter 63: Massive Shifts

    Chapter 63: Massive Shifts

    Instantaneously, the creature''s w shimmered with a hair-rising dark red hue mixed with a piercing silverish white glow.

    In no time at all, the creature thrust its w forward and sted out a chilling dark red hue Qi w at Vice Principal Zelle!

    The dark red hue Qi w carried an unfathomable aura that caused even Vice-Principal Zelle to crease her eyebrows.

    Hastily she had to let go of her earlier n to attack. Right when the dark red hue Qi w neared her, Vice Principal Zelle still managed to react and swiftly swung her blue ming spiral sword down at breakneck speeds.

    But right atst split second, Vice Principal Zelle failed to notice the dark red hue Qi w stopping altogether. Unaware of this oddity, Vice Principal Zelle continued her spiral sword descent on the dark red hue Qi w.

    ''Bang!!''

    In a sudden twist of events, the dark red hue Qi w exploded on contact! The explosion force knocked Vice-Principal Zelle back a few steps, and she was forced to drop on her knees.

    Immense pain wracked her body, but it wasn''t because of the explosion of the attack.

    No, when she had struck the Qi w, multiple putrid dark red fluids sprayed on to her!

    "Shi-shit." Vice Principal Zelle leaked a small curse of pain as she tried to deal with the overwhelming crushing energy running amok in her body.

    Furthermore, there was also the scorching sensation burning her bloodstreams.

    Although, in a rather unexpected surprise, Vice Principal Zelle still tanked the creature''s putrid fluids better than all other victims.

    And this is even when it''s far more massively powerful thanks to that mysterious core. Still, though, the situation was looking grim for Vice Principal Zelle.

    "Shit! This thing also got Vice-Principal!" Ani cursed out once seeing Vice-Principal Zelle copse to her knees. She, Darcel, and Hao Cao can tell now the situation would only worsen from here on out.

    Vice Principal Zelle''s blue fire illusion clone had already melted under the creature''s putrid red fluids. Though it was a perfect replica, it seemed more for diversion tactics and being a ss cannon.

    Now, Darcel''s team only had the illusion barrier to rely on.

    And to think just a little bit before, Vice Principal Zelle had this thing on the robes!

    In this rapidly declining situation, Darcel suddenly realized they had very little hope of surviving.

    It was either experiencing an excruciating death at the hands of this human-like creature or getting brutally mauled by feral Spirit Monsters Bears.

    Though everything was looking hopeless, this hopeless was what got Darcel to click with something vital in his memories.

    The beautiful enhancing image of their Principal shed in his mind like a guardian angel. And Darcel had then remembered the unique life-saving talisman she gave him.

    Rays of hopeful light burst into Darcel''s eyes then. Hastily he ignited his purple spatial ring to fish out that specific talisman, praying in his mind whatever this was would work here.

    However, right when the shine of his purple spatial ring refracted into Darcel''s vision, a chilling bright red hue pierced into his, Ani, and Hao Cao''s eyes.

    The trio only had a split second to see a darker bright red hue w barreling straight at them.

    Despair filled their faces as their only choice right now was to hope this illusion barrier canst against this Qi w.

    But right at the nanosecond when the Qi w was going to strike them, Darcel hurriedly grabbed Ani''s arm. She couldn''t even register Darcel''s hand as the dark red hue Qi w ferociously shed against their illusion barrier!

    ''KA-CHA!!''

    Like millions of ss shattering, the illusion barrier was ruthlessly demolished by the dark red hue Qi w.

    Amazingly though, nearly all of the Qi w power was absorbed by the barrier, but there was still the Qi w aftershocks.

    The aftershocks was still far too powerful for any one of the trio to deal with, causing Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao to be flung like ragdolls to the nearest wall.

    The trio all puked blood as they violently crashed into the wall, just barely hanging on to consciousness by a single thread.

    Although while crashing into the wall, Darcel didn''t allow himself any breathing room.

    In one hand, he tightly held on to Ani''s arm like their life depended on it. And in his other hand, Darcel managed to fish out the Principal talisman while they got flung like ants!

    Every joint in his body screams in immense pain, yet Darcel grit past the pain, gnashing his teeth so hard that more blood pours from his mouth.

    Darcel began frantically pouring tremendous surges of his bloodline power into the talisman, and simultaneously he shouted,

    "Ani!!"

    Darcel quickly thrust the Principal talisman to Ani''s face. And when he had shouted her name, Ani instantly got the message. She, too, had recalled what the Principal told them, which inspired her with a little hope.

    Ani hastily threw her hand over Darcel''s, immediately pouring massive surges of her bloodline power into the talisman.

    Excruciating pain was roaring at her to stop, but there wasn''t a chance in hell Ani would let herself and everyone here cruelly die.

    The Principal talisman itself, however, was showing no immediate outward changes. But surrounding Darcel and Ani''s hand was a unique exotic power they couldn''t quite sense at this time.

    Moreover, they felt an odd warming tingle sensation in their bloodline, which was rather pleasant among their immense pain.

    All the while the duo attempted this, the creaturezily nced over to Darcel''s team. Hao Cao struggled to stay on her knees while Darcel and Ani were weirdly holding hands as if they wished for something.

    The creature didn''t notice Darcel taking the Principal talisman while they was sent flying since it thought that those kids would be out for the count.

    But nevertheless, it was apparent to the creature that he''ll need to personally finish these roaches off.

    The creature only took one small step, ready to carve out Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao''s hearts personally with his own ws.

    Yet, suddenly then, the creature immediately became still like a statue.

    Its danger senses continuously ranged in its mind like a thunderous storming to swallow him whole.

    And it was then, the creature felt it, an unfathomable power source that burned throughout the whole space!

    Admittedly, when the creature had brought Vice-Principal Zelle to her knees in one attack, a massive confidence boost enhanced its mind.

    Genuinely, the creature didn''t think Darcel''s team had nothing left after trying to escape from their second encounter.

    s, he got sorely proven wrong now. Hurriedly, the creature''s head then snapped over Vice-Principal Zelle, who made its eyes erge in colossal shock.

    That tremendous source of power had promptly drilled right into Vice Principal Zelle''s body as if she was a beacon of light.

    Instantly, massive changes happen to Principal Zelle''s body.

    Vice Principal Zelle couldn''t tell what was going on. In one minute, she was suffering through excruciating burning pain, but out of nowhere, incredible surges of power imbued into her body!

    Her bloodstreams that were continually suppressed by the creature''s putrid red fluids suddenly erupted with colossal power! It was like something deep in her bloodline was awakening all at once now.

    The raging red fluids in her body couldn''t continue to wreak havoc. A bright sh of a dazzling blue light enriched the whole inside of her body and managed topletely destroy the putrid red fluids.

    On the outside Vice Principal, Zelle''s appearance was rapidly changing.

    A long majestic blue fire aura cloak covered her whole body. This blue fire aura cloak also provided Vice-Principal Zelle with a long blue fire tail that extended from her back.

    "Kraa!!" Vice Principal Zelle stood tall and unleashed a ferocious roar that sted burning blue mes straight through the dark red ceiling.

    Tremendous swirls of Vice-Principal Zelle''s power made their little space violently tremble, akin to a mini earthquake.

    Around Darcel, Ani, and Hao Cao, the Principal talisman managed to protect them from Vice Principal Zelle''s berserk power.

    Although Hao Cao was knocked out on the ground and Darcel and Ani wereid out on the ground, nearly on the verge of passing out as well.

    But in this state, they were still awed by Vice Principal Zelle''s new appearance. What especially got the duo was Vice-Principal Zelle''s bewitching all blue eyes.

    Moreover, the duo also felt their bloodline bring about additional tingling soothing warmth.

    The only one who was experiencing a bout of dread was the human-like creature now. This crazed frenzy power of Vice-Principal Zelle caused numerous worries for the creature.

    Currently, the creature couldn''t even say it was the beginning process of using this mysterious core power.

    Even if this mysterious core can overpower this new state of Vice-Principal Zelle, the creature has no time to call upon that power.

    "Die!!"

    Vice Principal Zelle''s shrieked at the creature, forcing even more pressure on it.

    Before the creature could attempt to do anything, Vice Principal Zelle instantly ammas her frantic power and unleashed a raging blue stream of fire from her mouth!

    Vice Principal Zelle''s radiant blue fire stream shimmered brighter than the creature''s own silverish white glow. Moreover, the power exuded from this attack wasn''t anything the creature could easily tear through.

    The blue fire stream was near-instantaneous, forcing the creature to hastily use its small portion of the mysterious core power.

    It had set up a dark red hue misty wall though it was still overshadowed by Vice Principal Zelle''s ferocious blue mes.

    ''Ssssch!!''

    Amazingly enough, Vice Principal Zelle''s blue fire stream was savagely burning right through the dark red hue misty wall!

    The creature''s pupils dted to needles as it felt its arm getting profoundly scorched.

    It was then the creature swiftly made up its mind. Indeed, there was very little reason to try to continue this troublesome fight. A sh of information crossed into the creature''s mind for its preparation to leave.

    The creature mobilized the mysterious core power in a specific way only it could know about.

    A bright silverish white glow had suddenly illuminated the whole space!

    ''Chi!''

    Appearing right next to the creature was a silverish white portal. The portal was massively unstable and risky to go through from the creature''s senses, but it was good enough for it.

    The creature only took one single nce back over to Vice Principal Zelle before going into the portal. All he was wee with was a haunting killing gaze that bore into its very soul.

    And yet, Vice Principal Zelle didn''t continue to attack the creature.

    Not caring why, the creature hastily jumped into the portal,pletely disappearing from the Labyrinth.

    Vice Principal Zelle''s recalled her stream of blue mes back into her mouth. From her senses, Vice Principal Zelle picked up on numerous Spirit Monsters rushing to their spot.

    ncing over to the portal, Vice Principal Zelle knew this was their best shot.

    Going off from how unstable the portal was, Vice Principal Zelle also knew she and the kids would be randomly teleported outside the Labyrinth in a far different location than that creature.

    But it was better than risking running out of steam in the middle of life and death battles.

    Vice Principal Zelle shot her hair towards Darcel''s team, tightly wrapping them all up. When bringing them over to her, Vice Principal Zelle noticed how all three of them had passed out now.

    Quickly, Vice Principal Zelle dashed into the silverish white portal, finally escaping this hellish ce once and for all.

    And once going in, the makeshift portal vanished without a trace.

    .

    Unknown to Vice Principal Zelle''s group and that creature, their battle had set off tremendous rapid shifts in development for everyone else here.

    Spirit Monsters became far more ferocious and wild; traps were bing perilous. The non-existent danger from before had now be unprecedentedly deadly.

    One such group of many examples experiencing this sudden change was Joyce Ashless''s group.

    She was one of the strongest youthsing to ck Dungeon Labyrinth, having an incredibly smooth time traversing here.

    Until a violent tremor hit the whole Labyrinth. After that, the Spirit Monster became more savage, wild, and powerful. Although it wasn''t anything Joyce and her group couldn''t deal with.

    That was until a second more intense violent tremor quake the Labyrinth to its very foundation.

    Quickly after the second shift, Joyce and her group were forced to the very edge.

    Currently around herself and her group was arge crack purple ashes barrier.

    This barrier that would once stand sturdy against many early level Innate Core blows was now near close to shattering thanks to the ferocious Spirit Monster bats.

    These bats seemingly were coordinating their attack and had erupted with tremendous strength that caught Joyce''s group off guard.

    They had gotten ambushed by these monsters, and only a few minutes into their battle Joyce knew they were in a losing battle.

    No matter what Martial Skill or special talisman her group tried, these bats had counter every attacked everything they threw at them.

    It all built up to this current situation where Joyce had set up her powerful defensive Martial Skill, but even then, her defense wouldn''t hold out for long.

    The most unusual of all about this sudden dramatic turn was in the depths of these bats'' eyes; Joyce could swear there was a faint blue light in them.

    Unwillingness filled Joyce''s face as she didn''t know what to do against these new transform bats.

    That is until a beautiful girl right next to Joyce said, "Screw it! No matter what talisman or skill we use, these bats are impossible to kill! We already gained a lot; let''s just get out of here!"

    This girl was Elyes, one of Joyce''s partners in the disciplinary squad. Weariness filled Elyes'' face as well as she abandoned any hope of leaving this entrapment.

    "Haah.and to think we were just having an easy time. Just what could have changed...." Joyce quietly said to herself while fishing out her escaping talisman.

    Swiftly she crushed the talisman and had wrapped their whole group in purple magical energy.

    Unlike Darcel''s group, Joyce''s group had no problem in using the talisman.

    And with one bright purple sh, she and many others hastily escape out of the now wild ck Dungeon Labyrinth...

 Chapter 64: Quality Awakening

    Chapter 64: Quality Awakening

    It was warm.soothingly warm like a toasty roast for Darcel.

    Familiar warming Darkness apany his vision for gods knows how long, but Darcel was kept at peace.

    He couldn''t tell how long it stayed like this, but after an unknown amount of time, it was then specks of sparkling blue mes burst in his Darkness vision.

    These specks of blue mes illuminated with soul-stealing alluring in the profound Darkness, being bewitching for anyone to gaze upon.

    Slowly the dazzling blue mes specks began to morph into what appeared to be a human-like figure.

    Darcel at first guessed it was going to be Vice-Principal Zelle considering she had just experienced that fiery transformation.

    But quickly, his guess soon turned out to be wrong.

    The alluring blue mes morphed into seemingly a young maiden. Darcel couldn''t tell any features about this young girl as the blue mes were just too vague to ascertain.

    But, there was one thing he could tell from the dazzling blue mes. This young maiden appears to have extraordinarily long captivating hair.

    So long that it surpassed even Ani''s long white hair, going all the way down to the soles of her feet.

    This striking blue fire figure of a girl had her back turned at Darcel.

    Slowly though, the girl figure began to turn around to show whaty on the other side.

    That is until.

    "Huh??"

    Darcel fully snapped his eyes open only to be greeted with a ravishing blue ceiling. Blinking his eyes a couple of times, Darcel knew it was only some sort of weird dream.

    And yet.Compared to all of his others, that dream felt far more unique, at least to him.

    That figure of a girl, whoever she was or if she existed at all, just held a maic attraction.

    However, before Darcel''s thought could further delve into the dream, he felt a shift of movement close to his right side and his hand being gently squeezed.

    Looking over to his right did bring a genuine smile to Darcel''s face.

    Of course, it was the ever-present cute Ani who was doing mild stretches to her body. Her eyshes were quivering, signaling she was about to awaken.

    And after giving Darcel''s hand onest tight squeeze, Ani snapped her eyes open.

    Ani''s profound ck eyes meet with Darcel''s deep ck ones in a warm exchange. Waking up this way and seeing each other charming faces will never not be pleasant for the duo.

    Moreover, they weren''t in excruciating pain anymore!

    Their multiple crack injured bones, ruptured organs, and excruciating fatigue were all mostly healed up.

    If any average cultivator had suffered the same injuries as the duo had, then undoubtedly, the road for their recovery would be much longer than Darcel and Ani.

    The dividing line making the speeding recovery would be Darcel and Ani''s unfathomable bloodline hastening the healing.

    There were even small bits of the creature horrid red mist drilled inside the duo. And yet, because of their mighty bloodline, the poison inside their bloodstreams were all nearly gone.

    "After all those horrors in that Labyrinth, it''s refreshing to wake up to something so pleasant." Darcel warmly told Ani.

    Frankly, ever since their most intense intimate session, Darcel found it much easier to be intuned with his feelings. It just felt right to spill whatever deep emotion he has.

    And by going off from Ani''s reaction, Darcel could tell this was the correct path. From the affectionate glistening in her eyes and that sweet cute smile that only seems to grow broader every day.

    It all reminded Darcel how satisfying it is that only he can make Ani like this.

    And instead of talking, Ani got closer to Darcel''s face and began to cutely rub her soft nose against Darcel''s surprisingly tender one.

    "Hehehe~, things like this give me endless fuel of energy on top of my already bright energy!"

    "Hmm.your brightness truly never ceases to surprise me, ditzy girl,"

    Darcel said, feeling rather funny while Ani rubbed her delicate nose on him.

    It certainly wasn''t unpleasant, only.novel in a sense.

    Taking a second, Darcel shifted his head a bit to nce around the whole room they rested in.

    It wasn''t an overly ample room but was quite neat and spacious.

    Furthermore, everything was painted in this dazzling, captivating blue paint. The shade of blue here held a more alluring charm that''ll suck your eyes right into its hypnotic appeal.

    "You know.this room has to be none other than the Vice-Principal room! Everything here is in that same signature blue as her office, plus everything being tidy, neat, and in just paints her stature." Ani remarked as her eyes nced around the room too.

    Slowly, Darcel and Ani sat up, feeling no great force of trauma or pain while doing so.

    Darcel had then nodded to Ani''s remark, also saying, "It indeed has to be. No one has this obsession with blue beside her. At least no one we''ve seen so far."

    Although Darcel was casuallymenting, there was something in the back of his mind that raised slight thoughts about this blue color.

    It just seemed mystical, somewhat akin to the blue mes he witnessed in his dreams.

    Yet this little rummaging of thought was interrupted when Darcel felt a tantalizing soft weight press down on to hisps. Looking in front of him, a perverse gleaming smile dawned Darcel''s face as he got enchanted by the sight of Ani''s slight blushing beautiful face.

    "Hehehe~, I don''t think we''ll encounter such an odd one like Vice Principal Zelle again. But, Darcy~. I guess I underestimated how much morning energy I really need~." Ani seductively breathed down Darcel''s face.

    Darcel immediately felt the mes of lust ignite inside his body like a frantic bomb. Ani as well experiences the fire of passion fervently stir in her burning loins.

    More so now, both Darcel and Ani were enchanted by each other alluring natural fragrance.

    Ani was akin to sweet spring peaches, spewing out an alluring womanly smell.

    While Darcel spouted a strong maic scent of a sweet aroma.

    Darcel noticed for a split second that previously, neither had they ever exuded this strong of a captivating scent. But he pushed that down forter, thinking it most likely had to with their bloodline development.

    "You know, for a rare time, I agree. My mouth is feeling a bit dry this morning." Darcel hotly breathed down Ani''s beautiful tender neck.

    Promptly after speaking, Darcel had then passionately captured Ani''s lips.

    "Mmnh~! Ahnn~!"

    Immediately, Ani opened up her mouth once, feeling Darcel''s hot lips grace her.

    Their tongues quickly locked around each other as if they both were desperately dehydrated.

    Darcel felt pure bliss sucking on Ani''s delectable tongue. Never can he imagine not enjoying the sweet juicy taste of Ani''s divine liquids and tongue.

    Waves of pleasure, warmth, and satisfaction course through the duo''s body as they enjoyed their sweet kiss.

    And it was then Darcel wanted to feel more of his cute girlfriend.

    Quickly, Darcel began kneading Ani''s graciously soft breasts as if it was all for him.

    "Nnh~!!"

    The sweet moan of pleasure that slithered into Darcel''s eyes was one of the reasons he loved doing this. That and the fact of how Ani''s modest breast perfectly fit into his hand.

    Simultaneously, Ani wasn''t idle at all.

    She wrapped her arms around Darcel, pulling him closer to him. While doing so, Ani began erotically grinding on Darcel''s lip, further igniting that burst mes of passion.

    The wetness and sexy movement of Ani on Darcel''sp nearly made him want to burst right there.

    But through plenty of experience, Darcel held on and savored this intensely hot moment.

    During this moment, Darcel had then caught onto something about Ani''s looks now that he was fully awake.

    As he always expected, as time went on and they grew to greater heights, Ani''s looks were not bing charmingly cute, but instead elegantly beautiful.

    That face of hers now even carried a hint of maic seductiveness. And her lovely ck eyes seemingly became more captivating and soul-stealing to just stare at them like beautifully sculpture paintings.

    Darcel also assumed his looks had also received a glow up. Going off from the fervent looks in Ani''s eyes as their tongues passionately danced with each other, he assumed it to be the case.

    ''Mmmh.beauty, huh?'' Honestly, Darcel was now finding a new growing appreciation for Ani''s beauty and women''s beauty in general.

    There was something so maic about them that. His bloodline had also trembled in excitement to explore more deeply into the beauty of women.

    "Mnm~....Ahn~Ahn~! So goood~!!" Ani breathed out in moans as she couldn''t get enough of Darcel''s tongue.

    Hot steamy trails of saliva dribbled down their chins as their kiss became more intense.

    Darcel was finding there was just something so fulfilling about merely kissing. The warmth, pleasure, and affection from it certainly did help with that fulfilling feeling.

    Butpared to massaging Ani''s soft breast or even her grinding on her wet loins on his hardening pole, it all just didn''t quitepare to the level of intimacy from kissing.

    The intense burning desire Ani felt for Darcel, he could feel it all the most through their fierce battle of the tongues.

    Furthermore, Ani''s mouth had a divine addicting taste that is impossible to let go of.

    And Darcel didn''t even realize how much addicted Ani became engrossed with merely kissing.

    At an even higher intense passion than Darcel, Ani felt Darcel''s mouth was created by God themselves!

    It was like a drug for Ani that just kept on pumping out unforgettable waves of pleasure and warmth.

    Quite literally, she could go on for hours of just kissing Darcel.

    But s, some things aren''t meant to go on forever. Darcel''s sharp Spirit Sense picked on Vice Principal Zelle casuallying up to this room.

    Now it was time for the passionate finish!

    To end this session smoothly, Darcel mobilized a bit of his pure Darkness element.

    At the tip of his tongue, he sparked a ck glow and enriched Ani''s tongue with it.

    "AHN~?!" Ani''s eyes had immediately burst open wide at the sudden new wave of pleasure.

    Darcel''s tongue had just suddenly be a hundred times more pleasurable!

    Simultaneously, while Ani was in pleasure shock, Darcel ignited his hand in Darkness glow.

    In perfect sync, Darcel pinched Ani''s hardened nipples and used his tongue to roughly pull Ani''s tongue.

    "DAARCCY~!!!"

    Ani shrieked in pure heavenly bliss as she experienced a tremendous orgasm that rocked her body to its foundation.

    All the energy in her body left her at that moment, making her be warm pudding in Darcel''sp.

    "Ahhh~, I love your voice Ani." Darcel simrly felt a climax of his own that caused his soul to wriggle in joy.

    A wave of satisfaction overtook Darcel''s mind and body. For some reason, it just felt too good to make Ani experience a quaking orgasm.

    "Haah.haah.amazing.as always~." Ani panted out as sheid right on Darcel''s shoulder.

    Seeing how cute she always got during these times, Darcel began tenderly stroking her lushes white hair.

    "Alright, let''s hurry up and tidy ourselves up now. The Vice Principal ising pretty soon."

    Out of nowhere then, Ani had quickly regained her energy and shot her head back up to stare into Darcel''s face. With an alluring broad smile, she told him,

    "Next time, we''re doing it more slowly!!"

 Chapter 65: Days Passing

    Chapter 65: Days Passing

    Standing right outside her room, Vice Principal Zelle had an inquiring expression.

    Whileing here, she could''ve sworn there was this exotic, alluring fragrance that vaguely permeated the halls.

    It was strange. Nothing really could ever move Vice-Principal Zelle''s mind, but that fragrance though.

    Something about it just had this hypnotic maic feeling.

    Although when Vice Principal Zelle got near her door, that fragrance abruptly went away. Pushing it to the back of her mind, for now, Vice Principal Zelle had then entered her room.

    Immediately she was taken by a slight surprise when observing Darcel and Ani''s state.

    The mere fact that still wasn''t bedridden was shocking enough.

    But now they''re currently up and about it like they haven''t experienced any major injuries at all. The duo was observing the various unique collections of books Vice-Principal Zelle store on her shelves.

    Indeed with what Vice Principal Zelle saw of the duo when taking them in, it wasn''t questionable that Darcel and Ani should be out for at least a few more days.

    Then again.with everything they perform so far plus the hidden power brewing inside of those two. Vice Principal Zelle chalked all of this up to the duo''s fierce perseverance and insane potential of their souls.

    When entering her room, the duo seemed to not notice her.

    Clearing her throat did get Darcel and Ani to snap their heads towards her, each supporting their own small charming smile.

    "Even when battered and broken from before, there''s still never a moment of downtime between you two." As Vice Principal Zelle talked, there was a hint of awe in her voice.

    "Heh~! That''s just natural for us! Own our blood specifically crafted us to never waste a moment of our time." Ani proudly stated. And there was some undeniable truth in her words.

    Slightly shaking her head a bit, Vice Principal Zelle could vaguely tell if anyone has the qualification to say this, it would be these two.

    "In any case, congrattions on making such a good harvest at the Labyrinth. Frankly, you''re re-"

    "Ah!! Before we continue, Vice Principal, how''s Hao Cao doing?"

    Ani didn''t hesitate for a second to speak up about her question and cut off Vice-Principal Zelle.

    She was truly too swell in concern to care about formalities with this subject.

    If any other students acted like this, discipline punishment would''ve been enacted ordingly to respect. But, Vice Principal Zell only raise her hand to quell Ani''s worrying and told her,

    "She''s fine and well-rested. Unlike you two kids, Cao naturally is more winded and needs several more days before getting back up. Now then, I mainly came to inform you two that you''ll be able to put your full focus on cultivating your resources without the worries of having to do missions."

    It was then Darcel''s eyes lit up a bit as his minds recalled the most recent events in the Labyrinth. He had then asked, "So.did anyone else encounter that creature again? And for that matter.just what was with that silver orb it held?"

    To Darcel''s question, Vice Principal Zelle''s immediate response was to shake her head in disappointment. She had then begun exining,

    "Unfortunately, no. No one managed to encounter that thing again like it just had up and vanished entirely. You two were out for a couple of days, but the outside world surely wasn''t idle. Several sects and organizations, including us, the Quicksilver Roc sect, and the Yoderine institution, sent out their best tracker for that creature. But not a single one of us can find even a trace of it in the Woods."

    Darcel and Ani quirked their eyebrows at this exnation. With the amount of killing spree that creature went on, surely at least one sect should have found some sort of lead on it.

    But to just disappear like that?

    Even under the mythical figures of Heavenly Transformation cultivators is all far too strange. Although, nothing about that creature was normal in the first ce.

    Still, Ani had then asked, "So ominous.then the Core? Any info on that?"

    "Sadly, no, none of us are sure on just what was that Core. But I was able to tell that Core directly affected the whole Labyrinth. After our leave, everyone else was essentially forced to escape the wild beast tide of the Labyrinth."

    Vice Principal Zelle continues on to exin, having no qualms about telling the duo all of this.

    If anything, no matter what unexpected, strange event happens in the future. Vice Principal Zelle could already tell Darcel and Ani would be crucial in providing help.

    Although, Darcel and Ani weren''t all too pristine when hearing all of this news. They instead felt a small brewing forbidding feeling stir in their gut like a sickness.

    But, even if they wanted to be more active and also help with tracking that creature, Darcel and Ani knew they were far too weak to help out.

    This thought didn''t bum Darcel and Ani in the slightest. It instead only gave them further fuel to cultivate hard.

    "At least, everything is in a calm state for now. No matter what, though, it''s time for Darcy and me to experience some major breakthrough after all that excruciating work!" The bright smile of Ani broadened mainly due to the aspect of spending quality cultivating time with Darcel.

    Right then, Vice Principal Zelle''s mouth twitched into a smirk, recalling several vital lessons. She had then said, "Come with me now, for the Nascent Core realm, I have some.lessons to reinforce on to you."

    .

    Time never stops for anyone, and soon numerous days passed since the ck Dungeon Labyrinth expedition. Cultivators alike were settling quite nicely with what they had gained in the Labyrinth.

    And the roaring chaotic news of that insidious poisonous creature had died down a bit. Mainly because it was bing quite apparent that it''s literally impossible to find in the extensive Necropolis Woods.

    Although while this news was dying down some, the Necropolis Woods still had a lot of action going on it.

    On this specific day, an extraordinary group of three youths traversed deep into the woods.

    The team of three consisted of one handsome young man who was the apparent leader there. His face held a distinct tender charming quality that exuded adies man vibe.

    Out of everything, the most striking thing about the boy was the high bright purple luxurious uniform that perfectly fit his lean body.

    One look and you can tell it would be highly unwise to go against him.

    This was Zakira Academy''s fourth rank high-level student, Lukil! And to his right side was another good looking boy.

    He simrly wore the bright purple uniforms like Lukil. However, unlike him, he wasn''t in the high rankings of high-level students.

    This was one of Lukil''s closest friends, Nathan. And to the right of Lukil was another one of his closest friends, this time a beautiful girl named Bely.

    She, too, wore Zakira Academy''s high-level bright purple uniform. Though, just like Nathan, she wasn''t too high in students'' ranking.

    These three held no fear of the woods, merrily chatting along until they arrived at their mission.

    "Seriously, I wonder how much more ridiculous these Woods can get in a few more days. First, the crazed rave about some red hue creature, and now out of nowhere, these Spirit Monsters are acting more brazenly? Just what did that Labyrinth do to everyone!" Nathan was mirthful in his tone, being one of the many who didn''t get a chance to enter in the Labyrinth expedition.

    "Hmmm.what if the Spirit Monsters acts are just an excuse these other sects and organizations are making up for their pitiful losses of not finding that creature. Certainly wouldn''t surprise me." Bely remarked, amused by all these new stories.

    Lukil, however, was a slight bit queer about this subject.

    He had firsthand experienced the sudden change in the Labyrinth, though he had never encountered any strange, dangerous killing creature.

    "In any case, whatever is going around here, I just hope this mission won''t be a waste of our time," Lukil said, pushing down any foreign or strange thoughts for now.

    Right when Lukil finished talking, a bright piercing green sh refracted into Lukil''s group eyes.

    Swiftly the trio stopped walking, and their eyes snapped to wherever that green sh came from.

    "Ah? Hey, it''s over there."

    Nathan had whispered to the other as his eyes first came upon that green sh. What appeared in his, Lukil, and Bely vision was a notable big Spirit Monster fox.

    The fox trekked through the Woods at a moderate ce with something shiny held up in its mouth.

    With the trio True Soul Core eyes, they could tell it was a green crystal orb!

    Nathan''s eyes immediately lit up in greed since that type of crystal orb is one of the most valuable items in their Academy. Moreover, the fox was merely at the peak level of the Nascent Core realm.

    Nathan didn''t sense any risks there, only a walking profit for their group.

    "Let''s get this small fox and make some cash, right guys?" Though Nathan asked, he already poured Spirit Qi into his legs while talking.

    Without waiting for a response, Nathan swiftly sted off in the fox direction.

    Lukil and Bely only exchanged a single nce with each other. With a roll of their eyes, the two gave chase to the fox as well.

    They only wish Nathan wouldn''t be such haste most of the time.

    The fox itself already took off with immense speeds once Nathan aura crazily sted up to it. A tremendous impending sense of doom swelled in the furry Monster as it could tell Nathan could kill itself in seconds.

    A trio group of True Soul Core youths rushed down on a peak Nascent Core Spirit Monster Fox, and after a minute of chasing, the trio of teens was a slight bit shocked.

    Somehow, this damned beast managed to stay at a slight position ahead of all three of them!

    Granted, none of Lukil''s group was nowhere near their maximum speed, but the trio honestly didn''t think they would need it.

    "Tch, enough of this,"

    Nathan grunted in annoyance and was beginning to increase his speed to overtake this little fox.

    But right then, just from beside him, Lukil''s eyebrows furrowed.

    ''Whir!!''

    Without any warnings, Lukil sted out his tremendous aura and formed a dazzling purple water shield around his group.

    Snapping his eyes up, Lukil expectantly saw three bright silver lights.

    ''Bang!''

    Three short silver swords shed right against Lukil''s water barrier, causing torrents of Spirit Qi to crazily spew out in the woods. Although this unexpected ambush couldn''t pierce into Lukil''s water barrier.

    "Heh! How cowardly you Quicksilver rats got! Resorting to mere sneak attacks now?" Lukil snorted in disdain as he dropped his purple water barrier once the short silver swords backed off from them.

    "Oh, great! Some three gnats really got me to lose our scores!"Nathan cursed in annoyance as he turned to where the Quicksilver Roc youths appeared.

    Only Bely had an inquisitive expression as the Quicksilver Roc youths appeared.

    It was three good looking young boys, all wearing their signature dark orange robes with the mythical design of a Roc on it.

    These three didn''t cause any sense of threat for Lukil, Nathan, and Bely since they were only at the True Soul Core realm''s sixthyer link.

    And yet, Bely noticed there was something off about these boys.

    Their expression was all precisely the same, spouting this creepy, eerie smile that was a bit unnerving to gaze upon.

    And in their eyes, they held this ominous blue glow that was far too distinct to ignore.

    But neither, Lukil, Nathan, nor Bely wasn''t going to back down just from strange looks. After all, all three of them massively outss these Quicksilver Roc boys put together.

    Despite Lukil''s group being assured of their own prowess, none of the Quicksilver Roc boys showed any signs of weariness, fear, or hesitation.

    In fact, the boy in the middle of their group boldly stepped forwards as his short silver sword red in the darkness of the Woods.

    "Ohh, sorry about the rude introduction. But it''s really so great that you three came!"

    While the middle boy talked, all three of the Quicksilver Roc boys red out their sixthyer link True Soul Core aura without a hint of fear.

    It only caused Lukil, Nathan, and Bely to slightly crease their eyebrows, however.

    Still, no matter how to outss they were, the Quicksilver Roc boy on the left quickly picked up saying,

    "Truly so great so that we all can dance!"

 Chapter 66: Undercurrents

    Chapter 66: Undercurrents

    Like wild savage beasts, the Quicksilver Roc trio sted towards Lukil''s group, immersed in fierce Wind Qi!

    Storms of chaotic wind surged in the area, causing the air to split apart from their sheer power.

    And yet neither Lukil, Nathan, or Bely was worried.

    In fact, the trio all snorted in high disdain precisely at the same time. If these Quicksilver Roc sects fools want to rush to their death, then so be it!

    Thrusting his arm out, Lukil only pointed one finger at the leading boy charge.

    Purple water Qi instantaneously gathered at the tip of his finger, and blindingly faster than the boy could charge, Lukil sted a bright purple stream of water at him!

    ''Hua!''

    Lukil''s dazzling bright purple water stream coiled around the leading boy arm like a venomous snake.

    The Quicksilver Roc boy couldn''t budge at all as an overwhelming suppression of Lukil''s eighthyer link True Soul Core prowess pressed his entire being.

    Siminatansouly, Nathan decided to go for a more direct approach.

    Surging immense Spirit Qi directly into his legs, Nathan took off like lightning towards the Quicksilver Roc boy on the left.

    Nathan''s speed was massively superior to the Quicksilver Roc boy as he was at the seventhyer link of the True Soul Core realm.

    Before the Quicksilver Roc boy even realized it, Nathan appeared right in front of him!

    "Can your famous speed match this strength?"

    Nathan cruelly mocked as he savagely gripped the Quicksilver Roc boy short silver sword.

    By Nathan''s unique pure bodily strength, the Quicksilver Roc boy was entirely suppressed like tens of mountains just violently crashed on him.

    At the same time, Bely also wasn''t idle. She instead went for the most chilling savage approach.

    Instantaneously, tremendous swirls of purple sword Qi elegantly surged around Bely''s body like she was a beacon.

    Bely only pointed her finger out to the Quicksilver Roc boy on the right, exuding a monumental suppression upon the boy.

    The Quicksilver Roc boy felt suffocated as if a giant sword pressed down his neck, waiting to im his life.

    ''Hua!''

    Before the Quicksilver Roc boy could process this hair-raising scene, he now truly felt a sharp presence right at the tip of his neck. Casting his eyes down, he spotted a chilling bright purple sword Qi mere inches away from piercing his fragile neck.

    In no time at all, Lukil''s group severely suppressed the Quicksilver Roc boys in merely one move!

    For Lukil himself, it was understandable for him to easily suppress someone at the True Soul Core realm''s sixthyer link.

    But for Nathan and Bely, they were only oneyer link over the Quicksilver Roc boys. And yet, the quality and power of their Spirit Qi was on a whole other level than the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    The deciding factor for this result had to do with theprehension andtent talent one would cultivate up to this point.

    Even among geniuses, there are several deep dividingyers between them. One genius Qi can be far more powerful even if they''re at the same level.

    Lukil, Nathan, and Bely all gained superior mocking smiles.

    Looking down upon their rivals with supreme ease gave all of their egos a massive boost. Especially since this sect just loves to shamelessly boast.

    Lukil had begun to open his mouth to relish in their pathetically easy victory. Yet, right then, his Spirit Senses went frantically haywire!

    He stopped himself before even saying anything, putting his full focus on the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    Nathan and Bely didn''t have as sharp as Spirit Senses of Lukil, leading them to be blissfully unaware of any changes happening in the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    But right then, a dazzlingly bright blue glow burst from the Quicksilver Roc boys like shimmering stars!

    ''Whir!!''

    A blindingly gleaming blue sh lit up the profound darkness of the Necropolis Woods.

    Lukil, Nathan, and Bely all swiftly jumped back from the abrupt burst of a tremendous increase in power!

    Once the sh died down, Lukil''s group witnessed a very different set of Quicksilver Roc boys.

    Fresh, bright red blood slowly trickled from their mouths. Beads of massive sweat poured down their face, drenching their clothes, and yet, none of them looked the slightest bit worried.

    Their grins only grew eerily wider in daunting excitement. And in their eyes, that once faint blue glow had now overtaken their eyes, creating an admittedly stunning look of pure blue eyes.

    Immediately Lukil, Nathan, and Bely felt a passing worrying feeling swell in the pits of their guts. But, as soon as this feeling came, the trio quickly pushed it down.

    There''s absolutely no way they''ll let someone far weaker than themselves cause fear in them!

    Lukil had even gone on to sprout an intrigued smirk as he said out loud, "Oh? This is a neat trick. Looks we''ll get to have a bit more fun than I initially thought."

    Although even with all of Lukil''s group superior confidence, they still remained blissfully unaware of the hidden devious thoughts in the Quicksilver Roc boys'' head.

    They only felt more anticipation build up inside them, not caring at all about winning or losing this battle.

    All they know is after this battle, it''ll set off a flurry of a chain of events that''ll fundamentally change the whole Necrotic Crystal City.

    .

    Far from the outside world, a beautifulrge purple courtyard was rhythmically swaying under refined surges of power.

    At the center of these surges of energy were a pair of one beautiful girl and one charming boy.

    Of course, this was Darcel and Ani preparing themselves to break through to the next level of the Nascent Core realm!

    And as the duo were steadily advancing, significant changes to their overall bearing were taking shape.

    Compared to just a week and a half ago, Darcel now held a more distinct style that radiated the beauty of a moon. His presence was bing enigmatic, carrying an exotic charm that would stop and get people undivided attention on him.

    A sly smile dawned on his once usual indifferent face showing hints of his own captivating allure. One could call Darcel a tantalizing charmer just off his base appearance now.

    Ani, on the other hand, was striking up to be far more enchantingly luminous. Her presence developed into a bewitching attractive grace that draws all kinds of people into her own giant world sphere.

    A beautiful broad smile that blossomed like spring peaches was permanently etched onto her face akin to a wless sculpture. Just this beaming smile on its own tantly exuded Ani''s energetic allure.

    All these changes had urred during their training and lessons with Vice Principal Zelle.

    They had now learned much more about the profound specificities that enriched the Nascent Core realm.

    One of the most essential things they had learned was the term Nascent Core represents.

    Cultivators call this realm the seven levels of one''s future. No matter who or what is it, every being will begin to truly develop their talents and future potential in this realm.

    It''s the first biggest hallmark of a cultivator life and the dividing line between true talents and ordinary folks. Most can achieve decent enough talents at this stage while others show extraordinary feats.

    For Darcel and Ani, they were cultivating to achieve a Perfected Nascent Being state. This details in which a cultivator reached a perfected foundation on each seven levels of the Nascent Core realm.

    And to achieve a Perfected state like this isn''t easy or straightforward in the slightest.

    Darcel and Ani had learned not even Joyce Ashless, the number one genius in the Academy could achieve a Perfected Nascent Being state.

    Hertent talent, soul potential, andprehension only allowed her to barely achieve a perfect foundation at the seventh level of the Nascent Core realm.

    And even then, it took her months to achieve it!

    The difficulty in this stems from the level ent talent, theirprehension of their Dantian Core, and their souls'' potential.

    For average cultivators, not many can truly understand these facets.

    Average cultivators tend to believe that one''s talent or potential of their soul seems like it has to do with luck, or it is predetermined at birth.

    But in actuality, it''s not as simple as one would think.

    The actual most crucial factor in any cultivator is their Comprehension abilities. Even a cultivator born with the most average of talents and soul can change their lives throughprehension.

    With monstrousprehension abilities, one could have the chance to deepen the foundation of their Dantian Core and enhance their souls'' potential in cultivation enlightenment.

    Which would bring upon more tremendous potential and talents for themselves.

    A cultivator''s talent and potential affect how fast one could intake Qi, how powerful their Qi would be, and how extensive their supply of Qi would be.

    But of course, the process of developingprehension abilities is tremendously difficult andplex to achieve.

    There are ways one can develop theirprehension abilities through outside resources.

    Only that would require a massive amount of luck, or one would hail from a sect far greater than Darcel and Ani''s Zakira Academy.

    This is why most cultivators, either genius or ordinary, strive to at most attain a finished foundation state before breaking through to the next level of Nascent Core.

    More extreme geniuses could even go past this state and achieve apleted foundation state!

    But for Darcel and Ani, they indeed were like fish dancing in waters after going through the ck Dungeon Labyrinth.

    Through their abundant resources, immensetent talent, insaneprehension abilities, and powerful soul, they were able to achieve Perfected foundations states in just a couple of days in between each other!

    During these times, it does make Darcel and Ani wonder.just where did they originallye from?

    Before getting kidnapped, their lives were all a blur to them, and both have no clue just who their parents were.

    Admittedly, even Darcel and Ani felt a burning innate curiosity towards this subject. Most obviously, the duo gathered they shouldn''t hail from any ces such as this one they got teleported to.

    And perhaps, the duo gathered they may even belong to mythical ces that are only heard in legends.

    But with no leads or any way of knowing how, Darcel and Ani could focus on gathering strength to protect themselves now.

    Nearly all of their time during the past week and a half was spent only on seriously cultivating, nothing else. And their achievements for it could be called beyond freakish for anyone in the Zakira Academy.

    Presently, Darcel and Ani are already nearing the edge of their breakthrough.

    Around Darcel''s hand, an enchanting Darkness glow enriched it like the night abyss.

    Ani''s luscious white hair suddenly began to glow in dazzlingly bright, beautiful white light as if she was a celestial fairy.

    Intense bright white and ck glows covered the wholerge courtyard, drenching it in a breathtaking magical scenery.

    And at the peak of Darkness and Light glows,

    ''BANG!''

    Tremendous powerful surges of Nascent Qi crazily spewed out in wild storms in the courtyard.

    Now not only have Darcel and Ani had broken through to the fifth level of the Nascent Core realm. For all the previous four levels, they had achieved a Perfected Foundation!

    Both Darcel and Ani had then snapped their eyes open, spraying out beautiful mixtures of Darkness and Light.

    Their eyes turned to each other with affection and pride as all of their tiresome work had paid off.

 Chapter 67: Nice Break

    Chapter 67: Nice Break

    "Despite how dull serious cultivation can sometimes be, it truly brings us joy and ecstasy for every small breakthrough! Even among the most depressed people can feel a spark of life in a cultivation breakthrough!" Ani passionately said while cracking out the kinks in her neck.

    "Heh, no wonder many alike gain such a huge ego with this kind of power. It''s undoubtedly a blissful, not even a stone-cold heart can deny." Darcel snorted while stretching his arms.

    Pleasantly smiling at Darcel, Ani began picking herself up from the ground while saying, "And it''s never not a fun time to face those kinds of people and engage in exciting dances."

    "I say it''s more of a dominating crush than an exciting dance."

    Darcel follows suit with Ani, standing upright to evenly match her gorgeous face.

    Looking at Ani now, Darcel felt a burst of ming passion.

    Perhaps it was because of their recent breakthrough, but Darcel had a more dying need to taste Ani than he usually has.

    Plus, they had only engaged in cultivation for a week and a half, further igniting Darcel''s lust.

    Darcel walked right up to Ani, already seeing the knowing slight seductive smile that graced her face.

    She didn''t need words to know when Darcel wanted to get intimate. In fact, Ani more than weed any advances Darcel would throw on to her.

    With all this in mind, Darcel tightly hugged Ani''s tender, soft body that he so desperately loves to cuddle with.

    "Hmm.undoubtedly, this feeling can also ignite joy in cold hearts."

    Darcel warmly said and brought a finger to Ani''s chin to gently lift her face up.

    "Hehehe~. This week and a half sure was hard for both of us. Now, let''s both taste a more delightful reward for our hard work~."

    The bewitching tone Ani spoke in sent tingling shivers down Darcel''s chest.

    Only with him would Ani ever change from her usual bright and happy dialect. And this change made Ani exude a hidden sexy charm that put Darcel''s whole mind under her allure.

    Without another word, Darcel leaned down to capture Ani''s sweet soft lips in a searing kiss.

    "Mmnh~...."

    Ani and Darcel both hotly moaned into their kiss as their tongues frantically sought out each other.

    Waves of immense pleasure and warmth coiled through Darcel and Ani''s bodies as their tongues tangled in a hot dance.

    Their eyes were fully open while kissing, wanting to carve each other''s faces into their memories. No matter how many times they kiss, Darcel and Ani couldn''t get enough of being so close to each other.

    It was as if they were quite literally made for each other.

    Furthermore, ever since the ck Dungeon Labyrinth, Darcel had far more control over his bloodline and Darkness during these intimate moments.

    Now he essentially had free reigns to bestow upon a blissful pleasure to Ani whenever he wanted to. Plus, her climax would also fill Darcel up with blissful pleasure and immense satisfaction.

    Still, there was a nagging thought in Darcel''s mind on how well his Darkness can now affect other people''s emotions.

    More specifically, how well he could affect other women''s lust. But it was his and Ani''s own advantage, of course.

    But before Darcel could further delve into deluding thoughts, his Spirit Senses picked up on a familiar graceful signature slowly walking towards them.

    "Nnnh. I''m sure you sensed our guest, too, right?"

    Darcel asked as he broke the kiss with Ani, leaving a hot steamy trail of saliva connected from both their lips.

    Ani greedily licked her lips, thoroughly enjoying the addicting taste of Darcel''s saliva.

    "Mnh.Mnh! I didn''t think she woulde so early, but I also sense she has something exciting to tell us. Though it is a shame, she wasn''t early enough to witness our brilliant Light and Darkness show!"

    Letting go of each other, Darcel and Ani had then turned their attention to beautiful Hao Cao casually, walking up to them. Like always, with every step she took, she exuded an alluring charm like a delicate fox, and her face carried her signature teasing smile.

    However, the most notable thing for the duo was that Hao Cao was still only at the sixth level of the Nascent Core realm.

    Once again, Darcel and Ani themselves were reminded just how freakish they are.

    Hao Cao was undoubtedly cultivating just as hard as them, yet she only stays at the same level in a week and a half. But her cultivation speed wouldn''t be considered slow to anyone in the Zakira Academy.

    Hao Cao''s smile pleasantly broadened once the duo crossed into her vision. Sensing their levels, Hao Cao didn''t feel that much awe but was happier to just see her friends.

    "Even if I just missed one show, I''m sure whatever you two do, no matter if it''s the most mundane thing. It''ll be quite a spectacle to watch." Hao Cao remarked as she got close to the duo.

    Darcel merrily shrugged, telling Hao Cao, "That''s just how we work. So? What brings your jaunty self over here? Ani, guess you have something good to tell us, and from your bearings as of now, I also could see there something on your mind."

    Instead of directly answering, Hao Cao''s smile widened to a more dazzling teasing one.

    "Oh my, Ani~. Darcel here really is bing more attentive to the minds of maidens~."

    Perking up, Ani went over and yfully pped Darcel''s shoulder, also saying in a teasing tone, "Of course, of course! Under my special lesson, Darcy just can''t get enough of learning~!"

    "Why, thanks for another boast to my confidence, girls." Darcel simply shrugged and shamelessly took their teasing in stride. He had then continued on, saying, "But I''m sure this isn''t what you''re here for Cao."

    Hao Cao smiled at Darcel but also silently made it a goal in her mind to efficiently tease Darcel and see a break in his calm facade.

    "You''re bluntness, however, never changes. But indeed I have rather.intriguing news. The high-level students are all experiencing massive troubles in the Necropolis Woods, leading everyone to be more on edge and tense."

    "And the intriguing part is?" Darcel wrinkled his eyebrows and asked.

    In all honesty, Darcel can say besides Hao Cao, Vice Principal Zelle, and a bit of Teacher Z. He couldn''t care less about the other students'' well being.

    "Was just about to get to it antsy~. Essentially, about a week ago, the fourth rank high-level student Lukil and his group reported Quicksilver Roc sect disciples unprovokingly attacking them. In the end, one of Lukil''s friends got severely injured in the fight. Once words spread around of this got spread a lot more, small intense scuffle are urring between us. In just several days, it has gotten to a point where it''s bing a notable achievement in the whole City to win one of these scuffles."

    Hao Cao carefully exined to them.

    "Oh! Ah! And this is the part where we, the rule-breakers,e on out and frighten these loud kids a bit." Ani boldly stated.

    She, too, didn''t care much about the general students'' well being, but she surely didn''t want to miss out on a chance to test their prowess.

    Hao Cao slyly nodded, telling her, "Fuu~, these Quicksilver Roc gnats are bing too bold now. Somehow they''re winning a lot against us and unting around as if they''re the best sect in the entire City."

    Darcel and Ani felt a burning itch to fight.

    The duo knew Hao Cao probably guessed their own prowess would now surely eclipse over to the True Soul Core realm.

    And Darcel and Ani could precisely tell their prowess does surmount in the early levels of the True Soul Core realm.

    While they haven''t fought any True Soul Core cultivators, the duo could tell if they matched up against any peak Nascent Core cultivator, they could kill them in a split second.

    "How very interesting. who''s one of the loudest and most obnoxious of the bunch?" Darcel asked this time.

    Thinking to herself and about the duo''s prowess, Hao Cao had then told them, "A group of thirdyer link True Soul Core kids have been particrly loud. They im with their group, they can even beat an entire group of fourthyer link students. Plus, they seem to love lingering in those woods for an unhealthy amount of time."

    Abruptly then, Ani furrowed her eyebrows. A weird puzzling feeling crossed into her mind about this whole situation.

    It was like there should be something else at y here.

    "I assume this group isn''t the only one that likes to linger in the woods, right?" Ani inquisitively asked.

    "Bringing it up, it''s actually surprisingly true on how much those Roc gnats seem to love lingering in these woods now. Though it''s certainly abrupt, and those Roc''s seem to have zero intention in escting the situation."

    While talking, Hao Cao suddenly thought of something, causing a glint to haze in her eyes.

    Though, before she could say it, Darcel spoke up after seeing that look in her eyes.

    "You''re thinking about the ck Dungeon Labyrinth, right? Frankly, their behaviors could be rted to that ce. Still, I truly can''t see how, considering that ce apparently turned into a dangerous beast tide. Speaking off, what about the Quicksilver Roc Elders or even our Academy Teachers or Elders. Have they just done nothing about this situation?"

    "The Seniors aren''t bothering with this. They all im this all just a smallpetition between juniors. Moreover, all top-level figures are oddly busy during these times." Hao Cao helplessly smiled while exining.

    Darcel and Ani traded one nce with each other. Staying all locked up and cultivating can only go so far for any cultivator.

    Even if there are hidden unknown dangers, Darcel and Ani needed to stretch their legs!

    "Well, well, right when we got done with a breakthrough, we already have extremely willing partners to dance with our prowess soon." Burning excitement wasced in Ani''s voice.

    Mirthfully smiling at her enthusiasm, Hao Cao said, "Now you two are going to make your first official appearance against the whole City. I dread to think just how much chaos you''ll causepared to staying within the Academy."

    "Don''t worry, you and everyone else will perfectly see the storms we can cause. For now, though, let''s spend the day together. We''ve been dulling cultivating for far too long." Darcel charmingly smiled towards the girls.

    "Yea! We''re going to need a little spice before going into battle anyways." Ani cheerfully joined in as well.

    Hao Cao couldn''t stop the wide splitting grin from forming on her face as she said, "Fufufu~! If you truly insist, then I suppose I have no way to refuse now~."

 Chapter 68: Good First Impressions

    Chapter 68: Good First Impressions

    After a rxing fun day spent graciously with the joyful Hao Cao, Darcel and Ani had immediately started the next day bright and early in the morning.

    They wasted no time in traversing therge Academy, making it down to the High-Level students'' section.

    Where Darcel and Ani had ended up was the Academy''s signature Mission Center. Only this time, the Mission Center on this High-Level area was of a higher quality than the Initiate-Level area.

    But, Darcel and Ani weren''t there to admire the better quality or even seriouslyplete a mission. No.they were here for a straightforward pretense.

    To fight and crush any Quicksilver Roc True Soul Core disciples!

    "I already feel the anticipation bubbling inside me like a wild storm Darcy! Plus, it also helps that walking through this big ce now feels more; let''s see.pleasant." Ani excitedly stated.

    And looking back on their walking here, Darcel did find Ani''s was undoubtedly correct in her words.

    Compared to their first day here, their change in status was night and day.

    Even while trekking through the High-Level student section, no High-Level teacher or elder dared to look down or disdain the duo.

    Most of the students now held a slight appraisal about Darcel and Ani, getting rid of any mockery in their eyes.

    Although that wasn''t to say every student, there was so epting and weing. Some still have an unkind haze in their eyes; others have this false sense of superiority over the duo directly etched into their brains.

    Their dramatically rising super stardoms is a sore spot of envy for many spanning across the entire Academy.

    But no students dared to make trouble with the duo, knowing the extremely high consequences involved there.

    Still, no matter what kind of gaze or expression thrown towards Darcel and Ani, they both took it in great stride.

    Relishing in the envy of theirpetition is truly something magical to feel.

    "Let''s get in,"

    Darcel told Ani, and they both promptly walked through the Mission Center doors.

    Somehow.this ce was even more extensive than what the Initiate Mission Center could achieve.

    Darcel and Ani dart their eyes all over the room, taking notice of the finer detail here. But the most significant thing to note about this Mission Center was the swift bustling of students here.

    Many students were either inrge or small groups with each other. Nearly on all of the students'' faces were a burning will to fight or devious intentions sprawled all across their faces.

    With just a simple quick listen in, Darcel and Ani found out these groups of students were fervently discussing ns on how to take on and take down the gnats of the Quicksilver Roc sect.

    Once entering the Mission Center, several prying eyesnded on the duo.

    But once realizing just who they were, the students quickly went back to their own talks.

    Throughout this short time, Darcel was gauging the level of the students here. Clearly, he didn''t feel anyone here nowhere near close to Jamas aura.

    Still, some noteworthy ones stood tallest among the crowd.

    Ani, however, darted her eyes to the left wall of the room. Quickly her eyes lit up as she said to Darcel, "This paper. it''ll do us quite nicely."

    She got Darcel''s attention as she pointed to a typical paper upon the wall.

    Nodding at Ani''s quick find, the duo had then proceeded to walk up to this flyer. While walking, Darcel read the description of the mission, in which it detail,

    ''Collecting special cores of True Soul Core ghosts around The Demesne Grave.''

    The mission was only but amon rank, clearly telling of how easy of a task this would be.

    And yet, Darcel and Ani suddenly recall some memories reading the term ghosts.

    Their thoughts immediately delve back into the past, where they first stumbled upon that cave and those strange spirits. If it truly wasn''t for their bloodline awakening, then neither Darcel and Ani would be standing here.

    But more specifically about that very cave, Darcel and Ani could vaguely sense something off about that ce.

    Now that they''re genuinely far stronger, Darcel and Ani gained that much confidence in exploring that cave again if they were toe across that path.

    "Ah? You two.you two must be Darcel and Ani, right?"

    Slithering into Darcel and Ani''s like a cool breeze was of a charming male voice that carried a maic allure.

    Turning around, the duo found themselves face to face with the most noteworthy boy out of everyone in the Mission Center.

    This boy is delightfully handsome, radiated an alluring soul capturing presence, and wore a pleasant smile.

    This was the fourth rank student Lukil out of the whole High-Level students'' section. His eyes carried massive interest and curiosity while gauging his first impression of Darcel and Ani.

    The duo also held a simrly impressive first impression of Lukil''s noble appearance.

    Ani gave the boy a bright, captivating smile that burst with alluring rays of dazzling light and had then said,

    "Yep! We sure are! And you are?"

    Already in just a few words, Lukil slightly fell into the enrapture of Ani''s energetic, enigmatic world. Her angelic voice smoothly cooed into his head like a summer breeze.

    Pleasantly smiling back at Ani, Lukil told the duo, "My name is Lukil, and I can already tell, fierce geniuses like you also want topete against those Quicksilver Roc rats, right? It''s the main reason why so many are taking on missions now anyway. Though no disrespect to your prowess, might I suggest joining some of my friends in their group? It''s all only True Soul Core cultivators hashing it out."

    Even before Lukil started talking to Darcel and Ani, his general impression was already favorable high of them.

    Primarily because of a particr friend of his, he vaguely knows about this duo''s unfathomable potential.

    "We.appreciate the offer, but Ani and I prefer to be on our own team. But these ghosts, any specific detail you can provide us with?" Darcel, this time spoke up, his voice carrying an undeniable alluring charm.

    Some mild surprise enters Lukil''s eyes when ncing over to Darcel. From some off rumors, he had heard Darcel having a more standoffish attitudepared to Ani.

    But clearly, now, that standoffish attitude was nowhere to be seen; in fact, Lukil had strangely felt a slight soothe oozed into his soul.

    "Ah, those ghosts require minimal worry. Simply as long as your pure Qi can overpower the ghost cores, you can effectively kill them. Plus, these ghost cores are all highly unstable in their foundation, further making it easier to overpower." Lukil generally exined to the duo.

    Darcel and Ani quirked their eyebrows a small tidbit.

    This way of killing the ghosts does remind of how they kill those ghosts in the cave through sheer overwhelming power.

    Nodding at Lukil, Ani had then told him, "Many thanks for the advice! See you around soon."

    Darcel had then taken the Mission flyer, and the duo prepared to get their supply from the Mission Elder.

    But before entirely leaving, Lukil had suddenly, swiftly spoken up, saying,

    "Just one more thing. Be wary of this odd blue glow in those Quicksilver Roc rats'' eyes. My group underestimated them at the time, which led to one of my friends getting injured. I would say, when you fight them, beat them as soon as possible."

    Darcel and Ani stopped midway once hearing Lukil''s words.

    An odd blue glow?

    Recounting their previous fights, besides those ghosts, no one they fought ever had an odd blue glow hazing their eyes.

    "We''ll keep that in mind then." Darcel nodded to Lukil, and the duo once again proceeded their trek to the Mission Elder.

    All the while, they couldn''t help but feel this event will be far more interesting than they initially believed.

    .

    Inside the dreary enveloping Darkness of the Necropolis Woods, two streams of Light and Darkness speedily tore through the ce.

    Darcel and Ani weren''t really the ones to over-prepare, and they knew they wouldn''t really need to.

    Running through the Woods now, Darcel and Ani felt as if they were running on clouds. Just their base speed and with minimal Nascent Qi, it allowed them to reach unfathomable speeds at their current prowess.

    In only a minute or so, the duo managed to cross miles away from Necrotic City and dash straight into the Woods.

    This small feat isn''t even achievable by peak Nascent Core cultivators or even some earlyyer link True Soul Core cultivators!

    As for traversing the Necropolis Woods, no peak Nascent Core Spirit Monster could even catch a whiff of Darcel and Ani''s scent.

    Their speed was like shes to the Spirit Monsters, only feeling a wild gush of wind wash over them for a split second.

    The route they headed on was directly leading them to the so-called ''Demesne Grave.'' Truthfully, Darcel and Ani had heard of this ce a few times.

    Still, it was never nearly mentioned as often as the ck Dungeon Labyrinth.

    From all they can gather about this ce was the fact there was supposedly great riches deep underground of specific graves.

    But, mysteriously, most who went to The Demesne Grave just strangely was never found again.

    And for the ones who doe back, there had been reports on those cultivators acting a bit odder. Plus, those cultivators wouldn''t want to discuss what happens in The Demesne Grave at all.

    It was all a bit interesting for Darcel and Ani, plus they now also have a second destination to explore after crushing those Quicksilver Roc kids.

    After running nonstop for about ten minutes, the duo had finallye upon an intriguing sight.

    Just a couple of meters ahead of them, therey a human-like figure entirely in an eerily blue shade, sitting on top of arge boulder.

    Darcel and Ani immediately recognize this as a Spirit Monster ghost!

    Although, Darcel and Ani couldn''t determine the gender of this ghost, and its appearance didn''t match any of the ghosts they fought in the cave.

    Still, the aura of this ghost wasn''t anything to scoff at.

    Massively more superior than cave ghosts, this lone ghost sat in the True Soul Core realm!

    Moreover, Darcel and Ani were now able to sense whatyer link this ghost was, and it was seated firmly at the secondyer link of True Soul Core.

    Because of teachings from Vice Principal Zelle and their owntent abilities of their Spirit Sense, it was quite a smooth process for the duo to achieve.

    But, the ghost aura wasn''t the only thing Darcel and Ani sensed.

    It was vague, very vague akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. Yet Darcel and Ani could sense this ghost aura was covering three small energy signatures.

    If one was merely at the same secondyer link like this ghost, it would''ve been all but impossible to sense these three small energy signatures.

    Unless a cultivator would have an extremely special Spirit Sense, which is difficult toe by.

    Of course, though, Darcel and Ani Spirit Sense was the base definition of being counted as unique.

    "Soo, Darcy? Shall we give the sneaky hiding rats a big surprise wee?" Ani quietly whispered to Darcel.

    Looking ahead, it would appear this lone ghost hasn''t noticed them yet. Instead, its gaze was focused on the long profound Darkness of the Necropolis Woods.

    "Try not to go too hard; we don''t want them scurrying off so fast," Darcel whispered and smirked at Ani. She spouted the same bold smirk as their eyes lit up in a n of attack.

    Without any further words, Darcel and Ani enriched their legs with Nascent Qi and slightly bent down.

    ''Swish!''

    Faster than their base speeds, Darcel and Ani took off like lightning towards the ignorant ghost.

    Quickly, however, the ghost snapped its head towards the duo, a hint of chilling killing intent already sprayed in its entirely blue eyes.

    The ghost only sensed the pitiful power of fifth level Nascent Core aura as it raised its hand, preparing to p these kids to death.

    But right then, the ghost abruptly went as still as a statue.

    A tremendous burst of crisis frantically swelled in its mind as it watched Darcel and Ani.

    Before it could even fully understand what was transpiring, a beautiful ck and white glow enchantingly spewed out from Darcel and Ani.

 Chapter 69: Immediate Fight

    Chapter 69: Immediate Fight

    A tremendous outburst of overwhelming power crazily surged throughout the Necropolis Woods.

    The slumbering bloodline that rested for a week and a half inside Darcel and Ani were unleashed all at once!

    Rays of Darkness and Light streaked throughout the abyss like Darkness of the Necropolis Woods, painting this small area in magical brilliance.

    On Darcel and Ani''s arms as well, their bloodline markings seemed to have taken shape in a vague outline of a feather.

    Despite the duo only being mere fifth level Nascent Core ants, the ghost felt heavily suppressed! An unfathomable pressure crushed on it like it was getting submerged under a deep ocean.

    In just this split second, Darcel and Ani''s speed explosively increased!

    Darcel thrust his hand forward, igniting it in a dazzling ck ming coat. His eyes locked with the ghost''s entirely blue eyes as if he was the reaper of death.

    All the ghost merely saw was a blindingly bright sh of scorching ck mes that shot the temperature through the roof.

    And in the very next second, Darcel popped right near the Spirit Monster ghost, breaking the air apart with his speed.

    ''Chi!''

    Even as a ghost, Darcel felt liquidity substances spewed around his ck ming hand as he ruthlessly tore through the ghost head.

    Darcel''s overwhelming Nascent Qi immediately destroyed the ghost core, entirely suppressing its secondyer link True Soul Core Spirit Qi.

    As the ghost was vanishing out of existence, Ani had simultaneously turned her sights in a different direction.

    Right, when Darcel tore to the ghost, she ignited her hand in ck mes and blitz straight towards the center of therge rock!

    Ani''s mouth twitched, curving into an upward cruel smirk as she barrelled at the huge rock. Those three sneaky energy signatures were frozen in total shock at the sudden dramatic reversal of their prowess.

    Uncaring whether or not whoever was behind therge rock would move, Ani split right through the rock at the same time Darcel tore his ck ming hand through the ghost head.

    ''Bang!''

    The rock split into millions of tiny pieces! To Ani''s slight surprise, those three hiding rats manage to swiftly recover at just the nanosecond.

    They had all split off into the same directions, just barely avoiding the ck mes of Ani.

    Darcelnded right next to Ani, undisturbed by the crumbling of the enormous rock. The duo didn''t look towards each other but instead focused their nces a couple of meters ahead.

    Although, in their minds, Darcel and Ani could vaguely tell that their bloodline abilities must''ve slightly increased.

    "Sheesh, damn! Here we thought Zakira Academy was all just filled with pencil pushers. But that ce really is fostering freaks!"

    The surprised tone of a young boy''s voice red out in the Necropolis Woods.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes immediately traced to where the voice was blooming from.

    Intense Fighting intent burst into their eyes once seeing three young boys all wearing the Quicksilver Roc uniform.

    All three of them had genuine handsome features and walked with a confident, bold stature. In their hands were bright short silver swords that tightly fit their hands.

    But above all, Darcel and Ani did notice one significant off thing about the Quicksilver Roc trio appearances. The duo saw a haze of an eerie blue glow nestling from deep within their eyes.

    Furthermore, all three of these boys aura majorly outss the ghost, being at the thirdyer link of the True Soul Core realm!

    "Well, well, well! So we finally get a chance at you rowdy gnats!" Ani told with mocking wonder in her tone.

    Admittedly, for the Quicksilver Roc boys, a hint of reverence swirled in their bodies, standing face to face with Darcel and Ani.

    Even now, their unfathomable pressure did not lessen in the slightest.

    Slight suppression crashed against the Quicksilver Roc boys bringing upon a weighing down pressure.

    But.right when the logical reverence came, the boys felt a colossal shock eclipsed throughout their minds.

    It was then, Darcel and Ani found this Quicksilver trio even odder.

    Despite their overwhelming bloodline aura, this Quicksilver Roc trio just had no reaction of fear or slight awe.

    In fact, it was like after a quick split second, the Quicksilver Roc trio became entirely fearless.

    The boy in the center, whose name was Mare, unhesitatingly spoke up, directly stating, "Ah! Well, I''m d you two are all caught up on the nose.since you, two shall be next!"

    Surges of massive Spirit Qi poured into the Quicksilver Roc trio legs like a raging storm right when Mare was done speaking.

    They didn''t give Darcel and Ani even a split second to react as they sted towards them with immense speeds!

    The wind kicked up in several chaotic storms flowing wildly around the Quicksilver Roc trio.

    Powerful thirdyer link True Soul Core auras attempted to crush down on Darcel and Ani. In only a second, the Quicksilver Roc boys were half a meter close to the duo!

    "Heh!"

    Ani, however, was undisturbed by the Quicksilver Roc boys aura and tremendous speed. Absolutely no suppression fell upon her allowing her free reign for a swift counter-attack.

    Instantly when the Quicksilver Roc boys were only a half meter away, Ani''s bloodline arm was quickly enriched in a bright white glow.

    She didn''t need any time to swirl her bloodline powers, causing a white Light to radiantly burst like the sun.

    ''Chi!''

    In the same mannerism, as she did in the ck Dungeon Labyrinth, Ani sted out a blinding white shbang!

    For a mile, the whole Necropolis Woods lit up in a white glow radiance.

    Mare, the Quicksilver Roc boy on his right whose name was Talo, and the boy on Mare''s left whose name was Cini all forcefully shut their eyes and went still like statues.

    Utter helpless invaded the Quicksilver Roc mind and bodies. Along with blinding, the boys felt this sneaky freezing power when Ani unleashed her white glow shbang.

    And with this prime opportunity of stillness, Darcel and Ani''s eyes burst with an intense savage glint.

    In a streak of dual Darkness and white glow, the duo rushed right near the Quicksilver Roc trio.

    Darcel enkindled both of his hands into raging ck ming ws, striking right at Mare and Talo. Ani had fished out her purple rapier, ignited it in powerful ck mes, and thrust straight towards Cini.

    Darcel and Ani''s attacks were mere inches away from the Quicksilver Roc trio.

    And even while being blind, Mare, Talo, and Cini felt their instincts frantically roar at them.

    On pure instincts and with the speed of Wind Qi, Mare and Talo quickly thrust their short silver swords up to meet Darcel''s ck ming ws.

    While Cini simrly swiftly thrust his short silver sword up to intercept Ani''s ck ming rapier.

    ''BANG!''

    A tremendous sh of Spirit Qi and Nascent Qi mixed together, crazily spewing out into the air like a thunderous storm!

    ck mes sailed out in the surrounding area burning any spots on the ground to a ck crisp.

    Unsurprisingly to Darcel and Ani, they evenly matched as their attacks shed against the Quicksilver Roc trio.

    It was only a split second stalemate before Mare, Talo, and Cini all snapped their eyes open.

    Darcel and Ani only caught a brief glimpse of their increasingly blue glowing eyes. Seeing it so up close caused ever so slight shivers to pool into Darcel and Ani''s body.

    There was just something about this ominous blue glow that spelled immense trouble.

    However, in the very next second, Mare, Talo, and Cini all vanished right out of their sh.

    Darcel raised an eyebrow as he thought to himself, ''Hm? So this is their special speed?''

    Remarkably enough, this kind of speed is noteworthy in Darcel''s book, but he had then her Ani say,

    "Up!"

    Both she and Darcel jerked their heads up towards the sky simultaneously. Their eyes held a bit of surprise as the Quicksilver Roc boys managed to get thirty meters high in the sky!

    Wild stormy winds encased the Quicksilver Roc boys as they thrust their short silver swords above them.

    Tremendously, the Quicksilver Roc boys prowess immensely shot up.

    Blue Wind Qi wrapped around their short silver swords, creating a mini blue tornado around their swords.

    The time it took to prepare this attack was only two seconds, yet Darcel and Ani didn''t stay idle.

    They never tired jumping high in the air before, and attempting to run wouldn''t be so wise with the Quicksilver Roc boys vantage point.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes traded a knowingmunicative nce. Darcel nodded at Ani, and her mouth cracked into a small smirk.

    A beautiful white glow oozed out of her arm as she swiftly created a white light barrier.

    At the same time, the duo also heard,

    "Gale Battle!!!"

    Mare, Talo Cini all unleashed a furious battle cry. They pointed their swords downward towards Darcel and Ani and sted out a tremendous torrent of blue Wind Qi tornados!

    ''Hua!''

    The air was thrown into frantic chaos as a massive torrent of blue Wind Qi tornadoes surged throughout the Necropolis Woods.

    This Martial Skill wasn''t something any thirdyer link True Soul Core cultivator couldn''t take lightly.

    And with their powersbined, Mare, Talo, and Cini were all highly confident that this freakish duo would get critically injured now.

    It was only a shame that none of them spotted the spark of white glow that came from Ani.

    Right when the Quicksilver Roc boys'' martial skill reached Darcel and Ani, the blue Wind Qi tornado stopped only a few feet apart. All around Darcel and Ani''s Light barrier, blue Wind Qi raged on for miles, but none could even get close to the duo.

    "Tch!"

    Immediately so, the Quicksilver Roc boys had now noticed their Martial Skill failing. Their initially slow descendent took a sudden shift as the boys speedily plunged straight at Ani''s Light barrier.

    Darcel and Ani smoothly jumped back as three silver lights pierced right through Ani''s light barrier.

    Mare, Talo, and Cini managed to nimblynd on their feet before crashing into the ground and pounced at the dodging duo.

    However, before they could get near, a sinking cold feeling swept the Quicksilver Roc boys'' mind.

    Their eyes directly snapped to Darcel''s hand as he pointed it out to them.

    An eerie Darkness glow enriched his whole bloodline arm, creating a daunting spectacle for the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    This Darkness.there was something too off about it!

    Abruptly, Mare, Talo, and Cini changed their course of action and vanished from the duo''s eyes.

    Once again, before Darcel and Ani could even attempt anything, this speed is causing a problem.

    "But that reaction, though.alright."

    Darcel gained a realization on his face as a bright idea popped into his mind.

    Instantly Darcel''s Darkness glow arm became further intense. He spawned a Darkness barrier over him, and Ani and Darcel had then said, "Ani, the whip."

    As he spoke, Darcel pointed his other arm. Ani promptly caught on to what Darcel''s wanted and spewed out a whitish ck ming whip from the center of her palm.

    Ani''s whip slithered around Darcel''s wrist, tightly coiling it. And while doing so, Darcel silently surged power into his left hand.

    As he expected, because of his Darkness, it brought them a little time to enact this n.

    Though it really only took Darcel a few seconds to finish gathering power.

    Once ready, the duo traded another look and nodded.

    Flexing his legs, Darcel sted off backward with immense speeds!

    Simultaneously while going backward, Darcel thrust out his hand, and from three tips of his finger, he sted three ck fire beams. Seemingly, Darcel had no targets, but the ck fire beams urately shot towards three hiding spots.

    ''Swish!''

    While the ck fire beams were still firing, Mare, Talo, and Cini all rushed out of their hiding spots before Darcel''s ck fire beam reached them.

    Darcel''s Darkness had caused every instinct in the bodies to wildly roar like a storm. More than anything, the Quicksilver Roc boys had itid out to them to not get close that Darkness.

    And using the moment where Darcel was in the middle of attacking was the perfect time to strike!

    None of them had even noticed the whitish ck ming whip of Darcel''s due to his extreme speed.

    Darcel''s eyes nced down to see the rushing of the Quicksilver Roc boys. However, no worries or panic entered his eyes; instead, a slight assured smirk rested on his face.

    Darcel correctly expected this, and swiftly, he pulled his weightless wrist back.

    Midway during the Quicksilver Roc boys rushed, they also clearly sense from behind, Ani barreling straight at them.

    It wasn''t the fact they forgot about but simply didn''t want to get close to that Darkness barrier.

    Mare only took a swift nce back, but when doing so, his pupil dted.

    Somehow, Ani was reaching a speed that matches or was slightly above them!

    The Quicksilver Roc boys were only a meter from Darcel, and yet at Ani''s speed, they wouldn''t even make it before she struck them.

    But before he could make heads about her, Mare and the other boys'' eyes hurriedly snapped back to Darcel. They watched in horror as Darcel''s Darkness dauntingly wrapped around his arm.

    In a pincer trap, Mare, Talo, and Cini knew these two were up to something. With their anger growing, the trio wanted to simply speed away again.

    But suddenly, the Quicksilver Roc boys found it nearly impossible to move!

    A crisis feeling swelled in their minds as a blindingly white glow abruptly clouded all of their visions.

    ''Chi!''

    Ani''s intense blinding white shbang burst right near the Quicksilver Roc trio! Even harsher this time, their bodies entirely locked up, and some pain assaulted their eyes.

    Up ahead, Darcel felt a familiar gentle power envelop his eyes right when Ani''s shbang went off, protecting him from it.

    Seeing it work, Darcel''s smile quickly turned cruel as at three of his fingertips, a harsh Darkness glow eerily swirled there.

 Chapter 70: Grave Stopping

    Chapter 70: Grave Stopping

    Instantaneously upon the three tips of Darcel''s finger, the shimmering of his Darkness glow intensifies. Even among the Darkness of the Necropolis Woods, Darcel''s Darkness made everything freeze in his general vicinity.

    ''Hua!''

    Before the Quicksilver Roc boys could attempt anything, Darcel sted three powerful streams of pure Darkness towards them!

    His Darkness streams split the air apart, and in only a nanosecond, it reached the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    "Ah-Ah?!"

    Mare, Talo, and Cini all shouted in confusion and pain as a tremendous force crashed against their face.

    Immediately then, the trio all felt their mind fall into utter chaos!

    Their eyes widen like saucers, their pupils dted to needles like sizes as an overflux of wild raging emotions and feelings destroy their state of mind.

    Rage, joy, sorrow, and the biggest of them, lust wreaked total havoc in their minds!

    Ani wildly smiled once seeing Mare, Talo, Cini all rigidly stood frozen in ce.

    Under this state now, none of them can adequately react to anything!

    Stopping herself just a few feet away from the trio, Ani used her other hand and unleashed three white whips from the center of her palms.

    Instantly, the white whips wrapped around the Quicksilver Roc boys'' necks, tightly coiling them like a savage snake.

    Pressure.an unfathomable pressure never experienced before was enveloping the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    Mare Talo and Cini fiercely gnashed their teeth, trying to resist everything that was abruptly thrown at them. Inside their bodies, they struggle to control their Spirit Qi just to resist Ani''s crushing telekinesis pressure.

    But doing so left most of their defensespletely wide open.

    Seeing his opportunitye, Darcel felt his body pump with intense adrenaline. Quickly, he ignited his ck ming ws over his hands and rushed towards the Quicksilver Roc boys in a savage frenzy!

    In a split second, Darcel popped right next to the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    Without missing a beat, he threw his ck ming ws directly at Mare and Cini''s chests.

    ''Chi, Chi!''

    Fresh horrid blood spilled into the air as Darcel''s ck ming w ruthlessly tore into Mare and Cini''s chests!

    It was as if their thirdyer link True Soul Core bodies were nothing but butter under Darcel''s power.

    Mare and Cini''s eyes burst open with immense pain. Raging wild scorching mes caused utter chaos in their chest, further throwing their mind into a frenzy.

    But before they could even scream out pain, Darcel''s had then flung the two high into the sky.

    Once doing so, Darcel''s also didn''t miss a beat with Talo.

    Quickly he tore his ck ming w into Talo''s chest, shredding his bodily defenses like worthless paper.

    Blood spurted to the ground, and like the other two, Talo didn''t even have a chance to register the pain before Darcel flung him high into the sky. Darcel didn''t pursue attacking and simply watched the boys with folded arms.

    As right then, Ani''s three pure white telekinesis whips blitz to the Quicksilver Roc boy''s necks once again.

    Her whips crushed around their necks, and this time, the boys couldn''t put up barely any Spirit Qi to resist the mountain-like pressure enveloping their bodies once again.

    Heatedly smiling, Ani had then fiercely swung her palm down.

    While doing so, the Quicksilver Roc boys sailed to the grounds at blitzing speeds!

    The Quicksilver Roc boys were utterly suppressed at all facets; it was impossible to stop their bodies from violently mming into the ground.

    ''BANG!!''

    "GEAHH!!"

    Three shrieks of blood-curdling pain echoed out in the Necropolis Woods as the Quicksilver Roc boys felt as if their bodies cracked all over once savagely hitting the ground.

    Numerous of their bones fractured, their organs violently churned, and blood sprayed from their mouths.

    Mare, Talo, and Cini already ended up in a critically injured state in merely a few exchanges of attacks.

    While evenly matched in raw power, Darcel and Ani always hold the superior edge in terms of unusual and unique abilities that can make their foes helpless.

    Plus, their teamwork is far too perfect, making a deadlybination.

    "Hmph! So that''s tha-" Ani had turned her attention to Darcel, ready to relish in their victories until frantic tremors zed in her body.

    Abruptly, Ani felt her bloodline frantically surge, directing her senses to the fallen Quicksilver Roc trio.

    Darcel as well didn''t say anything as a quaking tremor fiercely courses throughout his bloodline. His senses also got snapped to the fallen Quicksilver Roc trio, who honestly appears harmless and frail.

    But neither Darcel nor Ani wanted to take a chance of going against their bloodline instincts.

    At the same time, Darcel rushed to Quicksilver Roc boys, his ck ming ws still burning and Ani rushed over with her ck ming rapier.

    The duo spared no hesitation, and Darcel fully plunged his ck ming ws deep into Mare and Cini''s chest. While Ani savagely plunged her ck ming rapier deep into Talo''s chest.

    Further blood sprayed out of the Quicksilver Roc trio like a gushing fountain.

    And yet.the sense of danger didn''t lessen up at all!

    Darcel and Ani only had a second to take one quick nce at Mare, Cini, and Talo''s eyes.

    Promptly Darcel and Ani admittedly got drawn into an eerily magical sight.

    The luminous blue glow in the Quicksilver Roc boys'' eyes had now intensely sparked up, entirely enriching their eyes in a pure, dazzling blue hue.

    Once Darcel and Ani''s eyes connected with the Quicksilver Roc boys'' eyes, a tremendous increase of power spewed out from Mare, Cini, and Talo!

    Their bodies were instantly enriched in a shimmering blue glow, and their flood of sudden power rapidly reached its peak.

    ''CHI!''

    Darcel and Ani got sted back for a few feet as a massive burst of this strange power exploded from the Quicksilver Roc trio.

    This whole section of the Necropolis Woods got thrown into a stormy frenzy over the onught of this dramatic increase in power.

    Darcel and Ani quickly nted their feet into the ground from mid-air, skidding along for just a couple of more meters. The wind around them swirled in a chaotic storm, crazily swishing their hair and clothes.

    "Ahhh.yeess.yess.thoose two bodies are more than we expected!"

    Darcel and Ani''s head snapped back to the Quicksilver Roc boys as an ominous voice slithered into the ears.

    Gales of frenzy blue Wind Qi crazily surged around the boys. And amazingly enough, Darcel and Ani were shocked to see the boys casually get up as if their previous injuries were nothing.

    Blood poured like a river through their seven orifices; their arms and legs were mangled and twisted, showing off their horrid fresh bloody tissue.

    And most of all, the blue glow shrouding them only grew intenser.

    "Tch! Their Qi! Ani!" Darcel suddenly called to her once he sensed the Quicksilver Roc boys go absolutely haywire.

    At the rate these three were going, they would soon implode in a tremendous explosion of power!

    Ani had also sensed it and quickly nodded at Darcel. Even for all their overwhelming might, neither dared to face a self-destruction st of someone equal at their raw prowess.

    Sharply turning around, Darcel and Ani poured all of their Nascent Qi into their legs.

    Without looking back, the duo sted off with lightning-like speeds as an ominous blue light streaked throughout the woods.

    ''BOOOM!!!''

    A colossal explosion of pure power lit up the Necropolis Woods in an eerie blue light.

    The ground violently trembled like several intense earthquakes all just went off, chaotic stormy wind spewed out for miles, splitting trees and bushes apart.

    "Ah!" Ani unleashed a cry of surprise once sensing behind her.

    Even with their immense bloodline speed, that powerful explosion would soon reach her and Darcel!

    Swiftly, Ani made a split decision then.

    As Darcel was right next to her, she hurriedly reached and grabbed his hand and immediately enriched both of their bodies in a beautiful white glow.

    The gentle power of Aniel''s telekinesis smoothly courses all throughout Darcel''s body. Of course, he didn''t resist this power, allowing Ani''s free reign of both their bodies.

    ''Hua!''

    With speeds far surpassing their peaks, Ani and Darcel managed to reach near lightning-like velocity!

    In just a couple of seconds, the two surpassed the radius of the Quicksilver Roc boys explosion.

    And while sting through the air, both Darcel and Ani suddenly felt a slight maic calling from deep within them.

    It was as if.their soul was pointing towards one specific spot.

    Going off her natural instinct, Ani smoothly directed themselves towards this calling of their soul.

    They had blitz by numerous Nascent Cores and even True Soul Cores Spirit Monsters, leaving only a dazzling white trail in their speedy wake.

    Eventually, Darcel and Ani were quickly approaching a dreadfully bleak ce.

    The duo spotted numerous gravestones from a meter ahead, all in varying colors, designs, and shapes. At their distance, neither Darcel and Ani could tell the end to long rows of gravestones.

    Although, oddly enough, it appears as the Darkness of the Necropolis Woods had considerably lessened here.

    "So, we got led here!" Ani eximed once, identifying this ce as the mysterious Demesne Grave.

    She and Darcel saw various precise, urate drawings of this ce, leading them to connect the dots.

    Ani had then cut off her telekinesis glow, stopping themselves just outside the Demesne Grave.

    Indeed, even while just being outside of the ce, Darcel and Ani couldn''t help but feel a slightly mncholy feeling drift throughout this site.

    As well the duo felt their calling of their souls became stronger. Darcel did a quick pre-survey of the ce whilementing, "Certainly has the right atmosphere of a haunting mysterious ce.oh? You surely feel that too?"

    To what Darcel was asking Ani wasn''t their soul calling but the abundance of powerful resources aura permitting the air. Once spreading his Spirit Senses in this ce, it was the first immediate thing Darcel picked up on.

    "Mnh! It looks like we''re going to score a double jackpot here!" Ani shed a broad sweet smile while spreading her Spirit Senses around.

    Although there appeared to be only graves everywhere on the surface, from what lies underneath is what got Darcel and Ani''s attention.

    Stepping into the Demesne Grave, Darcel and Ani only took a few steps before their heads immediately jolted to one specific grave.

    This gravestone was at medium height, entirely green in color, and carried exotic markings Darcel and Ani couldn''t understand.

    In front of the grave was this odd-looking man. He wore suspicious shabby looking brown clothes, including a long brown trench coat that covered his body up until his neck.

    This man stood like a statue, his eyes never leaving the green gravestone. Moreover, this man aura was far more unfathomable and profoundpared to the Quicksilver Roc boys.

    Darcel and Ani sensed this man to be at the fifthyer link of the True Soul Core realm!

    But it wasn''t he or the strange design of the gravestone that drew Darcel and Ani''s attention.

    Their souls now violently trembled, frantically telling them to go straight over there.

    And even just putting their Spirit Sense under the gravestone, Darcel and Ani could tell something extraordinary brewing under there.

    With ignited passionate mes in her eyes, Ani had then said,

    "We must go over and check this out!" She didn''t even put the strange-looking man in her eyes.

    Ani only found the man to be a decent amount stronger than Quicksilver Roc boys but not of a massive gap.

    "Just be prepared for any mishaps. Things could quickly be a bit troublesome." Darcel cautiously told, but his mind was as well still made up about going to this grave.

    Promptly the duo walked over to this grave, and as they got closer, the strange-looking man paid Darcel and Ani no attention.

    Still, in order to not surprise the man, Ani politely called out to him, saying,

    "Excuse me."

    It was then the man''s attention was pulled from the grave for a split second. But when he saw the two kids that did it, an apparent annoyance expression filled his face.

 Chapter 71: Grave Hand

    Chapter 71: Grave Hand

    "Tch."

    The strange man only snorted in Darcel and Ani''s direction for their temporary distraction.

    After all, from what he could sense, it was only two pitiful kids in the fifth level of the Nascent Core realm.

    Darcel and Ani, however, didn''t bother with the man''s disrespectful attitude. They simply ignored it and unhesitatingly kept on walking up to the grave, getting dangerously close to the gravestone.

    As Darcel and Ani got closer to the gravestone, the intenser their soul continues to stir. Both of their eyes focused squarely on this exotic looking gravestone like they never have seen anything like it.

    For a second, Darcel and Ani suddenly stop.

    A very faint vague trace of a familiar essence was gracing their minds. And yet at such close distance now, neither can remember just where or why this familiarity was appearing.

    "Hmm?"

    As Darcel and Ani were only a couple of feet beside him, the strange man couldn''t help but notice this peculiar state of the duo.

    But quickly, even more disdain hazed his eyes, still only believing these kids are merely fooling around.

    Of course, Darcel and Ani didn''t notice the look of continued disdain.

    The unusual markings of this green gravestone pulled all of their attention. Their eyes stared unblinkingly as if trying to piece together the meaning.

    Yet, neither Darcel nor Ani could or would be able to understand no matter how much focus they put it.

    This confusion and allure only pulled Darcel and Ani interest more, barring their souls'' intense calling.

    After a couple of seconds, Darcel and Ani continued their slow, methodical steps towards the green gravestone.

    With every single step taken, the maic tingling sensation from their souls spewed and smoothly course through their bodies like running water.

    Only mere inches apart from the gravestone, Darcel and Ani stopped once again.

    Neither of the two spoke a single word. And abruptly, then Ani was struck with a strongpulsion.

    Almost akin to an emotionless human-machine, Ani began lifting her hand to touch the green gravestone.

    Although, immediately when attempting this, the strange man had finally grown tired of these ridiculous shenanigans.

    "Hey, brats." The strange man began talking, and slowly he surged his fifthyer link True Soul Core aura.

    His initial goal was to scare these annoyances off until he abruptly became entirely still.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t even register the strange man''s words. But they too abruptly became rigidly frozen in ce.

    At the same time, all three were frozen by an overwhelming unfathomable presence of power.

    Though Darcel, Ani, and the man''s body didn''t move, their eyes did dart directly at the ground just before the gravestone. The dirt was eerily moving like there was someone or something down there.

    And then.a bright green glow enriched the dirt!

    ''Chi!''

    Under the widening of three humans'' eyes, a bright green silverish hand popped right out of the ground! The hand was directly in front of the gravestone, generating a haunting curse imagery.

    However, neither the man, Darcel, or Ani had any time to get chills from the haunting scene.

    Right when the hand ominously popped up from the ground, so did a tremendous influx of power burst throughout the whole Demesne Grave!

    "This." The man breathed out as he swiftly jumped back under this abrupt influx of power.

    Darcel and Ani as well quickly jumped back, finding the situation growing, especially odd.

    Admittedly though, this eerie green silverish hand carried a maic allure. Darcel, Ani, and the strange man couldn''t actually take their eyes off the hand once it appeared.

    However, before anyone of three could attempt to move or even talk, a piercing green shine refracted deeply into their eyes. They witnessed a bright, enchanting green glow intensely swirl at three of the green hand fingertips.

    Puzzlement epasses Darcel, Ani, and the strange man''s faces.

    Truthfully, the sudden influx of power wasn''t enough to scare anyone of them. The trio sensed the power to be equated somewhere around the True Soul Core realm.

    It''s why only curiosity and questions ster their faces instead of feeling any real danger.

    And yet, while staring into the soul capturing bright green glow, the hand abruptly sted out three streams of green energy from its fingertips!

    "Wha?!" Darcel, Ani, and the strange man all utter yelps of shock.

    None of them couldn''t react to the hand''s green energy streams, and they were all quickly wrapped up in this strange energy.

    "Ah! What is this?!"

    The strange man shouted as immediately he, Darcel, and Ani all felt intense scorching pain fiercely course throughout their bodies.

    For the strange man, specifically for all of his higher prowess, this scorching pain was excruciating unbearable.

    In this situation, the only logical option was to erupt their Qi and escape this entrapment.

    Darcel snorted a bit and attempted to will his Nascent Qi. Only for his pupil to dte upon trying to do so.

    "The hell.are really that unlucky that we''re under a suppression trap?"

    A grave tone slithered out Darcel as he, Ani, and the strange man all quickly realized their Qi was entirely suppressed!

    "Ok.let''s be calm here! At least this burning pain isn''t so bad."

    Ani did manage to say since really, the pain wasn''tpletely unbearable to the point of it being torture. Darcel, too was inclined to agree with Ani, though they both swiftly realized why.

    Their powerful, mysterious souls were continually wriggling about, surprisingly providing Darcel and Ani''s bodies with enough power to barely resist the burn.

    Only the strange man couldn''t believe her words and thought Ani was putting a tough front. After all, something he, a fifthyer link True Soul Core has trouble resisting surely would be fatal to Nascent Core youths.

    And it was then, a slight realization hit the strange man.

    His eyes briefly nce over to Darcel and Ani in a slight shock. Just.how the hell were they surviving this pain?!

    These kids, ever since they first appeared, are this odd, strange anomaly.

    But for now, the strange man had no time to focus on these kids. Wanting to escape as soon as possible, the strange man at least tried to move backward.

    Only to immediately mutter a silent curse under his breath when it was quite literally impossible to move back.

    Darcel and Ani as well realize this little problem by their failure to walk backward.

    Going back was out of the options; none of them could even turn sideways as well. Which left the three with only one choice.

    That is to take whatever this mysterious hand was head-on!

    Otherwise, without ess to their Qi, they would ultimately be sitting ducks here for god know how long.

    Gritting his teeth, forcing down the scorching unbearable pain, the strange man''s eyes haze in a determined glint.

    He didn''t think much woulde of it at first, but immediately the man was surprised when he could actually lift his leg forward!

    And right then, the man''s eyes burst further open like two saucers.

    What apanied this single step of movement was the horrifying sensation of mind-breaking burning pain! Whatever course through him frantically torched his organs, bloodstreams, and bones at an excruciatingly slow rate.

    Because of the man''s powerful True Soul Core body, of course, having his inside burn wouldn''t be enough to kill him.

    But that doesn''t mean the pain still wasn''t torture like!

    Hastily the man savagely bit down his teeth, nearly shattering a row of them.

    In all of his concertation, the man willed a tiny portion of his soul to see it could affect this hellish situation he was unfortunately wrapped into.

    One of the primary and most crucial aspects of the True Soul Core realm, as the name already implies, is to extensively train and develop one''s soul.

    This was the starting foundation that''llter y a significant role in future realms and cultivation levels.

    However, even in all the agonizing efforts of the strange man, he could only just barely put his foot down under this torturous pain. Using his soul powers was pathetically negligible.

    Observing the man''s struggle got Darcel and Ani to gain the same idea. Although with them, they haven''t had any training with their souls, unlike the strange man.

    But also, just unlike the man, Darcel and Ani could at least mobilize a tiny portion of their souls'' powers, even beginning at the Qi Foundation Realm.

    In a literal sense, the knowledge of using this power was engraved into them ever since birth.

    At the same time, Darcel and Ani lifted their foot and then raised their eyebrows.

    "This.this isn''t too bad? At least not too bad in it being too much pain." Ani lightlymented though her face was still focused.

    "Let''s just take it slowly at first." Darcel calmly said while still bearing the brunt of raging burning pain.

    From Darcel and Ani''s side, the strange man watched in disbelieving awe as the duo finally got moving.

    For the first five steps, Darcel and Ani truly did take it slow and easy. The suppression didn''t make it that hard to move their bodies, being the only thing ease about this situation.

    Though the scorching pain was still ever-present, at least there was some sort of light Darcel, and Ani could see now. At their distance, they had only jumped back a few meters from the green ming hand.

    And inspired with a newfound confidence Darcel and Ani were ready to keep on moving.

    That is until they both heard a crazed and demanding voice shout from behind them,

    "Im-impossible!! Ju-just wha-what are you two damn brats?!" The strange man struggles to utter out under intense, fiery pain.

    This just had to be a trick!

    No way two Nascent Core juniors could possibly surpass him, a mighty True Soul Core warrior!

    Darcel and Ani, however, merely took a slight nce behind them. No matter the pain she felt, Ani offered a pleasant but seemingly mocking smile.

    "Us? Just two brats at the Nascent Core realm~."

    With those simple yet underlying words utter, the duo had then turned their attention back on the green ming hand. Truthfully, they had zero reasons to care about some weird man disbelief delusions.

    Though hearing Ani''s answer made something inside, the strange man snap a little. Practically speaking, it really was all of their faults that he was put into this grueling situation!

    "Heh.al-alright. Le-let truly sees then." The strange man silently utters under his breath.

    He couldn''t ept this bizarre reality transpiring in front of him. And he sure as hell wouldn''t simply roll over and die here!

    Inside the strange man, his soul was violently churning. Throughout the strange man body, frantic, wild surges of power spewed providing him a much higher resistance to the pain though at a severe cost.

    This process, the strange man was undergoing, is the dangerous risk of overtaxing his soul. If failure were to ur, the strange man could very well blow up in a horrifying mid mist explosion.

    Althoughpared to the Yoderine True Soul Core youths Darcel and Ani had encountered previously. This strange man obviously had far more experience utilizing his soul.

    Quickly some of the burning pain of the strange man gruel through lifted up.

    Just one small error could be the fatal end for him now.

    But under this highly unstable state of his body, the strange man began hurriedly walking!

    "Eh?" Ani mouthed a short breath of mild shock once seeing the man abruptly walk at a faster pace than her and Darcel.

    Although Darcel instead had a disdain smirk seeing the man get ahead of himself.

    Swiftly the strange man crossed a couple of meters between the green gravestone, stopping just several feet from it.

    Without even fully turning around, the man managed to say,

    "No matter what, you freaks can''t live up to his." Now the strange man''s voice sounded clear and even held a hint of awe-inspiring power.

    Though the man was struggling to keep to this over-taxation of his soul, he was able to clear up even more of the scorching pain.

    Without waiting for a response from Darcel and Ani, the man carefully continued his trek.

    While walking up here, the man did try to go back only to once again find it impossible. Meaning this green ming hand will all the answers he needs!

    However, once he got merely a few inches near the green ming hand,

    "GAHH?!?"

    The strange man abruptly copsed right to his knees! Overwhelming pain, dominating suppression crushed his body like several tons of mountains.

    Even under his soul state, whatever energy that flowed in his body had just dramatically shot up to ridiculous degrees. Moreover, the strange man felt the slipping of his life as his soul became unbearably frantic.

    From behind, Darcel and Ani curiously watched on.

    That is as they obverse wisps of green mes suddenly continuously spew from the strange man. It was as if the green mes were revving up and then,

    "AHHHHH!!!"

    Blood-curdling shrieks echoed from the strange man as his body erupted in brilliant, beautiful green mes! To his body, Spirit Sense, and soul, the man felt everything get scorched under the intensity of the zing sun.

    His dying shrieks of pain onlysted about a few seconds.

    Darcel and Ani watched as the man was incinerated to mere green ashes on the ground with slight weariness.

    Neither Darcel nor Ani dared to move then. After witnessing such horrifying events, they couldn''t help but worry about their own lives if they approach those spots.

    But, just like the strange man found it, going back was utterly impossible at this point.

    "What happened to him. couldn''t possibly happen to us! We were quite literally called here!" Ani reminded herself and Darcel with rising confidence.

    Feeling inspired by Ani, Darcel confidently nodded, reaffirming with, "It would make no sense for our souls to call us to somece to get killed. Let''s go, Ani!"

    Both Darcel and Ani gathered their courage. Cautiously and slowly, the duo walked towards the same spot; the strange man was incinerated.

    Each step, the familiar sensations in their souls got stronger, but their weariness didn''t lessen in the slightest.

    And with one final step, Darcel and Ani walked right into the same spot of the ashes of the strange man.

 Chapter 72: Risky Move

    Chapter 72: Risky Move

    Immediately both Darcel and Ani expected pain, mes, and suppression to try and overwhelm their bodies. Their teeth clenched in chilling anticipation for anything toe.

    Only.they soon realized nothing dide to them.

    For a couple of seconds, the duo waited, and still, nothing happened. Stealing a nce towards each other, Darcel and Ani nevertheless didn''t drop their guard.

    But right then, a bright, piercing silver shine shed in Darcel and Ani''s eyes.

    The shine forced the two to squint their eyes, but on the ming silverish green hand, they saw that the silver glow came from the center of its palm.

    Incredible surges of powers suddenly permeated in the air. The silver glow grew intenser by the nanosecond forcing the duo to now shut their eyes altogether.

    And at the peak of this bright silver glow,

    ''Chi!''

    A blinding luminous silver sh burst out for miles in the Demesne Grave!

    Nobody else was in Darcel and Ani''s general vicinity, leaving the blinding silver sh to transpire without any eyes watching.

    Once the silver sh died down, Darcel and Ani were nowhere to be seen.

    Quickly then, the Demesne Grave fell into its usual ominously dreary silence.

    But soon, this grave will be prone to swelling action once again.

    .

    Pain, intense scorching agony, assaulted Darcel and Ani''s body and Spirit Sense.

    Their eyes burst open to the size of saucers at this rapid abrupt change of pace.

    However, what greeted Darcel and Ani''s vision was bright dazzling green mes. These raging green mes chaotically swirled about whatever room they were transported to. It was akin to a fiery storm.

    Though, oddly enough, at first nce, Darcel and Ani found these green mes to look simr to Fire they once witnessed before.

    But they pushed down such small thoughts for now and promptly tried to see if they could surge their bloodlines powers.

    Darcel grit his teeth barrelling through the excruciating sizzling pain, and forcefully touched upon a different source of power that wasn''t from his soul.

    His eyes shed in realization once sensing he could now mobilize his Nascent Qi and use his bloodline powers!

    Ani as well gained a determined light in her eyes once sensing her Nascent Qi wasn''t suppressed that much now.

    In a nanosecond, she musters as much bloodline powers she could manage now, enriching her body in a white essence.

    A beautiful bright white glow aura wrapped around Ani''s body, alleviating a small portion of her scorching anguish.

    Darcel had managed to form a mesmerizing Darkness glow aura, simrly alleviating a bit of the pain.

    "Fuu." A small sigh escaped both Darcel and Ani''s mouths.

    Truthfully only two seconds passed since they were teleported to this ming room. But in those two seconds, they both felt as if they would genuinely be burnt to a crisp!

    The level of pain they were dealing with now wasn''t precisely tolerable, but Darcel and Ani weren''t particrly unfamiliar with facing a challenge.

    Suddenly then, the duo sharply snapped their heads up.

    Once somewhat dealing with the pain, they felt their soul get even more intense in its swirling. In fact, during the whole two seconds of tortuous agony, their soul had never stop writhing about.

    "Ah-ah is-is that it?" Ani barely managed to pant out.

    Her eyes were enraptured by two beautiful objects floating at the center of this room.

    Darcel didn''t say anything for a moment; his eyes were too engrossed at the same things.

    The two beautiful objects that stole the duo''s attention were two luxurious scimitars.

    These scimitars were an elegant mix of bright green and a hint of gorgeous silver hue. Several unique, exotic-looking patterns danced on the de part of the scimitars, further adding to its distinguished excellence.

    And yet, the biggest striking quality about these scimitars was the unfathomable aura they naturally exuded. The aura was majestic and breathtaking akin toing across the beautiful mes of a phoenix.

    Just being in the vicinity of these scimitars, anyone would feel the mighty power brewing deep inside these des.

    "Ear-Earthen Spirit Weapons." Darcel breathed out in slight awe.

    From even before the ck Dungeon Labyrinth, neither Darcel nor Ani decided to change from their Mortal Spirit rapier weapon.

    They had just never found it necessary, plus their rapier worked well enough with also fighting above their realm.

    But during their training with Vice Principal Zelle, she had taught them about the advantages of Earthen Spirit Weapons and pushed them to get one.

    Earthen Spirit Weapons were, of course, far stronger than Mortal Spirit ones, though they cost far more Qi to properly use.

    Darcel and Ani initially had ns to get one after cultivating, but the prospect of testing out their new might got their blood boiling to an unprecedented level.

    And in Darcel and Ani''s minds, they had juste to the conclusion that their slight weapon problems were no longer an issue.

    "Ju-just imagine what tier they''re in." Ani wonders out loud.

    Neither of the two could precisely identify what tier these Scimitars were.

    Only this breathtaking aura probably matched even high tier Earthen Spirit Weapons they encountered around Zakira Academy!

    "Fi-first, these mes."

    Before they could attempt to get close to those magnificent scimitars, Darcel knew these green mes had to go!

    He didn''t even want to try moving, knowing their pain would probably only intensify.

    For a few seconds, Darcel and Ani''s faces scrunched up.

    They racked their brains on how to deal with these mes, but nothing seemed obvious.

    Most of their power was poured into defending, and even then, it would be unwise to st out attacks against raging green mes.

    ''If only we could.!'' Right then, a trail of thought shock through Darcel''s mind.

    His head quickly snapped towards Ani, who at the same time snapped her head towards in simr realization.

    "Absorption!"

    Both Darcel and Ani simultaneously shouted in zealous excitement.

    Looking towards Ani, Darcel found it a bit amusing she was holding a pained smile uponing at this realization.

    Although Darcel was sure, he himself had a simrly excited smirk in what they were going to attempt next.

    It was way, way back when they had first started their journey in this Province. But there was one critical moment that had saved their lives for their journey.

    Darcel and Ani had vividly recalled the time they had taken on Anne''s group and escaped the Wrathful n.

    That group had made the desperatest effort attempt to fry them both with their signature ck mes.

    Only that n had fruitlessly failed right in front of their faces. By just using a small portion of their souls, not only had Darcel and Ani absorb their ck mes. They also managed to fully gain the Element of Fire in their souls as if they had it since their conception stage.

    Compared to that situation, absorption now was highly risky.

    Darcel and Ani could tell how terrifying these green mes can be, just by going how that strange man was incinerated to mere ashes.

    However, they truly didn''t have any other options left. They wouldn''t be able to hold their protective aura forever, and once that''s gone, essentially, a slow, painful death awaits them.

    Although even during the absorption process, they could make one small fatal mistake and burst into a bloody mist!

    But out of these risks, if Darcel and Ani seeded, they would be able to rapidly advance in theirprehension of the element of Fire.

    Taking onest look at each other, both Darcel and Ani determinedly nodded.

    In just their eyes, the two can tell the unwavering amount of confidence they had in each other. And with rising courage, Darcel and Ani swiftly made up their minds!

    They had both then sprang open their right palms and closed their eyes.

    Instead of using Nascent Qi or their bloodline powers, Darcel and Ani directly touched upon their souls.

    Slowly and carefully, they willed their pure ck ming essence towards their palms.

    Darcel and Ani were patient, forming these ck mes. Using pure essence from their souls could result in a heinous deadly bacsh.

    Still, Darcel and Ani were quick to adapt and stay calm under this risky move.

    After ten seconds of pushing down the pain and diverting all of their attention in forming their pure ck mes, Darcel and Ani finally felt the breaking point.

    More focus than ever, on the palms of Darcel and Ani, ck Fire slowly began to appear, swirling in a circr motion.

    The ck mes were vague at first but quickly began to be pronounced within mere seconds.

    And after precisely ten more seconds, the duo swirled apleted pure essence ck ming ball!

    Opening their eyes, Darcel and Ani were a bit surprised at the current appearance of their mes.

    Seemingly, their ck mes looked more dazzling and luminous to gaze upon. The way their ck mes swirled was almost elegant in a way moving in a rhythmic pattern.

    But Darcel and Ani quickly shifted their attention from the appearances as now wasn''t the time.

    Carefully, Darcel and Ani recalled the exact same sensation and feelings when they had first used their souls to absorb the Wrathful n ck mes.

    The duo plunged deeply into their minds, vividly recalling every little detail down to the tiniest of specks.

    Seeing as they are far strongerpared to that time, Darcel and Ani didn''t have to rely on a risky lucky chance to control their souls to absorb.

    Simultaneously, Darcel and Ani sprang open their eyes and clenched their palms.

    Very steadily, a small wisp of sizzling green mes flows towards the duo.

    Darcel and Ani''s pure essence ck mes continually spewed a maic allure for the wisp of green me, pulling it in like a whirlpool.

    As soon as this small wisp of green mes touched Darcel and Ani''s pure essence ck ming ball, it immediately got sucked in with zero resistance!

    Right then, Darcel and Ani felt tremendous changes to their body, Spirit Sense, and soul!

    It didn''t matter which part of their being; everything was under intense scorching burns. This was even more intense than the green mes that surged around the whole room.

    Bearing this kind of pain was borderline torture. No sane youths Darcel and Ani age would ever want to survive this kind of power even if it meant a tremendous power boost.

    But for Darcel and Ani?

    They were warped ever since their grueling childhoods. Their eyes turned bloodshot, blood gushed from their mouths as they violently gnashed their teeth.

    In Darcel and Ani''s mind, a straightforward thought was repeated on verbatim.

    Never submit to any challenges!

    From their childhood kidnappings until now, it was never in Darcel and Ani''s style to let when something challenginge up roll all over them.

    No matter who it was in the Parasol Organization, they always kept a defiant but smart attitude.

    Others resist or go against the grain because of pride, egotism, or determined hard workers ready to make massive changes in their lives.

    And yet, Darcel and Ani always resist as their minds simply wouldn''t be at peace. There was something incredibly wrong Darcel, and Ani found in being weak and submissive and having a give up attitude.

    Darcel thought, perhaps it really was like Ani said.

    Maybe....maybe it really wasn''t in their blood to just stay confined. Maybe their bloodlines are genuinely pushing them to always have a defiant attitude.

    Though no matter what pre-development led to this train of thought, Darcel and Ani were sure right now they will not lose out to these green mes!

    And it was upon this thought Darcel and Ani became utterly still.

    Their eyes became unfocused, but their minds were bing increasingly sharp.

    The scorching sizzling pain in their souls, bodies, and Spirit Sense was still present, but none of that could affect their minds now.

    Mysterious andplex properties of the element Fire Darcel and Ani couldn''t understand before were now slowly bing less vague.

    Under the intense green mes, Darcel and Ani steadily fell into an Enlightenment trance.

 Chapter 73: Fruitful Deal

    Chapter 73: Fruitful Deal

    Usually, at the Demesne Grave entrance, just this vicinity would be eerily silent, creating an ominous dreadful vibe for all those thate near.

    However, there was now a group consisting of five confident youths and one indifferent young boy striding right in the Demesne Grave entrance.

    For the five confident, charming looking youths, they all wore matching clothes.

    Beautiful orange robes with the elegant design of the God Beast Roc donned their bodies, indicating they were all from the Quicksilver Roc sect!

    Moreover, these weren''t just your run of the mill average disciples.

    Every single one of the Quicksilver Roc youths stood proudly at the seventhyer link of the True Soul Core realm!

    This was most certainly a line up that could even be counted as unbeatable even for eighthyer link True Soul Core cultivators.

    And for the indifferent young boy, he wore odd-looking green robes that seemed a little bit big for his body. He was merely at the middleyer link levels of the True Soul Core realm.

    And yet, the green robe boy was leading the Quicksilver Roc youths in the Demesne Grave. Furthermore, not a single one in the Quicksilver Roc group had any misgivings about this boy leading them.

    At the forefront of the Quicksilver Roc group, one beautiful young girl walked there, being the apparent leader for their outing.

    She cast suspicious eyes towards the green robe boy saying, "I shouldn''t need to remind you but do take note. If this is a massive waste of our time, you''ll surely regret ever offering this deal."

    The girl''s tone was superior, cold as ice and daunting. Anyone weaker than her would understandably get frightened.

    However, the green robe boy simply kept his steady indifferent expression.

    It was as if that bold tone went right over his head. But the boy was quite aware of this girl''s suspicions and as well all the others'' doubts in the group.

    So with a slight turn, the boy offered a genuine, honest, confident smile and began to assure them.

    "I understand your concerns but fret not. After this, none of your rivals will ever get close to touching you ever again."

    The green robe boy stared unwaveringly into the leading girl''s eyes, his smiling expression never faltering. His bold tone smoothly slithered into all of the Quicksilver Roc youths'' ears as he continued on walking.

    "Hmph, we''ll just have to truly see it then." Begrudgingly, the leading girl snorted and nheless kept on following the green robe boy.

    And as well, the other Quicksilver Roc youths followed behind them.

    While they traversed the Demesne Grave, the Quicksilver Roc youths'' eyes were continually darting around this site.

    Numerous gravestones expanding on for miles were the biggest recurring thing they notice here.

    Moreover, there wasn''t a single gravestone even remotely simr to each other. Everyone spouted their own style, shape, and design.

    One of the boys in the group dawned a curious expression as he said out loud, "Man.before this whole fiasco with those Zakira rats, I don''t think many in our sect really explored these graves. At least, I never found any valuable information on this ce."

    One of the girls in the group put on a bemused expression. She quickly picked up, saying,

    "Hell! Not only this gravesite, I nearly forgot there exist two major powers in these woods! Though you Ravenous Void n people are far more reclusive than those Wrathful n people."

    "We.prefer a more quiet setting." Was all the Ravenous Void n boy said.

    Though the boy seemed a tad bit awkward in normal conversation, the Quicksilver Roc youths chose to ignore in favor of their deal.

    Suddenly, as a collective, everyone in the Quicksilver Roc group decided to spread out their Spirit Sense while following the green robe boy.

    However, upon doing so, everyone''s eyes burst into excited rays of light.

    Initially, they didn''t feel much for the Demesne Grave''s base presence, but after just a small search with their Spirit Sense, their whole perception of this ce drastically changed.

    Valuable and plentiful resources, unknown powerful treasure, it was all somewhere below each of these gravestones!

    The Quicksilver Roc youths had practically realized this ce was a hidden treasure cove!

    One of the cute girls in the group, just beside their leader, spoke up in a greedy tone.

    "Hey, now, why don''t we just start digging up this ce? We can sense lots, I mean lots of good stuff here!"

    "That would be highly unwise and dangerous. You have no idea of knowing, but these gravestones.they have surprises no one can lightly mess with. Besides, your greatest treasure awaits you here." The green robe boy swiftly shot down her suggestion and stopped just meters away from a unique green gravestone.

    If Darcel and Ani were here, they would be shocked.

    Where the Ravenous Void n boy led them to was the exact same green gravestone that not only killed the strange man but also teleported Darcel and Ani!

    But, of course, the Quicksilver Roc youths had no way of knowing this.

    Their eyes instead were enraptured by the unique, beautiful design that was etched upon this specific gravestone. Truly they never witness unusual markings like the ones upon this gravestone.

    However, what stood out the most was what under this gravestone. None of the Quicksilver Roc youths could identify what it was. Still, they were able to sense extraordinary things were brewing there.

    Nevertheless, before anyone in the Quicksilver Roc group could attempt anything, the leading girl put her hand up.

    She asked the green robe boy, "So? What''s your end of the deal has to do with this gravestone?"

    The green robe boy didn''t answer her. Instead, he simply pointed his finger up and formed a powerful ball of Spirit Qi at the tip of his finger.

    With a flick of his finger, the green robe boy flung the Spirit Qi ball at the gravestone.

    The Quicksilver Roc youths were understandably puzzled at this bizarre sudden action. That is until the Spirit Qi ball was just mere inches from the green gravestone.

    ''BANG!''

    Dissipated Spirit Qi burned into the air as a bright green ming hand spewed from out the ground and effortlessly destroyed the green robe boy Spirit Qi.

    "What the hell is that?" One of the boys in the Quicksilver Roc group asked out loud a question brewing in everyone''s mind.

    This hand seemed like something straight out of a children''s horror story.

    "This is one of the surprises these gravestones could have for you. If you want to gain entry under this grave, you''ll need to mobilize your soul to resist this ming hand and simply walk right up to it. You already have a soul chain link to me to know that I''m lying, so there should be no doubt."

    The green robe boy patiently exined to them.

    And as the leading girl opened her palm, there was a pure green chain there.

    The soul chain was a simple Mage tool mages used to see if one is lying or not. It''s amonly well-known item and never once failed anybody.

    Plus, the Quicksilver Roc youths also sensed this green ming hand aura. And yet, none of them felt any overwhelming or threatening auraing from it.

    The believability in the green robe boys had just gone a slight notch up then.

    "If it''s truly as you say, then I''ll go first."

    Since the leading girl held the strongest prowess out of all there, she unhesitatingly volunteered to go first. For a few moments, the girl went entirely still.

    The rest of the Quicksilver Roc youths watched, not speaking a word to not disturb the girl''s concentration.

    And after a few more seconds, a protective transparent aura swirled around the girl, enriching her body with soul powers.

    If it''s something like using a small portion of soul powers, any True Soul Core cultivator could do it. They would only need a little bit of time.

    Once gathering her small amount of soul powers, the leading girl began her moves.

    Separating her and the green gravestone was a few meters of distance.

    And as soon as the leading girl made one step on to this spot, the green ming hand shot out a dazzling green stream of energy at immense speeds!

    Not even the leading girl could react, and the green stream of energy tightly wrapped around her body.

    "Tch!"

    Immediate pain assaulted the girl''s senses, forcing her to leak out a grunt of pain.

    It was akin to a great scorching burn, but.it wasn''t anything unbearable for the leading girl. Compared to what Darcel and Ani experienced, the girl had far less pain running through her veins.

    "Haah .it''s nothing too unbearable. Just enough pain that''s tolerable if you''re courageous enough. Let''s go, guys!"

    Once hearing the ok from their leader. The rest of the Quicksilver Roc youths smirked and began touching upon their souls.

    After a few seconds, now all of the Quicksilver Roc youths were on the trek to go to the green ming hand. Green streams of energy wrapped them all up, but none of them as well found the pain to be unbearable.

    With a vast bout of confidence, the group of six began walking.

    For numerous steps, the Quicksilver Roc youths walked unhindered, carefully trekking towards the green ming hands.

    And right when they were getting dangerously close to the green ming hand, one of the Quicksilver Roc boys boldly proimed, "Heh! That dude was making it seem so ominous. This is no-Ah?!-AHH!!"

    "Ah?!-AHHH?!?"

    In a dramatic reversal of events, not only did the boy who boldly spoke out copse to his knees, so did everyone else copses to their knees in tremendous pain!

    The scorching mes burned their organs, bones, and bloodstreams, immediately wreaking insane havoc in their bodies. Furthermore, the Quicksilver Roc youths suddenly experienced an intense suppression upon their Spirit Qi, entirely immobilizing their bodies.

    From behind, none of the Quicksilver Roc youths could notice it, but the green robe boy''s eyes had now haze in a chilling bright blue glow. He didn''t move a muscle, yet his stare bore a hole into the youths'' backs.

    Although, in the Quicksilver Roc youths'' eyes, a familiar blue glow enriched their eyes!

    But unlike the Ravenous Void n boy, their blue glow was much lighter and didn''t offer any of the youths any increase in power.

    "Arghh!! Drawn on your sou-AHH!!!" The leading girl attempted to roar out while also riskily overdrawing on her soul, only to have further immense anguish rack her whole being.

    Hearing their leader blood curdling screams stopped everyone else from trying to overtax their souls. But even then, the torturous pain for them didn''t lessen in the slightest.

    In fact, it even got worse!

    And right then, amidst all of their unbearable agony, the Quicksilver Roc youths heard a spine chilling voice that hauntingly slithered into their ears.

    A voice that came from directly behind them.

    "So someone got lucky enough to get down there? Hmmm.you all can die now." The green robe boy indifferently said as if he was an executioner of death.

    And as he spoke, the green mes burning the Quicksilver Roc youths abruptly grew immensely bright!

    ''CHI!!''

    The whole group of seventhyer links cultivators abruptly burst into wild raging green mes!

    None of them even had a chance to scream out in agony before being quickly burnt to death.

    The green robe boy was soon left alone with nothing but a pile of green ashes on the ground. The boy kept this eerie nkest of stare as his mind went into contemtion.

    "With this.we need to get started right now."

 Chapter 74: Fire

    Chapter 74: Fire

    Under the green gravestone, the once-raging green ming room was now undergoing tremendous changes.

    Instead of green mes chaotically raging about the ce, the mes had now halted, falling into a calm, equalized state.

    Darcel and Ani stood still like statues. No longer were their faces warped in anguish; instead, their faces were serene and tranquil. Blood no longer flowed from their mouths and their eyes were closed shut.

    Upon their palms, Darcel and Ani''s pure essence ck ming ball was as well still steadily swirling in a rhythmic motion.

    Only this time, the motion of their ck ming ball was nearly hypnotic to gaze upon.

    Darcel and Ani obviously didn''t know how much time. It seemed like minutes, hours even all passed in a blink of the eye.

    But during this unknown amount of time, Darcel and Ani experienced significant and rapid advancement in the foundational properties of the element of Fire.

    Theirprehension reached a profound understanding of the foundational level, significantly paving the way for when the duo would touch upon the Concept of Fire Laws.

    Absorbing andbining two different Fire properties allowed for their sense of Enlightenment to take a step closer to the Law Concept Foundational level of Fire.

    Although Darcel and Ani Fire''sprehension was still deeply shallow and had a long way on this road.

    What they had recentlyprehended already put them above any other genius youths their age.

    And suddenly then, after all this time of stillness, Darcel and Ani slightly twitched their fingers.

    Once they reached a point where they could no longer enhance theirprehension of the element of Fire, the duo now wanted to test an experiment.

    Inside their souls, more profound, beautiful wisps of ck mes shimmered around like flowing water.

    Previously their ck mes would always have a more vague, less defined shape in their souls.

    Now, Darcel and Ani''s ck mes transformed to a point where it could stand tall on its own without getting overshadowed by their birth element.

    Upon thisplete transformation, Darcel and Ani were now mobilizing their profoundprehension of the element of Fire.

    The swirling pure essence ck ming balls in their palms started to speed up a bit in its rotation.

    While doing so, wisps of bright green mes began slowly floating towards their ck ming balls in an orderly fashion.

    As soon as the wisps of green mes touched a single bit of the duo''s pure essence ck ming ball, it smoothly got absorbed in without a trace of resistance.

    And upon Darcel and Ani''s face, no expression of pain could be seen at all!

    Instead, the foundation prowess of their ck mes steadily increased!

    The green mes that once rampaged through their entire beings now couldn''t barely affect them at all besides providing Darcel and Ani with a nice warm toasty feeling.

    Through their Enlightenment of Fire and reaching near the Law Concept Foundational level of Fire, Darcel and Ani''s soul and bodies gained a far higher resistance to any types of mes.

    And because their souls seemingly have the ability to absorb, the green mes Darcel and Ani took in increased the base power output of their ck Fire and the quality of their ck mes.

    Although the scorches of pain brought on by the green mes didn''tpletely go away. It was more than tolerable enough for Darcel and Ani to withstand.

    Initially, the green mes were slowly and steadily getting absorbed.

    But after realizing how little they were getting affected, Darcel and Ani rapidly speed up their absorption rate.

    The sizzling green mes were now getting vigorously sucked into Darcel and Ani''s ck ming balls like a drain.

    And during this entire time, Darcel and Ani''s ck mes didn''t change color, staying true to its natural Darkness.

    Although no outward appearances changed, it certainly didn''t mean inward changes weren''t happening.

    Like they had no limits, Darcel and Ani tremendously increased their ck mes'' power, making the ck Fire inside their souls grow even brighter.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyebrows suddenly quirked while absorbing the green mes.

    The rate at which these mes burn, some burning at a higher intensity, some burning at a lower intensity, created a remote connection in the duo''s mind.

    It was a steady and smooth chain of Fire that never once disrupts itself.

    The idea of Fire''s burning heat got imnted into Darcel and Ani''s mind like a small seed.

    But quickly, the duo diverted their attention back on absorbing.

    And after minutes passing, the once bright green ming room was now utterly empty, barring four presences there.

    Every wisp of green mes was mixed in quite nicely with Darcel and Ani''s ck Fire.

    At the same time, Darcel and Ani''s flung their eyes wide open.

    They stood still in their same position but deep within their pupils'' burning wisps of beautiful ck mes elegantly swirled there.

    And with a blink of Darcel and Ani''s eyes, their pupils returned to normal as if the wisps of ck mes were never in their eyes. The duo dispersed their pure essence ck ming ball and let their arms drop to their sides.

    Simultaneously Darcel and Ani''s heads snap towards each other.

    On both their faces, equal satisfied smiles graced their lips. Their souls may have called them here, but they had just achieved a tremendous hurdle all on their own!

    "Ahhh~! Even just standing here and talking, I can feel the warming but intense power of fire course all in my body! Darcy.our prowess probably just enter a whole new realm of craziness!" Ani passionately said with eyes bright like the sun.

    Seeing how beautiful and cute Ani gets when she is so excited made Darcel''s smile split even further wide.

    He casually walked closer to Ani, grabbing her warm, tender hands that sent toasty shockwaves in both of their bodies.

    "Mnh.you''re right. Even just touching you, ditzy girl, I can feel the warm heat radiating off your skin. But let''s not get overly excited yet. We still have one more reward to go."

    Ani couldn''t put her finger on why, but the way Darcel spoke now sounded more.alluring.

    It was like his voice exuded warming energy that smoothly slithered into her ears, making her whole brain rxed. She even temporarily forgot about those beautiful scimitars just floating feet away from them.

    "Hehehe~! If the Darcy of the Parasol Organization were to see the current Darcy, he would think you''re a total stranger! But thankfully for you, I adore this new uing side of you. Now then! Let''s im our new weapons!"

    As Ani lovingly squeezed his hand and pulled him towards the graceful scimitars, Darcel had also noticed some beautiful changes to Ani''s voice.

    It was a bit tricky to notice at first. But her ever present sweet voice now had a more irresistible enticement that admittedly was slowly igniting his passion of lust.

    Of course, as Darcel spends nearly every waking moment with Ani, he basically built immune to her hidden seductive allure.

    But Darcel was sure to anyone unfamiliar with her or just meeting her, their ears and mind would get slightly enraptured.

    Pushing these intriguing thoughts about Ani''s voice down, for now, Darcel had then turned his attention to beautiful scimitars.

    Still, even after all this time, these Earthen Spirit Weapons didn''t move.

    They kept their imposing graceful presence floating in midair. And even with all the green mes gone, the scimitars green ming coat still held its luminous luster.

    Darcel and Ani were only several feet apart from the des. Their eyes continually roamed around the scimitars, checking every inch of detail on there.

    "Fuuu~....so this is what our souls were crazily driving us towards? Not bad, not bad at all! Shall we get started, Darcy?"

    Ani was repeatedly nodding her head in approval while also still holding on to Darcel''s hand.

    As Ani was bringing it up, Darcel surged his Nascent Qi a bit.

    And in expectations, Darcel realized there was no more suppression on his Qi, allowing his powers'' free reigns.

    "Alright.but remember, be ready for anything. This grave is proving itself several times to be dangerously surprising." Darcel, while talking, also didn''t let go of Ani''s hand, now finding it too warm to let go.

    A sweet smile etched on Ani''s face as she always loves Darcel''s concern for her. She, too, began surging his Nascent Qi, getting her body in the most optimal state for any kind of attack.

    Hand in hand, the duo trekked closer to the green silver hue scimitars.

    And right when they were mere inches away from the des, Darcel and Ani abruptly stopped.

    A sudden familiar unfathomable sensation overtook their souls and course throughout their bodies.

    Darcel and Ani furrowed their eyebrows since it was as if they encountered this type of sensation before.

    And yet, their minds couldn''t pinpoint where or who made them feel this unfathomable sensation. Though for sure, Darcel and Ani guessed it had to be someone either inside Necrotic City or Zakira Academy.

    Getting over this sensation, Darcel and Ani refocus their attention on the beautiful green silverish hue scimitars.

    They swelled all of their courage inside them and reached out towards the scimitars.

    Neither Darcel nor Ani experienced any blocking force or overwhelming suppression of power at such a close distance.

    Their hands were allowed to go unhindered, and simultaneously they each both grabbed the handle of the scimitars.

    "Oh?!?"

    Immediately upon the first touch, Darcel and Ani lit surprise gasps as an influx of tremendous power attempted to overflow their bodies.

    The green, slight silver hue scimitars had now fully ignited in a bright silver radiance!

    But right when the massive influx of power transpired to them, Darcel and Ani''s soul intensely writhed.

    The duo had no way of knowing how, but a faint silver light lit up in the deepest region of their souls, coursing their bodies in a warm sensation.

    Their soul writhing, and the strange sensation caused the tremendous influx of power to immediately calm before anything could even happen to Darcel and Ani.

    Darcel and Ani couldn''t even process what just transpired. Only on instinct, they tightly clenched on to the scimitars handle.

    Upon doing so, the duo felt entirely enriched!

    Darcel and Ani became utterly still, but inside they felt a holy presence purified their bodies as if undergoing a baptism.

    A bright silver glow wrapped the whole of their eyes, and the duo also felt movement from their bloodlines.

    Throughout this whole time, their mysteriously powerful bloodline didn''t react to anything at all. But under current enrichment, their bloodlines smoothly swirled as if epting a gift brought to them.

    A few seconds passed under this enriched blessed state.

    And once passing, Darcel and Ani''s eyes return to normal, and they slowly return to reality.

    Now Darcel and Ani entirely took the des in their hands, feeling iparably warm while casually wielding it.

    Contrary to expectations, the duo found these scimitars were nearly weightless, even more so than their Mortal Spirit purple rapiers.

    Darcel and Ani traded a look with each other, both seeing faint traces of power run through their eyes. Just holding these scimitars, the duo felt as if they gained another massive power boost!

    "Two times in one day, we stumble upon greatness! And since there''s nothing else here, Darcy, you know how we should leave?"

    While talking, Ani''s eyes were suggestively moving towards the green silverish ceiling.

    Darcel''s eyes took one look over the room. And indeed, there really was nothing left here. In fact, after taking the scimitars for their own, the colors in this space seemed to dull a bit.

    Nodding at Ani, Darcel had then told her, "Up and straight through the ceiling. Hmmm.let my try a little test run." Darcel had then pointed his scimitar up while talking.

    Fully wielding this de, Darcel felt like he was wielding holy power itself. He surged a bit of Nascent Qi and at the tip of his scimitar, a small ck ming ball instantly formed.

    Swiftly, Darcel sted the small ck ming ball towards the ceiling, reaching breakneck speeds.

    ''BANG!''

    Effortlessly Darcel sted the ceiling open, revealing the Darkness of the dreary Demesne Grave.

    Ani''s eyes sparkled seeing how cleanly Darcel''s power was, but before she couldment, she and Darcel abruptly went rigid.

 Chapter 75: Domination

    Chapter 75: Domination

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes quickly shuffled to the right side of the grave room. They didn''t need to speak to each other, and at the same time, they both rushed to a blind hiding spot in the room.

    At this position, whoever would look down from the hole would not be able to see them unless they go in the hole.

    But the duo didn''t just stop at hiding out of views ways.

    Darcel and Ani shed their scimitars into their spatial ring and surged their Nascent Qi in a precise way.

    Their usual alluring presence was significantly toned down as if they were making themselves invisible!

    During their training with Vice Principal Zelle, she had also taught them the skill of masking their presence and aura.

    Darcel and Ani were still at a rudimentary stage of this skill, but it was enough to hide from people at the same prowess as them.

    And right when Darcel and Ani masked their presence, they both heard a rough man voice boom into the grave room.

    "Now, do you see! More than ever, I can say everything about this ce is a terrible omen. Someone or something is literally trying to fry us from under the ground!"

    Ani had promptly suggestively turned her head towards Darcel, all while spouting a teasing grin. That grin already exined to Darcel all that she wanted to say.

    And right then, the duo heard another man''s rough voice.

    "Look quite worrying already, would you. They already told us this gravestone would act weird once we got close. Besides, it''s not like we have any other options but to go down here. After we do go down here, at least we can finally start crushing those Zakira rats and Quicksilver rats for good."

    Darcel and Ani quirked their eyebrows up. They now had genuine curiosity over these mysterious explorers.

    After all, to so boldly say they can crush two top-level organizations simultaneously isn''t words anyone can throw around lightly.

    "Haah.right. That horrid thing doesn''t let anyone off.huh? Uhh.hey, I think we''re toote." The first man had peered down, the man-made whole, shock and weary filling his face.

    "What are you-What?! Damn! They said it was ectosm mes of the highest order down here, and yet someone not only got rid of it, but they also took those supposed great weapons!"

    The second man joined in to peer down the hole, his face also in disbelief shock.

    Both of these men held an older middle age appearance. Their clothes consisted of bright, unique-looking green robes, indicating they were from the Ravenous Void n.

    Upon seeing the objects they were supposed to retrieve missing, both men spread out their Spirit Sense in the dulling green room.

    And in no time at all, both men eyebrows furrowed, sensing something odd that they couldn''t precisely identify.

    "Even if there''s nothing down here, we''re still checking this out. I know you also sense something strange down here." The second man stated with utmost assurance.

    The first man helplessly nodded, but he didn''t have many worries about going down.

    After all, he and his partner were both fifthyer link True Soul cultivators! It''ll be hard for even a seventhyer link cultivator to take them down.

    The hole that was made was considerablyrge, allowing for the two men to smoothly jump down.

    They were about a couple of meters from hitting the ground. And right then, both men abruptly sense a tremendous sensation of impending crisis!

    They only had a nanosecond to turn to their right, ignite their hands in bright green mes, and hastily spewed out a green ming shield.

    Just before they shed, the two men could barely spot two bright green des attacking them.

    ''BANG!''

    Overwhelming power shocked and overwhelmed the two green robe men as they violently sted right into the dull green wall.

    Dull green stones flew out from their crash, and the wall behind them cracked like spiderwebs.

    The two green robe men manage tond back on their feet, though their faces were warped with pain.

    Just this one impact caused their backs to be sore, and in their right hand and arms, intense scorching burning pain wreaked havoc.

    For a split moment, Darcel and Ani were a bit surprised seeing their surprise attack be so powerful. They did fully unleashed their bloodline state, but they were currently up against powerful fifthyer link True Soul Core cultivators!

    Just in their previous fight, they evenly matched with thirdyer link cultivators even at full power.

    And yet now....Darcel lightly smirked since Ani was really right about their insane prowess.

    However, this little revtion didn''t slow down Darcel and Ani.

    They dived down with lightning-like speeds to hover just above the two men as theynded back on their feet.

    Quite literally, Darcel and Ani surpassed the green robe men''s reaction times; they weren''t even ncing up at them yet.

    And Ani used this prime opportunity to enrich her bloodline arm in a blinding white glow!

    The green robe men were just in the middle of picking up their heads.

    When abruptly then, even more, incredible surges of power shed against their bodies, and a bright white glow clouded their visions.

    ''Chi!''

    "Ahh!"

    Both green robe men squealed out surprise yelps as an intense white shbang blinded their whole vision!

    Along with the shbang, both green robe men also felt entirely stunned, leaving their bodies utterly vulnerable for a single second.

    A single second Darcel so graciously used to his advantage.

    Instantly two of his fingers ignited in a pure, beautiful deep Darkness glow.

    With a flick of his fingers, Darcel had then sted two streams of heavily concentrated Darkness energy directly into the green robe men head.

    "Guah?! Wha-Wha?!"

    An assortment of emotionsced the green robe men''s voices as Darcel Darkness threw their minds into total chaos.

    Joy, sorrow, rage, and lust all chaotically shed against each other.

    The green robe men''s faces contorted into a variety of expressions, trying to fight off whatever was causing chaos in their minds.

    During this moment, both green robe men felt their Spirit Qi be disturbed and unorder.

    In this fatalpse of concentration, Darcel and Ani alreadynded right near the green robe men.

    With swift and precise movement, Darcel and Ani swiped their bright green scimitars straight towards the men''s chests.

    On instinct, both men felt the impending looming threat of death hurdle towards them like a thunderous storm.

    Hastily and in pure rage, their bodies moved on their own. They punched out towards the duo''s scimitars, using only a small portion of their Spirit Qi in their fists.

    Green, bright scimitars shed against fleshy fists, and immediately there wasn''t even a contest of strength between the two.

    ''BANG!''

    "GAAAHH!!"

    Both green robe men unleashed blood-curdling screams as they were violently flung back into the wall, making an even deeper dent in it.

    Fresh blood spewed in the air staining the now dull green walls.

    The men felt their hands got torn, zing shreds, their pure bloody flesh was open to all to see in a horrifying sight.

    Plus, the men also felt multiple bones in their arms cracked and the scorching pain razing their arms only grew intenser!

    Furthermore, from the men''s backs and frantically coursing throughout all of their bodies were immense suppression brought about by Darcel and Ani''s powerful ck mes!

    However, when the men crashed into the wall, Darcel and Ani didn''t allow any breathing room.

    In their state of significant suppression, the green robe men were utterly helpless as Darcel and Ani got near again.

    Swiftly, Darcel and Ani plunged their scimitars deep into the right side of the green robe men''s chest, causing further fresh, bright red blood to spray out in the dull green room.

    Along with puncturing them, the duo didn''t let up. They simultaneously unleashed raging, powerful ck mes throughout all of the green robe men''s bodies.

    "GAAH!! YOU?!?" Both green robe men''s voices were hoarse and wracked with tremendous pain.

    Yet their eyes couldn''t believe just who was attacking them.

    Their bodies were now entirely immobilized under the duo''s powerful ck mes suppression. They were forced to helplessly stare directly into two youths'' deep ck eyes.

    Not only was it just two mere juniors, it was two juniors from the Zakira Academy!

    Moreover, these juniors were only at the fifth level of the Nascent Core realm?!

    Nothing about this made any lick of sense!

    "Well, well, well. So since you two have prime Zakira rats in front of your faces, what are you going to do now?"

    As Ani spoke, a wide cruel smile etched on her face, already knowing how the green robe men would respond.

    And, of course, neither of the green robe men could attempt anything.

    Their minds were still in a chaotic maddening state, and their Spirit Qi was utterly suppressed by the duo''s powerful ck mes.

    The green robe men found this situation deranged. Just too insane and infuriating!

    A wild savage glint appeared into the eyes of green robe men Ani was holding up. His mind snapped as a big mocking smile suddenly etched on his face.

    "He-heh, we-we can''t do-anythin-bu-but-do you thin-think you won?!?"

    A faint blue glow tint immediately appeared in the green robe men''s eyes once the first men finished talking.

    "Hmph!" However, both Darcel and Ani merely snorted.

    Right when they felt the first wave of the men''s incredible surge of power, Darcel and Ani savagely twisted their scimitars, causing further blood to spray. They had unleashed even greater mes in the men''s bodies.

    "AH-AH?!! You-You!!"

    Both men roared with curses as their transformation of power was abruptly stopped.

    Darcel and Ani, however, ignored their rage and recalled a particr process from the past.

    This process, much like everything in the Parasol Organization, was quite a cruel one. It was what most would call even a fate worse than death, and the duo vividly remembers the process done for it.

    From Darcel''s scimitar, he unleashed several pure Darkness tendrils inside the man''s body. He dug his Darkness tendrils deep into man''s veins.

    Instantly Darcel''s Darkness traversed to the man''s soul, and Darcel''s eyes hazed in a savage light.

    Frantically swirling around the man''s soul as if it wanted to crush Darcel''s ck mes was a different source of massive energy that resembled a human lifeform.

    Quickly, Darcel''s Darkness tendrilstched on to this energy source, tightly holding it in ce. The energy source frantically squirmed, trying to break free, but Darcel''s Darkness tendrils kept an irond grip.

    In the other man''s body, Ani unleashed light beam like tendrils thattched on to a simr energy source that resembled a human-like figure.

    The energy source attempted to fruitlessly squirm to no avail of escaping Ani''s grip.

    However, on the outside, both of the green robe men''s eyes still lit up in an entirely bright blue glow. And yet, there was no vast explosion or force of a massive increase in power.

    Without any fear on the green robe men face, they chilling stare into Darcel and Ani''s eyes.

    "Ju-just how did you brats manage to stop us?!" The man Darcel held onto threateningly demanded.

    Darcel, nevertheless, merely smirks at the man, not finding him any threat at all.

    "You know, what I sense from you two. it''s eerily simr to those Quicksilver gnats we crushed a while ago."

    "I would go even further than that, Darcel! I can now link both those Quicksilver bugs, and these two are quite simr to that ghost you quickly crushed. Perhaps.they are ghosts?" Ani quickly added on, wearing an inquisitive expression.

    The man Ani held up only snorted disdainfully. "Heh, so what you figured out we''re ghosts? What good would this knowledge do you?"

    "Ravenous Void n!"

    Ani abruptly spoke up in an entirely confident tone. And for a second, both men became silent, their faces faltering under Ani''s words.

    Seeing this reaction, Ani wildly smiled.

    "Hoh! Vice Principal Zelle mentioned this ce a few times saying they''re not really mysterious. Still, they wore bright green robes and could seeminglymunicate with ghost spirits. How lucky for us to encounter not only but two possess humans!"

    "Yo-you.what do you n on doing." The man Darcel was holding up asked as this situation was taking an odd turn.

    "Hmmm.maybe Ani and I will take a trip down to this n." Darcel inly stated without a hint of joking in his voice.

    And yet, both green robe men''s faces contorted into a mocking expression.

    "He-Heh! What can you two brats do against a whole n! In fact, I really want to see you two try to sessfully escape these Woods with your lives tonight!"

    Feeling a slight foreboding feeling, Darcel didn''t let this bother as he then told the men, "No matter if we live or die here.you two won''t be here to live it!"

    "AHHH!!!"

    Blood-curdling screams now echoed from the ghosts as both Darcel and Ani unleashed ck mes upon the gripped energy source in the green robe men''s souls.

    Quickly the light left the men''s eyes, experiencing a short yet excruciating death.

 Chapter 76: Ghastly Revelations

    Chapter 76: Ghastly Revtions

    Darcel and Ani pulled their bright green scimitars out of the corpses of the green robe men. Slowly their bodies slumped down the wall, leaving a blood trail in their wake.

    Darcel and Ani only indifferently looked on at the men''s corpses and had then deactivated their bloodline state.

    Upon doing so, however, Darcel and Ani went entirely rigid.

    Now that adrenaline wasn''t pumping their veins, Darcel and Ani felt the sweat pour down their brows. They were abruptly assaulted with a slightly tiring winded feeling.

    "Fuuu.all these breakthroughs and new bining it with our bloodline state is kind of draining. Reminds me of days when we first awaken our bloodline." Ani breathed out in small little pants.

    Although Darcel didn''t find it as extreme as those days, he couldn''t deny her words on it being a bit draining.

    Nodding at Ani, Darcel had told her, "I think we''re going to need to revisit one of those Elemental rooms for training. For now, however.we have some bigger cases to solve."

    Once finished talking, Darcel unhesitatingly crouched down to one of the green robe man''s corpses. Dawning the man''s ring finger was one blue spatial ring that he hadn''t even had a chance to use in their fight.

    Darcel had no qualms in messing with the dead and boldly took the man''s blue spatial ring off from him.

    Looking down on the spatial ring in his palm, Darcel proceeded to interject a small portion of his Nascent Qi and began erasing the green robe man''s leftover aura.

    At the same time, Ani had also taken off the blue spatial ring from the other green robe man''s corpse. She, too, had no qualms with corpse robbing and began erasing the man''s leftover aura from the blue spatial ring.

    It was a simple process for Darcel and Ani. They at first were using purely Nascent Qi but to hasten this process, the duo decided to interject a small wisp of ck mes inside the blue spatial ring.

    Immediately then, the men''s aura in the ring was swiftly erased.

    "Oh, by the way, Ani, you do still have that map you took from the Wrathful n, right?"

    Darcel spoke up and asked as he just got done with making the spatial ring his and shoving it in his pocket.

    Ani stuffed the blue spatial ring into her pocket and then shed her original purple spatial ring. She had fished out the original map that led her and Darcel on their long journey.

    "Already right here! And I think I already know what ns you have brewing inside that cute head Darcy~." Ani spoke with a maic allure that sent small electrifying shivers down Darcel''s spine.

    "Hm, I''m d we''re always on the same wavelength airhead. It''s time to hunt some troublesome ghosts."

    A slight chilling glint zed over Darcel''s eyes as he peered into the Darkness of the Demesne Grave.

    .

    Two bright, beautiful ck Fire trails zed through the profound Darkness of the Necropolis Woods. The ck Fire trails quickly seared through the ground molting deep into soil under the dirt.

    And the ones who made such beautiful ck Fire trails were Darcel and Ani, swiftly running through the Woods.

    Though Darcel and Ani didn''t feel any faster while running, they did felt warmer, and the air speeding past them became more toasty.

    They had been running on this set trail for a few minutes now, making remarkable progress since no Spirit Monster could catch up to them.

    Although, on this path, Darcel and Ani were catching a slight irregrity with these Spirit Monsters.

    As one would expect from venturing in deep into the Necropolis Woods, you would expect to find stronger and powerful Spirit Monsters roaming the area.

    And yet, Darcel and Ani were finding this to be the opposite.

    As they inched closer to the Ravenous Void n, the Nascent Core Spirit Monsters and True Soul Core Spirit Monsters cease popping up.

    Certainly, this was too odd since, just before, Darcel and Ani ran into plenty of Spirit Monsters while traversing to the Demesne Grave.

    But besides this oddity, a bigger question brewed was brewing in Ani''s mind. Her mind recalls one specific aspect of what those Ravenous Void n men talked about, and it stuck out to her the most.

    "Darcy.those guys.could they be under that horrid creature? Them specifically saying "that horrid thing" is just raising several, no, numerous rms in me." Ani wearily spoke up her concerns.

    Darcel wore an inquisitive expression about Ani''s concerns.

    "Maybe, it''s possible. But it doesn''t quite add up to how for weeks that creature could evade the senses of the whole ci-Ah?"

    "Ah?!"

    Both Darcel and Ani abruptly stopped moving and squeaked out surprise yelps. Almost instinctively, their heads snapped towards a in glossy ck cave as their souls began frantically writhing.

    The duo immediately spread their Spirit Sense directly into this cave, expecting to sense something extraordinary!

    Only.their senses picked up on.absolutely nothing.

    Darcel and Ani''s face became a mess of puzzlement as they genuinely couldn''t sense any presence inside that cave.

    And unlike most other youths their age, Darcel and Ani can sense down to the tiniest speck of life!

    However, while their Spirit Sense came about nothing, their souls nearly made the duo want to jump directly into this cave. Their souls were restlessly swirling, almost as if they just encountered a familiar being.

    Instead of being overly wary of this, Ani''s face had split into a vast, curious grin. "You know we just have to check this out now, Darcy! Maybe our luck will hit a home run tonight."

    "Indeed, it''s too frantic for us to simply ignore this. But we''ll sneak around this cave first, just to be safe."

    Darcel actually had a small hope that Ani would be right and their luck would strike out again.

    The duo carefully and steadily approaches the ck glossy cave, their Spirit Senses on full st.

    Still, as they inched closer, nothing popped into their senses, but the writhing of their souls was steadily increasing.

    Only with a few more steps, Darcel and Ani would reach the ck glossy cave entrance.

    But from mere inches between them and the cave, Darcel and Ani abruptly dashed to their right.

    They both jumped right into the samerge bush, and Darcel fished out a concealing talisman from the Ravenous Void n man spatial ring. Without hesitation, Darcel quickly crushed the talisman as several people were abruptly walking out of the cave.

    It was only until the veryst second that Darcel and Ani managed to sense several beings just merely several feet between them.

    And when the duo''s eyes saw just who came out, they were a bit taken aback.

    One tall, imposing man wearing the Ravenous Void n''s green robes was the first toe out. He stood firmly at the tenthyer link of the True Soul Core realm, the absolute peak of the realm!

    And what followed behind the man is what really caused Darcel and Ani''s surprise.

    Four charming look youths, all wearing bright orange Roc design robes and all exuding the aura of a sixthyer link True Soul Core prowess.

    Four disciples from the Quicksilver Roc sect teaming up with the Ravenous Void n people? Now Darcel and Ani were feeling the situation bing a bit moreplicated than they initially thought.

    "Heh, I thought I sensed something to test myself on out here, but oh well. I never thought I would get a body back, especially not at the hands of some grotesque being, but here we are."

    One of the males from the Quicksilver Roc group spoke in this slightly distorted tone, giving off an ominous vibe.

    He and all other Quicksilver Roc youths spouted this eerie bloodthirsty smile and chilling blue tinted eyes.

    The Ravenous Void n man also could''ve sworn he sensed something just mere feet between them. But as it quickly vanishes, the man pushed down those thoughts for now and told the Quicksilver Roc youths,

    "Don''t forget your new orders now. And we must move quickly; apparently, we''re on swift time now."

    The Quicksilver Roc youths only had a slight annoyance expression hearing the man.

    "Yea, Yea, kill those Zakira rats and lure the stronger peskier one toe, we got it. I''m mainly just d we can finally unleash our resentment and have some fun~." One of the girls in the group ominously stated.

    The Ravenous Void n man didn''t share any more words and simply nodded to the four.

    He had then split off to the left side of the woods while the four Quicksilver Roc youths split off their right.

    From the direction they were heading towards, Darcel and Ani could tell those youths were heading directly to the Necropolis Woods entrance area.

    Though, the duo didn''t chase and remained seated in their hiding spot.

    Eventually, once they were out of their Spirit Sense range, Darcel and Ani jumped out of the bush and rushed right back to the ck glossy cave entrance.

    They both shared a simr serious expression after that big revtion.

    "Who would''ve thought that the Ravenous Void n would be so sneaky enough to plot against both the Zakira Academy and the Quicksilver Roc sect. And down here.it has to be it!" Ani assuredly stated.

    For a moment, Darcel contemted their options. But the maic pull from their souls was only growing more abundant for him and Ani.

    "When we first grabbed our scimitars, our souls had immediately protected us. If our souls are calling for us to act again, let''s put our faith in it one more time."

    After Darcel finished talking, neither he nor Ani moved for a split second.

    They had then stared into each other eyes, and determinedly nodded. With no hesitation and immense courage, Darcel and Ani began cautiously walking into the dark cave.

    Their nerves were steadily growing with each step they took.

    But it wasn''t until they made it a meter into the cave where Darcel and Ani felt it.

    A familiar horrifying sensation overtook their minds and bodies!

    Immediate cold sweat dribbled down Darcel and Ani''s face. This sensation.how could they ever forget it? It is too simr to that horrid red creature from the ck Dungeon Labyrinth!

    And yet.there were still several things off about this situation.

    For starters, Darcel and Ani still couldn''t sense any presence inside this cave. Yet, their gut feelings indeed told them about the uing creature.

    However, the biggest confusion wasing from their souls.

    Undoubtedly, what was down this cave is what their souls are frantically alluring them to.

    But.this couldn''t be right.

    Their souls shouldn''t be leading them to impending danger!

    Though Darcel and Ani wanted a few seconds to contemte this situation, Ani had suddenly perked up.

    "Looks like we don''t need to go over our options; I feel iting towards us!"

    "Don''t hold anything back!'' Darcel decided to trust his soul and fight against the creature.

    He and Ani fished out of their bright green scimitars and fully unleashed their bloodline state!

    And upon doing so, Darcel swiftly swiped his scimitar at bright purple hue charging straight at him with immense speeds!

    ''Chi!''

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes widened a bit as what Darcel struck against was a horrid purple tongue.

    The tongue shed right against the tip of Darcel''s scimitar, and oddly enough, Ani had first noticed the tongue appeared to be trembling in fear?!

    Ani couldn''t understand why, but she wasn''t going to let this prime opportunity leave her grasp.

    She erupted her bright green scimitar in beautiful ck mes and swiped her sword straight on to the horrid purple tongue.

    At the same time Ani stuck the horrid purple tongue, Darcel as well erupted his scimitar in raging ck mes!

    ''Sssch!!''

    "Keah!!''

    A surprised yelp of pain boomed into Darcel and Ani''s ears as the horrid purple tongue quickly retracted from them.

    Darcel and Ani turned to look down the cave, now more visible because of their raging ck mes.

    And what appeared in their sights was a familiar and yet wholly different spine-chilling creature.

 Chapter 77: Similar & Different

    Chapter 77: Simr & Different

    Vivid memories of that red human-like creature popped into Darcel and Ani''s minds like a terrifying storm.

    But the creature the duo spotted now had some significant critical differences from the red creature.

    It was certainly taller than the red creature, having a more menacing imposing stature. Although its ws were strangely shorter than the red creature. But its eyes were entirely in a chilling purple hue.

    And yet, above all of that, one detail stood out the most for Darcel and Ani.

    They haven''t even truly begun fighting, but the creature''s expression caused a slight shock for the duo.

    It''s eerily entirely purple glowing eyes slightly bulged out of their sockets in an apparent mix of shock and confusion. Furthermore, Darcel and Ani could even notice a small hint of brewing fear seemingly engrossing its face and pupils.

    "Ohhh.well, well, well! I didn''t think there would be a variant of these creatures, but we now know they also can feel fear and pain!" Ani boldly remarked as she and Darcel felt their confidence increasingly swell.

    "Hmmm.and it''s also just as low in cultivation as the red creature."

    Darcel formed a confident smirk once he had roughly equated the current human-like creature aura to the prowess of a fifthyer link True Soul Core cultivator.

    And throughout all this time, the purple horrid human-like creature still didn''t move a muscle.

    Its eyes chillingly bore into Darcel and Ani''s bright green scimitars, seemingly taken aback by something far more profound. A considerable suppression weighed upon its own soul for every second; it stayed close to those scimitars and Darcel and Ani''s general presence.

    Since the creature didn''t want to make a move, Darcel and Ani''s eyes zed over in savage killing intent!

    Even if it wasn''t precisely the same creature, Darcel and Ani felt their blood rush in starting their revenge against these horrid creatures.

    Darcel and Ani swiftly pointed their ck ming scimitars towards the creature. At the tip of their des, their ck mes swirled in a circr fashion.

    Tremendous surges of immense Nascent Qi power chaotically spewed throughout the entire cave like a firestorm.

    This sudden increase of power even got the creature toe out of its daze like trance.

    But it simply was too slow as Darcel and Ani instantaneously formed their attacks. At the tip of their scimitars, a profound ck glow illuminated the Darkness cave.

    Right then, Darcel and Ani sted out massive roaring ck fireballs straight at the human-like creature!

    Once again, the human-like creature felt goosebumps surged from under its skin, and its soul fearfully quake from Darcel and Ani''s attacks.

    Those scimitars they wielded.they''re very being....it all spelled tremendous danger for it!

    Still, the human-like creature wasn''t going to let itself be burnt to crips.

    In a nanosecond, the creature swirled its horrid purple tongue from out its mouth. It bubbled putrid purple fluids that ran on its long tongue.

    The creature had then flicked its horrid tongue, spraying out a mini putrid purple fluid shower towards the ck ming fireballs.

    Despite Darcel and Ani''s raw power being just slightly under the creature, the pure power of their ck ming fireballs already made the creature''s fluids tremble before shing.

    ''BANG!''

    Extreme shock filled the human-like creature''s eyes as its putrid purple fluids didn''t dissipate the duo''s ck ming fireballs. Instead, it caused it to implode and spray wisps of ck mes towards it!

    "Keah!"

    The human-like creature roared out in slight pain as a single wisp of ck me prated its arm, causing real sizzling agony to wreak havoc in its arm.

    Before any other wisp of ck mes could spray on the creature, it had immediately jumped up to the ceiling at lightning-like speeds!

    Feral killing intent hazed its eyes as the creature decided Darcel and Ani must die no matter what!

    As soon as the creature''s foot touched the ck glossy ceiling, it sted towards Darcel and Ani in a maddening craze. A chilling purple mist was razed behind in its wild, mad dash.

    But while it rushed to them, Darcel and Ani began to wildly smile, seeing their incredible effects of their new ck mes.

    Instantly they enriched their bodies in a beautiful ck ming aura, and Darcel pointed his scimitar at the human-like creature again.

    Powerful ck mes intensely sizzled at the tip of Darcel''s scimitar once again, spewing out massive waves of Nascent Qi.

    Using merely a second, Darcel boomed out a vast ck ming w towards the ceiling crawling creature.

    With how broad andrge Darcel made the raging ck ming w, the creature simply had no way to doge.

    Nor did it ever intend to dodge in the first ce.

    Right when Darcel sted out his ck ming w, the creature matched its rhythm and struck out its ghastly purple w.

    A bright chilling purple sh epassed its w, and the creature fired out a vast, powerful purple Qi w to match Darcel''s attack.

    ''BANG!''

    The whole cave fiercely quacked like several rumbling tsunamis!

    Darcel''s ck ming w and the creature''s purple haze Qi w canceled each other out in a bright ck purple mix explosion.

    Fifthyer link True Soul Core prowess crazily spewed throughout the cave, splitting the air apart between them.

    Although, during this explosion of power, the horrid purple creature wasn''t idle.

    The creature quickly sprang off the ck glossing ceiling, going through the aftershocks of the Qi explosion, and hover just above Darcel and Ani.

    Its body shimmered a spine-chilling purple haze as the creature spewed out its terrifying purple mist!

    The purple mist speed was just as fast as the red creature red mist and had promptly covered the whole area for a mile. And yet, contrary to the creature''s expectation, it didn''t hear a shout or even a grunt of pain.

    Instead, a slight silver hue pierced into the creature''s eyes and caused a tremendous sense of crisis to swell in its chest.

    A ck ming whip with a slight but bright tint of a silver hue tore through the creature''s purple mist and quickly wrapped around its neck.

    The whip''s speed slightly surpassed the creature''s reaction time plus, its eyesight was already not the best.

    Once the silverish ck ming whip coiled around the creature''s neck, it brought about an intense pressure that internally crushed down on its organs and bones.

    Pain split across the creature''s face. Before it could process this attack, the creature suddenly felt itself crashing down towards the ground.

    Under the powerful pressure of these ck mes, the creature had little options but to just resist the iing ck glossy ground.

    ''Bang!''

    The ground cracked like several spider webs. The horrid purple creature got tten into a small crater in the ground. Real agonizing pain warped the creature''s senses causing its pupils to dte.

    The ck mes now had suddenly ramped up in intensity, wreaking even more powerful chaos in its body.

    And throughout the whole fight, the creature''s soul violently quaked with each attack Darcel and Ani threw out with their scimitar, making the creature''s attacks a bit less potent.

    Simultaneously, while the creature was dealing with genuine pain, Darcel and Ani had finally gotten their first taste of the human-like creature terrifying purple mist!

    Immediately, Darcel and Ani intensify the power of their ck ming aura, making it chaotically swirl.

    But the chilling purple mist still manages to prate into their bodies.

    Darcel and Ani utterly froze for a second. Intense torturous pain assaulted their bodies, bringing upon a crushing suppression on their organs, bones, and bloodstreams.

    Nearly Darcel and Ani wanted to roar out in pain until their scimitar and soul violently reacted!

    Simultaneously, their scimitars brightly illuminated in a dazzling silver glow while their souls chaotically surged an incredible different source of power within the duo.

    Instantly, the poisonous spine-chilling purple mist inside Darcel and Ani''s bodiespletely halted its tracks.

    A beautiful bright silver glow illuminated the inside of their bodies, making the purple mist tremble in utter fear.

    Now more than ever, Darcel and Ani felt this enrichment of power to be too familiar to not remember where it came from.

    This source of power spewing from their souls was overwhelmingly awe-inspiring, like the baptism of holiness itself.

    And yet, just right when Darcle and Ani were beginning to recall where they experienced this sensation of power before, their senses abruptly spiked to just above them.

    The horrid creature had managed to cut off Ani''s ck ming whip and jumped right back over them in the duo''spse of focus!

    However, the creature''s eyes and soul trembled once seeing their scimitar brightly lit up in a silver hue.

    Not taking any risk now, the creature''s purple tongue hauntingly swirled from out of its mouth and immediately sprayed Darce and Ani with putrid purple fluids.

    Darcel and Ani were just getting back to reality as the putrid purple fluids rained down on them.

    The creature''s purple mist caused little havoc in their bodies now, but they didn''t have time to put up an urate defense for its current attack.

    Although with what recently transpired, Darcel and Ani decided to hastily experiment.

    They willed a small portion of their soul powers to the ck ming aura causing a slight silver hue to mix in.

    And right then, the putrid purple fluids shed against Darcel and Ani!

    ''Sssch!!''

    However, instead of the putrid purple fluids quickly drilling into their bodies, all purple fluids were halted halfway in their ck ming silver hue aura.

    Darcel and Ani gritted their teeth as a tremendous force did weigh upon them once, temporarily stopping the purple fluids.

    Taking on the full brunt of this massive force, Ani decided to unleash her sudden counter-attack. Pushing it to her limits, Ani crazily surged her bloodline powers and made her bloodline arm glow up in an intense white glow!

    ''Chi!''

    A bright white shbang sparked the whole ck glossy cave!

    The shbang reflected both Darcel and Ani''s putrid purple droplets fluids, making it drill right into the ck glossy walls.

    And as well, the human-like creature was forced to close its eyes and crash into the ground. It couldn''t resist Ani''s shbang''s overwhelming stun, making it lose nearly all of its focus.

    Darcel and Ani felt vast beads of sweat pour down their face and bodies like cold drizzling rain.

    Immense pain still wracked their bodies from exhausting their powers and taking on the creature''s putrid purple fluids tremendous force.

    However, during the creature''spse of focus, Darcel and Ani quickly spotted something critically. The purple mist once surrounding them was now quickly getting cleared up because it couldn''t correctly spew its power.

    Seeing a prime opportunity at hand, Darcel pushed it to his limit and rushed the horrid human-like creature.

    At the tip of his scimitar, a raging ck fireball frantically swirls, exuding the very peak of Darcel''s prowess.

    On instinct, the creature felt tremendous impending doom quickly approach it.

    Its body moved on its own, and the creature struck out towards Darcel''s ck ming rapier!

    ''Bang!''

    Just barely, Darcel overpowered the creature and sent it sailing straight into the ck glossy wall from the explosion of his ck fireball.

    Pushing this much power now was making Darcel feel lightheaded, and his arm was going numb.

    But Darcel pushed down any fatigue and shouted,

    "Ani!"

    Darcel knew in their new state, their ck mes, their scimitars, and their souls acting on its own were sucking them dry at every second.

    They needed to end this now!

    Ani heard Darcel called and had also sensed a colossal uprising of power quickly surging from the horrid creature!

    She and Darcel both nced over to see a familiar eerie silver glow beginning to enrich the creature''s body, just like the red creature.

    But right then, Ani''s soul crazily quaked, and she reacted before the creature could fully surge its increase in power.

    Her scimitar brightly shed silver, and Ani sted out a dazzling white telekinesis whip that sailed at the speeds of real lightning!

    ''Chi!

    Ani''s telekinesis whip savagely drilled into its chest, causing rancid purple blood to spew out on the ck glossy walls.

    The creature now felt a massive crushing suppression envelop its whole body and soul, bringing upon an unbearable pressure to its entire being.

    However, in a mad burst of rage, the creature entirely ignored this suppression.

    Its purple w shed in a slight sliver hue, and as it pointed out its w, the creatures shot out a purple slight silver hue Qi w towards Darcel and Ani!

    Darcel and Ani hastily formed a ck ming barrier for the uing Qi w. And, at thest second, before the Qi w struck, the duo''s eyes lit up.

    They felt.a personal familiarity connection with the silver glow of the creature that rang out from their soul.

    During the time with the red creature''s silver glow, Darcel and Ani never felt this split second of familiarity. But in this situation, that split second of intimacy danced in the duo''s minds.

    However, Darcel and Ani could not explore this aspect now.

    They focus on solidifying their ck ming barrier to sh against the purple silver hue Qi w!

    ''Bang!''

    The purple silver hue Qi w imploded on impact, sending Darcel and Ani violently crashing into the wall. And yet, the creature''s putrid purple fluids couldn''t prate Darcel and Ani''s ck ming barrier.

    Blood dribbles from Darcel and Ani''s like a water stream. They painfully felt some of their backbones crack, and their bloodline arm was getting increasingly numb.

    And yet, Darcel and Ani persisted through the pain and swiftlynded back on their feet.

    They only had enough in them for onest attack, and the duo was going to make it thest attack this horrid creature will ever see!

    Ani''s telekinesis whip still drilled into the creature, pinning into the wall even after she and Darcel took on the full brunt of its Qi w.

    And using this to their advantage, Darcel and Ani wildly surged a tremendous sum of Nascent Qi, forming a thin line of ck fire at the tip of their scimitars.

    The human-like creature was still struggling to get rid of Ani''s telekinesis whip until the sense of death overtook its mind.

    The horrid creature''s eyes snapped back to Darcel and Ani, already feeling immense dread. It senses overwhelming waves of power chaotically surged in the air making everything surrounding the duo freeze in ce.

    An unfathomable suppression further pressure the horrid creature as fear warped its mind watching Darcel and Ani swirl their Martial Skill.

 Chapter 78: First Strike

    Chapter 78: First Strike

    Upon pressure and pressure, the horrid creature could barely move its body now. All the option it had left was forming a purple silver hue misty barrier that protected its body.

    Darcel and Ani smirked seeing the creature''sst-ditch attempt.

    They had other ns for this thing, and they for sure weren''t going to allow it to escape or do any other devious tricks!

    Immense power surged from the tip of the scimitars, shifting the whole air to them. It only took Darcel and Ani a couple of seconds to finish forming their Martial Skill.

    A thin line of ck fire brightly glowed at the tip of their Scimitar, exuding tremendous power.

    "Fiery Slice!!"

    Both Darcel and Ani unleashed a mighty roar as they even willed a small portion of their soul powers into this attack!

    The whole ck glossy cave got adorned in bottomless Darkness as,

    ''Chi!''

    Darcel and Ani sted out two thin streams of powerful ck mes!

    The streams of ck mes directly sizzled the ground in its wake and wildly barrel straight at the horrid human-like creature.

    Darcel and Ani''s streams of ck mes tore through the purple silver hue misty barrier vaporizing it from existence with extreme ease.

    The powerful streams of ck mes didn''t just stop there and had precisely torn right through the horrid creature''s chest!

    The creature''s heart immediately burst into raging ck mes. Its soul was scorched into wild ck mes, and a small mysterious silver core hidden inside the creature''s body also erupted into ck mes.

    There were no agonizing shrieks of death as the light quickly left the human-like creature''s eyes.

    It''s heart, soul, and mysterious silver core were all melted into puddles of sizzling ck mes.

    The creature''s lifeless body slowly slumped to the ground as rancid purple blood stained the ck glossy wall and floor.

    After all this time, this seemingly invincible creature was thoroughly destroyed inside and out.

    "Haaaah.fuuuu." Ani breathed out a huge sigh of relief and exhaustedly copsed into Darcel''s chest. "Fi-finally.at least we''re able to finish a variant or something like that red creature? Either way. I''m d it didn''t sneakily runoff."

    Darcel had lovingly wrapped his arms around Ani''s tender waist, both feeling warm sensations course through their bodies like rxing water. He had also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling proud of Ani and himself for killing a once terrifying creature.

    "Whatever that thing was, we can''t find any information on it by standing here. We''ll need to leave soon, so don''t get toofortable in this spot, ditzy girl."

    Ani merely rxed more into Darcel''s body despite his chiding.

    Even at this moment, she and Darcel were still feeling mild pain run through their bodies.

    There were remaining horrid purple mist swirling inside their bodies, but thanks to their souls continuously stirring, the poisonous mist was swiftly getting cleared up.

    So for a few seconds, neither Darcel nor Ani moved. They remainedfortably standing in the same spot as their souls and bloodlines pushed them back to their optimate state.

    Peering down at Ani, who was smiling contently despite the mild pain, warmed Darcel''s heart.

    The dependence Ani relies on him even as she is admittedly just as strong as he will always be engraved into Darcel''s mind.

    After taking this short but intimate quality moment, Ani''s eyes suddenly focused on the creature''s rotten corpse.

    Rancid purple blood still poured on the ground, creating a small putrid puddle under the creature.

    The sight of the rotten corpse should''ve been of no interest to Ani and Darcel. But after experiencing the terrifying mist at first hand, a bright idea popped into Ani''s head while she gazed at the rancid purple blood.

    Reluctantly Ani got off from Darcel''s chest though she still held his firm, warm hand. She shed her spatial ring on her right hand and fished out the Parasol Organization scalpel, much to Darcel''s surprise.

    "This small thing, it''s truly so dangerous and saved our lives a couple of times already. But.I don''t think it''s at its true potential!" Ani proudly proimed.

    Darcel raised a curious eyebrow. During his work at that Organization, he rarely would encounter any strange tools or items used by the Doctors.

    "This thing? What are you on about?"

    "You see before I got my hands on this scalpel, I saw the Doctors using it a few times. They would drop this thing inside some disgusting purple liquid, and the scalpel would absorb every drop of it. And they would then use it on the stronger people they captured. So you know what I''m thinking?"

    Towards Ani''s question, Darcel quickly put together the pieces of the puzzles. His eyes shifted over to the creature''s corpse, and he nodded, saying, "Alright, but let''s be quick about this."

    Ani broadly smiled and pulled Darcel''s over to the creature''s corpse.

    She had then crouched down and took a second to find a suitable spot to plunge her scalpel into.

    Vivid memories of how the Doctors would plunge the scalpel into their subjects'' necks shed in Ani''s head for a brief second.

    And following in their footsteps, Ani had also plunged the scalpel deep into the creature''s rancid neck.

    "Ok, no-Woah!"

    Immediately then, Ani eximed in surprise as the scalpel took effect instantly.

    The creature''s corpse began to intensely twitch and spasm like it was experiencing a violent seizure.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes brightly lit up as the scalpel began to promptly change. The scalpel started to intensely glow in the same chilling purple silverish hue tint the creature had once exuded previously.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t expect that much results, but they were pleasantly surprised by how long the scalpel glow didst.

    It took five whole seconds until the scalpel''s bright glow had died down, returning to its original slightly ominous state.

    "Mnh? It really is like this scalpel just sucked all the remaining fresh blood from it." Ani had remarked while taking back the scalpel.

    The creature''s corpse now looked more dried up, and its rancid purple blood ceased flowing out of it.

    "With this, our trump card just entered a whole new level. Now then, let''s take these Mortal Pills those Ravenous Void n men so graciously gifted to us." As Darcel sarcastically spoke, he shed his spatial ring and brought out two clear white pills.

    Holding those two pills, Dracel and Ani already felt their pores open and hypnotic medicine fragrance that slinked into their noise.

    Ani became a bit starry-eyed once seeing those beautiful smelling pills.

    For the whole region of the Necrotic City, despite themon sounding name, Mortal Pills are nowhere easy toe by.

    Nearly all medicine such rted items are created by Mages Alchemist, and they run a high price for even the lowest of quality pills.

    Though this may seem outrageous on paper, the pills'' real effects more than certainly made up for any high cost.

    As such, when Darcel and Ani are now taking the pill and ingesting it in their mouths.

    Promptly they soon understand the high price all pills run for. All injured or crack bones in their bodies were getting quickly repaired. Their fatigue was reced by vibrant energy that refueled their whole winded state.

    The duo''s faces were also restored back to their usual beautiful rosyplexion, showing the magical might of a Mage Alchemist pill.

    "Ahhh~! That truly hit the spot!" Ani exuded a beautiful sigh that sounded slightly erotic.

    "It''s quite incredible.those Mages are a mystery to unravel." Darcel also let out a sigh of amazement as he cracked his knuckles.

    Both Darcel and Ani already turned away from the dried-up creature''s corpse, deeming it worthless now.

    However, unnoticed by Darcel and Ani, faint traces of a mysterious silver hue quietly spewed out from the dried-up corpse. This mysterious power drilled directly into Darcel and Ani''s bodies, but neither felt a single sensation.

    Only, their souls were quietly churning upon feeling this power transfer into them.

    Slowly, their already powerful souls further improved at a steady pace that''ll provide the duo surprise benefits in the future.

    Currently, though, Darcel and Ani took one look over their rosy vibrant faces and prepared to leave the ck glossy cave. That is until their senses picked up on two signatures slowly approaching the cave.

    "Seriously.why the hell would they be in this Rave-whatever n part of the Woods? All I heard about this ce are freaks who love the dead lives here."

    An unfamiliar sweet female voice slithered into Darcel and Ani''s ears.

    "Really, they wouldn''t be here? Well, how about just looking up ahead?" A charming male voice bounced off the cave walls as Darcel and Ani finally saw who was looking for them.

    Instantly their guard rxed more once, realizing both the boy and girl wore the Zakira Academy uniform.

    The boy was charmingly handsome, spouting a gentle, serene face and exuded a schrly vibe about him.

    The girl as well was beautiful. Her face carried a distinct allure like gazing into a specifically crafted painting. Long flowing ck hair hypnotically swayed in the air and rested upon her big, well-endowed chest.

    The girl also had a gorgeous curvaceous body to boot, further enriching her maic attraction.

    Although seeing the charming faces of their fellow students was admittedly wee in these neck of the woods. Darcel and Ani were confused on just why and how the hell did they precisely locate them.

    "And? Who are you two?" Darcel asked out loud as he and Ani began walking up to the two.

    The boy''s eyes shed in high approval once seeing Darcel and Ani''s captivating appearance and experiencing their general alluring presence.

    The girl had a bit of a shocked face seeing how Darcel and Ani indeed were here. Moreover, she also felt a slight favorable impression of the two due to their maic presence.

    The boy was going to answer first but right then, "Holy! Did you two actually kill that.what even is that thing?"

    The girl had suddenly loudly gasped and pointed straight at the dried-up creature''s corpse.

    The boy''s eyes also followed to where the girl pointed to, and he simrly felt slight awe. Never before in their life have they ever saw a being so grotesque.

    "Yep! We so graciously killed it and stopped its terrifying reign of terror!"

    A slight joking toneced Ani''s voice, making her even more pleasant to listen to.

    She had then continued on, saying, "I''m Ani, and this is Darcel. Quite an interesting ce to first meet up, no?"

    "Indeed, it is. I''m Gerey, and this is Lyse." The boy, Gerey, pointed to himself and the girl beside him. "I actually have been wanting to meet you two for a while now. And the Vice Principal had just recently called for us two toe and get you."

    As Gerey began exining, the four youths began walking towards the exit of the cave.

    Though while they walked, Darcel gained a curious expression. "But why? Is there something happening inside the Academy?"

    "Not exactly.apparently, she doesn''t want you two in the Woods since something big is supposedly going down tonight." Lyse picked up and exined to the duo, already liking the natural charisma they both exuded.

    However, when Lyse finished talking, the four had just stepped out of the cave, and Darcel and Ani''s eyes lit up in realization.

    Those Ravenous Void n rats really are enacting their ns tonight!

    "That big thing happening is the Quicksilver Roc sect and the Ravenous Void n teaming up to crush the Zakira Academy!"

    Ani assuredly proimed, causing surprise shock in Gerey and Lyse.

    "Eh?! How could that be possible?! If that were true, the Vice-Principal or the Principal would''ve picked up on it!"

    Lyse had a bit of a hard time epting this fact since the Ravenous Void n was nowhere near as powerful as even Sects weaker than their Academy.

    "Perhaps so, but these Ravenous Void n people are exceedingly sneaky. We just found out that the n has the ability to get humans possessed by Spirit Monsters ghosts. Just out of this cave, Ani and I saw an Elder of the n walking out with Quicksilver Roc youths who all were possessed."

    Darcel followed up and assured Ani''s im. With all they saw and fought so far, this was undoubtedly the truth in their minds.

    Still, Gerey found it to be strange as he had then went on to exin,

    "Ghost possession? Even for Qi Foundation Stage cultivators, that kind of process is tooplex for any Spirit Monster ghost to do. Our souls, no matter how powerful or weak it is, simply wouldn''t allow for something like that to happen."

    "Maybe that''s true too. But.I don''t think this n is just working with the Quicksilver Roc sect. That creature you saw back there, I think it yed a major part in people getting possessed! We can''t confirm for sure, but that''s the most usible theory we''ve came up with."

    Ani exined though she understood, she and Darcel had no real evidence to back up their ims.

    Gerey and Lyse took a moment to digest all this information. They both did see the creature, and they were close to the Ravenous Void n area.

    Moreover, Darcel and Ani simply had no reason to lie to them.

    Abruptly then, Gerey recalled something critical that just happened not too long ago.

    His eyes lit up in slight worry as he eximed, "Jamas! I think you two may have a point!"

 Chapter 79: Double Ambush

    Chapter 79: Double Ambush

    "Jamas? Him? What happened to him?" Darcel asked since he and Ani had a faint slight favorable of the boy.

    Though going by the increasingly worried look of Gerey, they could tell it wasn''t any good news.

    "Just recently, word has been spreading how the Quicksilver Roc people have been utterly suppressing us this specific night. And now Jamas, some of his friends, and other high-levelyer link True Soul Core students areing out here. I didn''t think much of this news since it was so abrupt.but now I think there are more devious intentions behind this news!" Gerey slowly exined to them.

    Now Lyse was truly inclined to believe Darcel and Ani''s words.

    She, too, heard the Quicksilver Roc bustling news but initially wasn''t going to participate in this fight.

    However, it seemed like the whole situation abruptly shifted.

    "Did Jamas mention where he was going? Or do you know where he was going?" Darcel had taken one look over to Ani and asked. She, like him, was very interested in this little n of the Ravenous Void n.

    Mainly because if they allowed this n to do whatever they want, then there''s no telling what they could do to Necrotic City.

    Which, in return, would jeopardize their own well beings. Plus, there are a few people in Zakira Academy neither of the duo wanted to see wind up dead.

    Gerey didn''t answer Darcel''s question and had instead closed his eyes.

    He touched upon his unique soul powers and traced the presence of where Jamas would assuredly be.

    It only took Gerey a couple of seconds to find what he was looking for, though while doing so, Lyse''s eyes lit up as she gazed at Darcel and Ani.

    The determined but excited expression they wore spoke volumes to her.

    "Hey, hey, do you two want toe with us once Lyse finds where Jamas is? I mean.everyone knows about your insane jumpingbat prowess. But, there will most definitely be peak True Soul Core cultivators there! You sure you just don''t want to go back to the Academy." Lyse spoke up a reasonable natural concern for Darcel and Ani.

    However, Darcel and Ani only lightly smiled at her concern.

    Ani had first told her, "Don''t worry! Even for multiple peak True Soul Core cultivators, we have something up our sleeves that''ll give us the absolute edge!"

    "Not only that, but just a while ago, we spotted the four Quicksilver Roc youths that came out of this cave head over to the Woods entrance area. They probably already set something suspicious up for anyone of us that wants to leave." Darcel added on and caused both Gerey and Lyse to furrow their eyebrows.

    Their minds briefly recall that short but strange moment as they tried to enter the Necropolis Woods.

    Lyse could only remember this very vague but odd feeling she felt in her gut walking up to the entrance.

    While with Gerey, his soul directly warns of an odd urrence at the Necropolis Woods entrance. Gerey cultivates upon Zakira Foresight Arts, allowing him to have an urate sense prediction of immediate danger.

    And the entrance of the Necropolis Woods.Gerey vividly recalls taking a slight detour from the usual path.

    Initially, he believed it to just be a random powerful Spirit Monster lurking around there. Yet now, from Darcel and Ani''s words, that may not merely be the case.

    "Haah.it may not be so bad taking them with us, Lyse. Even as the Vice Principal wants them back, it may already be toote to simply leave normally. Plus, we do have several items ourselves to give us absolute protection." Gerey quickly agreed to take them since he was confident enough in protecting them.

    "Hmmm.fine. Everything now is just adding up too suspiciously to not tell that Ravenous n and the Quicksilver Roc sect are nning something."

    Lyse reluctantly agreed, but she also held the same confidence in protecting the duo if worstes to worst.

    Ani broadly smiled at the pair, already knowing it woulde down to them bringing her and Darcel along.

    "Now that we got that settle and out of the way, lead the way, Gerey!"

    .

    Miles away from Darcel''s group, one captivating handsome young man was standing at the front pack of arge group of twenty powerful youths.

    This young man looked to be the whole group''s apparent leader as they all followed behind him.

    For if any outsiders were to observe this extraordinary lineup of youths, they would hurriedly make a wide breath for them.

    As every single one of these youths wore the luxurious uniform of the Zakira Academy!

    Furthermore, there wasn''t a single youth there weaker than the seventhyer link of the True Soul Core realm.

    And at the front of this group, the captivating handsome young man stood out the most as he was a tenthyer link True Soul Core cultivator!

    Anyone in the Zakira Academy or hell, the whole Necrotic City would recognize this young boy as the number one ranked High-Level student Jamas!

    Jamas, though, wore a determined expression as he led hisrge posse of powerful High-Level students.

    Originally, Jamas had received a distress call from a Mage Ring.

    This specific Mage Ring allowed for one message to go through the bearer no matter how far away they are from each other.

    And Jamas received a message from his friend, detailing that the Quicksilver Roc sect pressured and cornered his group, nearly killing everyone in his group!

    Jamas knows by no mean his friend and his ground are weak. Specifically, his friend ranks in the top twenty of the High-Level students in the whole Academy!

    A powerful eighthyer link True Soul Core group couldn''t be taken down by ordinary means if they''re at the same level.

    Once receiving this surprising, devastating news, Jamas rushed out with his other eighthyer link and ninthyer link True Soul Core friends to provide support.

    And along the way, when they traversed through the Necropolis Woods, several other highyer link True Soul Core students joined in on Jamas trip.

    They, too, were struggling under the sudden brutality of the Quicksilver Roc sect.

    Now, as a vast, organized group filled with mighty True Soul Core warriors, they all had one single intention.

    That is to reverse the sudden situation and kill those Quicksilver rats!

    Although, as they traverse the woods, a good looking boy beside Jamas had a slightly worrying expression. He was one of Jamas good friends, but an odd thought has been brewing inside his mind.

    "Hey, Jamas.did you also feel it too when first stepping inside these Woods? I don''t know why but I just got this weird sickening feeling going into here."

    Jamas peered over to the boy and was going to dismiss his concern.

    But right then, he stopped himself. Recalling the very first feeling that slinked into his mind onceing into Wood, Jamas couldn''t deny the slight chill that drilled into his body.

    He had pushed down this feeling, obviously not one to quickly get scared. Although it was a point worth remembering for any sudden events.

    "I can''t say I didn''t feel anything odd whening into these Woods. But, look, we have this huge group of powerful students following us. I think we can be assured of our safety."

    Jamas friend did take his word to heart since they were a twenty group filled with experienced and trained youths.

    And yet, a slight worry still couldn''t ease from his chest.

    Seeing the still apparent worry, Jamas further consoled him by saying,

    "Hey, don''t also forget, if worstes to worst, we have several barrier talismans and escaping talisman to make a clean getaway."

    "Hoh? And are you so sure about that?"

    Abruptly then every single Zakira Academy student ceased walking. An ominous yet cocky voice boomed into their ears like nails on a chalkboard.

    Everyone''s eyes saw from just meters ahead of them numerous Quicksilver Roc youthsing out of the trees and bushes. Each one of the Quicksilver Roc youths spouted these confident and eerie smiles.

    Jamas quickly did scan over these youths with his Spirit Sense. And despite their strange sudden appearance, Jamas face became rxed once sensing their overall prowess.

    Only one boy was at the tenthyer link just like him, but Jamas could sense the boy''s aura was nowhere near as deep or refined as himself.

    Furthermore, the rest of the Quicksilver Roc youths'' auras generally just couldn''t match their group of twenty powerful youths.

    "Heh, is that it? You know, I was expecting much, much more out of all of you. If we were to fight now, we''d utterly crush your posse with ease."

    Jamas and every other Zakira youths smiled with the utmost confident stride.

    The boy who spoke earlier was at the front of his group and was the only tenthyer link True Soul Core cultivator.

    He didn''t lose his cool against Jamas provocation. In fact, none of the Quicksilver Roc youths seemed to even register the unbnced odds against them.

    "Heh, heh.maybe so. Maybe what all you just described is the undeniable truth. However! Can you survive this first?"

    For a split second, Jamas and the other Zakira Academy youths were puzzled.

    Just where the hell was their confidenceing from?

    However, before anyone could question that, the Zakira Academy youths suddenly went utterly stiff.

    Jamas and everyone else there was taken by immense shock as the whole world was suddenly dyed in a bright green shine!

    Moreover, both the Quicksilver Roc youths and the Zakira Academy youths suddenly felt an unfathomable aura suppressed their entire beings!

    Jamas gritted his teeth and struggled to move his body. And to his despair, he couldn''t even wiggle his finger now!

    The only thing Jamas could do was peer his eyes up to the tallest ck glossy tree that scraped high in the sky.

    It was where the abrupt suppression descended from and where Jamas also saw a massive green ming barrier covering the sky.

    But Jamas and the other Zakira Academy youths'' eyes were engrossed with one single man standing at the peak of the tree.

    This man didn''t have a particrly outstanding appearance and looked to be on the rougher savage sides of impressions. The man wore a bright green robe that shined as bright as the green ming barrier covering this whole area.

    However, what really got Jamas and everyone''s else attention was the fact absolutely no one could''ve sensed his aura previously!

    And the aura the man now exuded caused a tremendous crisis to swell in all Zakira Academy youths'' chests.

    He was at the legendary Innate Core realm!

    "Ah-Ah?!? Who is that?!"

    "Not who, but why is he here?! There hasn''t been a single Innate Core Elder in these Woods for weeks!!"

    "R-Ravenous Void n." Amidst all other Zakira Academy youths'' panic shouts and screams, Jamas had recognized that unique robe design of the mysterious man.

    His eyes had then snapped back to the Quicksilver Roc youths who smiles only grew broader contrary to his and the other Zakira youths'' despair.

    "So-so that''s why you''re all so confident. But-but just when the hell did you all start teaming up with some hidden n in the Woods?!"

    The tenthyer link Quicksilver Roc boy only took further pleasure in Jamas confusion and despair. Despite being suppressed himself, the boy was fearless and was going to open up his mouth to mock him until,

    "Fret not, boy. Soon you and the rest of your Zakira Academy posse will join the Quicksilver Roc kids in a powerful transformation. Once then, both of you will learn to work together."

    The cold voice of the Ravenous Void n Elder boomed into the youth''s ears.

    Not only were the Zakira Academy youths confused once hearing the Elder words, the Quicksilver Roc youths expression quickly morphed into ones of puzzlement.

    "Hey, hey! What do you mean all of us will join a powerful transformation?! In our deal, we only sign up for that strange slight boost in power and for you to silently kill these Zakira rats! Not some sudden transformation!"

    The tenthyer link boy spoke for all in this bout of confusion.

    "Hm? Did we forget to mention this part to you? Oh well.you''ll soon experience a new facet of life that''llpletely change your world views."

    In an unapologetic tone, the Ravenous Void n Elder simply shrugged his shoulders.

    Now every single youth, be it either from the Quicksilver Roc side or the Zakira Academy side.

    They all felt true panic and impending doom stir their guts like a storm.

 Chapter 80: Daring

    Chapter 80: Daring

    "Keah!" Right then, a horrifying voice boomed into everyone''s ears.

    This very voice spewed out a hair-raising tone that directly instilled fear into the youths'' bones.

    Everyone''s eyes snapped towards where that terrifying voice came from.

    And promptly, immense horror and terror filled their faces. What the youths saw was a being so grotesque that they felt their eyes rotten by just looking.

    If Darcel and Ani were to see this creature, they would instantly recognize this creature. It was another variant of the red human-like creature!

    Only this creature was even more distinct than the other two.

    This terrifying human-like creature was painted in a chilling sickly green color. Its eyes spewed an ominous green glow that illuminated the Darkness sky.

    The creature was also far shorter than the other two and had a more round waist appearing fatter as well.

    "Wh-wha the hell."

    It was all anyone could say once seeing this short, terrifying grotesque creature.

    And right then, the creature had suddenly oozed out a spine-chilling green misty aura!

    The horrifying misty aura had quickly spread out towards both the Quicksilver Roc youths and the Zakira Academy youths.

    Everyone didn''t think the suppression could get worse, but they were sorely proven wrong.

    "GAA-"

    Everyone attempted to roar out in tremendous pain as the chilling green misty aura drilled into their bodies. Yet their voices all got caught in their throats.

    Every youth felt their Spirit Qi entirely freeze, their bloodstreams stopped flowing altogether, and their joints went as still as a statue.

    Under this terrifying green mist, none of the youths could even scream out in pain anymore! Tremendous anguish still courses throughout their bodies, and the dreading feeling of utter helplessness crashed their minds.

    The Ravenous Void n Elder cruelly smiled, seeing this fantastic yet terrifying result. His spatial ring had suddenly shed, and the Elder fished out a small bright glowing blue vial.

    Various powers and life swirled in the vial, just waiting to get released all at once. And the Ravenous Void n Elder was nning on doing just that until he abruptly stopped and his eyebrows tightly knitted together.

    .

    Just a little bit before Jamas group encountered the Quicksilver Roc sect youths.

    Darcel, Ani, Lyse, and Gerey managed to make it about ten meters away from their impromptu meeting.

    Although none of them decided to recklessly rush in as the two sides were meeting up. Darcel instead convinced Gerey and Lyse to put up a concealing talisman and silently obverse this exchange.

    His reasoning for doing so mainly involves the fact they all still don''t clearly know what the Quicksilver Roc sect and the Ravenous Void n members are up to.

    The most tactical option was to patiently watch on.

    Darcel''s group had then watched as the Quicksilver Roc youths and James''s group went at it with words.

    It wasn''t until a bright green shine refracted in their visions that Darcel and Ani decided to act.

    Gerey and Lyse were at first stunned by the sudden descending of a mighty Innate Core cultivator. Their eyes snapped to the Ravenous Void n Elder, their expressions slowly morphing into fear.

    However, for Darcel and Ani, they only saw this as a prime opportunity!

    They both had their own separate concealing talisman provided by the Ravenous Void n men, Gerey and Lyse, allowing for the two to have free range in movement.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes zed in wild, killing intent while staring at the Elder.

    They didn''t bother waiting on Gerey and Lyse and had rushed to the tree the Elder stood upon.

    And because of their concealing talisman, Darcel and Ani weren''t stopped by the green ming barrier, nor were they affected by the Elder''s unfathomable aura.

    The duo smoothly got near the tree and, without stopping, began swiftly running up the tree! Because of their Nascent Core bodies, achieving feats like wall running is but a breeze for Darcel and Ani.

    And from several meters behind, Gerey and Lyse awoke from their slight stupor.

    The subtle shifting of wind that quickly brushed past them told the two Darcel and Ani already got a head start.

    Not wanting to get left behind, Gerey and Lyse did follow in the duo''s footsteps though they weregging behind.

    But when going inside the green ming barrier, they too weren''t affected at all by the Ravenous Void n Elder''s mighty aura.

    Still, Darcel and Ani didn''t wait at all for them.

    They ran unhindered up the tree, quickly reaching halfway in only a couple of seconds. Suddenly then, Darcel snapped his head towards the tree just right by their right side.

    Whening here, Darcel and Ani''s souls continually writhed about, providing the duo with familiar sensations.

    However,pared tost time, Darcel and Ani could somewhat tell why their souls suddenly writhe again.

    And once Darcel turned his attention towards the tree that seemingly had no one on top of it, he savagely smiled.

    Without another word to Ani, Darcel jumped towards the tree, quicklytching his feet on to it and continuing his upward rush.

    All the while, Ani never looked back to Darcel for even a moment. Her faith in Darcel was unbreakable, and she just knew that he would pick up on their souls writhing and take care of it.

    "Keah!"

    The green human-like creature''s terrifying voice boomed into Darcel, Ani, Gerey, and Lyse''s ears.

    And yet, despite the horrid chills the voice powerfully exuded, only Gerey and Lyse was affected.

    They had temporarily frozen mid-run as freezing chills shiver down their spines. Slowly, their eyes traced to the source of the voice and became utterly dumbfounded by the grotesque green creature appearance.

    Darcel and Ani, however, already underwent this process too many times to count.

    Ani didn''t slow her dash at all and only slightly picked up the pace. She had quickly reached the top of the tree in only two more seconds.

    Right when the Ravenous Void n Elder fished out that eerie blue, glowing vial, Ani was right under the man. She already had her deadly purple scalpel in her hand and aimed her sights at the Elder neck.

    With zero hesitation in her movements, Ani struck out with her scalpel and sailed straight at the Elder''s bare exposed neck.

    And on his base bodily instinct, this is what caused the Ravenous Void n Elder to go entirely still for a second.

    The sense of a tremendous death crisis abruptly swirled in the Elder''s mind. He felt as if death scythe was roaring straight at him despite not feeling or sensing any aura around him!

    Hurriedly, the Elder began turning around his body, but it was all to no avail.

    ''Chi!''

    Blood crazily spewed in the air dying the bright green sky in a sickening bloody mix. Ani plunged her scalpel deeply into the Elder''s shoulder, causing the Elder eyes to bulge right out of his eyes socket.

    The scalpel had immediately glow a bright silverish purple, drawing all eyes to the Elder. All the youths on the ground watching the Elder felt their brainsgged.

    Just where the hell that small weapon came from?!

    "Ah-Ah-a-" The Elder attempted to scream out in pain, but immediately then deadly toxins ravaged his whole body!

    Streams of horrid purple liquids drilled throughout his body, quickly destroying his organs, bones and frying his bloodstreams.

    Putrid foam spewed out of the Elder mouth as if he was a rapid Spirit Monster. Instantly bright purple lines appeared and ran all over the Elder body.

    Uncontrobly, the Elder body began twitching and spasming.

    Inside his soul, a horrid purple toxin ran amok there, burning his soul to the very roots. The Elder was going through this kind of torturous pain instantly destroyed any state of mind of the once-proud Elder.

    And before the Elder fell off the tree, Ani quickly reached back out and took her purple scalpel back.

    As the scalpel promptly returned to normal, Ani reached out with her hand and lightly pushed the Elder off the tree.

    Under normal circumstances, even if Ani was at full power, she wouldn''t be able to move the Elder an inch from his position.

    And yet now, the Elder was akin to a doll with its strings cut off, crashing straight towards the ground.

    ''Bang!''

    The loud, shocking thumb of the Elder body crashing against the ground sted everyone''s eardrums.

    Both the Quicksilver Roc youths and the Zakira Academy youths snapped their eyes to the fallen Elder and were greeted by a gruesome sight.

    Still, the Elder body was violently twitching and spasming as if he was under an intense seizure. His face was etched in putrid purple lines that now morphed into a state of decay and rancidness.

    The Elder expression was of confusion and tremendous pain. As the light slowly left his eyes and excruciating pain filled his seven senses, the Elder would never know just who or what caused his torturous death.

    Out of everyone''s silent, shocked state, the most stunned was the horrid human-like creature.

    It was quite literally standing right near the Elder, and yet it didn''t sense any aurae up behind him!

    However, the horrid creature had no time to contemte what just transpired. As the air began to intensely burn right near it, the creature''s eyes widened as it felt its soul begin to contort.

    A considerable suppression crushed on the creature''s body while its soul was suddenly suppressed seemingly out of the blue!

    This creature was stronger than thest one, being equivalent to a sixthyer link True Soul Core warrior. Still, it had immense trouble just trying to turn its body.

    ''Whir!!''

    Before the creature could even fully turn, a tremendous abrupt surge of power frantically erupted right behind it!

    The moderate suppression on its soul now immensely intensifies, causing its soul to violently quake in utter fear.

    For a split second, this immense fear and suppression caused the creature to go into an absolute daze. Its glowing green eyes became unfocused, and all of its defenses dropped.

    ''Chi!''

    "KAAHH!!!"

    The creature unleashed blood-curdling shrieks as its putrid arm was cleanly chopped off by a ck ming scimitar!

    Rancid green blood crazily spewed in the air as Darcel suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

    Because Darcel used too much power, his concealing talisman dropped. But he didn''t care in the slightest and still quickly reacted.

    Ignoring the shrieks of agonizing pain, Darcel swiftly caught the severed arm before it went flying in the wind and shed it into his spatial ring.

    Simultaneously, Darcel had thrust his ck ming scimitar towards the vile creature''s face at lightning speeds!

    The creature''s mind was in utter chaos as its soul violently trembled with each move Darcel made.

    At this point, it wouldn''t even be able to urately dodge Darcel''s thrust, much less put a good defense at the abrupt ambush attack.

    However, right when Darcel''s was mere inches from the vile creature''s face, a bright silver radiance enriched its whole body!

    Simultaneously, when the silver radiance enraptured the creature''s body. The same bright glowing silver radiance lit up Darcel''s arm and scimitar!

    Darcel felt his soul suddenly erupt with a monstrous burst of power!

    ''Chi!''

    In a bright silver sh, Darcel plunged his scimitar straight through the vile green creature''s head! Rancid green blood sprayed into the tree and dribbled towards the ground, sizzling deep holes in it.

    The creature didn''t even receive the chance to shriek in death as its brain was promptly destroyed by Darcel''s scimitar, quickly killing it.

    Darcel smirked while pulling his scimitar from the green creature''s head, letting its body fall off the tree and crash into the ground.

    If it wasn''t for his soul suddenly erupting when that silver radiance covering the creature, Darcel would''ve never attained the speed to catch that creature mid escape.

    "Hmph! So that another kill for us from these disgusting little variants of creatures!"

    Ani''s sweet voice echoed throughout the woods as she rejoined Darcel on his tree and already dropped her concealing talisman.

    "Sheesh.I don''t know how you two did it. But you actually somehowpletely reversed this whole irreversible situation!" Lyse said with awecing her tone as she and Gerey also grouped up with the duo on the same tree.

    Truly Lyse meant every word she spoke. If it was just her and Gerey, they would''ve been utterly helpless to do anything to save Jamas and his group.

    Yet now, the seemingly impossible was achieved by Darcel and Ani!

    "It''s-it''s really is those two!"

    "Thi-this is like some weird fever dream."

    All of the Quicksilver Roc youths and Zakira Academy youths copse on the floor as the significant suppression left them.

    Pain still wracked their bodies, but since the Ravenous Void n Elder and the horrid creature was dead, the suppression at least allowed them to writhe in pain.

    Although the poisonous green mist inside their bodies still stayed, creating most of the remaining pain for them.

    "What is he.?" Out of everyone''s reaction, Jamas was the most subdued.

    While copsing to the floor, his eyes managed to peer over to Gerey, and an ufortable feeling settled inside him.

 Chapter 81: Abrupt Escape

    Chapter 81: Abrupt Escape

    Gerey didn''t have an awe or joyous expression. He instead tightly knitted his eyebrows and even appeared to have cold sweat running down his face.

    Gerey was desperately trying to figure out why but an immense sense of death felt like it was rapidly approaching to clutch his throat.

    And it was then Gerey''s eyes brightly lit up in a luminous purple radiance!

    His glow shined bright like the raging sun, and he hurriedly shed his spatial ring and fished out an escaping talisman.

    Darcel, Ani, and Lyse briefly nced over to Gerey, but he already crushed the escaping talisman with no question asked.

    Magical energy immediately wrapped the four up, and they began to take off into the Darkness sky.

    Everyone was gobsmacked at Gerey''s sudden action.

    Not even Darcel, Ani, nor Lyse understood what he was doing. Although midway in their abrupt and sudden escape, everyone heard a loud, powerful voice that boomed for miles in the Woods.

    "You two think you can just so easily leave after causing so much damn chaos to my ns!!"

    The powerful voice sted out an iprehensible aura that caused nearly all of the True Soul Core youths on the ground to immediately faint.

    Darcel, Ani, Lyse, and Gerey all felt a tremendous headache assault their senses.

    Even as they already teleported for miles into only one second under the escaping talisman, that powerful voice just had no limits on its range.

    And as the four heard the booming voice, a bright silver glow still managed to pierce into their eyes. No matter how fast they were going, this radiant silver glow just seemed that tad bit faster!

    ''Bang!''

    Darcel, Ani, Lyse, and Gerey all got their worlds violently shaken as a tremendous force crushed into them.

    Fortunately for them, this silver force couldn''t stop their escaping talisman. But unfortunately for them, their escaping talisman was knocked off course from its original directions.

    And as the four pierced off into the night in a bright purple streak of light, a mysterious man suddenly appeared over the fallen Quicksilver Roc youths and the Zakira Academy youths.

    This man was dressed in a long blue robe, and a hoodie covered his head that ominously covered his identity.

    Though the mysterious man red daggers at the fading purple streak of light blitzing through the sky.

    Even with all his power, he was powerless to disrupt a Mage item.

    As the mysterious man floated in the air, he naturally exuded a boundless aura that caused the very air to shift around him. Every nature in this man being just roared with immense power.

    Once Darcel''s group was out of his vision, the man peered down the nearly all fainted group of True Soul Core youths.

    "Tch." The man clicked his teeth, seeing the green creature dead. And the Ravenous Void n Elder corpse was still creepily twitching.

    It wasn''t until his eyes locked on to Jamas that the man seemed to gain an idea. Jamas eyes were unblinkingly staring at the mysterious man though he will soon pass out in just a few more seconds.

    "Hmmm.heh! Alright, looks like we''ll need to take a different approach once again. Only this time, I''ll see to it that those two little shits are brutally crushed!"

    The mysterious man spoke out loud to nobody in particr as he slowly lowered himself to the ground.

    .

    Outside the Necropolis Woods, teetering a couple of miles from the entrance, four youths wearing simr clothesid face down on a dirt path.

    The four were off a beaten path leading towards the Woods, meaning rarely would one cross their paths.

    For an unknown amount of time, none of the four moved a muscle. Until out of the blue, the dark-haired boy and the long white hair girl started to twitch their fingers.

    "D-Darcy, L-lyse, G-gery are.you guys up yet?"

    Ani''s weary, tired voice called out to the others as she lifted her face from the dirt. A bit of blood dripped from her mouth while she tried to reorient herself.

    "Haaah.just barely. I think we''re all up, but still, a little banged up."

    Darcel breathed out while picking himself up to his knees. Blood also dripped from his mouth, still feeling the aftershocks of that sudden attack.

    Following in their steps, Gerey and Lyse also slowly picked themselves from off the ground. "Hey.I don''t know if you all also feel it. But I feel like I''ve been knocked for hours."

    Lyse sighed out, wiping the blood from her mouth.

    And her words hold true for the other three as well. Their bodies were still sore all over from thest attack, and a major headache was eating away at them.

    For a few seconds, they all were willing to rest for a bit.

    But abruptly, Ani''s eyes lit up in remembrance. Her tone was hasty as she said, "Ah! We can''t just lie here! That powerful, mysterious man is definitely connected to the Ravenous Void n, and he most likely took Jamas and the others!"

    "Shityou''re right. Going off that mysterious man''s words, he''s probably reworking all of his ns right now." As Darcel spoke, both he and Ani swiftly sprang to their feet, much to the amazement of Lyse and Gerey.

    They shared a look at each other and also decided to attempt standing up just like them. But when they tried to stand up, Lyse and Gerey found it to be quite a struggle.

    They are both ninthyer link True Soul Core warriors, yet their pain tolerance isn''t even as high as two Nascent Core juniors!

    Although, neither Lyse and Gerey consider Darcel and Ani ordinary Nascent Core juniors.

    "Haah.haah.I don''t get how you two can still be so energetic after all of that." Both Darcel and Ani lightly smiled at Lyse''sment.

    Though their face soon return to being severe as Darcel began to say,

    "We have to warn Vice-Principal of the potential hidden danger of the unknown in these Woods first, though. Who knows how many variants of that vile creature that n is hiding. Even she can walk right into a brutal death if left unprepared."

    "Are you two ready to go?" Ani asked in slight concern, once turning her attention to the now slightly shaky Gerey and Lyse.

    Both of them looked into Ani''s eyes and nodded.

    "We are, but first, let''s take some of this Mage potion given to us by the Vice-Principal. She imed it was for just in case." While talking, Gerey shed his spatial ring and fished out four round bottles filled with mysterious blue liquid.

    If one doesn''t have the funds or resources to afford a Mortal Pill, taking a Mage potion was the next best option.

    The potion doesn''t offer the same miraculous effects as a Mortal Pill does. Still, it does at least get rid of any fatigue and superficial injury.

    Everyone took a potion from Gerey''s hand, and before drinking, Darcel furrowed his eyebrows.

    "How odd.well, I hope it hasn''t been too long since we were knocked out."

    .

    Darcel''s group made great pace towards the City after swigging down those Mage Potions. Though the pain and headache didn''t entirely go away, it was enough for the group of four to efficiently use their Qi.

    And as Darcel''s group was nearing Necrotic City, they truly began to ask themselves just how long were they out.

    Usually, it would be extremely rare on the City''s path to find even a low-rank Innate Core powerhouse walking out of the City, much less soaring through the air.

    However, now, it appeared as something significant changed.

    Darcel''s group all witness and obverse multiple Innate Core cultivators rush towards the Necropolis Woods.

    Though their powerful Innate Core auras weren''t directed at them, Darcel''s group were all still taken aback by the tremendous powers blitzing through the sky.

    Moreover, on the path as well, Darcel''s group saw far more rogue cultivators in the True Soul Core realm heading out to the Woods.

    And this further puzzled and worried the four about the sudden increased interest in the Woods.

    There was even a significant change there just a few meters ahead as Darcel''s group near Necrotic City gate.

    The once typically unguarded gate that allowed anyone to pass through was now guarded by two men wearing bright silver armor.

    Anyone that came out of the gate, the guards didn''t bother with. But for those who tried to go back to the City. The guards will do a quick scan over before letting them in.

    With their curiosity rising, Darcel''s group swiftly rushed right up the silver armor guards once there was nobody next to them.

    And the guards'' typically tight expression did rx a bit seeing four youths from the Zakira Academy approach them.

    "Excuse me, but why is everyone rushing to the Woods all of a sudden?"

    Darcel spoke up first as he and the others reached the City gate.

    The guards, however, quirked their eyebrows up towards Darcel question, and one of them said,

    "You don''t know? Just a few hours ago, everyone apparently got a clear, concise lead on that terrorizing killing monster. But the biggest part of the news had to be the massive sum of resources that the monster is genuinely hoarding. Weren''t you four just at the Woods? You know this info was released by your own Academy in these few hours."

    Immediately, Darcel, Ani, Lyse, and Gerey went rigid. After what they just experienced, they all knew this just had to be a trap!

    Darcel and Ani even further thought a student must''ve gotten poses for this information to supposedly get out.

    Without another word, Darcel''s group took off inside the City under the silver armor guards'' inquisitive faces.

    They made a direct beeline towards their Academy, avoiding all other people rushing out of the City.

    "Hoh? What do we have here? You four are awfully suspiciouslyte after your own Academy issued that order hours ago."

    Darcel, Ani, Lyse, and Gerey stopped abruptly as a powerful voice slithered in their ears.

    Like he was a ghost, the daunting figure of Elder Fere appeared from just meters in front of them. He had an odd provocate smile as his eyes zed over Darcel and Ani specifically.

    In the City''s new bustling state, he initially just prepared to go into the Woods after their sect sources checked out what Zakira Academy put out.

    But through the crowds of people, his eyes manage to preciselynd on Darcel and Ani, and he couldn''t help himself.

    Darcel and Ani, however, found this little meeting a bit queer. Mostly as thest time they saw Elder Fere, he was practically near death and barely escaped that red creature.

    And now here he is back in top tier shape.

    Still, Darcel''s group didn''t answer the man. They prepared to simply ignore him and not even care about the special status he holds.

    But right then, a pleasant steel like familiar voice slinked into their ears.

    Darcel, Ani, Lyse, and Gerey''s face all brightly lit up. Instantly they felt a secure feeling swell up inside them and no longer put the odd Elder Fere in their eyes.

    "Once again, trying to bother my students, Elder Fere? And to be even bolder thanst time and trying to do it out in the open. Don''t you have more.important tasks to take care of."

    The majestic, powerful voice of Vice-Principal Zelle caused Elder Fere to get utterly rigid.

    In the same manner, as Elder Fere, Vice Principal Zelle popped in front of Darcel''s group like a ghost! Seeing those steel-like blue eyes bore into his face caused Elder Fere to click his teeth.

    "Tch, I was merely a slight bit curious about the actions of the top talented students of your Academy. But you are right; I shouldn''t be wasting my time on them."

    Though he proimed it, Elder Fere''s eyes still took onest nce at Darcel and Ani.

    And before Vice-Principal Zelle could respond, Elder Fere swiftly took off back to the sky, not bothering to look back now.

    Vice Principal Zelle turned around to see the surprised but d faces of Darcel''s group.

    Before they could talk, though, Vice Principal Zelle wrapped the four up in her power and personally rushed them back to the Academy.

 Chapter 82: Discussion

    Chapter 82: Discussion

    Darcel and Ani had their eyes closed as they experienced the strange but smooth sensation of the world shifting around them.

    After undergoing this transition numerous times previously, the duo could safely say it felt.strangely rxing.

    And after a couple of seconds of this strange yet rxing sensation, the duo blinked open their eyes. Before they knew it, their whole scenery changed, and they were no longer outside.

    Their eyes had instead opened up to a beautiful bright blue-purple mix room.

    Various exotic scrolls filled uniquely designed shelves. Several big crystal purple orbs mysteriously floated in the air, and strange markings were covering the walls.

    However, none of this intriguing design is what truly caught the attention of Darcel and Ani.

    Their eyes had instantly snapped to their magnificently beautiful Heavenly King Principal, who was patiently waiting behind her desk, staring into a purple crystal orb.

    As Darcel and Ani''s eyes zed over in slight awe of just how enchanting their Principal was. They had then also felt gentle power infused into their bodies.

    Darcel and Ani''s previous headache, soreness, and slight fatigue were all washed away by this mysteriously warm energy.

    Their eyes lit up in appreciation, guessing it was the Principal who so quickly healed their injuries.

    "So? What''s the situation looking like now? Did you see anything change?"

    While Darcel and Ani stared at the Principal, Vice Principal Zelle took a moment to ask a question.

    And Vice Principal Zelle''s expression only slightly darkened while gazing at Principal Zakira''s reaction. Her face was unreadable as she stared into the purple crystal orb.

    It was a look that you simply can''t predict what is going on in her head.

    Thisplicated expression only further enhanced the brewing foreboding feeling stirring in Vice Principal Zelle''s gut.

    After a few tense seconds, Principal Zakria still didn''t answer Vice-Principal Zelle''s question. Instead, her eyes lifted from the purple crystal orb, and she stared directly at Darcel and Ani.

    Being gaze under her unreadable expression caused some slight worry for Darcel and Ani.

    Her alluring bright purple eyes seemed almost hypnotic, akin to gazing into a rising purple sun brilliance.

    "Everything.everything is far too chaotic to tell anything now. Darcel, Ani. You two really manage to violently shift everything."

    Principal Zakira''s sweet, captivating voice slithered into the duo''s ears like warm water.

    Although despite her sweet voice being mesmerizing to listen to, Darcel and Ani haven''t had the faintest idea of what she meant.

    "Uhm.what do you mean we shifted everything? Ah! More importantly, you should stop anyone from going to the Woods now!" Ani urgently reminded the Principal''s mid-sentence.

    "Unfortunately, things had already rapidly progressed ever since you four hours of disappearance. Unprecedented for even the Principal and I, Jamas slinked right under our senses. He rounded several Innate Core Elders and spread that rumor of riches to go and kill that creature. The most puzzling part though was the fact neither I nor the Principal sensed his presence at all in the Academy when he was here."

    Vice Principal Zelle was shaking her head while exining to the duo.

    And her exnation caused Darcel and Ani''s eyes to burst into realizing rays of lights.

    Their minds vividly recalled how those human-like creatures can''t be sense. And then there was this mysteriously powerful man that was left with Jamas.

    "Is it true? Are the Ravenous Void n truly connected to those ghosts?"

    Principal Zakira asked the duo, watching their brightening expression. It was a subject that swam in her mind for quite some time now.

    "Indeed, that n not only works with ghosts, they also can apparently make ghosts possess humans." Darcel began exining, and already Vice-Principal Zelle and Principal Zakira''s eyes slightly widened.

    "Ghosts possessing humans? But how? Not even weak Qi Foundation cultivators could be possessed by Spirit ghosts." It was themon sense Vice-Principal Zelle learned on her path of cultivation.

    Though in the back of her mind. Vice Principal Zelle could already tellmon sense is about to get broken again by the duo.

    "Ah! We were told exactly that by Gerey and Lyse. But you see.that n is holding variants of that red human-like creature we fought in the ck Labyrinth Dungeon! These variants are exactly as terrifying as the original red one, and we think those creatures are majorly helping with this ghost situation."

    Ani picked up to exin, causing further shock in the Principals.

    "How can you be so sure it was a variant or exactly like that creature?" Vice Principal Zelle asked, having a hard time believing her words.

    Since after all this time, it''ll just be too odd for the duo to suddenly encounter something precisely like that creature. And nobody else being able to pick up on its slightest of trace for weeks.

    Towards Vice-Principal Zelle''s question, Darcel simply ignited his spatial ring. And before either adult women could question what he was doing, Darcel fished out that rancid severed arm of the putrid green creature.

    "Seriously?! There really are more of these creatures?!"

    Vice Principal Zelle proimed her shock. She instantly recognized that severed arm to be nearly identical in appearance to the red creature!

    Principal Zakira curiously gazed at the vile creature''s arm. A particr detail that stood out to her was the fact that it appeared like the severed arm was still flowing with putrid green blood.

    "Ani and I encountered two of these variants of creatures, and we fought with both of them. The Ravenous Void n.they won''t just stop at possessing True Soul Core youths. They''re going to get their clutches on Innate Core cultivators and grow even stronger." Darcel finished exining.

    Both Vice-Principal Zelle and Principal Zakira creased their eyebrows.

    The duo had no reason to lie, and they were inclined to believe them. But everything was still too shrouded in mystery to call for an urate answer.

    Principal Zakira knows she could immediately stop anyone from their Academy from going into the Woods. Despite what they lost already, it wouldn''t affect them much if they went into lockdown.

    However, Principal Zakira knows she could only do this with her Academy.

    Other sects and organizations like the Quicksilver Roc sect and Yoderine institution are beyond her control.

    Even if she were to inform them the exact same thing Darcel and Ani told them, they all still didn''t have any concrete evidence against that n and their connections to ghosts.

    While Jamas was able to bring back concrete evidence against that red creature to rally the whole City up.

    It was then Vice-Principal Zelle''s expression became determined. She made a split decision in her mind and told Principal Zakira, "We need to act hard and fast now. Principal.I will contact Leweyn Andres."

    Hearing that name-dropped caused Principal Zakira to go utterly silent.

    Clearly, Darcel and Ani were able to tell whoever this Lewyn person was. It is a big deal enough to make even their Principal go eerily silent.

    Her eyes had promptly stared into her bright purple crystal orb for a brief second.

    Despite Darcel and Ani''s mind already going to the negative about this person given her reaction, the Principal was actually using her soul to call upon the power of her unique Foresight abilities.

    For all these years, she painstakingly cultivated this unique ability. She managed to reach a state where she could tell the general effects of what one person would have on the overall future a few weeks in.

    It was how she managed to predict the Woods'' huge event and how Darcel and Ani would inevitably end up stumbling across it.

    Though her prediction isn''t exactly always urate, especially if it involves Darcel and Ani.

    But more likely than not, Principal Zakira could see the vague right steps to take for any given situation. And for the man named Lewyn Andres, she could tell things will turn out worse without him.

    Still, Principal Zakira regarded that man as a slight risk. A risk that they probably need to take. Nodding towards Vice-Principal Zelle, Principal Zakira had then told her,

    "Since you''re going to do so, I shall get readily prepare for him then."

    "Wait.just who the hell is Lewyn Andres?" Darcel asked as both he and Ani actually felt genuine curiosity in this man''s rise.

    After all, both Vice-Principal Zelle and Principal Zakira are already so powerful enough to not rely on ordinary help.

    "He hails from the strongest sect out of our Bless Spirit Province. The Brass Spirit Sect. Though we are ranked quite literally thest out of the nine Provinces, that sect possesses a keenly unique ability. And they will be able to majorly help us with tracking these ghosts and creatures and put an end to whatever ns they have brewing."

    It was when Vice Principal Zelle finished exining that Darcel and Ani came upon a slight realization.

    Besides only the areas they have been to, the duo realized they neglected to know the full geography of this realm that they were abruptly teleported to.

    Ani made a mark in her head for a point she and Darcel will go over in the near future.

    For now, though, she asked the Principals, "So what now? We can''t go back into the Woods unless we want to walk into a certified death trap, and that''s where nearly all of the action is taking ce."

    "You two did fight and kill at least one of those variant creatures, right?"

    Principal Zakira suddenly spoke up,pletely ignoring Ani''sst question.

    For a brief second, Darcel and Ani were a bit stunned hearing her so urate guess. But nevertheless, Ani brightly smiled and nodded at her.

    "Not just one.but we manage to kill two of those creatures! The severed arm Darcy got will put into good use by us! Though, I''m not entirely sure how.but I think Darcy and I have resistance to that creature."

    Very vividly, Darcel and Ani could recall the exact sensation and power that their souls would continually spew while fighting those creatures.

    They had obviously managed to link it up with their recent scimitars that their souls are reacting like this.

    Although, the question still sitting inside both the duo''s mind was merely what these scimitars did to their souls. And just why did these sensations felt so damn familiar, as if they encountered that kind of power before.

    "Zelle, take them to the Corridor of Haven. They will be crucial in specifically stopping those creatures for good."

    Vice Principal Zelle slightly widened her eyes in small shock. But she didn''t have any disagreement with this sudden decision.

    "Mnh, alright. But first, at the great distance of the Brass Spirit Sect, I know it''ll take them at most three days for their arrival. What shall we do until then?"

    Principal Zakira was already ready with an answer.

    "I will call in some favors from those Quirky Mages and temporarily seal down the Academy. Darcel. Remember to keep that arm even when you finish using it."

    Darcel and Ani nearly falter once again, hearing Principal Zakira''s surprisingly urate predictions of what they''re going to do.

    Before they could question anything, though, Vice Principal Zelle softly grabbed their shoulders, making them look up at her.

    She gave the duo a kind warm smile, telling them, "Now, first thing first for you two. You''ll need topletely rx your mind and bodies before we head on to the main attraction."

 Chapter 83: Outside Changes

    Chapter 83: Outside Changes

    Inside a tremendously vast beautiful courtyard several thousands of kilometers away from Necrotic City, one tall, extraordinary man was overseeing ten magnificent youths.

    His eyes peer down in apparent pride over these youths.

    Including himself, there wasn''t a single one in the courtyard that didn''t naturally exude an unfathomable aura.

    The man''s majestic aura also matched with his refined appearance. He was exceedingly handsome, spouting clear sharp like features in his face, giving the man a dangerous outlook.

    Long neatly tied up orange hair draped the man dazzling light blue robes in a perfected mixbination.

    This man was the third Heavenly King Elder of the Brass Spirit Sect Leweyn Andres!

    And Leweyn''s eyes mainly focused on one specific disciple out of the ten.

    While the other nine disciples busy themselves with conversing and practicing with each other. The boy Leweyn paid attention to was the only one still silently cultivating.

    Not only was he the only one silently cultivating, but the boy was also the strongest of his peers. He was a sixth rank Innate Core realm genius!

    And to boot, the boy carried a handsome appearance much like nearly if not all other geniuses his age. He held short brown hair, attractive facial features, and wore a beautiful regr blue uniform robe.

    Obviously enough, Leweyn found this boy to hold a higher value than the other disciples there.

    As per usual, everyone was going on the day with minimal changes.

    "....Hm?"

    That is until Leweyn suddenly felt his spatial ring lit up in bright blue, glowing radiance.

    Immediately, Leweyn''s eyes snapped off the boy and focused on the glowing spatial ring.

    "Erin! Come over. We have some private matters to discuss." Leweyn abruptly called out to the short brown hair boy.

    Erin promptly reacted and stood up while the other disciples shifted their eyes on them.

    While walking up, Leweyn, Erin, and the other disciples did have some thoughts on why their Master called for this abrupt meeting.

    And as Erin approached closer to Leweyn and saw his spatial ring glowing, his suspicions were confirmed to be true.

    Leweyn only waited for Erin to get close, and the two had then shuffled to a lone space in the vast courtyard.

    The other nine disciples quickly returned back to their conversations. However, they were guessing what their Master was nning on doing.

    "Master.is it her again?"

    Erin asked Leweyn once they were out of hearing distance from the other disciples. And when Erin didn''t receive an answer-back, he expected it and patiently waited for his Master to speak to him.

    Leweyn, all the while, was listening in on the Mage tool that allowed for long distances messages.

    A blunt, direct voice flowed into his ears, and it was like a melody for Leweyn.

    "Get ready, Erin. We''re going to Necrotic City to help out Vice-Principal Zelle." Leweyn told after several seconds of silence. And these words caused Erin to droop a bit.

    A slight exasperated feeling hit him as this wasn''t the first time he''s been called to this position.

    "Master, no disrespect but.everytime she calls you for a considerable ordeal, you alwayse to her beck and call and with no reward ask in return. Just.what is so special about her?"

    Leweyn, however, held zero change in expression or reaction towards his disciple using words. "Get your ring ready. We''re going to leave now after I speak with the Sect Master." Was all Erin got for an answer.

    "Haah.yes, Master." Erin sighed but didn''t hold any disagreement.

    And as Erin watched his Master vanish from sight, one thought continually gued his mind.

    Just what is so special about some ordinary-looking prideful woman?

    .

    Deep into the ck Necropolis Woods, three forces were splitting and shifting the very air around them.

    This group of three were unfathomably powerful, having abined aura that would frighten any ordinary sect in Necrotic City.

    The three consisted of three terrifying men, all wearing the bright orange robes of the Quicksilver Roc sect!

    It was Elder Fere and two other eighth rank Innate Core Elders.

    Like many others, they found what Jamas spoke out to be urate as their best sensory trackers were able to pick up on that vile red creature now.

    Moreover, they also sensed the great monstrous riches lurking with that creature.

    And after some small debates, it was decided that for one hundred percent assurance. Elder Fere, Elder Lian, and Elder Cian would be the ones to find and kill that creature if it''s still even alive by now.

    Furthermore, they would also take any riches, they can no matter who may get in their way.

    "Really, Elder Fere, you seem a tad too excited for this outing. Really want to wash that horrifying taste of defeat that much, huh?" Elder Lian suddenly spoke up and chided Elder Fere.

    Elder Fere, however, didn''t have a significant change of reaction.

    All he merely told him was, "Heh, if you would''ve experienced what I experienced when fighting that horrid creature, you wouldn''t be so quick to joke about it."

    Elder Lian lightly snorted at him, though he couldn''t forget the spine-chilling state Elder Fere was in when he came back to the sect.

    Out of the hundreds of years he knew him for, never before had Elder Fere been that terribly injured.

    Truthfully both Elder Lian and Elder Cian carried some small worries about facing that kind of creature that caused such terrifying injuries to Elder Fere.

    But, the act of greed was too tempting for most to ignore.

    Right then, in an abrupt whish moment, all three of the Elders rigidly stopped their rush.

    A bright silver light violently pierced into their eyes, almost like they suddenly came upon a zing silver sunray.

    All three of the Elders'' heads immediately snap towards their right to see where that silver light wasing from. And it didn''t take long at all before Elder Fere''s eyes erupted in savage killing intent.

    His Spirit Senses honed into a terrifying aura sensation that still haunted his mind to this day.

    That vile red creature was over there!

    "Let''s go!" And without waiting for a response, Elder Fere swiftly rushed towards that silver light.

    Elder Lian and Elder Cian stopped for a brief moment. Unlike the maddening revenge dash of Elder Fere, both men couldn''t help but feel slightly wearing about exploring that harsh silver light.

    Furthermore, they, too, sense a terrifying aura sensation that overtook their minds. This aura sensation immediately stood out to the two Elders since they never felt anything like it before.

    Yet, seeing as Elder Fere didn''t even bother to wait for their opinions, Elder Lian and Elder Cian had no choice but to follow.

    The men shared one slight exasperated look before shrugging their shoulders and then sting off towards Elder Fere''s direction.

    Frenzy powerful blue Wind Qi stormed out for miles in the Necropolis Woods.

    Any Spirit Monsters, ranging from Nascent Core to True Soul Cores and even the rare Innate Core realm, were all swept up in the three Elders mad dash.

    As the three of them were at thete ranks of the Innate Core realm, just this mere small portion of their power caused everything to shift into a powerful Windy storm in the Woods.

    In only a few seconds, the three Eldersquickly arrived at where the bright silver light was exuding from.

    The three men had then stop as tremendous puzzlement fills their faces.

    They havee upon an odd encirclement of glossy ck trees. At the center of this encirclement stood one mysterious looking man.

    The man wore this long blue robe, and a hoodie covered his identity, but there was something else distinct about this man.

    In his hand, he held onto a bright silver round object that nearly resembled arge core in the Elders eyes. Most obviously, thatrge silver core is what provided that silver radiance from before.

    Still, for the mysterious man himself, none of the Elders felt any extraordinary or powerful aura exuding from him.

    It was almost as if he really was just apletely ordinary man holding on to an oddly bright silver core.

    "You! What is this!" As Elder Fere dauntingly spoke, he sted out his powerful ninth rank Innate Core aura prowess!

    Everything about this meeting was genuinely troubling for Elder Fere. Even now, his Spirit Sense was still telling him that red creature was precisely here!

    Yet all that to be seen standing in front is the mysterious blue robe man.

    Although all three of Elders spotted a multiple pair of colored eyes peeking out of the ck glossy trees bushes of leaves.

    Admittedly, this scene was a bit unnerving for even the highly powerful Elders.

    And looking at the mysterious man reaction only further the unnerving of the three Elders.

    Not many at all could withstand Elder Fere''s mighty aura pressure, much less still be able to stand perfectly fine on their feet under his prowess.

    And yet, this mysterious man only slightly craned his head up to seemingly stare at the three Elders. It was then the mysterious man utter simple short words that sent chills down the Elders spine.

    "Very good fleshy bags this time."

    The mysterious man''s voice hauntingly slithered into the Elders ears. His voice was like listening to metals violently sh together.

    But before anyone of the Elders could press on their questions, they all went utterly rigid!

    ''Whir!!''

    Out of entirely nowhere, that mysterious silver Core had suddenly brightly ignited! A blinding silver sh sted towards the Darkness sky, painting it in a full silver radiance.

    However, what truly made the three Elders go entirely still was a tremendously massive increase of power that crazily stormed out for miles in the surrounding area!

    Elder Fere, Elder Lian, and Elder Cian''s eyes all bulged.

    Their bodies were immensely suppressed under this tremendous crazed explosion of true power!

    This power was almost like they were facing the unfathomable might of a titled Heavenly King powerhouse!

    Which would mean this man is actually a genuine Heavenly Transformation cultivator?!

    The three Elders were thrown into a frantic loop. They desperately tried to surge their powerful Innate Qi, only to find it utterly suppressed in every way!

    None of them could move a single joint in their bodies now. And it was then the Elders heard the single most haunting sounds in their entire lives.

    "Awuagg!!"

    Numerous horrifying voices that sounded frighteningly distorted boomed into Elder''s ears. Along with the voices, the three Elders felt their horror increase as multiple ominous-looking Spirit ghosts slithered out of the trees.

    Every Spirit ghost supposed eyes chilling bore a hole into the Elder''s face.

    Elder Fere, Elder Lian, and Elder Cian all felt as if their souls were violently shaking in utter fear just from being watched.

    Hopeless despair filled the Elder''s minds. They couldn''t mobilize their Innate Qi, their bodies were utterly suppressed, and their souls felt tremendously suppressed just by the appearances of these ghosts.

    "Take them." The mysterious man simply told the numerous ghosts.

    And to Elder''s continuing despair, all ghosts frantically rushed towards the Elders and had drilled directly inside their bodies!

    "GE-A-"

    All three of the Elders instinctively tried to shriek in terrifying pain.

    But their throats were violently clutched, allowing for their shouts of agony to simply swirl in their minds.

    As the Spirit ghosts ruthlessly drilled into their bodies, all three Elders felt every fiber of their souls and bodies being torn to shreds! There was too much influx of energy, crushing the three from the inside out.

    All the while, the mysterious hooded man no longer paid attention to the three Elders.

    He lifted his arms a bit, allowing his sleeves to slowly fall down and revealed his bare skin.

    "Tch."

    The man clicked his teeth once, seeing the rotten decay of his arms. His skin was quite literally cracking and peeling off, revealing rancid, moldy blood.

    "Haah.this body is nearly done for. And overusing the Core is only quickening the Core instability and corruption. Heh, but once everything is done with, that ck hair boy and that white hair girl will juice the Core back to perfection!"

    The mysterious man''s tone wasced with spine chilling killing intent.

    From under his hood, the man creepily watched on as the Elders ghost torture still continued for agonizing minutes.

 Chapter 84: Darkness Passion

    Chapter 84: Darkness Passion

    Unknown to the outside world, in the Zakira Academy, three notable figures were walking along in a lone purple corridor.

    All three of them took slow, rxed steps, obviously in no hurry to rush their short walk.

    It was, of course, Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle. And despite the massive chaos they had just experienced previously, now their faces were the epitome of serene.

    Darcel was in an especially good mood as he recalled the events of the previous day.

    And one small urrence had particrly stuck out to him that day and was still was on his mind today.

    After their talk with Principal Zakira the previous day, Vice Principal Zelle really did surprise Darcel and Ani with a pleasant, rxing surprise.

    She had taken them to a special ce in the Academy; the Law Spring Pool.

    Including for all of yesterday, Darcel and Ani simply did nothing but fully immersed themselves in the Law Spring Pool under Vice Principal Zelle''s goading.

    The Law Spring Pool was really a vast, beautifully design hot springs type of area. But instead of regr water, it was purple water Qi. Furthermore, a distinct special aura permeated the Law Spring Pool, further enhancing the tranquility one would feel from rxing in there.

    All Darcel and Ani did was simply rxed in the warm purple water Qi and let their pores open. They sat next to each other in the water, allowing forplete tranquility.

    During the middle of their rxation, Darcel felt pulling changes to his soul and Darkness Qi. He felt his soul spew this stronger maic attraction to be one with Ani and solidify his linked bond to her.

    Andplimenting Darcel''s stirring soul was his Darkness nearly reacting on its own and almost popping out of his body. He could feel his Darkness being very eager to swallow Ani whole in his and its love and pleasure.

    Perhaps it was because of theplete tranquil state he was under. Darcel couldn''t precisely tell why these changes abruptly urred.

    All he knows is that it won''t be long before he suddenly ends up doing it with Ani.

    But until they could get alone, Darcel refocused his attention on the lone corridor and the single gray door at the end of the hallway.

    "So, Vice Principal, are you finally going to tell us just what''s in this Heaven door?"

    Vice Principal Zelle simply nced her eyes over at the duo, her face still as serene as ever.

    "For the uing fights, the Principal foresees you two will y a vital role. But you''ll need to be at the peak level of Nascent Core before attempting anything. What I''m leading you two towards is essentially a Qi haven for all youths and even teachers here."

    "Ah! And we just so happen to be special exceptions that get to experience this heavenly ce in its full glory, right?" Ani enthusiastically made an urate guess.

    Her bright, energetic energy will always stir throughout her mind and body, even in her most rxed state.

    Vice Principal Zelle was amused by Ani''s enigmatic energy and had nodded at her.

    But she does remind them that, "Now remember, you two will have at most three days before Ie to fetch you out. At that time, the Brass Spirit Sect will be present here."

    Darcel and Ani nodded with vigor at Vice Principal Zelle. Her description of this magnificent magical ce only filled the duo up with burning anticipation to see just what''s it about.

    Finally, Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle reached that lone gray door after several eager seconds.

    Vice Principal Zelle had then performed short and quick hand signs that were a blur for Darcel and Ani.

    And when she had performed her final hand sign, the lone gray door promptly flung wide open with a loud bang!

    Darcel and Ani were a bit taken aback at the sudden swiftness.

    But they weren''t given any more time to react as they were then violently sucked into the gray energy like substance swirling inside the door!

    Once they were in the door, the lone gray door had firmly shut tight once again.

    "Haah.their results will most undoubtedly be excellent when theye out. But, I hope that man won''t be so noisy again when hees around."

    Vice Principal Zelle sighed to herself, and after taking onest look at the lone door, she began heading back to her office.

    .

    Darcel and Ani snapped their eyes open to a glorious sight.

    Their visions became enamored with a beautiful rainbow-colored space that was seemingly endless.

    For a rare moment, Darcel and Ani were actually in quite awe.

    They had to say already that Vice Principal Zelle wasn''t kidding about this ce! The most astonishing thing about this ce was the Qi here.

    It was the most vibrant and rich the duo have ever felt in their lives!

    Darcel and Ani were sure that even the most average talents cane here, gain Qi enlightenment, and experience several huge breakthroughs!

    Even if one body is slow at absorbing Qi, the Qi permeating the air here would rapidly develop one''s mind andprehension abilities.

    "Oooh~!"

    Ani suddenly gasps once she had taken a single step in this ce.

    The very ground beneath was outrageously warm and soft akin to thosergefy beds she and Darcel slept on in their unique rooms.

    Darcel was nning on walking as well, but he abruptly went rigid.

    His bloodline suddenly violently quaked, and his soul crazily stirred at the same time. In a split second, Darcel''s surroundings became unending Darkness.

    Although, despite how sudden this was, Darcel wasn''t surprised or shocked at all.

    Instead, he patiently waited for a familiar powerful voice to soothe his mind like usual. And he didn''t have to wait long at all.

    "It''s the time! The first step to cultivating Yin pleasure and solidifying your first soul link has arrived! This ce you''re in is perfect for your first time."

    The ethereal, powerful voice quickly told Darcel.

    And Darcel couldn''t even get a chance to react or respond before his vision swiftly returned back to the rainbow color space.

    Along with feeling his Darkness Qi rumbling a bit, Darcel also saw a beautiful sight whening back to reality.

    Ani was staring up at him, spouting an alluring broad smile and a faint sexy blush gracing her beautiful face.

    "Hehehe~, Darcy, your eyes went entirely ck for a moment! I could tell your bloodline must''ve spontaneously reacted because. I''m feeling myself just get hotter and hotter being next to you~."

    As she spoke, Ani slyly got closer to Darcel. Her modest soft squishy breast pressed into his chest, already igniting the burning mes of lust inside Darcel.

    Around his neck, Darcel had then felt Ani''s soft arms wrap around him, pulling him closer to her beloved smiling face.

    "Your Darkness~. I was suppressing myself yesterday, but all throughout, I felt it erupting the passion inside my body. And now, my passion is at its peak~! Wouldn''t you say it''s the same for you, Darcy~?"

    Ani''s hot scented voice soothing into Darcel''s ears, caused his lust to reach a boiling point!

    His body was moving nearly on instinct as he wrapped his arm around her small soft body and pulled her in for a loving kiss.

    "Mnhn~!"

    Simultaneously, they both groaned under the electrifying sensation of kissing.

    Darcel was inhaling Ani''s sweet-scented aroma while thoroughly enjoying himself on her soft, luscious lips.

    Compared to all other times, Darcel and Ani felt far more tingles shiver down their spines, making this kiss feel almost perfect. Their mouths fervently open and their tongues greedily sought after each other.

    Instantly, their tongues engaged in a zealous dance as Darcel sucked on Ani''s tongue like it was dopamine.

    Under the lustful state Darcel was in now, he couldn''t help but get far more eager during the kiss.

    Darcel proceeded to vigorously scoop Ani into his arms, getting a cute yelp of surprise in the middle of their intense kiss.

    But Darcel gave her no time to process it as he had then sat upon the soft,fy ground, and they both got even more passionate in their making out.

    Hot trails of salivas dripped down their mouths as their kiss got wilder with each second.

    Darcel couldn''t get enough of Ani''s sweet addicting taste, sucking up nearly every drop of her fiery essence.

    And Ani''s mind was bing hazy, slurping up Darcel''s perfected saliva.

    Darcel also didn''t just let his hand be idle. He let Ani drop into hisp and began unbuttoning Ani''s uniform shirt.

    While Ani''s hand roamed around Darcel''s body and also unbuttoned his uniform shirt.

    Quickly, Darcel''s temporarily stopped kissing, removed Ani''s shirt, and revealed her beautiful modest perky breasts. Her cute little pink nipples were puffed up in intense lust, making Darcel''s mouth go dry.

    At the same time, Ani removed Darcel''s shirt showcasing his perfectly chiseled abs. Ani''s eyes zed over in heated lust, being utterly enamored by Darcel''s sculpted, masculine body.

    Without pausing, Darcel eagerly began sucking on Ani''s sexy erected pink nipples causing Ani to secrete heavenly moans.

    "Mnh~! Ahn~! Your mouth~!"

    Darcel swirled his tongue all around Ani''s soft breast, finding the taste absolutely delicious. Sweet addicting pleasurable sensation swimmingly stirred in Darcel''s mouth as he dined on Ani''s delectable breast.

    Ani felt her loins burn with zing cravings of lust, making her get even more enthusiastic.

    She had shifted her body a bit to go on top of Darcel and gentlyy him down while smothering him with her mouth-watering breasts.

    "Nnnh.Ahn~!" Ani absolutely adored the pleasure of smothering Darcel with her sweet breasts.

    And her body was practically moving on its own as she began erotically grinding hard on Darcel''s crotch.

    "Mnh.I can''t get enough of this~." Darcel, too unleashed a hot breath, utterly enjoying every second that Ani smothered him with her perky breasts.

    Simultaneously, he also loved the carnal pleasure of Ani''s fiery wet loins sexily grind hard on him.

    "Ah-Ohh,~?"

    Suddenly Ani perked up once she felt a hot rising pole sensually poke her crotch. Just by feeling each other spirited sex through their clothes, the near orgasmic stimtion sent electrifying pleasures waves that further heated Darcel and Ani''s bodies.

    The feeling of Darcel''s hot steamy shaft poking at her wet secret garden caused Ani to gain a sexy idea.

    She gently moved her breast away from Darcel''s face to gaze at his lustful, hazing eyes.

    Quickly Ani nted a hot steamy kiss on Darcel''s lips before she had then began sexily shifting her body around.

    The way Ani moved was perfect in Darcel''s eyes. She had a captivating sensual allure in twisting her hips and legs, further igniting Darcel''s lust.

    And before Darcel knew it, the hypnotic luscious fragrance of Ani''s wet crotch was nted on his face.

    While Ani put her face near the hardening hot tent of Darcel''s crotch.

    "Fufu~, let''s see who can make the other experience pure bliss first~." Ani hotly moaned near his crotch. She had then quickly unbuckled his pants and glowed one of her fingers in a radiant white glow.

    At the same time, Darcel both lifted his hips so Ani can pull his pants off with telekinesis. And he had also lit up one of his fingers in a Darkness glow, spewing out several small ck tendrils that went and unbuckled and lowered Ani''s pants.

    Darcel was immediately greeted by the sight of Ani''s cute wet panty, and she nted herself right back on Darcel''s face.

    All the while, Ani was greeted by the sight of Darcel''s ck boxer and big pitch tent bursting through his boxers.

    "Huuu." Darcel began hotly breathing into Ani''s moist secret garden, finding how it squirms in excitement, incredibly sexy.

    Tingles shiver down Ani''s spine as her loins increase its ming love juices.

    "Are you ready, Ani~?" Darcel grabbed on to Ani''s hips to slightly raise her up and ask.

    During this motion, he had also taken the time to appreciate Ani''s beautiful tight ass''s modest perkiness. Just holding it in this position made Darcel want to lose all control, but he kept his sanity.

    "Fufufu~, for quite some time, I was ready Darcy~."

    Ani uttered a giggle that sounded like the hypnotic sound of a graceful angel.

    And simultaneously, they both took each undergarment off, allowing themselves a full view of each other''s eager sexes.

    Immediately Ani bes enamored, staring at Darcel''s rock hard seven-inch dick.

    "Haah.haah .your dick." She began hotly breathing on it and rubbing her face on the steamy pole. The warm feeling Darcel''s dick provided soothed Ani''s bloodline and soul.

    All the while, Darcel was mesmerized by Ani''s juicy beautiful pink pussy. Her divine fluids dripped onto Darcel''s face making his own bloodline and soul writhed in zealous excitement.

    And without waiting for a second more, Darcel lowered Ani''s sweet pussy onto his face and began fervently sucking up delicious juices.

    His tongue explored every aspect of her soft wet, squishy pussy fold and soon got lost in eating her out.

    "Mmnnh~!" Ani became crazed with pleasure.

    Her small pink tongue eagerly licked all over Darcel''s delectable pole savoring the addicting taste of him. And then, Ani didn''t even hesitate for a second before taking half of Darcel''s dick in her mouth!

    "Nnh~!!" They both groan in pure ecstatic pleasure, sucking on and savoring each other sexes.

    Pleasurebined with a serene warmth course in their bodies and souls, quickly bringing them both to blissful heights.

    They passionately went down on each other for a few minutes until Darcel felt he was close. Darcel also felt Ani was near the edge, so he decided to gain the ultimate victory over her.

    Inside Ani''s hot wet pussy, Darcel''s ignited the tip of his tongue in a Darkness glow. He then precisely struck a weak spot in Ani''s squishy folds!

    "OHH~! AHHHNN~!!"

    Ani perked up and unleashed a mighty shriek of pleasure as she harshly cummed all over Darcel''s face. Darcel''s face soon became drenched in her love juices, and he enjoyed every drop of it.

    Still, Ani wasn''t out of energy at all. Her face turned over to Darcel and gave a sexy feverish blushing gaze. This gaze nearly made Darcel lose all reason with lust.

    Quickly Darcel came up and exchanged a hot steamy kiss with Ani.

    "Nnnh-Ah~?"

    During their kiss, Darcel gently lowered Ani to the ground and spread out her moist legs.

    Darcel lined up the tip of his dick towards Ani''s burning pussy, and for a brief second, they stared into each other eyes.

    Darcel''s deep ck eyes bore into Ani''s matching ck eyes, and they were lost in each other''s worlds. Without words and only through their eyes, they felt all of their feelings, love, and affection get transmitted.

    "Ani." Darcel lovingly called out Ani while stroking her beautiful white hair.

    "Darcy." Ani lovingly called out his name while also wrapping her gentle arms over his neck.

    Their feelings, their love, they didn''t need any further words.

    And with one simple thrust, Darcel managed to plunge all the way into Ani breaking her hymen in one thrust!

    "Ahhn~! We''ve finally be one~!"

    And immediately, instead of the usual pain, a girl would have upon losing their virginity. Both Darcel and Ani''s mind, bodies, and soul overloaded in immense electrifying pleasure!

    Their bloodlines churned in frantic excitement as the duo finally became connected.

    "Ahn~! AHH~!" Like they were wild mating beasts, Darcel and Ani were crazily moaning and grunting.

    Darcel went hard and fast at pounding Ani''s pussy at crazed speeds.

    Their bodies burned with unending lust, and they frantically sought out each other. Ani had even wrapped her legs around Darcel, further showing her fiery passion.

    And Darcel only sped up at hammering Ani''s pussy, with each thrust he performed causing tremendous pleasure to rock their senses.

    "Kiss~! Ki-Mnh~!"

    Darcel responded to Ani''s plea while thrusting into her, bending down to give her sloppy zealous kisses. But it didn''t matter to either how sloppy the kissing was as this way only made the duo get intenser.

    Breaking from kissing for a second, Darcel had then quicklytched to Ani''s perky breasts, performing even harder and deeper thrust with each passing second.

    "Ah-AH~! O-oh, my NIPPLES~!! If-if you keep this up, I''ll-AHHN ~!!"

    Ani was panting out as her senses overloaded on the double pleasure Darcel granted to her. Their rising blissful climax was quickly approaching, but neither of the duo notices their changing surroundings.

    While Darcel and Ani were wrapped up in their intense lovemaking passion, the Qi around them was frantically drilling into their bodies.

    And inside their bodies, their bloodlines were mutating. In their dantians, theirrge Nascent Cores were also rapidly advancing at the second.

    Though blissfully unaware of this, Darcel lost track of time as he switched position between kissing Ani''s lips, neck, and breasts while violently hammering her.

    "D-damn, I''m close, Ani!" Until after who knows how long, Darcel felt his rising climax near its peak.

    "AHN~! M-me tooo~!! Let''s do it toge-AHHHHHN~!!!"

    Ani abruptly shrieked in quacking pleasure as Darcel fully plunged himself into Ani hitting her womb.

    "ANIELA!!" Darcel roared Ani''s name, and at the same time, they both experienced a trembling orgasm!

    Darcel shot his thick cum deep into Ani''s womb, knowing there won''t be any consequences for now.

    And right when they both came simultaneously, the whole Corridor of Heaven got shrouded in sudden power!

    ''CHI!!''

    A bright rainbow color radiance burst from Darcel and Ani!

    The rainbow color radiance had then briefly formed two magnificent phantom holy images.

    Out from Darcel, a phantom image of what appeared like an angelic wing burst from his back!

    And out from Ani, a phantom image that appeared to also be an angelic wing burst from her back!

    A sudden influx of tremendous power had then overtaken Darcel and Ani''s mind, body, and soul, causing the two to promptly pass out while still connected with each other.

    But as their eyes closed, a satisfied smile graced both their lips as they experienced what true,plete bliss was like.

 Chapter 85: Soul Links

    Chapter 85: Soul Links

    Like several other times in his life, Darcel snapped his eyes open to familiar soothing Darkness.

    Truthfully, ending up back in this Darkness space didn''te as a shock to Darcel since his ethereal voice already alluded to this.

    Although, what was a bit shocking was a warm fiery sensation that swirled and soothed in Darcel''s right hand. He felt the warm sensation as soon as he snapped open his eyes, making him curiously nced down at his right hand.

    Darcel quirked an eyebrow up at what he saw. ''

    Swirling elegantly in his right palm was beautiful dazzling blue mes. Staring into these blue mes was almost hypnotic in a captivating serene way.

    Darcel was already very acquainted with the Element of Fire in the first ce, which would exin this warm sensation coursing in his body.

    And yet.these specific blue mes soothed into his bloodstreams, directly stirring his own soul to be more rxed.

    After getting lost in the mesmerizing sight of the blue mes for a few seconds, Darcel pulled his attention up.

    He curiously nced over the Darkness space as the blue mes weren''t the only warm and familiar sensation he felt.

    And Darcel only had to shift his eyes around a bit toe across another beautiful sight. This time it was a pure white dazzling figure who appearedpletely solid, taking full shape.

    "Ani." Darcel instantly recognized the full shape figure to be his beautifully alluring airhead girl.

    And at first, only Ani''s translucent white color back graced Darcel''s eyes.

    However, when he had quietly uttered her name, Ani quickly whipped around in zealous excitement. Taking one look at Ani''s face now made Darcel at a slight loss for words.

    She was still in an entirely translucent white color appearance, making her fit more of a ghost category. But still, the breathtaking beauty of Ani''s bewitching face and her long gorgeous white hair all seemed to be significantly enhanced in his Darkness space.

    "Darcy!!" Ani''s face split into a broad radiant smile that further entuated her magnificent beauty.

    She was like a beautiful white sun spewing out her mesmerizing white sun rays for anyone to enjoy and get caught up in.

    And when Ani had lovingly shouted Darcel''s name, she had quickly rushed over to in a white sh. In just a split second, before Darcel knew it, her iparably soft, tender body tightly hugged his body.

    "Nnnh~.....Ahh~! Yup! This really is the real thing!"

    Ani serenely inhaled Darcel''s intoxicating scent while pushing her sweet face further into his neck. Of course, Darcel positively adored Ani''s loving cute actions.

    Though her words left him a bit puzzled.

    "Real thing? Do you mean.this is actually your consciousness in here?"

    Darcel questions the hugging girl while also tightly wrapping one arm around her divine translucent body.

    He would''ve dly used both of his hands to pull his cute girlfriend close, but even until now, Darcel still felt that dazzling blue mes steadily upon his right palm.

    "Mnh.yea, I guess you can say it''s like that. I''m not too sure what happened, but after our passionate and intense lovemaking, I think we fully connected on even a spiritual level! I know that I''m dreaming, but now we''re sharing the same dream even!"

    Darcel, at first, was finding Ani''s exnation a bit.out there.

    Even for their insane standards, Darcel didn''t think he read anything on lovers sharing the same dream.

    Although, at the same time, Darcel couldn''t deny some truth in Ani''s words. Compared to all other previous times, Darcel can firmly say he has a moreplete connection with Ani.

    If talking about previous times, Darcel would''ve ranked his spiritual or soul connection with Ani as strong, but there was a critical element that was missing.

    And now, that crucial element was more than fulfilled.

    Darcel truly felt as if a part of Ani''s soul wastched on to his Darkness soul. He didn''t know how to exactly describe what it felt like, but he just could tell he felt far closer to Ani than any other time in his life.

    "You are half right about our connection part. But. I''m not so sure this is just a mere dream."

    Ani raised her face curiously at Darcel. She was going to ask what he meant by that until an ethereal voice boomed into their ears.

    "My, my. The show you put on was quite fittingly divine. Congrattions on forming your first Perfected Darkness soul link, young one."

    Quickly, Ani was whipping her head side to side and hitting her long translucent white hair all in Darcel''s face.

    "Who is that?! And what do they mean by the first Perfected Darkness soul link? My link with Darcy has perfected for a long time already!" Ani shouted out some rather intriguing phrases to the voice.

    Though Darcel expected nothing less from her.

    "Well, I already gather you were going to tell me that. But besides this, what else are you going to mysteriously inform me off now." Darcel added a bit of humor into his voice as he went through this song and dance several times.

    "Hm.ah? Quite special indeed. It''s unprecedentedly rare for both of your souls to get heavily affected by anything. But that small little girl managed to.though this isn''t a bad thing. Getfortable with foxes in the future."

    It was all the ethereal voice told the duo.

    And they only left Darcel and Ani with many more questions than they initially have when first waking up here.

    But neither of the duos would get any chances to further talk as their scenery was abruptly changing.

    .

    "Nnh?!"

    On sync, Darcel and Ani flung their eyes wide open.

    Immediately their visions stared into each deep ck eye as Darcel was still squashed on Ani''s face.

    Soothing warmth filled the two while waking up. Because they had immediately passed out after sex, Darcel had stayed limped inside Ani''s creamy pussy.

    "Ohhh~.....now thi-Ah?!?" While Ani began to talk, Darcel had pulled hisid pole out of her.

    And upon doing so, the duo felt tremendous changes rock their mind, body, and soul!

    They both had then quickly sat up, getting into a cultivating cross-legged position. Their bare naked body was still exposed in the rainbow color space, but neither cared at this time.

    Fascinating awe was stered on Darcel''s and Ani''s face as an immense power course through every aspect of their being.

    It was a power that felt so pure and rich, fundamentally improving them in every way.

    With one quick sense of their bodies, Darcel and Ani were promptly left a bit ck-jawed.

    Not only had they broken through to the seventh level of the Nascent Core realm. They had also achieved a Perfected Nascent Being state!

    By just taking one look at their Nascent Core, Darcel and Ani witness something magical. Their Cores grew to colossal sizes and had formed to one hundred percentpletion!

    But the most magical thing about their Nascent Cores was the beautifully bright rainbow radiance enriching their Nascent Cores.

    Vice Principal Zelle taught the two that if one can achieve a Perfected Nascent Being state. Their Nascent Core would glow in a dazzling rainbow radiance, signifying a Perfected state in cultivation.

    And this wasn''t the only striking addition to their Nascent Cores. Connected to their Cores, Darcel and Ani spotted a long beautiful angelic like wing fluttering elegantly.

    Darcel, though found that his wing was entirely in a beautiful Darkness glow.

    While Ani''s wing was enriched in a dazzling radiant white light glow.

    Though no matter the color, it all blended perfectly with their rainbow radiance.

    Furthermore, Darcel also felt his bloodline undergo some profound changes. It was sort ofparable to the time his Darkness Qi first mutated.

    But Darcel could tell this change was on an entirely different level.

    "Ahhn~! This had to be the best breakthrough we''ve ever had! And to think, it was just an act of us expressing our passionate feelings!"

    Ani loudly proimed, and Darcel had then felt her soft weight gently saddle up on hisp.

    As they were both still naked, Darcel felt his lust ignite. But for a brief second, Darcel was stunned before even getting intimate.

    Because of their sudden power increase, Darcel didn''t get a chance to take a good look at Ani''s face while waking up.

    Yet now, apparently, what he saw in his Darkness space just transfers to reality. Ani''s enhanced beauty was even more alluring considering the fact Darcel could stare at her rosyplexion and fairy-like skin.

    However, while staring into Ani''s new beauty, several ideas suddenly spawned into Darcel''s head. But he quickly pushed those thoughts down forter and focused on the angelic women on hisp.

    "Let''s see.how about we have a little after celebration for all of our new breakthrough, hm?"

    Darcel began stroking Ani''s soft bare ass and beautiful perky breast while talking, making Ani feel an even greater burn in her loins.

    "Mnh-Ahn~! I can''t agree more.mnh~!"

    Ani had eagerly nodded and swooped down to capture Darcel''s lips.

    Despite just losing her virginity, Ani didn''t feel any soreness or fatigue.

    In fact, her body just craves for Darcel to fill her up once again!

    Darcel as well wasn''t the one to be left behind. His body was filled to the brim with exuberant energy, and he pried open Ani''s mouth andtched on to Ani''s tongue.

    This signifies the start to another several rounds of a hot sexy battle.

    .

    Hourster, after several bouts of intense lovemaking, Ani was now contently lying on Darcel''s chest, both fully clothed. Their faces were tranquil, merely enjoying this small moment of rest between them.

    They were also slowly cultivating to get familiar with their sudden massive power boost.

    But after pushing several thoughts down before, they had nowe back into Darcel''s mind at full force once he began rxing.

    After Darcel''s first taste of real pleasure and lovemaking, he now felt his bloodline surge his Darkness Qi intensely. It craves for another Darkness soul link of ultimate pleasure and love.

    Darcel took a quick peek inside his soul earlier and found a now more prominent ck luminous shine enriching his soul.

    It was far brighter than his ck fire swirling around in his soul. Everything about his Darkness was immensely boosted along with a new frantic craving.

    Admittedly Darcel can see his entire being desired to create a second Darkness soul link.

    And Darcel could vaguely tell why. That ethereal voice and his bloodline all swayed and pushed his state of mind to this point.

    The most striking thing his ethereal voice told him, again and again, was about Ani being his first Darkness soul link.

    Genuinely, Darcel found himself to be much more motivated now.

    He was fueled with an intense burning passion for enriching another partner to bliss and love along with himself and Ani. And truthfully, Darcel wasn''t put off by these thoughts.

    He didn''t try to fight or resist it and instead weed it all. After all, the link Darcel shared with Ani goes far deeper than any other sort of normal rtionship.

    At least he thought there was nobody else who can share an equal soul link connection with their partner.

    Making up his mind, Darcel was one hundred percent sure he wanted to deeply delve into his Darkness aspect of pleasure in cultivation. And explore it together with Ani and whoever may join their journey.

    But Darcel did briefly stop himself for a moment. Although polygamy is typical from what Darcel read about, he still wanted to hear Ani''s thoughts on it and see if she approves of this n.

    However, when Darcel turned his mind to Ani''s thought, a sh of surprise hazed his eyes.

    For a very brief second, Darcel could''ve sworn he heard Ani''s angelic giggles soothed in his mind, and she was simply waiting for her turn to speak up.

    So when Darcel attempted to speak up, he was expectedly cut off by his angel''s sweet voice. "Hehehe~. Darcy, I already know you want to discuss what that voice said and our Darkness soul link. From our repeated passion, I can nearly feel the surface level thoughts in your head!"

    Darcel furrowed his eyebrows a bit since he was also in the same boat as Ani. Though it appeared as her mind-reading was a bit better.

    "So, what are your thoughts on this? Know that no matter what you decide, you''ll never leave my clutches, ditzy girl."

    While proiming, Darcel tightly squeezed Ani''s soft waist to entuate his point. Ani serenely leaned more into Darcel''s chest, taking a huge whiff of his intoxicating scent.

    "To be honest.it''s a bit odd. I just know you wouldn''t go after some random beauty, nor would I like it if you do that either. And at the same time.when that voice mentioned gettingfortable with foxes. My institution just automatically knows an extraordinary woman will join us in the future."

    Darcel felt a bit enamored listening to a rare gentle, calming tone of voice from Ani. It nearly made Darcel want to just lie down and listen to her talk for hours on end.

    Still, he had to ask her, "And do you feel any type of way about that?"

    Towards his question, Ani shifted her body a bit to directly stare into Darcel''s eyes, giving him a dazzling smile.

    "Even before our bout of lovemaking, I already felt my soul bonded to you. This.this was our official process. It''s why I have no ill will towards my intuition; in fact, I''m sure both our souls will only react to a partner we both want to enrich with pleasure and love!"

    "Really? You''re actually looking forward to it?"

    Darcel asked as he kind of thought Ani would have a more.negative reaction. But then again, Darcel reminded himself it is this airhead girl he''s talking about.

    "Honestly, Darcy! You already know it''s just not me to be so hung up on negative and destructive feelings like sorrow or jealousy. Our souls are forever linked now, and if we both can spread blissful love into someone we share the same fondness for, then why limit ourselves? We always go one hundred percent on anything we do!"

    Seeing Ani passionately say all of this with her same bright sunny smile made Darcel she would and always be like this.

    Her simplistic views on life kept her going through her terrible kidnapped childhood and kept himself sane through all the bleak dreariness.

    And genuinely, Ani believed every word she spoke. In her soul and mind, she engraved the words of what her own ethereal voice said to her.

    Joy blooms in all!

    Ani knows her Light element can form a connection with anyone if she desires to do so.

    "I love you, Ani."

    Darcel utters these four short words once finally realizing how amazing Ani really is to him. These words expressed all of the feelings he kept bottled up for so many years.

    "Hehehe~!" Ani sweetly giggled and began lovingly rubbing the tip of her soft nose against Darcel''s rough nose.

    "I already knew that Darcy and I love you too~!"

 Chapter 86: Testing New Waters

    Chapter 86: Testing New Waters

    "Ah! Actually, there''s one more thing that stuck with me from that voice, Darcy." Ani suddenly proimed, and Darcel could already tell what she was referring to.

    It was a particr thought that also swirled around his mind. Though, the pressing matter of his Darkness lust and future soul links took more precedent in Darcel''s mind at first.

    "Oh? I presume you mean that little girl the voice mentions, right?"

    Even when that ethereal voice first uttered "that little girl," Darcel''s mind had immediately linked with a specific, vivid memory.

    Ani broadly smiled and began eagerly nodding at Darcel.

    "I exactly mean that little girl! I mean, that voice said it''s extremely rare for our souls to ever get affected, but somehow a little girl did. Now that my senses are sharper.I think I know exactly who''s that girl is-"

    "Let me guess.Sari right? That whimsical girl who somehow just been alluding our senses."

    Darcel knowingly smiled at Ani as his mind could now clearly link to the Aslyum of Mysteries event.

    Previously, any attempt to recall that cheerful beautiful young girl would only cause his head to be muddle and confused. Darcel couldn''t pinpoint the reason why; he supposed maybe he just wasn''t strong enough to remember.

    Yet now, after his passionate lovemaking, Ani is precisely right in her, and his senses bing sharper.

    Recalling the powerful sensation in their souls, Darcel can immediately connect it to the overwhelming power Sari showed them during their first meeting.

    Although.with his sharper senses, Darcel was sure that Sari did something to their soul on a far moreplex level than his ethereal voice made it out to be.

    "Mnh! Exactly her! When we were in that Darkness ce, it was one of the first things I immediately felt beside our passionate love~! Those scimitars, the sudden power boosts we recently received when fighting all feel exactly the same as Sari''s presence."

    Ani was excitedly nodding her head while recalling every little detail.

    Thinking further on this subject, Darcel furrowed his eyebrows upon some ominous realization. "With all this in mind.then those creatures. Whenever we fought them, Sari''s soul sensation intensely writhed in us. Somehow those creatures and their mysterious silver orbs are connected to our scimitars and us."

    More than that, Darcel also recalled the terrified panic in that purple creature''s eyes whenever it directly shed with his scimitar.

    Plus, that wasn''t even mentioning his erupted speed increase to kill the green creature.

    It was all mysterious questions that neither Darcel nor Ani had enough information on. But Ani didn''t just simply want to contemte on theirck of knowledge.

    She promptly got off from Darcel''sp and zealously pulled his hand up to stand while telling him,

    "Our information is justcking too much. Even if they''re all connected, we have nothing but our memories to confirm our own sensations. So for now, after all of our beautiful lovemaking, I''m ready to stretch our prowess in a spar!"

    "Hoh, truly, we are bing more connected. I can''t help but agree with you there. It''s time for another side of an intense dance between us!"

    An immediate battle-hungry smile etched on Darcel''s face.

    More than ever, Darcel can feel his bloodline roar in frantic excitement from just at the mere thought of battling.

    After they came down from their sex-crazed high, both Darcel and Ani had to steadily control the tremendous influx of power crazily stirring inside their bloodstreams.

    And now that they discuss everything that needs to be addressed, it was time to test their might!

    The purest and potent Nascent Qi radiated from Darcel and Ani''s body by them just preparing themselves for battle.

    Darcel and Ani took one look at each other, nodded, and then split off to an equal distance apart.

    They put a few meters of distance between each other to make it as fair as possible.

    Darcel and Ani exchanged in a second stare off. Their tension reached an extraordinary high state, and they were ready to fight!

    However, when Darcel wanted to surge his Nascent Qi and rush Ani, he briefly stopped.

    His stirring bloodline that he was nning on holding off on using for a little bit was making it impossible for him to ignore it.

    Darcel''s eyes quickly nced down at his bloodline arm, bing a bit astonished at what he saw.

    Small trickles of Darkness essence discharged from his arms like sparks of electricity. This energetic pull to unleash his bloodline couldn''t be put off for a second longer.

    And when Darcel nced over to Ani, he saw her in the same situation.

    She was taking a look down her bloodline arm with the same slight awe expression. Beautiful, radiant sparks of white Light trickle out of her bloodline arm, simr to Darcel''s bloodline arm.

    Ani had then quickly snapped her head back to Darcel. Keen ck eyes met each other, and with one wordless exchange, the duo made a split decision.

    They''re going to go all out from the start!

    Simultaneously, they surged their bloodline powers, causing the rainbow color space to fall in an immediate chaotic storm of incredible power!

    ''Whir!!''

    Darcel immediately went rigid as a profound Darkness glow burst from him akin to a Darkness beacon. For one half of the rainbow color space, everything was drowned in a deep Darkness glow.

    As for the other half, a bright, beautiful, radiant white glow seamlessly blended in with the Darkness glow.

    Ani stood rigid at the center of her bright white glow feeling a holy power enriching her entire being.

    The fabulously magical sight of a perfect blend of Darkness and Lightsted for a few enthralling seconds.

    And slowly then, the Darkness glow and white Light glow died down with nobody being able to witness such an extraordinary sight.

    Once their glows went away wholly, Darcel and Ani had a slight change to their appearance.

    On Darcel''s bloodline arm, his usual vague tattoo markings was quickly forming into a more pronounced shape of an angelic wing!

    And on Ani''s bloodline arm, her usual vague tattoo markings were also quickly forming into a pronounced wing tattoo!

    And yet, neither Darcel nor Ani were moving a single muscle.

    Darcel''s eyes were unfocused as he was undergoing a bout of bloodline enlightenment.

    The profound changes he felt to his bloodline before when first making love was now manifesting itself as soon as he first erupted his bloodline powers.

    And after several more bouts of lovemaking, his bloodline kept on steadily changing.

    In Darcel''s mind, three words echoed with booming force. These words carried such a power that Darcel felt it was engraved into his soul.

    The words were; Yin Spiritual Force.

    Darcel didn''t know the origin of these words, but he was able to instinctively tell; he had just crossed into a whole new level of his bloodline!

    And, Yin Spiritual Force is the new state his bloodline now was enriched by.

    Compared to every single time he used his bloodline powers previously. None of those times can even hold a candle to the tremendous power coursing in Darcel''s veins now.

    Previously, while he became massively stronger when surging his bloodline, Darcel always felt somethingcking. It was as if his power was only a fraction of what he could really do.

    And now, that doorway was just broken in for him!

    Ani was undergoing a simrly enriching experience. Three powerful words boomed into her mind and became engraved on to her soul.

    Her words were, Yang Spiritual Force.

    Her previous iplete feeling of using her bloodline powers was filled at this moment. Now, Ani felt as if her bloodline powers truly be a part of her entire being.

    "Nnnh!"

    Darcel and Ani leaked a small, mighty grunt as their eyes snapped back to reality. Only a few seconds had passed, but Darcel and Ani felt as they were stuck in that enlightenment state for hours.

    Quickly their eyes refocused back on each other; only Darcel and Ani were a bit stunned by each other''s new looks.

    Darcel saw that now Ani''s bloodline arm had a gorgeous white glowing aura wrapping around it.

    Her angelic wing tattoo had now fully taken a pronounced shape and was radiantly dazzling. Even Darcel, with his high resistance to Ani''s charms, nearly was enraptured by her white holy Light.

    As for Ani, she saw Darcel''s bloodline arm now had an irresistible Darkness glowing aura wrapping around it. His angelic wing tattoo now held a full shape, taking on a luminous shine.

    Admittedly Ani had a slightly harder time resisting the new charms of Darcel. Just his Darkness glow nearly made her eyes be haze in heated enrapture, and she almost felt lust take control of her body.

    However, what truly saved the two from each other charms was their souls sting out an electrifying shock that awoke them from their slight stupors.

    Darcel and Ani jumped a bit as their soul sensation was an odd blend of Sari''s and their own powers!

    Now in a focus state, Darcel and Ani quickly had a smirk form on their face.

    "Our surprises were almost too much for us to handle, hehehe~! But now, let''s test our waters, Darcy!"

    Ani nearly felt her body move on her own when she finished talking.

    Her arm quickly thrust out forwards. Without waiting for Darcel to respond, she sted out a vast, powerful ck fireball!

    ''Chi!''

    ck mes crazily spewed in the rainbow space under the intense roaring of Ani''s ck fireball. The speed of the ck fireball was also insane, tearing towards Darcel in less than two seconds!

    Although, Darcel didn''t try to dodge or counterattack in the face of the vast roaring ck fireball.

    It wasn''t that he was suppressed by power, but instead, Darcel felt his instinct naturally move his body on its own.

    He felt as if this was second nature to him as Darcel merely stretched out his arm and opened his palm to the roaring ck fireball.

    And as the heat explosively increased for Darcel, his palm shed with the ck fireball!

    However, instead of a massive explosion of powers or any sort of impact, Darcel manages to silently stop the whole ck fireball charge.

    And instantly, the ck fireball was quickly bing smaller as Darcel began absorbing the Qi power of Ani''s attack!

    "Woah!"

    Ani was in slight surprise seeing Darcel so easily absorb her attack. This wasn''t like her and Darcelbined effort to absorb the Wrathful n talisman ck mes.

    Nor is it like the time they absorb those powerful green mes. Darcel had no time to prepare, plus Ani was roughly at the same equal prowess as him.

    And yet, Darcel''s bloodline still greedily absorbs the Qi power of Ani''s attack.

    Everything felt smooth and natural for Darcel during this process. He felt a new wave of power quickly charge his veins as the once substantial ck fireball disappear into his palm.

    "You know, airhead, you should watch your step while testing the water."

    Though Darcel proims as such, he didn''t make any gesture of moving to attack or fire out a Qi attack.

    Puzzlement filled Ani''s face for a split second.

    She couldn''t possibly know what Darcel truly meant, but nearly instantaneously, Ani''s eyes widen once feeling a tight suppression wrap her whole body!

    Quickly, Ani snapped her head down to her right head and couldn''t believe its current sight. A sudden shadow of herself painted on the rainbow color ground had magically formed out from her feet!

    Previously Ani didn''t have any sort of shadows being in this rainbow color space. Furthermore, she didn''t even sense or felt any power or energy that would''ve form this shadow!

    Out from her Darkness shadow was a Darkness tendril tightly wrapping around her hand.

    Ani clicked her teeth, feeling two prizing effects on her body.

    One is the sudden increase in suppression while the other affected her bloodstreams.

    Down in her loins, Ani was feeling the heat increase there. Immediately Ani can tell Darcel''s Darkness tendril is affecting her bloodstreams with some kind of strange lustful energy!

    However, Ani didn''t fall prey to Darcel''s abilities. She smirked as her bloodline halted the lustful energy and kept her bloodstream at its adrenaline-pumping state.

    "Hehehe!! Try to watch this then, Darcy!"

    Ani got even more excited as the white glow around her began to increase its illumination.

    Darcel clicked his teeth as he knew where this was going.

    ''CHI!''

    A holy light shbang burst throughout the whole rainbow space igniting it in a bright white brilliance!

    Darcel shut his eyes though he was able to resist Ani''s stunning effect along with her shbang.

    On Ani, she smiled as she felt the suppression left her body.

    The Darkness tendril was broken off! With the opportunity in hand, Ani began to crazily rush down to Darcel.

    Only when she took merely a couple of steps,

    "Ah-oof!"

    Ani mmed into the soft ground by an unknown suppression and force. Quickly, Ani shifts her body around, and she witnesses that same Darkness tendril tightly wrapping around her ankle.

    "Hmph!" Ani grunted and felt her body begin to instinctively react.

    Her arm moved on its own, and a mass amount of Light white energy swiftly amassed at her palm.

    Just the mere presence of the white light energy was making Darcel''s Darkness tendril violently quake. By the second, the Darkness tendril was losing power, weakening its hold on Ani.

    ''Chi!''

    Ani sted out a holy Light white energy that shattered Darcel''s Darkness tendril and Darcel''s Darkness shadow of her!

    Feeling no suppression on her body, Ani stood up as her white shbang cleared up.

    Slight exhaustion was taking a small toll on both Darcel and Ani''s body. But neither care much as their battle-hungry smiles only grew broader.

    "This new form of ours. it''s quite taxing, isn''t it? Luckily.we have two days in half to get the hang of this." Darcel remarked in tiny panted breaths.

    Ani pumped her small cute little fist, telling Darcel,

    "Mnh! Let''s go at it all day! Oh! But let''s save some time for at least one more round of lovemaking~!"

 Chapter 87: Immediate Arrival

    Chapter 87: Immediate Arrival

    Time steadily flew by like the wind for a short three day period. But during this period of time, Necrotic City was anything but steady.

    Several noticeable changes were taking a toll on the City.

    The usual bustling City filled to the brim with energetic cultivators now had taken a more mncholic atmosphere.

    A strange dreary feeling permeated throughout the City''s air, affecting anybody who dared to walk around the less crowded streets.

    Generally, the look upon people''s faces was weary, and slight apprehension dread.

    For cultivators, a short span of three days is nothing but a breeze of indoor cultivating. And yet, everything was changed upon its head in these short three days.

    Observing all these changes with a keen eye was one ordinary-looking woman who exudes an unfathomable presence in stark contrast to her seemingly average appearance.

    This woman stood in the outside courtyard of the Zakira Academy, where Darcel and Ani had first arrived to take the entrance exams.

    The woman could be no other than the majestic Vice-Principal Zelle!

    No youths were currently standing around in the courtyard waiting to get tested, nor were there any youths lining up to get tested. This courtyard was used simultaneously for willing student takers and special guests.

    Vice Principal Zelle had arrived here first thing in the morning and dreaded the worst while observing the outside world.

    What Darcel and Ani had told her wasing into fruition these past three days.

    By her reports, she found out most who went to the Necropolis mysteriously never came back. To the Qi Foundation realm all the way up to mighty Innate Core warriors, most of them seem to just up and vanished into the Woods.

    However, the ones who somehow manage toe back acted eerily simr to the horror stories of the Demesne Grave. None of them retained their original personality before going into the Woods.

    In fact, Vice Principal Zelle''s sources told her the ones that came back from the Woods seemed almost.vacant in the head.

    Their eyes will be frequently unfocused, and this slightly strange, very faint blue tint would asionally haze their eyes.

    She was able to retain all this information from the City Lord governing Necrotic City.

    As it''s the City Lord''s duty to at least protect the general well being of their citizens, these strange urrences were all personally documented by his trained guards.

    Gaining ess to the City Lord information was but a simple snap for Vice Principal Zelle.

    Not only their Academy is one if not the richest in resources in the entire City. They also ranked in the top three of overall strength out of every Sect and Organization in the City!

    Though as Vice-Principal Zelle''s thoughts turned to the other Sects, she couldn''t help but put her mind on the Quicksilver Roc Sect.

    Out of every Sect here, they were the one with the oddest reaction.

    After their Elders didn''te back after the first day, the Quicksilver Roc Sect went dead silent. Vice Principal Zelle didn''t even see any young disciples walking around the streets of the City now.

    And unlike the information she could share with the City Lord, Vice Principal Zelle had zero clues on what caused this massive shift in their Sect.

    Although Vice-Principal Zelle guessed it was most likely rted to those vile creatures and ghosts.

    Thankfully because of Principal Zakira, she was able to prevent any more strange urrences like what happened with Jamas.

    She had issued a temporary cultivation lockdown forcing all to stay in the Academy.

    Moreover, this wasn''t even necessarily a problem for the students and teachers. Their Academy was enormously vast enough for everyone to keep themselves busy for months.

    What everyone did think about was where and what happened with Jamas''s group and the Elders. And for how long would the cultivation lockdown willst.

    It was all information neither Principal Zakira nor Vice-Principal Zelle disclosed in order to not cause panic.

    Although, there was one event during the three days that did get everyone, including herself and Principal Zakira, to turn their heads.

    And that event had transpired right in their Academy!

    It had also gone down on the same day she first dropped Darcel and Ani off at the Corridor of Heaven.

    From the same Corridor of Heaven, hourster, Vice Principal Zelle felt an intense alluring, maic pull to go inside that ce. It was akin to wanting to witness the birth of something spectacr.

    And Vice Principal Zelle was sure she wasn''t the only one affected.

    Being in Principal Zakira''s room during that odd pull, Vice Principal Zelle clearly witness a shift in Principal Zakira. She had taken her eyes from her floating purple crystal orb without so much of a second thought!

    Though seemingly an ordinary action, there were several huge implications behind it.

    Mainly it is that no matter what, Principal Zakira will rarely ever let herself get distracted when studying her crystal orbs.

    And yet Darcel and Ani did without their presence!

    If even someone like Principal Zakira can get distracted. Vice Principal Zelle just knew every other teacher and student likely felt that same intense pull to the Corridor of Heaven.

    ''Truly, they''re as much of a show-off as ever even when I don''t physically see them. Still.achieving a Perfected Nascent Being state, what talented little freaks." Vice Principal Zelle mirth to herself.

    Abruptly, Vice Principal Zelle''s attention directly snapped her head to the sky.

    As did many other cultivators that was drearily walking the streets. They all sensed an unfathomable aura descend down their City.

    Vice Principal Zelle witness the sky shift apart, revealing two glorious figures. And then, a smooth voice slithered into her ears.

    "Ah.Vice Principal Zelle. How wonderful it is for us to meet up again."

    It was the voice of the Brass Spirit Sect third Heavenly King Elder, Leweyn Andres!

    Pinpointing their location in the sky, Vice Principal Zelle shifted her head to see both Elder Leweyn and his disciple Erin graciously floating down to her.

    Admittedly, Vice Principal Zelle was a bit surprised seeing theme so soon.

    Their method of traversing several thousands of kilometers of distance would undoubtedly be handled by Mage''s Association teleportation ces.

    But to get their City so quickly most obviously means Elder Leweyn spent a considerable sum for the fastest travels.

    "Elder Leweyn, I thank you foring." Vice Principal Zelle charitably nodded at Elder Leweyn as he and Erin smoothlynded in therge courtyard.

    Being that they were still on the outside, many eyes stared with awe at the handsome and grand pair from the Brass Spirit Sect.

    These two were an existence higher than even the top three Sects and Organization in their City!

    Elder Leweyn, however, ignored the outsider''s eyes on him and only charmingly smiled at Vice Principal Zelle.

    "It''s no problem. Once again, it''s always a pleasure tond my hand to a beautiful woman needing some help."

    Towards the shameless and bold slight flirting, Vice Principal Zelle only said, "It''s appreciated. Follow me." While talking, she didn''t have a single change in expression and already started turning to walk.

    Elder Leweyn, though, didn''t have a problem with Vice Principal Zelle''s blunt attitude. His kind smile never left his face as he began to walk behind her.

    Only Erin held a change in expression.

    He breathed out a small sigh and slightly shook his head. This very attitude of Vice-Principal Zelle just reaffirmed his thoughts about her. Someone too prideful for her own good despite merely being a half titled Heavenly King cultivator.

    Still, Erin didn''t dare to utter any of his negative opinions and follow behind his master.

    .

    Under Vice-Principal Zelle''s guide, it didn''t take long before they ended up in Principal Zakira''s office. Whening here, all eyes did focus on Elder Leweyn and Erin in slight awe and respect.

    Thoughpared to the regr citizens or lower-level Sects people, the students and teachers of the Academy weren''t that taken aback.

    Even for all of Elder Leweyn and Erin''s high status and power, they still have their own pride in being Zakira Academy people!

    Although, for Elder Lewey and Erin, not a single one of Zakira Academy''s students or teachers made it into their eyes. Even the top ranking geniuses of each level were barely worth consideration for them.

    That is until they wound up in Principal Zakira''s office.

    Instead of their eyestching on the stunningly beautiful Principal Zakira, their eyes had almost immediately fallen on a pair of youths.

    This pair included one admittedly handsome ck hair boy and one gorgeous long white hair girl.

    Barring their appearances, there was something so alluring about their mere presence that called for their eyes to dart to them.

    Although when Elder Leweyn and Erin sensed the duo''s aura, their interest dipped quite a bit. They were merely at the seventh level of the Nascent Core realm.

    And yet.for some reason, their eyes still linger on the pair.

    Compared to any other peak Nascent Core genius, this boy and girl pair Nascent aura was vastly more powerful and profound!

    It was like their aura reached a Perfected state allowing them the full use of their Nascent Core powers.

    Of course, this was Darcel and Ani, and they were slightly impressed by the Brass Spirit Sect.

    Elder Leweyn held the same unfathomable might as Principal Zakira, clearly showing the majestic bearings of a titled Heavenly King powerhouse.

    And the brown hair boy Erin exuded a far stronger natural aura than Joyce Ashless, the number one genius here!

    But, Darcel and Ani''s eyes also noticed that slight disinterest in their eyes.

    Immediately Darcel and Ani linked it to them, sensing their low cultivation levels. And oddly enough, the duo felt a bit excited for what''s toe.

    For extremely prideful people like these two, it will never not be fun for the duo to destroy theirmon sense.

    "These two.I presume they are the ones that will be working with us?"

    Elder Leweyn quickly shifted his eyes off from Darcel and Ani and asked Principal Zakira. Though seeing her again, Elder Leweyn and Erin were slightly enamored by her beauty.

    "Yes. This is Darcel and Ani. And we''re getting down to business immediately." Principal Zakira swiftly told the two as she didn''t want any mishaps to ur in this meeting.

    "Darcel, bring out that creature''s severed arm."

    Doing as the Principal told, Darcel ignited his spatial ring. Quickly he fished out that putrid arms that undergo slight changes since the Principalsst saw it.

    "What the hell is that?!" Erin voiced out his astonishment.

    Both he and Elder Leweyn eyes widen as they never once saw something quite grotesque as that single arm.

    Some small portion of rancid green blood still dripped from the arm. But it obviously wasn''t as abundant as when Darcel first brought it out. Though the arm appeared only to decay more putridly from the loss of blood.

    During their training, Darcel and Ani took the time to experiment with the severed arm and scalpel now that they weren''t in enemy territories.

    But they did remember Principal Zakira''s words to not have itpletely dry upon them.

    "Is this a part of that creature you mention before, Vice-Principal Zelle?"

    Elder Leweyn quickly asked after Erin voiced out his shock.

    "It is one of the creatures that''s been terrorizing the Necropolis Woods. And they will keep on growing until they terrorize the whole Province. If you would please, Elder Leweyn, I need you to sense the Blood Essence of this creature and track down every type of creature simr towards it."

    Principal Zakira answered for him as Darcel set the arm down on her table.

    Hearing the term Blood Essence, Darcel recalled what Principal Zakira told them just before Elder Leweyn and Erin showed up.

    Blood Essence, as the name implies, is the purest and richest blood any being could produce. Though a little moreplicated than that is how every drop of one''s Blood Essence will contain a faint trace of their Soul Essence!

    Every being''s soul is connected to their veins, and any parts of the body that have veins such as the arms or legs will naturally produce Blood Essence as a cultivator grows in power.

    "I see.this process won''t take long." Elder Leweyn nodded, truly in slight awe about this creature.

    He had then fished out an entirely gray nk amulet from his Spatial Ring and began surging his mighty soul powers.

    One of his Sect''s unique Arts uses various talismans, amulets, and other such magical tools. They specifically crafted their magical tools, allowing them to sense and see the flow of how one''s bodies work.

    Through the direct contact of these magical tools, masters of this Art can deeply examine every aspect of any person''s body.

    Of course, this method allowed them to sense the Blood Essence inside a person''s veins and eventually track down their souls. And for Spirit Monsters, they would be able to track whole hordes of the same type of Spirit Monsters since they would share the same Blood Essence.

    Although, out of their whole Sect, only Elder Leweyn and two other grand figures made it to this step.

    Elder Leweyn was born with an extraordinary Spirit Sense as his soul power. Allowing him to quickly get the hang of the Brass Spirit Arts and be a dangerous tracker himself.

    Still, this process wasn''t instant and needed some time before Elder Leweyn could fully track the creature down.

    Though as Elder Leweyn held the gray nk amulet on the creature''s arm, it was already beginning to shine a slightly green hue.

    While performing this process, Elder Leweyn suddenly asked the Principals,

    "When I''m able to pinpoint these creatures down, what is your n then?"

 Chapter 88: Departure

    Chapter 88: Departure

    "It''s quite simple, really. We will then sneak into the Woods and use my specifically crafted Spirit Artifacts to quickly kill these creatures. Those things are all very resilient, quick on their feet, and are particrly troublesome to fight head-on."

    Vice Principal Zelle swiftly informed Elder Leweyn.

    "Ohhh.Spirit Artifacts, huh." Ani quietly said to herself as she and Darcel''s eyes lit up about the use of a Spirit Artifact.

    Compared to even the strongest talisman, a Spirit Artifacts is far more valuable.

    This is mainly due to the fact Spirit Artifacts has some specific and rigid requirements to use. From under legendary Heavenly Transformation cultivators, no one weaker can use Spirit Artifacts.

    Moreover, one soul has to be powerful enough to also withstand the varying effects and potent power of Spirit Artifacts. If one has an average soul, they may even run the risk of damaging their own cultivation.

    But despite all these requirements, Spirit Artifacts can essentially be perfect one-hit kills for even cultivators far above one realm!

    Furthermore, it''s also reusable after a short cool-down period.

    "I assume you already premade the perfect concealing talisman with those Mages. The only question I have now is.what will they do whening with us?"

    Elder Leweyn directed his eyes over to the calm Darcle and Ani.

    Their deep ck eyes locked evenly with Elder Leweyn''s steel-like blue eyes.

    For a brief second, neither side broke contact with each other. Darcel and Ani stayed steadily rooted even against a high grand figure that many other youths wouldn''t be able to pull off.

    And Elder Leweyn took particr notice of their bold confidence. There wasn''t even the slightest bit of apprehension or caution on these kids'' faces when staring at him.

    Not even his own disciples can pull this off this well. A hint of respect enters his eyes then.

    Vice Principal Zelle quickly caught on to this sudden second exchange and quickly spoke before those two huge egos shows.

    "You will see what they can do. They''re quite out there in terms of special abilities. Perhaps not even your own disciple will be able to achieve what they''re going to do."

    Although Vice-Principal Zelle had just told herself on wanting to prevent egos from showing, she couldn''t help but leak out a bit of pride when talking about Darcel and Ani.

    They are, after all, probably the most talented students in the whole Zakira Academy!

    Darcel and Ani proudly smirked hearing Vice-Principal Zelle''s warm praise. And their smirk further broadens once seeing on Erin''s face a slightly annoyed expression.

    "Look, no offense, but what can two Na-"

    Erin couldn''t even finish his sentence before a bright multi-color spark shed from Elder Leweyn''s eyes!

    Elder Leweyn''s amulet as well ignited in dazzling bright multi-color radiance.

    "I see.I''ve picked up on four soul signatures exactly the same as this creature. And as you said before, they''re all in the Necropolis Woods."

    Elder Leweyn swiftly informed everyone.

    "Good. We should head out to the Woods immediately. I had already prepared everything that needed to be prepared. Moreover, there''s no telling when those creatures may spontaneously move."

    Principal Zakira took immediate charge while Vice Principal Zelle didn''t speak up.

    Elder Leweyn nced his eyes over to Vice Principal Zelle, seeing as she didn''t say anything. But her face already told she was in ready agreement with Principal Zakira.

    "I see no problem with this." Elder Leweyn voiced his agreement.

    Only Erin kept a slight unkind gaze on Darcel and Ani. Just from their up stature and unwavering faces, Erin could tell they were precisely the same as Vice-Principal Zelle.

    Too much confidence for their own good!

    Still, Erin didn''t express any disagreement and stayed silent.

    "Alright! Let''s go! The sooner we could kill those creatures, the better!" Ani enthusiastically proimed without a hint of fear about taking on this perilous mission.

    A small smile formed on Vice Principal Zelle''s face as she ignited her spatial ring.

    "Once we near the Woods, is when I''ll activate the talisman. When that time urs, Elder Leweyn, you''ll take the lead.

    .

    Several miles away from Necrotic City, the Necropolis Woods had also undergone dreary changes in the past three days.

    Just at the entrance of the Woods had the atmosphere changed.

    It was ominously foreboding to stare into the Darkness Woods. Mainly because of the eerie, deste silence that permeated the air.

    There were no cries of Spirit Monsters, the rustling of grasses, or even aspiring cultivators wanting to travel the Woods.

    Although no physical presence could be seen, there were five invisible people all walking into now Darkness bleak Woods. It wouldn''t matter who woulde; no one would be able to detect this group.

    And of course, this group was Vice-Principal Zelle, Elder Leweyn, Erin, Darcel, and Ani.

    Elder Leweyn stayed at the front of the pack, carefully guiding the others on a specific path into the Woods.

    However, right when they passed through the entrance, all five of them went a bit rigid. No senses have locked on to them, but they picked on several ghostly presences when their Spirit Senses spread out.

    Most frightening about these presences was the fact none of them, not even the mighty Heavenly Transformation Elder Leweyn, sensed these presences until they crossed the entrances of Woods!

    If just some random ignorant cultivator were to cross these grounds, several eyes would''ve immediately locked on them.

    And these presences seemed intense in tracking whoever shall pass these Woods.

    It was unnerving, to say the least.

    Elder Leweyn was quickly starting to see why they would call him. To allude, his Spirit Senses for even a second isn''t something small, considering he was a Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    Vice Principal Zelle was also starting to understand just how deep Darcel and Ani''s plight went about these Woods.

    She became even more thankful for this specially crafted talisman now.

    This talisman was simr to the one they all used when traversing the ck Dungeon Labyrinth.

    It made them invisible to the outside world while also letting them see each other. The only further enchantment made to this talisman was the fact it canst far longer.

    After the brief second of rigidness, Elder Leweyn quickly looked behind him. His amulet around his neck surged a bit, and he made a gesture for them to follow.

    Under his gesture, Vice Principal Zelle, Darcel, Erin, and Ani all swiftly followed Elder Leweyn in a light but a quick sprint.

    At their pace, they made moderate progress in traversing the Darkness Woods.

    That is until they all temporarily halted in slight horror surprise.

    Their eyes crossed over to an eerily ominous sight that was only several meters by them.

    Immediately Darcel and Ani''s eyes lit up as what they saw wasparable to what they experienced three days ago.

    It was four middle-aged men wearing dirt brown robes, merely walking down a specific path. Their paths crossed right near Vice-Principal Zelle''s group, but they wouldn''t intercept them from their course of walking.

    Although this sight should''ve seemed ordinary, the four middle-aged men''s appearance was noticeably odd.

    Their skins seemed to be a bit dried up, and you could see bones popping out of their cheeks. An eerie blue glow hazed their eyes as if they werepletely taken over.

    But their odd appearances weren''t the only thing that caught Vice-Principal Zelle''s group''s attention.

    All four of the men were also mighty Innate Core warriors!

    Moreover, Vice Principal Zelle sensed them all to be fifth rank Innate Core powerhouses specifically. And when observing these men, Vice Principal Zelle recognized their identities.

    They hail from a middle-tier Sect in the City called the Venom Ant Sect.

    To see a group of Innate Core warriors casually walking about these Woods would be an oddity just three days ago. Though even more of an anomaly was what these men were discussing.

    A creepy distorted voice slithered into Vice Principal Zelle''s group ears as they all focused their senses on them.

    "Ngnh.this body, I swear. It''s taking much more time to get used topared to what I saw from others. In fact, this whole process seemed to be smoother just days ago."

    "Heh, doesn''t matter how rough the transition is for now. Soon when they get that half step Heavenly Transformation puppet, all of our worries will be washed down the drain!"

    "Before that happens, I pray for more action in these Woods. It seems like that City got their pitiful wits all terrorized and frightened in no time t. But soon everything will change for the better for us and worse for that City, hah!"

    Creepy chuckles erupted from all four of the men at the exact same time.

    They had continued down their trek,pletely ignoring the invisible Vice-Principal Zelle''s group.

    Everyone in the group now couldn''t stop a small foreboding feeling from swelling in the pits of their guts.

    "To think they reached such a level already." Vice Principal Zelle breathed her slight concerns. Understandably, everyone''s minds were reinforced to quickly those creatures for good.

    Even Erin and Elder Leweyn understood the potentially enormous risks if those kinds of strange humans were left walking around.

    Increasing their pace now, Elder Leweyn led them back on track.

    But while they walked, the number of these seemingly possessed humans didn''t stop at all. In fact, they had only increased the further in Elder Leweyn led the group!

    From True Soul Core to Innate Core cultivators, many possessed humans were creepily walking around the Woods.

    Furthermore, every one of them was talking about change that''ll majorly affect Necrotic City and that mysterious half step Heavenly Transformation person.

    Although, the most astonishing fact as they progressed through the Woods was the very apparentck of Spirit Monsters roaming around.

    Not even miles deep into the Woods did Vice-Principal Zelle''s group seen even a Spirit Monster, a bear.

    It was like these possessed humans made their territory entirely here.

    Still, this ominous oddity didn''t stop Vice-Principal Zelle''s group. They were going to carry on their trek to that vile creature no matter what.

    Eventually, after several minutes, Vice Principal Zelle''s group came upon a unique section of the forest. The usual ck glossy trees here seemed a tad more dried up, and there were barely any possessed humans here.

    It was only up in front, just a couple meters away did the group spotted three humans and a singr ck glossy cave.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes lit up as this cave was the exact same as the previous cave that housed the vile purple creature.

    Plus, they also felt their souls slightly writhed nearing the cave.

    Although Darcel and Ani had to admit, without Elder Leweyn, they would never be able to find this cave without pure random luck. The route this cave was on was just too confusing and well craftily hidden.

    In front of the cave were three people guardingtwo powerful middle-aged men at the Innate Core realm''s eighth rank.

    And at the center of the two men was the most powerful person Vice-Principal Zelle''s group seen yet in the Woods.

    It was an ordinary-looking woman at the ninth rank of the Innate Core realm!

    The peak rank of the whole realm! These three Innate Core powerhouses made for a mighty guardian team.

    Vice Principal Zelle and Elder Leweyn stopped for a moment to consider their options. Killing these three Innate Core powerhouses is nothing but a flip of Elder Leweyn''s hand and a breeze for Vice Principal Zelle.

    However, neither of them can use any extra power unless they want their talisman to drop.

    Vice Principal Zelle only has three talismans left for the three creatures left. Furthermore, they both didn''t want to make too much noise and alert any possessed humans near.

    Erin was simrly also contemting their options until he looked over to Darcel and Ani. These two looked utterly rxed, and to his confusion, Ani began walking up to Vice Principal Zelle.

    "....?"

    Vice Principal Zelle looked over to Ani as she tugged on her sleeves.

    Ani gave her a sly smile and presented her ominous scalpel to her that now held a purple and green tint to it.

    Vice Principal Zelle''s eyes lit up as Darcel and Ani had told her about this scalpel''s deadly effect upon people.

    And this will be their perfect option for silent assassin kills.

    Elder Leweyn and Erin looked confused as Vice-Principal Zelle held the odd-looking scalpel. She had these brightening eyes as if she just discovered the perfect n.

    Soon then, Vice Principal Zelle took the helm of their group. She motions for the others to follow and to be calm.

    Darcel and Ani had no problems since they knew what was going to happen.

    Elder Leweyn and Erin were puzzled, but they nevertheless followed behind Vice-Principal Zelle as she was so confident in that scalpel.

    And quickly, Vice Principal Zelle near the unsuspecting Innate Core''s guardian team.

 Chapter 89: Dominating Souls

    Chapter 89: Dominating Souls

    Vice Principal Zelle was mere inches away from the threete rank Innate Core guardians. Even at such a close distance, her special talisman proved its worth as none of the three sensed a single thing.

    Gripping Ani''s scalpel tightly, Vice Principal Zelle swiftly struck out!

    Her movements were a mere blur to Darcel, Ani, and even Erin. In just a split second, Vice Principal Zelle urately stabbed all three of the Innate Core guardians in their necks!

    "G-ga-"

    Immediately, the two middle-aged men and woman''s eyes bulged out of their sockets, and they grabbed onto their throats.

    Instantly, revolting green and purple lines ran down their faces and onto their bodies.

    Immense excruciating pain wracked the two men and woman senses and bodies.

    Their organs were getting turned to mushy paste. Their bones were cracking at every joint, and their bloodstreams were getting fiercely sizzled.

    They were only able to utter a single syble of pain before their bodies promptly crashed to the ground with a sickening thud.

    In their torturous pain before dying, none of them knew even how or why they died.

    It was all sudden whish that made their minds fall further into crushing despair. As the light was quickly leaving their eyes, their bodies still twitched and spasm as if they were under a seizure.

    Elder Leweyn and Erin''s eyes slightly widen once seeing that scalpel''s devastating effect.

    It was surreal to see, but three powerful Innate Core died in a blink of an eye without even so much of a peep!

    Elder Leweyn more clearly understood that to achieve something like this would require being very high level in the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    His eyes and Erin''s eyes quickly snapped to the calm Darcel and Ani.

    Somehow.they managed to bring out a weapon that not even Elder Leweyn could efficiently do!

    It was then, the words of Vice-Principal Zelle echoed in the back of their heads about Darcel and Ani.

    "As deadly as always!" Ani quietly mutters to herself as Vice-Principal Zelle returns the scalpel to her.

    With a mere wave of her hand, Vice Principal Zelle moved the three corpses entirely into the cave to cover their own tracks.

    And then the whole group of five stepped fully into the cave.

    Before continuing on, Vice Principal Zelle surged the bare minimum of her power possible in order to keep their talisman still going.

    And with a snap of her hand, Vice Principal Zelle erected an illusion blue firewall that covered the cave entrance.

    This way, any random passerby would just get fooled into ignoring this cave even if they were to see those three guardians before.

    Now that they were all in the cave, everyone''s heads snapped towards the cave''s dark long hall. For Elder Leweyn and Erin, their faces became unreadable once their senses delved deep into the cave.

    They didn''t know how to describe it or what it could even be called.

    But both Elder Leweyn and Erin felt a chilling foreboding sensation tingle throughout their bodies. Whatever that creature was, Elder Leweyn and Erin immediately knew it was down there.

    Vice Principal Zelle, on the other hand, had a more subdued reaction.

    Vivid memories of the time she fought the red creature flood into her head like a tsunami. Previously she was off guard and taken by surprise.

    Now? Now she was fully prepared!

    "Now then, shall we im our first vile head?"

    Darcel suddenly spoke up in a calm tone of voice. Only he and Ani were the only calm ones in the cave.

    Hearing such a steady tone got Elder Leweyn and Erin''s eyes to snap back to the duo. Just by the second, these two were getting more mysterious.

    "Mnh, let''s go." Vice Principal Zelle affirmed Darcel''s words and stayed at the front of the pack.

    Under her call, the group of five had then quickly sprinted down the dreary Darkness cave.

    However, halfway in their run, they all simultaneously stopped.

    Their senses now more clearly picked up on two Innate Core warriors and one equivalent peak True Soul Core being at the end of the cave. And Vice Principal Zelle and Elder Leweyn sensed the two Innate Core warriors to be at the eighth rank!

    For a brief moment, the group of five decided to first listen in on what these two were discussing. A creepy distorted voice slithered into their eyes, being precisely the same as all other possessed humans.

    "Still, I seriously doubt an entrapment or any sort of call is needed. I mean.besides titled Heavenly King cultivators, who would even be remotely strong enough to kill two eighth rank and one-ninth rank Innate Core? Not only that, being able to kill them without raising any rm? It''s honestly boring overkill!"

    "Well, if we''re taking that strange man word for it, we have to watch out for apparently two devious little brats. They did manage to sneakily kill that third rank Innate Core Elder and one of these creatures. Heh, maybe if we''re lucky, those brats truly can silently kill the three outside!"

    Vice Principal Zelle, Darcel, Ani, Elder Leweyn, and Erin all felt a slight ominous dread wash over them.

    If they genuinely weren''t careful before, then some dangerous trap would''ve gone off right under their noses!

    Vice Principal Zelle didn''t waste any more time now. Her spatial ring shed, and she had fished a beautifully bright orange arrow.

    Currently, the arrow seemed as normal as any other arrow. Still, there were uniquely crafted feather design etched on the arrow.

    By just the arrow''s appearance, one could urately tell this arrow will hold some sort of outstanding property.

    Darcel, Ani, Elder Lewey, and Erin''s eyes were all pulled on to this arrow.

    They were slightly enamored by the arrow''s exotic design, never seeing something quite as unique as this. And right then, Vice Principal Zelle tightly clutched the arrow in her hand.

    Without care, Vice Principal Zelle poured her half step Heavenly Qi into the arrow and will a portion of her Soul Essence into the arrow. Her concealing talisman dropped for the whole group, but it didn''t matter at this point.

    A bright orange radiance immediately illuminated the whole cave and got the attention of the two Innate Core men and that vile creature.

    But before those three could react, Vice Principal Zelle already tossed the arrow at them!

    The arrow had instantaneous speed and practically popped right in front of the two Innate Core men and the vile creature widening eyes!

    ''BOOOM!!!''

    A colossal explosion of bright orange mes fiercely quaked the whole cave! The tremendous power of the Saint Artifact burst for miles in the cave, frantically destroying everything in its path.

    Elder Leweyn had already erected a powerful Heavenly Qi barrier protecting them all from the explosion. Although he had to grit his teeth while doing so, as this Saint Artifact power was no joke!

    But for the two Innate Core men and that vile creature, they didn''t have such luxuries like Elder Leweyn.

    Instantly the two Innate Core men turned to ashes, and the vile creature vanished from everyone Spirit Sense.

    As the bright orange me explosion died down, so did Elder Leweyn and Erin guard.

    They firmly believed nothing could''ve survived that explosive ambush. Plus, they also didn''t pick up anyone besides their group in their Spirit Sense now.

    It was understandable for them to think this way. However, Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle were all still on full alert.

    Elder Leweyn and Erin had noticed this, and they both were about to speak to assure them of their victory.

    That is until everyone felt a tremendous sense of crisis take hold of their entire minds. The sudden feelings they felt was the most dreadful of them all.the crisis of iing death!

    In sync, the group of five jumped backward further into the cave as the sound of the ground sizzling slinked into the ears.

    Their eyes snapped up to the roof, and Elder Leweyn and Erin were gobsmacked by what they saw.

    A horrendous vile looking creature was nted on the ck glossy ceiling like a spider. The creature was entirely bluepared to its counterparts and had the longest, freakishly sharp nails.

    Around the creature as well was a chilling looking silverish blue mist.

    Elder Leweyn and Erin were all just surprised to finally see that creature''s grotesque look and that it was still alive!

    While Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle were surprised to see what was inside that creature''s w.

    Arge silver core surged in its w, being preciselyparable to the mysterious silver core the red creature used!

    In a split second of surprise everyone witnessed the vile blue creature. That silver core in its w suddenly glowed with incredible power!

    Faster than anyone could react, its silverish blue mist instantly wrapped around the group of five!

    "Teh! What the hell is this?!?"

    Erin had immediately spat out a rancid blue ball of spit as sudden scorching pain froze his entire body. He, Elder Leweyn, and Vice-Principal Zelle all froze up as their body joints tightly locked up.

    Despite the vile blue creature only being equal to the peak of the True Soul Core realm, that mysterious white core in its hand explosively increased its power to an unfathomable degree! To the point where even the powerful Elder Leweyn was caught entirely off-guard.

    However, despite the sudden reversal of the situation, Vice Principal Zelle wasn''t distraught.

    After all, she had two trump cards standing right in front of her.

    Elder Leweyn and Erin couldn''t even stare at Vice Principal Zelle''s calm face as suddenly, an eruption of tremendous power sted from right in front of them!

    A bright silver radiance intensely spewed from Darcel and Ani!

    ''Whir!!''

    Darcel and Ani''s transformed bloodline state discharged immense power that shed against the silverish blue mist.

    From their soul''s depths as well, Sari''s incredible power crazily erupted.

    Vice Principal Zelle, Elder Leweyn, and Erin were all taken aback at the duo''s new form. The beautiful, alluring ck and white glow enriching their arms was a magical sight to gaze upon.

    "Let''s have some fun, you disgusting creature!" Ani loudly proimed as she and Darcel had fished out their bright green scimitars.

    The creature''s mist trying to drill inside their bodies was utterly useless at this point. Sari''s powerful presence inside their souls quickly dispersed any poisonous mist that had enter their bodies.

    The blue creature was absolutely stilted on the ceiling. Its soul was immensely suppressed. Several mountain tons of pressure crushed its body by Darcel and Ani''s supreme bloodline powers and their powerful souls!

    In itspse of focus, Darcel savagely smirked. His eyes locked with the stilted creature, and he had then clenched his hand.

    Darcel''s full focus was on it, and instantly, a Darkness shadow spewed from the creature''s feet!

    The creature didn''t even realize it until a massive suppression crushed on its ankle. Quickly its head snapped back towards its ankle only to see Darkness tendril tightly wrap around its ankle.

    And as if on cue, the Darkness tendril rushed towards the ground, dragging the vile blue creature with it.

    With sheer ferocious force, the Darkness tendril mmed the blue creature hard into the ground, creating a small mini crater beneath it.

    "D-daamn!!"

    For the first time, Darcel and Ani heard a human-like voice from the human-like creature. Still, its voice carried an unmistakable monstrous tone filled with rage and pain.

    And Ani immediately reacted when the creature uttered its voice of pain.

    She madly dashed towards the blue creature, her scimitar thrust out forward and ck mes swirling at the tip of her de.

    The blue creature relied on its instinct and swirled its freakishly long tongue from its mouth. Quickly, it sted its tongue towards Ani in small hopes to starve her off for a bit.

    Between their distance, only a few feet separated them. Both Ani and the creature''s tongue instantly reached each other.

    But right before they shed, Ani''s bloodline arm ignited in pure white soul powers!

    ''Bang!''

    With insane erupted speeds, Ani''s scimitar tore through the blue creature''s tongue, massively overpowering it and sting it away.

    The blue creature sailed through the air, but its nightmare wasn''t over yet.

    A sh of Darkness clouded its eyes, and suddenly, Darcel popped right above it!

    "Keaah!!" In midair, the creature crazily surged its power and discharged more silverish blue mist at Darcel.

    However, the Darkness glow surrounding Darcel''s arm had merely destroyed the silverish blue misting at him! In its severely weak state now, the poisonous mist wasn''t anywhere near as strong as it was before.

    Darcel only felt his bloodline quickly vaporize the mist without the need of his soul.

    Smirking at the despair filling the blue creature''s eyes, Darcel quickly brought his scimitar up.

    And in one smooth motion, Darcel thrust his scimitar through the blue creature''s chest, spurting rancid blue blood in the air and pinning the creature down in the ground.

    "Die." Darcel simply utters like the god of death.

    He twisted his scimitar and unleashed raging ck mes that rampaged inside the creature''s body and soul!

    The blue creature couldn''t even utter out a yelp of pain. In every aspect, be it power or soul, it was entirely suppressed by Darcel and Ani.

    No matter if it held prowess equivalent to a peak True Soul Core warrior, it was helpless under Darcel and Ani''s assault.

    Quickly the light left the creature''s eyes in only a few seconds, with itsst sight being Darcel''s cruel smirk.

    "To think our prowess grew this much," Darcel remarked to himself as this fight was simple domination!

 Chapter 90: Surprise

    Chapter 90: Surprise

    "Oh? This Core, huh." Darcel directed his gaze to the still bright silver Core stuck in the creature''s w.

    Just being so close to the Core was making Darcel''s soul throb.

    Throughout the whole fight, Darcel connected that this Core just had to be some form of Sari concentrated power or at the very least direct energy from her.

    After all, with this silver Core, the creature could make even a mighty Heavenly Transformation cultivator go rigid with pure pain!

    Hell, Darcel reckons if he and Ani didn''t do anything, Elder Leweyn would have inevitably ended up dead after a grueling fight.

    "Seems like we just got a new treasure, Darcy!" Ani walked up right beside Darcel, scalpel in hand. If it''s something that could make their souls throb, Ani already knows it will be good.

    Ani too also made the most obvious connection of this being some sort of type of Sari''s power or direct energy. She got next to Darcel, smiling at him and egging her eyes to the mysterious silver Core.

    And under her goating, Darcel shrugged and took the silver Core from the vile creature''s ws.

    While he did that, Ani plunged her scalpel deep into the vile blue creature''s corpse. Its rancid blue blood immediately transfers to the scalpel, gaining a new hint of a blue hue.

    "Are.are they truly just a couple of mere genius youths?"

    Elder Leweyn had uttered in absolute awe while watching Darcel and Ani.

    The vile blue creature''s powerful mist already lessened as it was dead, but that fight would never leave Elder Leweyn mind.

    Erin, too was in a simr state of total shock. He held even more prejudice against Darcel and Ani, being as they were in the same age range.

    But after their fight, he just didn''t know what to think!

    In a shy fashion, Darcel and Anipletely resisted the poisonous mist that affected them with rtive ease.

    And even if they have some sort of special immunity, they still just beat an equivalent peak True Soul Core prowess!

    And of course, as these two were only at the peak level of the Nascent Core realm, this kind ofbat prowess is too freaky!

    Both Elder Leweyn and Erin knew geniuses like this should only ever appear at the absolute top rank provinces of their Region.

    Vice Principal Zelle already recovered from the once-powerful mist and reveled in Elder Leweyn and Erin''s shock.

    She was halfway in the process of turning her head back to them until she suddenly stopped.

    Instantly, her head snapped back to the duo in evident worry.

    "Hm? Oh? You feel that, Ani?"

    Darcel was caressing the creamy, soft silver orb in his hand and had suddenly spoken up to Ani. Much like the time they killed the purple creature, a continuous incredible influx of power directly drilled into their souls.

    Only this time, Darcel could feel the apparent steady increase in his soul''s power. Though while Darcel asked, his eyes trail down to the creature''s corpse to find it in an odd state.

    The twitching and spasming was normal for Darcel. But for some reason, Darcel just found it odd the way the creature was twitching.

    It moved more violently than the purple creature as if something was trying to break free from inside its body?

    "Mnh! Our souls truly are connected to these creatures in some mystical Sari way. Still, I didn''t expect our new forms to be so strong!"

    Ani stretched her arms, feeling the kinks crack out like she had just experienced a good workout.

    She was beginning to take out the scalpel again and noticed the blue creature corpse''s odd violent spasm.

    Ani had chalked it up to their scalpel, getting more powerful.

    But when she got mere inches away from the scalpel, both her and Darcel felt a sudden frenzy gust of wind.

    Nobody there had the time to process Vice-Principal Zelle suddenly dashing right in between Darcel and Ani. She quickly took out the scalpel and fished her second concealing talisman all in one smooth motion.

    In this split second sudden decision, neither Darcel, Ani, Elder Leweyn, or Erin''s brains could even process what Vice Principal Zelle was doing.

    But in the same split second, everyone Spirit Senses went frantic!

    From the nearly dried up vile blue creature corpse, an intense blue silverish glow broke out of it!

    The bright glow erupted the creature''s corpse with sudden tremendous power that took Darcl, Ani, Elder Leweyn, and Erin off guard.

    Everything was instantly shrouded in a bright blue glow of explosive power.

    Elder Leweyn instinctively reacted, gritting his teeth and surging the full power of his Heavenly Qi! He created a barrier for himself and Erin as the sudden erupted power went berserk.

    ''Chi!''

    A blue shbang burst within the bright blue glow forcing everyone to shut their eyes tight.

    Vice Principal Zelle efficiently protected the duo under the concealing talisman. However, she was feeling the drain of her talisman rate rapidly speed up.

    On the other hand, Elder Leweyn felt his arm slightly quake shing with this burst of power. Heavenly Transformation power or not, whatever was inside the creature wasn''t easy to shield from.

    Still, after a second, once the blue glow finally died out, everyone wasn''t too injured from the sudden corpse attack.

    Although Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle had their concealing talismanpletely ran out of energy on them.

    Furthermore, everyone felt a stinging ufortable sensation in their bloodstream.

    "Tch, until the very end, that thing wanted to snipe us out even after its death." Erin snarked as he began surging his Innate Qi to destroy the poisonous energy in his body.

    "At least now it''s o-" Elder Leweyn and the others had the same idea as Erin, but when they all tried to recuperate, their Spirit Senses suddenly went frantic once again.

    And this time, all of their eyes snapped to the roof of the cave.

    ''BANG!!''

    The cave tremble as the roof of it was decimated by a powerful st of Innate Qi!

    Vice Principal Zelle''s group was exposed to the outside world. Everyone''s eyes widened when they saw just who decided to intrude.

    Floating imposingly in the air was twenty one frightening figures.

    Twenty of these figures were the simrly possessed humans Vice-Principal Zelle''s group saw strutting around the Woods.

    However, the most terrifying figure was the one floating at the head of the pack.

    It held a freakish human-like appearance that was rancid to stare at. A putrid yellow glow painted its whole body. And out from its mouth, a long, grotesque yellow tongue eerily swirled.

    It was yet another variant of these vile human-like creatures! Only this time, it was in a chilling yellow pallet.

    But, there was another terrifying aspect to all those in the air.

    "All either peak Innate Core or eighth rank huh." As Vice Principal Zelle breathlessly told, all of the possessed humans were at an extraordinarily high level.

    Out of the twenty humans, nine were at the eighth rank while all others were at the ninth rank of Innate Core.

    For the creature itself, it was equal to the sixth rank of Innate Core. Still, it didn''t lessen the deadly feeling it naturally exudes.

    This lineup, even in Vice Principal Zelle''s eyes, was particrly fierce.

    "Wwwell, ell! A second level Heavenly Transformation puppet for our takingsss. We really were right about you two bratss!" After the second the yellow creature''s group appeared, it began talking in this creepy slurry tone of voice.

    "Puppet? Hmph." And Elder Leweyn wasn''t haven''t any of what the vile yellow creature was spouting out.

    Elder Leweyn fully surged his Heavenly Qi before the others could react, ultimately breaking off the poisonous blue glow energy.

    Simultaneously while breaking the pain away, Elder Leweyn fully unleashed his mighty Heavenly Transformation aura towards the vile yellow creature and its possessed humans!

    Elder Leweyn''s aura caused the air to frantically whirl for miles in the Necropolis Woods. The space around himself seemed to froze over as he thoroughly showed the high might of a Heavenly Transformation cultivator!

    Everyone in the vile yellow creature''s group felt tremendously suppressed by Elder Leweyn''s mere st of aura.

    If nothing were to happen, their bodies were going to be utterly crushed under this powerful aura. And yet, none of the possessed humans seem worried about their uing doom at all.

    The vile yellow creature as well savagely smiled in the face of doom.

    Its w was hidden from view at first, but right as Elder Leweyn''s aura crushed on to them, the creature suddenly thrust his w out.

    It was the only body part it could move and upon the creature''s w caused everyone in Vice Principal Zelle''s group to feel immediate dread.

    An evenrger silver core than what the blue creature had sat upon its w!

    ''Chi!''

    The silver core immediately ignited in a blinding radiance and had spewed out a bright yellow silverish mist!

    Elder Leweyn''s once-mighty aura was utterly vaporized from the silver core explosive power.

    "Ah-AHH!!" Erin had immediately shrieked and copsed to his knees in tremendous pain.

    The bright silverish mist spared no expense and drilled into his, Elder Leweyn, Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle''s bloodstreams.

    Elder Leweyn went as still as a statue under the overwhelming mist. He couldn''t believe it, but that silver Core was actually overpowering his mighty Heavenly Qi!

    Previously, the vile blue creature caught him off guard with its silver core attacks. But admittedly, Elder Leweyn would''ve needed a bit of time to destroy the blue creature''s silver core power that rummaged in him.

    However, the yellow creature significantly surpassed anything the blue creature could ever throw out.

    He, a legendary second level Heavenly Transformation cultivator, felt the joints in his bodypletely lock up under the silver core power!

    Moreover, nearly all of his Heavenly Qi was drained at a tremendous rate.

    Elder Leweyn eyes filled with horror as he stared up at that vile yellow creature. Now he fully understands these creatures'' terrifying might!

    Vice Principal Zelle was gnashing her teeth, dealing with the scorching pain rampaging inside her body.

    She was bearing the full brunt of the creature''s silver core power, but all of her half step Heavenly Qi was quickly draining from her as well.

    Yet, as the poisonous mist sizzled her bloodstreams, a dormant power was quickly starting to stir in her.

    Darcel and Ani were only overwhelmed for a second. Indeed the yellow creature''s silver core power far surpassed its vile brethren.

    But in the very next second, the silver Core in Darcel''s hand frantically throb. Two bright silver streams of energy discharged from the silver Core and drilled right into Darcel and Ani''s chests!

    Darcel and Ani''s souls immediately synchronized with the silver Core. It caused their souls to finally erupt with far greater power than anything they discharged before!

    ''Chi!''

    A blinding silver radiance equal to the yellow creature''s silver core radiance explosively burst of Darcel and Ani!

    Their erupted power currently gave the duo enough to stand against the yellow creature''s silver Core power.

    "Nnno-NO!! Your soulsss are ssupossed to get overwhelmed! You''re ssupossed to get wweaker and useless, just how?!?"

    The vile yellow creature roared out in rage and confusion.

    There simply shouldn''t be any way these two kids'' souls could ever match the more direct and tremendous power of its silver core! In fact, the energy these kids exuded should''ve destroyed their souls by now!

    However, the nightmare only continued for the vile yellow creature.

    A significant suppression weighed upon its soul from Darcel and Ani, making its soul quake in fear. Fright swirled in its eyes as the creature knew these brats had to die today!

    "Th-these tw-two mu-must die!!!"

    All other possessed humans savagely shouted as their bodies couldn''t stop from constant trembling.

    Whatever power Darcel and Ani wield, it brought about an even more significant suppression to souls than what the yellow creature was feeling.

    The humans felt as if Darcel and Ani could crush right then and there without even so much of a sweat!

    "It doesn''t matter how or why; you all will die here today!" Darcel loudly proimed while getting himself adjusted to his sudden eruption of soul power.

    "I hope you all wished for yourst prayer!!" Ani also loudly proimed while adapting to her sudden power gain.

    In sync, the duo had then quickly turned around to face Vice-Principal Zelle,pletely ignoring the yellow creature group.

    Seeing this, a manic savage smile burst on the vile yellow creature''s face.

    "Heh! It doessn''t matter if their soulsss suppress all of ours. They''re ssstill no match for True Innate Core prowess! Kill them!!"

    "K-Kill them!!!"

    Every single one of the possessed humans became incredibly riled up under the yellow creature''s words.

    And it was right; those brats are still merely Nascent Core ants!

    Immense waves of tremendous Innate Core Qi crazily swirled in the air. Everyone in the yellow creature''s group sted out their aura, making the Necropolis Woods fall into chaos for tens of miles!

    However, right when the yellow creature''s group was about to st the duo away, bright blue mes refracted into everyone''s visions.

    They all temporarily halted as a bright, sizzling blue firewall covered the whole of Vice-Principal Zelle''s group.

    "h! Like thisss will work!!" The yellow creature ignored the blue firewall and still went on to surge its power.

    Everyone else in its group as well paid no heed to the wall and quickly swirled their Innate Qi.

    "Die!!"

    The yellow creature roared as it sted out a vast yellow Qi w to the blue firewall.

    The twenty possessed humans followed suit and had also sted out powerful blue Qi ws towards the blue firewall.

    ''BANG!!''

    The ground violently shook, trees broke apart, and the sky split in half under the fierce sh of incredible power!

    But everyone in the yellow creature group was immediately taken by surprise.

    "I-it didn''t break?!?"

    The blue firewall still stood firm to the yellow creature''s dismay and only showed severalrge cracks on it.

    The other possessed humans were simrly shocked. But this only fueled their determination to destroy everyone under that wall!

    Quickly everyone in the yellow creature group regained their focus and began charging their power for an even greater attack.

    "The Core and your power won''tst another attack, Vice-Principal. Are you sure you can handle using another saint artifact now?" Darcel steadily said as his hands were on Vice Principal Zelle''s shoulder.

    Ani''s hand was also calm and steady on Vice Principal Zelle''s shoulder.

    As soon as she and Darcel turned around to Vice Principal Zelle, they immediately fueled her with a slight bit of their souls'' powers.

    Darcel and Ani only relied on instinct and got the mysterious silver Core to fuel Vice-Principal Zelle with their sudden erupted power.

    The trio only needed a second, and Vice-Principal Zelle already sted out a wall that protected them.

    But now, they needed to change their course of action.

    As Vice Principal Zelle felt her bloodstreams frantically roar with power because of Darcel and Ani, she knew they had only one option left.

    The yellow creature''s previous attack left her wholly drained. Still, thanks to the duo, Vice Principal Zelle will finally unleash her dormanttent power!

    "I''ll only need one more second; the energy raging inside of me can no longery dormant...."

 Chapter 91: Beauty & Horror

    Chapter 91: Beauty & Horror

    "Itss over!!" The vile yellow creature shrieked as its silver core began frantically surging once again.

    A bright silver radiance spewed in the Darkness sky, discharging a cascade of tremendous power.

    All of the possessed humans had also illuminated their hands in a bright blue glow. A mix of incredible Innate Core power surged for miles in the Necropolis Woods, violently quaking the ground. The sky was painted in a beautiful mixture of silver and blue.

    At the peak of their powers, the possessed humans fired out luminous blue Qi ws! And the vile yellow creature sted out a radiant silver yellowish Qi w towards the cracked blue firewall.

    ''BANG!!''

    With ease, the blue firewall was finally utterly destroyed under the yellow creature''s groupbined might! The crumbling ck glossy cave Vice-Principal Zelle''s group were in got turned into bits and pieces under theirbined might.

    And yet, no one in the vile yellow creature''s group was happy or fueled with savage killing intent.

    No, they all were immensely suppressed by a tremendous power surge far surpassing their own!

    But this wasn''t what truly made the yellow creature''s group gobsmacked.

    Once the dust of their explosive power died down, everyone, no matter if they were on the yellow creature group or on Vice Principal Zelle''s side.

    They all were left utterly stunned at seemingly a new face appearing out of nowhere.

    From where Vice Principal Zelle stood was apletely different woman looking nothing like the once ordinary woman.

    No, what was revealed to the world was a goddess of a woman in terms of perfected looks. This new holy woman possessed a soul capturing gorgeous face as if she was born from the heavens.

    Blue eyes that luminously shined through the Darkness Woods, bringing every attention on to her. Cherry red rosy lips that one would want to tenderly kiss and lose themselves into. Her creamy white skin was ravishingly lovely and alluring, as if her skin was created by an angel.

    Moreover, even her physique underwent an alluring change.

    Vice Principal Zelle is what Darcel would call as being tall but gracefully petite. Her hips were now more bewitchingly curvaceous, and one can spot fetching small twin peaks on her chest.

    Even Vice-Principal Zelle''s blue hair turned more beautifully glossy, carried a distinct captivating shine about it.

    Furthermore, Darcel even spotted at the top of her beautiful blue hair were two small ps of what appeared to be animal-like fox ears!

    In Vice-Principal Zelle''s right hand, Darcel had also spotted a long, beautifully crafted silver sword. The sword possessed a unique spiral design and radiated an unfathomable aura that nearly caused his breath to get hicked.

    ''ZZZTT!!!''

    Soon the frantic roars of violent thunderous lightning awoke everyone from the drunken stupor of gazing upon Vice-Principal Zelle''s beauty.

    From the back of Vice-Principal Zelle, Elder Leweyn had an enamored but familiar expression as if he encountered this scene before.

    Erin, all the while, was left utterly dumbfounded.

    How could this seemingly ordinary-looking woman hide such a drastic change of appearance for so long!

    All of his breath was taken away in absolute awe.

    Although for the yellow creature and possessed humans, their breath was taken away but for entirely different reasons. The thunderous p of lightning just reminded them all about their inevitable uing death!

    All of their eyes snapped to the long spiral sword in Vice Principal Zelle''s hand. Powerful streaks of bright blue lightning furiously rage from the de, creating a frightening look for the beautiful Vice-Principal Zelle.

    The vile yellow creature and possessed humans all fruitlessly try to surge their powers to escape this sudden suppression.

    s, they were all doomed to fail since the power exuded from Vice Principal Zelle''s Saint Artifact significantly surpassed them. Not even the silver Core in the vile yellow creature''s ws could surpass the power of the lightning sword Saint Artifact.

    Immense dread warped their faces as everyone watched in horror as Vice-Principal Zelle slowly raised the raging lightning de at them.

    But right then, Darcel quickly spoke up. "Can you keep that creature''s body from turning to ash?"

    His words further destroyed the yellow creature and possessed human hopes.

    Vice Principal Zelle had taken one brief look at Darcel before continuing on to charge her Saint Artifact. In just a second, the lightning sword power reached its peak and burst with bright blinding blue lightning!

    ''ZZZTTT!!''

    A vast blue lighting beam sted from the tip of the sword and tore straight through the yellow creature''s chest!

    And from behind the creature, all other possessed humans were promptly turned to ash by the powerful raging lightning beam.

    Just at thest second, Vice Principal Zelle managed to control the Saint Artifact power to, as Darcel put it, keep that vile yellow creature body intact.

    The yellow creature''s heart was destroyed, and the Saint Artifact lightning decimated its soul, killing the yellow creature on the spot.

    Vice Principal Zelle had then reached out with her hand and performed a grabbing motion.

    Before the yellow creature''s body crashed to the ground, its body was quickly sucked towards Vice-Principal Zelle and dropped right before Darcel and Ani.

    "Oh my! It looks like a lot of its blood was vaporized. But, there''s still a hefty sum for the scalpel!"

    Ani had already gotten used to Vice Principal Zelle''s striking new looks and quickly went over to plunge her scalpel deep into the yellow creature''s neck.

    Rancid yellow blood immediately began to flow to the scalpel, bringing a faint yellow tint on it.

    Darcel brought his eyes over to the creature''s w and was surprised by it.

    Even after its death, its w still never let go of that mysterious silver Core. Darcel sensed the silver Core in its hand was heavily drained of power from everything it went through. But it was still usable for several more attacks.

    So, Darcel reached down and took the silver Core from the creature''s w and ced it in his other hand.

    Like the previous one, this silver core was silky smooth to touch. But this silver Core still radiated with far higher power even after continuous use.

    "Just.just what are these three." Erin breathlessly said as he slowly stood up.

    With the yellow creature dead, the mist rampaging inside his body considerably lessened. His body was still in an exhausted, painful state, but presently, his mind was having difficulty processing what just transpired.

    First, it was Darcel and Ani with their extraordinarybat prowess and special soul powers. And now there was Vice-Principal Zelle, whose beauty far outstrips anyone that he ever seen before.

    "They''re.they''re for sure chock-full of surprise." Elder Leweyn eyes never left Vice-Principal Zelle the entire time.

    Though it appeared as he was merely smitten with her appearance, a far more deeper, profound emotion course in his eyes while staring at her lovely back.

    Up in the front with Vice Principal Zelle, her eyes curiously stared at the shining silver Core in Darcel''s hand. "Somehow, you two can use this Core.just what is this frightening thing?"

    Suddenly then, right when Vice Principal Zelle voiced her question, dread appeared on her, Elder Leweyn, and Erin''s faces.

    They didn''t even have mere seconds to recuperate once again before their Spirit Senses frantically went off!

    "Well.I guess there''s no time for questions or even a breather! The main event has arrived." Ani said out loud as she and Darcel souls began to intensely writhe for one uing presence.

    But instead of the dread on the other faces, Darcel and Ani still kept calm and steady. A smooth sensation from their souls warmed their minds and kept their emotions in check.

    "As expected. You two are indeed much more incredibly troublesome than I could ever imagine. Even with all I prepare, it appeared I still have underestimated you two. But.this all a fool''s dream if any one of you think you can escape these Woods tonight!"

    A booming, powerful voice echoed throughout miles in the Necropolis Woods. Vice Principal Zelle''s group''s attention was turned to their right, and there they saw a frightening sum of figures.

    One man dressed in long mysterious robes and a hoodie covering his face stood at the front and foremost of hisrge group.

    And right next to the man was a figure Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle immediately recognized.

    It wasn''t human but appeared near human-like. Its body was shrouded in an eerie red glow, and a rancid long tongue ominous swirled from its mouth in a hungry motion.

    Vivid memories popped into Darcel, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle''s mind as it was the horrid red creature from the ck dungeonbyrinth!

    Though the creature appeared did change a little. Mainly being the fact in its w hands, another silver core was there!

    And behind these two ominous figures were several dozens of possessed humans. Plus, this time, all of these possessed humans were at the peak rank of the Innate Core realm!

    Vice Principal and Elder Leweyn also sensed that grotesque red creature to be equivalent to the first rank of the Innate Core realm.

    But the most terrifying person there had to be the mysterious man.

    More clearly than what the youths could sense, they both perceived the mysterious robe man to be firmly at the first level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    "....This could be a problem." Darcel tentatively said out loud.

    While he and Ani didn''t suffer that much at the creature''s poisonous mist. However, their bodily stamina quickly drained, thanks to the silver Core and continuous use of their soul powers.

    As for the rest, Vice Principal Zelle knew she was nowhere near close to a hundred percent and only had a small percentage of her usual powers. Any Saint Artifacts she has backed up couldn''t be used now.

    Elder Leweyn and Erin, however, were nearly drained of any power.

    They didn''t have the luxury of getting provided with the silver Core powers. Thus making their injuries and energy be more devastating and permanent since now they had no time to ask for the duo''s support.

    "Heh, already feeling despair?"

    The mysterious robe man cruelly snided at them and gave no heed to Vice Principal Zelle''s beautiful appearance.

    In fact, none of his group cared about her beauty but instead held more sinister thoughts about them all.

    "Ffinally, I get to kill you two noow!!" The red creature spoke in the same slurring tone as the vile yellow creature.

    Before anyone could act, though, the mysterious robe man suddenly pulled something from his robe that caused Vice-Principal Zelle''s group to go wide-eyed.

    In his decrepit hand was arge silver Core!

    Andpared to all other creature''s silver cores, the one in the man''s hand was thergest and exuded the strongest aura.

    "Hoh? Surprised, are we? But before we continue on and you all start the little game of how long you can survive. Let me get rid of Sariel''s presence in you two brats!"

    ''Chi!''

    From the mysterious robe man and the red creature silver Core, a bright streak of silver lights sted out! The whole Darkness Woods and the sky above them got illuminated in a dazzling silver radiance!

    "Geah?!? Not again!!"

    Erin despairingly shouted as the bright silver radiance also unleashed a tremendous power! He, Vice Principal Zelle, and Elder Leweyn were all utterly suppressed under this immense explosion of frantic power!

    Darcel and Ani, however, felt their souls erupt in a crazed writhing.

    With the mysterious man and the red creature using both of their Cores in sync, it made Darcel and Ani''s soul want to explode with the same outrageous power!

    However, it was like something was shackling their souls, preventing them from unleashing their true potential.

    Darcel and Ani wanted to try and surging their souls on their own to see if they could break this shackle. But right then, a bright silver beam barreled straight at them at immense speeds!

    ''Chi!''

    Crimson blood sttered into the air as a bright silver beam drilled into Darcel and Ani''s chest.

    Horror filled their faces as their eyes saw the silver beamsing straight from the mysterious man and red creature''s silver Core.

 Chapter 92: Unbelievable

    Chapter 92: Unbelievable

    Severe pain overloaded Darcel and Ani''s mind and body.

    Pain that would want to make anyone unleash blood-curdling screams and beg for the tremendous pain to go away.

    And yet, neither Darcel nor Ani utters a single yelp of pain. An overwhelming power was trying to break in and crush their souls to teeny bits.

    But Darcel and Ani''s souls crazily surged against the overwhelming force.

    At the same time, Darcel tightly clutched both silver cores in his hands. And immediately then, both silver Cores furiously throb and brightly lit up to match the mysterious man and red creature''s silver Core''s radiance!

    ''Chi!''

    One bright stream of silver energy sted from the two cores and drilled into Darcel and Ani, providing their souls with an overload cascade of power!

    While this could''ve been fatal to the duo and in all honestly should''ve wrecked their souls, destroying their cultivation.

    This overload of power proved to be their saving grace!

    This overloaded influx of power was perfect for this dangerous situation. All excess energy flowing into Dracel and Ani''s souls was quickly used and expelled from out of them.

    The overwhelming power trying to break into Darcel and Ani''s souls was getting matched by the two silver Cores in Darcel''s hand.

    Both sides quickly reached a stalemate as neither could overpower the other side.

    And while this urred, Darcel and Ani''s souls stayed firm and were still crazily surging to break free from its invisible shackles.

    "Tch! It doesn''t matter how much power you use from Sariel''s splitting Cores! The end result of your bodies still won''t change!" The mysterious robe man mockingly shouted to them, not even fearing their powers getting matched.

    "Heh.grab my hand Ani!" Darcel put his hand out to his right, and Ani immediately reacted. "Alright!" Her soft hand tightly clutched Darcel''s hand, causing a tremendous change in both of them.

    In their souls'' depths, another incredible power was promptly activated.

    Theirpleted Darkness Soul link erupted with new immense waves of powers in their souls! Both Darcel and Ani felt their minds truly has linked up to be synchronized.

    The overwhelming power trying to break in Darcel and Ani''s souls had begun to quake as their Darkness Soul link power started to slowly overpower it.

    Because their souls are already in an extremely active state, all it took was a simple connection of their physical self to get this power to activate.

    Under normal circumstances, this process wouldn''t be as nearly as easy. They haven''t even touched upon the True Soul Core realm where they could efficiently train their souls.

    But these powerful silver Cores acted as a significant shortcut gateway to activate their Darkness Soul links.

    In sync, Darcel and Ani''s Darkness Soul link provided each other with a steady growth of incredible power.

    Although the shackles binding their hidden,tent power still couldn''t be broken even with the Darkness Soul link.

    "You-you!! How''s this possible?!?" The mysterious robe man, for the first time, expressed utter shock and dismay.

    Clearly, he never counted on Darcel and Ani having an extraordinary power that can abruptly grow their souls.

    The mysterious robe man''s hand shook in furious rage as, once again, these brats are proving to be too damn troublesome! His teeth gnashed against each other, and he finally came to a risky split-second decision.

    "You know what, fine! I''ll just let the whole Sariel Core bepletely corrupt! Because for it, I''ll just snatch you two souls in whole!!"

    The mysterious robe man shrieked with rage and explosively increased his silver Core power!

    Severalrge cracks began appearing on the man''s silver Core. The red creature also began to explosively increase its silver Core powers.

    Large cracks began to appear on its silver Core as well, but the power increase was worth it.

    "Nnngh." Both Darcel and Ani grunted as the mysterious robe man, and the red creature was quickly gaining back the edge.

    The situation was quickly turning for the worse until something broke into Darcel and Ani''s minds.

    "Ehehehe~! All you two need is a little push~!"

    The beautiful smooth voice of Sari suddenly echoed in Darcel and Ani''s minds! And it was then, the invisible shackles tightly binding the hidden power locked in their souls was entirely destroyed!

    ''CHI!!''

    A luminous Darkness soul beam sted straight out from Darcel''s chest!

    The Darkness soul beam utterly decimated the silver stream of energy drilling into his chest from the mysterious robe man''s silver Core.

    Furthermore, the Darkness soul beam didn''t lose momentum when destroying the silver stream energy and continue to barrel straight towards the mysterious robe man.

    All the mysterious robe man could do was look in utter shock at the Darkness soul beam barreling towards him.

    His soul had now be wholly suppressed under this beam, utterly locking up his body and preventing him from moving.

    ''Chi!''

    Gray blood sttered into the air as Darcel''s Darkness Soul beam tore straight through the mysterious robe man''s chest! Nearly from this sole attack, the man''s soul was almost split into pieces, tremendously weakening him.

    And in sync, Ani''s soul attack also reached the red creature at the same time.

    From her chest, a bright white Light soul beam shot out and destroyed the silver stream energy produced by the red creature.

    Her white Light soul beam carried the same unfathomable suppression to the red creature soul, locking its body in ce.

    ''Chi!''

    Putrid crimson blood spewed into the air as Ani''s Light soul beam tore right through the red creature''s chest! Its soul was fractured to an even greater extent than the mysterious robe man''s soul.

    The power once exuded from the red creature and mysterious robe man''s silver Core was utterly destroyed. The suppression on Vice Principal Zelle Elder Leweyn and Erin was swiftly dropped.

    From behind, the dozens of possessed humans already moved out of the way before Darcel and Ani''s soul beams strayed into the silver sky.

    Although, there wasn''t a single one there that didn''t feel majorly suppressed by Darcel and Ani''s new soul powers.

    Darcel and Ani''s soul beams quickly vanished after firing, leaving for the mysterious robe man and the red creature to fall out of the sky.

    But right then, the mysterious robe man''s hand ignited in a silver sh!

    "KILL THEM!!" Blood spewed out of the man''s mouth as he shouted, and intense pain coursed through his body and soul.

    Yet the man didn''t care, and while falling, he sted a vast silver Qi w towards Vice-Principal Zelle''s group!

    The silver Qi w was colossal and covered every inch of Vice-Principal Zelle''s group.

    None of the possessed humans wanted to get in the way of that massive attack. They had instead opted to wait behind with cruel smirks ster on their faces.

    After all, picking them off when they''re crushed will be easier this way!

    Darcel and Ani felt pressure when facing this giant silver Qi w. Even as the mysterious robe man was severely weakened, neither had the ability to efficiently destroy the Qi w and save their whole group.

    They could just narrowly dodge, but that would mean Vice-Principal Zelle would end up as tten.

    Vice Principal Zelle was nearly drained of energy, but for some odd reason, her bloodstream was still frantically throbbing.

    Ever since she had destroyed the yellow creature''s group, it never stopped throbbing. And now, under an extreme life or death situation, her bloodstream was goingpletely frantic.

    She could tell her realtent power was trying to break free, but with the Qi w speed, Vice Principal Zelle wouldn''t have enough time to let her power roam free.

    Erin felt rage and despair as he was utterly helpless at this point. He could barely even move his body, much less try and destroy this giant silver Qi w.

    "Tch.hah!" Elder Leweyn, however, didn''t want to reside to fate and unleashed a mighty battle cry!

    With thest bit of his Heavenly Qi, Elder Leweyn swirled raging blue lightning around his hand.

    Quickly a blue lightning strike sted from his hand and shed with the silver Qi w.

    ''BANG!''

    "Spread out!!" One of the possessed humans shouted as they all quickly flew backward to escape thebustion of Heavenly Transformation power!

    For miles, everything the Woods was brought to absolute chaos as the environment was shattered apart.

    Elder Leweyn quickly grabbed Erin and shielded him with his Heavenly Transformation body. However, they were both still sted off from the aftershocks of the explosion.

    Darcel and Ani felt scorching pain wracked their bodies for a brief second.

    With the silver Cores''st remaining power, Darcel poured nearly all of it into forming a silver barrier that protected him, Ani, and Vice-Principal Zelle from the aftershocks.

    Soon thebustions of incredible power dispersed, allowing the Woods to fall back to its natural calm state. All of the possessed humans quickly flew back over to observe the aftermath.

    And once they arrived, cruel and vicious smiles etched on every one of the possessed humans'' faces.

    From a mile close by, their eyes watched as Elder Leweyn and Erin''s state was pathetic.

    Their bodies were closed together, but they were both face down, lying in the dirt. A pool of blood swirled underneath them, but the possessed humans still clearly sensed they both were alive.

    "Hmph! As expected! And no-AH?!?"

    One of the possessed humans was starting to gloat, but he and everyone else suddenly released gasps of immense shock.

    Bright blue mes refracted in the dozens of possessed human''s eyes as they all despairingly looked above them.

    Covering the sky and dying it in blue was an enormous blue ming hand that radiated an unfathomable power!

    The power of the blue ming hand far surpassed every single one of them.

    Previously their entire being was already suppressed by Darcel and Ani''s souls, and now this blue ming hand was the final nail in the coffin.

    All of their bodies tightly locked up, preventing them from moving. The suppression was like several tons of mountains crushing their bodies, creating excruciating pressure on them.

    Everyone watched in utter misery as the blue ming hand came crashing down on to them.

    ''Bang!''

    The dozens of possessed humans were pped violently into the ground, killing every single one of them on impact. Their bodies were mutted by blue mes and utterly cracked by overwhelming sheer power.

    "....Unbelievable." The mysterious robe man breathlessly uttered as he struggled to stay standing up.

    He and the red creature still had tremendous pain wracked their bodies and souls, but their eyes still caught thatrge blue ming hand.

    However, neither would get a chance to know who exactly did it as an immense rush of incredible power surged right in front of them!

    The mysterious robe man and red creature only had a split second to see blue fire clouding their whole vision.

    Vice Principal Zelle, decked out in a blue fire cloak that resembles a fox, appeared right in front of the red creature.

    Her bloodstream''s hidden power was able to fully erupt thanks to Darcel''s protective barrier, but her bodily stamina drain was incredible.

    Deciding to end this quickly, Vice Principal Zelle struck out with her fist and tore straight through the red creature''s chest! She had then unleashed rampaging blue fire inside the red creature, swiftly overpowering it and killing it once and for all.

    With her other hand, Vice-Principal Zelle sted a stream of blue fire towards the mysterious robe man.

    Everything was just too sudden for the man, and he had no choice but to tank the blue fire stream!

    ''Bang!''

    "AHHH!!!"

    The mysterious robe man unleashed blood-curdling screams as he rolled on the ground. But while he was rolling, a bright silver sh enriched his body, making the blue mes on the outside of his body dissipate.

    Although, the pain that came from Vice Principal Zelle''s attack didn''t dissipate in the slightest.

    Vice Principal Zelle crashed to her knees as her blue ming fox cloak dropped.

    As her eyes looked over to the mysterious robe man, dread filled her face.

    The man had still managed to shakily stand up while his hoodie was finally thrown off, revealing his grotesque face. He looked dried up like a corpse, and parts of his flesh was hanging off his face.

    But a deranged smile was still etched on to his horrid face.

 Chapter 93: Worrying Future

    Chapter 93: Worrying Future

    Admittedly the horrid looking man knew he was in a terrible state.

    Blue mes still violently rampaged inside his body, and his soul was still critically injured from Darcel''s attack.

    Plus, he had poured thest renaming bit of his power into the Qi w attack, further severely weakening him. At best, the man fathoms he was as strong as True Soul Core cultivator.

    But this didn''t matter to himpared to his enemies'' pitiful state.

    "Heh.heh.hahaha!!! Even with all of your annoying surprises, all of your final hours have arrived! In the end, you''ll be killed, my ha-"

    "No! In the end, you''ll be killed at our hands!!" The horrid looking man was sharply cut off by Ani''s booming voice.

    His eyes snapped over to the now rooted Darcel and Ani. And ultimately, the man couldn''t help an utter hopelessness feeling wash over him seeing these brats state now.

    Darcel and Ani stood upright, hand in hand, killing intent booming into their eyes. An incredible aura gushed out of them, making the horrid looking man feel utter terror in his mind, soul, and body.

    Really,pared to everyone there, Darcel and Ani had the least strain on their prowess. Granted, both were nowhere near their peak condition. But to kill the weakened standing before them, what they had now was more than enough!

    The most terrifying note the horrid looking man picked up on Darcel and Ani''s current state was that still throbbing silver Core in Darcel''s left hand.

    It was then, the horrid looking man knew he really only had one option left.

    And that is to make a hasty retreat!

    The horrid looking man notice Darcel and Ani were taking tiny panted breaths, though their bodies were tensing to attack.

    But before disaster for him could happen, the man tightly clenched the silver Core in his hand.

    ''Hua!''

    The horrid looking man''s body burned with exhaustion and pain, but he didn''t let this stop him from sprinting off into the destroyed trees and bushes of the Darkness Woods.

    "Ah! You''re not getting away!!"

    Ani roared as she tightly clenched Darcel''s hand.

    Over exerting their souls so much truly was leaving them winded. Still, the duo had their mind set on killing that horrid man tonight!

    This time, using only the remaining Nascent Qi coursing their bodies, Darcel and Ani simultaneously sted off in the horrid man direction!

    Even as both sides were fatigued, both Darcel, Ani, and the wretched-looking man''s speeds were all swift.

    Vice Principal Zelle could only tiredly look on as Darcel, Ani, and the horrid looking man all soon disappeared from her sight in a few seconds. Their three figures vanishing right into the dreary Darkness of the woods.

    "Haah.haah.damn."

    Vice Principal Zelle began to fully calm her body to gain back a bit of energy. Her eyes trailed over to Elder Leweyn and Erin to see both of their statues indeed wasn''t the best.

    Erin was knocked out cold, and Elder Leweyn''s body was struggling to pick himself up.

    However, with their already powerful bodies and souls, Vice Principal Zelle knew their grave injuries would be healed in due time.

    The only worrying thought she had now was Darcel and Ani.

    If she could''ve, she would''ve prevented Darcel and Ani from chasing that creature of a man. It was far too rash and risky since none of them were at their optimal state.

    ''But knowing them, they probably can pull out an amazing victory from out of nowhere. Still.this doesn''t lessen the badly odd feeling about them specifically going in that direction.''

    Vice Principal Zelle rummaged to herself as her eyes linger to where the duo was chasing that looking horrid man.

    .

    "Seriously, what''s with this guy? You wouldn''t be able to even tell he was injured at his constant speed."

    While sting through the Woods, Darcel lightly snided to Ani.

    "More than that.our big scale fight truly did a number on everything. At least making it easier for us to follow!" Ani somehow found a bright side to this as their speeds didn''t decrease in the slightest.

    Their enthralling chase went for a minute already, and yet the horrid looking man had no intentions of stopping.

    Even as all the joints in his body roar in agonizing pain, he knew stopping only meant his terrible death.

    And while they chase, Darcel and Ani did take a little notice of the mile''s destruction in the Woods. ck glossy trees and branches spread out everywhere in tiny bits and pieces.

    The ground was cracked for miles, and some spots even had small craters.

    Furthermore, Darcel and Ani also spotted crimson blood in destroyed bushes or wrecked trees.

    Although the peculiar thing was, there was no corpse or any sort of body part attached to these spots of crimson blood.

    But these small details all paled inparison when Darcel and Ani finally sensed the horrid looking man''s speed decreasing!

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes brighten, seeing their opportunity slowlye to them.

    "Well! It seems like for all that speed before, not even you can hold on for long!" Ani cruelly mocked from behind as the two were quickly nearing the wretched-looking man.

    All the while, the horrid looking man ignored Ani''s mocking calls.

    Now at the final dead-end of his line, the horrid man got rid of all of his hesitations. His nearly split, damaged soul was on the verge ofpletely shattering, but the man still surged what remained of his soul.

    All at once, the man''s soul fell into an even more chaotic state as hepletely erupted his soul essence!

    Loud ss shattering noises reverberated throughout the man''s mind and body, nearly feeling everything crack into a million pieces.

    Still, the man violently gnashed his teeth, shattering it, and managed to cling on to dear life. He used the eruption of his soul essence to pour all of his power into the silver Core clutched in his palm.

    ''Sariel.protect me.and kill these brats!'' The horrid man pleaded in his mind to the silver Core.

    It was hisst desperate attempt to live but his only drastic option he had left.

    And immediately, the man was shocked with a prompt reaction from the cracked silver Core. His near shattered being was pushed to a frozen state and a bright silver radiance spewed from his entire body!

    ''Hua!''

    In a bright silver streak of light, the horrid man sted off towards a specific direction in the Woods.

    And from behind, Darcel and Ani was shocked but shocked for only a second.

    "You''re not getting away!" Darcel utter as he and Ani, together, shed with the same bright silver radiance!

    Simultaneously, they erupted their Darkness soul link causing their souls to frantically surge.

    In this state, Darcel harmonizes with thest remaining power in the silver Core clutched in his hand. He and Ani felt thest rush of energy flow their bodies like running water.

    Their Spirit Senses kept precise track of the horrid looking man, and they had then pinpointed his direction.

    Simr to the horrid looking man, Darcel and Ani sted off in a bright silver streak of light, following right behind the man''s direction.

    Two streaks of silver lights, dashing at the same speeds, illuminated Necropolis Woods for miles. Both sides didn''t know how far deep they were going into the Woods, but neither had the intention to stop.

    It wasn''t until a couple minutes passed that the horrid looking man finally felt a throb in his soul and the silver Core.

    Up ahead, his gaze had then fallen on to a strange but mesmerizing sight.

    Simply, it was arge blue rock sitting all by its lonesome with nothing surrounding it. However, upon the sizeable blue rock were beautifully crafted symbols; one''s eyes would stop to turn and fawn upon it.

    The symbols that man saw appeared to match fox-like insignia symbols.

    For such a uniquely designed rock to be stranded in the middle of the wilderness was already weird enough.

    And yet the throbbing silver Core in the man''s hand kept on sting him straight towards it.

    "This thing.it seems familiar."

    The horrid looking man let out a small breath to himself as he rapidly approached the blue fox rock. Without any resistance, the man''s hand crashed into the rock, and the silver Core was immediately submerged in the rock.

    Darcel and Ani were just behind the man and quickly made it to the same blue fox rock. Their eyes zed over in zealous, killing intent once seeing the horrid man seemingly stuck on the rock.

    "It''s over." Darcel ominously utters as he and Ani didn''t slow their charge at all.

    Only a few meters of distance separated them from the man. The duo already crossed half of that distance in a single second!

    However, right when they were nearly approaching the horrid looking man, an intense throbbing in Darcel and Ani''s soulpletely froze them up.

    Abruptly, their eyes snapped to the blue fox rock, and they witnessed a magical transformation!

    ''Chi!''

    A blindingly bright blue and silver radiance mix burst out from the blue fox rock! Tremendous surges of power stormed in the air, causing the wind to kick up in a fierce storm.

    At the top of the blue fox rock, Darcel, Ani, and the horrid looking man all watched as the man''s silver Core suddenly burst from the tip of the rock.

    Rays of fiery blue light discharged from the silver Core in an astonishing disy of pure power.

    Right when the horrid man removed his hand from blue fox rock, his face still in slight awe, the silver Core had then dashed right back into his hands.

    Promptly, the man''s eyes burst open as a rush of fiery power overtook his whole being!

    Darcel and Ani cautiously stayed rooted in their spot.

    They knew whatever that silver Core does, it will have heaven-defying effects. And from the increasingly smiling face of the horrid man, they just knew the situation suddenly turned even more troublesome.

    "Heh.heh-hahaha!! Now, this is unexpected! Sariel''s Core would''vee to this spot no matter what because of....I get it now! I thought you two merely got lucky and was grace with a bit of Sariel''s presence when you fought red prime. But in actuality, you brats met Sariel''s pure Spiritual form in the Aslyum ce, didn''t you?!"

    The horrid looking man spouted a crazed expression while shouting to the duo.

    But what he did say caused Darcel and Ani to momentarily think. This man kept on mentioning this Sariel person repeatedly, so of course, the duo attached that name to Sari.

    Not only were the silver Cores precisely the same aura Darcel and Ani felt when first meeting Sari. They also just recently heard her voice go off in their heads.

    Yet now Darcel and Ani could safely say everything here is connected to her after the man''s words.

    "Heh, you stopping already confirms the truth. Now everything makes some sense. Just several weeks ago, I felt Sariel''s Cores violently react as if something or someone powerful prated into our Mortal. I would''ve ignored this as this happen a couple of times before.....but, this time, Sariel herself manipted the World for whatever the powerful presence was toe nearly close to her. And now I can clearly sense her mark in you two brats! Both of you must hail from those high mystical realms!"

    "Hmmm....so Sariel is Sari, and she''s somehow connected to this, got it! Any otherst words before your demise?" Ani may have cruelly spoken, but she and Darcel was quickly bing innate curious to the horrid man spiel.

    Just the mere fact he somehow sensed their teleportation to this realm already spawned many questions in Darcel and Ani''s minds.

    "So you two really do hail from the legendary mystic realms! The World may be severely weakened as of now, but for invaders like you two. Sariel may want to protect and use you. But, I and many others will see to it that you will fall on this Mortal!"

    And without giving the two a chance to respond, the horrid looking man enriched his body in a slight silver glow and shot himself right through the ground!

    Arge hole appeared before the blue fox rock. It was sizable enough for any adult human to go into.

    And of course, Darcel and Ani didn''t hesitate at all seeing the horrid looking man trying to escape. After hearing all of that, the duo arrived at one conclusion.

    That man is far too dangerous to them to be left alive!

    Darcel and Ani immediately dashed towards the whole, barrelling straight inside it as soon as the horrid looking man left.

    Once the duo barrel into the hole, unknown to the whole World, the blue fox rock immediately experienced a tremendous change.

    A luminous blue fire shine burst from the blue fox rock, painting the whole Necropolis Woods in a blinding blue glow!

    It didn''t matter how expansive the several hundred kilometer Woods were; every inch of it was covered in an enchanting soul capturing blue shine....

    .

    Back inside the hole, the horrid looking man, Darcel and Ani already crossed a few miles into the ground.

    And upon reaching the third-mile threshold, the horrid looking man felt his silver Core frantically throb with even greater power!

    "Yes.yes! It''s time for their deaths!"

    The horrid looking man went rabid with crazed killing intent feeling the incredible waves of power the silver Core was exuding.

    Darcel and Ani creased their eyebrows seeing the craved state of the horrid looking man. They were finally starting to be a bit worried they wouldn''t make it to the man in time.

    That is until they and the horrid looking man abruptly felt everything violently quake!

    ''Rumble!!''

    Darcel, Ani, and the horrid looking man felt as if they were nted right in the middle of several earthquakes, all rumbling on top of each other.

    Plus, the quaking wasn''t the only thing they felt.

    "Wha-Ah! Fire!" Ani shouted as she, Darcel, and the horrid looking man all turned to the back of them. Abrupt zing heat suddenly started to drenched their bodies making even them feel hot under the weather.

    It was then that all of their eyes widened like saucers as they witnessed streams of intense blue fire roaring down to them!

    "What''s going on-Ah!! NOO!!"

    The despair of the horrid looking man''s shout made Darcel and Ani snapped their eyes back on him.

    They both watched on in surprise as the silver Core had promptly flown out of the horrid looking man''s hand and barrel straight back up through the dirt.

    Looking back down at the man, Darcel and Ani finally found their opportunity to strike.

    The incredible rush of fiery power immediately left the man, returning him to the state of his near shattering soul and body.

    "Die!!" Darcel and Ani roared as powerful thin streams of ck mes sted out of their fingertips.

    The horrid looking man could only look on in utter hopelessness at the streams of ck mes. As soon as the silver Core left his hand, he already returned to the verge of near death.

    And now the duo had just sealed his deal.

    ''Chi!''

    Darcel and Ani''s streams of ck mes easily tore through the horrid looking man''s chest, utterly destroying his heart and lungs.

    The horrid looking man body crashed into the dirt, but right before his death, through the sheer will of his own soul, he somehow manages to utter out,

    "Sariel.will.get.sallow-whole!!"

    Darcel and Ani, however, ignored the dying words of the crazed man.

    They surged the remaining power in their bodies and shot towards where the silver Core had drilled up to.

    Just narrowly, the duo avoided the raging blue fire stream, and they didn''t look back as the horrid looking man''s corpse was turned to ashes.

    They just kept their stride, quickly barreling up to where the silver Core drill through.

    ''Hmm? This energy.'' Darcel and Ani both thought to themselves as a strange influx of energy washed over them.

    The energy was actually making their bodies feel more refreshed.almost as if it was healing them.

    Still, Darcel and Ani didn''t stop and continue drilling up through the dirt.

    When a few minutes passed, the duo noticed this process was taking an abnormally long time.

    They knew they drilled a couple of miles into the dirt, but surely it shouldn''t take this long to get back to the surface?

    Moreover, during these weirdly long minutes, both Darcel and Ani felt as if they were entirely healed in body and soul!

    And as they felt like they were back in top tier shapes, Darcel and Ani finally drilled up through the surface of the ground!

    "Ah! Fina-ah? Uhm.I think we took a wrong turn, Darcy." Ani''s face was ster in extreme shock once seeing the surface.

    "Can you even call this just a wrong turn?" Darcel was also in tremendous shock in seeing where they ended up.

    Instead of seeing the Necropolis Woods'' dreary Darkness, all the duo could see was an endless Tundrand of snow.

 Chapter 94: Snowy Lands

    Chapter 94: Snowy Lands

    From as far Darcel and Ani could see, they most certainly weren''t in the Necropolis Woods anymore. Everything was a pure, beautiful nket of white snow sticking to the ground going up to at least two inches.

    As Darcel and Ani''s head poked out of the ground, the cold yet smooth snow piled up to just under their chins.

    Promptly, Darcel and Ani had to surge a bit of their Nascent Qi just starve off the sudden chills coursing down their bodies.

    "Talk about a tonal shift.hm? Those are roads, Darcy?" Darcel tossed his eyes over to where Ani was nudging her head.

    Both of their eyes observed a surreal sight in the tundra snownd.

    Multiple bright blue icy pathways was split into the ground, making about some sort of makeshift ice roads. There was zero snow piled on the ice pathways, and each road of ice was admittedly beautifully carved into the ground.

    Still, no matter how beautiful and surreal this was, Darcel and Ani obviously didn''t want to just up and about explore this seemingly random ce.

    "Right. let''s jus-" Darcel abruptly cut his words short.

    He and Ani suddenly felt the burning heat graze the bottom half of their bodies. Their eyes burst open as they realized the hole they came through was quickly filling up with the same raging blue mes!

    Previously Darcel and Ani clearly sensed the power of these mes wasn''t anything ordinary.

    Not even in their most peak optimal state do either of the duos want to recklessly challenge these mes head-on.

    So, with no other options, Darcel and Ani flung themselves out of the ground, jumping at least several feet high into the air. They gently floated back to the ground, their feet squashing into the soft, smooth snow.

    "Well.this isn''t great. Our way back is nowpletely covered in mes!" Ani was a bit shocked and confused as she saw the hole they jumped out of was literally overspilling with blue fire.

    The sizzling blue mes easily drilled into the snow and through the white dirt ground.

    "Haah, well, now that we''re stuck here.ah."

    Darcel was taking a look over the tundra snownd until he suddenly realized something.

    "Ah, indeed! We really should''ve picked up a book on this''s geography during our time in the Corridor of Haven. It''s like being stuck in the middle of a snowy dessert now!" Ani''s eyes were darting all around the Tundra snownd, trying to get her bearings.

    Darcel, although, had a more subdued state of mind. His eyes shuffled between the multiple ice roads and quickly drawn to an answer.

    "For now, let''s just calmly get through this. I suspect that the silver or I guess Sariel''s Cores are the reason for our separate paths. Still, we can''t stay here forever. Let''s choose a path to go on."

    The icy blue roads obviously look too man-made for it to just be a natural environmental urrence.

    So Darcel has hopes this would lead them to the civilization here. Although, one worrying thing though was theck of humans upying the multiple roads.

    "Hmmm.how about we go on this path! I can just faintly feel my intuition is right on this one." Ani pointed to an icy road on her far left. Darcel looked over and already didn''t have any disagreement about following her lead.

    After all, that deadly intuition she has never led them astray before.

    And while theck of anybody on the icy road and for this whole area, in general, was concerning. Darcel knew they didn''t have many options.

    Giving Ani the silent agreement, the duo trekked through ankle-high feet of snow towards their icy road. But while they traverse the snow, Darcel and Ani felt even more cold shivers trickle their spines.

    They stopped for a moment and circted even more Nascent Qi to stave off the sudden shivers. Unlike ordinary mortals, cultivators have the ability to fend off any weather condition with just standard Qi.

    But, there are several exceptions to the rule.

    Such as the weather of a ce being influenced by a cultivator''s direct power. Or in general, the area of a ce sustains much more vibrant and powerful Qi in the air.

    Darcel and Ani quickly realized whatever this ce was, it had more potent Qi in the air than the Necropolis Woods!

    Even after they surged more Nascent Qi, the shivering cold didn''t go away.

    In fact, as they were mere steps away from the icy road, the cold only became more devastating! Darcel and Ani sped their hands together and breathed out frosty white breaths.

    The cold would quickly get to a point where it would actually hurt their bodies.

    But Darcel and Ani smirked once, realizing a quick and straightforward solution to this cold problem.

    Inside their souls, Darcel and Ani only surged a small portion of their pure ck ming essence. Just this tiny portion of ming essence promptly course in their bodies, providing a more manageable warmth to get through the cold.

    "Phew.I suppose this is another point to those mysterious Mages. I guess their special line of empowering clothes would be crucial in areas such as this. Thankfully it''s much easier to mobilize our souls now."

    Darcel remarked as he and Ani touched down on the icy road.

    On the icy road, Darcel and Ani took a slight moment to pause and stare down the seemingly endless road of ice.

    "But really, once we get to civilizations, we''re buying some of those Mages clothes! For now, let''s say we go down.this direction."

    Ani pointed to the south of them, which looked exactly the same as any other icy road direction. As nonchnt as he could be, Darcel nodded towards Ani, and they both began slowly walking down the road.

    Once they were finally in somewhat clear cut directions, Darcel and Ani started to see the environment surrounding the icy roads change.

    In the endless nket of snow, the duo could now spot beautiful tall white trees that, amazingly enough, was full of life.

    There is snow stuck on the trees'' bark, yet gorgeous looking vibrant white leaves hang off the branches. On some trees, Darcel and Ani even spotted unique pure white fruits hanging off the stems.

    There were also several odd snow formations, such asrge snowy caves, vast looking snowy igloos, or other such bizarre building formations neither Darcel nor Ani could recognize.

    But the most curious thing about this snowynd was the Spirit Monsters orck of Spirit Monsters appearances.

    Darcel and Ani both know Spirit Monsters will naturally inhabit any area of whatever realm.

    However, while Darcel and Ani could clearly sense numerous Spirit Monsters roaming miles away from them. Their eyes didn''t pick up on a single Spirit Monster roaming in the snow.

    Pushing this oddity down forter, Darcel''s mind turns to more pressing news. It being specifically what that horrid looking man spiel to them.

    "For now on, when using our soul powers, let''s at least try to at most use the extent of our Darkness Soul link. Not even that wretched man recognized that sudden burst of power."

    "Agree, Darcy. But.what that gross man did say to us is only leaving me more puzzle. He was only able to tell Sari''s general presence in us at first, but when that Core suddenly powered up, he could tell that she somehow marked us? And for that matter, it looks like that girl has hidden intentions about us! Yet she seemed so innocent and sweet at first."

    When Ani was finished speaking, both her and Darcel started to notice sudden light snowfall. Although, whatever snow that had fallen on the icy road, it had magically vanished from existence.

    "Well, you know, even the most weing and smiling faces can be incredibly malicious and cruel. Still, all we can gather is that the girl''s full name is Sariel; those silver Cores came from her; she''s connected to this and most likely sensed our teleportation here. But that does beg even more questions."

    Ani teasingly smiled at Darcel, telling him, "Besides you''re old endearing cynicism reemerging again, you just made me remember an intriguing memory, Darcy! Those cruel Doctors and that yellowed eye woman could''ve they possibly came to the same? Though the man said Sariel wanted us two specifically, we surely weren''t and still aren''t anywhere near powerful to heavily influence the whole World."

    Ani held her hand out to the falling snow, letting some gently fall onto her hand while she talked.

    Darcel also copied her motion, enjoying the iparably soft feel of the snow that nearly felt magical.

    But her point did rummage on Darcel''s mind.

    While he and Ani seemingly got very lucky to be close to each other when teleporting to this. They haven''t heard about anyone else during their entire time in Necrotic City.

    Though hisst memory of the yellow-eyed woman was her being mutted and on the verge of death, her power was still extraordinary.

    Plus, anyone of those Doctors could''ve easily crushed the whole ninth rank province.

    "Really, I can only fathom, Sariel is so connected to the World that she only wanted us to be near each other. Who knows where the others went. Hopefully, their ether aren''t here or died during the teleportation process."

    "Mnh.but I can''t help but feel sorry about that yellow-eyed woman. You felt it, too, right? She is the first-ever person to make our bloodlines go absolutely crazed!"

    It was like innate sympathy Ani felt when thinking about the yellow-eyed woman.

    Even to this day, she''ll never be able to forget about the intense stare that woman gave them or the special roaring feeling in their unawakened bloodline at the time.

    If Ani could, she would most definitely help that woman out, no questions asked.

    "I can''t deny it either. Look, if we somehowe across news of that woman, we''ll definitely investigate it and go to her."

    Ani''s eyes brightly lit up at that. Even as she knew Darcel would, of course, help her, it was reassuring to know he was on the same wavelength as her.

    Darcel lightly smiled at her adorable expression and continued to say,

    "Still, best to remain on our guard about anything rting to Sariel and even ominous news that could rte to those Doctors. As that man said himself, many more like him possibly exist in this ce and generally know of Sariel doing."

    "Right, right! But even as you say that the Spirit Monsters here are certainly a step above than the ones around Necrotic City. Yet, not a single one is on this icy road or even wants toe near this road."

    For the general level of these Spirit Monsters, Darcel and Ani sensed them to be from peak True Soul Core, all the way to the mid ranks of the Innate Core realm!

    Possibly there were even stronger Spirit Monsters out there as Darcel and Ani Spirit Sense can only tell up to the mid ranks of the Innate Core realm.

    But like Ani said, Darcel didn''t sense any Spirit Monsters trying toe even a mile near these icy roads.

    "Perhaps, this is just the people''s way here of counteracting the beasts. All the Spirit Monsters mostly stayed in the Necropolis Woods back in Necrotic City. Only the ignorant, weak Monsters strayed from the Woods."

    Right when Darcel finished talking, he stopped walking entirely. Ani had also followed in his steps and stopped walking.

    Their eyes squinted ahead as they can vaguely make out for distinct human figures.

    In their Spirit Sense, they could clearly sense four low-rank Innate Core cultivatorsing down this icy road. However, the way they moved caused both Darcel and Ani to curiously raise an eyebrow.

    "Ah? They''re walking straight to us?"

    Ani remarked as even when she and Darcel stopped, those four Innate Core cultivators kept walking to them.

    But luckily, Darcel and Ani didn''t sense any negative attention or malicious killing intent.

 Chapter 95: Concreate Direction

    Chapter 95: Concreate Direction

    Though Darcel and Ani''s guards slightly rxed, knowing this won''t lead to a fight. It didn''t help lessen the oddity on what stranger Innate Core cultivators would want with mere Nascent Core cultivators.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes darted around the icy road, and it was clear as day these roads were expansive enough for crowds of people.

    The icy road was at least ten feet wide or so, allowing for groups of people to not get near each other.

    At first, Darcel and Ani had the reasonable idea to first speak out to this group. If they wereing specifically to them, then there''s no reason to not and try to speak.

    However, before either one of the duos could talk, they soon heard a gruff man''s voice.

    "What the.just two little Nascent Core kids? Really? Fruana, are you sure those Mages didn''t just pull a fast one on us?" The man''s tone was a slight bit usatory and a tiny bit annoyed.

    It was when Darcel and Ani heard the man''s voice that they could get a better image of their group. And already, a luminous white glowing shine made this group of four pop out.

    Darcel and Ani were able to make three men and one woman all wearing matching warm articles of clothing that would be suitable for the cold.

    They all wore long brown fur coats, with the fur appearing to be taken from a fluffy Spirit Monster wolf. Around their legs were simrly brown furry pants and even furry brown boots.

    With only one nce, anyone would immediately be able to guess this would be a Mage''s line of clothing.

    Typically most cultivators tend to wear superficialyers of articles of clothing as to mainly show their status or wealth.

    But what attracted Darcel and Ani''s eyes the most was the bright white glow spewing from their hands. The duo was able to make out four nk white pendants that were continuously exuding the luminous white glow.

    Before Darcel or Ani could question anything again, they soon heard another male voice say,

    "Don''t be in such a haste to judge Robert. Besides, if there''s one thing anybody knows about those Mage''s is they all value themselves and their works more than anything. They would never even bother with trying to sell a defective product. And who knows? Maybe those kids really can help."

    Now only several meters of distance separated Darcel and Ani from the fur coat group. The duo still stayed cautiously rooted in their spot and was able to make out the three men and one woman''s faces.

    The men all held the rough, harden appearances of experienced adventurers and warriors.

    While the woman kept a refined, calm look, clearly exuding her sober experiences in adventuring.

    "How about instead of trying to draw a pre-based conclusion, we actually take action." It was the woman that spoke this time, and her eyes, along with her other group members, lit up when once finally seeing Darcel and Ani''s full appearance and presence.

    "Excuse us, but do you two hail from a sect? I don''t think I or any of us ever saw such peculiar uniforms." The woman had continued on to talk and asked the duo.

    She, along with the men, had first noticed the clean, sleek design of Zakira''s Academy Core level uniform.

    Most obviously, that kind of elegant design would only mean they came from a sect.

    Yet none of them recognized the uniforms, and they all were very familiar with the whole snowynds here.

    But despite how suspicious they could be, the woman and the men were drawn into having a rtively slight positive base first impression of these kids.

    Mainly because their eyes were quickly sucked into Darcel and Ani''s alluring faces after noticing their uniforms.

    For a couple of youths, they all had to admit these two had spectacr appearances. Plus,pared to any other Nascent Core youths, the woman and the men could all immediately tell there was something special that set these kids Nascent aura apart.

    Ani gave the fur coat group her most charming smile, seeing how at least the woman was pretty civil.

    "Ah, we doe from a sect.but I doubt any one of you would''ve heard about it. Mainly because we''re not actually from around here. One minute, we were on a sect expedition to explore an ancient cave, but we had identallye upon a weird trap. And then, like magic, we were abruptly teleported in the middle of these snowy ins!"

    The men and women curiously raised an eyebrow at Ani''s story.

    Even for their mysterious cultivation world, that story seemed a bit odd. But then again, none of them truly knows what kind of uniform the two are wearing.

    Plus, none of them were that willing to question Ani''s story as she and Darcel had a weing, warm presence about them. And Ani''s voice was incredibly soothing to their ears.

    "That''s quite a story, isn''t it? Well, the snowy ins you''re describing is actually called the Plunged Tundra around these parks. And you two and us are smack dab right in the middle of this huge winter area. Specifically, you two are in the fourth rank Province." The woman smilingly exined to them.

    And Darcel and Ani were promptly taken aback a bit.

    Somehow, they suddenly jump up from the ninth rank Province all the way up to the fourth rank Province?

    Slight waves of turmoil panic coursed in Darcel and Ani''s minds. But neither let it be shown on their face. Their expressions remained rtively neutral, trying to sort this sudden information out.

    Darcel was quick to recover from the shocking news, and his eyes nced down at their pendants.

    From his soul, he could clearly sense those items exuded unique soul energy that Darcel assumed to be some sort of soul tracker.

    After taking a slight pause, an idea quickly formed in his mind, and he spoke up to the group next. "I see; thank you for the information. We never really got the time to read up on the geography of our region. But, I just have to say, before we continue on, those pendants in your hands. Are they soul items?"

    This time, the man in the middle, who was the tallest of the four, smiled at the duo and answered Darcel.

    "You would be right in thinking these are soul items. More specifically, they''re pendants used to seek out soul treasures, among many other uses. And abruptly, all four of our pendants went haywire and led us to you two. Seeing as you could already identify these as soul items, I assume one of you have something soul rted on yourself?

    Before answering, Darcel and Ani shared a brief look between them.

    At this point, it truly wasn''t such a bad idea to try and tag along with this group of Innate Core warriors.

    They all seemed friendly enough and obviously have a specific reason for approaching them. But most of all, Darcel and Ani simply have no other sense of direction and could only hope to get lucky in finding civilization without them.

    "Mnh.ah! Well, actually, we are always told by our mentors that our souls are extraordinary and powerful. So those Mage''s pendants, well, it just picked up on our special souls!" Ani spoke in an assured, confident tone that left no room for argument.

    Still, the three men and woman had some slight doubts on their faces.

    "Special souls?"

    They all questionably said as they all first thought Darcel or Ani may just have a unique soul artifact on themselves. Plenty of Sects are known to have such items.

    But genuinely having their own special souls? It was a bit hard to believe!

    After all, even though the men and the woman live in a much stronger Province. They only know about rare talents that would have extraordinary and powerful souls.

    Seeing the apparent doubts on their faces, Darcel and Ani decided it wouldn''t hurt to show off a bit. Though, they were only going as far enough to convince them of their souls being special.

    "Special like this." Darcel confidently stated while he and Ani began slightly surging their souls.

    "You two.ah?"

    The middle man was going to talk again until his, and his other group members'' nk pendants began rumbling!

    The bright white glowing radiance had only be more robust as if they just encountered a spectacr treasure.

    All of their eyes snapped back to Darcel and Ani, only to be slightly stunned. Wisps of beautiful white light sparked out of the duo like shes of electricity.

    In this situation, the men and women could only conclude that somehow these kids truly can mobilize their souls!

    Their pendants still directly pinpointed on them and couldn''t be mistaken for it just being a mere soul artifact treasure. Even for the men and woman, they could feel their souls'' slightly stir from the duo''s special soul powers.

    The three men went silent and into deep contemtion.

    While the women decided to boldlyment on them, saying, "That.that indeed is pretty special. At least, I have never seen someone using their souls like this!"

    "Hehehe~, by the fact you even need these pendants, I can tell you four seem to be in some need. Darcel and I could possibly help with this as you see we''re pletely lost. Oh! By the way, my name is Ani."

    This time the three men and the woman fell silent. Now they are armed with the knowledge that it wasn''t idental that their pendants led them here.

    And going by their pendants, their help would actually be remarkably valuable.

    So, the woman decided to step up to the te and introduced her whole group. She gave the duo a warm smile while telling them, "It''s a pleasure to meet you both, Darcel and Ani. My name is Fruna, the man to my right is Hurey, and those two are Robert and Reyney."

    As Fruna was on the left end of the ground, she went in order to introduce them.

    Darcel and Ani saw she pointed at Hurey as the middle man, beside him was Robert, and beside him was Reyney.

    "We''re all heading to a rtively special ce where you can only get through if your soul is strong enough. However, this doesn''t exclude the usage of soul items or soul rted items. So if you want to help us, you''ll have no need to worry about regr cultivation level."

    Fruna went to thoroughly exin where they were heading. And following in her lead, Hurey nodded and picked up, saying,

    "If you truly want to help us, then I suppose you two could help us fuel the barrier these pendants will form. Ourbined soul powers should be enough then. Oh, and don''t worry. We''ll see to it you''ll be handsomely rewarded if we get through that ce."

    Though a bit sudden, Fruna, Hurey, Robert, and Reyney knew enlisting these kids'' help wouldn''t be such a bad idea.

    Their pendants already proved their worth; furthermore, their cultivation is so low they''re practically not a threat in any shape or form. They simply had nothing to lose.

    "Well then, if it''s just doing that, it''s no harm to us. By the way, do you four all hail from a certain group?" Darcel spoke up to ask this time since they did all seem to be at least coordinated.

    "Ah, wee from a rtively powerful band of adventurers known as The Nobe''s Fang group. And our motto is that we''re always willing to take in new adventures who may want to join."

    Fruna suggestively exined, leading the kids for some road in the future.

    Frankly, if these youths could actually get them through that special area, Fruna and the others would most definitely want these talents to join their groups.

    And even then, their pendants'' reactions already gave them a referral about joining.

    "Oh? Well, isn''t that just a great motto, Darcel? Let''s get to it then! Don''t worry about us Fruna, we''ll follow right behind!" Ani brightly shed them a broad smile, and even Darcel gave an elegant smile to them.

    Hurey, Robert, Reynay, and Fruna were really starting to quickly like Ani''s bombastic, energetic energy.

    Nodding the duo, Hurey had then told them, "At our distance, it won''t be long before we get there. While we walk, we''ll inform you more about this special ce. It''s quite.perciluar."

 Chapter 96: Inevitability

    Chapter 96: Inevitability

    Several ten thousand kilometers away from the fourth rank Province, over Necrotic City, there seemed to be a growing light shine in the clouds.

    The once mncholic atmosphere that had suddenly gued the City appeared to be clearing up.

    All major sects and institutions were steadily gathering new information that will slowly change everyone''s future in the City.

    Specifically, in the Zakira Academy, a haste shift was undergoing unknown to nearly all of the Academy.

    Inside Principal Zakria''s office, three beautiful women were gathered there. It was, of course, Principal Zakira herself, Vice Principal Zelle, and surprisingly, the third-ranked middle-level student Hao Cao.

    Vice Principal Zelle still retained her stunning beautiful appearance that was revealed in the forest. And whenbined with Principal Zakira''s already astounding beauty, it made for a deadlybination.

    Under regr times for a student like Hao Cao, she would''ve been overly ecstatic to meet with her Heavenly King Principal and to see Vice Principal Zelle''s authentic appearance.

    However, she was anything but ecstatic.

    A serious, concerning expression dawned on her face, simr to Principal Zakira and Vice-Principal Zelle. Together with Principal Zakira, Hao Cao was putting her hand on the purple crystal orbs that floated above Principal Zakira''s desk.

    To the side, Vice-Principal Zelle watched on in silence, giving Principal Zakira and Hao Cao full concentration. Several thoughts rummaged in her mind as she anxiously waited on the uing news.

    A few days have passed since the death-defying fight in the Necropolis Woods.

    And Vice Principal Zelle wanted to say she was surprised, but she half-expected the already swift response the whole Necrotic City is taking.

    After all, the colossal blue shine that covered the whole expansive Necropolis Woods was quite literally possible to ignore. That shine had not only blinded her vision but also expanded for several hundred kilometers!

    On the same day, Darcel, Ani, and that horrid looking man seemingly disappeared in the Woods. Vice Principal Zelle managed to sneakilye back to the Academy with Elder Leweyn and Erin without causing any stir.

    Principal Zakira immediately informed her that everyone in the City, including their Academy, was fascinated by the blinding blue sh.

    As Principal Zakira informed her of the news, she wasn''t even shocked by Vice Principal Zelle''s new stunning appearance.

    But her mind was worried about Darcel and Ani. During their whole fight in the Woods, she couldn''t make a single prediction about how they would end up.

    Vice Principal Zelle had then told her she doesn''t have a clear idea of the duo''s wellbeing either.

    She had stayed for a couple of hours in the same spot when they had faced the horrid looking man, and yet neither Darcel nor Ani came back.

    Vice Principal Zelle wanted to stay longer, but her senses suddenly picked up uing Spirit Monsters roaming to her spots. And not in the most optimal state to fight, Vice-Principal Zelle had no other options but to leave without even knowing what happened to Darcel and Ani.

    Because of this, Vice Principal Zelle wanted to quickly explore back into the Woods after getting somewhat healed, but Principal Zakira stopped her.

    She imed the situation is too chaotic now and had instead sent their best Scouters to explore the Woods.

    And in merely a day, their Scouters told them that people couldn''t help but explore the Woods again. Furthermore, during this new exploration, everyone who went into the Woods was able toe back home!

    This led to word getting steadily stirred around that the Necropolis Woods are now safe to explore over the past few days.

    Armed with this new knowledge, more adventurous cultivators took up to explore to satisfy their burning curiosity of the unknown Woods.

    One small peculiar thing Vice-Principal Zelle noticed was how Elder Leweyn and Erin were still staying inside their Academy. It was reasonable, seeing as those frightening creatures and that horrid man severely damaged and drained their souls.

    But still, Vice Principal Zelle wasn''t actively keen on them staying for any extra amount of time. However, among all of those subject matters and worries, her biggest concern was still Darcel and Ani''s wellbeing.

    Admittedly, she was growing quite fond and attached to those enigmatic kids.

    Unlike any other students, they were a breath of fresh air. They never hesitated to speak their minds and took everything at their own pace. Some sort of intimate mentor and disciple bond was starting to build between them before it was all abruptly taken away.

    At this point, Vice Principal Zelle didn''t even care for their outrageous talent ortent potential; she only wanted them to be safe.

    So when after few days passing and none of Principal Zakira''s sources picked up on Darcel or Ani, she took matters into her own hand.

    Just earlier today, Vice-Principal Zelle decided to go undercover along with a team of their best trackers to find any traces of Darcel and Ani.

    Elder Leweyn currently wasn''t a possibility, seeing as the duo quite literally left nothing about themselves in the Academy. Plus, he was also still not at his most optimal state for tracking.

    With her speed Vice Principal, Zelle managed to cover the several hundred kilometers of Necropolis Woods in just a few hours.

    Unfortunately, her results left her more than disappointed.

    There wasn''t even a trace of Darcel and Ani in the Woods! At least she couldn''t pick up a hint of them.

    As for her best trackers, they still haven''t got back to her during her own search.

    But when Vice Principal Zelle wanted to call and ask about their progress. Principal Zakira recalled for Vice Principal Zelle toe to her office, saying she could make a clear lead on the duo''s whereabouts.

    It was finally how they came to this situation where after Principal Zakira did a brief exnation to Hao Cao. She was conjoining her foresight powers with Hao Cao''s sixth sense powers.

    Principal Zakira assumed this was the most likely option to peer in some form of Darcel and Ani''s near future.

    Although for Hao Cao, all she needed to hear was that Darcel and Ani could be in grave danger to immediately start helping out.

    Besides her brother and her older sister, Hao Cao could safely say she was the closest to Darcel and Ani out of everyone in the Academy.

    And they only knew each other for a few weeks!

    But those few weeks spent with them was one of the most unrestrained fun times she ever had with someone that wasn''t her siblings. And after their death-defying time in the ck Dungeon Labyrinth, Hao Cao could honestly say they are her real friends.

    Time had quickly passed in the silent anticipating room.

    Vice Principal Zelle didn''t know how long, but she reckoned at least half an hour or so already passed. With this amount of time, Vice Principal Zelle was starting to assume this may even take all night.

    But right then, a bright glistening purple sh radiated in Principle Zakria''s pupils!

    She stared intensely inside the floating purple crystal orb, finally feeling a vision appearing in it.

    Hao Cao, however, only felt her soul continuously tingle.

    It was a shivering tingle that didn''t cause difort and only raised her curiosity. She couldn''t see what Principal Zakira was observing but already anxiety built up in her.

    And finally, after ten crushing seconds, Principal Zakira looked up and told the two women, "They''re alive. But .they''re far, extremely far away from us."

    Her answer caused some slight worries to alleviate Vice-Principal Zakira''s Hao Cao''s minds but also raised some significant concerns.

    "Well? Just how far?" Vice Principal Zelle asked rather hastily.

    "In an extreme region of ice and snow. Specifically, somewhere in the middle of the Icy Cloud Province." Principal Zakira patiently and calmly exined to them, not minding Vice-Principal Zelle''s hastiness.

    "The Icy Cloud Province?!?"

    However, Vice Principal Zelle and Hao Cao had more intense reactions.

    After all, what they just heard was the Icy Cloud Province! The fourth-ranked Province out of the whole nine!

    A Province being assigned a rank isn''t just for cosmetic or distance purposes. No, everyone from the ninth rank Province and until the fifth rank Province knows the Icy Cloud Province is the start of real monstrous powerhouses!

    To several thousand years old ancient experts, monstrous genius youths, and exotic, deadly Spirit Monsters. The Icy Cloud Province is what many consider the real start of one cultivation journey.

    But, that''s only if one is at a sufficiently high enough realm and is prepared for it!

    Even with the heaven-defying prowess Darcel and Ani have. Being able to beat mere peak True Soul Core cultivators is nothingpared to Innate Core powerhouses and the terrifying Heavenly Kings.

    "This.this.we have to n to get them back immediately. They''ll be eaten alive as mere fresh meat out in there."

    Vice Principal Zelle quickly said, and Hao Cao was in full agreement with her.

    Yet, Principal Zakira still remained tranquil and poised.

    "Don''t get too riled up now. The distance between us is tremendous. None of us in the Academy are strong enough to go on a solo mission, and we can''t take away manpower considering our equal rivals. But.don''t fret. Darcel and Ani will use this as a great opportunity."

    "....Great opportunity? I''m sorry, Principal, but what do you mean by that?" Hao Cao asked her question as respectfully as possible but still had the courage to pry into Principal Zakira''s mind.

    Yet Principal Zakira didn''t mind and gave the child a slight but beautiful smile.

    "For heaven defying talents like them, there isn''t a single one that doesn''t thrive under the most dangerous settings and situations. Being in that Province will most definitely explosively increase their prowess to a degree, not even we can provide. Moreover, I will have an urate enough reading to know when it will be necessary to intervene."

    Principal Zakira spoke with utter confidence, leaving no room for error in her tone.

    Even before her first meeting with Darcel and Ani, her attention had always been on the duo. No matter what, she won''t leave those unique kids to simply meet an unfortunate death.

    "Haah.I suppose you are right. The current situation is still too chaotic, plus the Yoderine institution is still our biggest concern besides the Quicksilver Roc sect. But when everything is settled, we most definitely must try to help in the future." Vice Principal Zelle still had determined eyes and wouldn''t relent on this point.

    Hao Cao''s mind, however, was shing back at scenes in the Labyrinth.

    More specifically, the undeniable soothing warmth she felt when Darcel held her in his arms.

    Or the soothing tranquility she had when Ani wrapped her up in her gentle telekinesis powers. Even under near death danger, those two somehow just found a way to keep her mind the most serene and rxed.

    Which is why she just had to speak up and blurt out, "Principal Zakira. Instead of using manpower or waiting around, can I request for me, Joyce, and Shai Xia to go out and help them? Surely-"

    "Rejected. That kind of bravery for friends ismendable but not you, Joyce, nor Xia holds the talent to strive as they would. Furthermore, to travel across the five other Provinces would require every one of you to be at least a high low-level Heavenly King. Something that takes even the most talented of geniuses around our Province at least tens of years just to reach the half step level."

    Principal Zakria didn''t spare her words, but they were the blunt truth that she needed to hear.

    "Ah, Hao Cao, can you stop for a minute. Vice Principal Zelle and I have important matters to discuss. I will call for youter." She continued on to say as Hao Cao had a slightly stunned expression.

    Her face went through slight multiple changes as if she wanted to say something else. But, in the end, she relented and nodded towards Principal Zakria without another word.

    Although as she walked out, Principal Zakira''s words rummaged inside her word. The thought of not being able to help didn''t sit well at all.

    A goal was starting to be inspired in her mind. And unknown to her, several changes were beginning to form in her soul.

    As Hao Cao left, Principal Zakira squinted her eyes at her lovely back. A slight purple sh illuminated her eyes, but it went unknown to Vice Principal Zelle.

    "Are you nning on dealing with the chaotic situation of the Necropolis Woods already?" All alone, Vice-Principal Zelle suddenly asked.

    "Yes.but we will go at it slowly and discreetly. From your descriptions, it appears as the ring leaders consisting of those creatures and that man are all disposed of. At least, there are no traces of that man in the Woods or the whole City. Still, those possessed humans are a problem. We''ll obverse and snipe any situation that is convenient for us for now."

    "As you wish, Zakira." Though Vice-Principal Zelle nodded, her mind still couldn''t let go of Darcel and Ani. "Do you really think they can survive?"

    Towards her question of concern, Principal Zakira briefly closed her eyes for a second. And in the next, she snapped them back open, telling her,

    "All I can say for use is our next meeting with them will cause inevitable, irreversible changes. I don''t know how, what or when it will happen. But it will be an unavoidable meeting."

    Slight fluctuation feelings course in Vice Principal Zelle''s mind until she simply exudes a tired sigh, "At least they will be alive. Alright, for now, let''s just put our full attention in these ghastly Woods."

 Chapter 97: Misty Haze Pits

    Chapter 97: Misty Haze Pits

    On the Plunged Tundra''s glistening blue icy roads, a group consisting of six varying cultivators merrily traveled along. The group was, of course, Darcel, Ani, and the four from the Nobe''s Fang group.

    Since they agreed to join in with them, Darcel and Ani had a small thought brewing in their back of their minds.

    Specifically, the route they were heading was the same direction they had first chosen to go down.

    During their time walking, Darcel and Ani realized they could''ve possibly stumbled upon the special area the Nobe''s Fang group were heading to without even realizing it.

    It was a small thought of concern pertaining the duo''s minds considering it was Ani''s intuition that led the starting guide over here.

    But, Darcel and Ani pushed down this thought forter in favor of conversing with the Nobe''s Fang group.

    Another oddity they had noticed during their walk was the absoluteck of people on this specific icy road. Still, Darcel and Ani haven''t seen a single soul besides the Nobe''s Fang group.

    Yet this didn''t stop the conversations from smoothly flowing between them.

    Darcel and Ani were genuinely starting to realize something about themselves now.

    Their facets of charisma are impressively high! At least, that''s what Darcel and Ani thought in their minds.

    The duo was able to keenly observe how Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all took some sort of liking to them.

    Either it was Darcel''s own straightced and, as he says, realist answers. Or Ani''s bubbly, maic, energetic charm, the Nobe''s group found it hard to have a reason to find these kids suspicious.

    Though out of everyone, Darcel and Ani found that Fruna was the most open and talkative to them. She readily responded to any questions they had and was generally enjoyable to talk to.

    As for the case of right now, Ani was asking, "Soo, what is the nearest city or town or any kind of ce out in these snowynds? From the looks of it, this environment doesn''t seem like the.best to live in."

    While Ani asked, Darcel picked up on the snow falling even harder on this route.

    Furthermore, there weren''t any more multiple blue icy roads surrounding them, leaving only this lone road left.

    For the increase in heavy snowfall, Darcel and the others didn''t pay it any mind. Even in heavy rainfall, would a cultivator''s powerful body let them shrug off any natural weather fall.

    The only odd thing Darcel could say about the sudden harder snowfall was the snow feelings as if they got heavier. But he didn''t think much of it and continue to listen to Fruna as she began to respond to Ani.

    "I see.for people unfamiliar with thesends, it''s easy to believe that. However, you would be surprised at the adaptability of Mage''s and cultivators working together. The closest town here is where our group hail from, called Maowold Town. We can show you two it after this event."

    "Oh, really? That would be great! Given how charitable you all are to us, I already have a good impression of the town!"

    Ani brightly exims, causing Fruna to give her a warm smile.

    She had to admit this girl was charming and vibrant. Fruna never would''ve thought that she would meet someone just bursting with energy, but most things in her life never came as predictable.

    "I''m d to hear you think so favorably of us. I''m sure you would get along swimmingly with our people back at home."

    As Fruna told this, Darcel''s eyes quickly snapped towards the three men''s reactions.

    When Fruna first talked about them joining their group, Darcel didn''t see any noticeable odd reactions from them. Yet, he could''ve sworn he saw a slight shift in Robert''s eyes during the first time.

    And now, as they had the time to rummage on their thoughts, Darcel was able to pick up a quick change in expression from Robert, Reyney, and Hurey.

    Robert, Reyney seemed like they had something to say, yet they quickly changed their mind about it.

    While Hurey briefly spouted a slightly worried frown. Since he did catch this, Darcel was going to smoothly bring attention to this without arousing suspicions.

    However, when he opened his mouth to talk, he felt something harder than snownd on his head.

    "Huh? Hail?" Darcel spoke out loud and reached out his hand.

    And for sure, he felt and saw little round solid blue icy droplets fall onto his hand. "Just how far are we from the ce?" Darcel asked while looking over to Ani, putting her hand out in a slightly surprised manner.

    Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all didn''t have any reaction to the hail.

    They kept their steady stride as Hurey had then turned his head to exin to Darcel,

    "Well, just stop and look down right about.now."

    On Hurey call, all six of them abruptly stopped. And doing as he said, Darcel and Ani''s eyes trailed down to the ground.

    Surprisingly the first thing they noticed was they came upon a cliff.

    The cliff ran several meters down, but it was hard to even see this short distance. Hail crazily picked up in its intensity down the cliff, storming the whole area, making it extremely difficult to look through.

    Darcel and Ani''s enhanced eyes couldn''t properly see through it. And not even Fruna, Robert, Reynay, and Hurey''s Innate Core eyes could see clearly in the raging hail.

    "Oh my! So this is the infamous Misty Haze Pits! Never quite seen something like this before, right Darcy?"

    "Indeed, it''s even harder to see through than those Woods," Darcel answered as he and Ani got right near the edge of the cliff.

    Their bodies bent down as much as possible, trying to get a good view of the area.

    Before arriving here, Fruna already took it upon herself to exin to them the infamous Misty Haze Pits.

    It was confirmed by many cultivation experts that no matter how high your realm is, it''s merely impossible to get through these Pits.

    Around their town, the only known record of going deep into the Misty Haze Pits is only one titled Heavenly King cultivator making it two miles deep.

    But this Heavenly King possessed an extremely rare soul that even allowed him to go that far. When hearing this, the question that boggled Darcel and Ani''s mind was, why are so many cultivation experts still trying to go through this seemingly impossible ce anyway?

    And the simple answer Fruna told them was the chance of a lucky extraordinary treasure.

    The same Heavenly King that made it two miles deep also manage to score a fantastic treasure that made him a top tier expert even among peak level Heavenly Kings!

    There were also other such records of even far weaker cultivators with soul helping Artifacts, talismans, or items trudging through the Misty Haze Pits and finding life-changing treasures.

    Darcel and Ani even knew that Fruna''s group had attempted to go down the Misty Haze Pits before only to test waters.

    And their results were not even making it a half-mile through. But they had found one exotic medicine herb that they brought back to their band of adventurers.

    "So? Just how exactly will our formation work?" Darcel looked over to ask Fruna''s group while still remaining at the edge with Ani.

    Looking over to their group did cause Darcel to be slightly bemused.

    Fruna, Robert, Reynay, and Hurey were trying to not let it show on their faces, but Darcel could see it. The ever slight twitching of their lips, attempting to cover up their small surprise.

    Genuinely, Fruna''s group eyebrows all started to unconsciously crease. They just couldn''t get it. All four of them already felt their souls get slightly suppressed and pressured from merely standing near the edge.

    It made things a bit ufortable to stand, and surely, anybody would''ve picked up on this suppression.

    Yet, Darcel and Ani seemed to either not notice the suppression.or they simply didn''t feel any suppression at all!

    Admittedly, they could''ve guessed something like this could happen considering what they had experienced with the pendants.

    But still, seeing it is entirely different from expecting it!

    ".... It''s straightforward, kid; all we need to do line up side by side and pour our soul powers at the same time to get these pendants roaring. And in you two cases.you can just do what you did with Fruna before and transfer your soul powers into her."

    Robert spoke up to exin to the duo, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible. The method of using soul Artifacts or soul rted Artifacts is a considerable gamble that all cultivatorsing here decided to bet on.

    There wasn''t any case of the Misty Haze Pits being dangerously deadly. Still, it''s a toss-up on how effective one''s soul Artifact would be.

    The only difference for Fruna, Robert, Reynay, and Hurey is they had nned this move for a long time. They all saved andbined their resources just to have a slim chance of getting whatever great treasure that lies in these Pits.

    "Just like what we discussed previously. These pendants will simply suck up any soul power for anyone that can even slightly mobilize their souls. Like what you two also did before, just put your hands on my shoulder and repeat." Fruna calmly smiled at the duo and exined.

    "Alright! Let''s get this treasure hunt going!" Ani was getting pumped by the minute.

    The unknown of not being able to see clearly in the Misty Haze Pits was really getting to her. She must have this oddity be undone!

    And in order, Robert, Reynany, Hurey, and Fruna all lined up from right to left. At the left end of the line, Darcel and Ani put their hands on Fruna''s shoulder and waited.

    Hurey had then spoken up this time, telling them all, "On my signal. One.two.three, now!"

    In sync, he, Robert, Reynay, Fruna all poured their soul powers into the nk white pendants.

    ''Chi!''

    Simultaneously, all four of the pendants were illuminated in a radiant, bright white shine!

    A luminous white soul barrier began to quickly form around the group, and it was then Darcel, and Ani willed their souls.

    "Oh, Oh?!"

    Hurey, Robert, Reynay, and even Fruna all couldn''t contain their surprise then. Previously Fruna had first hand experienced the process of Darcel and Ani transferring some of their soul energy to her.

    But the energy they are using now massively trumps over the past!

    Instantly, the soul barrier became fullypleted and exuded a brighter shine than if it was just the four of them alone.

    "Holy hell! You kids really know how to hide it!"

    Reyney suddenly eximed, unable to contain his slight excitement. He and the others all felt their confidence tremendously boost now.

    Initially, they only hoped to get lucky to make it a few miles in the firstyer of the Misty Haze Pits and discover a great treasure.

    But now, their expectations shot through the roof!

    Because of Fruna transferring their powers to the pendants, they all could feel and experience the incredible power of Darcel and Ani''s unique souls.

    What they felt right then was simply put, magical.

    "Hehehe~! I knew you all would be blown off your feet!" Both Ani and Darcel were smirking at their reactions.

    Just this small amount of their soul powers already changed this much. There was no telling how far their Darkness Soul links would push the pendants if they chose to use it.

    "Right, right. But let''s all not get ahead of ourselves. This area still won''t be a walk in the park to get through." Fruna quickly reminded them all.

    And under her words, the whole group quickly sober again.

    In sync, all six of them leaped off the cliff and dived straight down the hail storm. The fall was a bit steep, and they soon gently sink their feet in the soft, smooth snow of the Misty Haze Pits.

    "Just likest time.barely can see anything." Hurey remarked as he tried to squint his eyes to see through the hail storm to little avail.

    The sound of crackling droplets of hail bouncing off their soul barrier slithered in the group''s ears while they adjusted themselves.

    Being in the Misty Haze Pits now, neither Darcel nor Ani felt any suppression or pressure. Their face retained their calm yet eager expression, already thinking this won''t be so bad.

    "Be careful not to slow down, you two. We''ll be relying on our soul power to speed through here." Fruna concernedly reminded Darcel and Ani. To which the duo smirked at her though she wouldn''t be able to see it.

    "Don''t worry, our hands are like glue on you." Darcel confidently stated and gave Fruna''s shoulder a gentle, firm squeeze.

    Promptly then, an abrupt sly idea pops into Darcel''s mind.

    Because he was just strictly using pure soul essence and not his Darkness part of his soul, Fruna wouldn''t feel any different to his touch.

    But Darcel was half attempted to subtly try and affect her only in a very light way.

    However, he went against the idea to do it now, but he let the thought swim in the back of his mind forter.

    Retaining back his focus, Darcel and the others quickly tensed their bodies to adjust to the soul powers.

    "The pendants are pointing....this way!" Hurey called out, and everyone was ready.

    ''Hua!''

    Swift like the wind, the whole group of six sted off with flying speeds, being inplete synchronization. The flurry of snow piled on the ground split apart beneath their wake as they tore through the blinding hail.

    Hail violently smashed into their soul barrier, bringing on a ringing sound in the group''s ears, but no one paid attention to it.

    Their progress was quick, and in several minutes, they already crossed a whole mile!

    Fruna, Robert, Reynany, and Hurey all had to intensely concentrate at this point. A noticeable suppression began to weigh on their souls even with Darcel and Ani''s tremendous help.

    Darcel and Ani, though, were doing rtively okay. They felt something trying to affect their souls, but it wasn''t sufficient enough for suppression.

    And as the group crossed over the two miles threshold, the suffocating soul suppression was steadily increasing, and the hail turned got even more violent.

    They all soon realized things are only going to get more gruesome from here on out.

 Chapter 98: Taken By Storm

    Chapter 98: Taken By Storm

    With every step they trudge through the snowy ground, Darcel and Ani were finally beginning to see why these Misty Haze Pits are so infamous.

    A subtle, powerful suppression steadily increased on their souls every time they took even one further step.

    Fruna, Robert, Reynay, and Hurey was finding it significantly harder to withstand the suppression by the time they reached the fifth-mile threshold.

    Yet none of them stopped orined and continued to trudge through.

    Their speed had vastly decreased since they first started running through the hail storms. Minutes just seemed to blend into hours as the group grueling forced themselves past the soul suppression.

    And after who knows how long, the group of six all made it to the tenth-mile threshold!

    Although no one there was excited or joyful.

    Fruna, Robert, Reynay, and Hurey were all violently gnashing their teeth together as evident pain filled their eyes.

    Even now, Darcel and Ani''s faces turned deadly serious.

    For Fruna and her group, their souls got crushingly suppressed to the paint of giving them stinging pain.

    While Darcel and Ani felt a noticeably ufortable suppression.

    The six of them abruptly stopped moving then. Fruna took a deep breath and began to ask, "Is-Is everyone still good to go?" Amazingly enough, she forced down the stinging pain caused by her soul to talk to everyone.

    "We''re good."

    Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all spoke at the same time and then quickly shut up after.

    The stinging pain coursing their bodies nearly made them want to spit out vile blood from the back of their throat. Yet they all held on and pushed the feeling down.

    "Just don''t get overzealous now! We''re also good." From the back, Ani spoke the loudest to reassure them.

    "She''s right, you know. Soul suppression pressure can lead to irreversible damages." Darcel also spoke up in concern to them.

    "O-oh.would you look at this? Heh.we''re the one that is supposed to be saying that to our young members. Hah." Fruna was the only one that managed to crack a painful smile and lightly joke.

    Although, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey acted like they didn''t hear the concerns at all. They simply focus on trying to stabilize the pain running through their bodies.

    "Hehe~, you should call it when we should go again, Fruna,"

    Ani suggested while also not minding the men''sck of reaction. Darcel also didn''t mind it, but he had paid attention to it.

    Once again, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey didn''t speak up. Though their eyes did travel to Fruna as in a silent agreement. She was the one that appeared to have the most tolerance against soul suppression.

    Fruna herself tried to remain as steady as possible. Since the duo suggested it and her members were giving the silent agreement, she decided to take up the responsibility.

    "Ok.on three. One.two.three!"

    Far slower than the flying speeds they had when firsting here, all six of them began running through the snow in sync.

    The hail fiercely smashed against their soul barrier as if it was trying to shatter it.

    Everything became nearly impossible to see, and the soul suppression for Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey only became more grueling.

    After what seemed like hours, the group finally made it to the twentieth-mile threshold!

    "So-so-so c-cold!" Robert''s body was quivering nonstop from sheer freezing temperatures. He, Fruna, Reyney, and Hurey all forcibly stopped as their bodies trembled from unbearable shivers.

    The icy shiver crazily trickles up their spines as if their bodies were going to freeze internally. This,bined with a soul suppression that made it difficult to breathe, made the experience nearly torturous for Fruna''s group.

    Darcel and Ani as well weren''t spared from the cold or powerful soul suppression.

    Now even they find it difficult to move any part of their bodies. Their souls nearly got entirely suppressed, and freezing chills ran down their spines.

    "Ani! The link!"

    Finally, Darcel decided he had enough of the soul suppression and called out to Ani.

    "Alright!" Ani responded in kind, and using their other hands, they tightly sped each other''s hands.

    "What are those.?!?"

    Reyney was quietly muttering to himself as he, Robbery, Hurey, and Fruna all heard the duo''s mighty shouts. Yet no one knew what the hell they were going to do.

    That is until they all abruptly widen their eyes akin to saucers.

    The power of Darcel and Ani''s Darkness soul link quickly erupted into Fruna! And through Fruna, the whole group felt a tremendous surge of power course in their soul barrier.

    However, even with the boost of power, it didn''t mean the situation just automatically be better.

    "Even.even with this.I don''t know how long any one of us can keep on going." Hurey struggles to say in between panted breaths.

    The suppression on their souls before already neared them to the point of copsing. And all Darcel and Ani Darkness''s soul link did for the group was energize them just to stay up for a few extra minutes.

    "Still! With this, we can''t just give up here! I feel the pendant getting more intense; we must be close! Let''s keep moving!" Fruna, feeling the full brunt of Darcel and Ani''s Darkness Soul link, managed to shout at the three men explosively.

    And encouraged by her words, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all grit their teeth shouting, "Fine!" right back at her.

    All the while, Darcel and Ani felt the soul suppression lessen for them. Though it was still a notable pressure epassing their bodies.

    "Then let''s not wait, let''s make haste!" Darcel roared from the back this time, feeling his Darkness soul link powers course in his veins.

    And on his words, the whole group of six began moving again!

    Their pace now became a light jog. The soul suppression of Fruna''s group was steadily overpowering Darcel and Ani''s Darkness Soul link with every step taken now.

    It already was putting them back on the verge of copsing with each step they took now.

    At this point, Darcel and Ani were about to attempt something they just decided against hours ago. But, against this soul suppression, they wanted to see the absolute peak they could go before going all out.

    For two more grueling miles, somehow, the group of six all manage to trudge through the soul suppression!

    Fruna tightly clenched her soul pendant, feeling the rumbles on it get intense. It deluded her into thinking they may be right next to the treasure.

    However, right then, the six of them all came to a screeching halt once again. Only this time, their ears picked up on a fierce gush of wind roaring to them like a thunderous storm!

    "I-I-I can''t move!!"

    Robert shrieked with utter despair feeling his whole bodypletely lock up now. Fruna, Reyney, and Hurey also felt their bodies entirely freeze.

    Now ten of miles deep in the Misty Haze Pits, their souls were utterly suppressed in every way! The freezing cold as well prated into the bones causing shivering piercing pain that none of them could try and solve.

    Only Darcel and Ani could still move, but their souls were at the absolute peak of suppression. And hearing the gushes of winds storming around them, the duo knew they couldn''t help Fruna''s group anymore.

    The two exchanged a nce at each other. Their eyes detailing they have no chance but to go all out for themselves.

    Yet when they were right about to do that, the storm of winds began to directly affect everyone''s clothes.

    Despite the radiant white soul barrier shielding them, all six of them felt their clothes and hair crazily rustle under extreme winds.

    Nobody could tell just what was happening until a colossal force came sting towards them.

    "Ah.Ahh!!"

    Suddenly Darcel and Ani felt chaotic storms of winds prate right inside their soul barrier while hearing Fruna''s group shriek. The duo also felt Fruna flew from their grasps.

    They themselves weren''t flung by the wind because of their tremendous souls'' powers, but it didn''t help lessen the situation.

    Darcel tightly clenched Ani''s hand, and his eyes didn''t try to nce at Fruna''s group.

    Instead, his eyes picked up on the soul pendant floating in midair right in front of his face. Quickly, Darcel snatched up the pendant before it could get flung by the wind, causing a white shine to enrich his and Ani''s body.

    Simultaneously, Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey couldn''t even tell what was happening. Their bodies were like ragdolls, getting violently tossed around by the chaotic winds.

    They still couldn''t move on their own, yet they were helpless under this fierce wind strike.

    And once they were thrown several meters into the air, Fruna''s group all felt the air pressure suddenly be even more intense!

    ''Bang!''

    Without a chance to resist, the chaotic winds collided with Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey, sting them backward into the stormy hail. Their bodies became mere specks in their distance as they got savagely flung back.

    Darcel and Ani couldn''t even pay attention to this.

    While Fruna''s group got flung, the duo had then fully unleashed their Darkness Soul link full power!

    ''Chi!''

    The luminous white glow shrouding Darcel and Ani became brighter and more pronounced. Their bodies stayed rooted to the ground, and their souls were able to destroy some of the soul suppression weighing on them.

    However, the full might of their Darkness soul link still wasn''t enough to get apletely free reign of their bodies.

    "Fuuu.it seems like it''s only us in here now, Darcy. I know we literally just promised hours ago to not do it. But for this ce.we need to go all out!"

    "I.can''t deny you there. In any case, this ce must have some sort of field around it protecting itself. Let''s do it." Darcel quickly relented and agreed with Ani.

    If even their Darkness soul link full power couldn''t destroy the suppression, they would stand no chance for traversing deeper.

    Both Darcel and Ani closed their eyes then. Against the roaring chaotic winds trying to sweep them up in a storm, the duo put all of their focus on touching upon thetent power of their souls.

    Seconds slowly dripped by, and Darcel and Ani became as still as statues.

    Streaks of hypnotic Darkness radiance started to randomly burst from Darcel. And streaks of bright white Light began to randomly spew from Ani.

    Their streaks of Darkness and white Light quickly became more intense until,

    ''Chi!''

    A massive burst of Darkness and white Light sted from Darcel and Ani, painting the hail storm world in a magical Darkness and Light blend.

    Their luminous white glowing soul barrier transformed into a Darkness-Light radiant soul barrier!

    Darcel and Ani flung their eyes open at the same time. Tremendous power course through their veins, making them feel like they were on cloud nine.

    There was zero soul suppression weighing on their bodies, giving them free rein of their bodies.

    Darcel and Ani both vividly remember every detail of their death-defying fight in the Woods. And most vividly, they recalled thetent massive power surge that burst from their souls and out of their chest.

    Darcel and Ani couldn''t use the full extent of what they burst with from the woods but what they could use now was enough.

    As well the duo clearly felt the presence of Sari swimming in their souls, basically confirming the words of the horrid looking man when he said she had marked them.

    "Fuuu.our soul power surge brings about apletely different feeling than our bloodline state! I feel a huge rush of excitement in my veins using my bloodline, but with my souls, it''s .it''s."

    "Like steady sereness, right?" Darcel finished Ani''s sentence for her.

    To which she rapidly nodded her head and then said, "Mnh! It''s probably the most calm I''ve ever been too! Soo.where do we go from now?"

    Darcel gently caressed the soul pendant in his hand, hearing her question.

    Throughout this whole time, the soul pendant was still continuously rumbling. And in Darcel''s soul, he could feel where the pendant wanted them to go.

    Before answering Ani, Darcel tossed his eyes around the hail storming ce. He couldn''t see any of the other three pendants, concluding they must''ve run out of power and got swept by the storm.

    "This pendent.I can feel where it wants us to go. Now that we don''t have to limit ourselves, our progress will be swift."

    Darcel exined to Ani while running his thumb over the back of her hand.

    It caused soothing warmth to course between the duo, further adding to fight off the shivering coldness. Ani didn''t respond to Darcel but simply nodded her head and tensed up her body.

    ''Hua!''

    And in a beautiful streak of Darkness and white Light, Darcel and Ani sted off, tearing through the hail storm!

    Their speed was immense, far surpassing the likes they had with Fruna''s group.

    The hard-hitting hail was merely shredded by the duo full power Darkness-Light soul barrier. They were unhindered in this ce now, and in only a minute, they made god-like progress.

    To them, it felt like they already crossed several miles!

    And no matter how deep they went, the force trying to suppress their souls couldn''t affect them at all.

    It took a few minutes, but it was then Darcel felt as if they were about to reach some sort of dead end.

    And as he thought of it, he and Ani witnessed it. Both Darcel and Ani briefly pause as they came upon an odd bright blue sight.

 Chapter 99: Unhindered

    Chapter 99: Unhindered

    Halting their forward progression was a profound blue barrier.

    The two couldn''t see past the barrier, and any hail that hit the barrier was absorbed into it. It is almost slightly mesmerizing to see the small blue hail get magically absorbed by the barrier.

    Truthfully it seemed like Darcel and Ani may have to do something specific to get past the sudden blue barrier.

    But neither of the duos had the patience for that.

    In the most direct way possible, Darcel and Ani charged right at the blue barrier!

    They were fully confident of their incredible surges of their full power souls and didn''t believe this mere barrier would stop them.

    ''Chi!''

    As they already expected, Darcel and Ani easily tore through the blue barrier creating a massive hole behind them. And once on the other side of the blue barrier, the hole quickly reformed itself and closed up.

    Once on the other side, Darcel and Ani were immediately greeted by a change of scenery.

    Instead of the blinding hail storm, it was now small rain of icicles storming around the snowynds.

    The sound of Ice continuously breaking rang in Darcel and Ani''s ears as whatever icicle happened tond on them was promptly destroyed by their Darkness-Light soul barrier.

    "A slight change of scenery but a nice change of scenery. I wonder if we had just now made a new record without anyone knowing about it." Darcel wonderingly said out loud.

    "Heeh.in a way, we really did just made history! At least this will be a historical event in our minds. But now that we''re here, how far does the pendant want us to go?"

    Compared to Darcel, Ani could only vaguely feel where the soul pendant wanted them to go. But she couldn''t urately pinpoint the direction like Darcel could.

    "Mnn.it''s saying.this way." Darcel nudged his head towards the left a bit.

    Though he soon realized doing this was a bit pointless, seeing as he and Ani had their hands sped with each other.

    "Alright, let''s go!" Ani felt every fiber of her being roar with ptable excitement.

    In sync once again, Darcel and Ani became streaks of Darkness and white Light as they sted off in the icicle storm.

    Just like thest ce, the storm here made it extremely difficult to see anything. Yet visions weren''t so much of a problem seeing how Darcel got their pendant to guide them.

    Their speeds still remained steady and swift in this new ce.

    The force trying to affect and suppress their souls did get stronger and even more violent. However, any attempt was still utterly useless against the full extent of Darcle and Ani''s souls.

    The duo was unhindered, barreling through the icicle storm and crossed great distances for an unknown amount of time.

    Darcel and Ani and felt like hours passed already.

    With their speed, the two calcted, they must''ve run for ten miles straight!

    And in actuality, only several minutes passed!

    Right as they passed the tenth-mile threshold, though, was when things began to change.

    The icicle storm that was pretty normal up to this point began to change.

    Darcel and Ani saw as they were running, the icicle beginning to change their course to go directly at them!

    Still, the sharp icicles couldn''t damage their Darkness-Light soul barrier, but the duo did feel the impacts get more violent. The two could feel their barrier slightly quake as every single icicle burst upon impact.

    With the quick rapid steps they took, Darcel and Ani found it magical how the icicle was suddenly changing.

    It was like a powerful cultivator that controlled the ice''s element was making the icicle storm directly target them. After all, if the duo were to, for some god unknown reason, dropped their soul barrier, then they would get urately skewered instantaneously.

    And by the time they reached the thirty-milendmark, every single speck of the icicle storm charged right at them.

    Darcel and Ani briefly stopped to get a full view of the icicle hell they rushed into.

    They could at least see out of their Darkness-Light soul barrier and watch as the icicles smash and break against their soul barrier.

    Darcel momentarily wondered if using regr cultivation would be useful here if one soul was rapidly draining energy while defending. Although he guessed that would only drain a cultivator even more.

    Luckily for him and Ani, despite their Darkness-Light soul barrier getting continuously shed, their soul energy was still full and vibrant.

    "Oh, wow! This is almost magical to look at if it didn''t want our blood to paint the snow!"

    Ani fluttered her eyebrows, enjoying the gorgeous sight of wisps of blue energy flying up into the air after every icicle was destroyed.

    Still, neither of the duo could feel their soul weighing with suppression, allowing them to stop and witness magical sights like this.

    "As creative as this is, we still don''t know what kind of other traps lie in this ce if it can make an icicle storm suddenly target only us. Let''s keep moving."

    ''Hua!''

    And without any further words, Darcel and Ani sted through the magical icicle storm and tore every icicle crashing against them.

    Constant pangs noises ranged in their ears, but nothing could stop their momentum.

    The piled-up snow on the ground grew in this ce and flew everywhere in Darcel and Anieal''s mad dash.

    It wasn''t before long then that Darcel felt as if they wereing upon the end of this ce. Only this time, he and Ani felt an unfathomable sensation cross into their souls.

    Quickly a bright blue light entered their vision once again.

    From up ahead, Darcel and Ani''s eyes could make out a familiar sight. It was once again another bright blue barrier halting any kind of progression.

    Though this blue barrier did have somewhat of a different appearance. Its blue coat shine just seemed a tad bit shinier, making it more luxurious looking.

    Furthermore, Darcel and Ani could now clearly see the blue barrier surge with power. It was like the blue barrier was pulsating akin to a beating heart.

    Immense waves of power coursed in their air, making the atmosphere far more chaotic at this part of the ce.

    "Hmmm." Both Darcel and Ani didn''t blindly rush in this time.

    The unfathomable sensation they felt was actually prating into their souls, shing against them to weigh a notable suppression.

    The raging icicle storm was still targeting them specifically as well, relentlessly trying to pierce their soul barrier.

    They only took a few seconds to think, and then, an idea suddenly spawn in Darcel and Ani''s minds. Their faces lifted up, and their eyes gained a twinkling shine.

    They wanted to test the waters of the blue barrier. So with a short hop, Darcel and Ani got right next to the blue barrier.

    Darcel struck out with the fist that held the pendant, while Ani struck out with her other hand towards the blue barrier.

    ''Bang!''

    A loud-sounding impact reverberated in the duo''s ears as they also felt like their hands had just shed against imprable metal!

    Some surprise entered Darcel and Ani''s eyes as this was a punch using the full extent of their soul powers.

    And yet, while the first blue barrier was easily torn through. This blue barrier remained firm and strong.

    "Hah! Great! And here I thought we would have no more fun here! Let''s hold absolutely nothing back now Darcy!" Ani eximed with zealous excitement.

    Being pressured and challenge like this is one thing that would always get her engine roaring. And the fervent settlement was shared with Darcel going by the increasing battle-hungry smile dawning his face.

    "Indeed, let''s st through here. Now since something can temporarily stop us, I hope we get something to actually fight against."

    Darcel balled the pendant in his hand and began to surge his slumbering bloodline.

    Ani as well began surging her bloodline at the same time. Their bloodline arms quickly started to shine, and theirpleted wing tattoo markings swiftly appeared on their arms.

    In just a quick second, a luminous Darkness shine encased Darcel''s bloodline arm. And a radiant white Light glow enriched Ani''s bloodline arm.

    Their bodies crackled with absolute power, feeling everything getting amplified bybining their bloodline powers with their soul powers.

    Darcel and Ani weren''t sure anybody else had attempted this before, but it went smoothly for them.

    For a brief moment, Darcel and Ani paused. They quickly surged their bloodline power to its highest degree, letting their Darkness-Light soul barrier crackle with immense power.

    And then, with zero hesitation, Darcel and Ani jumped right towards the blue barrier!

    ''Chi!''

    Now, just likest time, Darcel and Ani burst right through the barrier!

    A huge hole had opened up in the blue barrier; however, once the duo was on the other side, the barrier quickly repaired itself.

    Not looking behind them, Darcel and Ani''s eyes reorientated on another new change of scenery. There wasn''t any ringing sound of crashes or violent gushes of stormy weather.

    Instead, what greeted the duo''s eyes was a misty fog that made it nearly impossible to clearly see like all other previous weather conditions.

    Yet, the continuous state of near blindness only made Darcel and Ani feel more excited.

    "Oooh.now the challenges are getting more intense and mysterious. Now the Misty Haze Pits is truly living up to its ominous name!"

    All Ani''s eyes could see was endless misty fog akin to something out of a horror tale.

    Darcel was about to speak until right then, his soul pendant began to furiously tremble. He lifted his hand and watched the soul pendant toss about in his palm.

    "More mysterious and right close to our reward. See this? The pendant is telling us we''re just about to reach that supposed ultimate treasure. Ready to im our reward Ani?"

    "With pleasure Darcy!"

    Darcel''s eyes had then turned towards a specific direction. Through the near blinding misty fog, his soul pendant was directing him to go over there for that great treasure.

    Without any further words needed, Darcel and Ani had then taken off sprinting in the blinding misty fog.

    Their movement this time was a bit stiff as the soul suppression increased tremendously here.

    Yet, it wasn''t significant enough to the point where it would affect theirbat prowess and overall movement.

    Several steps in their run, Darcel and Ani slightly creased their eyebrows. Running through the misty fog felt a bit odd for the duo.

    They hade to expect something shing or trying to pierce into their Darkness-Light soul barrier by now in these Misty Haze Pits. But running through here was almost calming in a mysterious way.

    They took it felt as if they were making progress and zero progress at the same time with each step.

    If Darcel didn''t have this soul pendant, he was sure he and Ani wouldn''t even find their way back through this ce in only a few short steps!

    Darcel and Ani slowed their pace a bit as Darcel could feel they were really close now.

    However, they soon moved their bodies to a screeching halt.

    For the first sinceing here, Darcel and Ani picked up another being from their Spirit Senses!

    Quickly their Spirit Sense spread out to pick up on an Innate Core Spirit Monster just tens of meters away from them! Furthermore, they sensed the Spirit Monster wasing straight at them.

    "Hmmm.Darcy, is that pendant pointing at the monster for our treasure?" Ani guessed as it was clear as day to her on what was going to happen next.

    Darcel caressed the soul pendant, and expectedly nodded his head. "Yep. Looks like we''re going to have to fight to get our treasure. But this.is what you also wanted, right?"

    "Right!"

    Simultaneously broad, battle-hungry smiles split on to Darcel and Ani''s face. This would be their first proper fight with an Innate Core powerhouse!

    And neither were nervous; they only felt thrilling anticipation spill into their bodies.

 Chapter 100: The Creature of Ice

    Chapter 100: The Creature of Ice

    Darcel and Ani weren''t ones to stay idle. They had quickly begun walking up ahead to meet and see what was barreling towards them.

    In a span of a few seconds, they trekked ten meters and finally saw it.

    Thirty meters apart from them, Darcel and Ani could clearly spot the Spirit Monster even through the dense misty fog. Though immediately, the duo was inquisitive at the Spirit Monster appearance.

    It wasn''t anything like they had seen before.

    This Spirit Monster was tremendously tall, towering at least ten feet tall. Easily it was the tallest creature the duo had ever encountered.

    Its body was strangely made up of entirely ice as well.

    The ice formed itself to appear as the monster had intimidating bulging muscles and a sharp jagged frame. Though the most intimidating feature of the monster was its colossal head.

    The head, like its other body parts, was made entirely up of ice. But, Darcel and Ani could spot two chilling glowing blue eyes that''ll pierce through the night.

    Its mouth slightly hangs open to show its ferocious, sharp ice teeth that glisten in the deep misty fog.

    When their eyes meet each other, both sides momentarily pause.

    Darcel and Ani truly were fascinated that there could exist a creature entirely made up of only ice.

    While the Spirit Monster, who is ssified as an Ice Golem, was a bit taken aback at how weak its prey was. But once realizing this, the Ice golem chilling glowing blue eyes abruptly spark in a luminous sh!

    "Oh?! Here ites, Darcy!" Ani felt the will to battle roar in her watching the rushing Ice golem.

    Oddly enough, through the entire time they''re watching the creature, neither she nor Darcel felt the powerful aura of an Innate Core powerhouse.

    Yet, the duo could clearly sense its realm was firmly in the Innate Core realm.

    But Darcel and Ani knew this wasn''t the time for questions.

    "Since it wants toe, let''s meet it in the middle!"

    Darcel clenched Ani''s hand, and they both quickly surged the roaring Nascent Qi in their bodies.

    And like lightning, the duo shot towards the Ice golem without a hint of fear.

    However, as soon as they started to run, Darcel and Ani quickly got a clearer picture of the Ice golem. Moreover, Darcel also felt his soul pendant violently tremble.

    "That flower! It''s our treasure!"

    Ani pointed out as she and Darcel spotted a bright glowing blue flower sitting on top of the Ice golem head. A beautiful blue shine was enriching the flower, making it appear like an exotic treasure.

    From the rumbling of the soul pendant and his sensation in his soul, Darcel knew this was their treasure.

    An even broader smile ster Darcel and Ani''s face, feeling an even greater sentiment to kill this creature.

    But when both sides got within twenty meters apart from each other, the Ice golem swiftly changed its movements.

    Darcel and Ani watched with slight widening eyes as the Ice golem suddenly began to rear its arms back while it charged to them.

    From just its strange sudden movements, Darcel and Ani felt a significant shift in the air. The air around them began to suck towards the Ice golem like it was a vacuum and chaotically swayed the snow on the ground.

    Still, despite this odd urrence of power, Darcel and Ani didn''t feel any Innate Core power surge around them.

    The two were beginning to think this creature may not just use any Innate Qi.

    Before Darcel or Ani could think any further, however, the Ice golem made another quick and strange move. Its arms moved with lightning-like speed as it violently sped its hand together!

    ''Pa!''

    The booming sound of ice crashing together red in Darcel and Ani''s eardrums.

    For a brief second, Darcel and Ani pause while their faces show mild shock.

    There wasn''t any tremendous st of power that caused the air to split or for the ground to quake. Instead, Darcel and Ani felt a chilling cold attempting to freeze their souls!

    In the real world, their eyes could briefly spot a stream of admittedly beautiful blue misty energy sailing straight at them from the Ice golem sped hands.

    The most surprising aspect of this attack was the fact that it was basically instantaneous!

    Neither Darcel nor Ani even had a split second to react to the attack.

    However, while this attack was surprising, Darcel and Ani''s face quickly morphed back into a battle-hungry smile.

    "Soul attack, huh! This thing probably kills everything with attacks like this.unlucky that it met us today!" Ani boasted with extreme confidence.

    Darcel as well mockingly smirked at the Ice golem as right then he and Ani began to surge the powerful ck me essence swirling in their souls!

    Large wisps of zing ck fire spewed out Darcel and Ani then. Their mere wisps of fiery ck mes was melting the glistening snow underneath.

    The Ice golem''s freezing misty energy was quickly vaporized by their pure essence ck mes inside of their souls.

    Immediately then, it was the Ice golem turn to be taken for a mild shock.

    Its chilling blue eyes squinted on Darcel and Ani''s ming bodies in disbelief. Not a single one of its previous victims could do anything under its soul freezing mist.

    Much less gathering enough power to burn through its mist!

    The most surprising thing was the fact these little ones don''t even have the same aura as itself.

    Because of the dense misty fog here, neither Darcel, Ani, nor the Ice golem could sense each other''s real prowess.

    Darcel and Ani are in their strongest state, but the Ice golem can only sense their base Nascent Core aura.

    Despite Darcel and Ani somehow fighting off its deadly soul attack, the Ice golem quickly regained back focus. It had momentarily stopped moving out of surprise, but now it was ready to charge them again.

    However, when the Ice golem lifted one of its legs just slightly above the ground, a brilliant white radiance tore the dense misty fog!

    As well, Ani''s energetic voice red throughout the snowynd.

    "sh!!"

    ''Chi!"

    A blinding bright white shbang burst from Ani''s bloodline arm, covering the whole twenty meters apart from her and the Ice golem!

    The Ice golem went still like a statue being utterly stunned under Ani''s shbang.

    But it wasn''t over yet for the Ice golem. Darcel put all of his focus on the Ice golem and had then clenched his hand.

    By putting all of his senses into one target, Darcel has realized he can create a shadow for just about anything.

    It worked for Ani and the yellow creature. Now he wanted to test his luck against an Innate Core being. And to his joy, Darcel watched as a shadow quickly spewed from the Ice glow feet.

    The Ice golem''s shadow was instantaneous and out from the shadow spewed Darkness tendrils that tightly wrapped the Ice golem body up.

    In its state now, the Ice golem waspletely immobilized! Although Darcel and Ani knew it wouldn''t be for long.

    Pushing on the momentum they created, Darcel and Ani didn''t hold anything back. They sted towards the Ice golem in a bright streak of Darkness and White Light!

    Their speed quickly crossed the considerable distance between them. In just two seconds, Darcel and Ani already neared the Ice golem, who was already attempting to struggle out of the Darkness tendrils.

    Up close with the creature indeed showed just how ferocious and gruesome looking it was.

    At first, Darcel had the n to take out their scimitar to score the first hit on the creature. But within only several feet apart from the Ice golem, Darcel felt the soul pendant quake as if it was trying to escape his grasp.

    Spurred on by the pendant, Darcel had an abrupt change of mind. "The flower!" He quickly called out to Ani, hoping she would get what he wanted to do.

    And as he expected, Ani didn''t respond, but she had crouched down to get in a position to jump.

    In sync with her, Darcel also crouched down. They poured a vast sum of their powers into their legs, drilling their feet into the ground.

    And using only a split second, Darcel and Ani swiftly jumped high into the air to go above the towering Ice golem.

    Once at a higher position in the air than the tall Ice golem, Ani shot her other hand to the bright blue, glowing flower.

    The Ice golem was still violently trembling below them, quickly trying to break through Darcel''s Darkness tendrils behinds.

    Yet neither Darcel nor Ani paid attention to it and focused on securing the flower.

    Swift like the wind, Ani snatched the flower from the Ice golem head as she and Darcelnded on its massive head. Darcel and Ani didn''t spare a second and quickly jumped off the Ice golem head with the flower in Ani''s hand.

    "Haaah!!"

    However, right when doing so, the Ice golem burst out from Darcel''s Darkness tendrils! Darcel and Ani didn''t even have a chance to turn around as the Ice golem roar prated their ears.

    The Ice golem could fully sense Darcel and Ani''s tremendous bloodline power state now, but it didn''t care at all.

    Quickly while the duo was still in midair, the Ice golem swiftly turned its body around and struck out with its gigantic fist towards their backs!

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    The Ice golem''s massive fist had shattered Darcel and Ani''s Darkness-Light soul barrier and directly crashed onto their backs!

    The duo''s eyes burst open in pain, feeling the Ice golem''s fist crack multiple bones in their backs. Chaotic freezing energy was interjected into their bodies, causing even greater anguish for them.

    Furthermore, the duo also felt their soul be chaotic receiving sudden prating damage providing their bodies to break down further.

    Darcel and Ani got sent flying by the fist like two speeding bullets. However, neither utter even a single yelp of pain.

    Instead, their eyes burst with savage killing intent!

    While sailing in midair, Darcel and Ani forced past the tremendous pain and flipped their bodies around. Their eyes met with the Ice golem barrelling straight at them, but neither care; in fact, they wee its charge.

    In an instant, Darcel and Ani''s spatial ring shed, and they fished out their beautiful green scimitars. The duo spared no expense and crazily poured all of their power into the scimitar.

    Sizzling ck mes swirled at the tip of their des, sting out heat that split into the snowy grounds.

    The Ice golem had quickly caught up and made it a mere six feet apart from Darcel and Ani. Yet the duo already finished charging their attack right when it got close.

    "Fiery Slice!!"

    Both Darcel and Ani roar simultaneously as their scimitar sted out a powerful thin stream of raging ck mes!

    The Ice golem felt a tremendous suppression weighed down on its body, tightly locking it in ce.

    Everything was just too abrupt, and all the Ice golem could do was tank Darcel and Ani''s attack head-on.

    ''Bang!''

    Darcel and Ani''s martial skill ferociously struck the Ice golem chest and flung the creature for miles!

    While the Ice golem flew, Darcel and Ani plunged their scimitar into the snowy ground, splitting it in half as their bodies slowed to a crawl.

    "Geh! That atta-Ah! Darcy! Quick put your hand over mine!"

    Ani was spitting out bright red blood at first, feeling her body on the verge of copsing after tanking the Ice golem punch.

    But it was then she felt strange, mysterious energy poured into her mind and began quickly changing her Spirit Sense! And where the mysterious energy came from was the bright blue flower in her palm.

    Her body was nearly about to freeze over and copsing onto itself, pushing Ani to a state of possible near-death.

    But through her sheer willpower of forcing past the excruciating pain, it was then the bright blue flower suddenly started to react. Ani wasn''t sure how but the flower''s energy was pushing her mental state and Spirit Sense to a state of enlightenment!

    Darcel was in the same position as Ani, nearly feeling his body about to freeze and copse.

    But Darcel''s hand still tightlytched on to Ani''s. From their conjoined hand, he had also felt some of that mysterious energy flow into him. Less than Ani felt, but Darcel did clearly feel his Spirit Sense slowly transforming to a state of enlightenment.

    Most obviously, Darcel knew this strange energy had to be from the bright blue flower.

    With the soul pendant still in his hand, Darcel sped his other hand over Ani''s hand that held the unique flower.

    Darcel and Ani''s bodies immediately wentpletely rigid then.

    Their lives were on the line, and they could die the very next second. Yet, Darcel and Ani didn''t let panic storm their minds.

    As the special flower''s mysterious energy flowed in them, Darcel and Ani smoothly harmonized with it and stayed calm.

    Their soul and body were still breaking down as the mysterious energy didn''t heal them but had allowed their mental state to smoothly bepletely serene.

    Darcel and Ani''s Spirit Senses were undergoing several dramatic changes now.

    Under fallingpletely serene, their senses began prating into a tremendous mental block that was engraved into their minds.

    It was the massive mental block of the seventh level Nascent Core realm!

    This mental block is what keeps numerous geniuses from ever progressing to the True Soul Core realm.

    If one''sprehension of their own Nascent Core and Nascent Qi wasn''t high enough, they would never break past this barrier.

    Darcel and Ani''s bodies fell into a rxed stance. Their bloodstreams, their souls, everything inside their bodies was falling into tranquility. Even their previous critical injuries went still and stopped breaking their bodies.

    At this point, Darcel and Ani''s eyes became unfocused, not even noticing the Ice golem madly rushing back at them.

    Arge hole was carved into its ice chest thanks to Darcel and Ani''s Martial skill, yet it was still alive.

    "Haah!!"

    The Ice golem fully released its chaotic Innate Core aura towards Darcel and Ani!

    The full power of a fourth rank Innate Core being aura came crashing down on Darcel and Ani as the Ice golem quickly neared them.

    Darcel and Ani felt the pressure nearly suffocate them, and yet their minds were still in an enlightened state. By the second, they both felt pure Spiritual energy trickled into their Spirit Sense.

    And when the Ice golem got within six feet of the duo again, a loud pop went off in Darcel and Ani''s minds!

    ''Bang!''

    A powerful st of Spirit Qi burst out of Darcel and Ani, causing the whole space to fall into turbulent chaos! The snow was chaotically swept in a raging wind storm as shes of Darkness and Light trickled out of Darcel and Ani.

    Once again sent the Ice golem couldn''t react to the sudden burst, and it got sent flying even further back than theirst attack. The Ice golem was like a blue bur shooting backward for miles.

    All the while, Darcel and Ani stayed utterly still.

 Chapter 101: True Soul Core

    Chapter 101: True Soul Core

    Currently, Darcel and Ani''s minds enter a particr state.

    Instead of breaking past the seventh level Nascent Core mental block, their Spirit Senses managed to break into sensing Spiritual Essence!

    All because they were getting immensely pressured by the Ice golem that Darcel and Ani fell into a unique state where they harmonize with their rainbow Nascent Core.

    They were bing at one with themselves and the environment around them, approaching a state of true tranquility.

    And this process was abruptly started and significantly sped up by the unique blue flower''s mysterious energy.

    Through the blue flower, theirprehension already being monstrously high and the immense pressure of death, Darcel and Ani''s Spirit Sense broke through and sensed it; Spiritual Essence energy!

    Their first touch of Spiritual Essence energy is what caused that sudden st of powerful Spirit Qi to discharge from them.

    Darcel and Ani know Spiritual Essence energy is actually called Spirit Deification Qi or Spirit Qi for short.

    It''s energy purely refined by the World and the gateway to forming one''s body to take on the more powerful energy ofter cultivation realms.

    All Qi energies that came before, from Profound Qi to Nascent Qi, were all energies that carried numerous impurities that hiddenly seeped into a cultivator''s body.

    But it was all necessary to absorb to strengthen a cultivator''s mental state,prehension of cultivation, their bodies, and souls.

    And once nearing the True Soul Core realm, a cultivator would need to be at one with their Nascent Core and be serene with the environment surrounding them.

    Even with constant life or death battles, this process is something that would take most average cultivators months or even years to do!

    Yet Darcel and Ani are making demonic speed progress that''ll cause anybody to question their sanity.

    Although, the reason why they''re breaking through so fast now was because of the mysterious blue flower energy. It immensely helped with soothing Darcel and Ani''s mental state and Spirit Sense to fall intoplete enlightenment.

    But still, Darcel and Ani needed to rely on their ownprehension abilities to make full use of the spur enlightenment.

    Darcel and Ani quickly sensed andprehended the base properties of Spirit Qi and used a bit of Spirit Qi to smash their seventh level Nascent Core mental block!

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    Like millions of ss shattering, Darcel and Ani smoothly broke through the mental block! As they could alreadyprehend Spirit Qi, breaking past thest Nascent Core barrier was nothing to them.

    And it was then their Spirit Senses wholly opened up to fully sense the pureness of Spirit Qi.

    Spirit Qi rushed to their bodies like a vortex, and unknown to Darcel and Ani, putrid ck grime and filth were expelled from their bodies.

    The ck grim and filth drilled into the snow staining the ground for a few feet. All of what their bodies were expelling was umted impurities of the previous cultivation realms.

    But to truly enter the True Soul Core realm, Darcel and Ani weren''t done yet. The step they were in now would be considered a half step in the True Soul Core realm.

    And to break through to the next step would requiring fusing Spirit Qi with your own Nascent Core, purifying it.

    Once a cultivator manages to do that, they would then proceed to use the Spirit Qi from their Nascent Cores and attach it to their souls. This creates the first soulyer link, and one would officially break into the True Soul Core realm!

    A process like this would also normally take average folks months or even years. Even a genius like Joyce Ashless had to take months to breakthrough the True Soul Core realm.

    Yet, for Darcel and Ani, everything came quickly and smoothly.

    They used their Spirit Sense to guide the Spirit Q rushing inside their bodies to their rainbow Nascent Core and interjected Spirit Qi into it.

    A bright rainbow brilliance spewed from their Nascent Cores, and Darcel and Ani didn''t even need a second before their Spirit Qi fused with their Nascent Cores,pletely purifying it.

    From there, Darcel and Ani''s Nascent Cores blew rainbow color Spirit Qi into their first Martial vein, which was then directly transferred to their souls.

    Their rainbow Spirit Qi stream quicklytched on to their souls, causing tremendous changes for Darcel and Ani.

    ''Chi!''

    Darkness and Light spewed from Darcel and Ani as they officially stepped into the True Soul Core realm!

    The firstyer link True Soul Core mental block was instantly shattered by them, and their prowess made a tremendous leap.

    Profound Dark glowing feathers scattered from Darcel''s back while bright, gleaming feathers erupted from Ani''s back.

    All of their previous injuries were instantly healed up, and the duo stayed still for a couple of seconds.

    Even more ck grim, and putrid filth expelled from their bodies and got flung out of them like a ck rainstorm.

    The snow surrounding Darcel and Ani was dyed in their bodies'' ck impurities. Yet, the snow the two stood on was strangely sparkling clean.

    Neither Darcel nor Ani moved as the air seemed to slightly shift in the directions of their breaths.

    And after the short brief of time, Darcel and Ani''s eyes flung back open, both bursting with tremendous power!

    ck zing mes frantically swirl in their eyes, and the two felt as if they were on a whole new tier of strength.

    "Ahhh.now that was a true breakthrough! I feel every joint in my body cracking with pure power!" As she said it, Ani was cracking her knuckles feeling Spirit Qi smoothly run through her body.

    "Everything just feels so.light. With the power we have now, that giant Ice creature will be nothing but a test dummy for us." Darcel was cracking out the kinks in his necks, already feeling pumped up to fight.

    The only thing that had stayed the same after their breakthrough was a very slight suppression of their souls.

    But whatever force that was affecting their souls was too low in power to affect Darcel and Ani''sbat prowess or movement now.

    The suppression was akin to a light tickle for Darcel and Ani. They didn''t even regard it, feeling too caught up in their breakthrough.

    However, before they could continue to bask in their glorious breakthrough more, their eyes quickly snapped up to gaze out a mile ahead of them.

    "Ah.and as we asked for it. It shalle for us!"

    Every fiber in Ani''s body roars with zealous fighting intent. She and Darcel''s eyes spotted the massive Ice Golem creature rushing right back at them.

    Chilling glowing blue eyes pierce through the misty fog, giving the Ice golem an even more fearsome look.

    Despite the surprising attacks Darcel and Anind on it, the Ice golem will not rest until these two small pests are dead!

    The distance between them and the Ice golem Darcel and Ani calcted was roughly a mile. They were already impressed in this new realm of strength, seeing as their eyes could more clearly see through the dense misty frog.

    A broad battle-hungry smile was quickly splitting into Darcel''s face.

    He fished out his green scimitar that was still plunged into the ground and said to Ani, "All at once, let''s not hold anything back!"

    Though he was curious about their base limits, Darcel knew it still wasn''t a time to be ying around. Especially not with a fourth rank Innate Core Spirit Monster!

    Ani as well understood this thought as she quickly pulled out her scimitar from the ground, saying, "I just hope it doesn''t die too quickly!"

    A bright white glow immediately shrouded Ani''s bloodline arm, and a profound Darkness glow enriched Darcel''s bloodline arm.

    ''Chi!''

    Snow sted around the duo, swirling around them like a chaotic hurricane as they unleashed their powerful bloodline state!

    Now when Darcel released his Yin Spiritual State, streaks of Darkness cackled out of his bloodline arm like ferocious lightning.

    While when Ani unleashed her Yang Spiritual State, streaks of white Light discharged from her like violent electricity.

    Moreover, their exotic tattoo markings gained an even more eye capturing bright radiance.

    Promptly then, Darcel and Ani sted off towards the Ice golem creature, splitting the snow in half as they rushed towards it. Swirls of small wisps of ck mes spewed from their feet, melting through the snowynd also.

    While Darcel and Ani sprinted off, they picked up on a significant notable difference in how they move their bodies. Everything just felt so.lighter andpletely natural.

    There was no stiff or wasted movement in any of their steps.

    Both the duo and the Ice golem speeds were swift, arriving within a few meters apart in several seconds. However, when the Ice golem got close, it was taken for a tremendous shock!

    The Ice golem powerful fourth rank Innate Core aura had torn through the dense misty fog and tried to crush down on Darcel and Ani.

    Yet, immediately when trying to do so, the Ice golem felt a tremendous aura violently push back its own!

    Darcel and Ani smirked as they watched the Ice golem glowing blue eyes seemingly widen.

    They were mainly focusing on powering their legs for speed, but now that they were close, Darcel and Ani fully sted out the full extent of their bloodline auras!

    "Nnng!!"

    Weird sounds spewed from the Ice golem while its body was crushed by two unfathomable auras. Instantly, when Darcel and Ani went all out, its own fourth rank Innate Core aura was easily shredded and vaporized.

    The Ice golem fourth rank Innate Core prowess was nothing but child''s y in front of the current Darcel and Ani.

    However, the most significant suppression didn''te from the power of their aura. Rather the Ice golem soul got immensely suppressed!

    The Ice golem felt like it couldn''t even breathe with the pressure Darcel and Ani''s soul sted out. Once it had abruptly stopped, the Ice golem struggled to move its body.

    Upon trying to do so, despair swirled the Ice golem''s mind.

    Its movement became incredibly sluggish, to the point where its speed became even slower than a snail!

    Watching the Ice golem struggle to even lift its arm caused Darcel to cruelly smile at it. He had acted upon this opportunity and focused all of his Spirit Sense onto the Ice golem.

    Instantly a shadow spewed from the Ice golem feet, and Darkness tendrils swiftly wrapped the Ice golem up tightly.

    The Ice golem was immobilized entirely like it was nothing, but its mind couldn''t believe this reality.

    Just mere seconds ago, these mere little seventh level Nascent Core ants could barely even tank one of its punches.

    So just how was this sudden power surge even possible?!

    And as valid as the Ice golem thoughts were, it simply didn''t understand Darcel and Ani''s true potential. Even before the breakthrough, Darcel and Ani could''ve contended with the Ice Golem, as shown by their first dual attack.

    But because they were so focused on getting the treasure flower, it allowed them to be open for a direct attack. And even then, in a critically injured state, the duo was able to fight off the Ice golem.

    Yet, none of that matters now.

    More so than the previous levels, Darcel and Ani''s prowess currently simply can''t bepared to what they wield in the Nascent Core realm.

    The breakthrough between Nascent Core to True Soul Core was on an entirely different level from the previous great realm breakthroughs.

    It''s what many cultivators dub the first true step to the mysteries of the World.

    And Darcel and Ani were genuinely feeling the mysterious yet wonderful effect of the True Soul Core realm. Their bodies were without impurities. Their souls could now be used to an even greater extent, and their bloodlines underwent tremendous changes.

    For every major realm breakthrough Darcel and Ani experience, their bloodline has and will always drastically change and improve, providing them with unprecedented prowess.

    And in their next move, Darcel and Ani will know just how much they grew in such a short amount of time.

    After wrapping the Ice golem up in his Darkness tendrils, Darcel arrived right near the monster and quickly jumped towards its colossal head.

    Darcel was as swift as the wind bing a ck blur as he poured Spirit Qi into his scimitar.

    The Ice golem was utterly helpless against Darcel; its only eyes could only spot a ck bur shing right in front of it.

    ''Chi!''

    And with a clean, quick strike, Darcel tore through the Ice golem neck like it was made of paper!

    The Ice golem head flew high into the air, spraying out a chilling blue liquid.

    At the same time, Ani charged right towards the Ice golem torso. And much like Darcel, she easily shredded through the Ice golem incredibly robust Ice body!

    While tearing through its torso, Ani quickly snapped her fingers before appearing out the other side of it.

    ''Sssch!!''

    The sounds of sizzling mes slithered into Ani''s ears as she turned around to the Ice golem. But right then, she watched as raging ck mes quickly spread throughout the Ice golem body.

    In an instant, the Ice golem''s colossal body was promptly turned into ck ash under Ani''s powerful ck mes.

    "Well, well, well. I suppose this a good rough estimation of our new incredible strength." Darcel remarked as hended back into the soft snow, and his eyes locked with hugely smiling Ani.

 Chapter 102: Stunning Return

    Chapter 102: Stunning Return

    Before Darcel could even ask why she is so overly happy, Ani quickly rushed into his chest, giving him a gentle, loving hug. Ani''s sweet intoxicating fragrance trailed into Darcel''s noise like scented candles.

    On instinct, Darcel wrapped his arms around Ani, enjoying the smooth silkiness of hair and soft, tender back.

    "Mnh-mnh! I''m just so happy and filled with energy over our breakthrough Darcy! I feel like I can take on anybody!"

    "Right, right. Just don''t let too much air get to your head, you know. Although, I suppose those Innate Core powerhouses, even for high ranks, won''t be much of an issue to us. Now then."

    As Darcel spoke, he, on instinct, began petting Ani''s silky smooth hair.

    Doing this was almost second nature to Darcel, and he always felt his soul soothe with warmth doing this.

    While petting Ani''s luxurious white hair, Darcel''s eyes had also trailed over to the rest of the deep fog covering the Misty Haze Pits.

    And like Ani could read his mind, her eyes had also trailed over to the deep fog.

    "Nnng.though I just said I feel invincible.whatever else deep in the fog is quite terrifying!" Though she said it like it was a problem, the excited tone of her voice and zealous smile obviously whistle a different tune for Ani.

    "Just another thing for another time. But unlike things around Necrotic City, I''m sure it won''t be long before our power bes enough to freely traverse anywhere in these Snowynds."

    "Ah! Speaking of these Snowynds, what should we do now? Unless you''re up for an endless snowy walk Darcy, I think we should join Fruna''s group for the time being."

    Darcel was already pondering on their next course of action as Ani spoke, and he didn''t see a problem with this.

    "While I can''t say much about those three guys, at least we know Fruna can secure us a position. Furthermore, their group is a perfect testing ground for our current prowess."

    The roaring intent of constant battles once again started to excite Darcel and Ani.

    While they don''t necessarily consider themselves as battle junkies, they can''t deny the exciting freeness of fighting against strong or weak enemies.

    And with the so-called Nobe''s Fang group, which is full of powerful Innate Core warriors. Darcel and Ani knew the fastest way to get a secure position is through pure strength and abilities.

    More so than Sects, Academies, or Organizations of the likes, groups akin to the Nobe''s Fang group would be considered Mercenaries bands.

    Andpared to Mercenaries bands, there were a lot more things Darcel and Ani could experience.

    Unlike the shelter lives, young talents can live in Sects or Academies. Darcel and Ani could tell, just by their talks with Fruna, that everything needs to be backed up by your own actions, no matter how talented you are.

    With several rummaging thoughts like this swirling in the duo''s minds, they turn around and prepare to use their Spirit Sense to get themselves out of this Misty Haze Pits.

    But right then, Darcel had suddenly clenched his left hand, and his eyebrows raised a bit.

    "Hm? Oh, this pendant thing. It seemed like it broke quite a while ago."

    "Ah? Oooh.I guess it couldn''t just stand the might of our powerful breakthrough!" Ani casually remarked as her eyes gazed upon the shattered pendant in Darcel''s palm.

    Pure white chunks were spread out on Darcel''s palm, and the strings of fabric were split in half.

    Although one curious thing to Darcel and Ani was the fact that pure white chunks of the pendant were still slightly glowing up.

    "Well, it''s notpletely useless yet. See? In thest portion of its power, I can sense it directing my soul back to the ce''s entrance. Let''s go; Fruna''s group is probably just dying in anticipation to see our treasure."

    "Oh, are they? They''ll definitely see a great treasure then!"

    Hand in hand with Ani, Darcel began leading themselves out of the dense Misty fog under the broken pendant guide.

    Truthfully, all Darcel did was unintentionally surged his soul when wanting to leave this ce.

    And unknown to him and Ani, the soul pendant immediately reacted to his call to leave.

    .

    Back at the top of the cliff just before the Misty Haze Pits, a group of four were silently cultivating and waiting. Their eyes were heavily focused on the Misty Haze Pits, waiting for any sign of life.

    Most obviously, the group was Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey.

    After they were swept up by the stormy wind of the Misty Haze Pits, the four of them all awoke on the cold hard icy ground.

    None of them knew how long they were out, but they immediately felt a crushing pain coursing their bodies and souls when awaking.

    Pushing themselves to the absolute extreme even with Darcel and Ani help nearly wrecked their bodies.

    Thankfully, they all came prepared with various Mage''s pills and potions to heal themselves right back up. Although damage to the soul was a far longer healing process than damage to the body.

    An hour has passed since they awakened, and they all were content to at least wait and see if Darcel and Ani would show up while they healed.

    And out of the whole group, only Fruna was getting a bit anxious.

    Even if they did have incredibly powerful souls, that Misty Haze Pits could throw out something unexpected even for them. Admittedly, Fruna would like it if those charming kids coulde back, treasure or not.

    Robert and Reyney, however, were of more apathetic opinions.

    Seeing as they were a couple of Nascent Core youths but just with unique souls, they weren''t all that worried about those twoing back.

    Though their souls may be powerful and could lead them to be something powerful in the future. It all meant nothing if their regr cultivation wasn''t high and slow.

    The biggest and only concern for them was if Darcel and Ani coulde back with that treasure.

    And if not, they could always just try again with more powerful soul Artifacts.

    "You know Fruna, maybe those kids might''ve just hit the jackpot. But they most likely aren''t in a condition to make it back." Robert shrugged his shoulder and casually threw out to say.

    Fruna only took a quick nce at him before continuing back to obverse the Misty Haze Pits. It would be useless to try to argue, plus even she knows he very well might be right.

    During this whole time, Hurey was the only that had some other thoughts swirling around in his mind. Yet, depending on whether or not Darcel and Ani came back, would he bring it up, and he continued on staying silent.

    And just when the area would fall back to silence, Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all spiked up!

    Their senses just now could only pick up on something rapidly approaching from below, swift like lightning!

    ''Hua!''

    A Darkness and white Light streak burst from the icy hail of the Misty Hail Pits!

    Fruna''s group all snapped their heads up as the Darkness, and white Light streak went at least several meters high in the air.

    And quickly as they jumped up, the Darkness and white Light streak dived straight back to the ground.

    Two charmingly gorgeous youths crashed on the icy blue ground with a loud thud, causing several spider web cracks to form in the icy road.

    "Ahh.I hope we didn''t keep you all waiting for too long!"

    The sweet alluring voice of the energetic Ani burst into Fruna''s group eardrums.

    Standing right in front of their faces, indeed, was Darcel and Ani.

    Yet, there were dramatic changes to the duo that nearly caused Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey to leave their jaws hanging wide open.

    The most immense shocking change was that they were both True Soul Core cultivators!

    The tremendous barrier that kept hundreds of thousands average Nascent Core cultivators and even talented geniuses stuck for the rest of their lives.

    Yet in just hours at best, these kids suddenly broke through in a single step?!

    The only thing that could exin this outrageous phenomenon was Darcel and Ani''s must''ve gained some sort of high tier Heavenly Treasure!

    Immediately, Robert, Reyney, and even Hurey''s eyes lit up with the excitement of greed.

    Although Fruna''s eyes took more notice of Darcel and Ani''s slightly changed appearance and presence. Somehow them being a True Soul Core cultivator gave them a more pure, vibrant beauty.

    It was as if any previous small imperfection on their faces were dramatically improved, changing their already alluring charming looks to a devilish beauty.

    Fruna was the first to quickly break out of her shock stupor and broadly smile at Darcel and Ani.

    "Congrattions, you two! Not only have you made it out alive, but you''ve also crossed the boundary to the True Soul Core realm!"

    Without any hesitation, Fruna casually walked up to Darcel and Ani to properly congratte them.

    Though this was a pretense in order to not let her partners act rash. She could clearly feel the apparent greed swirling in their eyes.

    "Why, thank you, Fruna! It was a bit difficult, but Darcy and I easily pulled through. Just one small thing, though.we don''t have any more of the treasure that we picked up in there." Ani exined without a care in the world.

    And indeed, it was the truth. That magical blue flower disappeared once Darcel and Ani crossed into the True Soul Core realm.

    However, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey weren''t all too keen on hearing this.

    In fact, a shock expression mixed with rising rage appears specifically on Robert and Reyney faces.

    "The hell do you mean you have no more treasure left?! You already used everything that got you to breakthrough to a whole new major realm?!" Robert harshly uses, raising his voice higher and higher.

    No matter what kind of Heavenly tier treasure they got, it all couldn''t have been wasted all on breaking two mere Nascent Core brats to the True Soul Core realm!

    Which led Robert to suspect they were obviously lying!

    "You two must''ve gotten a treasure that felt unfathomable to you, right? Akin to something even more powerful than a Heavenly King at your original sect, right? And you expect us to believe that kind of powerful energy was all wasted on one mere little breakthrough?!"

    Reyney as well didn''t believe Ani''s words for a second.

    Sensing the situation rapidly deteriorated, Fruna quickly turned around and told the two,

    "Rx, will you! Robert! Weren''t you just saying they probably wouldn''t even return? A life or death situation most likely forced them to use the damn treasure!"

    "Heh? Oh, really, then?" Robert snorted, and he and Reyney started aggressively walking up to Fruna.

    "I don''t care why you like these two so much, but they''re obviously bullshiting. But to convince you, Fruna. We want Darcel and Ani to fork over their Spatial ring now. Then we''ll see the truth." This time Reyney spoke as they both neared Fruna.

    "Just calm the hell down already. We haven''t even asked for their side of the story yet! In a calm manner, we all can discuss this."

    While speaking, Fruna''s eyes quickly trailed over to Hurey.

    But when making eye contact, Hurey stayed unmoving, letting all of this y out and giving Robert and Reyney his silent agreement. He never felt one hundred percent on the duo in the first ce, and Hurey kind of expected this to eventually happen.

    "Last time Fruna. Get out of the way."

    Robert and Reyney''s face was twisting into a more annoyed and pissed expression by the second. To reinforce their point, both Robert and Reyney began to leak a small dosage of their fourth rank Innate Core aura!

    Fruna''s eyes slightly widened, and she immediately surged her own fourth rank Innate Core aura. She extended her aura to wrap around Darcel and Ani, protecting them and bear against both Robert and Reyney''s auras.

    But still, two against one already put her at a grave disadvantage.

    And Fruna was already feeling a mighty suppression stack on her body. "Do you really need to go so hard? You''re just going to drive them off!"

    "Oh, finally, you brought this point up! You know, on further thinking about it, you should damn well know why our group won''t let mere True Soul Core kids join us at this time. Even if their souls are special!" Robert stood his ground against Fruna.

    "Look at this way, Fruna. The heavenly treasure will be far more useful to us than with them. Realistically, how far can being a mere True Soul Core cultivator get you in our province?"

    Fruna was beginning to grit her teeth against this double suppression. The pressure was straining, yet Fruna didn''t back down.

    "Still,e on, you guys. We''re not the same as those barbarians at the Silver Bloody Hammer group. We can be reasonable about this."

    Robert snorted at her usation, "If they wanted to be reasonable, they shouldn''t have lied in the first ce. You know they would only continue their lie if we don''t force them. Besides Fruna, us acting reasonably? That''s all surface level when the powers are equal between two parties! Don''t let some little attachment get in the way of good judgment."

    "Tch.Hurey! What''s your opinion about this!"

    Fruna pleaded to him, and yet Hurrey still remained indifferent to this entire debacle. He still didn''t move and just shook his head.

    "Hmmm.alright! The show has gone on long enough!"

    Finally, then, Ani''s voice burst right back up, having no fear indicated in her tone.

    "Hmph, these two sure like to run their mouths." Darcel also snorted as all eyes gathered on him and Ani.

    Before Robert, Reyney, or Fruna could say anything, Darcel and Ani finally moved!

    ''Hua!''

    A chaotic burst of wind sted right past everyone!

    Robert, Reyney, Fruna''s, and Hurey''s eyes all burst open as Darcel and Ani suddenly disappear from their spots.

    None of their eyes could track that kind of speed. "Hey now! Where''s all that previous bravado!" Darcel''s cold voice slithered into Robert and Reyney''s ears.

    They almost jumped out of their skins as somehow Darcel and Ani popped right in front of Fruna and stood imposingly before them.

 Chapter 103: Turned Tables

    Chapter 103: Turned Tables

    For a second, Robert and Reyney utterly froze in ce.

    No matter what kind of speed Darcel and Ani put out, there''s just no way they couldn''t be able to track it!

    Even more shocking was the fact they did at such a short close distance!

    Robert and Reyney''s eyes locked with the deep ck eyes of Darcel and Ani. Darcel and Ani''s face had a slight smile in an almost mocking way as if they were gazing at a couple of clowns.

    Immediately Robert and Reyney got over their shocks.

    No matter what kind of tricks they did, these two were still utter fools in thinking they could match their Innate Core prowess!

    They didn''t know why Darcel and Ani still had this arrogant, bold expression. Nor did they understand why a foreboding feeling was swirling in their guts.

    All that mattered now was that Fruna couldn''t protect them anymore!

    Seeing Darcel and Ani''s tall, robust backs caused Fruna to have a momentarypse of focus.

    She too couldn''t even tell how fast they moved but being in front of her was terrible! A frown epass her face, but before she moved, Robert suddenly said,

    "Look, kids, you ha-" But as he began to speak, he abruptly stopped.

    Not only him, but Reyney, Fruna, and Hurey''s bodies all suddenly went entirely rigid!

    All of their eyes burst into saucers as tremendous changes urred within Darcel and Ani!

    Streaks of Darkness and white Light spewed out of them like thunderous lightning. The air chaotically shifted to their breaths, and the hail storming the ce was destroyed by any streaks of Darkness or white Light.

    Ani''s smile broadened, seeing their stunned expressions, and she had then said, "You want to see the heavenly treasure we got?! Then feast your eyes!"

    ''Chi!''

    Darcel''s Yin Spiritual state and Ani''s Yang Spiritual state erupted at full force, sting out their tremendous bloodline powers!

    Cracks of blue ice spurt from the ground and swirled around Darcel and Ani. Their bloodline arms gained their respective Darkness, and white Light glow as their exotic tattoo markings appear.

    "Wha-wha."

    Robert couldn''t even finish his sentence and felt an tremendous suffocation heavily affecting his ability to talk. His body violently quiver, and an unbearable suppression crushed his body and soul.

    Reyney was in the exact same position. Darcel and Ani''s bloodline aura tremendously suffocated him. It brought upon an immense suppression to his soul and body that made him uncontrobly tremble.

    "Ge-Ahhh!!"

    Both Robert and Reyney were struggling to even stand after a second.

    Their Innate Qi was getting continuously suppressed and couldn''t hope to stand up to Darcel and Ani''s mere bloodline aura.

    Bones inside their bodies were cracking, their organs were churning, and they felt as if their souls were getting tightly squeezed. At this point, they were utterly helpless under Darcel and Ani''s powerful bloodline aura.

    "Hehehe~! What''s wrong? Weren''t you two going to force us because you can? Well? We''re waiting!"

    Ani was mockingly beckoning her finger at Robert and Reyney, putting them on the same level as mere dogs.

    Frustration and shame swell in Robert and Reyney''s eyes.

    Being humiliated like this against mere True Soul Core brats no less is nothing short of a nightmare! Yet, there was absolutely nothing they could do about it but sallow the humiliation.

    "That mindset you all have.you know it''s not even necessarily wrong. But wiser and experienced cultivators realize they should never get too much of an ego. Even if they have a powerful backing." Darcel''s tone was the pent ultimate of condescending.

    Like speaking to children, Darcel talked to Robert and Reyney like they''re nothing more than clowns. And his and Ani''s mocking smirks only widen as they watch their expression struggles to twist into an unending rage.

    All the while, watching them from the back, Fruna was positively gobsmacked. The trembling suppression Robert and Reyney were undergoing barely affected her.

    Yet, she could still sense the overwhelming power Darcel and Ani sted out. "This.this is actually real." A long exasperated breath leaked from Fruna''s mouth, her mind inplete awe.

    Hurey, however, was undergoing an entirely different experiencepared to Fruna.

    His body was quaking in utter fear as a tremendous suppression wrapped his entire body and soul.

    His once surging Innate Qi whirling inside his body was now utterly suppressed and frozen under Darcel and Ani''s bloodline aura.

    But unlike Robert and Reyney, Hurey could at least move his body, albeit heavily sluggishly.

    Yet, Hurey had absolutely zero intentions to move a single joint.

    The fear Darcel and Ani struck in him was immense, and he knows just one small wrong move, and he''ll be in the same crushing humiliation as Robert and Reyney.

    "Just.just how.why." Was all Hurey could say during this dramatic reversal.

    A mix of disbelief and fear surged in his eyes, and Hurey prayed to whatever god that Darcel and Ani don''t turn their vicious w on him.

    While Darcel and Ani looked on with their cold, mocking eyes, Robert and Reyney took onest nce at each other. With each second pass, the more unwilling they both were to ept this reality.

    They are real Innate Core powerhouses, not some ants!

    Robert and Reyney refused to simply not try anything else, and a maddening glint surged in their eyes then.

    With onest-ditch effort attempt, Robert and Reyney frantically try to surge every bit of Innate Qi in their bodies.

    Their teeth fiercely gnashed together, causing blood to pool from their mouths like a running stream of water.

    Darcel curiously raised his eyebrows at the two futile struggles to escape.

    "Hm, how pitiful. People like you won''t get until you fully experience everything, right?" As Darcel spoke, this time, he split his Spirit Senses focus and put half and half on Robert and Reyney.

    Instantaneously then, Darcel managed to smoothly spew out a shadow from Robert and Reyney''s feet each!

    Right when their shadows formed, five Darkness tendrils sted out of the shadows. They tightly wrapped up Robert and Reyney in a Darkness cocoon.

    Robert and Reyney''s eyes bulged out of their sockets then.

    Agonizing pain wreaked havoc in their bodies and souls through the immense power of Darcel''s Darkness tendrils.

    Both men couldn''t even feel their Innate Qi; Darcel''s Darkness tendrils energy had utterly vaporized all Qi energy inside their bodies.

    Neither Robert nor Reyney could utter even a single yelp of pain as their mouths were mped up by Darcel''s Darkness tendril.

    "Oooh! This is a bit new, Darcy! You''re almost like a.shadow tentacle man!"

    Ani was making light of the situation and still spouted a bright, radiant smile in contrast to the situation''s grave atmosphere.

    Even without Darcel using his Darkness tendrils, it was in as day for Robert, Reyney, Fruna, and Hurey. The hard cold fact that Darcel and Ani could kill them all with a single step!

    Although for Fruna''s group, everything just happened too fast and abruptly.

    The kind of demonic jumpingbat prowess Darcel and Ani possess is something they should nevere across in their little lives!

    Still, before anything else could happen, Fruna knew she had to speak up at this time. "W-wait! Darcel and Ani, please don''t kill them. Trying to be so forceful was a grave, terrible mistake on our part. And we can make it up to you!"

    Leaving Robert and Reyney to their agonizing hell, Darcel and Ani turned around to face Fruna.

    Admittedly they never n on killing Robert and Reyney.

    Despite the high power trip they''re on, Darcel and Ani still retained their rational minds. Killing Robert and Reyney are essentially destroying their tickets to find more information about this Province and gain quick resources.

    They liked Fruna a bit and would preferably not make an enemy out of her and end up having to either force her or kill her too.

    As well, Darcel and Ani only violently strike when someone has genuine killing intent against them or wants to enve them. All Robert and Reyney wanted to do was forcefully try to steal their items.

    But the most significant factor of all was that Darcel and Ani simply don''t have a ce to go home to. And they would rather not make enemies with potentially strong Heavenly Kings.

    At least not at this point of time.

    Still, Ani found the desperately pleading face of Fruna admirable. Even now, she could brave the dangers for people she considers herrades no matter how heavy the odds are stacked against her.

    "Hehehe~, we aren''t going to kill them. Just set them a bit straight, you know! As for helping us, how about.taking us back to your group and putting a good word in for us to join. We can think of other matterster, right Darcy?"

    "Indeed, that would be suitable for now. And I also trust none of you will speak about our prowess or that treasure, right? After all, us mere True Soul Core juniors couldn''t possibly beat you all, right Fruna?"

    Darcel directed his attention right on her as he could safely guess Fruna''s words will be more believable than any of the men''s words.

    Her more reasonable and rational mind is a quality many are more willing to listen to.

    Fruna put on a slightly strained smile, but she still nodded nheless, telling them, "R-right. At least, I can make sure Robert, Reyney, and Hurey won''t talk. They still owe me some huge favors they can''t afford to deny."

    "Is that so? Alright, then."

    Darcel had then snapped his fingers and removed the Darkness tendrils covering Robert and Reyney.

    They crashed hard onto the cold hard icy ground, their bodies still shivering from pain.

    Darcel and Ani had then deactivated their bloodline state going back to their normal devilish beautiful appearance. While they did so, it still didn''t stop the fear swirling in Robert, Reyney, and Hurey''s mind.

    Cold sweat still poured down their backs even as Darcel and Ani had no intentions to seriously harm them.

    Now, not only are they forced to travel with these freakish youths, but they also couldn''t even speak out about what happened as Fruna''s words were crushingly valid.

    Suddenly then, Darcel and Ani quickly snapped their heads towards Hurey.

    Their deep ck eyes that looked chilling to Hurey deeply bore a hole into his own eyes.

    Hurley kept his mouth shut as his body went rigid on instinct. At this point, it was far toote to regret his actions about helping. He could only hope for now that he would just stay entirely out of Darcel and Ani''s way.

    Instead of talking, Darcel and Ani only mockingly smiled at Hurey''s fearful expression.

    Their jeering smiles only further sent waves of shame inside his mind, yet he dared not to call Darcel and Ani out on it.

    Seeing what they expected from Hurey, Darcel and Ani quickly turned their focus back on Fruna.

    "Now then, lead the way Fruna. With everything out in the open, I''m sure we all can get along better now." Darcel smoothly told her.

    "A-ah. Ri-right. Just follow me."

    Fruna''s tone was still nervous and tense even as Darcel and Ani were just in their normal state now. Still, she pushed on and began walking ahead, with Darcel and Ani closely following.

    Seeing as they were close to her, Fruna swallowed down her nervousness and attempted to make a conversion with them.

    "Hahaha.back there, you two really know how to hide your stuff. Never would I believe we''ll be in the presence of true geniuses."

    Not minding the apparent tension in Fruna''s voice, Ani still gave her a bright warm smile and told her, "You, yourself is also pretty impressive! I mean, standing up to your teammates with zero help is admirable!"

    "Indeed, you''re quite a bold and charming woman. Not even the beautiful young geniuses we see can possess this kind of quality."

    Darcel also decided to speak up and gave her a captivating, alluring smile.

    Admittedly, from this double team attack, Fruna couldn''t stop a small blush from growing on her face.

    Darcel and Ani''s high-ss beauty, their smooth voice, andforting words were getting her to rx her guard.

    Though the main reason her guard was beginning to rx was the warm and gentle presence the duo naturally exudes now.

    It was in stark contrast to the deadly presence they had just seconds ago, but Fruna couldn''t help but get caught in their captivating presence.

    Plus, during the whole previous event, they had listened to her words. Furthermore, they also don''t have that same arrogant stride many talented geniuses tend to develop.

    "A-ah. Thank you for your kind words. And hey, before we make it to town, we''ll have quite a walk to get through. So I''ll tell you everything you need to know before we make it there."

    Fruna''s voice was getting chipper by the second, far preferring the more easy-going Darcel and Ani.

    "Mnh, that would be great." Darcel agreed, and along with Ani, they tentatively began to listen up to whatever Fruna had to say.

    All the while, from six feet behind them, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey were wearily following them.

    No words were spoken between them until Robert suddenly said,

    "Just.just who are these monstrous youths. And why did we have the shittiest of luck to encounter them."

    Hurey simply sighed and shook his head. "No matter what now. Our town, our group, won''t ever be the same with these two joining."

 Chapter 104: Theories & Myths

    Chapter 104: Theories & Myths

    Now that Fruna essentially had free reigns to guide the group, she had quickly led them out of the path of the Misty Haze Pits.

    After a moderate amount of time of walking, they were now on an expansive blue icy road filled with actual crowds of people!

    As they came to this point, Darcel and Ani took notice of the drastically changing scenery while they talked with Fruna.

    While they walked up to this point, the duo more clearly saw how things worked in an unending snowynd.

    Numerous blue icy roads trailing into the snowy ground were at every corner Darcel and Ani''s eyes could see. Moreover, these roads all have twist and turning paths that stretch far out in the Plunged Tundra.

    Zero Spirit Monsters appeared on these roads, and the humans here were now plentiful. But, while observing the humans walking around here, Darcel and Ani manage to pick up on a consistent oddity.

    Barring the fact that everyone they saw all wore heavyyer clothes to counteract the heavy weather. There was a precise noticeable bar that was set for anyone traveling on these icy roads.

    The absolute weakest here only had amounted up to the peak True Soul Core realm.

    And every peak True Soul Core cultivators were traveling in packs; there wasn''t a single lone adventurer in that realm.

    However, for Innate Core cultivators, it was a toss-up for them.

    They either travel in packs or were lone adventurers that looked highly skilled to be traversing alone.

    It was quite a curious sight for Darcel and Ani. Considering the fact that in the Blessed Spirit Province, they would rarely see Innate Core powerhouses walking around so casually.

    Hell, if they weren''t in the Zakira Academy, peak True Soul Core cultivators'' appearances weren''t as abundant as those on these icy roads.

    Although the thing is, Darcel and Ani couldn''t see why for such a specific standard.

    As they walk towards Fruna''s town, neither Darcel nor Ani notices anybody being aggressive or bandit-like. Everyone simply stayed in their ownne and groups, barely having any interaction with each other.

    Even as Darcel and Ani themselves were just mere firstyer link True Soul Core cultivators, nobody passed them a passing nce.

    Furthermore, the chilling weather here didn''t affect Darce and Ani at all now.

    With the abilities granted by the True Soul Core realm, Darcel and Ani were like fish in waters being more in touch with their souls.

    They could now even unconsciously release just a very tiny portion of their pure ck ming essence in their souls.

    And that tiny portion of ck ming essence easily tore off any cold that attempted to prate their bodies. Despite the snowy scenery, Darcel and Ani felt like they were just in an average warm day.

    With her rising curiosity growing as they observe more and more humans walking down these numerous roads, Ani decided to ask Fruna,

    "Everyone sure is prepared and powerful. But.not even some powerful expert leading a group of Nascent kids or something? There just has to be a specific reason why, right, Fruna?"

    Towards her inquiry, Fruna slightly smiled and exined, "Of course you two wouldn''t be affected at all. But really, the reason you won''t see anyone below the peak of the True Soul Core realm has to do with the weather. There''s an old, long-running theory that''s been around for as long I''ve been around about the Icy Cloud Province. Do you two believe these kinds of myths and vague theories?"

    Darcel and Ani took a look over to each other then.

    With all they experienced so far, surely they wouldn''t hear something that would be so outrageous. So Darcel simply nodded his head, saying, "Sure, why not. Some theories and myths hold some truth to them."

    "Well, you see, cultivators and even Mage''s alike crafted a theory together. Somewhere deep inside the wild Snowy ins, there''s an infinite power source that''s continuously spewing out Ice Qi and permanently affecting the environment of the whole Province. And while nobody could confirm for sure. What is confirmed without a doubt is that if you''re not powerful enough to resist the Qi here, your body and soul will permanently freeze over. Quickly though, people were able to gather that being a peak True Soul Core was the base limit to traverse through the Province."

    Hearing all of this, Darcel and Ani quickly took in the mass sum of information. Now it was making sense why even Innate Core powerhouses bundle up inyers of clothes.

    Still, Ani had another question popping in her mind and had then spoken up to ask, "Mnnh.so that would mean the towns and Cities here are a safe haven from the cold?"

    "Exactly. In actuality,pared to all other Provinces, even the first ranked one. Our Province has the most small towns and abundances of Cities. Every town or City has been specifically crafted to fend off the deadly freezing cold." Fruna continued on to exin.

    During her talk, a thought popped into Darcel''s mind.

    He began to recall one of Vice-Principal Zelle''s lessons. She mentioned the ninth-ranked Province alone is at least several hundred thousand kilometers long.

    And climbing the ranks of the Provinces, they only continue to overly increase in their size and expansion.

    "Just, how''s a power source like that even possible to exist? This Province is more than hundred of thousands of kilometers long. Surely that kind of power source can''t stay a myth for long."

    "Well.this theory is just something that was passed down for generations. Possibly ever since the first batch of people roamed this World. Yet, even experts from the first ranked Province couldn''t find a trace of this power source. All we do know is the Qi here is vastly more deadly than the other Provinces."

    There was one link that Darcel and Ani''s mind went to hearing everything is supposedly shrouded in mystery.

    One translucent Spirit girl named Sariel; out of everything, they could directly confirm that Sariel is connected to the World in some profound deep way.

    But this was information Darcel, and Ani obviously could only ponder on to themselves or with each other.

    "Oooh.I didn''t expect for this Province to have such an intriguing back story. Oh? Hey! Is that Mawold Town?" Ani pointed out as her eyes squinted forward towards buildings scraping the skies.

    Though as she pointed it out, she and the others took notice of theck of people surrounding them now on this road.

    A singr wide icy road led towards each town, and two roads split off from each town road and led into other areas.

    And on the road leading to Mawold Town, there wasn''t anybody trying to go on it. But there were cultivators going on the splitting roads that led somewhere else than Mawold Town.

    "Ah.that is indeed our Mawold Town," Fruna confirmed Ani''s word though she had creased her eyebrows a bit.

    From six feet behind them, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all breathed a huge sigh of relief seeing homee so soon, not really putting the oddity ofck of people in their minds.

    "For a small town as you called it Fruna. This ce is pretty luxurious."

    Darcel remarked as the scale of this ''town'' reminded him of Necrotic City. He could already see tall towering blue buildings split into the sky, all spouting rich icy designs.

    Although,ing from cultivators and Mage''s, Darcel and Ani couldn''t say they were too shocked. The only noticeable peculiar oddity was theck of people leading up to Mawold Town.

    "Hmmm.is this a reclusive town? There isn''t a single person leaving or going into it?"

    Ani question since while they walked down this path, it still was only their group of six.

    Promptly then, Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey got a familiar worrying feel stirring around in their guts.

    "No.it''s not. Let me walk a bit ahead; I have a feeling for what''s about toe up."

    Fruna spoke and had then quickly walked a few steps ahead of the ground. Under her leadership, the group promptly sped up the pace and swiftly arrived near the expansive Mawold Town.

    Seeing it up at close truly showed the more Ice beauty of the town. There were beautifully designedrge ice-blue walls covering the town and a massive open gate that led into the town.

    Darcel and Ani remarked in their minds that this ce has a weing presence that invited people to go in.

    Quickly though, their and Fruna''s group attention was shifted from off the buildings.

    Up ahead, they could make out seven human figures standing at the entrance of town. Four were blocking the town entrance while the other three didn''t try to force their way.

    A gruff voice slithered into Fruna''s group as they approached close to them.

    "As I already said. If none of you can''t fork over the crystals, then piss off from here!"

    As Fruna''s group approached the town, they all got a good look at just who was blocking the entrance and being aggressively demanding.

    And once seeing just who it was, apparent dread swirled in Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey''s eyes.

    The four men blocking off the entrance were all tall and robust looking. They all donned the same outfit, consisting of a high-quality silver, blood-red mix design armor.

    The armor all looked luxuriously polished and excellently made. Just with a single nce, one can tell the armor didn''t affect their movement at all and gave them a higher defense than a cultivator''s regr bodily defense.

    In all four of those men, hands were long, intimidating looking silver hammers.

    And at the tip of their hammers, a bright blood red color dye there further entuating their daunting vibes.

    Although, the most intimidating aspect of these men was the fact they were all seventh rank Innate Core powerhouses!

    And in front of them were two men at the fifth rank of the Innate Core realm and one mysterious hooded girl also at the fifth rank.

    Darcel, when he could finally make out the people there, his attention was immediately captured. Nobody, not even Ani right next to him, felt their attention capture like Darcel did.

    Only his eyes directly fell on the hooded girl, and right when he looked straight at the hooded girl, she had also snapped her head right towards Darcel.

    As a familiar sensation course in Darcel''s soul, while he looked at the girl, Darcel had to remark that the hooded girl was quite the hidden beauty.

    Though her clothes did cover some of her body figure, he was able to make out most of it.

    No matter what, Darcel could make out she had a bewitching curvaceous figure that was nearly a perfect figure eight. Her breasts couldn''t be contained and are quiterge, beingparable to melon sizes.

    Briefly, Darcel could make out her backside, and he could also see her behind wasrge and plump, perfectly filling out her hooded robes.

    And under the hoodie, Darcel could vaguely make out her face.

    She had a small cute nose, bright, alluring cherry red lips, and beautiful creamy skin. As their attention locked on to each other, they both momentarily forgot about the tense situation going on around them.

    However, with Ani, she watched on with a curious expression, her attention being squarely on those strange silver armor men.

    Suddenly one of the fifth rank Innate Core men began talking.

    "Tch! Are you three supposed to be the master of town? Even so, isn''t your price to get in a little steep!"

    The four silver armor men jeered at the fifth rank Innate Core man and didn''t budge an inch.

    "So what if the price is a little expensive? Do you have another way of going into the town that doesn''t involve getting through us?" The silver armor man in the middle spoke, disdain filling up his eyes.

    Right then, Fruna''s group was mere meters away from the scuffle.

    And while Fruna was dreading this encounter, it doesn''t mean she''ll sit by and let this damn group do what they want!

    Boldly Fruna strolled up the silver armor men, immediately gaining their attention. Apparent heat entered the men''s eyes and Fruna''s eyes as their gazes crossed.

    "You silver hammer barbarians are trying to start this crap again?! You know damn well your group doesn''t run this town, so get out of our way!"

 Chapter 105: Clash At The Entrance

    Chapter 105: sh At The Entrance

    "Oh? Well, would you look who decided to show up! The small little Fang group, what timing indeed!" The silver armor man in the middle spoke up again, his toneced with ample mockery.

    A jeering, disdainful smile etched on his and his other three partner''s lips as they gazed over Fruna''s face.

    "Really, shouldn''t you Fang''s know your ce by now? Out here, right now, we''re stronger. And even inside the town walls, we''re still stronger!"

    Though his insulting words carried a thick arrogant weight, there was some truth Fruna couldn''t deny in his words.

    Frustration welled in her eyes, but Fruna quickly pushed it down. Her eyes had then swiftly snapped over to Robert, Reyney, and Hurey, signaling them to provide support.

    Seeing the situation going down, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey did get a bit bolder.

    They walked ahead of Darcel and Ani but didn''t go right next to Fruna.

    While they did so, another one of the silver armor men suddenly spoke up, saying, "Hoh? The whole crowding to y, eh? Alright. We all can y nice here and move on with our lives. Each and every one of you just have to pay a small price of ten green crystals if you want entrance into the town."

    "Ten green crystals?! You of all people should know how much of a highway robbery that is!"Robert suddenly blurted out this time.

    Crystallize resources only gets harder to get with each passing realm. Plus, their worth and values dramatically increase going further in each realm.

    It''smon knowledge that if you''re not at least a titled Heavenly King cultivator or a rich Innate Core powerhouse. Then your chances at having at least one green crystal are next to none!

    "Ohh.that''s too bad. But it isn''t our problem." The silver armor men were cruel and stone-cold in their expression.

    But right then, the mysterious hooded girl finally moved again.

    Throughout the entire exchange, she was in this weird trance stare off with Darcel.

    A familiar sensation went off in her soul as she stared at him, and she couldn''t exin why. Just she only knew Darcel''s presence instantly captured her attention.

    But when her ears picked up the silver armor men''stest cruel words, she snapped back to reality.

    The hooded robe girl broke her stare off with Darcel and whipped her head around back to the silver armor men.

    "Look, you four, fuck off already! I can''t believe your charade had gone off for so long!" Immediately all eyes fell on the hooded robe girl.

    The silver armor men felt a rush of annoyance at her arrogant words, yet before they could talk, the hooded robe girl suddenly red her aura!

    The surging prowess of a fifth rank Innate Core discharged from the hooded robe girl and pressed on to the silver armor men.

    Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all mped their mouths up as this girl power was incredible!

    Even the silver armor men were taken for a slight surprise.

    At first, their smiles were turning into a broader mocking one, and they were ready to jeer at the girl''s fifth rank aura.

    However, when the hooded girl aura actually crushed down on them, all four of the silver armor men''s smiles froze. They went utterly silent for a moment.

    Somehow, despite it being four against one, they all felt a noticeable suppression weighed on their bodies under this little girl aura!

    It made the four silver armor men crease their eyebrows. Yet, they soon got rid of any unnecessary thoughts about the weirdness of this hooded robe girl aura.

    Their all seventh rank Innate Core powerhouses, this little girl aura is nothing to them!

    With a jeering snort, the four silver armor men had then red their seventh rank Innate Core aura!

    ''Chi!''

    Snow swirled between the men and hooded robe girl as their aura violently shed against each other.

    Fruna, Robert, Reyney, Hurey, and the other two fifth Innate Core cultivators were all forced to back off under the thunderous sh of powers.

    "I won''t say this again! Fuck off out of here, or pay the toll!"

    Though the silver armor man in the middle said it, he and his partners were getting increasingly surprised by the second.

    For some reason, even as they red the full force of their aura, this hooded robe girl still didn''t back down against them. In fact, her fifth rank Innate Core aura stood its ground against theirbined seventh rank auras!

    The tension was quickly rising, and soon it would seem like a battle was bound to break out.

    "Alright, Darcy! I think it''s about time for us to enter the scene. Let''s do it.soul style." Ani quietly whispered to Darcel as she watched the events unfold.

    Watching how bold that hooded girl was ignited her fighting spirit to go against the odds and shock those silver armor men.

    "You know, this would be excellent practice for our souls. You go up first, Ani, and then I''ll create a perfect double suppression." Darcel quickly said to Ani.

    On instinct, he wanted to help out the hooded girl anyway, and this situation was the perfect opportunity to introduce themselves to her.

    Smiling at Darcel, Ani nodded and quickly walked up to the silver armor men and the hooded girl.

    The cking sound of her feet hitting the iced pavement brought their attention to her.

    Robert, Reyney, and Hurey had no intentions of stopping Ani, already somewhat believing she''ll probably do something outrageous. Fruna wanted to hold her, but she held her tongue, knowing full well how kept hidden she and Darcel are.

    When Ani neared them, she gave both the silver armor men and the hooded robe girl her best bright smile.

    Immediately, Ani felt their shes of aura, but her face didn''t show any sign of tension. Quickly Ani began smoothly surging her soul powers to resist the friction of auras.

    Streaks of white light smoked off Ani''s body in small wisps causing surprise to swell in the silver armor men and the hooded girl.

    Ever since Ani first appeared, they were already slightly captivated by her presence. And now, their curiosity only further increased.

    But before anybody could question what she was doing. Ani surged out her soul powers, discharging a soul aura, and crushed it down on the four silver armor men.

    "Now, now. There''s no need to resort to violence so quickly! I''m sure we all can smooth this out peacefully."

    Though Ani may have sounded sweet and like a caring peace angel. Her action was causing panic in the silver armor men''s minds!

    Their mighty, powerful souls that shouldn''t be affected by anyone here was getting noticeably weighed down by a severe suppression!

    And where that suppression wasing from was this sudden long white hair girl that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

    Moreover, the girl didn''t even look stressed at all from bearing both three seventh rank Innate Core auras and one powerful fifth rank Innate Core aura!

    "Tch and just who the hell are." The leading silver armor man sentence trailed off as he and the other heard another set of feet marching towards them.

    The four silver men eyes, Fruna''s group eyes, the two fifth rank Innate Core cultivators, and the hooded girl snapped their heads back. They watched as Darcel strolled up to them with the same confident stride as Ani.

    When Darcel neared the silver armor men, he too felt the mighty shes of Innate Core auras.

    But, just like Ani, Darcel quickly surged out his soul powers. He discharged a soul aura that matched with Ani''s soul aura and crashed down on the four silver armor men.

    Streaks of Darkness wisp out of his body like smoke, and Darcel spoke up before anyone else could. "She''s right. How about you four just let all of us go past, and we can all go about our lives."

    Now the four silver armor men went utterly silent.

    Ani''s soul suppression already caused concerns in the men, and now Darce had just double the suppression!

    And right then, the four silver armor men felt shocked coursing in their bodies. They perceived it, on their faces, sweat was pouring down them.

    Sweat as if they''re facing a significant threat to their lives!

    Their bodies felt even heavier too and a considerable pressure crushed on them. The silver armor men''s minds were going a million miles per second, just trying to understand what was going on.

    The number of people who can actually use their souls willingly and effectively in the Innate Core realm is nearly to next none besides extraordinary geniuses.

    And even then, not even titled Heavenly King cultivators has that much control over their souls!

    While the silver armor men, of course, didn''t think they would lose to these kids, the suppression on their souls was too outrageous to ignore.

    "You two! Just what the hell are you, kids!" The man in the middle aggressively called out, trying to hide his worries.

    He focused his mighty aura on Darcel and Ani, yet his soul suppression didn''t let up. His partners also joined in on focusing their auras on Darcel and Ani.

    But to their dismay, the soul suppression didn''t let up, and Darcel and Ani''s face remained the same.

    Watching this exchange unfold right next to them, the hooded robe girl couldn''t contain her shock. Her eyes had snapped over to Darcel as soon as he discharged his soul aura.

    She once again cursed in her mind. All of her focus was once again taken by this random dark hair boy!

    But, the familiar sensation that course in her soul was out of her hand, and she couldn''t control it.

    Amazingly enough, she didn''t feel the slightest bit of suppression when Darcel and Ani unleashed their soul auras.

    On the other hand, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all felt a greater fear swell in them about Darcel and Ani. They weren''t that close by the duo, yet they felt their souls quake over a great power discharge.

    Now they also know those two wouldn''t even need to go in that weird ck and white state. Just the mere release of their soul aura was already causing grave problems to them.

    The other fifth rank Innate Core men were just as equally as shocked and weary over the sudden appearance of Darcel and Ani.

    They felt their souls quiver in suppression though it wasn''t as great as Robert, Reyney, and Hurey.

    Fruna, however, was the only that wasn''t too put off over the sudden reversal. She was even gaining a slight sly smile seeing the silver armor men be so shocked and confused.

    Fruna had then decided to boldly walk up right next to Ani, saying, "They''re with us. And honestly, for all of our sakes, I would suggest you listen to their suggestion."

    The four silver armor men''s eyes briefly nced at Fruna.

    A shimmer of killing intent swirled in their eyes, staring at her, but they didn''t act on it. Quickly they refocused their attention on Darcel and Ani but didn''t try to attack them as well.

    They didn''t know what it was; call it an instinctual gut feeling. But all four of the silver armor men felt as if something unexpected would happen if they tried to attack.

    It was like a nagging voice inside their mind telling them to not act so rashly with these kids.

    Throughout the entire time, Darcel and Ani didn''t speak up yet.

    During the middle of pressuring these silver armor men, they had both sensed an unfathomable aura quickly approaching them.

    And when Fruna finished talking, it had finally arrived.

    Robert, Reyney, Hurey, and Fruna expressions all abruptly went ecstatic. The fifth Innate Core men''s eyes widen to saucers sizes.

    The hooded robe girl snapped her head to look behind the four silver armor men and into the town.

    Darcel and Ani were the only ones with calm and expected reactions.

    "Silver bloody hammer! Doing this farce once again?! Piss off already!" A booming voice sted in everyone''s eardrums.

    The four silver armor men went utterly rigid in fear as the tremendous suffocating aura of a Heavenly Transformation cultivator crashed down on them.

    "Ah! Heavenly General!" Reyney shouted out on instinct as he and his other partners felt a mass rush of relief wash over them.

    Quickly then, the hooded robe girl retracted her aura. Darcel and Ani as well recalled their soul auras.

    The four silver armor men didn''t even get a chance to retract their auras. The unfathomable Heavenly Transformation aura utterly vaporized it and immensely suppressed their Innate Qi.

    "Damn! We calcted it just right; he should''ve still been busy!" One of the silver armor men cursed under his breath.

    "Whatever. Let''s go; it''s their lucky break today." The silver armor man in the middle decided.

    And without turning around to give the other a single nce, the four silver armor men quickly retracted back into town. They moved swift like the wind leaving in an anticlimactic fashion.

    As they left, Fruna''s group, Darcel, Ani, the hooded robe girl, and the two fifth Innate Core men, all turned their heads to see a good looking man swiftly approaching them.

 Chapter 106: Flashy Impressions

    Chapter 106: shy Impressions

    For someone in the legendary Heavenly Transformation realm, Darcel and Ani was a bit surprised at the man outfit and overall general presence.

    Instead of the overbearing exotess Principal Zakira and Elder Leweyn naturally exuded, this man''s presence was more subdued.

    If Darcel and Ani had to exin it, they would say the man resembles someone that is honest and clearly a hard worker. He had a sturdy, robust frame and was at least six feet tall.

    The man''s outfit consisted of a simple brown furry leather outfit.

    And on the right side of his breastte was the symbol of a golden fang, making his outfit pop out just that tiny bit.

    Right when the man reached the entrance, the two other fifth Innate Core men took it upon themselves to leave.

    They kept their heads down and walked right past the men, knowing full well it''s best to not bother any Heavenly Kings.

    Although, the mysterious hooded robe girl stayed behind.

    Her eyes curiously stared at the man and specifically the golden fang symbol. A sh of realization crossed over in the girl''s mind then. But before she could speak, the man began to talk.

    "Ah, Fruna, Robert, Reyney, Hurey, it seems I just have impable timing. I was justing back from my outing with the Ice Darke guild. And."

    The man''s eyes suddenly trailed over Darcel and Ani.

    Already, the man could tell a bit of their personality from their stature. Darcel''s expression was calm and neutral, though a hint of curiosity swirled in his eyes.

    However, Ani had a lovely small smile on her face as her gaze evenly matched the man''s eyes.

    No matter if it was a titled Heavenly King cultivator, Darcel and Ani maintained their usual stride. Fruna stood close to them, and several clicks went off in the man''s mind.

    Even as he walked up to them, his attention was first taken by the duo and not by his own group members.

    "It seems like you all managed to meet some people during your trip to the Misty Haze Pits?"

    While he talked, the man''s eyes also briefly trailed over the hooded robe girl.

    This girl was also noteworthy of attention, though not as much as Darcel and Ani. But he was curious on why she didn''t go into town already and held a deep stare at him.

    Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all froze up against the man''s question.

    All of their eyes promptly turned over to Fruna, giving her free reign to control the conversation. They don''t want to be involved with that freakish duo more than they already are.

    Of course, Fruna didn''t have any problem with introducing Darcel and Ani.

    Her eyes quickly shed over to the duo, and they also briefly nced at Fruna. Darcel and Ani smiled at her, also giving her free reign to control the entire conversation.

    Understanding their request, Fruna turned back over to the man and saluted.

    "Heavenly General Gorbug. The boy is Darcel, and the girl is Ani. They are with us; in fact, we had sort of searched out for them on our own. Our soul pendants led us over to them, and they helped us get far in the Misty Haze Pits. Just now, I was about to take them over to join our group."

    Contrary to what Robert, Reyney, Hurey, Fruna, and even Darcel and Ani thought.

    Heavenly General Gorbug didn''t have that much of a reaction. Rather his face slowly formed into an expectant smile as if he knew this wasing.

    "I see.two True Soul Core youths, huh. There may be some.discussion about them. But, since you were about to personally lead them to join us, I don''t see any issue about them joining."

    And then, Heavenly General Gorbug turned his attention back on Darcel and Ani.

    Looking at them dead in the eyes, he told them, "Darcel, Ani. I am one of the Heavenly Generals of Nobe''s Fang group. I''m sure you two will fit right in here."

    Seeing the weing smile on Heavenly General Gorbug''s face was inviting. But Darcel and Ani couldn''t help but find it a bit.too queer.

    From the snippets they heard from Robert and Reyney, they believed something moreplicated may arise about them joining.

    Still, Darcel and Ani weren''t the ones to question a smiling face.

    Ani herself gave Heavenly General Gorbug a broad alluring smile that carried a luminous shine.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Heavenly General Gorbug! Darcel and I are a bit new here, so any help would be appreciated. And trust me, you won''t regret helping us out!"

    The bold and assured tone of Ani was almost too persuasive to listen to. That kind of stride and confidence made Heavenly General Gorbug gain a hint of respect in his eyes about her.

    Even as Darcel still didn''t talk, his steady, confident stature only entuated Ani''s point.

    "Is that so? I guess there''s only one way to truly find out then, right? Come on le-"

    "Hey! They''re going to join, too, right? And you all are from the Nobe''s Fang group, huh. Then I''m requesting to join your group too!"

    The hooded robe girl abruptly spoke up and even interrupted Heavenly General Gorbug. There was also sort of a demanding tone in her voice that wouldn''t take any form of an answer besides a yes.

    Promptly, Robert, Reyney, Hurey, and Fruna turned to look at the girl.

    They had a slight frown, obviously not liking the girl''s hot attitude. Yet none of them didn''t bother to speak out against it. They already saw just how aggressive the girl could be on a dime.

    Heavenly General Gorbug turned his eyes over to the girl. Instead of feeling annoyed, he was interrupted; his expression was still a calm slight smile.

    "A fifth rank Innate Core eh? I like your temperament, girl. We''re always wee to neers; let''s head back, shall we."

    "Right!" Robert, Reyney, Hurey, and Fruna all voiced their agreement at the same time.

    Promptly then, Heavenly General Gorbug turned around and started walking into the town.

    Fruna quickly walked up to Heavenly General Gorbug while the other three men stayed just a few feet to her side.

    And at the back was Darcel, Ani, and the hooded robe girl.

    Ani boldly stared right at the hooded robe girl and opened up her mouth. "Hehehe~, you just don''t mince any words or hold back your actions! You know.I''m already having a great first impression of you."

    Ani was never the one to hold back her words, and she genuinely gave out her honest thought.

    When telling her that, she, Darcel, and the hooded robe girl began following behind Heavenly General Gorbug''s group. However, their attentions were on each other.

    "It was very bold, I must say. Against those rowdy silver armor men, you look like you were prepping to take all three at once." Darcel chimed in after Ani.

    He gave the hooded robe girl a charming smile as his eyes wandered across the buildings inside the town.

    Truly being inside and outside the town are two entirely different experiences. Everything inside the town was vast, spouting numerous kinds of shops, Sects, or other types of organizations.

    Endless amounts of people roam the streets, all of them walking with purpose.

    But a critical difference between the people in this townpared to Necrotic City was the fact that a lot more people were bundled up together.

    There weren''t many singr cultivators walking about, and there weren''t many low-level cultivators.

    Darcel certainly did felt the temperature inside the town walls significantly warm-uppared to outside.

    But still, the lowest level walking around as far Darcel could sense was early True Soul Core warriors.

    Darcel couldn''t wonder his eyes for long around the town since the hooded robe girl didn''t miss a beat when replying to him.

    "Hmph! It alles naturally to me. But if we''re on first impressions, you two certainly don''t hold back as well! You two were quite shy, even got those silver eyes sores sweating."

    Darcel could see a hint of a smirk forming on the girl''s beautiful cherry red lips as she talked. Several intriguing ideas popped into his mind then, but Darcel pushed down those thoughts for a little bitter.

    "You could say that also onlyes naturally to us. By the way, what''s your name?" Darcel asked, and Ani''s attention was also inquisitive by this subject.

    And for the briefest of moments, the hooded robe girl paused.

    Darcel managed to pick up the brief pause, but the girl soon started walking again, right as it urred.

    "It''s Yasami.and you know what? Even if this is literally our first meeting, it''s refreshing to finally have some fearless youths to talk to."

    An inquiring expression dawned on Ani''s face upon hearing the girl.

    But her face quickly split back into a smile after thinking for a couple of seconds. "Fearless, huh? Yes.yes! That''s a great title all of us can identify with! That''s some nice thinking, Yasami!"

    Admittedly, seeing how bright and open Ani was had taken her a back for a moment. But soon then, a more genuine smile formed on Yasami''s lips as she could more confirm that this pair of duo certainly is interesting.

    While the youths were merrily chatting away, up head Fruna and Heavenly General Gorbug are talking with each other.

    Heavenly General Gorbug had an analytical expression as he asked, "Truly? Those kids'' power and control over their souls go up to that degree?"

    As Darcel asked her before, Fruna was putting in a real good word for him and Ani to make their joining process even more smoother.

    A huge smile graced Fruna''s lips as she answered Heavenly General Gorbug.

    "Indeed. It''s more than you can actually expect, really. And take this as you will, but without them, we wouldn''t have been able to make it a mile in the Misty Haze Pits." When Fruna spoke thest part, her voice lowered down to more of a whisper.

    And Heavenly General Gorbug''s eyes slightly widen hearing this. He already had sensed a vague trace of their alluring soul powers before. And now, his curiosity shot through the roof.

    The only ones who had kept the talking to a minimum were Robert, Reyney, and Hurey.

    While they marched on back to their organization, these three felt an odd, ominous feeling. And most certainly, they all traced this feeling back to Darcel and Ani.

    .

    Under Heavenly General Gorbug''s guide, it took a few minutes before they all finally arrived at the Nobe''s Fang group.

    Immediately Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s attention was taken by how vast their ce was.

    For Darcel and Ani, they only heard talks about other Sects or Academies during their stay inside Zakira Academy. Even the books they read only included Sects, Academies, Mage''s ces, or shops.

    They honestly can''t say they know much about how Mercenaries band work.

    But the building the Nobe''s Fang group stayed in clearly showed Darcel and Ani they weren''t just a mere band of rogue cultivators.

    The Nobe''s Fang group actually had several vast andrger interconnected buildings. Each building held a beautiful crystal blue coat of paint, and there were bright gold markings of a fang painted on some parts of the building.

    Although as they walked up to the building, none of them saw any peopleing out or in the entrance.

    Still, the great luxuriously of the Nobe''s Fang group couldn''t be denied.

    "Well, well, would you look at this? It''s quite a pretty building, don''t you guys think?" Yasami mainly directed her question at Darcel and Ani.

    During their few minutes walk here, they all had swimmingly chatted along and were enjoying each other''spany.

    Darcel turned his eyes over to Gorbug and began to say, "Indeed it is. Heavenly General Gorbug is this."

    "Yes, it is. Wee to Nobe''s Fang group." Heavenly General Gorbug answered Darcel calmly.

    Already by just being outside the ce, Darcel, Ani and Yasami felt their curiosity quickly grow about this band of Mercenary. They could tell they would be in for an exciting time.

 Chapter 107: Slight Altercation

    Chapter 107: Slight Altercation

    Without waiting, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all quickly walked through the open entrance. They wanted to at least rx a bit before the inevitable chaos they know Darcel and Ani will cause.

    Heavenly General Gorbug and Fruna smiled at the youths before walking in as well.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami exchanged a brief nce before nodding and followed right behind Heavenly General Gorbug.

    And right when stepping inside, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were treated to a vast and neatly designed room. Just from first nces, anybody would be able to tell this single room alone can easily fit up to at least hundreds of people.

    As for the room''s design, it''s what Darcel, Ani, and Yasami at least expected out of a band of mercenaries.

    It was designed to be a tavern-like ce, spouting multiple arrays of weapons hanging off the walls.

    There were several boards filled with paper, all describing various information. Multiple hallways that led down to other ces were also lined up on the crystal blue walls.

    And at the far back of the room, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami could spot several sets of staircases that led further in this ce.

    The trio could describe this ce as being orderly and neat for anyone to get to where they want.

    But out of everything, the most noticeable detail of the ce was the massive crowds of people here.

    Nearly everyone here was dressed in a simr furry leather brown outfit. Yet none of their designs were of the same quality as Heavenly General Gorbug.

    When Heavenly General Gorbug and Fruna came in, eyes had gathered on them but most mainlynded on Heavenly General Gorbug. Respect filled their eyes, and some even saluted at him.

    As for the others who didn''t notice him, they were in a harmonious atmosphere. Groups of people shuffled together, either talking or nning things with each other in a systematic fashion.

    However, everyone''s orderly steadiness change when Darcel, Ani, and Yasami finally step through the doors.

    Because they were closely following behind Heavenly General Gorbug, many eyes gathered explicitly on them.

    All of the Nobe''s Fang group members were gued with sudden confusion. Mainly, just why is their Heavenly General seemingly escorting three normal kids back here?

    While some members could admit that Darcel and Ani''s appearances were rather fetching, their cultivation realm was pitifully low. And the hooded robe girl was merely a fifth rank Innate Core cultivator.

    Robert, Reyney, and Hurey already split off from that group.

    They had quickly rejoined up with their friends, but their friends too couldn''t keep their attention off from Darcel''s group.

    "What? Don''t tell me you caught these kids straggling behind y''all while on the mission?" One of their friends jokingly asked.

    Though neither Robert, Reyney, nor Hurey had such a joking expression.

    "Uhhh.you could say it like that. Well.you''ll find out soon enough." Was all Hurey told them, causing even more confusion in their friends.

    Hurey didn''t bother to speak more since he knew it was about to start.

    "Soo? Where are you going to take us?" Ani spoke in a normal positive tone.

    She was unaffected by the burning curious gazes gathered on to her. Even when the stares increased as she talked, Ani just kept her focus on Heavenly General Gorbug.

    And hearing her question, Heavenly General Gorbug and Fruna stopped and turned around to the youths.

    "We''re going up to the staircase. If you wish to join, you''ll need to meet with someone else along with me and take on an initiate mission." Heavenly General Gorbug exined to them and inclined his head to keep on walking.

    As they continue on walking, Darcel, Ani, and Yasmai notice an immediate change in the gazes directed towards them.

    Now instead of slight curiosity, the people''s eyes had a more unkind, disdaining look.

    Yet, none of this bothers Darcel, Ani, or Yasami at all. They kept on following, and Darcel calmly asked, "An initiate mission, huh? So this is how you test out the waters on the true value of us, I assume?"

    Fruna, this time turned her head in order to answer Darcel. She too ignored all eyes on them and said,

    "Ah, indeed. But don''t worry, for you three, this mission will be a breeze. Even more so than what our....average members usually experience. But generally, every initiate mission is usually straightforward and simple."

    During their short time traversing the room, Darcel, Ani and Yasami could spot the other members getting antsier by the second.

    Hearing that they will take on a mission to join was really setting them off.

    And it was about when they reached halfway in the room that one particr member decided he had enough.

    "Heavenly General Gorbug! No disrespect towards you at all, but.these kids will end up wasting your time and our resources! There''s no way these three will be helpful in any way against the Silver Bloody Hammer group. And we need all the time we can get!"

    "Frey''s right Heavenly General Gorbug! The Silver Bloody Hammer group is only getting more violent and brazen each day. Who knows? Tomorrow they might just suddenly attack our whole organization out of nowhere!" A girl next to Frey spoke up to entuate his point.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami directed their attention to these two.

    Frey had an average man''s appearance, yet his cultivation realm was at the eighth rank of the Innate Core realm! Plus, he had a special silver fang symbol on his right breastte, indicating his status over regr members.

    As for the girl, she was an average cute looking one. Although her cultivation realm was at the seventh rank of the Innate Core realm! And she, too, had a special silver fang symbol.

    Because they stepped into the True Soul Core realm, Darcel and Ani could easily sense and point out the prowess of the eight rank level of the Innate Core realm.

    But besides remarking their prowess as being rtively high, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t take that much notice about it.

    Although what did take notice with them were the whisper and murmursing about the room.

    "I mean.aren''t they just two little True Soul Core and one measly fifth rank Innate Core? Why is Heavenly General even escorting them to this point."

    "It''s not like we''ve fallen that low just to ept anyone random person''s help." Silent murmurs and whispers like this echoed throughout the whole room.

    The only one staying silent was Robert, Reyney, and Hurey.

    Fruna''s face was bing increasingly displeased at everyone''s on edge attitude. She was starting to open her mouth to speak, but right then, Heavenly General Gorbug beat her to the punch.

    "I understand all of your concerns. But be at ease. Any help we can get will be valuable help. You all shouldn''t be too focused on immediate profits."

    Heavenly General Gorbug calmly exined, yet it didn''t help relieve the other members'' concerns.

    "I see Heavenly General Gorbug. Then.if their help truly is valuable as you im. Surely they would be able to do an Expert tier mission to show they could have worth against impossible odds, right?"

    Frey had pushed on, and immediately nearly all members swayed to his side.

    "Ah, yes! That would be an eptable mission at this point in time. Sure during normal times, these kids can do whatever easy mission to join. But what we need now is true valuable help!"

    The woman beside Frey boldly agrees with him, causing even more murmurs to erupt throughout the room.

    "Heh.though they said that so passionately and persuasively. We all know there''s no chance in hell for them."

    "Call it a stroke of unluckiness for them. But hey, who can even get a streak of good luck in our kind of world?"

    "Practically suicide for anyone below the seventh rank to go on that tier of the mission. They might''ve as well just turn right back out now."

    Seeing how rowdy people were growing by the second caused Heavenly General Gorbug to internally sight. Using just a small dosage of his power, he silently leaked his aura while directly stating,

    "Enough. My decision is already made up. And after some discussion, they will take on an initiate tier mission."

    The unfathomable aura of a Heavenly Transformation cultivator immediately caused everyone to shut up.

    Even if it''s the tiniest dosage of Heavenly General Gorbug power, no one can stand the might of Heavenly Power. Not even the peak ninth rank Innate Core members could talk under that kind of power.

    As the room quickly died down, Darcel and Ani took a look over with each other. Their ck deep, profound eyes lit up in a brilliant idea once their senses picked on something vitaling to them.

    Yasami, however, kept a neutral stance as her gaze looked on coldly.

    But slight tension did begin to fill her hands as her senses picked on the same being Darcel and Ani sensed.

    Heavenly General Gorbug as well creased his eyebrows, sensing the one person he didn''t particrly want to see at this time, quicklye down the stairs.

    A loud voice had suddenly cut through the quickening silence, ring out,

    "You really want to give a mission to just two small little True Soul Core kids and one mere fifth rank Innate Core? General Gorbug, can you truly say they will mean something against the Silver Bloody Hammer group dozen of peak Innate Core warriors? Or how about their plentiful Heavenly Kings? If they can''tplete a near-impossible task like an expert tier mission, then what''s the point of having them?"

    As the voice finished talking, everyone''s eyes turned over to the bottom of the staircase.

    Their stood an intimidating looking man with a chilling expression.

    The man had a shining bald head and wore the same leather outfit as Heavenly General Gorbug, also spouting the same golden fang symbol.

    Right as this man finished talking, the rowdy chatter started right back up, and Frey was the first to say,

    "Heavenly General Sinaki! I think I speak for most of us when I say you''repletely right. If they can''tplete an expert tier mission, then they can''t join at all!"

    "What impable timing for you toe now, General Sinaki." Though it didn''t necessarily show on his face, Heavenly General Gorbug most definitely felt annoyed at his appearance.

    As he and Heavenly General Sinaki''s eyes locked, Ani tapped Darcel''s shoulder, giving him a smiling signal.

    They both already know that rejecting the Nobe''s Fang group offer and leaving here wasn''t a smart move.

    Not only do they still don''t have a ce to stay or a clear map of the Province. There''s also the altercation they just been through with the Silver Bloody Hammer group, and Darcel and Ani were sure that silver armor men would spread word to attempt to harm them.

    However, none of this means they''ll just let these bands of Mercenaries walk all over them and let them do as they please!

    "Hmm.you know, for people with much experience, you should know it''s not always right to see just with your eyes. Right, Ani?"

    Darcel spoke in a firm, loud voice that overpowered all other murmurs going in the room. Everyone''s eyes gathered on to him, and further displeasure entered their thoughts about the kids.

    And yet, none of that matters to Darcel. His gaze locked with Heavenly General Sinaki, and he didn''t break away for even a second.

    Heavenly General Sinaki simply raised his eyebrow at Darcel''s bold question. But he did slightly admire the boy''s courage to speak so loud and firm.

    Before anyone could say anything to Darcel, however, Ani didn''t miss a beat and spoke up right when Darcel finished talking. "Completely right, Darcel! It''s indeed better to experience everything in full glory to educate yourself!"

    Hearing these two odd words were only causing more confusion in everyone and lowering their opinions of them.

    People thought these kids have quite the attitude, but right then, everyone felt a tremendous spike in power!

    It didn''t matter who it was, be it either a peak Innate Core cultivator or even the two Heavenly General''s.

    No one was spared from an intense churning in their souls.

    The only exception to this rule was Yasami. She was feeling a warm sensation quickly take hold of her soul and soothed her whole body.

    Hundreds of the Nobe''s Fang group members all in that room directed their attention to where that spike of soul power came from. And everyone''s eyes became increasinglyrge then.

    For as the burst of incredible power came from Darcel and Ani!

    The duo was surging out their souls in a simr manner to when they went up to suppress the silver armor men.

    Truthfully before that incident, neither Darcel nor Ani managed to fully discharge a soul aura. But with each passing second, they spent in the True Soul Core realm, the control they have over their souls only steadily increased at a quick rate.

    Compared tost time, Darcel and Ani could now discharge a more powerful soul suppression without giving away too much of their specialty.

    Wisps of white Light smoked of Ani, and wisps of Darkness crackled out of Darcel.

    Brazenly, the duo unleashed their soul auras upon the whole room!

    Silence permeated the room then. All under the seventh rank of the Innate Core realm felt it was incredibly difficult to breathe. Their souls were almost entirely suppressed!

    Seventh rank Innate Core warriors felt a tremendous suppression weighed upon their souls and bodies, making them heavily sluggish.

    Even eighth rank and ninth Rank Innate Core warriors crease their eyebrows over the slight churning in their souls.

    Heavenly General Gorbug was a bit taken aback, and Fruna had somewhat expected for this oue to ur.

    All the while, Heavenly General Sinaki''s eyes zed into Darcel and Ani.

    "You kids.this power of the soul. Just what exactly is this?" Heavenly General Sinaki was the only one that spoke in the stunned silence.

    The power these kids should be impossible.and yet what they all sensed right now was no fluke.

    Every Nobe''s Fang group member''s souls were experiencing it; the incredible power of Darcel and Ani''s soul auras!

    Seeing the stunning reaction they want, Darce and Ani smirked. But admittedly, spreading out their soul aura throughout the entire room was quickly draining them.

    It was then a sudden idea popped into Darcel''s head. His eyes quickly trailed over to Yasami, who appeared to be in a hypnotic trance.

 Chapter 108: Starting The Seeds

    Chapter 108: Starting The Seeds

    For the briefest of seconds, Darcel and Yasami locked gazes.

    Darcel was akin to a beacon of warmth Yasami''s soul was calling out to. But, Yasami managed to focus her attention mainly on Darcel''s eyes.

    His eyes twinkle with a hint of suggestion, indicating he wanted her to speak.

    And somehow.Yasami somewhat understood this!

    They obviously don''t have a long attachment or any sort of attachment, considering they just met today.

    But Yasami recognized Darcel wanted her to carry on their momentum. So with an aggressive stride in her step, Yasami turned around and boldly red her voice throughout the whole room.

    "Heh! Just what are we? A mere couple of youths, remember? Yet.now it seems like your opinions are changing, huh? Really, actions speak louder than bullshit!"

    Those crude bold words slithered into everyone''s ears, forcing eyes to gather on the hooded robe girl.

    Though she had a point that their opinions were changing, it didn''t change the fact that the one who is telling that is still a mere fifth rank Innate Core kid!

    Eyebrows furrowed as people tried to bring their attention off from the overwhelming Darcel and Ani and focus on the more normal kid out of the three.

    Yet, Ani wasn''t going to give them a chance for that.

    In the people''spse of focus from changing their attention, Ani''s bright voice soothed into everyone''sBesides "Hehehe~, let''s all not get so antsy now. Beside, we still have to do our expert tier mission, right Mr. Heavenly General?"

    Heavenly General Sinaki zipped his eyes specifically to Ani. His eyes matched with hypnotic profound ck eyes and the widening grin of Ani.

    "You really don''t have to discuss. We, in fact, wee any expert tier missions. Since it won''t be a problem for us." Ani continued to talk, carrying her golden, daring momentum.

    While she said thest part, her eyes briefly shed over to Darcel and Yasami, gazing at their reaction.

    And they both only inclined their heads at her.

    Darcel was never the one to back down from any challenges, and he was curious about exploring this snowy region.

    While Yasami had an imprable backbone and could step up to any challenge thrown at her.

    Before Heavenly General Sinaki could respond to her, Darcel and Ani stopped their soul aura, returning the room back to its standard atmosphere.

    A wave of slight exhaustion washed over Darcel and Ani, but they didn''t allow anything to show on their face.

    Their eyes did wander across the room and was satisfied by their soul aura effects. All under the seventh rank of the Innate Core realm released a huge breath as sweat poured down their brows.

    Even some seventh rank Innate Core members released a small breath they didn''t realize they were holding in.

    Heavenly General Sinaki quickly noted this scene but kept his stature calm and steady.

    "....I can admit it. You two indeed stand abovemon ones and may even be that special." As Heavenly General Sinaki talked, all eyes quickly gathered on him.

    A grand Heavenly Transformation cultivator admitting this to a couple of True Soul Core youths should''vee as a tremendous surprise.

    Yet no one there could really say they were surprised by his words.

    Seconds may have only passed, but to all Innate Core cultivators under the seventh rank, they felt as if hours passed already!

    More than anything, it was apparent to tell these kids are anything but weak and ordinary.

    After taking a brief pause, Heavenly General Sinaki continued to talk. "So if you truly want to take on this mission, let''s see all of your limits then."

    Heavenly General Sinaki ignited his spatial ring and pulled out a detailed map.

    Seeing that specific map caused Heavenly General Gorbug and Fruna''s eyes to widen a bit. Since Darcel and Ani took control of the entire situation themselves, there''s little they could really say here.

    Even if Heavenly General Gorbug is on equal standing with Sinaki, neither holds the absolute power to make every decision for their group.

    But since Darcel and Ani are so brazenly showing off and agreeing, there wouldn''t be much he could say to change their minds.

    Yet, when his and Fruna''s eyesnded on that map, they knew precisely what mission Heavenly General Sinaki is going to give out.

    Before either could say anything, however, Heavenly General Sinaki continued to speak.

    "For this expert mission, you are to follow this map into the Plunged Tundra wild side. You will eventuallye across a special igloo following the map. Inside the igloo is the Snow Weaver hunchback ape. Toplete the mission, you are to take its heart, head, and tail and bring it back to us."

    "The Snow Weaver ape?! Heavenly General Sinaki really wants them to kill that! This may end up more than bad for them."

    "I don''t know about that man. Those kids'' souls are too freakish! What if they.no they truly may know about how to attack with your soul!"

    "But killing that creature though." Frey silently murmurs to himself as the whole room explodes into a rowdy noise of murmurs.

    If this was before, every single Nobe''s Fang group member would''ve been unconditionally jeering Darcel, Ani, and Yasami.

    But now, all talks reside around on whether or not the kids are actually that powerful enough to pull it off! Darcel and Ani''s soul aura left a tremendous imprint on them that none there will probably ever forget.

    "So? What makes this ape beast just so deadly?" Darcel asked amidst the chatter about him and Ani.

    This time Heavenly General Gorbug turned around to answer him, saying,

    "That Spirit Monster ape isn''t ordinary at all. You see, Spirit Monsters who are able to gain their own individual names all have special and exotic abilities that make them deadly and tricky to kill. This ape is a powerful sixth rank Innate Core being, but it''s also known to kill even teams of seventh rank Innate Core humans."

    In some small hopes, Heavenly General Gorbug and Fruna wished the duo would reconsider hearing the danger of the mission.

    Yet, only a challenging smirk etched on Darcel and Ani''s face.

    "Hoh? Is it just that, really? Then.there really is no problem for us! This is nearly too straightforward then!" Ani spoke, and while her words may seem arrogant. No one really spoke out to disagree with her.

    Yasami had then confidently stride up to Heavenly General Sinaki and graciously took the map from him.

    She only gave Heavenly General Sinaki a single challenging smile before strolling back to Darcel and Ani.

    During that short brief exchange, Heavenly General Sinaki didn''t speak a single word to Yasami. And yet, while it was far more subdued than Darcel and Ani, he sensed there was something.off about that girl.

    "So? Are you two ready to go?" Yasami showed off the map to Darcel and Ani while asking.

    Taking a look at it, Darcel gently took the map from her hands and stuffed it into his pockets.

    "Ready. Let''s go; we''ll be back soon, Fruna." Darcel said, and he and Ani nodded towards Fruna.

    She was still a bit stunned at how everything went down. But before she could respond, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami quickly turned around and walked out of the room.

    Once they were gone, Fruna noticed everyone''s expressions became more rxed, yet there was still disbelief mixed in there.

    The single question that rummaged on their minds was; just what the hell was that?!

    "General Gorbug.you seem a bit more calmer than anybody else during that whole fiasco. Do you know what those two are?"

    Heavenly General Sinaki swiftly strode up to Gorbug and asked.

    Towards his using tone, Heavenly General Gorbug simply smiled and shook his head. "You know, I''m just as surprised or, in fact, even more, surprised than everyone here. If they doe back, I can say for sure that we just stumbled upon good saddlings."

    "Fuu.at least nothing came down to an irreversible point. I have a good feeling about them, really." Fruna had a slight joyous smile though she knows that mission won''t be easy toplete, even for Darcel and Ani.

    Out of the clutter and chatter on Darcel and Ani, only three were quiet, having fraught expressions on their faces.

    Even as Darcel and Ani left, the slight quivering feeling inside Robert, Reyney, and Hurey''s souls still didn''t leave them.

    They knew their reign was far from over.

    .

    "Hm, hm! You two just have to be realm jumpers, too, right?" Once they got outside, Yasami had quickly saddled up next to Darcel and asked the duo. Seeing as outside the Nobe''s Fang group ce, it waspletely vacant, she thought it was a good time to ask.

    Previously she could only vaguely guess there was something special about their prowess when facing the silver armor men.

    At that time, Darcel and Ani''s soul aura wasn''t as refined. But in the Nobe''s Fang group ce, she could clearly sense the sensation soothing her soul and tell Darcel and Ani''sbat prowess far exceeds their realm.

    Darcel and Ani trailed their eyes over to Yasami.

    Ani smiled at her and was going to answer her until a lightning idea abruptly streaked in Darcel''s mind.

    Darcel couldn''t say for sure Ani had picked on it, seeing as she had no reaction about it. But Darcel was confident about the actions of Yasami.

    Throughout all of their time together, despite everything still being new and very recent. Darcel notices how Yasami would naturally get close to only him.

    It was like a moth being slowly allured by a bright me.

    Furthermore, Darcel felt an instinctive feeling in his soul and bloodline, telling him that Yasami may have an innate attraction to him.

    Now given the fact they literally just met not too long ago, anybody would think this line of thoughts is ridiculous and almost narcissistic.

    Yet, Darcel knew his bloodline and soul was no fluke.

    Considering that there wasn''t a single other girl that made his soul and bloodline react like this during their first meeting was the biggest striking factor.

    Admittedly, Darcel didn''t even feel this kind of innateness when meeting Ani the first time.

    And it was that moment a slow smirk curled up Darcel''s lips.

    He already promised that ethereal voice that he will surely spread the enjoyment of his so-called Yin''s Pleasure. So now, it was time to put these skills to the test.

    Recalling the times he engaged in hot passion with Ani, Darcel surged the pleasure, lustful side of his bloodline powers.

    But, uniquely, this time, Darcel had coated his vocal cords in pure Darkness energy!

    Darkness swirled in Darcel''s mouth like water, and it felt a bit odd to him.

    His Darkness energy truly did feel like warm running water coursing around his tongue. Still, he ignored this feeling and spoke up before Ani talked.

    "Hmmm.since we are going to be working together, we should tell you, right?" Darcel''s voice came out as incredibly smooth and soothing to listen to.

    His eyes shed over to Ani, but she only gave him a smile in understanding.

    Although Darcel could''ve sworn, he saw a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as he spoke in this unique tone of voice. On his other side, Yasami had her gaze on Darcel as if he was putting her under a trance.

    Shifting his eyes quickly over to Yasami, Darcel''s smile only grew wider seeing her state.

    "You''re right, Yasami. Ani and I can indeed fight beyond our realm. And we can certainly tell there''s something special about your prowess as well. That bold, confident stride you have isn''t something that can be faked so well; for sure you can walk the talk."

    Darcel''s alluring, soothing voice slinked into Yasami ears like a cool breeze, causing her body to slightly shiver from pleasure.

    Darcel''s voice made her soul and body quiver in a warm sensation that nearly turned too pleasurable.

    Combining this with Darcel''s devilish handsome smile was throwing Yasami all the way off.

    "Ah-ah, r-right-" Yasami stuttered all over her words from being so caught off guard.

    But she couldn''t even finish her sentence as Ani started to sweetly giggle.

    "Hehehe~! Right, right! Darcy is even better than me when knowing who is truly special. Especially when ites to cool girls like you, Yasami!"

    For a split second, Darcel was puzzled. Even for Ani, Darcel wasn''t quite sure why she would add thatst part.

    Still, Darcel didn''t miss a beat. Instantly when Ani finished talking, he told Yasami, "Indeed, we''re more than delighted to be going on a mission with an especially cool charming girl like you, Yasami."

    Yasami was wholly stunned by Darcel and Ani''s double attack.

    These two just had little shame to be throwing out more personalpliments like that! Yet Yasami couldn''t stop the feeling of warmth that spread in her soul and body from their words.

    She felt the heat begin to rise to her cheeks, but Yasami quickly got a hold of herself.

    Yasami knows she shouldn''t be getting so fluster with two kids she just recently met!

    So with a quick clearing of her throat, Yasami straightened up her back. She tried to y if off like their words didn''t affect her and said in quite a loud voice,

    "My pleasures! I mean! The same to you! So yea! What n are you two brewing for this mission?!"

    Though she tried to y it off, the several higher octaves in her voice told a different story. Plus, she also spoke a bit quicker than usual.

    Darcel smiled at the cute reaction but decided to let Yasami off for now. The seeds are already starting to be nted.

    "Most definitely those Silver Bloody eyesores are hanging around the entrance to the town. So, what do you girls say before we do this mission, we do a reverse robbery?"

    Darcel''s voice returned mostly to normal but still kept a smooth, charming quality about it.

    Yasami was able to slightly rx with a more normal Darcel voice. But then her eyes had quickly lit up at Darcel''s suggestion.

    After the crap they tried to pull, Yasami was more than eager to dish out some just desserts. Yasami peered over to Ani only to see her smiling in agreement.

    "I say it''s already a start to a great n. But what will our method be?" Yasami curiously asked, and Ani answered her.

    "You wanted to see our prowess, right? Then let this fight be the gateway to truly getting to know each other better!"

    Even under the hood, Darcel and Ani could see Yasami cracking a wide beautiful smile, showcasing her pearly white teeth.

    "Well, well, then. Let''s not dilly dally anymore, shall we?"

 Chapter 109: Bloody Eyesores

    Chapter 109: Bloody Eyesores

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami walked through Mawold Town like they didn''t have a care in the world. Their body posture was rxed and yet appeared excited, as if they just came upon some good news.

    Their eyes and Spirit Senses, however, were sneakily darting around the town.

    Out of all the bands of people strolling around the town, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami had their sights set on one specific group of people.

    They would dub those people as the ''silver eyes sores.''

    For a few seconds, none of them talked, putting all of their investment in scoping the town out. But the trio actually didn''t have to wait long at all before they sensed four presence trailed behind them.

    Admittedly, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami did see other members of the Silver Bloody Hammer group strutting around the town like they own the whole ce.

    But the trio could tell just who was trying to tail them.

    Like this, the trio walked towards the entrance of the town. And as they neared their exit, a slow smirk curled their lips up.

    In Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s senses, those four presences began topletely erase their bearing to go fully undercover.

    However, that trick wouldn''t work on Darce, Ani, and Yasami. Still, the trio acted like they didn''t know they were getting tailed.

    Upon reaching the town entrance, Darcel had simply brought out the map saying, "From what it says here, that ape should be on a mostly direct path. Let''s go."

    Ani and Yasami nodded at Darcel while also feeling rising anticipation swirled inside their chest.

    Taking the lead, Darcel walked out first, with Ani and Yasami following in tow. They acted blissfully unaware of the ones who were bold enough to follow them.

    And little did either side know that this event will cause a chain reaction that''ll affect the whole town.

    .

    Under the map''s guide, Darcel led the girls almost immediately into the pure snowy grounds of the Plunged Tundra.

    As Fruna mentioned before, Darcel knew this part of the Plunged Tundra was explicitly known as the Wild Snow.

    This was mainly due to the fact that mages and cultivators working on the icy road couldn''t cover every spot in these snowynds. Doing so would require an immense amount of power that is not easy at all to gather up.

    Furthermore, there also lies hidden dangerous unknown in the wild snowynds that not even titled Heavenly King cultivators would want to face.

    But, none of this hindered Darcel''s group.

    They fearlessly ran through the snow, dashing about for minutes on end. And already with their fast speeds, Darcel''s group put several miles distance between them and Mawold Town.

    The further they went from Mawold Town, the quicker the four presence tailing them got.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami still acted as if they didn''t know but a battle-hungry smile slowly formed on their lips.

    Finally, then, when the trio got further away enough from town and the icy roads to where no one else was around them. The four presences tailing them explosively increased their speeds!

    A sliver sh popped in front of Darcel''s group eyes, forcing them to abruptly stop their runs. Blinking their eyes, what had appeared in front of them were the four silver eyesores they wanted.

    The four silver armor men they shed with by the entrance of town impede in Darcel''s group way, standing imposingly in front of them.

    The men all held sinister smirks and had slugged theirrge battle hammers over their shoulders. For kids that acted so unruly to them in the town they practically own, of course, they wouldn''t let them go!

    "Tch, tch. Would you look at this, guys? It seems like these kids truly did manage to curry the favor of those Fang gnats. And hey, they even got their first mission from them!" The silver armor man in the middle mockingly spoke up first.

    His eyes gleamed over Darcel, Ani, and Yasami in brazen killing intent.

    No matter how weird these three brats'' aura was, the man knew in a real fight none of them could match up to true Innate Core prowess!

    The man even got rid of that hesitation feeling trying to swirl in his gut about facing Darcel and Ani.

    Although, while the man wanted to witness despair surging on these kids'' faces, he got absolutely nothing from them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all remained neutral with small rxed smiles spouting their faces.

    Seeing such a causal attitude quickly got the man and his partners to be even more irate at these kids'' arrogant attitudes.

    "Heh, not only that, but these kids are acting as if they can truly back up their words and fight us. I wonder, is this blind foolishness? Or are they just acting to cover up their fears?" Another one of the silver armor men spoke to intimidate the trio.

    But once again, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami remained calm.

    Having enough of their annoying attitude, one of the silver armor men from the right end of their group hotly spoke up.

    "You know, maybe not with words, they''ll show their true fear. But what if we give them an appetizing taste of true despair!" Hearing his suggestion, all four of the silver armor men''s eyes twinkle in a savage light.

    Without any hesitation now, the silver armor men fully burst their seventh rank Innate Core auras!

    The snow burst around the area, sweeping into a chaotic frenzy, causing the whole ce to fall into a raging snowstorm.

    As thebined might of four seventh rank Innate Core aura came crashing down on Darcel, Ani, and Yasami, Darcel had finally opened his mouth to talk.

    "You know.for petty-minded people like yourselves who want to kill us over one altercation. You all sure do talk a lot. I just hope the rest of you bloody hammer eyesores aren''t as obnoxious as you all."

    Rage flew into the silver armor men''s eyes, hearing Darcel''s condescending tone.

    But before any one of them could react, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all unleashed their auras at the same time!

    ''Chi!''

    Streaks of Darkness and white Light crackled out in the air akin to a sudden raging thunderstorm! Apanying the Darkness and Light streaks was burst of blue mes that sizzled the air to zing degrees.

    The four silver armor men all felt their tongues get caught in their throats.

    They were utterly gobsmacked at the tremendous changes in Darcel''s group. Darcel had suddenly gained a rich, profound Darkness glow shrouding his right arm along with an exotic tattoo marking appearing.

    Ani''s right arm had a radiant white glow enriching it and had exotic tattoo markings appearing.

    Yasami had gained a blue ming aura covering her body and appeared to take the shape of a fox. Two zing blue fox tails sprouted from her back and swayed majestically in the wind.

    The silver armor men all violently clenched their battle hammers as they bear the full brunt of these youths'' aura.

    And to their utter dismay, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s transformed aura were rivaling their Innate Core prowess!

    Their powerful seventh rank aura couldn''t suppress two measly True Soul Core kids and one small fifth rank Innate Core kid?!

    Not only that, they felt a noticeable push back from their auras, and a medium suppression fell upon their bodies and souls.

    "What''s wrong! Surprised?! Well, here''s another surprise!" Ani''s sweet, bright voice broke the four silver armor men from their shocked stupor.

    But right then, Ani''s bloodline arm sparked up in a blinding white light!

    ''Chi!''

    A blinding white shbang burst from Ani''s bloodline arm, covering the snowynds for miles.

    The silver armor men''s eyes instantly closed shut, and their bodies froze. Their souls abruptly froze, causing the men to be utterly stunned. They all were unprepared for Ani''s powerful shbang.

    Yasami was in awe of Ani''s blinding attack.

    She felt a gentle power cover her body, protecting her, which only further pushed her amazement in Ani''s power.

    But quickly then, Yasami''s mind refocused back up. She could save the questions forter, now was the perfect opportunity to strike!

    Yet before Yasami could attack,

    "Ah-Ahhh?!? The hell?!?"

    The confused shouts of the silver armor men red into her ears. Turning her head back towards them, it was hard to see, but Yasami could vaguely make out lines of Darkness covering the men!

    Darcel was calm and steady as he specifically controlled eight Darkness tendrils at the same time.

    With each time, he had to split his sense to create multiple people''s shadows means the fewer Darkness tendrils he could make.

    But while Darcel wouldn''t be able topletely restrain them for an attack, he had instead crazily interjected lust energy inside the men''s bodies.

    Thanks to Ani''s shbang, none of the men could react at all as lust energy invaded their bodies and wreaked utter havoc.

    The men felt their bloodstreams fall into a chaotic, disruptive state. Their blood flow couldn''t handle the lust energy and wildly raced all throughout their bodies, trying to find a source of release.

    In turn, the chaotic state of their bodies caused their souls and Innate Qi to fall into utter chaos!

    Without a precise handle of their bodies, the men''s soul couldn''t properly contain their Innate Qi and surge it for energy to attack or defend with.

    For Innate Core cultivators, wanting to mess with their bloodstreams would be a near-impossible task.

    Even if an Innate Core cultivator was wholly suppressed by a titled Heavenly King. Not even they could make their bloodstreams erupt into chaos and disrupt their Qi flow.

    There is a hidden natural defense that all cultivators'' souls would create to protect their bloodstreams from getting manipted and having their Martial Veins get affected.

    A cultivator''s Martial Vein is what directly connects their bodies to their souls and the most significant source of how anybody can gather and use Qi.

    It doesn''t matter how average or weak one soul is. Throughout the course of cultivating, the soul will automatically create that hidden defense in anyone''s bloodstream.

    Yet Darcel''s Darkness tendrils had the specific ability many other cultivatorscked during early cultivation realms.

    And that is the ability to bypass that soul defense, invade a Martial vein and directly affect one''s soul!

    As he knew from Ani, Darcel, even without his bloodline state. He could manipte his Darkness energy to smoothly enter Ani''s bloodstream and enter her Martial veins.

    And while Ani would feel pleasurable lust, the silver armor men felt as if the lust energy would make their bodies burst!

    The only main difference Darcel did for the men was overloading his lust energy with the more destructive side of his bloodline power.

    Yasami didn''t let herself get surprised again at the duo''s unique powers.

    She instantly reacted, leaped up high into the air, and pointed her blue fire ws cloak hand at the silver armor men. Her two blue ming fox tails sparklingly shimmered, causing her power to explosively increase even more!

    A lustrous blue light sparked from her hands, spewing out sizzling wisps of blue mes.

    In a split second, Yasami sted out a massive ming blue fox w straight at the silver armor men!

    The vast blue fire fox w sailed at lightning-like speeds, causing the men''s eyes to bulge out of their sockets.

    The power of Yasam''s blue fire w was tremendous! They felt their bodies locked in front of the vast blue fire fox w.

    The silver armor men could only weakly surge a small bit of their chaotic Innate Qi in hopes of some sort of defense.

    However, their tiny bit of Innate Qi meant absolutely nothing.

    ''Bang!''

    Yasami''s blue fire fox w crashed into the men''s silver armor, heavily denting it, and tossed the four around into the snow!

    Although as the men crashed into the ground, they got right back up.

    But as they got back up, all four of the men had to violently hack up crimson blood. Scorching blue fire Qi raged in their bodies and was quickly sizzling their organs and bones.

    In a state where their Innate Qi was weak, the men could barely put up any internal defense against Yasam''t blue fire Qi.

    However, none of the men were even given a chance to try. All of their pupils dted as immense waves of power came crashing down on them.

    Ani had instantly reacted when the silver armor men stood right back up. She fished out her Scimitar and dashed straight towards one of the men.

    Her speed was like lightning, and Ani neared the men in just a mere second.

    The silver armor man reacted on instinct and threw a fist at Ani. She, however, easily dodged the punch and swiped her Scimitar up at the man''s fist.

    Like the man''s silver armor was made up of paper mache, Ani''s Scimitar easily sliced through it and had lobbed off the man''s hand!

    Blood sputters like a fountain from the man''s hand, dying the snowy ground in a chilling red paint.

    The man went utterly still as his brain even register the pain.

    But Ani wasn''t going to give him the chance to do so. Ani had swiftly swiped her Scimitar towards the man''s head, and her de felt no resistance when cutting through the silver armor.

    Ani''s Scimitar cleanly tore through the silver armor and sliced the man''s head off!

    Blood gushed out of the man''s neck, and up in the air, the man''s head had his eyes bulged out. He couldn''t evenprehend how he died. All hest saw was a spine-chilling green sh of Ani''s de.

 Chapter 110: Start Of A Team

    Chapter 110: Start Of A Team

    Simultaneously while Ani killed off that man, Darcel rushed the silver armor man that spoke the most during their encounters.

    His extreme speeds caused the man''s pupil to dte as Darcel hurriedly approached him.

    During his rush up to the man, Darcel had also split his attention. His hand pointed to another silver armor man who was continually hacking and wheezing blood.

    A shadow suddenly spewed from this silver armor man''s feet, yet he didn''t notice it. Instantly when the shadow appeared, multiple Darkness tendrils erupted from it and tightly wrapped up the man.

    The man was utterly shocked as he felt a crushing bind nearly crack all the bones in his body.

    In a desperate attempt, the man tried to surge his chaotic Innate Qi to break the Darkness tendrils. Only, the measly little bit of power he could gather was absolutely useless against Darcel''s Darkness tendrils.

    And while the man struggled with the Darkness tendrils, Darcel didn''t slow down his rush to the other silver armor man.

    He had fished out his scimitar and thrust his de towards the battle hammer crashing down at him.

    The man poured whatever power he could in this hammer strike, hoping it could at least throw Darcel off bnce for a moment.

    However, the man was doomed to be devastated.

    Darcel''s scimitar violently shed with the hammer, but he had immediately overpowered the man.

    The man''s battle hammer got violently flung out his hand by Darcel''s overwhelming power, causing his hand to split open.

    Darcel didn''t getx in his momentum. Under the rising shocked eyes of the man, he had quickly plunged his scimitar deep into man''s silver armor chest area.

    Darcel''s de easily broke through the armor and quickly tore into the man''s chest, causing blood to burst out of him.

    With the scimitar deep into the man''s chest, Darcel quickly ignited his de in raging ck mes and unleashed a powerful stream of ck mes that ripped right through the man''s chest!

    It simply didn''t matter that the man had an Innate Core body; it was frail like ss under Darcel''s power.

    Immediately the silver armor man died as its heart and lungs were vaporized to utter ashes.

    Pulling his scimitar out, Darcel didn''t even look back as the silver armor man corpse crashed into the snow.

    A vast burning hole was now visible at the chest of the corpse.

    With him done, Darcel turned his attention to the wrapped up silver armor man.

    He swiftly rushed towards the man, and during his rush, Darcel spotted a silver aura trying to surge through his Darkness tendrils.

    Darcel cruelly smirked at the silver armor man''sst-ditch effort.

    Darcel had then surged more of his bloodline powers and burst off with sudden explosive speeds!

    He instantly reached the man, tore through the silver aura and his own Darkness tendrils with his scimitar, and sliced the man''s head off.

    All of this happened in a single second, and Darcel once again didn''t turn back as the man''s neck gushed out blood like a fountain.

    At the same time Darcel and Ani finished their kills, Yasami had also finished her kill.

    She was able to float in the air thanks to being in the Innate Core realm, and she had focused her attention on thest remaining silver armor man.

    Her two blue ming foxes tail suddenly brightly lit up in a radiant blue shine. By her tails liting up, Yasami erupted with explosive speed and dived right down at the man.

    When the man had raised his head up, Yasami was already right near him!

    Before the man had a chance to do anything, Yasami had quickly smacked down her blue ming fox w on the man''s head, tearing through his silver armor and smacked his bare skull.

    Yasami''s overwhelming power caused the man''s skull to crack like a spider web.

    Yasami had then spewed blue mes inside the man''s head, frying everything inside it.

    The man had a more clean death than his other partners, but the pain of having your brain fried was akin to hell itself. But he didn''t even have a chance to scream as the light quickly left his eyes.

    Landing on the ground, Yasami watched in slight surprise as the silver armor man''s corpse fell over.

    She had only one ring realization; all of their kills were extremely quick and easy!

    And all of this could be done thanks to thebined abilities of Darcel and Ani. Ani''s shbang made the men''s souls utterly freeze, making them nearly defenseless for any attack for just a few seconds.

    And Darcel''s chaotic lust energy wreaked havoc in their bloodstreams and caused chaos in their souls.

    In turn, the men''s Innate Qi became too chaotic to use, making their defenses almost non-existent beside their armor and based Innate Core bodies.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s overwhelming prowess cut through any and all regr defenses they had.

    "Phew.now this was a job well done! More and more, I''m really starting to like that I was lucky enough to be paired up with monstrous geniuses. Good work, you two!" Yasami released her blue fire fox aura, returning back to her normal state.

    She turned over to Darcel and Ani and found their reactions a bit amusing. For the first time on the duo faces were expressions of slight surprise.

    Truthfully, Darcel and Ani were surprised at Yasami. That fire fox cloak aura she donned was precisely the same as Vice-Principal Zelle''s!

    However, not only was Yasami fox cloak aura more defined, and had even two tailsing out of her. There was just something more.profound about Yasami''s fire fox cloak aura.

    Compared to Vice Principal Zelle''s, Yasami aura felt like it waspleted and far more special.

    The specialness, neither Darcel nor Ani could urately describe.

    But the duo was sure Yasami''stent abilities far surpassed Vice-Principal Zelle''s fire fox powers. Still, Darcel and Ani weren''t going to mention this simrity to Yasami. At least not yet, that is.

    Ani quickly got over her slight shock and had then sweetly giggled.

    "Hehehe~, it really does feel more natural to be with people simr to us! Moreover, I''m sure this is a prelude to us, forming a great team!"

    Ani was genuinely impressed with Yasami''s prowess and wasn''t afraid at all to express it.

    "Indeed. Having a fiery and decisiveponent such as yourself, Yasami, will be a wonderfully wee edition. Now then, let''s collect our spoils, shall we?" Darcel was already bending down to take the first spatial ring from the silver armor man.

    And unseen by Darcel and Ani, a natural smile couldn''t stop from forming on Yasami''s face. Their words may have been short and sweet, but they tantly told their honest feelings in a smooth way.

    Unconsciously, Yasami didn''t even realize it at this time, but she was slowly falling under the enigmatic charms of Darcel and Ani.

    "With pleasure!" Yasami eagerly snatched off the spatial ring from the silver armor man she killed.

    Ani followed in suit and snatched the spatial ring from her silver armor man as well.

    Darcel walked over to the silver armor man who talked a lot, took his spatial ring, and began interjecting his Qi into the two spatial rings he took.

    Ani and Yasami followed in Darcel''s lead and spewed their Qi into the spatial rings they took.

    Since the silver armor men were dead, the spatial rings all had only a feeble Spirit Presence.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami quickly erased the Spirit Presence and delved their Spirit Sense inside the spatial rings.

    Immediately, the trio''s faces all lit up by what they sensed.

    There was an overabundance of cultivation resources, exotic talismans, and other such useful items in it! As expected of the biggest and strongest organization of Mawold Town, these grunts had loads of good stuff.

    "No wonder these guys strut around like they own the whole world! None of them certainlyck in riches. Though I know it won''t happen, but there are things in here that would be greatly useful if that ape gives us trouble." Ani ecstatically spoke up and began walking up to Darcel.

    Darcel and Yasami as well began walking towards each other so they all could group up and n out their next move.

    When they got close to each other, suddenly then Yasami''s face shed in realization. "Ngn.we may have killed these eyesores now. But.what if one of their members saw them leaving to go after us? We may get linked to their disappearance."

    It was a legitimate pressing issue of concern that Yasami at least thought they should think about a bit.

    However, when observing Darcel and Ani''s reaction, she couldn''t say she was surprised seeing them be so rxed and calm about this.

    "That may be certainly true, Yasami. But, for people like us, where our prowess is freakish, and our cultivation speed is a breeze. Can you honestly say you''re that worried?"

    Darcel didn''t even know that Yasami may or may not have insaneprehension abilities that give her a breakneck cultivation speed. But he could just guess it was urate given all that he saw from her.

    Yasami took one look at Darcel''s slight handsome smile and one look at the bright, encouraging smile of Ani. She had then shaken her head and gained a small smirk on her lips.

    "No, I''m not. I''m just making sure we all have the heads up about them."

    "Either way, even if these four didn''te at us. Sooner orter, we would''vee into conflict with them, just from the way they act around town alone. Now then, let''s dispose of these bodies and kill that supposed, ''deadly ape.''"

    Darcel confidently spoke without a hint of tension in his voice. Ani and Yasami as well felt zero pressure about the mission.

    A beast that can kill even seventh rank Innate Core cultivators will at most be a fun battle for them.

    .

    Arge Spirit Monster wolf towering at least eight feet tall, dyed in a white snow paint, is currently scurrying for its life. The wolf poured all of its power into its legs, sting through the snow, and sailed at swift speeds.

    From behind the Spirit Monster wolf, it was trying to outrun a stream of ck mes that moved at lightning-like speeds.

    The stream of ck mes sizzled the snowy grounds beneath them and was rapidly gaining on the Spirit Monster wolf no matter how fast it was running.

    The Spirit Monster wolf was a fifth rank Innate Core being, an extremely high tier among the average standards of Spirit Monsters.

    And yet, it was desperately hopeless in trying to escape its inevitable fate.

    Abruptly then, in a split second, the streams of ck mes explosively increased in speed!

    The stream of ck mes overtook the Spirit Monster wolf and shot right through its chest, instantly killing it.

    On itsst breath, the Spirit Monster wolf didn''t even register how the mes suddenly caught up to it. Its vast body toppled into the snow ground, its eyes remaining in utter disbelief.

    "Ah! And that makes another kill for me! Truly, these Wild Snownds make for the ultimate target practice. We just never run out of ammo here!"

    The sweet, lovable voice of Ani echoed throughout the snowynd.

    She, Darcel, and Yasami took a brief stop to stare at the Spirit Monster wolf corpse just a few meters towards their left.

    Currently, the trio were all walking at a brisk pace and was on route for the Soul Weaver Ape''s igloo.

    And along their way, Ani suddenly suggested they y a little game.

    Rightfully so, as they made their way through the Wild Snownd, the abundance of Spirit Monsters really began to show themselves.

    It quickly got to the point where the trio couldn''t take a small bit of distance without encountering several Spirit Monsters at the same time.

    But, the thing was, none of the Spirit Monsters could pose a threat to any one of the trio. In fact, that fifth rank Innate Core Spirit Monster wolf was one of the strongest beasts they encountered.

    So Ani had decided to see who could snipe the most Spirit Monster before they made it to the igloo.

    And admittedly, Darcel and Yasami were finding the game fun andpetitive. The Spirit Monsters all immediately try to kill them anyway, so why not indulge in a little bit of fun?

    "I-I''m not even sure what the count is now, Ani. But I''m pretty sure you''re just at the slightest bit ahead of us." A slight stutter slithered from Yasam''s voice initially, but she had quickly covered it up.

    But this didn''t go unnoticed in Darcel''s eyes. A certain gleam swirled in his eyes as he nced over to Yasami.

 Chapter 111: Warmth

    Chapter 111: Warmth

    "She''s only up by two points, really. But we may need to stop our little games soon. From the map, we''re not that far away from that ape''s igloo. Let''s get back on course."

    Darcel told the girls after taking one quick look over the map. The map he was given was exceedingly detailed for this one path they took.

    For anything else in the Wild Snownds, it was either vague orcking information. Though, the map did detail the icy roads that led to other towns.

    Ani and Yasami nodded at Darcel. They had then ignored the Spirit Monster wolf corpse and continued on their trail.

    Shifting through the snow, Darcel''s eyes once againnded on Yasami.

    Although he had already guessed they would get along with the girl because of the sensation in his soul. Darcel didn''t expect for her to fall in line so swimmingly with him and Ani.

    She certainly had a more feisty temper than thembined and can put out the energy to even match their pace. Any time they talk, Yasami had never missed a beat to respond and provide her own amusing input.

    Darcel had even got more surprised since Yasami could not only match their pace but also somewhat matched the eagerness of Ani.

    Although, unlike Ani, Yasami was a lot more bashful than her.

    With striking and unexpectedpliments, Yasami would usually stutter out and try to hide her embarrassment.

    Compared to Ani, who can be just as shameless as him. It was quite honestly cute to see in Darcel''s eyes. All in all, Yasami was a joy to talk to.

    Taking away his attention from Yasami for a moment, Darcel put his mind towards the Wild Snownd. And how a bit disappointing these wildnds were.

    The only somewhat challengingponent was the weather here.

    As expected, the further they travel in the wilds, the colder it gets. The temperature even dropped so far down to a point where Darcel and Ani now had to surge a more generous portion of their soul''s pure essence ck mes to contend with the cold.

    Now Darcel was really starting to see the reason why cultivators here bundled up from Mage''s clothes.

    Still, this didn''t impede their pace, and Darcel''s team kept their stride, walking through the snow and killing Spirit Monsters.

    Besides the cold, as their game showed, the Spirit Monster here didn''t provide them with any challenge.

    Nor were there any bandit group of humans waiting to rob and kill out in these wilnds.

    The only worthy thing to note about the Spirit Monster here was the fact every one of them was coated in pure white snow fur. It didn''t matter what type of creature it was; everything had a snow fur here.

    Now that they were getting closer to the ape''s igloo, creatures like that fifth rank Innate Core Spirit Monster wolf were popping up a lot more frequently.

    Furthermore, the cold also drastically increased as they near the igloo.

    At this point, Darcel trailed his eyes over to Ani. She, of course, had a small smile etched on her lips and appeared to be doing just fine under the cold.

    Even as all she and Darcel wore were still just the Zakira Academy clothing, their souls kept them warm.

    However, when Darcel trailed his eyes over to Yasami, he can tell it was a different story.

    Seemingly afortable silence washed over their group as they traveled and Yasami appeared to just be in contemtion about something.

    However, Darcel had keen eyes. Yasami''s body was slightly shivering from the cold, and he could spot cold breath spewing from her mouth. It was somewhat surprising seeing this from her.

    Considering the fact that Yasami was born with the Element of fire in her soul, or at least Darcel assumed so. He thought her body would have natural high heat resistance to the cold.

    But since it appeared, the cold was affecting her, a great idea popped into his mind then.

    A slight mischievous smirked curved up Darcel''s lip with this idea. It was time to take it a step up with Yin''s pleasures abilities.

    Unknown to the girls, Darcel silently surged his bloodline, causing a small portion of cooling ck mes to swirl inside his palm. Compared to the ck mes he usually used, these mes were entirely harmless and only filled with his soothing warmth.

    And without warning, Darcel quickly put his hand on Yasam''s shoulder, but he did it very gently.

    Immediately, Yasami reacted to his gentle touch. Her eyes lit up in shock for a brief second.

    But swiftly then, Yasami''s body melted into a rxed stance.

    Incredible warmth smoothly spread throughout her body and soul. It got rid of all of the shivering colds her Innate Qi was working hard to fight off.

    At this very moment, Yasami honestly didn''t want Darcel''s hand to let go.

    But at the thought of Darcel''s hand, Yasami abruptly froze up and snapped her head over to him.

    She was greeted by the charmingly handsome face of Darcel, and Yasami had nearly forgone all of her embarrassment about this situation. But quickly, Yasami sobered up and pointed at Darcel.

    "Wh-what are you doing so suddenly?!" The voice she let out was several pitches higher than Yasami wanted to be.

    Moreover, during this whole time, Yasami made no attempt to move from Darcel''s hand despite her using question.

    Darcel''s smirk only grew wider, seeing her reaction. He was going to smoothly answer her until, "Hehehe~! Don''t get so surprised, Yasami. Darcy is just warming you up! It was too obvious you were putting up a tough girl front, but you don''t need to bear the cold with us. See, just watch this!"

    Darcel and Yasami quickly look over to Ani. Once their eyes were on her, without warning, she had put her hand on Darcel''s shoulder.

    With a quick surge of her own bloodline, Ani interjected her warming ck mes inside him.

    Although Darcel merely raised his eyebrows at what his energetic girl was nning to do. He felt no different from Ani''s ck mes since his own body was already warm.

    But right then, his ears picked up on a pleasant sigh escaping Yasami''s lips.

    "Haaah~. Ooooh~."

    The sigh she made almost sounded sweetly erotic and was like music to Darcel''s ears.

    Darcel quickly tossed a look over to Ani. And all he was greeted with was a slight mischievous knowing smile from the girl. Darcel had smirked back at her and quickly caught on to what she was doing.

    "Soo, enjoying ourselves, are we?" Darcel''s teasing voice caused Yasami to lock up again.

    Taking a peek at her face, Darcel now could vaguely spot a hint of a red hue poking out of her face of where the hoodie covered.

    Combined with the double warmth of Ani, Yasami nearly wanted to copse in their embrace from the soothing mes.

    Darcel and Ani''s ck mes mixed together perfectly like they were made for each other. But when Darcel spoke up, he instantly cut off her trance.

    This time Yasami instantly reacted and mustered all of her energy to not stutter out when speaking. "Fine! But only because it''s cold, you can hold on to my shoulder!"

    The embarrassment was ever apparent in her voice, and Darcel assumed her gorgeous face had a full on cute blush.

    Darcel knew if Yasami honestly didn''t like his touch, she would''ve shrugged it off at first contact. She wasn''t the one to hold off on her more aggressive feelings.

    Still, Darcel had only smiled in understanding, saying, "Alright then. But you need to ease up, you know? It''s not good to have tension before fighting."

    As Darcel spoke, his hand began to lightly massage Yasami''s shoulder. To which, Yasami felt her body rx even more.

    "Darcy makes a great case Yasami. Just let us help with loosening up those tightened muscles and joints to make this mission go even easier!" Ani chimed in, causing Yasami''s mind to fall even further.

    "Hmph! Whatever, let''s just keep walking."

    Yasami leaked a small sigh at the end and contented herself to be under the warmth that was Darcel and Ani.

    The duo sneakily smiled at each other, and they all began walking again.

    Their pace was a bit slower than before, given their current arrangement. Still, nevertheless, the trio was quickly approaching the ape''s igloo.

    A few Spirit Monsters tried to ambush and attack them, but everything was quickly dealt with by them.

    And after a few more minutes offortably trudging through the snow, Yasami suddenly pointed ahead of them. "Ah! There it is! And talk about distinct first impressions."

    A lone sizable igloo that lookedrge enough to fit at most a couple of people sat in the middle of the snow. At the entrance of the igloo, an ominous shade of ck could be seen.

    Around the igloo, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami sensed there were zero Spirit Monsters in this area.

    Noticing this oddity, the trio had then zeroed their Spirit Sense to go inside the igloo.

    But, upon doing so, all three of them wrinkled their eyebrows. There was.absolutely nothing they could sense in the igloo. It really was like nobody was home in there.

    Still, this was nowhere near enough to raise concern for Darcel, Ani, and Yasami.

    Darcel took his hand from Yasam''s shoulder while Ani took her hand from Darcel''s shoulder. Yasami felt a slight loss from the loss of warmth, but she quickly diverted her attention.

    All three of them had then prepared their bodies for battle and tense for any surprise attacks.

    Slight anticipation swirled in their chest as they wondered what kind of Spirit Monster would it be given the ape had its very own title.

    The trio made it to the entrance and briefly paused for a moment. Their eyes stared into the deep Darkness, and they couldn''t obverse at all what was in the igloo.

    "Ready?" Yasami threw out her question to the duo while cracking her knuckles.

    "More than I need to be," Ani spoke with absolute confidence.

    "Let''s see just what this terrifying killer ape can do," Darcel said without a hint of genuine worry.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami quickly shuffled into the igloo. Immediately their visions were shrouded inplete Darkness. Strange energy washed over them, and neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami could identify it.

    But after only a split second, the Darkness and strange energy went away.

    Their eyes blinked open to a pretty spacious but empty room and pure snowy walls all around them.

    Initially, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were puzzled as they expected a killer ape to be here.

    But right then, all their Spirit Senses suddenly spiked up!

    The snowy walls burst open, and numerous snow chains blitz towards Darcel, Ani, and Yasami! The speed of the chains would catch even a sixth rank Innate Core cultivator off guard.

    And the snow chains neared the trio in just a couple of seconds.

    However, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t show any panic on their face. Yasami had even smirked at impending danger.

    She had quickly burst forth her Innate Qi and surged out zing blue fire aura!

    ''Sssch!!''

    Yasami''s powerful blue fire aura quickly sizzled the snow chains, making them all turn to ashes.

    That kind of instantaneous reaction wouldn''t even be seen in a sixth rank Innate Core powerhouse!

    Although the party was just beginning for the trio. Their Spirit Senses went off again, and Darcel, Ani, and Yasami snapped their heads up to the ceiling.

    Some shock shed into their eyes as what sailed down at them was a vast, thick tail that covered Darcel, Ani, and Yasami. The tail was pure white and had striking vibrant red streaks in it.

    The red streaks almost look too vibrant and bright, as if they were beating like an organ.

    At the sight of the white and red tail, Darcel was the next to gain a battle-hungry smirk.

 Chapter 112: The Combination

    Chapter 112: The Combination

    Darcel spared no expense at the sudden attack and had fully surged his bloodline powers! A profound ck glow enriched his bloodline arm, and his exotic tattoo markings formed.

    Ani and Yasami eyes gazed over at Darcel, but they didn''t interfere and let him attack this time.

    They wanted to test the waters a bit for this supposed ape creature and see its limit. Although both Ani and Yasami internally shrugged if Darcel''s attack does end up killing the beast.

    Since they wereing to kill, Darcel didn''t want the battle to drag on.

    Darcel thrust both of his hands up in a span of a second and sted out two vast ck ming ws!

    Streaks of ck mes spewed all over the room and drilled into the cracked snowy walls.

    The broad tail had even temporarily halted at the sudden tremendous increase of power.

    But Darcel''s ck ming ws were instantaneous, giving the tail no chance to react.

    ''Bang!''

    ck mes spewed out in the air as Darcel''s ck ming ws violently shed with the tail, exploding on impact!

    Blood pooled out of the tail, and charred ck marks appeared running along on the tail. The tail had immediately shivered in pain and quickly drilled back up into the snowy ceiling.

    Before the trio could try and sense where the tail went, sudden chills trickled down their spines.

    It wasn''t chills of being terrified but more chills of the weather being overwhelming freezing! As they experienced the sudden drop of temperature, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami started to feel the whole igloo violently quake.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami, though, stood their ground amidst the violent trembling.

    Their eyes were still glued to the ceiling, and it was then they witnessed a massive nket of snowe tumbling down at them.

    The snow would submerge them all in at least several feet high in it. Furthermore, the power of a sixth rank Innate Core being discharged from the plummeting nket of snow and tried to heavily suppress the trio.

    A seemingly perilous attack where all of their avenue of escape was sealed off only got Darcel, Ani, and Yasami to lightly smirk.

    Right then, Ani and Yasami finally unleashed their full power!

    Ani''s bloodline arm became enriched in a radiant white Light glow, spewing out beautiful white Light streaks. Her tattoo markings popped in on her arm, looking as exotic as ever.

    Yasami instantly donned her blue firefox cloak. Her two zing blue tails rapidly swirled behind her, generating more heat in the freezing igloo.

    The sixth rank Innate Core power that came crashing down on them was utterly shredded by thebined aura of Darcel''s group.

    Once they all unleashed their transformed state, Darcel, Ani and Yasami bent their knees, crazily pouring power in their legs. Simultaneously then, the trio shot up high in the air!

    Their speed was unhindered, and they nearly instantly approached the nket of snow.

    Without any resistance at all, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami tore right through the nket of snow. However, once on the other side of the snow, the trio immediately faced another colossal attack.

    An enormous ape''s fist came crashing down at Darcel''s group. The same sixth rank Innate Core power came barreling down on them as they neared the unique looking fist.

    Like the tail they saw, the ape''s fist had a pure white snow fur and bright beating red streaks highlights in its skin.

    Up at extremely close distance with the beast, Darcel, Ani and Yasami got the full taste of the Soul Weaver ape power.

    And yet, the sixth rank aura that shed against them was nothing more than a breeze for the trio.

    Previously, not even thebined might of four seventh rank Innate Core prowess could suppress Darcel''s group. So just the mere power of the sixth rank was quite literally nothing to the trio.

    Although this feeling couldn''t help but slightly disappoint Darcel, Ani, and Yasami.

    From the titled ''Soul Weaver'', they all expected something more, like a tricky attack to their souls.

    Still, the trio didn''t slow down their momentum and burst towards the huge ape fist. In the most direct way possible, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami strut out their fists to the ape''s massive fist.

    They relied on their pure overwhelming power to sh with the beast!

    ''Bang!''

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami felt like they struck metal as they violently shed with the ape''s fist.

    A tremendous shockwave of True Soul Core and Innate Core power spewed from their collision.

    The shockwave sted Darcel''s group back towards the ground while the ape''s fist had shot through the ceiling of the igloo.

    As they were sailing towards the ground, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami quickly readjusted themselves and floated gently to the ground.

    When they had sunk their feet in the snowy grounds, Darcel''s group suddenly felt a tremendous impact that had crashed into the ground just in front of them.

    Their eyes zipped over to the impact, and they finally saw the whole Soul Weaver ape''s appearance.

    In contrast to really most other Spirit Monster appearances, the Soul Weaver ape is surprisingly not that tall.

    It didn''t have that menacing towering height that even some Spirit Monster rats can have. But it certainly didn''t mean the Soul Weaver ape looks weren''t frightening, to say the least.

    The Soul Weaver ape had a chilling blue-red mixed hue in its eyes. Specifically, Darcel''s group could notice the red part in its eyes eerily glowed up.

    The Soul Weaver ape bared its long sharp teeth that were entirely made up of ice on full disy for Darcel''s group to gaze upon.

    And just like its tail, Darcel''s group noticed the whole fur of the Soul Weaver ape had beating red streaks highlights in it.

    Although, despite the beast''s ferocious appearance, there was only one genuinely peculiar thing Ani observed about the creature. "If they dubbed it an ape.then why does it have a tail? Apes don''t have tails!"

    For a brief moment, Darcel and Yasami were bemused by Ani''s question. But she was right; at least ordinary apes shouldn''t have tails.

    However, this was a thought for another time as their attention quickly focused back up.

    While Darcel''s group was experiencing zero pressure from facing the Soul Weaver ape, the beast itself was having a dramatically different experience.

    Its pupils were continually dting for every second it faced off against Darcel''s group.

    Thebined overwhelming might of Darcel''s group unleashed a tremendous suppression on the Soul Weaver ape body and soul! It felt heavily sluggish in its movement and usage of Innate Qi, plus it had taken some significant damage already.

    Darcel''s ck ming ws had nearly torn off its tail, and theirbined punch nearly shattered all of the bones in its colossal hand!

    Furthermore, multiple bones had even cracked in the Soul Weaver long arm from their violent impact.

    Usually, the Soul Weaver ape could efficiently deal with groups of sixth rank Innate Core warriors. But now, the Soul Weaver ape knows it has to immediately pull out its trump card to stand a chance to survive!

    The Soul Weaver ape had then begun to reach in its fur coat to bring out why even seventh rank Innate Core powerhouses feared it.

    However, no matter how fast it tried to move, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami instantly spotted what it was trying to do.

    Killing intent zed in the trio''s eyes as they most certainly weren''t going to let this beast pull out anything it wants.

    Though they know they have the overwhelming advantage, it didn''t mean they''ll underestimate their foes.

    ''Hua!''

    Without any words exchanged, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all simultaneously blitz towards the Soul Weaver ape!

    The lightning-like speed of Darcel''s group caused the Soul Weaver ape''s eyes to widen a bit.

    The Soul Weaver ape attempted to quickly shift backward from the trio while its hand still went for its fur coat.

    But, even with its more sluggish movement, Ani wasn''t going to give this beast any chance! Instantaneously, Ani''s bloodline arm brightens up in an immense white glow.

    ''Chi!''

    Ani''s blinding white shbang sted out, covering the whole spacious igloo.

    In mid-jump, the Soul Weaver ape froze in mid-air. Its soul was entirely unprotected from Ani''s shbang, making it utterly immobilized for a few seconds.

    Through the blinding white sh, Darcel still had his sights on the Soul Weaver ape. Swiftly, Darcel fired out a Darkness tendril from the center of his palm.

    His single Darkness tendril instantly reached the Soul Weaver ape andtched around its neck.

    Once feeling the Darkness tendriltched on to it, Darcel pulled himself towards the ape reaching breakneck speeds!

    In a split second, Darcelnded on the Soul Weaver ape''s vast head. The Soul Weaver ape was already starting to show signs of breaking free from Ani''s shbang.

    And right then, Darcel lifted up his palm that was now coated entirely in a rich, profound Darkness glow.

    Before the ape could break free, Darcel quickly mmed down his palm on the ape''s head and had released concentrated lustful energies all throughout its body and soul!

    Compared to just using his Darkness tendril, this type of lust energy wrecked even more chaotic havoc than what the silver armor men ever experienced.

    The Soul Weaver ape nearly felt its eyes bulge out of its sockets.

    In an abrupt turn of events, the ape felt its body was nearing aplete explosion! Its bloodstreams got rampaged by lust energy, its soul got sent into an utter frenzy, and all of its Innate Qi nearly left the ape body.

    "GE-GEA-"

    The Soul Weaver ape tried to roar out as it felt progressively weaker by the second.

    On instinct, the Soul Weaver ape frantically moved its body around, trying to get rid of Darcel, but he held on tight.

    However, the Soul Weaver ape couldn''t rampage for long. Yasami already neared the ape, and she barreled straight at its chest.

    She had thrust her blue fire fox ws forward and prated deep into the Soul Weaver ape''s chest!

    Blood gushed like a fountain from the ape as Yasami was able to dig her ws all the way to its lungs.

    Though the Soul Weaver ape certainly had a better bodily defense than the silver armor men, it was defenseless against Yasami''s extraordinary prowess without its Innate Qi.

    Her blue fire raged all throughout the ape''s body, burning its organs, bones, and bloodstreams.

    Pain wracked the creature''s eyes, and an overflow of blood raised in its throat.

    Suddenly then, Yasami quickly jumped back from the ape. The Soul Weaver ape didn''t care for her action, and its mouth immediately opened up in preparation to release a mighty roar of rage and pain.

    However, Ani beat the ape to the punch and opened her mouth to unleash an even greater battle cry!

    "Fiery Slice!!"

    A powerful thin stream of ck mes had then rushed out Ani''s palm!

    Her powerful stream of ck mes blitz towards the Soul Weaver and easily ripped right through the vast hole Yasami made in its chest.

    The Soul Weaver ape went still as its whole chest area was utterly vaporized.

    But Darcel could still sense some lifeing from the creature. Without missing a beat, Darcel fished out his green scimitar and quickly plunged his de through the Soul Weaver ape skull!

    His scimitar drilled deep inside the ape''s head, piercing deeply into its brain.

    Once Darcel felt that squashy resistance, he cruelly smirked. A torrent of ck mes erupted from his scimitar, instantly vaporizing the ape''s brain.

    In that instant, all signs of life left the Soul Weaver ape for good, getting killed in just a manner of seconds.

    Darcel fished out his scimitar from the ape''s head and flung off the blood from it. His only thought about the battle was;

    Ani is right. They genuinely do make a great team!

 Chapter 113: Bonding Reward

    Chapter 113: Bonding Reward

    Darcel quickly jumped off the Soul Weaver ape''s colossal head once it was indeed dead.

    As hended on the snowy ground, the Soul Weaver ape''s corpse fell over backward and crashed into the snow, creating a loud thumb sound.

    "Boy, oh, boy. Even for our crazy standards, that fight was.it was almost too easy! That ape onlysted for like thirty seconds or so at most!"

    Ani strolled up to Darcel, with slight disappointment containing her voice.

    "Well, to be fair, we recently just fried four seventh rank dudes beforeing here. Plus, we did kill it off before the ape before it could probably take out its ultimate trump card." Yasami had chimed in while walking up to Darcel as well.

    And on Yasami point of the Soul Weaver ape''s trump card, Darcel turned back around to the ape. He had noted where the ape was trying to put his hand in his fur coat throughout the fight.

    Assuming that was his trump card weapon, Darcel strolled back over to the colossal ape.

    Swirls of ck and blue mes still surged in the Soul Weaver ape''s gaping hole of a chest.

    And at the top of the ape''s massive head, ck mes pooled from it, leaving a trail of blood to stain the snow.

    After silently remarking on just how badly they messed up the ape, Darcel''s eyes quickly spotted where the ape was trying to put its hand in.

    Ani and Yasami were a bit confused watching Darcel. They didn''t really bother to pay attention to where the Soul Weaver ape was trying to pull out its weapon. Their main goal was killing it before anything happened.

    Before either girl could question Darcel, though, he already plunged his hand deep inside the Soul Weaver ape''s fur coat.

    Darcel shifted his hand around a bit in its fur coat until he quickly felt a hard metal object. Taking hold of the object, Darcel pulled it out, having Ani and Yasami bare first witness to it.

    Promptly then, Ani and Yasami eyebrows were inquisitively raised up. And Ani blurted out, "A.flute? That''s.this is.unexpected."

    Indeed, what Darcel held in his hand was a uniquely designed long silver flute. The bright silver shine of the flute had an alluring pull towards it as if it would drown you in its radiant glow.

    "Huh. I was expecting some sort of strange or sudden aura to leak out of the weapon you would pull out. But.I''m sensing not a single thing from this luscious looking flute."

    Yasami had some mild disappointment in her voice, obviously expecting a more fabulous treasure than this.

    However, Darcel wasn''t so quick to judge. He put his hand on his chin, pondering the flute for a bit.

    A small idea crossed his mind then as he had then told the girls, "Let''s see if it will respond to a small bit of Qi energy."

    Ani and Yasami''s eyes lit up a bit from Darcel''s suggestion.

    And under the girls'' curious gazes, Darcel poured a small portion of his Qi directly into the silver flute.

    Immediately then, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s eyes widened a bit as they got a prompt reaction from the silver flute!

    A shimmering silver hue burst from the flute, making the instrument even more captivating to gaze upon.

    But what truly caught the trio''s attention was what their Spirit Senses picked up from the flute. Just from the small bit of Darcel''s Qi, an unfathomable aura discharged from the silver flute!

    In Darcel, Ani, and Yasami soul''s depths, they felt a slight churning.

    The sensation swirling in their souls didn''t suppress them, but it was something to take note of. More shock had entered the trio''s eyes then.

    They all quickly realized this flute would''ve been the Soul Weaver ape''s soul attack!

    Moreover, in terms of weapon aura, Darcel and Ani sensed that this flute may even match their Scimitars in terms of rank!

    In fact, not just match, the duo even felt that the flute may just be even more powerful than their Scimitars!

    "He.hehehe~! Now, this is a surprise! If we didn''t kill the ape so quickly, it would''ve been funny to see such a ferocious creature try and smoothly y such a small item!"

    Ani had found an immediate joke about the situation, despite sensing the flute''s great power.

    "Ah, I was thinking it might''ve been a Spirit Artifact at first. But.this flute. It could very well be one of those rare musical instruments that can heavily damper a person''s abilities through all kinds of mystical effects!"

    Yasami took the flute''s power a bit more seriously and exined.

    Hearing her, Darcel had cut off his Qi flow towards the flute.

    The silver flute lost its shimmering aura and went back to being a seemingly ordinary instrument. Darcel spatial ring had then ignited as he began saying,

    "A rare musical instrument, eh? Best to find out more about it before even attempting to use it. I''m guessing all those who took this mission from the Nobe''s Fang group just died when the ape took the flute out, or they escaped before the ape could take the flute out. In any case, we''ll discuss this with Frunater. For now, though."

    Darcel had transferred the silver flute into his spatial ring and walked back to the Soul Weaver ape. He fished out his scimitar once again and hovered his de over the lower half of its massive stomach.

    Without waiting for Ani and Yasami''s reaction, Darcel swiftly tore a massive hole in the ape at this specific part using his scimitar.

    What revealed itself to Darcel made his eyes glow up in joy.

    Beyond the mesh of ruined organs and bones, Darcel spotted a singr lone object that looked vibrant. The object was in a circle shape and appeared to be asrge as a core.

    The Core was beating red, much like the red highlights in the ape''s fur.

    Darcel didn''t care about the ape''s internal body''s grotesques mess and stuck his hand directly in it. Quickly, Darcel grabbed hold of the Core and ripped it out of the ape''s body, holding it up high for both Ani and Yasami to see.

    Initially, Yasami found Darcel''s action a bit gross of going through the ape''s blood and guts. But when she saw thatrge red Core, a bright twinkle sparked in her eyes.

    "Ah! I was suspecting a creature that would be given a title is a special variant beast! Moreover, the red tier? We just scored an extremely valuable Spirit Monster Core!"

    An understanding light entered Darcel and Ani''s eyes then.

    They already know that while Spirit Monster Cores may not be all that helpful to a cultivator''s personal cultivation. Given the fact that these Cores all hold a fierce chaotic berserk quality of its energy that could have a potentially damaging effect of permanently destroying one''s veins.

    But still, Spirit Monster Cores are all highly valuable because of Mages.

    Unlike cultivators, Mages has far more versatile and unique uses that they could do with Spirit Monster Cores.

    And generally, since Mages tend to stay more in groups and reject traveling around, their main avenue in receiving Spirit Monster Cores are cultivators.

    Furthermore, all Mages run high prices for even the lowest tier of Spirit Monster Cores.

    Knowing all of this, Darcel still decided one decision for the Soul Weaver ape''s Core. He purged a bit of his Qi around the red Core to destroy any leftover blood and guts on it.

    Once it was freshly clean, Darcel turned his eyes over to lock gazes with Ani. For a split second, their faces gained a mischievous knowing smirk.

    Suddenly then, Ani opened up her mouth to say, "You sure are knowledgeable about this Yasami. So since all that is so.then you can have the Core all to yourself!"

    Both Ani and Darcel immensely enjoyed Yasami''s stunned reaction when hearing Ani''s response.

    Yasami was genuinely taken off guard by how casual Ani sounded. Her attention quickly zeroed onto her, and she raised a surprised voice.

    "Hey, hey! What do you mean by that?! All of this is a team effort, so we should obviously split the reward!"

    Ani''s smile only grew broader hearing her answer. More and more, Ani was quicklying to like this cute hooded robe girl.

    In a show of her appreciation, Ani boldly strolled right up to Yasami and casually slung her shoulder around her. "True, it was a team effort. But! For this.consider it as a weing gift from Darcy and me about our new blossoming friendship!"

    With how bold and straightforward Ani is being, Yasami quickly got fluster under her.

    Still, Ani had surprisinglyfortable warm body heat that Yasami didn''t want to push off. Moreover, Ani exuded a naturally sweet fragrance that soothed into her nostril and calmed her mind a bit.

    While it didn''t feel as good as when Darcel lightly touched her. Yasami couldn''t deny how soft and warm Ani felt.

    "Ah-Ah.uhm." Yasami was trying to find the right words to say as her voice stuttered in slight embarrassment.

    Seeing the momentum Ani created, Darcel was quick to hop on this opportunity. He began to stroll up to Yasami and instantly gotten her attention as her head snapped towards him.

    Once Darcel neared a mere couple of feet between Yasami, she was like a deer caught in the headlights.

    Her body nearly went utterly rigid, and her heartbeat began to pick up in its pace. From the devilish handsome but slight teasing smile of his, Yasami knew Darcel and Ani had the intention to mess with her.

    But surprisingly enough, Darcel only went for one of her hands.

    He went pretty slowly, allowing Yasami enough time to move her hand if she really didn''t want his hand. Yet Yasami only stayed still, her gaze in a slight trance by the situation.

    Seeing his permission to go, Darcel''s smile grew broad, and he gently picked Yasami''s hand.

    Immediately, Darcel had to remark in his mind on just how incredibly warm and smooth her bare hands were.

    It was like she naturally exuded a stream of constant warmth every single second. This one-touch already made Darcel hopeful for future endeavors.

    While for Yasami, she felt enriched by Darcel''s touch. It was like small electrifying shocks of pleasure trickled down her spine and caused her soul to soothed under his touch.

    Although, Yasami desperately fought back this feeling as she didn''t want to lose all of her cool under this annoying duo!

    Not especially when her heartbeat was only bing quicker by the minute.

    "You know, Yasami. This would actually be the first time Ani and I have done anything like this. But really, some people may say us two have charms. And yet, Ani and I can''t help but get captivated under your alluring charms."

    Darcel smoothly told Yasami while depositing the Soul Weaver ape''s Core in her hand.

    Immediately, Darcel felt Yasami''s body tremble a bit. And for sure, Darcel could see a scarlet blush popping up from under her hood.

    Closing her palm, Darcel took a step back and felt much amused by Yasami''s blushing reaction.

    Abruptly then, Yasami snapped her head back up to him and blurted out, "I-I-I-You-Ah! Fine! I''ll take your stupid gift! But only because you two are so.so insistent!"

    Yasami''s embarrassed shout made her voice undeniably cuter and a joy to listen to.

    "Hehehe~!! That was your cutest reaction yet, Yasami! Oh, I know more so than ever now that we''ll be getting along so great in the near future!" Ani''s words only caused Yasami to quickly shift her head back down.

    "Let''s just carve up this stupid ape already." Yasami quietly grumbled, not finding Ani''s words or tone of voice odd.

    But Darcel had promptly shed his eyes over to Ani and experienced something different.

    While her voice and words seemed to suggest only friendship, Darcel could tell there was something.peculiar about her voice and eyes.

    Specifically, this peculiar oddity Darcel recognized all too well in Ani.

    The glint she had in her eyes, her slightly different tone, was all something she would use when her lust began to rise up. Furthermore, Ani even gave Darcel a suggestive sexy smile of hers that further confirmed his theory.

    And Darcel himself couldn''t stop his broadening smile from forming on his face.

    But still, Darcel kept his voice calm and steady as he then said, "Right, right. We can''t have you blowing over in cuteness. Let''s carve this ape up."

    Ani had excitedly bounced off from Yasami then and began to zealously walk up to Darcel.

    "Oh, oh! Let me get the tail! I''ve been curious why they''re calling this beast an ape."

    Yasamigged behind Ani a bit, her eyes still lingering on Darcel.

    "You.charming idiot." She had very quietly squeaked out, making sure neither Darcel nor Ani had heard it.

    But a widening smile couldn''t stop from forming on Yasami''s lips.

    Yasami had then quickly walked over to the ape as well, saying, "I''ll get the heart then. It seems the least messy to get."

    While Yasami was walking up, Darcel didn''t let it show on his face. But internally, he was wildly grinning. He had very well heard that small cute little voice and knew he would be in for some fun days in the near future.

 Chapter 114: The Return

    Chapter 114: The Return

    Over the skies of the Plunged Tundra, a darker light hazed the area.

    The night is already falling upon the world. More cultivators were quickly traveling on the icy roads to get to their hometowns.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were the exception to this as they rxedly strolled on the icy road leading up to Mawold Town. Now there weren''t any Silver Bloody Hammer group members blocking the entrance.

    And, a few other cultivators were also traversing into Mawold Town and a few others supposedly adventuring out of the Town.

    Keeping their stride, Darcel''s group walked with the few lines of people into Town.

    Once in Town, their eyes set straight on to where the Nobe''s Fang group ce was and began strolling up there. Walking through the icy blue Town under a darker night haze brought about a unique feeling to the trio.

    Under the dwindling night, everything seemed to pop out more.

    The icy blue color radiated a more subtle glossy shine that felt a bit magical to walk under. As well, the general popce seemed more serene under the slight night.

    Cultivators alike slowly strolled together in groups, either casually talking with each other or enjoying the serene atmosphere.

    The only more negative aspect of the night town was those ''silver eyesores'' Darcel''s group like to call them.

    As they walked through the Town, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami sensed multiple presences briefly locking on them. The various presences only took a second to regard them before quickly shifting their attention away as if to not care about them.

    But Darcel''s group clearly knew where these presences wereing from.

    After all, the Silver Bloody Hammer group all carried a distinct aura that makes it easy to separate them from average folks.

    Still, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''tment on it. They simply lightly smirked, thinking those silver eyesores are probably underestimating them.

    Suddenly then, Ani spoke up during thefortable silence between their group, saying,

    "Hehe~, just imagine everyone''s eyes when wee back without even so much of a single scratch! Ohhh, I''ll bet they''ll be petrified in mind, body, and soul!"

    Yasami smirk began to widen through Ani''s bold ims. "Like many people I met, they''re all about to have their ignorant eyes open. Although I bet even after this, there will still be some doubt about our prowess. Either way, this will be intriguing."

    All the while the girls were egging each other on, Darcel had a simple small smile on his face.

    He had soon spotted the Nobe''s Fang group ce just a bit ahead of them.

    And thinking about how boldly Ani and Yasami were talking, Darcel felt the small swirl of anticipation bubbled in his chest about the uing meeting.

    "Just remember to not get too carried away in your words. After all, we still need to cooperate with them."

    "Heh. Alright." Both Yasami and Ani yfully snorted and said at the same time.

    And while Ani immediately looked over to Yasami to sh her a beautiful teasing smile. Yasami couldn''t help but get a bit embarrassed and quickly turned her head away from her.

    Darcel chucked internally about that small exchange, and the trio finally arrived at the entrance of the Nobe''s Fang group ce.

    Quickly, Ani and Yasami sober up before going into the ce.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami had all then quickly shared a brief look between each other. They nodded in silent understanding and had then boldly strode in the ce.

    Promptly, when Darcel''s group had stepped in, the usual curious eyes wandered onto them.

    And when people began noticing it was the same highly confident brats from before, more eyes began to gloss over them in slight disbelief.

    After all, they all calcted it merely been a few hours since they left!

    And for an Expert tier mission like these youths were doing, nearly all of the Nobe''s Fang group members needed at least several days toplete the task.

    All the days ount for traversing through the Wild Snownds and strategizing on how to traverse through without dying.

    Furthermore, looking at the state of Darcel''s group made the scene even more ludicrous.

    On all three of their bodies, there wasn''t a single scratch on them! Not even a tiny bit of shred or rustle on their clothes, making them look absolutely spotless!

    Such a clean showing shouldn''t be possible on an Expert tier mission!

    And, of course, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all notice the rising questions and disbelief on the Nobe''s Fang group member''s faces. The trio basked in their stares for a second before Darcel decided it was showtime.

    Before anyone could even form a thought to speak, their eyes were all immediately taken by Darcel''s spatial ring lightning up.

    A bright purple glow illuminated the whole room, bringing everyone anticipation through the roof.

    The purple sh onlysted for a second, and people quickly reopen their eyes.

    And upon doing so, jaws immediately hit the floor. Everyone''s eyes had to repeatedly blink just to make sure what they were witnessing was real.

    In Darcel''s head was the colossal bloody head of the Soul Weaver ape!

    For a terrifying, dangerous beast like that, there had been portraits circting around the ce about it. The portraits came from the lucky members that failed toplete the mission but had escaped with their lives.

    In return, everyone could clearly recognize the striking beating red highlights in the Soul Weaver ape''s fur.

    "Th-th-bu-How?!? Th-that beast killed off even numerous teams of seventh rank warriors! Just how did these kids do it?!"

    "It-it''s too surreal.that''s the Soul Weaver ape head. Yet it''s in the hand of a True Soul Core junior.this feels like a bizarre dream that just keeps on getting weirder and weirder."

    "Frey.you''re seeing what I''m seeing, right? Right?" The girl that was with Frey from before had immediately stood on her toes once seeing the Soul Weaver ape''s disembodied head.

    She was one of the ones that spoke the loudest against the trio. And now, her mind was falling into a chaotic state of confusion and disbelief.

    "It-it.yes. This is indeed real. Even I had a close shave with that beast during my more younger times.but even then. I was at the seventh rank level."

    Frey had quickly stood up with his partner, sharing her intense disbelief.

    Even more so since he had experienced a grueling battle with the Soul Weaver ape in the past. He clearly knows it should be virtually impossible for any small group to defeat the beast, let alone kill it!

    Although the Nobe''s Fang group members initially had various thoughts on whether or not Darcel''s group couldplete the mission because of Darcel and Ani''s soul aura.

    Seeing them actually do it still destroys any sort ofmon sense inside them.

    "Heeh~. Looks like Yasami was right. There''s still doubt swirling in the masses of people. At least, they all know they can''t disprove what Darcy''s holding." Ani whispered throughout the colossalmotion.

    Yasami had heard her and quickly said, "Heh. Not only everyone here is still doubting us. Even those Heavenly Generals have the same disbelief and questioning expressions, surging in their eyes."

    Right as she said it, Darcel and Ani''s eyes zipped over to the back part of the room and saw both Heavenly Generals Gorbug and Sinaki walking down the stairs.

    Their gazes focused squarely on them, unmoving as if they were trying to see through their sous.

    Just like the other members, it was a bit hard to ept that Darcel''s group had so easily killed the Soul Weaver ape.

    They both had immediately picked on Darcel''s group arriving at the entrance, and initially, they did believe the trio had failed.

    After all, Heavenly General Gorbug and Sinaki have millenniums of experience over the youths. And they know just how grueling an Expert tier mission can be.

    Yet sitting right in front of their faces was the Soul Weaver ape''s beheaded head in Darcel''s hand.

    Heavenly General Sinaki went through numerous scenarios in his mind in an instant.

    But, no matter what scenario he came up with, Heavenly General Sinaki just couldn''t think of a way how these kids could kill a Spirit Monster equivalent to numerous seventh rank Innate Core warriors.

    Even if Darcel''s group just happened to have the best talismans on them and other special attacking items. Everything will still be rtive to their levels.

    Meaning, no matter what, all the energy they could use on their team was two quantity of Spirit Qi energy and one fifth rank Innate Core energy.

    And obviously, none of them could wield mighty Heavenly Qi to use Spirit Artifacts'' incredible prowess to grossly jump realms.

    It was then, Heavenly General Sinaki''s mind snapped back to Darcel and Ani''s unique soul aura. A prowess that seemed to surmount a whole realm and a half. It was absolutely too far fetched to think about at the time.

    But now.Heavenly General Sinaki''s mind was in disarray.

    All the while, Heavenly General Gorbug''s reaction was far more subdued than anyone else. Comparatively, he had expected for the trio to have a shocking result.

    Although, he just didn''t expect it to happen this fast and in such an outrageous manner!

    Seeing Darcel, Ani, and even Yasami now, a new light began to enter Heavenly General Gorbug''s eyes about them.

    As both Heavenly General Gorbug and Sinaki walked up to Darcel''s group, the other group member''s attention quickly shifted to them.

    At this point, they had all realized that these kids may genuinely have the qualifications to meet with the Heavenly Generals!

    "Follow us to the offices."

    Was all Heavenly General Sinaki told the trio. Taking ast look at them, Heavenly General Sinaki quickly turned back around and began walking.

    Heavenly General Gorbug nodded towards Darcel''s group, indicating that it was ok to follow.

    "It''s about time then! Let''s go." Yasami had boldly called out, and she, Darcel, and Ani followed behind Heavenly General Gorbug''s steps.

    Throughout the time they walked behind Heavenly General Gorbug, Darcel''s mind began to wonder.

    Staring at the bewildered reaction of the Nobe''s Fang group members made himpare it to the Zakira Academy''s students'' reactions.

    Until he and Ani finally showed their real prowess against Gorga and his friend, they were pestered continuously with doubts and even used of cheating their prowess.

    And currently, while there were apparent doubts and suspicions in the Nobe''s Fang group member''s eyes, none of them were quick to call them out for cheating.

    But, thinking more about it, Darcel found it to make sense.

    Comparatively, the Qi Formation Sea realm and Nascent Core realm are essentially nothing to even the weakest of Innate Core warriors.

    Cultivating to the Innate Core realm would require even decently talented people years of experience and hardships. And once finally achieving this step, one can call this realm entering a new ne of strength.

    It''s why, despite the Soul Weaver ape only being able to kill simply a rank above its level, the beast was still so heavily feared.

    The impossible shock of killing the beast, Darcel guessed it may be too much for any one of them to handle at this time.

    But Darcel supposed it won''t be long before people get over their stunned shock and start hounding all three of them about their prowess.

    With these thoughts swirling in Darcel''s mind, his group quickly followed Heavenly General Gorbug up the stairs, leaving behind the stunned group members.

    "....I still can''t believe that all transpired.can you, Frey? Huh? Frey? What''s wrong?" As Darcel''s group left, the chatter started back up again, and Frey''s partner immediately turned her attention towards him.

    But she was a bit confused at his current gaze.

    He didn''t even bother with staring at the direction where Darcel''s group had gone up. Instead, he turned his attention down one of the long hallways of the room.

    There he watched as a disgruntled Fruna came rushing down the hallway and into the room. Her eyes expelled confusion and slight disappointment, knowing she just missed Darcel''s group returned.

    And as Frey watched her, a strange light hazed in his eyes.

    .

    On their road to the office, Darcel''s group had to further admire the Nobe''s Fang group ce''s design. Everything still had a neat icy blue coat of paint, and unique designs of a golden fang was painted along the walls.

    Moreover, Darcel''s group could tell the ce''s internal structure was easy to follow as they climbed up the steps.

    There were signs above hallways detailing what section of that ce was and or how to get to other sites.

    To where the Heavenly Generals were taking them, they climbed a decently long flight of stairs before they made it to what Darcel''s group assumed was the top floor.

    There weren''t any more staircases that the trio could see that led further beyond this floor anyway.

    Once they made it on the floor, the Heavenly Generals swiftly led them down a semi-long corridor that only had about five doors filling it.

    No words were spoken between them as the Heavenly Generals were lost in slight thought. Eventually, they stopped in front of a door on the right wall, and a sign above the door said Heavenly.

    Heavenly General Sinaki opened the door to reveal a neat looking office for Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s eyes.

    There were the standard usual inside that would make an office of a high ranking member of an organization.

    Various books, shelves, scrolls, and other such exotic items of the sort, plus there was arge, uniquely designed blue couch in the office.

    Inclining his head towards them, Heavenly General Gorbug told Darcel''s group, "Come on in. We have much to discuss."

 Chapter 115: Heavenly Generals

    Chapter 115: Heavenly Generals

    Taking the invitation, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami boldly strolled into the office without a hint of reservation. They quickly got up right towards therge couch there and plopped right into it.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami sankfortably into the chair, feeling its soft fluffiness rxed their bodies.

    Heavenly General Gorbug and Sinaki didn''t mind their causal attitude, expecting it from them at this point. They had then walked in front of the desk, and their eyes trailed all over the trio.

    "So? You three do have the other parts of the Soul Weaver ape, I presume?" Heavenly General Gorbug couldn''t stop himself from quickly asking the trio.

    Though Darcel did pull out the ape''s beheaded head, he and Heavenly General Sinaki wanted to witness everything on full disy.

    Darcel, Yasami, and Ani began to boldly smirk at Heavenly General Gorbug''s question. It was a bit amusing seeing a titled Heavenly King so hasty for an answer.

    Ani had then told him, "Hehe~, if we didn''t have the other body parts, we wouldn''t bother showing back up here!"

    As she finished talking, three bright purple shes illuminated the whole office.

    Heavenly General Gorbug and Sinaki blinked their eyes for a second, and when reopening their eyes, they were stunned.

    In Darcel''s hand was, of course, the Soul Weaver ape''s head.

    And now, also in Ani''s hand was the ape''s massive thick tail! Yasami had also carried the ape''s,rge heart.

    With the body parts in their hands, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all got up in sync, moving towards the desk. They walked with a confident stride under the Heavenly Generals'' still surprised eyes, and they quickly put the Soul Weaver ape''s body parts on the desk.

    Swiftly then, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami returned to thefortable couch and sank right back in it.

    Heavenly General Sinaki lit up his spatial ring and quickly stuffed the Soul Weaver ape''s body parts in it.

    His eyes and Heavenly General Gorbug''s eyes never left the trio, though.

    Now they truly couldn''t wrap their head around Darcel''s group. Seemingly because they''re split the body parts among them, must mean all three of them put in the work in killing the ape?

    Heavenly General Gorbug and Sinaki already knew there was something off about Darcel and Ani because of their souls'' aura.

    But for Yasami?

    Besides sensing something vaguely peculiar about her, neither Generals picked up on anything outrageously off about her.

    "Just.just how? How did you all manage to aplish this? Not even the best seventh rank warriors in our group could kill that beast!" Heavenly General Sinaki raised his voice a bit at the end.

    No matter what, he doesn''t think he could ever get over Darcel''s group killing the Soul Weaver ape unless he knew every single detail.

    But, Heavenly General Sinaki remembers he is in the room with Gorbug. Who, most for sure, will protect these kids from getting pushed too far.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami, though, they remained unaffected under the using tone of a Heavenly Transformation cultivator. The kind of unfathomable pressure that would be sure to crack any other peak Innate Core warrior did little to affect their minds.

    The trio had even openly broadened their smirk and stared directly in Heavenly General Sinaki''s eyes.

    "Because we''re talented." Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all cheekily spoke at the same time.

    Going off from how they are being treated, the trio knows Heavenly General Gorbug is there to stop Sinaki from taking it too far in their meetings.

    And armed with this knowledge, Darcel, Ani and Yasami couldn''t help but get a bit cheeky. Especially if it''s with someone who was heavily doubting them from before.

    Heavenly General Sinaki immediately felt his eyes rapidly twitch at the brat''s answer. Even Heavenly General Gorbug felt a bit exasperated at Darcel''s group cheeky remark.

    However, before either of the two could respond, Darcel had suddenly spoken up.

    "Heavenly Generals, don''t tell me you don''t remember Ani''s and I souls aura? That should be more than enough proof as to why we could kill the beast. And for Yasami, I think it''s fair to have that same assumption, no? After all, I can admit she had also helped out greatly on the mission."

    Darcel didn''t notice it as he had his attention squarely on the Heavenly Generals. But he had assumed Yasami might get a bit embarrassed at thest part of his statement.

    And to his assumption, Darcel would indeed be correct.

    Yasami briefly squirmed in her seat a bit, hearing how so casually Darcelplimented her. Truthfully, Yasami could tell Darcel and Ani''s abilities were far more useful than her own on the mission.

    To Ani''s stunning shbangs and Darcel''s Darkness tendrils, it essentially made all of their fights a cakewalk!

    And yet, Darcel and even Ani value Yasami part that much that they genuinely do consider her a great help to their team.

    Thinking upon this point, Yasami felt something warm and soothing bud in her chest. Her gaze unconsciously trailed over to Darcel''s face for a second.

    But Yasami had quickly refocused her attention once she spotted Ani looking over at her with a vast teasing smile,

    Heavenly General Gorbug and Sinaki, of course, didn''t notice this.

    They fell a bit silent, knowing, unless they forced them, they would have to take Darcel''s words at face value.

    Because Heavenly General Gorbug already had a liking towards the three, he was quick to get over his thoughts. "Well then, we''ll have plenty of other opportunities to truly see their prowess in action, right General Sinaki? For now, let''s give you all your rewards."

    While Heavenly General Gorbug talked, he dug into the desk''s draws and pulled out three fancy-looking spatial rings. He had then tossed the rings to Darcel''s group, who all promptly caught them.

    Holding the rings in their hands, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami could all vaguely sense tremendous resources were jam-packed into these rings.

    Liking where this was going, the trio stuffed the rings into their pockets as Heavenly General Sinaki began to speak then. "I suppose this is official now.haah. Right, wee to the Nobe''s Fang group."

    While Heavenly General Sinaki talked, he pulled three bronze fang badge symbols from the same desk.

    Tossing it towards Darcel''s group, the trio caught the bronze fang badge symbols and curiously stared at them in their hands. Before they could ask about it, Heavenly General Gorbug began telling them,

    "For our group, it''s quite simple if you want to stay and continue adventuring here. All you need to do isplete any tiers of missions to earn Fang''s token. These tokens can be exchanged for just about anything here. Weapons, artifacts, talismans, cultivation resources, you''ll find it all here."

    "Furthermore, since you all didplete an Expert tier mission as a group. You all are technically counted as Bronze ranking members even without the official inauguration."

    Heavenly General Sinaki finished off the exnation and got Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s further intrigue.

    Yasami was the one to ask then, "You know, I saw some people back in the main room with this specific badge symbol. So? What better advantages will we receive with it?"

    "Everything you can exchange for Fang''s tokens will be at a vastly superior qualitypared to no badge members. But the most significant advantage is, you all will be granted with your own rooms to stay in."

    Heavenly General Gorbug exined to them, causing a desirable light to sh in Ani and Darcel''s eyes.

    Darcel had taken it upon himself to ask then, "Besides that then. What about the tier of missions? Just how many tiers are there?"

    "Below the Expert tier mission you took, there are hard tier missions and normal tier missions. And for any tier of missions, you all are free to choose whichever, either alone or as a group. But like this mission, your rewards will be split three ways if you doplete it as a group." Heavenly General Sinaki spoke to exin.

    With the more essential details out of the way, Ani decided to ask the more juicy question. "Sooo, just where would we be staying with our Bronze ranked status?"

    Heavenly General Gorbug and Sinaki took one look over at each other. They both nodded, and Heavenly General Gorbu told them,

    "We do have three vacant ro-"

    "Ah-Ah! You only need to give us two rooms. Darcy and I will be sharing a room!" Ani had interrupted to say, causing Darcel to immediately peer his eyes over to Yasami.

    A light smirk forms on his face as he clearly notices a visceral reaction in the girl.

    Darcel could tell that Yasami had a burning question to ask about Ani''s statement but kept it down because of the current environment they were in.

    All the while, Heavenly General Sinaki didn''t see a problem with that arrangement. There were plenty of couples here in their organization anyway.

    Heavenly General Sinaki simply shrugged his shoulders and made a grasping motion with his hand. The air shifted towards his palm and out from one of the shelves flew two bronze key cards that sailed towards his hand.

    "The room to where these keycards go to are detailed on the back. And luckily enough for you three, Fruna is just outside the office waiting to guide you around the ce. That girl really can''t hold her curiosity."

    Though Heavenly General Sinaki said thest part a bit more quietly, Darcel, Ani and Yasami could still pick up on it.

    Admittedly, Darcel and Ani found it a bit cute that Fruna immediately came up here just to meet them.

    While Yasami didn''t have much of an opinion about her. Although she can tell that Fruna does value her friendship, considering she is willing to go out of her way to meet her.

    "Well then Heavenly Generals. This was a great meeting. We''ll be seeing you around." Darcel spoke as he, Ani, and Yasami all got up from the couch.

    They nodded their heads in respect to the Heavenly Generals and swiftly walked out of their office then.

    Once they were all alone, a sudden thought streaked into Heavenly General Sinaki''s mind. "Hey.what do you think he will think about those three?"

    "Hmmm.if it''s anything like we just experienced today. Then undoubtedly even he will be wow by the trio." Heavenly General Gorbug''s answer caused a slight contemtion for Sinaki.

    "If you say so. But, honestly, call it a strange hunch. Yet, I''m pretty sure that trio will do more than just wow that guy."

 Chapter 116: Bold & Direct

    Chapter 116: Bold & Direct

    Once Darcel, Ani, and Yasami made it out of the Heavenly Generals'' office, their eyes lit up in small surprise. Though they were expecting it, it was a bit shocking to see Fruna waiting patiently for them to return.

    She was leaning against the wall, seemingly deep in thought.

    Though no one else was on the floor, making the scene seem a bit odd, Darcel''s group didn''t question it for now. As soon they took their first steps into the corridor, Fruna''s head immediately perked up.

    "Now that''s the sign of a truly good friend! Didn''t keep you waiting for a long Fruna?" Ani immediately called out as she, Darcel, and Yasam''s gazes matched Fruna''s.

    A huge grin spread on Fruna''s face then. Her eyes had also quickly noticed the bronze ranking fang badges in their hand, causing her surprise to further about the trio.

    "So you three really didplete that mission. Not only that, but you all also managed to be bronze ranking members in one fell swoop. I can''t imagine the uproar this will have once the other members find out about this.for now, though. Congrattions, you three!"

    For a brief second, the trio paused at Fruna''s words.

    The most particr note that stuck out from her words was the fact they will inevitably cause an uproar with their bronze rankings badges.

    It got Darcel, Yasami, and Ani momentarily thinking about how to resolve that issue before it even happens.

    However, presently, the trio put that thought on the back burner for a bit, and they swiftly stuffed their bronze badges in their pockets.

    Ani had then begun to sweetly giggle as she and the others walked over to Fruna, telling her, "See? Having your faith invest in us is the right path to have! We never disappoint! And soo.I''m sure you heard the Heavenly Generals about our rooms, right?"

    Fruna proceeded to get off from the wall from Ani''s question and nodded at her.

    Truthfully, she had onlye at the tail end of their conversation. But with all the noise uproaring from the lounge room, it was more than easy to guess the news Darcel''s group had transpired.

    "Just follow me. I know this ce like the back of my hand. I''ll take you down the path where there''s the least amount of people walking about. I''m sure you all want a bit of peace and quiet to digest everything the Heavenly Generals informed you of."

    Fruna had then turned around, facing the staircases that led down, and inclined her head to Darcel''s group to follow her.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''tg behind Fruna and dutifully followed behind her.

    Like Fruna told them, she swiftly led them down the stairs to the second floor and began leading them down twisty turn hallways. The specific turns she made was intended for them to encounter very few people on their walks.

    But of course, given the massive and vast size of the Nobe''s Fang group ce. It was impossible to not encounter some other group members.

    Although it was mostly other bronze ranking members.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami noticed that none of them seemed to pay great attention to Fruna''s presence when they walked by them.

    But question gazes were directed at them as if they had no idea who they were.

    Since obviously not every group member was in the lounge room, there were bound to be people who had no idea who Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were.

    Even if words do travel fast, it''s only been at most thirty minutes since Darcel''s groupst appeared in the lounge.

    The bronze ranking members did marvel at Darcel and Ani''s striking appearance. Some even wanted to go up and talk to them.

    But, for those situations, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami decided to make a brief exception to their thoughts.

    They had all swiftly pulled out their own bronze ranking badge fang symbols, which got all those who tried toe up to them to pause.

    Every member knows it''s no mistake to be given a bronze fang badge considering only their Heavenly Generals can give them out.

    Their interest then should''ve been even more piqued in the trio.

    But every time someone saw the bronze ranking badge, an odd feeling crept up inside their minds, telling them to not mess with the trio at this time.

    And this led to other bronze ranking members to simply nod at them before moving on.

    Darcel and Ani were d that most bronze ranking members didn''t surpass the fifth rank of the Innate Core realm. It made it far more easier to scare them off by their soul auras along with showing their badges.

    And like this, Darcel''s group and Fruna walked in rtivelyfortable silence.

    At least, Ani wasfortably silent while following behind Fruna. Darcel could pick up on a strangely quiet atmosphere exuding from Yasami, though.

    But he would save that question forter.

    Darcel''s eyes had nced around their current area and noticed they were finally alone in this section of the second-floor hallways.

    Finding this as a good opportunity, Darcel tapped Fruna''s shoulder, gaining her attention. She had looked over to Darcel and saw his spatial ring brightly shed, ringing her curiosity already.

    Promptly then, Fruna''s eyes began to widen once she saw the bright, alluring silver object Darcel had pulled out.

    Darcel''s expectation rose seeing Fruna''s reaction, and he had then asked her,

    "This flute. we''ve taken it from that Soul Weaver ape. Perhaps you know what it exactly is? Going by your reaction, it''s pretty telling."

    Darcel, of course, wouldn''t trust either Heavenly Generals with asking this sort of question.

    Even though Heavenly General Gorbug was the nicest out of the two, he''s still an unknown threat that can potentially switch sides on them. Fruna, however, was a lot more trustworthy than both of them.

    Not only she had stood up to Robert and Reyney, despite only barely knowing Darcel and Ani at that time. She also did sort of y a part in getting them to join the Nobe''s Fang group.

    Plus, it also helps that Darcel, Ani, and Yasami are all stronger than her.

    When hearing Darcel asked the question, Ani perked up to listen in. Even the strangely quiet Yasami perked up to listen to Fruna''s words. She was the most curious to see if her previous guess about the flute was right.

    "I can''t believe it.but.yes. Now it makes sense! What you have in your head Darcel is the Soul Spangled Flute!"

    Darcel quickly put the silver flute back into his spatial ring and let Fruna continue with her exnation.

    "As the name heavily implies, that flute is a special musical instrument that can heavily manipte anyone''s soul. Through their souls, the flute can cause people to freeze for hours, put people to sleep, or manipte and control people''s minds. There''s even one old legend of an extraordinary genius who had one of the rarest souls ever seen putting a titled Heavenly King to sleep with that flute. And the genius was just in the Innate Core realm at that time!"

    Digesting that information was quite a lot to take in.

    A new light hazed in Darcel, Ani, and Yasami eyes knowing the treasure they got is something far beyond their expectations.

    Although, a sudden idea popped into Ani''s mind.

    She asked Fruna, "Oooh~, that''s all cool and all. But.what''s the catch? Would we need actual experience ying the flute? And some extremely powerful, out of this world soul?"

    "Ah, you see, this is what makes this flute a bit more special than other exotic instruments. Anybody can tap into the extraordinary power of flute by simply surging their soul energy in their mouth and blowing into the flute. The only requirement for the flute, as you guess, Ani, is to have an incredibly powerful soul. As this flute can instantly drain a cultivator of all their soul energy for one attack and can potentially make a cultivator weaker for future realms."

    Darcel thought for a second, and it made sense. While his and Ani''s soul seemingly have this infinite supply of energy. He and Ani clearly know they can overexert their souls to the point where it hurts to use.

    And for a treasure like this flute, it can be seen as a double edge sword of potentially damaging your cultivation roots.

    Despite realizing all of this, a small smirk still etched upon Darcel''s lip.

    Another thing he knows about the information here is that cultivators all judge things by theirmon sense.

    So Darcel had the utmost confidence in using the flute without harming his soul or roots of cultivation. "Thank you for the information Fruna. We''ll keep this in mind if we ever require the need to use it."

    Darcel spoke, though Ani and Yasami could tell Darcel was already forming thoughts about the flute just by the look in his eyes.

    "It''s no problem. But yes, do use it when it''s an absolutely necessary situation. There are too many people here and well, around our whole Province whose eyes will go blind from greed."

    Fruna cautiously warned Darcel, hoping they would heed her advice.

    But when she heard Ani began to giggle, a wry smile formed on Fruna''s face knowing these youths must be attracted to taking on danger.

    "Hehehe~, thanks for the warning Fruna. But, you''re the only one who will know about the flute. Why? Because we know your eyes are excellent!" Ani threw out an honestpliment to Fruna.

    And it caused the older woman to have a cute blossoming smile curve upon her lips.

    "Heeeh.since it''s you two, of course, you will know what you''re doing. Let''s hurry along now; we''re almost to the rooms."

    ....

    Eventually, after several more minutes of walking, Fruna led the trio to the bronze ranking members resting quarters.

    In this specific corridor, Darcel''s group notices the fang symbol designs are painted in an entire beautiful brown coat. Furthermore, there weren''t any other members currently walking around the corridor.

    "And this is where you''ll be staying to rest or sleep. Do you need me to guide you all to your rooms?"

    Fruna offered through Ani had immediately shaken her head, kindly answering her with, "That won''t be necessary. We got it from here. Plus, we all need some much needed good rest after that mission."

    Fruna understood Ani''s plight and began to turn around from them.

    "See you allter then. Oh! Also, wee to Nobe''s Fang group." And with that, Fruna left the trio with a parting smile.

    Once she was out of their sights, Darcel and Ani fished their eyes over to Yasami.

    And right when their gazesnded on her, Yasami suddenly blurted out,

    "What are you two rtionship exactly?!" Her words came out a bit usatory and loud.

    Yet, Yasami couldn''t help it. Ever since Ani told the Heavenly Generals she and Darcel would be sharing a room, the thought of what they would do in said room couldn''t leave her mind.

    Throughout their whole time together, neither Darcel nor Ani showed any obvious signs of being in a rtionship together. Sure they got along like fishes in the water, but they made it seem like they were more best friends than anything else.

    Darcel and Ani took one look at each other. Immediately a smile graced their lips as a silentmunication was exchanged between them.

    And before Yasami knew it, Ani suddenly appeared right to her side like a ghost.

    Yasami had nearly tripped over as Ani moved in close. But before she could adequately react, Ani started to talk.

    "You see, Yasami. Darcy and I are in a loving boyfriend-girlfriend rtionship. But-"

    Entirely out of Yasami''s expectations, Ani had abruptly cut herself off and wrapped Yasami up in a big gentle hug!

    She didn''t even give Yasami a chance toprehend her words, and Ani continued on to say, "Don''t let that fact discourage you! It may be our very first day together, but to hell with it! We''re really starting to like you!"

    Immediately, Yasami began to quiver in Ani''s warm embrace and her straightforward words.

    Everything was all just too sudden!

    And yet.Yasami could at least say she didn''t dislike being in Ani''s soft, tender arms. There was just something about this girl that made it easy to rx around her.

    Still, there was one chord that stuck out to Yasami from Ani''s words.

    "L-l-like?" She stuttered out inplete embarrassment.

    During this, Darcel had promptly taken Yasami''s other side. Although, he hadn''t gone as far as hugging the poor embarrassed girl.

    Darcel knows only someone like Ani can get away with tightly hugging someone you just met on the same day.

    Still, Darcel put his hand on Yasami''s shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

    And this one-touch caused a ze of tingling pleasuring sensations to shiver down Yasami''s body and soul.

    More so than ever in this position, Yasami could feel the stark differences between Darcel and Ani''s touch. While she felt warm under Ani''s embrace, Darcel''s touch inspired Yasami with longing feelings to be in his arms.

    Gazing up at his face, Yasami was finding Darcel just even more handsome than he already is.

    Darcel smiled at Yasami''s incredible reaction to his touch and had begun telling her,

    "Indeed, Ani and I never like to mince our words. We prefer to be straightforward on any subject. So believe us when we say that we truly do like a cute, charming girl such as yourself."

    Instantly, Yasami felt her cheeks be aze. Her heartbeat raced at miles per minute, and her body was shuddering in tingling sensations.

    Even for as fearless she could be, Yasami just couldn''t keep up with the bold shamelessness of this idiot duo!

    In a sh of blue mes, Yasami managed to escape from Ani''s soft clutches and Darcel''s warm hand.

    Darcel and Ani blinked in slight surprise and turned around to a trembling Yasami keeping her head to the floor.

    Suddenly then, Yasami snapped her head back up, pointed her finger straight at them, and blurted out, "Y-Y-You idiot couple!! Just don''t bete for tomorrow, we have missions to do! Goodnight! Hmph!"

    And without giving them a chance to respond, Yasami quickly stormed off to her room, mming the door behind her.

    Darcel and Ani were left by themselves, but the only thought they had in their minds was; that was pretty cute!

 Chapter 117: Divine Pleasures

    Chapter 117: Divine Pleasures

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes fell on each other, smiling simultaneously, obviously enjoying the cute reaction Yasami has.

    Compared to any other girl, the duo could honestly say it was fun to push her buttons and hear her sweet higher-pitched voice.

    Oddly enough, voices that go to a higher pitch should normally be grating on the ears. Yet, Yasami''s voice had a soft, smooth quality about it that she couldn''t get rid of no matter how high she raised her voice.

    "You know, Darcy, now that I''m thinking about it, I''m beginning to understand it. Tasting the other vors of life to spice it up. I quite like it!"

    Ani told Darcel, leaving him a bit confused at first.

    Mainly because Darcel didn''t think he heard of a saying called ''tasting the other vors of life.''

    Still, he quickly became happy at Ani''s response. If there''s one thing Darcel can say he absolutely knows for sure, it would be being able to tell whether or not Ani is lying.

    It was all small hints and ticks that nobody else would be able to pick up from the bubbly girl.

    But, Darcel knows all of Ani''s lying ticks. Thankfully though, Darcel could tell Ani is truly genuine right now.

    There wasn''t a hint of fakeness or putting up a front in her words or facial expressions. In fact, Darcel was even a bit surprised since Ani sounded even more excited than any other previous people she made friends with.

    "Yasami, she''s definitely a vor that''s fiery and just pops into your mouth. Let''s get to our room now."

    Darcel spoke, and he and Ani began walking over to their own rooms.

    Taking a nce at the rooms'' arrangement, Darcel and Ani were impressed just by the design of the bronze ranking doors. Everything was made from clear luster bronze shine, making the doors pop out against the icy blue walls.

    Even for rtively low tier members, Darcel and Ani could see at least the Nobe''s Fang group want things to be as polished as possible.

    Once the duo neared their door, they smirked at their arrangement.

    Directly across from their room is the room Yasami hastily shut herself in. Darcel and Ani smirked since they knew this was a deliberate part of the Heavenly Generals'' actions.

    Though whether or not they have hidden intentions about it, Darcel and Ani would have pondered further about it.

    "Hmmm.hey! You sense it.or rather you can''t sense it, right Darcy?" As Darcel pulled out their bronze keycard, Ani had whispered into his ears.

    And Darcel knew precisely what she was referring to. In fact, Darcel already spotted the oddity ahead of time.

    Once they had first arrived at the Bronze ranking quarters, Darcel was curious about the full range of members here.

    Because of Fruna''s route, they didn''t encounter many Bronze ranking members. And the ones they did encounter weren''t particrly strong at all.

    At least to Darcel''s group, they weren''t very powerful.

    So as they were in the area where the majority of the Bronze ranking members gathered, Darcel wanted to scope out the wide range of levels.

    However, he had soon run into a problem then.

    No matter what room he tried to peer his Spirit Sense into, Darcel found it was absolutely impossibly for his Spirit Sense to breach it!

    It was like an imprable invisible forcefield guarded each room, blocking off any unwanted invading Spirit Sense.

    Security measures like this wouldn''t really bother Darcel that much. But it was the fact thatpared to any other areas in the Nobe''s Fang group ce, things weren''t explicitly guarded against.

    Even in the Zakira Academy, Darcel would spot disciplinary squad members or general staff surveying every area to keep things in check.

    However, over here, the Nobe''s Fang group members just seem less preupied with that kind of stuff.

    Members, no matter their rankings, casually walked about on every floor beside the third floor.

    Although, as odd as these blocking Spirit Senses doors were, it didn''t raise many issues for concern in Darcel''s mind.

    "Mnh, I picked up on it when we first arrived here. Just don''t mind it too much. After all, it is only our first day here."

    Ani quirked her eyebrows a bit, putting on a contemting expression for a split second. But as quickly as it came, Ani''s face returned to her usual smiling self, and she nodded at Darcel.

    With her okay, Darcel finished fishing out their bronze key, and the door had opened up on its own.

    Promptly, Darcel and Ani strolled into their room as the door automatically closed behind them.

    "Heeeh~, nice digs they have here. Big, orderly, and straight to the point. And.oh! Darcy look! They even left out spare clothes to change into!"

    Ani''s eyes surveyed all around the room and took particr notice of the already open closet there.

    Since she pointed it out, Darcel''s eyes had also quickly traveled over to the closet and noticed several racks of brown leather outfits hanging there.

    Darcel assumed they all must be made from Mage''s fabrics, considering the fact that Fruna had talked about their style of clothing before.

    Taking his eyes off the closet, Darcel had then gazed around the whole room. And like Ani said, it was spacious and neat. It reminded Darcel of the Nascent Core level room they stayed in at the Zakira Academy.

    Abruptly then, Darcel cut off his train of thoughts about the room.

    His attention directly squared on the delicious, beautiful back of Ani. Her sexy curvaceous hips, bewitching perky ass, and stunning long white hair all ignited the mes of lust inside Darcel.

    And since they were alone, Darcel decided to not hold back.

    Quickly, Darcel hugged Ani from behind, wrapping his arms around her soft tiny waist and causing her to release a sexy gasp that quickly transformed into a slight moan.

    "Ahn~? My, my Darcy~, can''t wait for even a second, hm~?"

    Despite Ani''s teasing words, she had immediately begun grinding her soft ass on Darcel''s crotch.

    Darcel released a hot breath feeling Ani''s heavenly squishy behind ride all up on his hardening crotch.

    Before Darcel starts their intense hot night, he had first begun massaging his hands on Ani''s soft belly, inciting soothing warmth in the both of them.

    There was a thought still ringing in Darcel''s mind, and though he already knew the answer, he still wanted to hear it verbally from Ani.

    "You''re getting more cheeky by the days passing, you know that? I guess you already figured it out with Yasami a long time ago, right?"

    "Hehehe~." Ani sweetly giggled at Darcel''s question and wriggled her body around to face him.

    Once facing him, Ani pressed her nice, lushes lips onto Darcel''s soothing warm ones.

    They stayed still for a couple of seconds, thoroughly enjoying the sweet french kiss that was filled with their love for one another.

    Soon then, Ani pulled back from the kiss, giving Darcel one of her brightest smiles.

    "Your intuition is just spot on for this time, Darcy. During our first-ever meeting with the little cutie, I somehow felt a slight tingling sensation coursing in my soul about her. But, what really cemented the fact was that Darkness voice you use. It was then, I knew Yasami will soon be our cute little foxy partner~. At least one of these days she will!"

    "....Partner, huh? You.you''re truly putting all of your all into this. No hidden problems that are silently brewing in your mind we should speak of?"

    Darcel seriously asked her, hoping for an equally serious response.

    But, a wry smile quickly grew on Darcel''s face as Ani''s smile only grew broader, and she began to rub the tip of her nose against his.

    Still, it was a nice loving action that warmed Darcel''s heart. Soon then, Ani began to speak, telling him,

    "Jealousy and possessiveness, who cares about having such stinky emotions! Our connection, our bond goes far beyond what ordinary or even the most powerful people can form! Your Darkness Soul links Darcy; it can bond and link all three of our souls, forming a profound understanding between us. Even as all three of our personalities heavily differ.that just makes it all the more fun for our bonds to form!"

    These very words of Ani''s was like a snap of reality to Darcel.

    It was akin to something chained in his mind getting released all at once. A rxed smile fell on to Darcel''s face as all of his previous hesitations got shattered.

    "You''re right.you''re right! Who cares about the ordinary standards of rtionships! What I can provide is far, far beyond what any other man can do!"

    If Darcel were to say, these words might be the most arrogant words he ever uttered in his life.

    But, no matter how insanely arrogant it sounded, Darcel had a firm belief in himself and felt his confidence be unbreakable about it.

    "Hehe~, I''m d you''re finally showing more of your explosive emotions. You''re too stoic most of the time! Sooo, here''s your reward~." Ani seductively spoke and quicklytched her lips onto his in a more passionate frenzy this time.

    Pleasure began to course down Darcel and Ani''s bodies as their mouths immediately opened totch on to each other juicy tongues.

    Darcel''s tongue swirled all over Ani''s small cute pink tongue,pping up every drop of her delectable juices.

    While they passionately made out, Darcel and Ani stumbled towards their bed.

    Their hands quickly went for each other''s clothes, pulling each other''s uniforms off until they stripped each other down to their undergarments.

    Once they were just near the bed, Darcel gently pushed Ani down while still zealously kissing her. But, once they were on the soft,fy bed, Darcel flipped themselves over, so Ani was on top of him.

    This position was an absolute treat for Darcel.

    He could see Ani''s gorgeous perky breast up close and her cute puffy pink nipples. Plus, the sight of Ani''s flushed sexy face made the view even more divine.

    Ani suddenly pulled back from kissing Darcel, not even surprise from being on top of him.

    As she felt her hot moist loins grind on his hard crotch, Ani gave Darcel a bewitching smile. "You''re staring so much at them~. Here''s your favorite treat then~."

    Ani had then smothered Darcel with her amazingly soft squishy breasts. Excitement ran through Darcel as he zealously licked her breast all over and sucked on her delicious puffed out nipples.

    "Mmnnh~, Ahhn~!! Yo-your tongue is always divine~!!"

    Ani''s mouth released an array of sexy pants and moans as electrifying shocks of pleasures shiver down her spine.

    Darcel as well felt pure bliss tingling down his body from sucking up Ani''s divine breasts.

    And after several long blissful seconds of this, Ani suddenly moved back down to give Darcel a brief hot kiss. But, she didn''t stay and continued to move all the way down Darcel''s body to his ck boxers.

    "And now for my favorite treat~." Ani took Darcel''s boxers off and whipped out his glorious rock hard dick.

    Immense lust zed over Ani''s eyes as she immediately began to kiss and lick all over Darcel''s stiff pole, finding it absolutely delicious.

    "Ahh~, Oooh~, your skills improved by the second Ani~." Darcel moaned in pure bliss, loving the sexy image of Ani licking on his cock while staring into his eyes.

    Ani briefly stopped for a moment to tell him, "Hehe~, with such an addicting taste like yours, how can I not improve~!"

    Ani had then opened her mouth wide and sucked down Darcel''s hot member, making him go wide-eyed in pleasure.

    Indeed, just like how Darcel feels about her body, Ani found Darcel''s dick to have an incredibly addicting taste that was hard to let go of.

    While Darcel is basking in the pleasure of Ani sucking him off, he still was never the one to simply sit back with anything.

    It was like something in his bloodline justpelled him to act and give Ani an even equal amount of pleasure.

    From the tip of Darcel''s finger, a strand of Darkness instantly formed and spewed out Darkness energy to create a Darkness finger.

    Darcel had then quickly sailed his Darkness finger down Ani''s body, making it pull down her pure white panty.

    If Darcel could see Ani''s secret garden right now. He would''ve been enamored by trails of her love juices pouring down her legs and her pussy being utterly drenched.

    Still, from his position, Darcel was able to catch the whiff of Ani''s intoxicating fragranceing from her moist loins.

    Once her secret garden got exposed, Darcel sent his Darkness finger inside Ani''s pussy and began fingering her hot squishy folds.

    "Ah-Ahn~!? Mnh~!!"

    Ani squealed out a moan of shock, but it didn''t let her focus break from sucking on Darcel''s delicious dick.

    The moans of Ani while she sucked him off only caused pleasure to further rise up in Darcel. Combined with the fact that even through his Darkness, Darcel can still feel Ani''s moist pussy as if his finger was really there.

    As the minutes passed by, the two furiously increased their pace in pleasuring each other until Darcel felt the rising climax quickly build up inside him.

    "Here''s your ultimate treat Ani!" Darcel shouted, and right before he released, his Darkness finger pressed hard down on a specific spot in Ani''s pussy, taking her near an orgasmic bliss immediately.

    "Mnnnh~!!"

    Ani groaned in heavenly bliss as Darcel shot his sweet load in her mouth, and her pussy squirts hard from Darcel''s Darkness finger.

    Ani feverishly gulped down all of Darcel''s delectable essence, finding it more refreshing than any other magical waters.

    Plopping Darcel''s dick from her mouth once it was all clean, Ani felt her lust be crazed as his member was still hot and rock hard despite his long, intense orgasm.

    Ani quickly got back up over Darcel, grinding her hot moist crotch against Darcel''s spear-like dick.

    "I''m burning up~! I need you now~!!"

    Darcel absolutely adored the intense longing in Ani''s eyes, but he too couldn''t wait any longer.

    "You want it? Well, here you go!"

    Darcel grabbed on to Ani''s waist, lifting her up a bit to line her pussy up with his dick, and ferociously mmed her down on his hardened pole!

    "AHHHNN~!! YES~!!!" Ani raised a sexy primitive roar of pleasure as she crazily began bouncing on Darcel''s dick.

    Ani went at lightning-like speeds, hopping on Darcel''s dick as if trying to milk every bit of his essence.

    "Hoooh~! Someone-Mnh." Darcel was beginning to snarkily tease Ani until she suddenly bent down to capture his lips in sloppy, zealous kisses.

    Their tongues greedily sought at each other as immense pleasure sensations course all throughout their bodies and souls.

    Darcel and even Ani got lost in their own lustful world, crazily going at it for minutes on end.

    And as their orgasmic bliss was nearing their climax, Darcel sat up and began to roughly pound Ani''s pussy.

    "Ah-ahn~ Oh-oh~! Mnnh~!!!"

    Ani couldn''t form any coherent thoughts or words as the pleasure took over her mind, body, and soul. Her tongue sexily drooled out of her mouth, and her eyes were entirely drowned in lust.

    Darcel, though was a bit more in control and could feel his and Ani''s Darkness soul link rumble as they neared their second climax.

    For their big finale, Darcel intensely kissed Ani and plunged his dick all the way deep inside Ani''s pussy, hitting her womb.

    "MMNNH~!!!" Both Darcel and Ani screamed into each other''s mouths as they experienced a trembling orgasm.

    Ani nearly felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as Darcel''s hot load filled up her womb.

    As they experienced their heavenly orgasms, the Spirit Qi in the air began to crazily pour into Darcel and Ani''s bodies like they were a ck hole for Qi.

    The Spirit Qi smoothly rushed directly towards their Nascent Core without any blocks or interruptions.

    After a few seconds, Darcel and Ani came down from their orgasmic high. But even now, they felt a surge of rising energy quickly energize them right back to their peak.

    Darcel still felt his dick hard and hot in Ani''s pussy, and even she had a vice-like grip on his stiff pole.

    Darcel started to speak, saying, "So? You ready to-"

    "Yes!!" Ani quickly interrupted Darcel, however, and zealously snuggled her face right into Darcel''s neck.

    A roguish smile stered Darcel''s face, knowing this will be another long and hot night for them.

 Chapter 118: Morning Sights

    Chapter 118: Morning Sights

    A new day has donned over the Nobe''s Fang group ce, and in the Bronze ranking resting quarters, numerous members were walking out of their rooms.

    At one specific area of the Bronze ranking resting quarters, only a few people wereing out of their room at this time of day.

    Yasami was one of those few people as she walked out of her door, donning a new set of clothes. Instead of just her long blue robe hoodie, she had also donned a warm brown leather jacket over her clothes.

    Yasami leaned on her door, feelingfortable and warm from the simple jacket.

    Indeed, she can admit that Mages sure know what they''re doing when they want to make cultivators'' lives that much easier.

    Even though she was inside the warm town and inside a heated building, the Plunged Tundra cold still prated deep inside every town and its buildings.

    Yesterday, it was like a slight shiver tingling Yasami''s spine as she walked throughout the town and building.

    But now, with this one jacket, Yasami felt her body warm to afortable heat that made her body feel toasty.

    While Yasami leaned on her door. Her eyes had also passed by the numerous groggy members trailing out of their rooms.

    As the Bronze ranking members passed her, some interest appeared in their eyes since none of them recognized this seemingly random hooded girl.

    But, once their eyes spotted the Bronze fang badge symbol on the right side of her chest, they all continued about their mornings.

    However, Yasami didn''t pay any attention to whatever fleeting nce she might''ve received. Right when she leaned on her door, her eyes immediately locked on to the door just across from her.

    Though she hastily left in a hurry yesterday, Yasami did spot where Darcel and Ani''s room would be when they received their bronze keycard.

    And they were quite literally her next-door neighbors.

    ''Tsk.I hope that shameless duo doesn''t take longing out.'' Yasami snarkily thought to herself.

    Though as snarky as she thought about Darcel and Ani, Yasami truly couldn''t get them out of her head.

    Especially after that situation yesterday, her mind was practically glued on what both Darcel and Ani told her. No matter if she tried to think of something else or do something else.

    Ani''s warm embracing arms and Darcel''s soothing heavenly hands swirled in her mind all throughout the night.

    Even when she was in the midst of cultivating, it was like Darcel and Ani were right there, watching her in her mind.

    Yasami quietly sighed to herself and briefly closed her eyes. And as she expected, the stunningly gorgeous face of Darcel and Ani immediately popped into her brain.

    As Yasami wrinkled her eyebrows, she just couldn''t get why!

    It was like her mind was trying to make her sumb to that idiot couple without them even being here.

    It was a mix of emotions for Yasami. She knows for sure that she''s never the one to easily open to someone new or get along so well with them.

    Yet, it was like Darcel and Ani was quickly pricking into her soul, trying to mix in with her.

    The worst part that made Yasami the most frustrated was the fact that.she was honestly enjoying the thought of getting closer with the shameless duo.

    Out of all things Yasami expected when going on her journey, she definitely didn''t care a single bit about making friends.

    In fact, she simply wanted to ride solo during her time in the Nobe''s Fang group.

    Yet now, here she was, patiently waiting for Darcel and Ani toe out of their room so they can get the day started.

    Abruptly then, before Yasami confusing trains of thoughts could continue, her head quickly snapped up to the duo''s door. She heard the cracking of the door opening as the door automatically began to open.

    And expecting who wasing out, Yasami slightly cursed herself in her mind as a small smirk couldn''t stop from forming on her face.

    "Well, well, seems like you two are early birds," Yasami said out loud to Darcel and Ani as they finally appeared fully out the door.

    And taking a quick look over at them Yasami''s eyes lit up a bit at their new appearance.

    Now Darcel and Ani wore full brown leather outfits, ditching their old Zakira Academy uniforms. The outfits suited them nicely and entuated their already charming looks.

    Although, the most significant change Yasami instantly took notice of was the fact that they both had suddenly broken through!

    Now Darcel and Ani were at the secondyer link of the True Soul Core realm!

    As Yasami marveled in slight shock over Darcel and Ani''s sudden breakthrough. The duo themselves also marveled over a new change in Yasami.

    When their eyes trailed over to her, they noticed the brown leather jacket on her, suiting her cutely.

    And, just like them, Yasami also broke throughst night! Now she was a sixth rank Innate Core warrior!

    Darcel and Ani felt some surprise surge in their eyes. Considering this is the first time they met someone else who can achieve a sudden breakthrough in just a day.

    "Well, well! If being an early bird means we can see a wonderfully good morning sight, then I have noints!"

    Ani spoke in her usual bright tone and began walking over to Yasami.

    Yasami already got up from leaning on the door, feeling a bit warm under Ani''spliment. However, she didn''t let it show on her face.

    When Ani came up right next to her, Yasami didn''t resist as Ani casually slinked her arm over her neck.

    "Oh? And what''s this? Someone else showing their genius talent and breaking through overnight? Good job on reaching the sixth rank!"

    Ani''s body weight on Yasami was nearly non-existent. Almost like Ani was a big fluffy pillow that exuded a beautiful fragrance.

    Yasami snorted at Ani''s remark but didn''t make any attempt to move the bubbly girl off from her. "Heh, I''m also sharing in the morning shock, too, you know, with you two also having an overnight breakthrough. Hmph! And from guessing how, I would''ve thought your roguish night would have you two far more spent in the morning."

    Though Yasami seemed more innocent when it came to man-woman rtions. Darcel was a bit surprised seeing her so easily guess they had sex.

    Thinking about it now, Darcel does recall reading a few books detailing dual cultivation methods that can allow lovers to simultaneously improve each other''s bodies.

    Although for him and Ani, they never used any of those methods, and their bloodlines just reacted independently.

    Pushing the intriguing thought down forter, Darcel strolled up to Yasami with a cheeky smirk. His eyes nced to the left and right of the hallway seeing if someone would try toe up to them.

    But, thankfully, with his and Ani''s new outfits and Bronze fang symbol badge, the groggy morning members just took them as the more unknown members.

    Once reaching up to Yasami, Darcel noticed a slight shift in her gaze as if she was a bit embarrassed to meet his eye specifically.

    Darcel smirk grew further once noticing it and told the cute fox girl,

    "You should never underestimate our stamina. We can go for long hours of the night and still be ready to greet your cute self in the morning."

    From under Yasami''s hood Darcel spotted a faint red hue that reminded him why it''s fun to tease this cute girl.

    Yasami, though, she had quickly turned her head entirely away from Darcel, suddenly finding the rest of the long corridor attractive.

    Without facing either of the duos, Yasami practically stutters out, "Wh-what mission will be first for our agenda today!"

    Ani began to sweetly giggle, hearing Yasami''s embarrassment.

    The soft melodic shaking of her body while giggling sent tingling verberations down Yasami''s body.

    "Hehehe~, no warm rxing breakfast? Or even a nice warm cup of coffee to soothe the morning cold? You shouldn''t skip out on those small but pretty essential steps in the morning!"

    Yasami, however, her stare turned a bit ludicrous hearing Ani''s response. "Since you got in the Nascent Core realm when was thest time you truly needed to eat? Or, for that matter, drink anything else that wasn''t some kind of special drink?"

    "Now that''s just Ani enjoying the more finer things in life. Still, it is nice to simply sit together and rx over warm,forting food and a cool drink. Even if we don''t really need it."

    Darcel smoothly exined to Yasami, getting her to think for a minute.

    In all honesty, sitting down and having a nice breakfast with the shameless duo didn''t sound like the worst thing in the world. In fact, Yasami reckons it could be a bit interesting.

    Seeing how Yasami went quiet with contemtion, Darcel continued to talk, telling her,

    "Still, I can understand your more eagerness to get right into the action. We, too, are also itching to test our new might. And, in a way, morning missions can also be seen as another form of a nice bonding activity."

    Once Darcel finished talking, Ani got off Yasami''s shoulder and pointed down the long hallway saying, "Since we need no preparations, let''s get our show on the road!"

    "Best not to keep her waiting. Most of the time, I say nearly all day, she''ll just never run out of energy." Darcel inclined his head towards Yasami and began walking towards Ani.

    Yasami took a look back at Ani and still found her brightly smiling at her.

    In this situation, Yasami unconsciously put her hand to her chest. A strange but soothing feeling began to bud in her chest at the thought of bonding with their team.

    For a reason or another, Yasami couldn''t exactly put her finger on; she just knows it felt rxing being on a team with the duo. It didn''t matter at all that they only knew each other for merely one day. These feelings couldn''t stop from blossoming in Yasami''s chest.

    With these various thoughts in mind, Yasami quickly caught up to Darcel and Ani, who already began walking down the hallway.

    They all hoped they could find a more regr mission today to easily break into the start of their day.

    .

    In the Nobe''s Fang group''s lounge area, the room was currently far less crowded than it was yesterday. Mainly due to the fact it was morning, and most members take hours to prepare before going on a mission.

    At one section of the lounge area, Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey were all up and talking with each other.

    Although, Fruna had a more calm expression while the three men had a slightly concerned face.

    "I know we keep saying this, Fruna, but it needs to be mentioned. Are you truly sure it''s the right path to keep getting involved with those monstrous youths? I feel like chaos just naturally follows them like it''s their shadow."

    Robert spoke in small hopes of somewhat swaying Fruna''s mind. He can tell that Fruna was dead set on helping Darcel and Ani.

    But he hoped that just maybe, through repeated talks, they could get through to her.

    However, the three men were soon to be slightly disappointed as Fruna began to shake her head.

    She began telling them, "You three seriously need to ease up on them. They''re truly not as monstrous as you''re making them out to be. And, let''s not forget, they seem so fearful because you all brought it upon yourselves."

    Neither Robert, Reyney, nor Hurey could really argue that point.

    Indeed, Robert and Reyney were the ones that were going to throw the first punches when trying to rob them.

    And while Hurey didn''t directly go against the duo, he did absolutely nothing to respond to Fruna''s call, letting the robbery slide under his nose.

    Still, Hurey thought to bring up at least one valid point, saying,

    "Even as that''s true. We and even you, Fruna, can''t deny the possibility of those youths antagonizing the Bloody Silver Hammer group more than we already are with them. Moreover, since you said their Bronze ranking members now, their status will mean more in that group''s eyes. Their individual strength may be monumental, but against Heavenly Kings, it''ll only be theirs and our downfalls."

    Admittedly, Fruna did have to take a moment to consider this point.

    Just from yesterday, of how Darcel and Ani fearlessly went against the four silver armor men even, Fruna knows there will be further esctions.

    Fruna exhaled a small sigh and said to Hurey, "Haah.I can''t deny that point. But still, let''s not jump to hasty conclusions. Even the Silver group knows they can''t just casually start out a whole wide-scale attack on us. But I will talk with them about it."

    Fruna''s words didn''t alleviate any concern for Robert, Reyney, and Hurey.

    But at least she was willing to listen. Hurey was going to speak again until his attention abruptly turned to his right.

    Robert, Reyney, and Fruna, too, snapped their attention to their rights, only to quietly groan at who wasing towards them.

    Frey and his girl partner''s bright silver badges already were causing slight headaches to Fruna as they casually walked over to her group.

 Chapter 119: Undetectable

    Chapter 119: Undetectable

    "Well, would you lookie here? It seems we got lucky in the morning, Frey. Fruna! Don''t look so distraught; we only have a couple of questions for you."

    Frey''s partner spoke in an assured tone that left no room for Fruna to answer no to them.

    Robert, Reyney, and Hurey took a slight step away from Fruna but didn''t try to leave the uing encounter. They know it will only do them more harm than good, even if those two weren''t directing their attention to them.

    As Frey and his partner got close to them, Fruna sighed a bit, saying, "Cecie and Frey.just exactly who I wanted to see in my mornings. Haah, so? What is it now?"

    Though really, Fruna was far under Frey and Cecie in terms of status and power. She didn''t feel any fear or intimidation from the silver rankings members. Only a tone of annoyance leaked from her voice.

    Cecie put her hands up in the air in a slightly joking way, indicating they didn''t mean any harm or troubleing up to them.

    She even told Fruna, "Hey, hey. Is there a need to be so serious for a casual talk?"

    "Indeed. We''re all members here, after all. And as members, we simply want to know about those three young new members you''re so swimmingly getting along with." Frey continued to speak after Cecie finished talking.

    Like many others who were in the lounge yesterday, Frey and Cecie had various thoughts about Darcel''s team.

    Though they showed that they somehowpleted an Expert tier mission, many doubts still remained in numerous people''s minds on just how they did it.

    Was it really that they genuinely held an outrageous realm jumpingbat prowess?

    It may seem believable, but even then, that thought still seemed a bit too unreal, considering no one saw Darcel''s group fight.

    As for the more logical conclusions, people started to reckon Darcel''s group must hold various exotic and or Heavenly Treasures on them.

    For two True Soul Core juniors being able to kill a sixth rank Innate Core Spirit Monster, it was one of the few logical conclusions people coulde up with.

    And for Frey and Cecie, they were going to find out the truth no matter what.

    Of course, for Furna, this wasn''t the first time she was pestered about this type of information about Darcel''s group.

    Throughout yesterday, numerous people came up to her, trying to subtly interrogate her about Darcel''s group.

    Fruna simply had to roll her eyes every time and only gave out the most basic of information about Darcel''s group.

    And once again, it seems like she''ll need to say her usual spiel.

    "Look, all I know for sure is that Darcel and Ani hold incredible potential in their souls. They had greatly helped us in the Misty Haze Pits, which is why I brought them back here. Other than that.I''m just as clueless as you two."

    Frey and Cecie wrinkled their eyebrows at Fruna''s answer.

    She spoke with a neutral assured tone that left little room to judge. Neither Frey nor Cecie could pick up any ticks that Fruna''s lying or did her bodynguage change when talking.

    Still, Frey and Cecie weren''t willing to give up so easily. Especially Frey since he did see Fruna chasing after Darcel''s group all the way up to the third floor yesterday.

    "Is that so? Have they truly told you nothing else? I mean, from what I have seen, you''re a lot more friendlier with them than some other members here."

    Frey casually pressed on, causing further annoyance in Fruna.

    Robert, Reyney, and Hurey watched their conversation in silence. Although, in their minds, the idea that Darcel and Ani will only cause chaos of trouble no matter where they go was getting slightly reinforced.

    Fruna already saw this conversation may turn into a meddling one. But, she kept her cool and only let a slight nce of annoyance swirl around in her eyes.

    Right, when she was about to talk, however,

    "Are we really so interesting that you''re going such a roundabout way to ask for answers? Well, if you really want your answers, why not just try asking from the direct sources."

    From merely a couple of feet behind them, the alluring voice of Darcel slinked into the group''s ears.

    Frey, Cecie, and Fruna''s group all nearly jumped out of their skins at the unexpected voice. Their eyes widened, and they all snapped back to stare at Darcel, Ani, and Yasami getting right near them.

    "Huee~? So surprise to see us? Sorry about that! We just didn''t want such a noisymotion to disturb our morning." Ani causally spoke like it was nothing that their group had just sneaked behind them.

    For that matter, more shock enters into Frey, Ceice, and Fruna''s group eyes then.

    Their eyes briefly zipped off from Darcel''s group to nce all over the whole lounge area.

    And like Ani pointed out, everyone wasn''t making any sort ofmotion and was going about their mornings.

    Barely anybody even nced over to Darcel''s group direction. And the ones that did, didn''t linger their eyes on them for too long.

    "You.you. Hey.what did you all do?!"

    Cecie eximed in mild shock since she knows for damn sure people would recognize the shocking brats from yesterday.

    Even as it was hard to tell Yasami''s real appearance, Darcel and Ani still stick out like a sore thumb.

    Darcel had gorgeous deep ck hair that elegantly swayed all the way down to a bit past his shoulder, and he had a captivating handsome face.

    While Ani, anyone could spot her beautifully long bright white hair from miles away.

    Furthermore, not only are all three of them are wearing their trademark leather outfits, the right side of their chests held something outrageous.

    "Wait, before any of that. Bronze badges?!"

    Frey eximed further shock, causing Cecie to also notice their Bronze Fang symbols badges. All of this news was shocking to them, so why isn''t anyone else trying to make a fuss about it?!

    Yasami simply smirked at both their disbelieving reactions. "Yes, we are Bronze members. What of it?"

    Truthfully, while Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were acting calm and collected on the outside.

    Internally, they were amazed for an entirely different reason. As they made it through the Bronze ranking resting quarters, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami could see the apparent interest in them because of their Bronze ranking status.

    And if they go to the lounge room just like that. The trio knows all of the attention will gather on them again.

    So, before they even made it towards the stairs, Darcel suggested masking their presence. Ani and Yasami were quick to agree, wanting a more calm morning.

    Recalling the lesson taught by Vice Principal Zelle, Darcel and Ani smoothly flowed their Qi''s to mask their alluring presence.

    Initially, Darcel and Ani thought they would need to teach Yasami a thing or two about efficiently masking their presence.

    But to their slight surprise, Yasami obviously had training in this and managed to even suppress her cultivation all the way back down to the fifth rank of the Innate Core realm.

    And to their delight, mostly everybody treated Darcel''s group just like another trio of Bronze ranking members once they masked their presence.

    Even when they went past ninth rank Innate Core members, their eyes only passed a fleeting nce to them.

    Compared to the time they used Vice-Principal Zelle''s method in the Nascent Core realm, Darcel and Ani could say they were practically unnoticeable.

    What also helped was the fact that their bloodlines seemingly reacted on their own, helping to mask their presence even further.

    "Tch! Enough of this ludicrosity! Look, we''re all members here. And it''s best to get along, right? Being with us means you''ll have extremely powerful enemies always targeting you. So, why not just let us in your method on how you all killed that Soul Weaver ape. And, understandably, you can have your suspicions against us. But just know, under the Gold ranking members here, Frey and I have the most weight here among the Silver ranking members."

    Cecie put on her most alluring persuasive tone possible, trying to convince Darcel''s group mind. She thought, since Darcel''s group are Bronze ranking members, they would all surely understand the tiers of ranking here.

    And Cecie believed inevitably, she and Frey woulde up in talks since they had the highest power among Silver ranking members.

    Rays of hope did sh into Frey and Cecie''s eyes, seeing Darcel''s group taking a moment to contemte their words.

    It was forbidden to use violence or force on other members, so seeing these youths seriously consider their words means, at least to Frey and Cecie, they must have a good head on their shoulders.

    Fruna''s group, however, strangely enough, didn''t believe for a second that Darcel''s group was genuinely taking Cecie''s words to heart.

    And once seeing a bright, toothy grin from Ani, they can just tell a snarky remark is about toe out of her.

    "Hmmm.you know, that actually wasn''t a totally bad argument. Alright, alright, we''ll let you all in on a little bit of secret.just after our mission, that is. We can''t let the morning go to waste!"

    The bubbly tone Ani spoke in made Frey and Cecie''s eyes twitch. This brat sure knows how to joke!

    Frey and Cecie were half attempted to leak just a bit of their eighth rank aura to make their arguments sound more.convincing.

    However, when they were surging their Spirit Sense, their curiosity raised when Frey and Cecie finally sensed Darcel''s group aura.

    There was something.off about these three.

    Like, if they didn''t concentrate on sensing them even as they were right in front of them, Frey and Cecie would''ve mistaken the trio for being ordinary cultivators.

    Their train of thoughts was promptly interrupted when Yasami began to speak after Ani, telling them,

    "If you just so happen to be wondering, we''re taking on a hard tier mission. Soo, you can just leave your troublesome prying attempts forter."

    And without giving a chance for Frey and Cecie to respond, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami turned on their heels and began walking towards the lounge entrance.

    While they were walking off, Frey quickly put his hand out as if he wanted to touch Darcel''s shoulder.

    But, when he neared an inch from his shoulder, Frey abruptly froze.

    Completely out of nowhere, Frey felt a sickening feeling assault his gut. It was like his instinct was screaming at him that if he were to continue his action, he wouldn''t even have the time to regret it.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t look back at Frey and continued walking towards the entrance. They left the Nobe''s Fang group silently and sneakily.

    Frey and Ceice silently exchanged a look between each other.

    But, their gazes quickly shifted towards Fruna''s group, who was curiously staring at them, waiting to see their next move.

    "Tch, what a bunch of uppity children. No need to further waste our time here. Let''s go, Cecie."

    Cecie snorted in agreement about Frey''s assessment of the trio, saying out loud, "Out of all the highly overconfident brats I''ve encountered. Those three are indeed unpleasant to even talk to."

    And without even taking a second nce at Fruna''s group, Frey and Cecie quickly walked off to their other partners.

    "See what we''re talking about? Trouble is like leach for those kids. We''re only warning you for your sake Fruna." Reyney worriedly spoke up this time to Fruna.

    Fruna, though she didn''t let her stride of Darcel''s group break, telling the others, "I guess, I''ll always believe the exact opposite then. Who knows? Maybe one day some good unexpected changes really will happen for our group because of them."

    Fruna''s eyes trailed at the entrance as Darcel''s group left.

    She didn''t need to look back to know Hurey, Robert, and Reyney were giving her disbelieving stares.

    Still, while Fruna guessed she may be the only one thinking like this, her mind wouldn''t sway that easily.

    Fruna suspected it was a faint premonition feeling that she felt in the uing days, not only their group. But the whole Mawold Town will get flipped over because of those three.

 Chapter 120: Secrets & Suspicions

    Chapter 120: Secrets & Suspicions

    A bright clear shine dawned over Mawold Town, making its icy blue design exude a more beautiful atmosphere in contrast to the night.

    Fewer groups of cultivators were out and about in the morning, but there were still some early birds strolling about the ce.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were one such early bird''s group.

    They leisurely strolled through Mawold Town, not in a particr hurry to get their missions done. As they walked, the trio just had to praise Mages again in their minds.

    These brown leather clothes made itfortably warm to stroll throughout the cold air prating inside the town.

    Now, none of them needed to use any bit of power to keep their bodies warm. Even though Yasami only had a single piece of brown leather jacket, it still worked wonders to keep her body warm.

    Suddenly then, while they walked, Ani raised her gaze to the sky.

    The sky was its ever-present serene blue color, and numerous clouds floated in the air. It was a peaceful sight to look on upon.

    However, for Ani, she began squinting her eyes and eyebrows raised curiously.

    "You knooow.I''ve never really taken a good look at the sky. But.why isn''t there a zing sun shining down on us? I at least know for sure there are some really intriguing books detailing all about the sun. And from what I read, there should be a sun in the sky!"

    Ani''s words did get both Darcel and Yasami to curiously raise their gazes to the sky.

    Darcel was spreading out his senses, making sure to catch on if anybody was trying to mark them.

    While Yasami was thinking more intimate private thoughts about her team.

    Their train of thoughts all got interrupted, though, as their eyes searched around in the cloudy blue sky. And just like Ani mentioned, there wasn''t any sun in sight.

    "Huh. I''ve.never really thought about it. It''s a bit bizarre since we never saw any kinds of sun around our previous ce. Plus, night does fall upon the world, and yet I didn''t spot any moon in the sky either. Did you girls see any?"

    Ani took a moment to recall theirst night''s walk back to town from Darcel''s words.

    After a quick search of her memories, she soon found out Darcel was also right. "Nope! There was a darker haze in the sky, but no moon!"

    "Heh, nothing less out of you two, but I think you guys are the only one to ever seriously question about the moon and sun. Although most cultivators and even mages tend to just ignore this oddity."

    Darcel and Ani shed their eyes over to Yasami in genuine curiosity.

    Back from where they grew up, they may have not received much information in the Parasol Organization. But they were able to read on the fundamental basics of a world. And the texts they read did depict a sun and moon always hanging over any kind of world.

    So Darcel had to ask, "What do you mean, they just ignore it? You''re telling me, no one in history ever curiously tried exploring the sky?"

    Yasami suddenly began giggling at Darcel''s question, getting both Darcel and Ani to like the melodic sound of her sweet cuteugh.

    "Fufufu~, seems like you two really need me for this subject, huh? Alright, I''ll exin it to you. Of course, there have been people with a burning curiosity to explore the skies. But no one, not even those mystical Grand Sages, can explore deeper into the sky. Every single one that tried almost got crushed by a tremendous suppression when trying to go beyond the skies."

    Darcel and Ani put their hands to the chins, digesting what Yasami told them.

    They vaguely know that cultivators who hold the titles of Grand Sages are ones who managed to surpass the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    Unfortunately, though, that as far they know since there weren''t many books in Zakira Academy detailing the levels beyond the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    All they know for sure that titled Grand Sage''s cultivators were simply unfathomable existence thatmanded utmost respect with just their presence.

    Yet, for all of their power, they still couldn''t explore out into the sky?

    "Oooh.oooh! I think I get it! There just has to be some profound and deep cultivation meaning to breaking past the skies. And for sure, the ones who will know that are probably only in the absolute top of all the Provinces. Yet such information is too valuable for us ants, is what they probably think. What do you think about my right guess Yasami?"

    Yasami briefly paused at Ani''s response. She raised a finger as if she was going to further exin but stopped herself.

    "Should''ve expected a sharp mind from you even though you''re so bubbly. But yes, to us so-called ''ants,'' we only know about the Sun and Moon from various cultivation methods. And for people supposedly above us, they do indeed hold all the secrets."

    "Hm, those secrets better be out of this world then. I''m sure for geniuses like us, we won''t wait to have hundreds of years just to see a chance to make it to the top." Darcel confidently stated without a hint of arrogance.

    Though his words sounded unbelievably arrogant, he was just making conclusions off of existing facts about his and Ani''s talent.

    Plus, with Yasami breakthrough from this morning, Darcel was sure she was a unique genius in cultivating speed as well.

    Ani and Yasami assuredly smirked at Darcel''s assessment as well, only serving to further entuate his point.

    Honestly, if anyone else were to listen to their conversation, they would think these brats haven''t gotten a taste of reality yet.

    But with the less packed groups of people out today, nobody knows there were three legendary figures in the making, walking right in their town.

    ....

    Eventually, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami neared the entrance to the town.

    As they walked up there, the trio was a bit surprised. They haven''t sensed any of the Silver Bloody Hammer group members try to lock on to them.

    Initially, Darcel, Ani Yasami were going to believe maybe it was just too early for those silver eyesores.

    Before they began walking through the town, Darcel told Ani and Yasami to stop masking their presence. He exined to the girls that he wanted to experiment with a new card up his sleeve he was thinking about sincest night.

    And the Silver Bloody Hammer group were just the perfectb rats for Darcel.

    Of course, Ani and Yasami weren''t against this decision. They even felt a rise in anticipation once Darcel told them what his experiment would be.

    Now, near the town entrance, the trio thought Darcel''s experiment would have to be for another time.

    However, their expectations were soon met when, abruptly, three immensely powerful presences locked on to Darcel''s group. And this time, these Silver Bloody Hammer group members went further beyond as one openly spoke out to them, saying,

    "Hey! You three! Little Fang kids! It''s quite early to be out, but we have an important question to ask. Now you three, you wouldn''t happen to have run into four of our own yesterday?"

    It was a rough man''s voice that tried to drill directly in Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s ears. Furthermore, the trio felt the three men eighth rank Innate Core aura increase on to them, attempting to slightly suppress their movements.

    However, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami weren''t affected much by the eighth rank auras. In fact, their bodies didn''t feel any restraint; it was like a breeze brushing past the trio''s faces.

    If it was yesterday, Darcel, Ani and Yasami believed they would''ve felt some pressure against the three eighth rank auras.

    But now, thanks to their recent breakthroughs, they felt boundless confidence against thete ranks of the Innate Core realm.

    With assured courage building up inside them, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami causally turned around to see who was trying to stop them.

    Their eyes met with, of course, three silver armor men dauntingly walking up to them.

    When their gazes matched, several questions began to fill the Silver Bloody Hammer group member''s eyes. For starters, they are positively sure they spread some of their auras on to these kids.

    Yet, none of them appeared sluggish or even had any sorts of strained expression on their faces.

    Darcel''s group remained calm and collected, though Darcel did spot something different from one of the members.

    The man in the middle, he had a golden hammer badge symbol on the right breastte of his armor.

    Like the Nobe''s Fang group, Darcel guessed that this is supposed to signify some sort of higher status.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami only regarded the silver armor men as wanna be fierce men trying to put on an intimidating front.

    Still, Ani gave the silver armor men a small smile, answering them with,

    "Hmmm.well beside our run at the entrance with them yesterday. Since then, we haven''t talked to another one of you silver people or even seen those same silver armor men. You three will be our second run-in with your group now."

    The three silver armor men stopped a mere few feet from the trio. Their eyes still held tant suspicions, obviously not really believing Ani for even a second.

    Although, before any one of them responded to her, the men''s eyes trailed down to the Bronze fang symbol badges on Darcel''s group outfits.

    Immediate confusion swirled in their minds then.

    They were absolutely positive that yesterday they saw these brats getting tailed by four of their members. But at that time, it looked like Darcel''s group was just joining the Nobe''s Fang group.

    The three Silver armor men had then returned back to their tasks, believing their other members were about to potentially wipe out some new rats of the Nobe''s Fang group.

    However, when Darcel''s group returned absolutely spotless to town after finishing their missions. These three silver armor men were one of the few that took brief notice of the trio before not paying them anymore mind.

    They had thought then they were mistaken about their partners, and it was only weird timing that they left on the same path as Darcel''s group.

    But when the other four members still didn''t return even throughout the night. That''s when their suspicions were raised.

    They had asked around their group, and nobody saw any trace of them. In fact, others even im they also saw those four members leave after Darcel''s group.

    And now, at present, not only have they encountered Darcel''s group in their morning outings. Somehow these three were quickly promoted to a higher status in a mere day?

    And still, the other four members of their group haven''t returned?

    It wasn''t like any swarm of Spirit Monsters in the Wild Snownd could stop a powerful, experienced group of four seventh rank Innate Core warriors.

    As their suspicions towards the trio grew more and more, the silver armor man in the middle started to talk, saying,

    "You haven''t seen them again at all, huh. Is that right? You wou-"

    "Tch! We have no time for your bullshit! If you clearly didn''t see from our pace, we have important business to do! Let''s get back to it, guys."

    Immediately when Yasami finished talking, she and Ani swiftly turned back around and began walking off.

    Darcel stayed behind for a moment and smirked at the stunned reaction of the three silver armor men. "Well, then. You heard the fiery littledy. Our business is far more important than what you silver eyesores have to say. Till next time."

    With that, Darcel quickly turned around and caught up with the girls.

    In terms of offending the Silver Bloody Hammer group, Darcel, Ani and Yasami didn''t care in the slightest.

    Them just being with the Nobe''s Fang group already put them at odds with the group. And this wasn''t even taking into ount how the trio already highly disliked these Silver Bloody Hammer group members'' unruly attitude.

    The most significant factor in the trio''s uncaring attitude about the group was the fact they all were assured about their own prowess against them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami can tell just by how the men''s eighth rank aura didn''t affect them at all; they can easily wipe them out.

    Practically, at the current prowess, they have now, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t really fear any Innate Core warriors.

    Plus, for the peak rank Innate Core warriors, Darcel has a nightmarish surprise for any that dares toe at them.

    Watching Darcel''s group parting back, the silver armor man with the golden badge snorted. "Hmph, as expected from brats. They''re arrogantly throwing their weight around yet are too foolish to see how they''re acting. Now I''m even more sure, with their pitifully low realms, they all have some outrageous exotic treasure that''s doing all the work for them."

    The silver armor man on the left side''s eyes had lit up in sinister greed.

    "Heh, it only makes sense. How else two True Soul Core brats and some mere fifth rank brat be bronze members in just a day. No mistake about it, we definitely saw Zeal''s team suspiciously leave town just mere seconds after that trio. And they even went on the Wild Snownds just for them."

    "So hows about we try our luck at interrogating them, with some support." The silver armor men on their right side spoke with a frightening malicious smirk.

    "Indeed. Indeed. Whatever those kids are using, it must be an extremely rare Artifact that doesn''t require Heavenly Qi. Or maybe some powerful tier weapon they can luckily use. Zeal''s team may have just gotten surprised by those kids'' unexpected tricks, But for us.we''lle fully and overly prepared." The Silver armor man with the golden badge had a sinister twinkle in his eyes.

    No matter what the kids have, none of the silver armor men believe they canpete against overwhelming power and numbers.

 Chapter 121: Experimentation

    Chapter 121: Experimentation

    On the pure white nket of snow in the Wild Snow area, Darcel had his map out, carefully studying the route on where to go.

    Ani and Yasami follow closely behind him while also casually chatting it up with each other and enjoying their talk.

    Like Darcel already assumed, the Nobe''s Fang group just easily gives out maps for any type of mission one would go on.

    Darcel had to remark, though the Nobe''s Fang group ce probably is far weaker than the Silver Bloody Hammer group, they were rich in helpful resources.

    The map he had for the hard tier mission was just as explicitly detailed for the route they need to go on as their expert tier mission.

    Unless one was literally blind, it was at least simple to make it to Nobe''s Fang group mission points.

    What also made their walk pretty rxed was their new brown leather outfits. Compared to the cold of Mawold town and inside the Nobe''s Fang group building, the real test is seeing if it is just as effective in the raw wilnds.

    And Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were pleasantly surprised to find the Mage''s clothes doing work for them.

    Even in the more chilling areas, their brown leather clothes still heated their bodies considerably.

    The only main thing Darcel''s group had to worry about was the random Spirit Monsters here. But with the route they were on, there weren''t too many Spirit Monsters jumping out at them.

    And the ones that did was quickly dealt with by Yasami. At the sixth rank of the Innate Core realm, Yasami could kill any fifth rank Spirit Monsters with a snap of her fingers.

    Currently, though, Yasami was preupied with Ani. Ani had a mild shock look on her face as she was telling Yasami,

    "Mnh, mnh! Not knowing any little games or simply how to make fun little time off? Yep! That''s decided it, Yasami. We''re going to broaden your horizon and show you a different new height. Darcy and I saw far too many stale people with a one-way cultivation thought train. We can''t let a cutie like you fall to that point!"

    Ani''s voice wasced in a seemingly grave tone as if this was a huge issue.

    Genuinely though, Ani didn''t want to see a mind like Yasami be on a simple one track; she could tell it would damper her future potential.

    Yasami, however, never really saw a problem with having most of her thoughts pertaining to cultivation. It was how she was raised.

    Yet, at the same time, Yasami found it hard to disagree with Ani''s persuasive tone.

    Seeing how Ani was getting so passionate about it, Yasami didn''t have it in her to say no. It was small things like this that Yasami found it so fun and enjoyable to talk to Darcel and Ani.

    Both Darcel and Ani always had a unique, enigmatic tone when talking, which just pulled Yasami in to listen to them.

    Plus, a fascinating aspect she found about the duo as they walked towards their mission point was these weird myths and stories they told.

    Yasami could honestly say she never once heard about any story or myth they mention to them. Yet, Darcel and Ani only im they simply read all they told her in some old books in their childhood.

    A wry smile formed on Yasam''s lips as she began to tell Ani,

    "Hmmm.I suppose it wouldn''t hurt to try new things. But don''t get too hyped up, Ani. I dread to fall all the way down in your rabbit hole. I''m afraid I''ll never be the same then."

    Ani and even Darcel nced their eyes over to Yasami, feeling a bit surprised at Yasami teasing Ani back.

    She didn''t even react to Ani calling her a cutie. Seeing here out of her shell more, Ani began to sweetly giggle. "Hehehe~, you''re already on your steps to changing now. The little cutie got jokes! I''m d to see it."

    While she praised Yasami, Ani started to gently pat Yasami''s shoulder as in a job well done.

    Darcel can just tell Yasami was rolling her eyes at Ani''s action. But he could spot a small smirk on her lips.

    "Don''t worry, you''ll actually like the various games Ani always have stored in that bubbly mind. Some of what she has is even my favorite pastime." Darcel told Yasami, which actually got her to consider Ani''s words a lot more.

    Seeing how Yasami is so dutifully engaging with them, Darcel had to give Ani this credit.

    Time and time again, Ani always proved herself to be far more talkative than he ever could achieve. While Darcel considers himself as saying what needs to be said in any conversation and then some.

    Darcel thought it was because of Ani''s talkative self that Yasami is bing even more rxed with them than yesterday.

    Though, little did Darcel know, despite saying less than Ani. His words carried far greater weight in Yasami''s mind.

    Abruptly then, out of nowhere, Darcelpletely stopped moving.

    His Spirit Sense suddenly spiked when he felt the several presences following them quickly move in on them. Trailing his eyes backward, Darcel already saw Ani and Yasami standing entirely still with a rising anticipating smile.

    A few seconds after Darcel''s group made their trek on the Wild Snownds, the trio all felt numerous powerful presences locked on to them.

    Presences that they sensed are from the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    Andpared tost time, these group members are far more powerful than the previous four. Seeing their time hase, Darcel pulled his eyes back forward.

    With a rising confident smirk, Darcel boldly shouted out,

    "So you''re all finally deciding to act now, huh?! You all kept us waiting for quite some time now! We were beginning to think you all might''ve gotten cold feet. At least now we finally see your caution gone."

    Yasami snorted but didn''t talk as loud as Darcel when saying, "Heh! I can just tell they think we have some special god breaking treasure. And only now they decided to strike. Probably after some bs reasoning, that is."

    "Alright! You heard the man! Stop hiding like some moles ande out to face us like real heroes! We don''t have time for your games!" Aniplimented Darcel''s momentum and began shouting out loud as well.

    Instantly under Ani''s provocation, six silver armor men popped up several feet in front of Darcel''s group.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami gained some appraisal in their eyes, seeing the group line up.

    It was the three eighth rank men from the town, including the one with the golden hammer badge symbol.

    But the most striking ones of their group had to be three new silver armor men with the same golden hammer badge symbol.

    Unlike the eighth rank men, all three of the new silver armor men were ninth rank Innate Core powerhouses! Their powers sat at the absolute peak of the Innate Core realm, just being a small line away from the half step Heavenly Transformation realm.

    When the six silver armor men appeared, theirbined eighth ranks and ninth ranks aura attempted to crush down on Darcel''s group.

    And admittedly, this time, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami felt a mild pressure on their bodies against this powerful lineup.

    Even for them, if they were to fight these silver armor men head-on, Darcel was sure it wouldn''t be a clean fight.

    Yet, despite the added trouble, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami felt any genuine tension. Their nerves were iparably calm as they matched their gazes at the approaching silver armor men.

    "Hmm? So these little runts truly hold something worth our time Gedu?"

    One of the ninth rank Innate Core men spoke up, having an indifferent tone about Darcel''s group. It was like for him, this was nothing but a small job to crush a couple of ants.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami smirked, not minding the man''s arrogant tone. Their eyes had then trailed over to the eighth rank Innate Core man who had a golden badge hammer symbol on his armor.

    His mouth curled upwards into a malicious smile, telling his partner, "Indeed, they are. Don''t you get it already? To be able to sense us perfectly, their treasures truly are on a Heavenly tier."

    Gedu wasn''t surprised at all seeing Darcel''s group so calm and undisturbed as his group neared them.

    The same ninth rank Innate Core man who talked first thoroughly trailed his eyes over Darcel''s group. "I see.and if what you say is true about Zeal''s team. We have quite good richesing into our hands."

    Once Gedu''s team was merely a couple feet away from Darcel''s group, they all stopped walking.

    At this point, still, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami spoke again or tried to make any moves.

    And because they all were unleashing their auras on the trio, Gedu''s group obviously thought the trio were entirely suppressed by them.

    Even as they somehow managed to kill four seventh rank Innate Core warriors. Gedu''s group assumed it was apse of focus from Zeal''s team underestimating these youths.

    Furthermore, their lineup could absolutely crush any group of seventh rank Innate Core warriors anyway, putting them at a higher ne of power than Zeal''s team.

    "So brats, you all have-" Gedu was beginning his condescending spiel to Darcel''s group, but right then,

    "sh!!"

    Ani''s sweet voice cut off Gedu''s, and she immediately erupted her Yang Spiritual State!

    An overwhelming aura of immense power gushed out of Ani like a waterfall causing her bloodline arm as well to lit up in a blinding white light!

    ''Chi!''

    Gedu''s group were all utterly stunned as a blinding white sh burst into their visions! None of them could understand what was going on.

    The tremendous power bursting from Ani was far too mind-shattering.

    Gedu and the other eighth rank men felt Ani''s sudden burst of power matched their aura and even slightly suppressed it!

    While the three ninth rank Innate Core men felt that Ani''s discharge of power is a substantial immediate threat, they must takedown.

    But, for a single second, nobody could move.

    It didn''t matter how powerful they were. All of their souls were entirely unprotected from Ani''s shbang, making the six silver armor men''s bodiespletely freeze up.

    And in the very same instant Ani whipped out her shbang, Darcel had ignited his spatial ring and fished out the Silver Spangled Flute!

    Immediately, Darcel surged a considerable sum of his soul energy and flowed it into his mouth. In the same motion, Darcel put his mouth to the end of the flute and crazily poured in his soul energy into the flute.

    There was a prompt reaction in the flute as it quickly glowed up in a bright, radiant silver shine!

    <em>''Fuuuu~.''</em>

    And out the flute, a serene hypnotic melody exuded into the air, spreading out for miles.

    Hearing the beautiful tune for the first time, Darcel nearly felt his eyes droop. He made sure his soul spread out and protected him, Ani and Yasami, but he still couldn''t help but be lulled by the flute''s melody.

    The song that drifted out was peaceful, almost like basking in the warm fresh waters of a steamy hot springs pool.

    "Aaaah~, Ooooh~." Ani and Yasami couldn''t stop cooing out lovely sleepy sighs.

    Just like Darcel, they felt a nearly irresistible wave of sleepiness wash over them, almost pulling them into dreand despite being protected from the flute''s power.

    And while Darcel''s group only had a slight struggle to stay up, Gedu''s group were all utterly helpless as the flute''s hypnotic melody soothed into their ears.

    Their souls were easily taken control by the flute''s power, causing an iparable wave of exhaustion to wash over Gedu''s group. They all struggled for a second to keep their eyes open.

    But it was all futile.

    None of their souls could resist the flute''s hypnotic power. The six silver armor men''s eyes soon m shut, taking them toplete darkness.

    Their consciousness quickly faded from them, lulling the men into a deep heavy sleep.

    Like a doll having its string cut, the six silver armor men''s bodies crashed into the snow sprawling out without any defense.

    The blinding white shbang quickly cleared away then, and Ani reverted back to her normal state.

    "Huuu~, that flute. It''s just-oh? Ah? Darcy, Yasami! Would you look at what we have here!" Ani''s eyes brightly lit up as she, Darcel, and Yasami saw Gedu''s group''s current state.

    Darcel broadly smiled and shifted his eyes down at the mysterious silver flute in his hand. His experiment was a tremendous sess!

 Chapter 122: Crystal Tree

    Chapter 122: Crystal Tree

    "Fuuu.Fruna didn''t exaggerate in the slightest about that flute. It''s actually too frighteningly overwhelming. If we weren''t protected, we too, would''ve foolishly slept in the snow. But ignoring them for a second. How are you holding up, Darcel?"

    Yasami promptly expressed her concerns. She immediately took her gaze off the six sleeping silver armor men and stared at Darcel. Yasami was quite meticulous in her stare, wanting to if there were any signs of concern in him.

    Ani had also snapped her head towards Darcel, nodding while saying,

    "Mnh! No extra soul drainage? Or the feeling of lightheadedness?"

    Both girls had dutifully recalled the potential risks of the flute Fruna told them about. And while they know Darcel had a monstrous soul, they still couldn''t help but feel a bit worried if anything did affect Darcel''s overall health.

    Hearing the girl''s concern did cause a soothing feeling to bud in Darcel''s own chest.

    It was a bit strange for Darcel, but knowing that someone will be immediately concerned for your well-being is quite lovely. He gave the girls a reassuring smile to help relieve a bit of their worries but not all.

    While doing so, Darcel had also gone over his whole body condition. And he got an immediate result after a quick second scan.

    Truthfully, Darcel didn''t feel much different after using the flute.

    Though he did feel a slight drain on his soul energy, it wasn''t anything notable for his standards of using his soul.

    "You girls are cute but rx. I''m pretty much A-ok. But I am a bit surprised. For such a potentially life-risking power, all I feel is a slight drain on my soul."

    "Fuu.cute? Ah! I-I mean, I''m surprised you felt anything at all!"

    Yasami had to cover up her slight embarrassment when she heard Darcel so casually call her cute while staring right at her.

    "Hehe~, the little cutie is right. Maybe after more repeated practice with that flute, you wouldn''t be able to feel anything at all, Darcy! In fact, me and Yasami should get some ''private lessons'' about learning the flute."

    When Ani''s tone turned slightly suggestive and teasing at the end, Yasami was able to pick up on it this time.

    She quickly snapped her head away from the shameless duo to stare back at the still sleeping silver armor men. "Anyways! Soo.are we killing these bags of silver eyesores?"

    Yasami pointed out to the duo, getting them to momentarily think.

    Ani, though, she reached an immediate conclusion, nodding her head and saying,

    "Leaving them be and letting them go would be far too dangerous for us. Plus, letting them get back to the group would raise far more suspicions on us than just killing them here. Plus, let''s not forget their juicy rewards inside their spatial rings!"

    Darcel already went a step ahead, fishing out his scimitar and walking over to Gedu''s sleeping body. Even as he got so close to Gedu, crushing snow right into his ear, the man still didn''t wake up.

    Darcel had then lined up his scimitar at Gedu''s neck and quickly swiped his de, easily tearing through his armor and body.

    Darcel lobbed off Gedu''s head in one swift motion, causing a fountain of blood to gush from his neck, painting the pure white snow in crimson red paint.

    Since Gedu was at his most absolute defenseless state. With just a small bit of his power, Darcel was able to cut through his armor and his eighth rank Innate Core body.

    Seeing the gruesome scene, neither Ani and Yasami were put off by it.

    In a dog eat dog world, it didn''t matter at all what means you use to kill your opponent as long as you did manage to kill your enemies.

    After Darcel''s swift disy, Ani fished out her scimitar while Yasami ignited one of her hands in fiery blue mes.

    As they walked towards one of the silver armor men, Darcel told them,

    "Let''s finish this and the mission up quickly. Though we don''t have to really fear the Innate Cores in the Silver Bloody Hammer group, we do need to increase our prowess if any Heavenly Kings deems us as trouble. And I''m sure we''ll be seeing more of these silver eyesores in the near future."

    Though what Darcel exined to the girls was a potentially serious problem. Both Ani and Yasami couldn''t stop an excited battle-hungry smile from forming on their face about future encounters.

    Darcel as well couldn''t stop the excitement from springing up inside him.

    He knows he and the girls weren''t something like battle junkies. Yet, the prospect of having their skills tested is something none of them can keep their anticipation down for.

    .

    Back on route for their mission, Darcel guided the girls at apletely rxed pace this time, now that they weren''t getting tailored.

    While they walked, Darcel was internally grinning, thinking over his ''Yin Pleasure'' skills and the rate of his rtionship progress with Yasami.

    And so far, everything was progressing smoothly. Extremely fast and smooth, in fact.

    Darcel concluded in his mind that a mix of using various tricks with his Darkness, such as coating his vocal cords with it. And Ani''s radiant energy was getting Yasami quickly attached to them.

    Darcel had also realized with his Yin pleasure, he could potentially take things up to the next level.

    But, Darcel didn''t want to continually overwhelm the fiery girl and was satisfied at their current pace for now.

    During their walk here, he and Ani engaged in more random talk with Yasami and learned something critical about her.

    She was almost the same as them when ites to never hesitate to speak out her opinions.

    Though there was a critical difference between his and Ani''s speechpared to Yasami. While because they can efficiently deal with the fiery words of Yasami and turn it back on her to make her blush.

    Other more prideful cultivators won''t be so kind.

    Darcel would say Yasami needs a bit of fine-tuning on speaking out her mind. Even for all the confidence Darcel has, he clearly understands there''s some monstrous powerhouse none of them can afford to offend.

    Still, that would be a discussion for ater event.

    Taking his eyes off the map, Darcel nced backward to see Yasami giggling and smiling while talking to Ani.

    Darcel is positioned in the middle of the girls, and neither of them had a problem with saddling up close to him or talking across to each other.

    Darcel felt it was quite lovely to be sandwiched in between two cute girls.

    Shifting his mind from his more perverse thoughts, Darcel listened in on what Ani and Yasami are discussing. And an immediate wry smile formed his face hearing their.interesting talk.

    "Heh-heh~, for such a straightced guy that''s always trying to act cool, I''m surprised he''s letting you get away with calling him such a cute pet name after all this time."

    Yasami was uttering out small sweet little giggles while talking.

    Right then, Darcel zipped his eyes over to meet Ani''s gaze, and they both smiled at the same time.

    Instead of Ani answering, Darcel turned his gaze over to Yasami before she had noticed it, telling her,

    "It''s just a sign of her cute little affections for me. In fact, the first time she ever uttered the nickname, it was a slip of her tongue that basically stuck with her because of her budding feelings. And you know.I most certainly wouldn''t bet against it if the same thing happens to you, Yasami."

    Caught off guard since Yasami was expecting Ani to answer, she promptly felt her cheeks quickly heat up.

    In a vain attempt not to stutter, Yasami tried to confidently say, "H-Hmph! L-like that''ll happen anytime soon!....Ah? Is that."

    Yasami had suddenly stopped as her eyes gazed upon a magnificent sight that almost seemed a bit too magical.

    "It''s.it''s.it''s so beautiful! Didn''t think out in the same repeatingnd of snows would we ever get a chance to see something so.exotic!"

    Ani squealed out her amazement, stopping in ce to stare at the beautiful sight ahead.

    Darcel had also stopped and taken in the beautiful sight dozens of meters ahead of them.

    What had gotten the trio so worked up was an enormously tall, brilliantly glossy crystal ice tree.

    The tree crystal blue shine exuded an otherworldly vibe to stare at, making one get lost in its natural majestess. Combined with the pure white nket of snow that seemed to sparkle in the crystal tree area made the sight even further breathtaking.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami couldn''t even see the top of the crystal tree. Its height pierced all the way into the beautiful blue sky.

    The most striking aspect that caught Darcel''s attention the most was the crystal tree branches.

    More specifically, it was therge blue ice seeds that elegantly swayed from the tree branches. Darcel knew these ice seeds were actually called Innate Seeds.

    And these seeds were essential vital items for any aspiring Mage alchemist.

    The Innate seeds are the main ingredients Mage alchemists use to create various powerful pills, only those in the Innate Core realm can absorb.

    Taking his eyes off the beautiful crystal tree, Darcel nced his eyes down the surrounding area of the crystal tree. Because of their enhanced vision, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t need to get close at all to obverse the crystal tree.

    Meaning there was several meters wide of empty snow surrounding the crystal tree.

    Seemingly, for any other cultivators that had no knowledge of the crystal tree, they would be allured into walking in its vicinity.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami stay rooted in their spots.

    Suddenly then, while she was in awe of the crystal tree, sparks of blue mes shed from under Yasami''s hood. Neither Darcel nor Ani had noticed her mes, however.

    "Hey.hey! I can sense it! Those so-called Ice demons, there all underground surrounding the tree. And they weren''t kidding about their numbers. There''s probably about hundreds of these beasts. Still, like I thought whening here, these beasts are pretty weak. Just merely at the fifth rank."

    Yasami informed Darcel and Ani, who was actually having a bit of trouble trying to sense the demons underground.

    Their eyes briefly shed to Yasami in mild surprise since she was faster than them in this regard.

    Looking over back to the crystal tree, Ani contemted a thought for a second. And immediately after, her eyes brightly lit up as her n was ingenious!

    "Hundreds of fifth ranks, and we don''t have to face a single one of them! Though they''re pretty weak, I have the perfect shortcut for this mission."

    Puzzlement swirled around Yasami''s mind since she couldn''t think of any useful shortcut she or any one of them could do.

    Darcel, however, his eyes shed in realization of what Ani is going to do. "Telekinesis, eh? Bringing that out after all this time of not using it? Hopefully, your skills didn''t get rusty with it."

    "Rusty? It''s second nature to me, Darcy, no matter how long I don''t use it! Yasami, just watch this." When Ani finished boasting, she began to glow her hands up in a bright, radiant white shine.

    Yasami''s eyes widened a bit, seeing another beautiful sight.

    Ani''s telekinesis powerpared to her other abilities just exuded a certain captivating charm that made it hard to look away from.

    Under Yasami''s awe eyes, Ani smirked and directed her Spirit Senses directly on the crystal ice tree, ice seeds.

    For a few seconds, none of the trios made any movement or utter a single noise.

    Ani poured her full concertation into the seeds, having a beautiful, focused face while doing so. And finally, after a few anticipating silent seconds, Ani made a simple grasping motion with her hands.

    ''Hua!''

    Immediately then, numerous ice seeds sparked in a bright white shine and split off from the crystal ice tree, sailing right over to Darcel''s group.

    It only took a mere couple of seconds before dozens of ice seeds were hovering over the trio''s heads.

    "And now to finish it!"

    Ani''s spatial ring intensely sparked in its usual purple shine, covering the whole area around them. Once the purple sh died down, all of the dozens of ice seeds were safely inside Ani''s spatial ring.

 Chapter 123: Crushing Demons

    Chapter 123: Crushing Demons

    Between Darcel and Yasami, there were no words.

    Yasami was in silent amazement while Darcel smirked, knowing precisely why she was so amazed.

    The main reason why this is considered a hard tier mission is because of the swarm of Ice demons waiting underground for any unsuspecting humans.

    And while their prowess was low, these Ice demons are reported to have powerful, tough bodies.

    So powerful that even sixth rank Innate Core warriors have trouble killing a single one of those fifth rank Ice demons.

    The only saving grace about the mission was the fact it was also reported you need to be within a specific range for the Ice demon toe out.

    It didn''t matter if one was walking or flying; once human flesh crossed that area, all Ice demons would instantly swarm that unlucky cultivator.

    However, the downside to this was the fact that Innate Core cultivators need to walk up close to the tree to gain its treasures.

    Innate Qi, which can usually pull anything into its grasp, didn''t work at all on these Ice seeds. And supposedly, one would need to use their pure physical strength to rip off the ice seeds.

    But of course, this wasn''t a problem for Ani''s telekinesis. She was able to easily bypass the unique defense the ice seeds may have.

    Though Darcel wasn''t worried at all from getting swarmed by Ice demons, it was still busy work he didn''t really want to bother to do.

    Even someone as battle-hungry as him didn''t want to drone on and mindlessly kill beasts without any sort of challenge.

    "Fuuu! You two are always full of surprises, eh? At least we can get back to town quickly now." Yasami got over her slight awe and was already losing interest in the crystal tree since they got what they needed.

    "Mnh! You know, besides those slight interruptions from the silver eyesores, this was a nice morning walk!" Ani stated while stretching out her fingers.

    Admittedly Yasami had to agree with Ani''s remark, finding that she very much enjoyed every second that they walked towards their mission.

    The girls were ready to leave; however, Darcel had yet to move.

    His eyes curiously stared at the tree, and right then, Darcel told the girls, "Let''s not be so hasty to leave now. Look. Seems like whatever is up or inside the tree isn''t too peachy on us causally plucking its seed."

    Ani and Yasami instantly whipped their heads back around to the crystal tree. Their eyes widened a bit at sudden changes urring within the tree.

    Just like Darcel pointed out, the crystal tree had actually begun to violently quake as if it had some sort of consciousness.

    "Hm? Oh?! You guys feel that?!"

    Ani blurted out her shock when a powerful aura began to burst for miles from the crystal tree!

    Even though Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were at least dozens of meters away from the crystal tree vicinity, the tree''s powerful aura still managed to wash over them.

    "Certainly shocking, to say the least. But nothing really that much worth of concern." Yasami had quickly gotten over her shock as the burst of sudden aura couldn''t affect her, Darcel, and Ani at all.

    They roughly equated the aura to the prowess of a seventh rank Innate Core powerhouse.

    Still, the trio was curious to see what was going toe out of the crystal tree. They remained rooted in their spot, and promptly then, none of them had to wait long for the crystal tree to st out their entertainment.

    "KWAU!!!"

    A ferociously booming monstrous roar red out from the crystal tree!

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami never heard a creature with quite the strange roar such as this one. It resembles nothing like any other past Spirit Monsters they ever fought before.

    Suddenly then, after the booming roar sted into Darcel''s group eardrums, two colossal figures rushed out from the branches of the crystal tree!

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami saw two massive creatures made up entirely of ice, having a frightening appearance.

    Their physiques were simr to humans yet had more monstrous proportions that gave them such a terrifying look.

    Such as their creepy long sharp, ice nails, disgustingly long ferocious ice teeth, and a gross face nobody would want to stare at for a second longer.

    These creatures were specifically the Ice Demons!

    For any other group cultivators, even if they were all at the eighth rank of the Innate Core realm, their wits would''ve been frozen as soon as these creatures appeared.

    Mainly because both these Ice Demons were at the seventh rank of the Innate Core realm!

    The Ice Demons'' speed was lightning-like. In just a mere second, the Ice Demons already crossed out of the crystal tree vicinity and were halfway near Darcel''s group.

    If the trio were a standard group of cultivators, they wouldn''t even be able to outrun the Ice demons.

    However, despite bearing the full brunt of their tremendous auras, Darcel and Yasami simultaneously snorted.

    "Hoh, and here I thought it would be at least something interesting."

    Darcel mockingly spoke and had then activated his Yang Spiritual state, unleashing his powerful bloodline powers!

    A hypnotic Darkness glow shrouded his bloodline arm as his exotic tattoo markings instantly formed. Darcel immediately surged his overwhelming aura to the Ice Demon, making their eyes burst open.

    "Heh, at least we''re getting some target practice in."

    At the same time Darcel unleashed his powers, Yasami as well donned her powerful blue fire fox cloak aura.

    Yasami''s two blue fire fox tails crazily swirled behind her, dramatically increasing his power to a level that neared Darcel''s overwhelming bloodline powers!

    Just like Darcel, Yasami surged her overwhelming aura to crush down on the two Ice Demons.

    And when Yasami''s tremendous powerbined with Darcel, the two Ice Demons felt as if their world were shattered to bits and pieces.

    The Ice Demons were locked in ce in midair. Neither could move under thebined overwhelming might of Darcel and Yasami.

    They were powerful creatures holding prowess that can wipe groups of seventh rank warriors with ease! Yet now, they were nothing but mere ants under Darcel and Yasami''s powers.

    "Ok! Now that we got them right where we want them. What should we do with these demons?" Ani asked as her eyes took in the Ice Demons'' peculiar appearance.

    Since Darcel and Yasami had already cleanly handled the situation, Ani felt no need to bring out her bloodline powers.

    That would only be an unnecessary overkill then.

    "You know.I''m tempted to just cripple these Demons and inspect if they, too, would have a Core we could potentially use. Buut.I''m not in a particr mood to risk activating that crystal tree trap. Let''s just wipe them off Yasami."

    Darcel told the girls after a second of thinking. Though he had explicitly waited for the crystal tree to unleash the Ice Demons on them, Darcel expected a bit of a more formidable challenge.

    But since it''s only this, Darcel finally saw no reason to continue staying here.

    "Mnh, if you say so. I wouldn''t actually mind killing swarms of Ice Demons. But I am enjoying our walk together. Alright! Let''s end this." Yasami agreed with Darcel, and they both began to move.

    Darcel and Yasami simply pointed their fingers out to the frozen Ice Demon, gathering a mass of powers at their fingertips.

    Instantly, a swirl of raging ck mes formed on Darcel''s fingertip. While Yasami gained a swirl of sizzling blue mes on her fingertip.

    "Now!"

    Simultaneously both Darcel and Yasami shouted and sted out a massive beam of their powerful mes from their fingertips!

    All the Ice Demons could do is look on in utter despair as two beams of ck and blue mes crazily blitz towards them.

    Darcel and Yasami''s me''s attacks crossed the distance in a split second, tearing right through the Ice Demons, instantly vaporizing them to small specks of ashes spewing in the air.

    "Oh? Look! Your-eh?!"

    Ani was about to point out that Darcel and Yasami mes attack might identally burn a part of the crystal tree.

    But not only her eyes widened, Darcel and Yasami found shock stering their faces when their attacks reached the crystal tree.

    Because it wasn''t their bodies specifically crossing over in the crystal tree vicinity, they don''t have to worry about the swarms of Ice Demons activating.

    But when Darcel and Yasami''s fire beams neared an inch from the crystal Ice tree, their fire beams abruptly stopped.

    And right when their fire beams stopped, the beams just up and vanished into thin air! There wasn''t any trace of power being emitted, yet their attacks were so easily dealt with!

    "Hoh? So the tree offensive capabilities can''t harm us. But we too, can''t directly harm the tree. Interesting indeed."

    Darcel remarked as the crystal tree went back to being still and serene.

    "Oooh~, definitely this is another area worthy of checking out when we grow stronger. Thinking about it, those lists of ces are growing quiterge.but hey! We can now officially get back to town."

    Ani said out loud, getting Yasami curious about that list of areas they were going to return to.

    But it was a question for another time.

    Yasami already began turning on her heels once again, telling Darcel and Ani, "Let''s go then. Seems like the crystal tree won''t bother acting up again. No point in seeing if it would do so another time."

    For a brief moment, Darcel trailed or at least tried to trail his eyes all the way up the tree.

    He was unsessful, though, as the tree height pierced deep into the sky.

    Darcel shook his head, getting the crystal tree out of his mind, deciding to investigate for ater date. And with that, he began walking with the girls back to town at their usual rxed pace.

    .

    It didn''t take long before Darcel''s group made it back on the road leading to Mawold Town. They were enjoyably chatting it up on their way back here, feeling fulfilled over a mission well done.

    However, things started to change when Darcel''s group made it on the main road for Mawold Town.

    The trio all stopped, and their eyes curiously watched as a surprising abundance of people were all quickly shifting into town.

    Considering the fact that during the course of their two-day stay in the town, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami saw such a jam pack crowd going into town. This was too odd to just ignore.

    The crowds of people here even surpassed the number of people they saw regrly walking around in Mawold Town.

    "Most obviously, some unique event is going on around here. The question is, should we follow them or get back to the Fang''s ce?" Yasami proposed to Darcel and Ani.

    Ani only took a second to think about it before responding with, "We already did our mission so fast. Soo, let''s just enjoy the rest of our day. And whatever going on could be fun!"

    Yasami thought about it for a second as well before quickly nodding to Ani''s suggestion.

    Darcel had then spoken up, telling the girls, "When we get into town, make sure you girls have your senses ready. Though we are going to mask our presence, it''ll still help if any one of those silver eyesores luckily manages to spot us."

    "Hmph, if they know what''s good for them, they would stop bothering with us." Yasami chortled and began flowing her Qi to suppress her cultivation and mask her presence.

    "Hehe~, if they did that, then where would we get a great source of entertainment?" Ani giggled out and also began flowing her Qi to mask her presence.

    It only took a second for Darcel, Ani, and Yasami to mask their presence.

    Once they were in their virtually undetectable state, the trio walked towards the crowds of people, blending perfectly in as they enter the now bustling Mawold Town.

 Chapter 124: Charming Light

    Chapter 124: Charming Light

    Once Darcel''s group made it undetected into Mawold Town, the first thing they immediately did was spread their Spirit Sense around just in case anyone might try to target them.

    Compared to merely four seventh rank Innate Core members. Darcel, Ani, and Yasami know there will be a greater search of importance for the three ninth rank members.

    After all, the ninth rank of the Innate Core realm is only a fine line from stepping into the legendary half step Heavenly Transformation realm.

    And while a half step realm may not seem like a massive step on paper, it made a world difference in terms of prowess.

    Darcel and Ani could remember Vice-Principal Zelle''s prowess and just how much of a difference her being in the half step realm.

    Despite being only a half realm distance between her and the First Elder of the Quicksilver Roc sect, Vice Principal Zelle can casually dominate him with ease.

    Moreover, even in her severely weakened state when they went against the human-like creatures and the possessed humans. Vice Principal Zelle instantly killed dozens of eighth rank and ninth rank Innate Core warriors in one attack!

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami guessed the Silver Bloody Hammer group probably has the means to give their ninth rank warriors a chance to be a half step Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    Even if it is a small chance and takes dozens of years, that kind of opportunity is far too important to lose.

    And the trio knows they will undoubtedly get hounded if they''re linked to that group''s disappearance.

    Still, it wasn''t like Darcel, Ani, or Yasami were too worried about the Silver Bloody Hammer group retaliation.

    All three of them have the utmost confidence in their trump cards and unique abilities if it were to evere to that point.

    Back at the task at hand, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s eyes did a quick trail over Mawold Town, looking to see anything noteworthy of concern.

    But, surprisingly enough, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami spotted any Silver Bloody Hammer group members in the mass crowds of people.

    They stick out like a sore thumb with their armors, so Darcel''s group were sure they would''ve spotted at least one of them if they were here at this time.

    Seeing and sensing that there were none, Ani shrugged and turned her attention back to where the crowds of people were moving towards to.

    "Everything seems clear for now, guys! Come on, let''s see what''s all this hustle and bustle is about." Ani reminded Darcel and Yasami, getting their focus back to their own group.

    Darcel and Yasami took a quick look over to each other, nodding since they too didn''t see or sense anything worth of concern.

    With that, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami sneakily follow behind the crowds of people to the main event today.

    While they walked, Darcel noticed they were going in the exact opposite of where the Nobe''s Fang group ce was located.

    Finding his interest growing more, Darcel decided to listen in on a random conversation to determine the cause of this sudden spike in people.

    All Darcel did to achieve this was enhancing his ears with Spirit Qi and directed his scenes towards a specific group of people. Darcel decided to zero in on one happy looking couple where the man had an excited expression on his face while the woman looked a bit exasperated.

    As he focused on this couple, Darcel suddenly heard the man say,

    "You can''t have that look on your face dear whening here. I just know that today? Today is our day! We will, for sure, get lucky! My hopes are through the roof!"

    "You.you.haah. Every time you spot that same kind of spiel, we always leave empty-handed from this damn Guild Fair! This time, I''ll choose where we go, you hear?"

    Darcel heard the woman say, prompting him to already tune out their conversation. He already heard what he needed to hear.

    The woman merely saying Guild Fiar got Darcel to recall a conversation Fruna had with him and Ani when they were first arriving at Mawold Town.

    Fruna had exined to them both about the Mages organization set up here.

    And in this town, they branded themselves as the Ice Drake Guild. These Mages were a powerful bunch, all specializing in the branch of Ice Mage arts.

    However, what truly made them so important to note wasn''t their power levels.

    No, it was the mere fact that the Ice Drake Guild was the most richest in resources in the whole town! Theypletely eclipsed the Nobe''s Fang group and the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    Furthermore, it wasn''t like either group could do something against the Ice Drake Guild about them being the richest.

    Not only did the Guild prowess match both groups, but they also held vital resources cultivators like them just absolutely needs.

    This is why their Guild could freely hold these trade fairs from time to time.

    It was a slip of the mind not recalling this on Darcel''s part since he was so preupied with charming Yasami.

    Although he doesn''t recall Fruna mentioning to them that an Ice Darke Guild trade fair would happen so soon.

    As they near the trade fair, Ani and Yasami also figured what was going on from making the same move as Darcel and listening in on other conversations.

    With all the information they needed to be gathered, Yasami suddenly began to talk. "So we''re going to the so-called Ice Drake Guild, huh? An overbearing name for sure. But I had caught wind about this ce before. I wonder if we''ll even have enough things to trade for these picky mages. They can even be greedier than us cultivators."

    Darcel and Ani were hit with a sudden case of deja vu like they heard someone in the past utter this exact same phrase before.

    Pushing that feeling down, Darcel responded to Yasami, telling her,

    "Surely, with everything we plundered so far from the silver eyesores, we can find at least one batch of decent items."

    Ani wisely nodded, backing Darcel up with,"Right, right! Just like us cultivators, there''s always bound to be Mages who won''t be unbearably unreasonable. And.oh? Looks like we finally touchdown here!"

    Ani, Darcel, and Yasami didn''t even notice at first, being so engrossed in their conversation. But Ani quickly picked up on the changing scenery, getting Darcel and Yasami to take a look around the whole ce.

    They were now in the middle of the jam-packed waves of people, and they saw multiple crowds of people surrounding numerous stands and vendors.

    At the stands and vendors they could spot with their eyes, the trio saw all kinds of strange and exotic items.

    There were various quality design Spirit Weapons, strange-looking fruits, alluring looking Artifacts, and brightly designed pills just sitting on numerous stalls.

    "Sooo.where to first?" Yasami questioned as she, Darcel, and Ani took a brief moment to pause and trailed their eyes over the trade fair.

    Only one thought came into Darcel''s mind since there were so many things to choose from. "Let''s just saunter about a bit. And if we see anything that catches our eyes, we''ll just point it so we can go over to that particr stall."

    Ani and Yasami quickly nodded to Darcel''s suggestion. The trio promptly began to randomly walk-off in the trade fair.

    They didn''t choose a concrete direction, and the trio let their eyes roam everywhere, trying to spot something worthy of their time.

    Ani and Yasami mainly had their eyes glued to the exotic-looking herbs, pills, and talisman these Mages were selling. After all, those types of items are what''ll help them the most for their current realm.

    Meanwhile, Darcel''s eyes didn''t go around far in the trade fair. His attention got quickly snipped by one unique item.

    However, before Darcel could point it out to the girls, a twinkle sparked in Ani''s eyes.

    She quickly spoke up, directing Darcel and Yasami attention by saying, "Oh-ooh! Over there, let''s go to that guy! I sense something outstanding for us!"

    Darcel and Yasami quickly zipped their eyes over to where Ani is pointing at.

    And it was, of course, a vendor a bit off the side from the main crowds of people. For this particr vendor, there actually weren''t many people gathering around it.

    Darcel''s group did spot a few people stopping for a few seconds to see what the vendor was selling. But once they saw the signs detailing the vendor''s prices, they all put on a wry smile and walked away without even talking to the Mage.

    "Uhhh.are you sure about this guy? Just because he fit the role of being the odd one out doesn''t mean he''ll automatically have something special for us. And for that matter-"

    "No need to worry so much, Yasami! I''m confident in my senses, and this specific spot stood out to me. Plus, if you''re worried about his prices.also don''t worry! My special charms are unmatched, right, Darcy?"

    Ani had interrupted Yasami with an assured grin stered on her face.

    Darcel thought for a second and had then broadly smirked, knowing what''ll Ani do next.

    "Indeed. Just watch this, Yasami. You''ll be in for a surprise of how much of an expert negotiator this bubbly girl could be when she needs to."

    Yasami felt her curiosity increase. So she simply crossed her arms under her huge busts and quietly followed behind Darcel and Ani.

    As the trio approached the vendor, they finally got a good look at the Mage behind it. Though, there wasn''t much to the Mage appearance.

    He was a simple ordinary-looking man that wouldn''t stand out among any group of people.

    But, while his looks may not be much. His bearing told an entirely different story. Around the man''s general air, he exuded an air of pride that made it impossible to look down on him.

    His expression was severe, almost being too intimidating to approach. And the man did wear unique looking crystal blue robes, signifying he was indeed from the Ice Drake Guild.

    When Darcel''s group got close to his stall, the Mage''s eyes immediatelynded on them.

    But when he only sense it was merely two True Soul Core youths and one fifth rank Innate Core youth, he was about to lose interest in them.

    Abruptly then, the Mage didn''t know why, but he quickly put all his attention on to Ani.

    It was.odd?

    The Mage just felt as if he needed to stare directly into Ani''s deep ck eyes.

    Because Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were still masking their presence, the Mage didn''t even take notice of Darcel and Ani''s gorgeous appearance.

    Yet, the deep ck eyes of Ani instantly took his attention.

    Seeing the Mage''s eyes all on her, Ani smirked and continued her n. She already surged a bit of her Light soul energy into her eyes. And now that she got the Mage''s attention, Ani significantly increased her soul energy, creating an even stronger allure in her eyes.

    Ani knows,pared to Darcel, who can make anyone, male or female, sumb to pleasure. She could use her Light energy to make a specific person find her as the center of attention.

    Ani may not have as much time to practice her alluring Light power against her enemies. Still, she had practice and experimented on Darcel numerous times with it.

    And now, today was the day she''ll put her Light skills to use!

    "Hello! I''m so d we finally came about someone like you! You see, we were searching all over the trade fair for something just perfect to catch our eyes. And I think we just found it! Buut, can you tell us what exactly are you selling?"

    All throughout Ani''s talk, the Mage couldn''t take his eyes off from the beautiful, radiant sparkles that streaked out of Ani''s gorgeous ck eyes.

    But, hearing a question directed to him, the Mage began to sober up a bit to talk.

    Seeing the entranced state the Mage was under, Ani expectantly smiled; Darcel praised Ani in his mind while Yasami was in mild awe.

    For Mages, the trio couldn''t precisely tell their power levels. But, they were able to generally equate the Mage natural aura had the same quality of power as an eighth rank Innate Core warrior.

    A decently powerful Mage indeed.

    However, no matter how strong the Mage was, Ani was assured of one thing. His soul beingpletely unprotected!

    Mages and cultivators'' power systems heavily differ. Yet, both systems of power hold the same weakness of their souls in the early levels.

    It''s what Vice-Principal Zelle had taught Ani and Darcel the most about Mages.

    While Darcel and Ani thought how feeble one''s soul is, the Mage began telling them,

    "I see, you all must''ve been looking for quite a while. Well then, youe to the right stall if you want something truly valuable out of this fair. What I have here are high tier Earthen Spirit Ice Qi pills. No matter who you are, these specific pills will explosively increase the rate your bodies can absorb Qi for a decent amount of time. And your bodies will also gain a natural resistance to the extreme cold."

    "Ooooh~! How wonderfully useful! Mnh.but I am expecting for these pills to be pretty expensive, no?" Ani wistfully asked the Mage.

    Typically, this would be when the Mage would shoo off the person by stating his outrageous price or directing them to his sign.

    But for Ani.he felt a naturalpulsion that overtook his soul.

    He didn''t even think as words just smoothly uttered out his mouth. "Typically, each pill would cost ten green crystals each. However, for you kids, I''m willing to see if you can take something out of equal value to me. I mean, for a True Soul Core junior to have this much confidence, you''re bound to have something exotic just strapped in you."

    The reasoning the Mage gave behind his action seemed a bit flimsy at best. Yet, he didn''t question it, and sure as hell, Ani, Darcel, and Yasami weren''t going to question it either.

    Ani didn''t talk and had instead ignited her spatial ring. Given that she had an abundance of ice seeds that went over the amount they needed toplete their mission, Ani knew what to take out.

    A purple sh popped in the Mage''s eyes, causing him to blink.

    Once his eyes reopened, the Mage was stunned to see what was on his stall. This girl had just brought out seven ice seeds like it was nothing!

    The man didn''t know what he did to deserve such a pleasant surprise. Still, as a Mage Alchemist, he wasn''t going to let this golden opportunity slip away from his fingers!

    Holding back his surprise, the Mage didn''t question where the girl got these ice seeds, nor did he really care at this time.

    The Mage simply told Ani, "Perfect. This will equate to three Ice Qi pills. Deal?"

    "Deal!"

    Ani nodded, not minding about using so much of their Ice seeds.

    In any case, neither she Darcel nor Yasami would have any use for them unless they became Mages themselves. And Ani knows something like that won''t happen anytime soon.

    The Mage swiftly took the ice seeds inside a unique looking storage pouch and had then stuffed three Ice Qi pills inside three beautifully designed blue treasure boxes.

    The Mage slid the three treasure boxes forward while Yasamigged behind at that quick and swift interaction.

    Just like that, and they already got something valuable?

    Yasami had then further revealed in her shock as she realized; this man doesn''t even realize he''s being swindled!

 Chapter 125: Personal Gift

    Chapter 125: Personal Gift

    Darcel and Ani took one look at the three blue treasure boxes and had then exchanged a brief stare between each other. Their lips curved up in knowing smirks, feeling satisfied over the smooth trade.

    As Darcel and Ani shed their spatial rings and bought each of their own treasure boxes inside the rings, Ani was especially feeling giddy.

    Being able to swoon a powerful Mage on the level of Innate Core warriors is no small feat at all.

    And even then, Ani wasn''t putting forth all her soul energy into her eyes. The prospect of this trade made her zealously bubbly for all other future ''negotiations'' she could potentially swoon for their team.

    Speaking off their team, Ani''s eyes nced back to Yasami, who was still a bit stunned.

    She was gauging the Mage reaction to see if he would pick up on Ani''s tactics. Yet, the Mage was much more interested in the several Ice seeds he had just gained.

    When Ani turned her attention on her, Yasami shed her a mild ludicrous stare.

    But Ani didn''t react, only broadening her smile, indicating for her to take her treasure box.

    Shaking her head, Yasami quickly walked over to the vendor and took thest blue treasure box inside her spatial ring.

    "A pleasure doing business with you! May you find luck on your alchemist way!" Ani politely told the Mage, getting him to briefly take his eyes away from his blue spatial sack.

    However, all the Mage did was merely nodded to Ani''s words before focusing his attention back down.

    Seeing as they were practically getting ignored now, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all exchanged a brief nce between each other. They simply shrugged and began walking back into the crowds of people.

    Blended back into the crowd, Ani suddenly released a small sigh.

    "Huuu.using that much soul energy for the first time was a bit taxing. But hey, not only did we not have to spend any valuable crystals. My mind is also brewing up several useful tactics for my persuasion skills!"

    "Normally, I wouldn''t share your overly bubbly excitement. But that stunt you pulled back there, Ani, just spiked my interest in this fair. Sooo, who will be our next target?" Yasami spoke in a mischievous tone.

    It was a bit uncanny for Darcel as he listened to Yasami.

    She and Ani nearly have the same seemingly excited grin over trying to swindle people.

    A small wry smirk etched on Darcel''s face seeing the girl''s mischievous sidee out a bit.

    Still, before Ani could talk and n out any further mischief. Darcel already had the next vendor in mind to go to.

    He swiftly told the girls, "Before we get too crazy now, I do have a specific vendor we should go to. And this time, I''ll just pay upfront. No tricks."

    "Huh!?....Oh?"

    Ani was about to adorably pout to Darcel''s words until she saw where Darcel''s gaze was directed to. Her eyes took a quick nce at Yasami,ing to a smiling realization.

    "Heh! I see! Well then, lead the way next, Darcy!"

    "One question before that, though. Yasami, you don''t have a weapon, right?" Darcel suddenly asked, causing Yasami to momentarily pause.

    She quickly rummaged over Darcel''s question before answering him with, "Eh? No, I don''t. Why? Are you sneakily nning something, hm?"

    Yasami''s voice turned a bit teasing at the end, trying to prod the answer out of Darcel. However, all she got from Darcel was a mysterious smile.

    Without exining anything, Darcel began walking over to the vendor he had his gaze on for quite some time.

    "Eh? Hey! What''s up with this sudden attempt to be mysteriously cool?"

    Yasami directed her question to Ani since she knew Darcel wouldn''t answer. However, Yasami felt a further annoyance build-up when Ani also gave an enigmatic smile, telling her,

    "Hehe~, want to know? Juste and follow us."

    With that, Ani began following behind Darcel, swiftly catching up to him. Yasami simply exhaled a small sigh before quickly catching up to the duo.

    At least she can somewhat tell with how sneaky they''re suddenly being; whatevering up is bound to be good.

    Soon, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami approached the other vendor.

    And this vendor was notably different from thest one. For starters, the most obvious difference was the better abundance of cultivators gathered around here, all of who had more curious expressions at the items being disyed.

    This Mage Vendor is selling various exotic and uniquely crafted weapons, all with vary ranging tier of quality and power. Next to each weapon was a short description of the weapon, detailing its name and price.

    Quickly, Yasami put two and two together on why Darcel was so mysterious ining here.

    Inside her chest, Yasami began to feel a strange, tingling feeling.

    Even though Ani had just gifted them all fantastic pills, Yasami could tell Darcel''s action is going to mean something different.

    Because this was going to be a personal gift to her! At least that''s what Yasami''s mind quickly jumped to.

    While Yasami couldn''t stop the small tingles from running through her, Darcel had already neared the stall. Ani was off to his right side, staring at all the intricate weapons they have on disy here.

    Darcel, however, had his eyes on a particr weapon or weapons.

    It was two beautifully designed w weapons that naturally spewed out a dangerous vibe purely on appearance alone. The two w weapons had three long sharp des and a perfect grip that just smoothly slid on anyone''s two hands.

    Taking his eyes off the w weapons, Darcel suddenly spoke, "Middle Tier Earthen Spirit Weapons, and fifty red crystals, huh? Quite a steep price. But I''ll take these.aura ws."

    While Darcel spoke, he ignited his spatial ring, bringing out a small sack that glowed a brilliant red sparkle.

    The Mage behind the stall, who was a decent looking man, nodded at Darcel seeing his glowing red sack, telling him,

    "Good eye, you have their kid. There''s a unique property to these weapons. You see, these ws can amplify your Qi, making your aura stronger and majorly boost one heavily concentrated attack. Martial Skill or not."

    Darcel felt even more verified in his purchase when hearing the weapon''s full description.

    He paid a significant amount of attention to how Yasami fought and her go-to attacks, knowing these w weapons would suit her for now.

    "Oooh~! These are a pretty yet dangerous pair of weapons. Hehe~, a fine choice indeed, Darcy!" Ani came over to Darcel as he handed the red crystal sack to the Mage.

    She had nothing but praise over seeing the w weapons, sensing these ws to be a decent tier for Earthen Spirit weapons.

    Yasami watched in slight anticipation while the Mage sensed the number of crystals Darcel gave to him in the red glowing sack.

    For Yasami and any other cultivators around their Province, while Green crystals are obviously superior. Gaining Red crystals is no simple task.

    Even she would prefer to save her crystal resources in any way she can and won''t spend it on anything expensive.

    Yet here Darcel was, just casually spending fifty crystals without even a moment of hesitation. He didn''t even have Ani use her weird but effective swaying tactics!

    "All fifty crystals in full. Alright, you can take the ws."

    The Mage gave Darcel the ok before swiftly turning his attention to the other cultivators already there.

    Darcel smirked, took both ws into both of his hands but didn''t put it in his spatial ring. He and Ani had then turned over to Yasami, who was quiet in budding anticipation.

    "Let''s get to a more.secluded part. Shall we?"

    Yasami slowly nodded to Darcel; her gaze was directly glued not on the w weapons but Darcel himself.

    Ani didn''t speak any other words, only spouting an alluring yet magical smile for what is about toe.

    Searching through the jam-pack crowds of people, Darcel did manage to spot one decently secluded part they could walk over to.

    Darcel reckons they could even get a few minutes alone to themselves with them masking their presence.

    With his impromptu n in mind, Darcel began walking over to that specific spot with Ani and Yasami trailing right behind him.

    During the walk over there, Yasami felt her frustration begin to build. Still, neither Darcel nor Ani talked on their way to the spot. She already knows what they''re nning, and it''s obvious to tell.

    So why not just spill the beans already!

    Yet, despite thinking so, Yasami didn''t make any attempts to bring it up to Darcel and Ani, staying quiet in anticipation.

    Once they were at the secluded spot, Darcel and Ani stopped and quickly turned around to Yasami.

    "You may not have a weapon on you now. But you used to train and fight with w weapons. I can tell from all those clean, fancy attacks of you going up and personal with aura fox fire ws." Darcel told Yasami in an assured tone as if he knew what she was going to say already.

    And like Darcel expected, Yasami was momentarily stunned at his urate guess. More so, Yasami was a bit tter that Darcel had paid so much attention to her fighting style, calling it fancy even.

    Nevertheless, Yasami nodded to Darcel''s inquiry, exining to him,

    "Hmph, someone has prying eyes. But, you''re more than correct. For me, being up and personal, I found, is the most direct and efficient way to end any fight quickly. A lot of people always seem to lose their wits when you get right up in their face."

    Darcel and Ani were both a bit fascinated by that confident smirk and captivating tone Yasami had when exining her fighting method.

    She made it seem like her method never failed, no matter who the opponent was.

    And that just gave Darcel all the more confidence to go through with his little move. "Is that so, well then, let''s first." Darcel trailed off his sentence at the end, getting Yasami a bit confused.

    But before she could react, Darcel quickly captured Yasami''s hands!

    Yasami froze up, yet Darcel didn''t just stop there at grabbing her soft hands. He had then gently ced both w weapons into Yasami hands, making her unconsciously grasp onto them.

    "There we go. Now with these, you''ll be even more deadlier than you are now." While Darcel talked, he didn''t let go of Yasami''s hands for a single moment.

    It wasn''t just because he liked the soft stic texture of her hands. Darcel was also sneakily surging pure Darkness essence that came directly from his soul and into his own hands.

    After his hot sexy rump with Anist night, Darcel began to ponder the ways he could use his Yin Pleasure skills to more of his advantage.

    With the extra confidence Ani inspired into him, Darcel was sure he could find another smooth way to charm the fiery Yasami.

    It was then Darcel recalled how he had interjected pure warm mes into Yasami''s body to heat her up from the cold. And since he could use mes from his soul, what about his Darkness essence that came from his soul?

    It was a bit of a gamble, but aftering into the trade fair, Darcel found it as an appropriate time to test his theory.

    Not only was he gifting Yasami a decent enough gift, and he also had a reasonable excuse to touch her hands without suspicion.

    Darcel only needed an instant to gather his Darkness soul essence into his hands. And much to Darcel''s delight, Darcel sensed his Darkness soul essence slowly transferred right into Yasami''s hands!

    However, Darcel abruptly felt his Darkness soul essence stop as soon as it entered Yasami hands as if there was a blockage.

    "Ooh~?"

    From an outsider''s perspective, Ani didn''t see anything different urring in Darcel or Yasami''s hands.

    But, Ani did manage to spot Yasami shifting closer to Darcel. It was like she was under some sort of trance, and Darcel was a beacon of light for her.

    ''Hehe~, seems like Darcy already hook, line, and sink the little cutie!'' Ani thought to herself, watching the interaction in quiet enjoyment.

    And just like Ani thought, Yasami did fall under a slight daze.

    Almost immediately when Darcel touched her hands, Yasami felt her body and soul cooed under his touch.

    And while the tantalizing sensation of Darcel''s hand cooed her entire being. Yasami had then felt as if there was some sort of gentle warm force waiting for her to either ept or reject Darcel''s gift.

    As Yasami stared into Darcel''s handsome face, she felt like epting if she were to ept his gift, then she''ll be even closer to him.

    And on instinct, Yasami felt no rejection about Darcel and so badly wanted that warm force to course through her body.

    They only knew each other for two days, yet in those two days, Yasami just couldn''t stop herself from growing quickly attached to Darcel.

    She couldn''t tell if this was weird or if she was rushing it.

    All Yasami could urately tell was; she was happy being with both Darcel and Ani. Arriving at this conclusion, a blooming smile blossomed on Yasami''s face like she was a beautiful spring peach.

    "H-Hmph! Since you''re going so far out your way, then I have no choice to ept you!" And when Yasami dered this, she instantly felt a flood gate of soothing warmth wash over her body and soul.

    Yasami fully grasped the ws in her hands, transferring them to her spatial ring but didn''t let go of Darcel''s hands. For some reason or another, Yasami just felt like she got a lot closer to Darcel.

    Like she had just epted a part of Darcel into herself, and by the beautiful smile on her face, she didn''t mind it at all.

    Darcel, though, didn''t quite understand what just transpired.

    For a brief second, he felt his Darkness soul essence just up and stopped all on its own. It was like a part of his soul has a mind of its own.

    And then, in the very next second, his Darkness soul essence continued to smoothly pour into Yasami''s hand.

    In his slight confusion, Darcel didn''t even catch on to Yasami''s slip up at the end, saying she epted him, not his gift.

    "I knew you would like them. So-"

    "So, now that you got Darcel''s personal present, Yasami. You''re going to get mine next! The question now, though, should we head out the fair or see if we can test our luck here?"

    Ani had suddenly came into their conversation and gently grasped both Darcel and Ani''s shoulders. She had put her head between them, getting the three even physically closer than before.

    Yasami felt some embarrassment about being so close to each other, but this time, she didn''t duck her head down and manage to meet the eyes of Darcel and Ani.

    Their deep ck eyes suddenly felt a lot more alluring to her now.

    "I say we head back after exploring for a little bit more. We do have that splendid Qi pill to digest." Darcel and Ani smiled at Yasami''s answer.

    And right then, a bright idea popped into Darcel''s mind.

    To make a gigantic step in his rtionship with Yasami and even Ani, Darcel felt a perfect n brewing for when they returned back to the Nobe''s Fang group ce.

 Chapter 126: Special Cultivation Session

    Chapter 126: Special Cultivation Session

    Darcel stood rxed, his arms crossed under his chest, and his gaze stared down Yasmi, who was in front of him.

    In Darcel''s chest, slight anticipation bubble as he watched Yasami hang her head down in deep contemtion.

    Ani was on Darcel''s right side, also watching Yasami with a huge bright smile of her own.

    They were currently outside her room in the Nobe''s Fang group ce and were one of the few out and about in this lonely section of the bronze ranking quarters.

    "Hehehe~, Yaasaami~! You don''t have to worry about taking your time, you know? We have aaall day to wait for an answer." Ani teasingly egged on Yasami using a lovely high pitch voice.

    Much like how Darcel actually finds Yasami''s higher pitch voice when she gets embarrassed, cute, and sweet to listen to, Ani''s voice was iparably melodic to listen to.

    Darcel had even briefly pulled his eyes over to the smiling Ani.

    He realized, in fact, not only is her teasing higher pitch voice like a beautiful melody, but it was also incredibly captivating to hear.

    It was akin to a mesmerizing song that just slinked into your ears and swirls in your minds for hours.

    And when Darcel looked back over to Yasami, he could definitely see she also shared the same sentiment about Ani''s teasing voice.

    Darcel smirked as Yasami lifted her gaze up to directly stare into Ani''s eyes as she was taken off guard by the absolutely mesmerizing voice. Not even when Ani swoon that Mage did her voice get that beautiful!

    While Yasami was nearly about to crack open to them, Darcel faintly recalled how they got to this point.

    They had only spent mostly about ten or so minutes in the trade fair after Darcel''s gift to Yasami.

    Unfortunately, though, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami could spot anything noteworthy to spend their crystals on. And for the rare exceptions like powerful Artifacts or talisman, the Mages had outrageous prices for them.

    So, the trio had just settled on several special Mage''s potions and healing pills.

    They were actually quitecking in this field since the Silver Bloody Hammer group members they killed oddlycked many healing and recovery items.

    After getting what they needed, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami double up on masking their presence and left the trade fair.

    Although, even as they got close to the Nobe''s Fang group ce, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami still didn''t spot any Silver Bloody Hammer group members.

    Once they made it in the Nobe''s Fang group ce, the trio quickly went up to their rooms after gaining the rewards for their missions.

    Fruna was Darcel and Ani''s only friend there, but she wasn''t at the lounge at that time, so they had no reason to stay a second longer.

    And it was then, during their walk to their rooms, that Darcel proposed that they all go into Yasami''s room for a ''special cultivation session.''

    As Darcel internally grinned at what he had brewed up, he suddenly heard Yasami speak in a small cute voice.

    "I-I''m not getting duped, right?! Th-this isn''t just some shameless excuse, right?? Would our cultivation speed really enhance if we all sat close together and held hands?"

    It sounded odd but innocent enough, surely.

    But Yasami could just tell, if it''s something Darcel and Ani want to do, it''ll be anything but ordinary. Despite thinking so, Yasami actually couldn''t find any reason to not go with them.

    Nor did she really want to find any reasons.

    It was only her embarrassment and, really,ck of close social interactions that caused some slight hesitation in the girl.

    Ani''s eyes twinkle with great delight seeing her slight hesitation. She also just knows that with Yasami, all she needs is that gentle but firm push!

    "Mnh! Why would we lie to you, Yasami? Plus! I just know you''ll love the arrangement. One of your hands connected with Darcy''s warm, firm ones. And the other connected with my soothing soft ones. Sounds heavenly, right?"

    The more Ani exined it in-depth, the more it sounded like an excuse to just get intimate with Yasami.

    But, Darcel truly didn''t see it this way. He was, in fact, utterly serious about the cultivation aspect of their session.

    Darcel can''t say for sure he understands or even knows much about his mysterious Darkness Soul link. Nevertheless, Darcel is positive that when linked with Ani in any shape or form, he can draw forth extra soul power from his Darkness Soul link.

    Other than that, the only other time his Darkness Soul link activates is when he makes love to Ani.

    Although, during those times, his Darkness Soul link just activated on its own to enhance their passionate rump by a hundred times.

    So Darcel hypothesized making his Darkness Soul link activate during regr cultivation should significantly boost their absorption speed or perhaps speed up theirprehension abilities.

    Darcel never really found the time to test this theory before since he and Ani had to deal with constant troubles.

    Presently though, Darcel found it was a perfect time to do it. As he could attempt to form a soul link with Yasami, massively improving their rtionship and strengthening his soul link bond with Ani.

    Darcel knows the attempt at forming a new Soul link with Yasami may be a faint one, provided that her soul epts him in the first ce.

    And Darcel was absolutely sure Yasami''s soul would ept him.

    Some may call it speeding the steps to a rtionship; Darcel didn''t see it that way in the slightest. He knows a bond of the souls is the most rawest way to connect with any kind of person.

    Yasami, though, went into a slight trance about the thought of grasping the warm hands of Darcel. Every time she had felt Darcel''s hands, a burst of tantalizing warmth and pleasure always flow through her soul and body.

    Seeing her state, Darcel decided to strike while the iron is hot, speaking up to say,

    "Being upfront with you, Yasami. We like you and want to help you seed in any way we can. Also, you can just think of this as a nice, calming team bonding exercise for us."

    "Haah.Moou! Fine! I''ll do it! Just don''t get toofortable, hmph!"

    Yasami finally caved in under Darcel and Ani''s firm pushing. After dering she would do it, Yasami snapped towards her door and brought out her bronze key card.

    As the door automatically opened, Yasami quickly shuffled into her room.

    Darcel and Ani smiled at each other before following closely behind Yasami.

    "Huuu~, now that we''re all alone together in a safe space. We can all truly let our hair down with each other." Ani remarked as her eyes roamed around Yasami''s room.

    And essentially, it was precisely the same as her and Darcel''s room.

    While Ani and Darcel shuffled into her room, Yasami stood with her hands behind her back. Her head pointed to the floor in a cutesy fashion.

    She couldn''t deny some nerves were building up inside since this will be the first time they''ll be so close together in a safe space.

    "Hmm." Darcel seemingly let a curious grunt as his eyes wander around the room.

    But, what he had actually got and wanted was Ani''s attention. When she turned around to face him, Darcel sneakily trailed his eyes over to the slightly nervous Yasami.

    Ani''s eyes lit up, and she assuredly smiled at Darcel.

    Quickly Ani walked over to Yasami, surging white Light under her palm, and gently ced her palm on Yasami''s shoulder.

    Instantly, Yasami felt her slight nerves and tension drain from her. Ani''s Light calmed her mind, body, and soul, getting her to stare into Ani''s smiling face.

    "See? You''re rxed, right? We''re your friends, right? We won''t do anything you don''t like!" While Ani patiently talked to her, she smoothly slid her hand down and gently grasped Yasami''s hand.

    Yasami went rigid for a brief second but quickly calmed down under the tranquility of Ani''s natural aura.

    "Fuuu.alright, alright! So-so, how are we doing this?"

    Yasami had suddenly gathered all of her courage, doing an action that was iparably cute in Darcel''s eyes.

    Darcel watched as Yasami held out her other hand for him, but she couldn''t keep her gaze on him, shifting her head to the side.

    Darcel smiled, quickly walked over to Yasami, and grasped her soft hands.

    This time Yasami nearly cooed under Darcel''s hands. The same tingling tantalizing sensation reappeared, coursing in her soul and body, already making this cultivation session feel great.

    Darcel as well felt the same tingling sensations as he began exining to Yasami, "It''s quite simple what we have to do. Firstly we''ll need to get into a proper formation. Then bring out the Ice Qi pills and ingest them while holding hands. After that.well, it''s better to experience it in full than exining it."

    "So let''s not dilly dally anymore and get into formation! Otherwise, we''ll be standing for hours. Darcy is in the middle; I''m on his right side while you''re on the left side Yasami."

    Quickly under Ani''s goading, she, Darcel, and Yasami sat down in said formation.

    Neither of the three really cared about sitting on a floor since it doesn''t matter whether it''s a hard or soft surface they rest on for cultivating.

    Once in position, the trio simultaneously ignited their spatial rings and brought the blue treasure boxes. When Darcel, Ani, and Yasami took out the Ice Qi pills, they were already impressed by the pill''s texture.

    It was cold yet smooth to touch, feeling almost like actual ice in a way.

    The smell radiating from the pill was like the vibrant, rich air of a fresh blossoming garden in its blooming time.

    "Now then, just ingest this pill, and all three of us will immediately grab on to each other''s hands. Got it?"

    Yasami quietly nodded at Darcel, still unsure what exactly is about to go down. But, from Ani calming her nerves, Yasami let herself go with the flow and see what Darcel has up his sleeves.

    Ani took it a step further than just nodding and began to say, "On three. One.two.three!"

    Right when Ani said three, she, Darcel, and Yasami quickly tossed the cold pill into their mouth.

    An immediate burst of cold aura discharged in Darcel''s body, but it was the sort of cold he could easily handle. Already, the Ice Qi pill energy began to enrich Darcel''s organs and bones, reinforcing his bodily defenses.

    Darcel also didn''t forget, and he quickly grasps both Ani and Yasami hands while he smoothly dealt with the cold aura of the Ice Qi pill.

    Ani and Yasami simrly efficiently dealt with the Ice Qi pill cold aura. And just like Darcel, the two girls reached a bit out to grasp each other''s hands.

    Hand in hand with each other, the trio went still as statues.

    Around them, however, Spirit Qi and Innate Qi frantically surged towards them like a chaotic storm. Furthermore, like Darcel expected, his Darkness Soul link activated upon touching Ani.

    On its own, Darcel''s Darkness Soul link pulled Ani''s soul into a trance, and had it even began to pull Yasami''s soul over into its hypnotic trance.

    Darcel, though, he only felt a constant tingle stir in his soul, being unaware of what is Darkness Soul link was actually doing. But he knew that his soul will never bring harm to him or the girls no matter what.

    .

    After an unknown amount of hours, Darcel snapped his eyes open.

    The first thing that immediately greeted him was Ani leaning into his chest, snoring lightly while still holding on to Yasami''s hand. Yasami as well leaned on the left side of his chest, her eyes still shut tight.

    Despite the girl''s position, what had cause Darcel to wake up was an immense stirring in his soul.

    When he was absorbing the Ice Qi pill effect, Darcel didn''t feel his Darkness Soul link react that much.

    But upon this sudden intense stirring and abrupt awakening, Darcel felt an immediate tug on his soul.

    Before Darcel could check out what the Ice Qi pill did to him, his whole scenery abruptly changed! From the tug on his soul, Darcel rapidly blinked his eyes as he ended up in an empty space, a soulscape space!

    Darcel could identify it as a soulscape space since he sensed his soul''s full presence here. If he was still in the outside world, at best, Darcel could grasp only a small portion of his powerful soul.

    But in a soulscape space, he was at one with his soul.

    Furthermore, Darcel also noticed he was in a half translucent body, just like when he first visited his soulscape after the first time he had sex with Ani.

    The interesting thing about this sudden soulscape space was that it was immensely different from his own or the one he shares with Ani.

    This soulscape space was a mix of a beautiful blue shine, hypnotic Darkness, and radiant white Light.

    Darcel felt a smile graced his lips in his soul form body as he knew exactly what this meant. His gaze quickly looked around the soulscape, and his eyes promptly fell on a beautiful sight.

    Just a few meters away from him, Yasami was looking down at herself in utter surprise.

    ''Is-is this a dream? But why does it feel so real?! It''s like I''m standing right in my soul! Is this what he meant?'' Various questions like these ran through Yasami''s mind as she stared at her body''s current state.

    Now she almost translucent, kind of like a ghost but Yasami could still see parts of her flesh.

    Though, the most striking thing Yasami found was how her body now in a shiny blue aura! Moreover, never before in her life did she feel so connected and in touch with her soul.

    And it was all this strange ce doing....

    "Just what is this ce.I-I just have to be dreaming! Because...." Yasami was trying to orientate herself but was having trouble.

    All throughout her short time here, she was trying to push down this longing feeling of immense desire that wanted to snap her attention away.

    And this feeling of desirable longing connected right to Darcel and even surprisingly Ani. "I can''t.ngh. Darcel, did that perverted idiot just send me into a dream all about him and her?"

    Yasami tried to push down all these longing desires to just be a dream since she had no way to confront them now. Until she heard,

    "Nope. This is no dream, Yasami. But instead, you can call this a soulscape space. This is you and my soul walking around here."

    Yasami snapped her head to the oh so smooth voice that constantly gues her mind.

    There she saw Darcel, in his half translucent Darkness soul body.

    Finding the source of her longing, Yasami was half tempted to turn her head away. Yet, Yasami couldn''t keep her gaze off of Darcel as soon as she found him.

    "Soulscape? Can it really be.ah!"

    Yasami had unconsciously surged the power of her soul and was shocked to sense and feel her pure fire soul essence swirl in and around her hand.

    But even though Yasami created dazzling blue mes on her hand, her gaze still didn''t leave Darcel.

    Or rather, she didn''t want to take her eyes off of Darcel.

    "See? You understand it now, right?" Darcel smiled as he saw Yasami slowly nod at him, still in her slight trance.

    When she nodded, Darcel began walking up to Yasami, telling her, "And now that we''re here, I have something important to tell you, Yasami."

    Darcel neared only a few inches apart from Yasami, getting right up in her personal space.

    Yet Yasami didn''t mind at all. Rising anticipation swirled throughout her, eagerly waiting for whatever Darcel had to tell her.

 Chapter 127: Sensual Kiss

    Chapter 127: Sensual Kiss

    "I''m saying it again. But I''ll keep saying it again and again so my feelings can truly reach you. Yasami, it may have only been two days. But. I truly do like you."

    Darcel couldn''t precisely see Yasami''s whole face under her hood. Yet, he still stared directly at her, unblinking as he made his confession.

    When dering his confession, Darcel was calm, steady, and serious. His tone was firm but gentle, transmitting all of his blossoming feelings he felt towards the fiery girl in thest two days.

    Darcel didn''t even put it on Ani that he was now quick to catch feelings for someone.

    No, Darcel knew his words came straight from his soul. The innate soul attraction he first ever felt towards Yasami was no joke.

    And while Darcel was firm and steady, Yasami is undergoing an entirely different wave of emotions from Darcel''s confession. She felt like she had a heart as she felt her whole soul quiver in emotional excitement.

    Being in this strange soulscape pushed all of Yasami''s embarrassing but longing desire to the full front of her soul.

    Even though she clearly knows, Darcel and even Ani have a romantic interest in her. Hearing Darcel say it out loud and in such a firm passionate tone was essentially the confirmation she hiddenly desired for.

    Yasami quickly put her hand to her half translucent chest and nervously shifted her head down.

    Over the swirling cascade of emotions that are bursting in her mind, Yasami began to talk.

    "I-I just.why? You already have Ani, and I don''t need to remind you that she is on a whole other level when ites to personality. Plus, her beauty and charm are almost too alluring. Yet.and yet, even she is also trying to charm me into being with you two. I-"

    Darcel had promptly cut Yasami off by gently raising her chin, getting her to stare directly into his Darkness soul eyes.

    Darcel understands that even as multiple rtionships aremon in their society. Not every woman would be like Ani, who could easily forgo jealousy or possessive feelings.

    Moreover, there was still the in fact they only know each other for a short amount of time.

    But even with all those valid reasons, Darcel won''t let this prime opportunity slip from his fingertips.

    "You''re all confused about how fast this is going and sharing me with Ani, right? Well, you know my answer to that? Really, who cares about normal standards or any sort of unnecessary thoughts! None of that applies to us. Quite literally right now, we''re transcending the merely physical and emotional aspect of a rtionship. What we''re sharing right now is a raw soul connection bond. You.you feel it too, don''t you?"

    Yasami went still, not responding to Darcel''s ims.

    Yet, she couldn''t deny any of Darcel''s points in her mind. He was entirely right on the mark. Yasami did indeed feel it; in fact, her feelings just grew stronger with each passing second.

    The innate soul attraction drew her to Darcel like a moth to mes. And for that matter, none of this felt unnatural to Yasami at all. It was like on instinct, they were predestined to quickly grow attached to each other.

    Still, Yasami didn''t want to lose all of her pride to Darcel just so easily.

    She snapped her head back up Darcel, calming him to, "Hmph! Even if all you say may hold some truths. Th-then give me one solid reason why you like me so much besides our soul attraction!"

    "Oh? Shouldn''t it also be obvious to you why I like you so much and why you''re growing quickly attached to me? To us?"

    Darcel gave Yasami a cheeky smirk but her mouth only curved into a pout, indicating she wants a real serious answer.

    Finding her reaction cutely amusing, Darcel continued to say, "It''s simple really. We justpliment each other so well despite all of us having varying odd personalities. I mean, just your fiery personality can captivate anyone, and you genuinely make it a joy to have any sort of conversation with you. You radiate a whimsical charm both me and Ani couldn''t help but fall for. Aaand."

    "Aaand?" Yasami picked up when Darcel teasingly trailed off the end of his sentence.

    Darcel''s honest and smooth words caused a bundle of joy to soothe her entire being, even making Yasami leaned more into his hand.

    "In a more simple answer. Ani and I don''t even know your full appearance. Yet we like you, simply because you''re cute." Darcel became a bit surprised as Yasami parted her lips like she was shocked over that simple answer.

    But right then, Darcel found it as the perfect timing.

    Darcel had no hesitation and swooped down to kiss Yasami right on her beautiful half translucent lips!

    "Mnh?!....Mnh."

    A burst of Yasami and Darcel''s feeling of desire and longing erupted all at once, causing Yasami to coo into the sudden kiss.

    At first, Yasami froze up at Darcel, suddenly kissing her but quickly got over the shock and epted Darcel''s kiss.

    Yasami wrapped her arms around Darcel''s neck, leaning even more into their gentle french kiss.

    All of Yasami''s budding feelings explosively increased, enjoying the kiss to its fullest extent. She finally epted looking past normal limited standards and shared her beautiful desires with the shameless boy she''s growing attached to.

    ''No more hesitation.no more teasing! Since this idiot pervert is growing on me so fast, I''ll just-No.I want to ept all of him and her!''

    Yasami felt pure bliss as a huge weight lifted off her shoulder. Her fiery soul just seemed to seamlessly blend into Darcel''s Darkness soul.

    After an unknown amount of time of the two sweetly kissing each other without the need for air, Darcel finally pulled back from the kiss.

    Promptly Yasami shot her head down, obviously too embarrassed to meet Darcel in the eyes.

    Seeing how cute she''s being, Darcel hugged Yasami around the waist, bringing her fully into his chest. Her soft bountiful breast caused a soothing sensation to run through Darcel, yet he couldn''tpletely feel it since they were still just soul bodies.

    Yasami epted Darcel pulling her in close, feeling serene as she rested her head against his soul body.

    "Yo-you''re only allowed to do this much ok." In the smallest yet cutest voice she could utter, Yasami told Darcel under the blissful warmth of confirming their rtionships.

    Even though Yasami didn''t explicitly say out loud, Darcel knew she agrees to be with him.

    Hugging together so close like this where it seems like their soul bodies would mesh together. It provided that much-needed affection between Darcel and Yasami.

    Darcel couldn''t be happier seeing how smoothly this all went down.

    "Don''t worry, my little fiery cutie. We''ll gopletely at your pace. But, don''t get surprised when you get addicted to kissing me." Darcel gently squeezed Yasami''s waist tighter to emphasize his point.

    Although when he had done so, Darcel swore he felt something in the general area of Yasami''s backside of her waist. He curiously raised his eyebrows, not being able to precisely identify what it was.

    But it was a question for another time.

    Darcel felt his attention get distracted when he felt Yasami cutely squirm into his chest after hearing his statement.

    "P-pervert.ahhh."

    Yasami tried to lightly admonish Darcel''s words, but she couldn''t stop the blissful warming sensation that spread throughout her the more she leaned into Darcel''s body.

    From all rtionships she ever experienced, Yasami couldn''t quite put on her finger on what she overall felt about Darcel. It was a mix of stirring new emotions she rarely ever felt towards people.

    Happiness, warmth, satisfaction, content emotions like these course in the very essence of Yasami''s soul. And the more she experienced these feelings, the greater Yasami felt epting Darcel was the right decision.

    Suddenly then, both Darcel and Yasami felt an added extrayer of warmth soothed down on their souls.

    This warmth carried a particr presence that Darcel and even Yasami quickly understood what or who it was.

    "Hehehe~! That was all too smooth, Darcy! I wish I was there to see the beginning. But now that I am here, this is some perfect team bonding!"

    The half translucent Light body of Ani appeared right behind Yasami, and she immediately wrapped Yasami and Darcel in a tight group hug.

    Aste as she may be to the party, Ani did catch thest bit of Darcel gently kissing Yasami.

    And contrary to whatever reaction some other people may have during this situation. Ani only felt warmth soothe her soul because of her soul linking to Darcel and Yasami''s feelings.

    The Darkness Soul link that fully solidified in Ani could nearly share the same sensual experience Darcel and Yasami shared during that moment.

    Furthermore, Ani can also feel a Darkness Soul link give birth in Yasami''s soul.

    It was a faint one, obviously not as solid as her. However, she could still feel a strong connection with Yasami nheless.

    Even more so, Ani had felt after their intimate kiss, both Darcel and Yasami faintly thinking about her, wishing she was there toplete the moment.

    And on that thought, Ani was more than happy to oblige.

    As her arms pulled them close for a tight group hug, Ani coos happily under the budding passion of their feelings.

    "Fuuu.I was wondering when you would show up."

    Yasami felt her eyes drooping being perfectly cozy between Ani and Darcel. Like she thought just a day ago, being with this duo truly is making her happy.

    Under this content thought, Yasami let her body rx, and her eyes slowly close shut.

    Darcel looked towards Ani as Yasami fell back to sleep, only to find Ani already had her eyes close.

    Darcel simply smiled, staying still and enjoying the serene moment until they were inevitably booted out of the soulscape space.

    It only took a few more seconds after the girls fell asleep, and Darcel felt his scenery changing once again.

    .

    Snapping his eyes open once again, Darcel found himself back in Yasami''s room. Two soft weights on his chest and power coursing in his soul and body was at the forefront of Darcel''s immediate attention.

    Looking down at his body, Darcel spotted Ani and Yasami snuggling even closer in his chest.

    On both of their faces, content, satisfied smiles graced their lips. It certainly was a beautiful image to gaze upon when first waking back up.

    Taking his attention away from the girls for a second. Darcel spread his Spirit Sense on to himself and found out he was still in the middle of powerful changes to his body and soul.

    His body was now automatically sucking in Spirit Qi, transferring it to every inch of his body and into his transforming Nascent Core.

    Very soon, Darcel could feel another Spirit Qi link will connect to his soul, breaking him into the thirdyer link of the True Soul Core realm.

    And oddly enough, Darcel didn''t feel any sort of mental blocke to him at all. Even for his insaneprehension abilities, Darcel would at least feel a mental block before immediately shattering it.

    However now?

    It''s almost like he didn''t even need any sort ofprehension to breakthrough!

    Darcel pushed down this oddity forter since he has zero information on any cultivator, even legendary geniuses not experiencing a mental block.

    Focusing on his soul now, Darcel finally felt a part of Yasami''s soul swirling around in his Darkness Soul link. But more than that, Darcel felt as if his soul was changing. Like it was growing more powerful from this event.

    Darcel was trying to find the right ways to describe what he felt from his soul''s changes. But all he could urately say was that his Darkness Soul link was slowly fundamentally changing for the better.

    Despite using his soul a lot and even managing to manipte other souls inbat. Darcel couldn''t say he had one hundred percent urate information on his soul.

    He mainly went off the feelings and what he could pick apart with his own Spirit Sense.

    Books and scrolls that detailed exnations about one''s soul actually weren''t very detailed at all.

    Most books and scrolls exining the souls are often left vague or have unclear information that''s hard to decipher. Even Vice-Principal Zelle, in her teachings, glossed over the soul aspect of cultivation.

    All she and what most everyone else can say for sure is that one''s soul ys a significant part in determining a cultivator''s potential and talent.

    And some more special cultivators are even born with varying powers in their souls that give them diversifying edges over other average cultivators.

    Shaking his head, Darcel decided to just get asfortable as possible to digest all these changes happening to him.

    Darcel scooted towards the wall while having both of his arms wrap around the girl''s waist, pulling them with him.

    Once he got to the back wall to lean on, both Ani and Yasami bodies shifted to make themselves morefortable.

    Smiling at their cute actions, Darcel closed his eyes, letting himself get immersed into cultivating.

 Chapter 128: Passionate Morning Kisses

    Chapter 128: Passionate Morning Kisses

    Morning soon came for Darcel, Ani, and Yasami, shining a new, more productive day for them.

    Although Darcel was the only one currently up. In fact, his eyes wide open as he senses thepleted changes in his body and soul.

    Under a warm cultivating night, Darcel sensed he had jumped two levelsst night, stepping right into the fourthyer link of the True Soul Core realm!

    Skipping straight into two levels, Darcel didn''t experience one mental block, nor was his Nascent Core foundation unstable.

    Darcel felt an abundance of indescribable power course through his veins, making him incredibly eager to stretch his now power.

    As for his soul, Darcel was less urate in detailing its changes.

    But for sure, Darcel sensed his soul was far more energized than any other previous stages in his life. He felt like his soul could burst with an overflow of power, and he wouldn''t even feel the slightest bit tired.

    Looking down to Ani and Yasami in his arms, Darcel also sensed tremendous changes in them.

    Just like him, Ani also seamlessly broke through to the fourthyer link of the True Soul Core realm.

    And while they only jumped two levels, Yasami was a bit more shocking.

    She had actually jumped up three ranks, bing an eighth rank Innate Core warrior! It was especially shocking to Darcel since he doesn''t truly know if Yasamiprehension abilities equal to his or Ani''s.

    But right then, Darcel recalled his Darkness Soul link.

    For this incredible breakthrough, Darcel assumed it was the pleasure of the girl''s feeling that must''ve majorly elerated their cultivation.

    The soul is a mysterious aspect and can do plenty of things still unexinable by even the most powerful of cultivators.

    At least the most powerful cultivators Darcel knew didn''t have all the answers.

    Still, Darcel''s smile broadened as he stared at Yasami, sleeping on his chest. He can feel a weaker soul connection in Yasami than the one he had with Ani, but their connection was firmer than he thought.

    Darcel believed his Darkness Soul link would offer him only a faint bond that he can feel towards Yasami soul.

    But, in fact, Darcel could significantly feel the warmth Yasami had towards him and Ani.

    The blissful of multiple feelings coursing through him, Darcel felt there was even more to his Yin Pleasure skills than just the base feelings and pleasure he can give out.

    Darcel felt as if he only scratched the surface with everything he could explore.

    But for now, Darcel was happy and satisfied with thoroughly enjoying his now two girlfriends'' loving feelings.

    In his happiness, Darcel gently squeezed Ani''s waist tighter, making her leak out a melodic content sight.

    While when he squeezed Yasami''s waist, Darcel felt her immediately squirm. She began to awake, lifting her head up to meet the source of all the warmth she felt throughout the night.

    When their gazes matched, a great wide smile broke out on Darcel''s lips while Yasami couldn''t stop a smile from forming on her own lips.

    Yasami didn''t even take full notice of her tremendous power boost when awakening. Of course, she did feel the major shift in her body and soul, indicating her massive cultivation breakthrough.

    Yet, all of her thoughts were taken away by this annoying shameless boy so close to her. The annoying shameless boy she feels so warm with and is blissfully together with him.

    Somehow while Darcel stared at Yasami, he spotted her grin split even wider. Most obviously, Darcel guessed it was thoughts pertaining to him on why she abruptly grew happier.

    Suddenly then, Darcel asked her, "Ahh.a good morning sight indeed. But you know what? We''re together now, yet I still don''t know your full appearance. Can I take off your hood toplete this blissful morning?"

    Yasami momentarily froze hearing his question.

    She did have other reasons for never showing her real face. But now that she was alone and with the ones she shares intimate feelings for, Yasami saw no reason to hide it anymore.

    At least for when they were alone.

    "Mnh.you can," Yasami spoke in a mouse-like voice and shyly nodded her head to Darcel.

    Darcel admittedly felt tingles prick his heart seeing Yasami act so cutely.

    Of course, he finds her fiery side incredibly cute and hot as well. But there was something about her being so shy that made it all the more enchanting.

    Darcel felt rising anticipation palpate in his chest. Gently, Darcel shifts his arm that held Yasami''s waist to go over and pull down her hoodie.

    Immediately then, Darcel was in awe by what he saw.

    The most simplest term had promptly shot into Darcel''s head to describe what he was in awe about; Yasami was an absolute beauty!

    Yasami''s face was beautifully crafted like an otherworldly fairy untainted by the mortal world. Her eyebrows were gorgeously trim, her lips were small and cute, having an alluringly bright red paint on them entuating her beauty.

    Her eyes were of a beautiful, radiant blue shine and her pupils were exotic, being that they were vertical stilts just like a majestic fox!

    When noticing her cute slit pupils, Darcel''s eyes immediately trailed to the top of Yasami''s head. There as he guessed she would have, was a beautiful trail of long blue hair that flowed down her body like a waterfall.

    Darcel couldn''t even spot where her long blue hair ended as it went down her robes.

    However, what truly captured Darcel''s attention wasn''t Yasami''s flowing blue hair, but instead, two cute blue fox ears spouting out of her hair.

    Yasami''s fox ears were already standing at attention when Darcel gazed upon them. And what made her fox ears even cuter for Darcel was when they began to squirm around a bit as he looked at them with great interest.

    Looking back down at Yasami, Darcel notices a slight red color adorning her cheek. Her expression was one of expecting something, but she wasn''t bold enough to ask the question.

    Darcel knew what she wanted to ask, though. He gave Yasami a reassuring smile, telling her in a breathless voice, "You''re beautiful."

    Such simple and short words sent Yasami''s cheeks aze.

    Happiness and embarrassment burst from Yasam''s chest, feeling like her heart was going a million miles per second.

    Although, even in all the embarrassment she felt, Yasami knew why she reacted so intensely to Darcel''s words.

    "Th-thank you."

    Yasami squeaked out in a small voice feeling iparably giddy that Darcel finds her beautiful.

    Darcel nearly lost his self-control, witnessing the smiling, blushing face of Yasami. It was intriguing to Darcel.

    For Ani, she had a clear, distinct difference of soothing him under her divine, bewitching charms and knew exactly how to rile his lust up.

    And now, for Yasami, Darcel felt the distinct difference of a fiery passion sway his body. He wanted to just caress every inch of Yasami''s beautiful blushing face and bring out every desire she has inside her.

    Being so entranced by Yasami''s look, Darcel leaned down and gently kissed Yasam''s sweet red lips.

    Now in the real world, Darcel could fully enjoy the soft sweet pleasure of Yasami''s delectable lips.

    "Nnnh~!" Yasami''s eyes lit up, and she couldn''t stop a small moan from leaking out of her.

    Warmth and pleasure quickly coursed through her body and soul, making this an entirely different experience than the kiss they shared in their soul bodies.

    Under this new sensation, Yasami promptly leaned into the kiss enjoying the more sensual side of kissing Darcel.

    And his im yesterday was no idle boast.

    Just with a gentle french kiss, Yasami already loved the addicting vor of Darcel''s lips. Combined with the pleasure that shivers down her spine, everything made Yasami fall even harder under the kiss.

    Seeing Yasami was getting into the kiss, Darcel decided to take it a step up. He gently prodded his tongue on Yasami''s sweet lips, causing her to get even further shy.

    Yet, Yasami didn''t reject and slowly opened up her mouth.

    In an awkward but cute fashion, Yasami hesitatingly reached out her tongue to meet Darcel''s. And right when the tip of their juicy tongue met,

    "Mnh~?!"

    Yasami was hit with a sudden wave of immense pleasure! She felt her loins heat up incredibly as lust began to fill her mind. Darcel''s tongue is the most outstanding sweet she ever had!

    Darcel saw Yasami tongue movements be a bit more zealous then.

    She clearly wasn''t as refined as Ani, yet her intense passion was charming for Darcel. She went at his tongue like it was holy water in the middle of a hot desert.

    Darcel smoothly took control and coiled his hot tongue around Yasami''s warm, eager tongue.

    Yasami''s eyes began to widen under Darcel''s skilled movement, feeling the pleasure somehow increase even more.

    And right then, Darcel intensely pulled on Yasami''s tongue, causing a tremendous flood gate of pleasure to shock her entire being!

    "AHN~! Ah-ah!" A loud, sweet heavenly moan burst from Yasami''s mouth. A quivering near orgasmic sensation nearly sent Yasami''s mind to the clouds.

    But almost immediately, Yasami caught herself and realized the loud erotic sound she made and poutingly stared at Darcel.

    Darcel slowly backed off from the kiss, having a hot thin trail of saliva connect from his and Yasam''s mouth.

    "Pretty nice for your first real kiss, I presume?"

    Yasami quickly zipped her eyes away from Darcel''s smirking face but still kept her adorable pouting face. "Yo-you''re so unfair! Youpletely caught me off guard with that move! I-I even let out such a voice."

    Darcel simply chuckled and briefly tailed his eyes over to Ani.

    And to his surprise, she was still sleeping with that same goofy smile on his face. Turning his attention back to his adorable fox, Darcel told her,

    "But, it was a cute voice so that even it out. Still, let me make you feel better." Without any hesitation, Darcel reached out and began caressing Yasami''s fox ears.

    "Fuuu~."

    And as he expected, Yasami''s expression melted into a rxed bliss one from her pouting face.

    While he rubbed her soft furry fox ears, Darcel''s mind abruptly recalled Vice-Principal Zelle''s fox ears.

    These two women were so simr yet so different in every way. Though Darcel began to wonder if Yasami had a foxtail along with these ears.

    He never saw an actual tail from Vice Principal Zelle, but Darcel was sure he felt something whenever grabbing Yasami''s waist.

    Unknown to Darcel''s thoughts, Yasami was simply enjoying the warmth of Darcel caressing her ears. She began to sigh, saying, "Haaah.I still can''t believe yours, and for that matter, hers as well shameless seduction wore me down so quickly."

    "Is that so? I''m still not hearing any true rejections orints, though? Actually, you were quite enjoying all of it, weren''t you?"

    Yasami didn''t dare to look back at Darcel''s from those teasing words, so she yed it off as if she didn''t hear Darcel and just enjoyed his smooth caresses.

    Suddenly then, Yasami felt a naturalpulsion to direct her gaze straight at Ani. Immediately her beautiful blue eyes met with the deep ck eyes of Ani.

    Adding to Ani''s already alluring charm of her eyes, Yasami also saw bright white Light streaks spark out of hypnotic ck eyes.

    A broad smile had already graced Ani''s lips when she woke up, and it only broadened as she stared into Yasami''s beautiful face.

    "Mnnh.now this is a perfect sight to wake up to! The most handsome guy in the world and the most beautiful girl I''ve ever seen! And the best part, we''re all cozily snuggled up together."

    When first awakening, Ani did sense and felt the massive changes to her, Darcel, and Yasami''s powers.

    Yet Ani didn''t feel that much or any shock at all from it. She was more about sharing the warm feelings that soothed their souls.

    "You.finally decided to wake up, huh?" Yasami had a wry smile on her face when talking to Ani.

    At first, even though they did share that blissful moment in the soulscape space. Yasami had some doubts on whether she''ll feel differently about Ani or Ani will feel differently about her.

    Yet, all Yasami felt right now was the familiar warmth sensation that easily soothes and calms her soul and mind.

    It was like she now could fully bask in Ani''s bright, alluring Light.

    Yasami finally realized then Darcel was one hundred percent right; their souls are linked in some way, and it all has to do with him.

    "Taking a few extra minutes to sleep sometimes feels even better than regrly sleeping. Buuut, if I knew I was missing out on this? I would''ve woken up earlier than Darcy!"

    Immediately when saying, Ani reached out her hand to gently caress Yasami''s other fox ear.

    "N-not you too-Ahhh." Yasami couldn''t fight it as she melted under the warm touch of both Darcel and Ani.

    Seeing Yasami coo under their touch, Ani perked up and got close to Darcel''s face. She began talking, gaining Yasami''s attention and exining to her,

    "Yasami, for your first kiss, that was a real cute one! But now, watch a more erotic morning kiss. Don''t get too excited from it~."

    Yasami wanted to retort at her but stopped as she was immediately engrossed by their scene.

    Ani had gently pulled Darcel''s head towards her and sensually kissed him. On instinct, both she and Darcel''s parted their lips and their tongues immediately met each other to engage in a sexy mesmerizing dance.

    Blissful pleasure courses down Darcel and Ani''s bodies as they sucked on each other juicy tongues.

    Darcel pulled on Ani''s waist tighter, leaning her more into the kiss and savoring every inch of her delectable mouth.

    "Mnnh~...." Yasami watched in a heated trance as sweet moans leaked from Ani from their kissing.

    From her previous kiss with Darcel, Yasami already felt hot and wet in her loins. But the scene of Darcel and Ani kissing exuded strange erotic energy that captivated her entire being, making her lustful desires fire up even more.

    After a few seconds of their passionate kiss, Darcel and Ani pulled back, feeling satisfied for now.

    Usually, in their mornings, they would''ve already gone for a couple of bouts of lovemaking after kissing. But with the new Yasami here, Darcel didn''t want to go so far already.

    And surprisingly or unsurprisingly, Ani also picked up on it and followed Darcel''s lead on holding back for now.

    Snapping their heads towards Yasami then, Darcel and Ani found her to be in a hypnotic trance.

    They both broadly smile, predicting in their minds that it actually won''t be long at all where they don''t need to hold back in front of the fiery little cutie.

 Chapter 129: Beast Trading Center

    Chapter 129: Beast Trading Center

    "A-Ah! So-so perverse so early in the morning! At least save it until-Ah." Yasami began to sigh when she was hit with a sudden feeling of loss.

    When Darcel and Ani turned their attention on her, each spouting broad smirks, Yasami quickly snapped out of her trance and tried to lightly admonish them.

    However, in the middle of her talk, Yasami''s mood broadly dipped as Darcel and Ani stopped caressing her fox ears.

    The loss of their warm, gentle hands immediately made Yasami despair, wanting that same soothing warmth to wash over her again.

    Darcel and Ani even saw her fox ears noticeably droop down at the loss of their touch.

    "Like they have a mind of their own! Oooh, that''s so cute!" Ani was fascinated by Yasami''s drooping fox ears.

    She, just like Darcel, was hit with the sudden memory of Vice-Principal Zelle''s fox ears. But during that time, Ani had no way to touch her ears or was even given a chance.

    However, now with their new partner, Ani became excited over all the possibilities of being with a fox girl.

    "Besides just being cute. Those ears drooping and that audible sigh also gives away someone who isn''t as innocent as she thinks she is. You most certainly want more, no?"

    Darcel teased, also being entertained by Yasami''s bodily reactions.

    Yasami went back to pouting under the duo''sbined teasing attack, crossing her arms under huge bountiful breasts. "That wasn''t as perverse as your two kisses! And.I never said I didn''t like it."

    Ani was quick to pet Yasami''s fox ears again, hearing her indirect confession even though she said it in a small quiet voice.

    "Aaaah~...." Yasami immediately began cooing again under Ani''s gentle caresses.

    "Hehe~, see? This is what happens if you''re more honest and cute! Sooo, what''s on the agenda for us today? I was thinking we should do a mission that lets us go far out in the Plunged Tundra. I''m getting cramped with just seeing the same areas of snow for two days!"

    Darcel stopped to seriously think about what they should do.

    It was a thought swirling at the back of his mind. A thought that would undoubtedly sound outrageous to any other cultivators.

    But Darcel believed, with him, Ani, and Yasamibined might, they can easily destroy a Heavenly Transformation cultivator!

    Darcel sensed that none of them experienced any sort of typical rapid breakthrough under his Darkness Soul link.

    The raging power slumbering inside him from his great breakthroughs was itching to be released. And with their skills and abilities, Darcel firmly believed no matter how mighty and potent Heavenly Qi was, it would fall under their extraordinary prowess.

    Moreover, Darcel also had a curious line of thought if a Heavenly Transformation cultivator they encounter happens to be a female.

    Under these lines of ideas, Darcel told the girls, "Let''s do that then. I''m sure you girls can feel your power just bursting with excitement, waiting to be unleashed into the world. And traveling through the Plunged Tundra can give us that perfect opportunity."

    "Oh, absolutely, Darcy! We still have yet to find a really good challenge out in these snowy fields."

    The more battle-hungry side of Ani began to appear as she felt her blood boil in excitement. The mere thought of unleashing her full prowess made her bloodline zealously quiver.

    Yasami, though, who had been a bit quiet up to this point, didn''t exactly share Darcel and Ani''s excitement.

    Instead, she boldly took hold of Darcel''s hand and quickly ced it on her other fox ear, shyly telling them, "Ah.Mnh, in a few more minutes, we should go. I need to.umh.charge up my energy, yea! We all need to charge up our energy for the long day, right!"

    On instinct, Darcel began to pet Yasami''s fox ear as soon as he felt the soft fluffy texture.

    Although that flimsy excuse, Darcel and Ani can see right through it.

    Still, Ani''s smile grew more rxed while saying,

    "Battles can wait. Since Yasami is starting to see it my way about morning rest, let''s rest for a bit Darcy. This moment is also too cozy to quickly let up."

    Ani snuggled up closer in Darcel''s chest while still petting Yasami''s fox ears. Blissful warmth ran through Darcel as both Ani and Yasami leaned all of their weight on to him.

    "Ahhh~."

    Darcel even heard an audible sigh leak from the girl''s mouth as they fully rxed for this moment.

    Darcel saw no reason to deny the cute girls'' request and simply smile, basking in their morning shine.

    In his mind, though, Darcel was blessing one vital skill of his.

    The Yin''s Pleasure skill!

    ''Really, whoever that voice was or is, should''ve told me about this ability sooner. If I can have blissful, wonderful moments like this, I wonder just how far it can take me....''

    Darcel thought to himself, bing increasingly excited with each passing idea his mind spontaneously came up.

    Truthfully, Darcel can say he may have just found one true passion in his life.

    .

    On the glossy blue roads of Mawold Town, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami casually strolled through, going to a new district they had never been to before.

    As he walked now, Darcel was finding his current predicament far better than thest two days.

    Both Ani and Yasami, who put her hoodie back on, they had saddled up very close to him.

    Being this close felt like not even the cold air prating inside the town could affect Darcel now.

    Since there weren''t any more invisible boundaries between them, Ani had first suggested that she and Yasami hold Darcel''s hands like they are loving partners.

    However, Yasami was quick to shut it down, stating they don''t need every passerby to know their business.

    So under Ani''s coasting, the girls settle for just walking extremely close to each other where they can still be snuggly together.

    All Darcel reminded them to do was mask their presence again even when going outside since he was sure the Silver Bloody Hammer group would have their eyes on them.

    Under masking their presence, the trio went out and took on another hard-tier mission as they agreed on.

    But this time, since they were traveling a remarkably long distance from Mawold Town, the trio got rmended to go to the beast trading center and rent a Spirit Monster beast mount.

    Whatever beast they had there would be the best suited for long travels. Or so the mission Elder told them.

    Darcel wanted to ask Fruna about it, but once again, she wasn''t in the lounge.

    So, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami settled for scoping out the best trading center themselves. While the trio knows they could feasibly quickly travel moderately long distances, they also know their stamina isn''t endless.

    Even for all the great endurance Darcel and Ani have, they wouldn''t dream of traveling hundreds of miles on foot.

    Yasami could even fly, yet she could only do it for so long until her reserve depleted.

    The act of flying is a concentrated andplicated task that not every Innate Core warrior can adequately grasp. Even the veteran ninth rank warriors can experience some trouble with flying for moderate distances.

    Furthermore, Heavenly Kings as well couldn''t fly out for long distances.

    This is why ces like Mage''s teleportation center exist to make traveling much more manageable and efficient.

    However, in Mawold Town, they had no such center.

    The Ice Drake Guild Mages had no specialties in teleportation arts. So Beast mounts were the next best things.

    Unlike mere Spirit Monsters in the wild, beast mounts were explicitly bred by cultivators for extremely long travels.

    While these special Spirit Monsters''bat prowess are average, sometimes even lower than the weakest of talents. They all made up for it with their insane stamina and monstrous speeds.

    As they near the Beast mount center, Ani suddenly spoke up, breaking thefortable silence between them.

    "You know.I was thinking during our walk over here. With all so many beasts to choose from, I think we should definitely go for something very wide. Like a.lizard mount! That way, we can saddle up close together for our long journey ahead."

    Yasami was half tempted to agree. Saddling up and ridingfortably was an idea that sounded like the best route to take.

    However, Yasami was in a ''mission mode,'' and she wanted to effectivelyplete their mission in a short amount of time.

    "Lizards.aren''t they a little too slow and dim-witted? We need something faster that can easily tear through the snow. Like, like a.giant hare! Besides, for this mission, it sort of has a time limit attached to it. So you two can''t bepletely shameless during the whole time."

    "Hmmm.I guess you bring up a good point.little fox."

    Immediately Yasami cringed a bit at the pet name Ani kept teasing her with. "St-stop calling me that! You could''ve at least given me something better than that!"

    Truthfully, if anyone else were to call her that or other such nicknames, Yasami would''ve immediately taught said person a painful lesson in respect.

    But with Ani, Yasami wasn''t really upset at all.

    She just wanted to maintain her fierce decisive status on their team. And the term ''little fox'' wasn''t fierce or decisive at all!

    Darcel chuckles internally, enjoying Yasami''s reaction. It reminded him of the days where he himself found Ani''s various nicknames strange. Shaking his head of such thoughts, Darcel knows Yasami will eventually get used to it.

    Though the question for him remained on whether or not Yasami wille to find the various names Ani cane up with as cute.

    "Ah! I agree, Yasami! Cutie does fit you better! Still, barring nicknames, what if we can find something both fast and cozy to travel on?"

    Ani seriously questions while Yasami rolled her eyes from under her hood, hearing the other name Ani likes to call her.

    "Hmmm.how about we go for-oh? We''re already here." Darcel said as he, Ani, and Yasami spotted just a few meters ahead, the humongous Beast Trading center building.

    There was arge, shy sign at the front of the ce and walk in doors allowing easy ess.

    Like many other buildings in Mawold Town, the buildings were designed in a beautiful glossy blue shine. And running along the building designs were unique paints of all kinds of Spirit Monsters.

    Ani and Yasami were slightly impressed by the Beast Trading Center design. The unique-looking Spirit Monster arts that ran along the walls was an immediate attention grabber for them.

    As they neared the Beast Trading Center, Darcel didn''t spot many cultivators walking in and out of the center.

    Most obviously, the mornings aren''t quite the time where business would be booming for the trade center.

    "In my honest opinion, we should probably go for a Spirit Monster wolf. They look like they should be thergest, fastest, and most cozy to travel on." Darcel offered his suggestion on the topic.

    A sense of irony swelled in Ani as she began to giggle. "Hehe~, now after killing countless of them, we might ride on one."

    Yasami''s mind went to the more mary aspect of the trip as she said, "Hopefully, they don''t run for insane prices here."

    The trio finally made it up to the Beast Trading Center and walked through the doors. They were greeted to a tavern-like design for the first main room of the center.

    Just this opening room of the Beast Trading Center was incredibly vast. More so than even the lounge area of the Nobe''s Fang group!

    Making up for the vast space here was the plethora of doors lined up on the wall. Each door had a unique color about it and above said door was a sign detailing a Spirit Monster species.

    Looking around the whole room, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami spotted many cultivators shopping about.

    Though it was to be expected as in the mornings, cultivators tend to be resting or well cultivating.

    Darcel pointed ahead of them to the expansive center desk that currently held no customers, telling the girls, "Let''s see what a professional has to say about this. It''ll save us loads of time from you two having to window shop beasts."

    Ani yfully crossed her arms but didn''t have any expression of disagreement as she told him,

    "Hm, alright. But we muste back here one of these days. I think it''ll be good to experience their whole variety here."

    A mischievous thought sparked in Yasami from all the curious deals they can get here. "Not just experience, we can probably also get more.exclusive deals with your swaying charms Ani."

    Darcel can just feel the mischievous smirks that etched on Ani and Yasami''s lips from that thought.

    As the girls talked, the trio made it up to the center desk, and they came face to face with a kind, professional-looking woman.

    She gave Darcel a friendly smile asking him, "Wee to the Beast Trading Center. What can I do for you three?"

 Chapter 130: Two Terrifying Figures

    Chapter 130: Two Terrifying Figures

    Darcel didn''t waste time with small talk, getting straight to the point as he asked the woman, "What would be the best that canfortably fit three people and is quite fast to travel through the snow?"

    For a brief second, the woman''s eyes trailed over to Ani and Yasami.

    A knowing smile shed on her face, understanding why the boy would ask this question as she saw how close Ani and Yasami were to him.

    "Ah, we do often get requests like this. For this, we have a special breed of lizards that fits perfectly for a long-distance team mission. But it''ll cost you a small sum. If you want to rent it for a week, that wille out to seventy red crystals."

    The woman exined to them, gauging the trio''s reaction. Because Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were still masking their presence, the woman honestly didn''t have much impression on the youths.

    Nor did she really take notice of Darcel and Ani''s alluring, gorgeous looks.

    Unless the cultivator is stronger than them, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami can manipte their Qi well enough to give off the aura that their appearances are average, and there''s nothing noteworthy about them.

    Still, the woman didn''t discriminate just because they''re low level or seemingly average aura. Plus, she had also recognized the Nobe''s Fang group badges on them, knowing they would at least have some amount of fortune.

    So she patiently waited for them toe to a decision. Although she didn''t have to wait long.

    A pondering expression dawned on Ani''s face, and Yasami simrly went into deep thought.

    They were contemting whether they should just lower the price already, even as they received plenty of crystalized resources forpleting yesterday''s mission.

    Ani simply wanted to see how better effective her Light charms would be with someone massively weaker than her.

    Compared to that Mage from the trade fair, this woman was only merely a fifth rank Innate Core warrior.

    Impressive for sure for ordinary people. But only an interesting thought to Ani.

    While with Yasami, she was of the mind of conserving their resources as much as possible. Plus, she felt a naturalpulsion to causing mischief that greatly amused her.

    However, Darcel only thought about it for a brief second before merely shrugging. He ignited his spatial ring and fished out a red glowing sack that contained exactly seventy red crystals.

    Darcel handed the sack over while shamelessly proiming, "Not really costly at all since I do want to please my cute girlfriends. Here you go."

    Without even looking back at all, Darcel could just feel the warmth radiating off from Ani and Yasami''s because of his Darkness Soul link.

    Ani had a small smile, and a slight blush adorned her face. For the rare times in her life, she now felt happy but also a bit of embarrassment flush her cheeks.

    Even though there weren''t many other cultivators walking about, it still made her all giddy inside about being public about their feelings.

    From under the hood, one can also spot a small smile on Yasami''s face.

    Typically at this time like this, she would be calling Darcel out over his shameless acts. Yet, an open disy of affection, while not really used to it, was making her heart feel warm.

    The woman behind the desk only knowingly smiled, watching Ani and Yasami''s reaction. She took Darcel''s red glowing sack while telling him,

    "A dutiful man indeed. Wait right here. Because of the slow morning today, one of our specialists will be with you shortly."

    Darcel watched as the woman had then reached under her desk, seemingly grabbing for something. From where he stood, Darcel could spot a ring that looked vaguely familiar to the ones the Teacher and staff would use at Zakira Academy for contacting each other.

    As the woman went into that motion, Darcel turned around to the smiling faces of Ani and Yasami.

    "The best dutiful man indeed! So dutiful that''ll he get plenty of rewardster~." Ani teasingly flirted, being the same amount offortable on showing public affection.

    Yasami had quietly sighed while saying, "A shameless man and woman who don''t know when to quit."

    Despite saying, when Ani had mentioned rewards in a more sensual tone., Yasami did feel a slight desirable heat generate in her loins.

    A slight blush painted Yasam''s cheeks from such lewd feelings. She silently cursed in her mind as she knows it''s Darcel and Ani''s fault for making her mind immediately recalled their morning.

    But Yasami made sure to not let any lewd thoughts be shown on her.

    Darcel simply smiled as he felt his Darkness Soul link tingle about making the girls happy.

    As the trio waits for the specialist toe, Darcel''s had mind partially drifts while talking to the girls. He was wondering how exciting will a particr group of people will make their mission.

    .

    Inside a doctorate silver office, filled with various exotics Artifacts, talisman, and scrolls. A crucial meeting was taking ce between two figures that can make Mawold Town folks tremble to their knees.

    One of the terrifying figures was a tall, intimidating looking man. The man wore a luxurious set of silver armor,pleted with three silver jewels that hung around his neck.

    The man''s very presence just radiated with pure crushing power, creating an indescribable aura around him.

    Just one look from the man and an average Innate Core warrior would feel as if death was upon them.

    This frightening man was one of the Heavenly Generals of the Silver Bloody Hammer group, Heavenly General Dara!

    Andpared to the Nobe''s Fang group Heavenly Generals, he was at the third level of the Heavenly Transformation level!

    Though only a single level between them, Heavenly General Dara was still considered ultimately superior to both Nobe''s Fang group Heavenly Generals.

    Across from the man was a woman casually rxing on a silver sofa.

    She wasn''t affected by Heavenly General Dara''s dominating aura at all, even going so far as to have azy look on her face.

    This woman is a gorgeous beauty, however.

    Her face was rmingly beautiful, and,bined with her casualze face, she exuded a captivating charm of an easy-going beauty.

    She had short, bright, beautiful blue hair decorated with silver jewelry pieces that just popped out against her luxurious silver armor. At the right side of her breastte was a tinum badge that sparked with power.

    Despite her alluring appearance, the woman, while not as powerful as Heavenly General Dara, was still incredibly dangerous in her right.

    She was a first-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator!

    And though she didn''t have the same status as the man, the woman was one of the few tinum ranked members of the Silver Bloody Hammer group, and she was named Silver L.

    Between the two, there is a serious discussion going on despite the causal nature of Silver L.

    Heavenly General Dara was exining to her, "First Zeal''s team go missing and still haven''t been found for two days. And now Gedu''s team and three of our gold rank members just all up and vanish within a span of a day? And what you''re saying, you''re truly, positively sure it''s because of those three new Fang''s group brats?"

    Though his words sounded like he was in disbelief and using, Heavenly General Dara''s tone was actually inquiring.

    He had put full focus on listening in on Silver L, treating this as a severe issue.

    Silver L, however, simply shrugged like it wasn''t much of an issue at all.

    "I mean, really. Who else could it really be? From our trusted sources, not only did others one hundred percent verified they saw Zeal''s team go after those brats. Other members on their morning shifts also spotted Gedu''s team, and the three gold rank members go after them. Quite obviously, there''s something very special about those kids. Don''t think for a second this all just mere coincidence."

    Silver L expertly exined, contradicting herzy attitude about the situation. She just knew, for numerous powerful Innate Core warriors to go missing, you would have to be a fool to not realize something is suspicious.

    Heavenly General Dara thinks for a moment before sighing. "Haah.I can''t deny it. Still, none of the three gold rank members responded back to my callings, nor can I track their locations. Just like if they had suddenly disappeared off the face of the."

    Silver L didn''t respond, already knowing a conclusion like this would be reached.

    Heavenly General Dara picked up again after a moment of silence, asking Silver L,

    "So you think those brats killed every single one of them off with some rare exotic Spirit Artifact, huh? And what just gives you the bold assurance they won''t have something for Heavenly Kings, seeing as they might''ve killed off three peak rank Innate Cores warriors?"

    Towards Heavenly Dara''s question, Silver L''szy expression slowly morphed into an arrogant smirk.

    "So what if they do? The difference between the Heavenly Transformation realm and mere Innate Cores are like Heaven and dirt mud. The two simply cannot bepared. And even then, I dealt with a lot of Spirit Artifacts with my formations abilities. It''ll be easy grabbing those brats."

    Silver L spoke with such a confident and assured tone that made it nearly impossible for Heavenly General Dara to not believe her. After all, she didn''t say a single lie in her words.

    Even if there were hundreds of Innate Core warriors surrounding Silver L, she would be able toe out on top,pletely unharmed.

    Still, there was just something Heavenly General Dara felt weird about.

    Like this whole situation just seems.off.

    Heavenly General Dara didn''t know how to urately pinpoint this strange feeling, but he couldn''t show off indecisiveness now. He pushed down that slight weird feeling and told Silver L,

    "Alright. Since you''re already so assured of your victory, let''s see what these brats got. Be sure to at least leave their bodies intact when bringing them back here. Perhaps, they would have something beneficial for us and or information that can give us an absolute edge over those Fang''s rats."

    Silver L''s lips began to curl into a savage smile this time.

    She began tozily crackle her knuckles and speak with a chilling tone. "It''s been some time since I was able to stretch for a bit. It''ll feel good to crack some bones."

    Heavenly General Dara didn''t pay any heed to Silver L''s horror inducing words and tone. But suddenly then, a thought streaked into Heavenly General Dara''s mind.

    "By the way. What are the tabs on that girl? For some time, that man still hasn''t shown his face around Mawold town."

    A brief thinking expression sniped Silver L''s face before she went back to being causal.

    "Eh. I haven''t really paid much attention to her. She''s not really causing a ruckus now. Although, our members were saying they saw here into town with those same brats. Other than that, though.she and him won''t be an issue presently."

    Heavenly General Dara''s eyes briefly shed but put that thought down forter. "In any case, I''ll advise to not take those three small rats so lightly. Even rats can ferociously bite back when in a corner."

    "Yea, yea I know. At the very least, if they can somehow bite back, it''ll make it all the more interesting to me."

    Silver L boldly imed, knowing in her mind absolutely nothing damaging will happen to her.

 Chapter 131: Breakneck Speeds

    Chapter 131: Breakneck Speeds

    A rxed, content smile found its way on Darcel as he was immensely enjoying his current predicament.

    In front of him, a soft weight leaned all into him, getting mightyfortable there. The gentle weight who began to softly giggle while enjoying her setup was, in fact, Yasami.

    Darcel was bold enough to have his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer to him.

    And to his small surprise, Yasami didn''tin about it. All she did was utter a quiet, "perverse" before making herself cozy.

    Warmth spread through both of them, and Darcel was more than ever sure of something.

    Somewhere around Yasami''s waist, Darcel can feel the softness of her tail shifting around in her robe while she sits on hisp. Although, Darcel would have to say tails?

    He was also sure it felt two things shifting around from Yasami''s waist.

    From behind him, a soft weight also pressed tightly on to Darcel''s back. The gentle weight had clutched tightly around his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent like it was a divine fragrance.

    Of course, this soft weight was Ani. She had her head on Darcel''s shoulder, leaning all of her weight on to him.

    Amazingly enough, Ani had actually first opted to be in this position iming, "I love Darcy scent!"

    Darcel, of course, didn''t mind it at all. Andpared to Yasami''s warmth of her sitting on hisp, Ani sent slight tingles down Darcel''s spine with every hot sexy breath she released.

    Furthermore, the soft squishy sensation of her magnificent breasts almost ignited the desires of Darcel''s lust. But, Darcel had excellent control over his body and could control his surging lust.

    What Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were currently sitting on for this situation was arge snow lizard extending over eight feet wide in length.

    The snow lizard was entirely in pure white color, matching the beautiful nket of snow that spread throughout the whole Plunged Tundra.

    However, the most extraordinary aspect of the snow lizard was the fact it actually had fur!

    At least that''s what Darcel identified it has. Covering the whole snow lizard''s back was a cover of furparable to a Spirit Monster wolf fur''s soft and fluffiness.

    More so, Darcel could kind ofpare it to the fluffy fur inside Yasami''s fox ears.

    But, not even stemming from his own personal feelings, Yasami''s fox ears were actually far softer and more fluffy than this lizard''s fur.

    Though, for what it''s worth, the lizards'' fur wasfortable enough to sit and rx into. Darcel underestimates the Beast Trading Center on the possibility they have when breeding special Spirit Monsters.

    Their snow lizard was also a sixth rank Innate Core being!

    And though its prowess may be extremely weak, it''s speed is unimaginable for its rank.

    The snow lizard was currently gaining its bearing as it took its footsteps in the Wild Snow area. Darcel''s group was only several meters from Mawold Town, almost ready to leave for their mission.

    While the snow lizard gained its bearing, Darcel was thinking to himself.

    His attention had gathered on a blue, glowing cylinder shape crystal in his hand. ''The Beast Taming crystal huh.there''s more to this thing than they''re letting on. We need to get one permanently for our team.''

    Darcel had received the Beast Teaming crystal as the exchange for renting out a Beast mount.

    From what he was told, this crystal wouldst at most a week before running out of power. And for as long they held onto the crystal. The Beast Trading Center would be able to urately hunt them down just in case they decide to never return the snow lizard.

    Besides the crystal''s remarkable tracking abilities, the primary use for this thing was for the snow lizard right under Darcel''s groupps.

    It didn''t matter what order Darcel could give; the snow lizard will follow it without question.

    Darcel had already imprinted a small portion of his soul energy into the Beast Taming crystal for the snow lizard to recognize it as its new master.

    And with just pouring a tiny bit of his Qi plus his Spirit Sense into the crystal, Darcel could guide the snow lizard in any direction he wants.

    It was almost like having auto transportation as the snow lizard memorized the route it''s supposed to go on and travel out without a moment''s rest.

    After taking one look at Ani and Yasami again to see they''re both cozy and ready, Darcel was also prepared to leave.

    ''Alright, let''s put it to te-''

    Darcel was beginning to pour in his Qi into the Beast Taming crystal and detail the direction to go until his Spirit Senses spiked.

    On instinct, Darcel perked up a bit but kept his eyes forward.

    "Hmmm?" Ani and Yasami utter out slightly confused grunts. In their rxed, warm state, Ani and Yasami didn''t even pick up why Darcel suddenly perked up.

    But as their attention focused up,

    "Oh?" Ani was the more vocal one as she squeaked out a voice of interest.

    Yasami, though, sat up a bit straight, feeling her Spirit Sense suddenly spike just like Darcel''s.

    For a brief moment, the trio scoped out on what was making their Spirit Sense spike up. But not even a half of a secondter, arge smirk broke out on all three of their faces.

    "Well, well~. Seems like we may have another fan following us. Though, this one seems to be the most zealous one ever. Should we just make their wishe true already?"

    Ani was shifting around on Darcel''s neck while whispering her hot sexy breath into his ears.

    As the soothing pleasure of Ani''s breath sailed down Darcel''s body, he had also felt Yasami leaned back into his chest.

    She began cracking her knuckles, boldly saying, "And like thest wishes, the same thing will be granted this time, right? Heh, they actually got more of my interest this time."

    Though Ani and Yasami seemed to be in a simr sentiment, neither made any definitive statement. As they both were waiting for Darcel''s output on this matter.

    Darcel was contemting it for a brief second and found something a bit amusing. Even though he never said it or tried to establish it in any way, Ani and Yasami would wait for his decision.

    And most of the time, they would follow through with his decision after some general discussion.

    Darcel never really put much thought into their line of decision making since he saw Ani and Yasami as his equals. And if they were to make a decision, he would one hundred percent back it up.

    But in some sort of way, Darcel guessed he had some kind of leadership role in their team.

    In any case, Darcel pushed those thoughts down forter and gave out his opinion like he usually does.

    "This time.we should have a bit more fun with this one. Let''s see if our fan would still want to follow us after we do this mission." Darcel felt Ani''s breath be a bit more excited, obviously fancying this idea.

    "Oooh! Now that sounds like fun. If only we can see their reaction when we finish this." Ani whispered, getting Yasmai to ponder the idea.

    "I wonder if it''ll actually scare them off, though? Eh. Actually thinking about it, that would takemon sense from them, so that''s a no."

    Ani began to quietly chuckle since she knew themon sense train of thought isn''t all that presented when equating cultivators'' high egos and pride.

    Darcel also smiled, agreeing with Yasami''s sentiment, and directed his gaze back down to the Beast Taming crystal.

    "Well then, saddle upfortably, girls. We''re taking off now." Darcel told the girl, and they both delightfully did so.

    Ani and Yasami contently sighed while leaning back on Darcel, feeling so cozy under their shared soul link bonds.

    Once the girls were set in stone, Darcel had then poured a tiny portion of his Qi into the Beast Taming crystal along with his Spirit Sense.

    Immediately the snow lizard eyes ignited in a bright, glorious blue shade!

    Power coursed inside the snow''s lizard legs, and right then,

    ''Hua!''

    The snow lizard sted off at breakneck speeds! The snow lizard unhinderedly tore through the snow, quickly bing a white dot in the distance.

    And only merely a few seconds after, another bright red sh illuminated the area just where Darcel''s group was.

    When the sh appeared, another lizard beast mount took off, heading right in the direction Darcel''s group was running to.

    .

    Everything went by in a white blurring sh for Darcel''s eyes.

    Surprise and intrigue swirled in his mind as he grossly underestimated these extraordinary bred Spirit Monsters'' speeds.

    Darcel held one hundred percent confidence in killing the snow lizard in merely one move using only the bare minimum of his Yin Spiritual State.

    However, Darcel''s confidence became shaky in whether or not he can actually outspeed this snow lizard. He reckons he would need to go all out just to barely match the snow lizard speed.

    They were going so fast to the point Darcel was sure they were nearing breaking the sound barrier!

    However, looking back at Ani, she seemed perfectly content on practically ignoring the monstrous speed of the snow lizard.

    Her eyes were closed, and her breath was even as she still tightly clung around Darcel''s neck. She was satisfied in merely basking in the exhrating feeling of traveling so fast.

    Ani''s long flowing white hair majestically swayed in the wind from the speeds they were going. That,bined with her resting face, made Ani even more beautiful than she already is.

    Darcel found it a bit odd that only Ani''s hair was reacting to the speed, but he assumed that was just Ani''s own doing in surging her Qi.

    For Darcel, Ani and Yasami, their bodies were already incredibly tough, even tougher than most magical steel materials.

    So all they needed to do was use a little bit of Qi to stabilize themselves over traveling near the speeds of reaching the sound barrier.

    Though Darcel did note, at this breakneck speed, it was practically impossible to fight.

    And if he were to get careless, he could easily get flung off the snow lizard if he stopped using his Qi.

    Despite the risks, though, Ani was enjoying every second of the breakneck speed.

    Looking down at Yasami, who was still leaning into his chest, she too went still in tranquility. If Darcel were to pull her hoodie off, he would assume that her eyes were also close.

    Sometimes, Darcel can even pick up light sighs leaking from her mouth, indicating her contentment in rxing.

    The main reason all three of them could rx like this was because there wasn''t a single Innate Core Spirit Monster who could keep up with the snow lizard.

    Every Spirit Monster that came up to attack was promptly left far behind in the snow lizard''s dust.

    Two whole days of traveling like this already pass.

    And while Darcel, Ani, and Yasami did engage in some amusing talks, they all were happy to just silently enjoy the long travel.

    It was at times like this Darcel remembered his appreciation for Qi and their bodies evolving with each cultivation realm they broke into. All three of them could go for weeks on end without food or water.

    And though a lot of cultivators in early realms tend to sleep into the night. It isn''t actually necessary at all to even sleep.

    Starting from the True Soul Core realm and beyond, cultivators can also go for a week without proper sleep.

    Although, it is undeniable that properly sleeping and eating is useful for cultivators to have a more proper well-rested mind and attitudes.

    Darcel couldn''t urately count the time, but finally, after two swift days, a blue shine reflected in his eyes.

    The familiar blue icy road of the Plunged Tundra was quickly approaching them. And Darcel knew they had finally neared their destination.

    Darcel began to pour Qi into the Beast Taming crystal, making the snow lizard slow down as it approached the icy road.

    Once the snow lizard had finally touchdown on the icy road, its speed stopped to a crawl. Darcel quickly trailed his eyes on this lone ice road. Admittedly, Darcel expected something like a change of scenery since they''re so far gone from Mawold Town.

    But just like the multiple roads leading to Mawold Town, everything over here was still the same pure white nket of snow. Even the designs of the icy blue road didn''t change in any way.

    Darcel couldn''t focus on the scenery for long, though, as he felt Ani immediately shift around on his back.

 Chapter 132: Powerful Screech

    Chapter 132: Powerful Screech

    "Mnnn.now that was a nice rest. So we''re finally.huh. Even though I said we need a change of scenery, it seems like we''re destined, or it''s the Province curse for everything to just be samey snow."

    Ani said with a wry smile as her eyes popped open to view the repeating snowy scenery.

    She wanted to say she was disappointed or surprised. Yet, in the back of Ani''s mind, she already expected this oue.

    It was at this time Ani was praising the Blessed Spirit Province in her mind. Though they may be the weakest Province out of the nine, at least they''re more visually attractive than the Plunged Tundra!

    At least, Ani can say for what she had seen of the Blessed Spirit Province since she also knew she only had been to two areas over there.

    While Ani was shaking her head in failed expectations, Darcel trailed his eyes down to Yasami.

    She was a little slower to stand at attention. Rxing on Darcel''sp was far toofortable for her to simply give up on.

    "Hmmm.ooh? Eh.we''re already here? Huh, it felt like we just left Mawold Town. Not like this look any different than the roads leading to Mawold Town." Yasami groggily spoke while shifting her body to sit up.

    Darcel found Yasami''s movement amusing, almost like she was an actual feline with how slow she was being.

    Baring her beast heritage, Darcel assumed for her race they couldn''t share that many simrities in terms of personality, at least.

    Although Darcel also realized he never urately asked just precisely what Yasami is. Regarding it as a question he should ask as soon as possible forter, Darcel began telling the girls,

    "From here, we''re going to walk. Even though it''s simr scenery, the general environment of people may be different around here. Probably."

    Ani began nodding, rubbing her soft face around Darcel''s neck.

    "Supposedly, this is a more vige-like area. But I''m still wondering how can a vige be maintained out in this cold and samey snow."

    Suddenly then Darcel felt Yasami sprag right up on hisp.

    Somehow, Darcel couldn''t fathom the faintest idea why, but Yasami just got this fiery boost of energy out of nowhere.

    "Alright! Let''s get this show on the road! We can''t be totallyzy for two days and not get a good stretch." Yasami said, bringing up an actual valid point that resonated in Darcel and Ani''s mind.

    For the two days that it took to get here, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami took any time to actually cultivate. Although it would''ve been a bit harder to concentrate while on the snow lizard, the option was still there

    By Yasami''s words, Darcel and Ani both felt a new eagerness swell inside them.

    The trio had then jumped off the snow lizard back, and Darcel ignited his spatial ring, bringing out their mission map.

    Taking one quick look at the map, Darcel pointed his hand south, saying,

    "We have to go this way."

    Both they started walking; Ani took a brief nce at the Snow lizard staying obediently behind them.

    "So this lizard will just follow us anywhere, right? There''s still juice left in the crystal?" Ani asked since she didn''t fully understand the Beast Taming crystal.

    And it wasn''t like the Beast Trading Center gave them a detailed description of it.

    Yasami''s interest was also piqued in this subject. While the Beast Taming crystal couldn''t affect her, she was greatly curious about how it affected the breed Spirit Monsters.

    Darcel traced his fingers around the Beast Taming crystal.

    Still, it glowed with a vibrant blue shine, indicating the plentiful of energy stored inside it. Darcel nodded to Ani, assuring the girls by saying,

    "There''s still plenty of energy inside here. And as long we don''t make it run extremely long distances so soon again, we''ll have more than enough energy to return back to town."

    With that exnation out the way, Darcel took the lead and began walking on route for their mission.

    Ani and Yasami immediately saddle up close to his sides while the Snow lizard obediently follows behind Darcel specifically.

    As they began walking, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami spread out their Spirit Sense for a few miles.

    And immediately, they became curious about what they sensed. It was vague, like they were trying to hide themselves, but the trio could still pick up on it.

    It was multiple vague presences, hiding deep into the snow, staying close to the icy road.

    This kind of formation was too specific to just be random. And Darcel, Ani, and Yasami quickly pieced together what was happening.

    If they were just a team of ordinary Innate Core warriors, then their Spirit Senses would''ve never picked up on the presence trying to hide.

    Admittedly, the trio could admit the ones hiding were proficient at this task. Still, with Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s special Spirit Senses, nothing could escape their scope.

    At least nothing that far outstripped them in realm and prowess.

    Still, from what they were sensing, Darcel didn''t perceive any one of the hidden presence to even be a slight threat to them.

    Darcel had then nced his eyes over to Ani and Yasami, gauging their reactions.

    And both girls had already tense their bodies, eager for battle. Two confident smirks dawned their lips in anticipation for whoever will try to ambush them.

    Though, Darcel didn''t think this was necessary and told the girls, "So eager already, huh? I am too. But for now, let''s just walk. We''ll go from there once fully checking out this area."

    Because of the very low danger to them, Ani and Yasami saw the meaning in Darcel''s words and the twinkle that shed in his ck eyes.

    "Mnh.alright. Hopefully, we won''t have to wait too long to see the locals." Ani nodded to Darcel, subtly speaking out desires while she was at it.

    Yasami simply nodded to Darcel and kept her gaze on the snow near the icy blue road.

    The trio had then continued to walk for a few meters. And as they walked closer to their destination, the more restless those vague multiple presences came.

    Suddenly then, when the trio got a bit far, they sensed the multiple cultivators specifically lock on to them.

    Their surrounding became intensely chaotic as the air violently churned, and snow swept up in a light fall. Darcel, Ani, and Yasami bore the full front of five seventh rank Innate Core auras, attempting to suppress them.

    And an attempt it was, but neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami felt any suppression. Like a cool breeze that swept past their bodies, the trio stopped moving in simple curiosity.

    They wanted to test how far this scenario will go down.

    Although, at a moment''s notice, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were ready to act just in case they tried to pull out something unexpected.

    Right then, a powerful booming male voice shouted to them, echoing out in the snowy field for miles.

    "Halt! State why you all areing to our vige!"

    As the man''s booming voice slinked into their ears, Darcel''s group watched as five figures jumped out of the snow to hover above them.

    It was five middle-aged looking men, all dressed in this unique orange fur coat. The fur coat had an exotic design of multiple lions running along on it, really exuding a more rural vibe from the men.

    Immediately, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s eyes lit up, seeing their clothing style.

    This was what they were precisely told who to watch out for in their mission briefing.

    In the simplest and most direct way, Ani took off her bronze Fang badge symbol and showed it to the men. "The Nobe''s Fang group at your service! A pleasure to meet you all!"

    Utter disbelief stered the five men''s faces.

    They did rx a bit of their auras in shock but still kept most of their energy locked on to them.

    The man in the middle, who was the one that spoke early, began to talk in a disbelieving tone. "....Really? You three are our help? Is.is this some sort of cruel joke by the Nobe''s Fang group?!"

    When seeing the authentic bronze Fang badge, it was impossible for the men to not believe the trio since they all made contact with the Nobe''s Fang group before.

    However, they were told three bronze rank members woulde and help them.

    Not merely two True Soul Core juniors and one-seventh rank Innate Core kid! Against the ferocious Spirit Monster, their vige was facing, their help is practically nothing!

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami sort of expected this kind of reaction.

    Still, they haven''t let up masking their presence, making them seem even weaker than they are.

    Admittedly, since it was so natural to do, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t pay attention to letting their presence shine out before they met anyone.

    Still, even if it was expected, it didn''t mean they wanted to deal with themon disdain that would drag out time.

    To get this over with, Yasami aggressively stated, "Look, you wanted our help, and here we are! No matter what you all think, we''re helping, alright?!"

    Yasami snorted, and in one fiery breath, she released a small dosage of her powerful suppressed seventh rank aura. And with zero resistance, Yasami''s power annihted the men''s aura surrounding them!

    "Wha-What?!?"

    The five men were left utterly dazed as Yasami''s aura vaporized their power. It was like whish, and the men felt a mild threatening suppression wrapped their whole bodies.

    As aggressive as Yasami was being, she was able to smoothly control her prowess to not crush the five men with her full eighth rank aura alone.

    She knew the seventh rank was enough to get her point across.

    A new light twinkled inside the men''s eyes about the trio. What Yasami just did would need her to have a prowess that can match all five of them!

    And even as they did lessen theirbined auras at first, the fact still remained no other seventh rank Innate Core warrior could pull this off.

    The men''s eyes specifically focused on Yasami, and the middle man began to say, "Follow us to Thornshell vige. We-"

    "SKWAAA!!"

    The man was abruptly interrupted when a loud screech of a hawk red in the whole area!

    The five men''s expressions quickly turned aghast; their faces went pale as blood drained from their faces. That Spirit Monster hawk''s loud and powerful voice caused the five men to gain severe headaches that almost damaged their heads.

    While the five men were shell shocked, Darcel''s group didn''t have much of a reaction.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami only curiously raised their eyebrows. None of them felt any type of headaches or feared the power behind the Spirit Monster Hawk in any way.

    "Hmph, so I see our target likes to make a lot of noise before even meeting it." Yasami snarkily uttered, prompting Darcel and Ani to nearly chuckle.

    But they maintained their neutral, unfazed gazes while staring at the five men clutching their heads.

    It only took a second for the men to force past the headache ande back to reality.

    Though the men were mildly surprised when they observed the trio. None of them seemed even the slightest bit affected by the Spirit Monster hawk screech.

    But they know now wasn''t the time for questions.

    "Quickly follow us! The Snow zed Hawk is alreadying to attack the vige!" The man in the middle hastily exined to Darcel''s group.

    Yet, with one quick sweep of their Spirit Sense, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami already locked on an eighth rank Innate Core powerhouse rapidly approaching their mission point.

    Darcel had then told the men, "No need for that. We''ll take care of this immediately."

    The bold, almost arrogant tone of Darcel''s got the five men confused and even a bit annoyed. They know that Yasami''s prowess is extraordinary and can probably match all five of theirs.

    But it was simply impossible for two True Soul Core juniors to have a prowess that can surpass a whole realm, right?

    Before any one of the five men could dismiss Darcel, they all froze like statues as a tremendous power surge erupted before them!

    ''Hua!''

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t hold anything back now and sted off with insane speed!

    "Gah?!?" The five men all confusingly shouted.

    They needed to hurriedly reinforce their bodies with a massive sum of Innate Qi just to not get swept up in the trio''s powers.

    The men had to also shield their eyes as the wind chaotically stormed around them like a ferocious tornado. When the men opened their eyes again, they were utterly gobsmacked.

    Neither Darcel, Ani, Yasami, or that Spirit Monster lizard were at their original spots!

    The men quickly snapped their heads behind them, but Darcel''s group was already far long gone.

    They only spotted a speck of white Light, Darkness, and blue mes rapidly disappearing towards the direction of their vige.

    The five men nearly felt their brains shut down as Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s speed far, far outstrips them to an outrageous degree!

    Furthermore, that short power surge they felt also gave the five men a tremendous sense of near-death crisis.

    If that trio wanted to, they could''ve probably killed all five of them off without them even knowing how.

    Ignoring that terrifying thought, the man in the middle was the first one to sober up and say, "Just don''t think about it now! Let''s get back now!"

    From his words, the other four men hurriedly sober right up.

    They had then taken off straight towards their vige, though none of them could spot the same specks of white Light, Darkness, or blue mes anymore.

 Chapter 133: Three Terrifying Auras

    Chapter 133: Three Terrifying Auras

    Arge, dark, looming shadow was cast over a vast ice vige. The mere presence of that vast, daunting shadow was spine-chilling and nearly suffocating for the folks inside the ice vige.

    If this was normal time, this ice vige would have a more jubnt lively vibe about it.

    While this ce wasn''t as expansive or luxurious as Mawold Town, it still held rich sights for anyone to gaze upon.

    The buildings here were mostly in a beautiful crystal blue gloss; the igloos for homes were all surprisinglyrge, even matching traditional houses other cultivators use.

    And there was a wide snowy fence that seemingly guarded the ice vige for any unexpected danger.

    Unfortunately, for this vige today, the unexpected danger wasing straight at them from the sky.

    Although, dozens of Innate Core powerhouses had gathered a couple miles above the ice vige. Each Innate Core powerhouse wore a severe and weary expression, dreading what''sing up next to them.

    Every Innate Core powerhouse there also wore the same orange lion fur coat that Darcel''s group saw the five men wearing.

    For this dozen of line ups, each cultivator varies from the sixth rank to the seventh rank. However, there were very few eighth rank powerhouses among their line up.

    Every cultivator there had their gazes glued to their sky. A massive pure white dot was quickly approaching them at swift speeds.

    Watching the Snow zed Hawk''s huge shadow only get closer to them was like awaiting judgment day for the cultivators there.

    At the front helm of the pack, being the evident leader of the cultivators there, it was an alluring cute woman.

    Her clear blue eyes squared in on the Snow zed Hawk, her face determined and serious, having little weariness that gued the other Innate Core powerhouses.

    That sort of serious expression she held suited her beautiful face perfectly, giving the woman a cute but deadly impression.

    This woman also wore the orange lion fur coat, but she held something distinct that separated her from the rest.

    Around the woman''s neck was a beautiful bright orange lion ne that signified some sort of significant status in her vige.

    And another distinct aspect that separated the woman from the rest was the fact that she was one of the few eighth rank Innate Core warriors!

    Without taking her eyes from the sky, the woman spoke to the man right beside her, asking him, "Did Chief Anos give you the urate time that it''ll take to set up the formation yet?"

    The man she spoke to was also one of the few eighth rank warriors there.

    Althoughpared to the woman, he was in a far lessposed state. Beads of sweat drifted down his face as he answered with,

    "Chief Anos stated about five minutes until then Vice Chief Cily! We''re going to need to go all out and hopefully fend this beast off until then."

    Admittedly, Vice Chief Cily didn''t feel hopeful hearing that estimation. But they had no other options left. Vice Chief Cily sighed a bit, and immediately she cleared away any doubts or worries swirling her mind.

    A fierce expression dawned on her face as she felt the Snow zed Hawke within several miles between them.

    "Everyone! Quickly surge your Enchantment Ice Wall Skill now!" Vice Chief Cily roared out using a firm, adamant tone.

    The heavy bass in her voice caused the other dozens of cultivators to sober up and also wear a fierce expression.

    "Yes, Vice Chief!!" Everyone shouted in an equally determined tone.

    Promptly then, the Innate Core powerhouses began surging mass waves of Innate Qi, causing chaos in the air.

    As their powers crazily surged, the wind intensely swirled around them, causing Innate Core power to recklessly spew out in the area.

    Although for the vige below they all were protected by an invisible barrier.

    Most vige folks already evacuated to their fortified igloos, where it was potentially safer than being outside. But there were some courageous, weaker cultivators standing outside wanting to obverse every bit of the uing battle.

    Suddenly then, when everyone was nearing thepletion of their Martial Skill,

    "SKWAAA!!"

    The Snow zed Hawk''s powerful voice screeched again!

    The dozens of vige cultivators could now spot the full outline of the Snow zed Hawk just a mile above them as it rushed down to them.

    The hawk was at least over fifty inches wide, and its enormous wings nearly covered the whole ice vige in its shadow.

    The Snow zed Hawk had pure white fur, seemingly matching the snow of the Plunged Tundra.

    Admittedly, the Snow zed Hawk could appear as a majestic beast.

    But the murderous expression stering its face made the Snow zed Hawk even more ferocious thanmon Spirit Monsters.

    When the Snow zed Hawk squealed out its massive screech, the vige cultivators had also spotted its wing glowing up in a bright blue light!

    In just a split second, the Snow zed Hawk pped its gigantic wing and sted out a bluepressed Wind Qi de at the vige cultivators!

    The Snow zed Hawkpressed Wind Qi de tore through the air at lightning-like speeds.

    Though they were a mile apart, the Snow zed Hawk''s tremendous aura already crashed down on the vige cultivators, causing an immense suppression on them.

    Even Vice Chief Cily, who was at the same Innate rank as the beast, felt a mild suppression enrapture her body.

    Still, Vice Chief Cily push past the suppression and the fuzzy headache that slowly attacked her head.

    She instantly swirled her Innate Qi to her fingertips while shouting,

    "NOW!!"

    Freezing Ice Qi sted out Vice Chief Cily palm and formed into a wide Ice Wall.

    The other dozens of cultivators followed in her lead and immediately sted out their Enchantment Ice Wall.

    And in a magical turn of events, everyone''s Ice Qi smoothly blended in together and swiftly began tobine with each other.

    It only took a second before everyone''s Ice Wall morphed into one massive Ice Wall that covered the whole Ice vige!

    And right when the massive Ice Wall had formed, the Snow zed Hawk''s bluepressed Wind Qi de reached them.

    ''KA-CHA!''

    Like their massive Ice wall was nothing but fragile ss, the Snow zed Hawkpressed Wind Qi de utterly shattered their defense into tiny ice shards.

    "AHHH!!"

    Some cultivators shrieked in anguish, puking out blood, as they nearly got sent flying right back to their vige.

    Other cultivators felt like their arms nearly ruptured though they managed to stay in the air.

    Vice Chief Cily only felt a stinging pain course in her arm from their shattered defense.

    "Tch, we''ve only encountered this beast once, yet how did it get so strong in such a short amount of time!"The man beside Vice Chief Cily cursed as he felt a more intense pain sting in his arm.

    His question was also a thought swirling in Vice Chief Cily''s mind, but they had no time to think about that now.

    Suddenly, right when Vice Chief Cily was about to give out another order, a bright sh of white Light, Darkness, and blue mes refracted into her eyes.

    Immediately Vice Chief Cily''s eyes zipped over to the sh, and she witnessed three auras sting into the air.

    "Wh-what-AH?!?"

    Not even Vice Chief Cily could contain her bewilderment as three tremendous auras suddenly spilled out throughout the whole area!

    Vice Chief Cily utterly froze, not in shock but because an immense suppression crushed down on her whole body.

    And not only she experienced the tremendous powerful auras, everyone else, from the cultivators in the sky to everyone inside the Ice Vige. They felt their bodies locked from an immense suppression of supreme power!

    There wasn''t a single Innate Core warrior that could gather up any amount of Innate Qi, making them utterly helpless.

    Moreover, their souls had also intensely churned, almost like it was quaking in fear.

    The three auras blew out a cascade of chaotic power that swirled all throughout the air, covering the whole Ice Vige.

    "Wh-what the hell is that?!?"

    "N-n-no way?! Can it be?!"

    "Three Heavenly Kings came here?!?"

    A storm of confused shouts boomed from everyone''s mouths.

    For all cultivators under the eighth rank of the Innate Core realm, they had mistakenly taken this tremendous power as the power of a grand Heavenly Transformation cultivator!

    However, Vice Chief Cily could urately pinpoint these auras. And as she did so, more disbelief surged in her brain.

    None of the three were mighty Heavenly King cultivators, yet all three had the prowess that could most certainly match them.

    Vice Chief Cily ran into her fair share of Heavenly Kings in her long life, and she had no doubts about this. And even then, this trio of power could easily wipe her off if they wanted to.

    However, luckily for her and the whole Ice Vige, those three auras weren''t locked on to her.

    .....

    The Snow zed Hawk was utterly frozen in midair. It could barely turn its head around to face the ones who were exuding such mighty power.

    An indomitable suppression crushed the Snow zed Hawk''s body and soul, immediately creating a tremendous sense of death crisis in its mind. The Snow zed Hawk felt as if there were mountains upon mountains crushing its whole body.

    And when the Snow zed Hawk saw who was rushing it, its eyes widened in world-shattering shock.

    Of course, the ones who were bursting with such grand power were Darcel, Ani, and Yasami!

    Yasami was holding both Darcel and Ani''s hands as they flew straight towards the Snow zed Hawk. And all three of them felt overly energized as they flew up, each of them spotting broad battle-hungry smiles.

    Darcel and Ani spared no expense, unleashing their Yin and Yang Spiritual state at full st. While Yasami donned her marvelous blue fire fox cloak, making her two tails swirl around in fervent excitement.

    For some reason, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all felt incredible in their transform state!

    In fact, they felt far more incredible than any other time they unleashed their full prowess in their lives.

    With only a mere small dosage of their true powers, Darcel, Ani and Yasami managed to utterly suppress everyone in this whole area.

    And this showcase of prowess only reinforced the idea in Darcel''s mind that they don''t have a reason to fear an early level Heavenly King.

    For now, though, Darcel pulled his attention to the Snow zed Hawk. And a cruel smirk curved up his, Ani, and Yasami''s lips as they rapidly approached the Spirit Monster miles in the air.

    They all were prepared to end this in just a few moves!

    Before the Snow zed Hawk could attempt anything, Ani''s melodic voice boomed out into the air.

    "sh!!"

    ''Chi!''

    A bright white shbang burst out from Ani andpletely covered the whole area of the Ice vige!

    Beside Darcel''s group, everyone in the whole area utterly froze as their souls were stunned under Ani''s tremendous bloodline power.

    The Snow zed Hawk was no exception to this and becamepletely defenseless from Ani''s shbang.

    Seeing his opportunity, Darcel had then strutted his palm forward and shot out multiple Darkness tendrils.

    The moderate distance between them was nothing as Darcel''s Darkness tendrils instantly reached the Snow zed Hawk. And in the same motion, the Snow zed Hawk got tightly wrapped up by Darcel''s Darkness tendrils.

    Darcel didn''t bother at all with surging lustful energy into his Darkness tendrils, letting his pure power crush the beast.

    The Snow zed Hawk couldn''t struggle out of the Darkness tendrils. Its entire body was helpless, getting violently crushed, causing hellish anguish for the beast.

    Yet the nightmare was only beginning for it.

    Darcel clutched his palm, and he swiftly pulled him, Ani, and Yasami towards the Snow zed Hawk back.

    The trio went even faster than Yasami''s flying speed, and in just a second, theynded on the beast''s back.

    Immediately when theynded on the Snow zed Hawkrge back, Yasami raised her blue fire fox ws and quickly plunged her ws deep into the beast''s back.

    Bright red blood crazily gushed out of the Snow zed Hawk''s back as Yasam''s cloak fire fox w shred through its bodily defense like butter.

    The Snow zed Hawk''s pupil had heavily dted.

    Throughout its body and soul, a mind-shattering pain rampaged as Yasami unleashed a raging cascade of blue fire Qi inside it.

    "SKA-" The Snow zed Hawk could only utter out a single syble of pain before it felt its vocal cords fry.

    Nothing could save the beast now. Yasami''s blue fire Qi was quickly demolishing it, giving the creature a swift but painful death.

    Seeing their work done with, Yasami grabbed Darcel and Ani''s hands, nodding at them while doing so. Hand in hand with each other, Yasami jumped off the Snow zed Hawk''s back and floated slowly towards the ground.

    As the trio floated away, the Snow zed Hawk suddenly burst into bright, beautiful blue mes!

    The beast only had a few excruciating seconds to live before Yasami''s blue mes utterly vaporized its soul.

 Chapter 134: Young Heroes

    Chapter 134: Young Heroes

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t even turn back as the Snow zed Hawk lit up in a bright blue ming glory.

    They simply turned off their transformed state and enjoyed their nice slow descent to the ground.

    "Hehe~, not that''s was a job well done! No! More than that, it was a perfect job done!" Ani giggled out, feeling incredibly refreshed after their first battle in a few days.

    She was actually a bit surprised at just the power she could exude now.

    Even though Ani expected to quickly kill this beast, what they did just now was the equivalent of squashing a bug!

    Yasami, though surprised at her tremendous power gain, couldn''t help but leak a little sigh.

    She disappointedly said, "We really didn''t even get a chance to fully stretch ourselves. I was expecting something special it could use, just like that Soul Weaver ape. Oh well. Hopefully, our ''fan'' can provide us with much more excitement."

    Darcel saw an excited glint spark in both Ani and Yasami''s eyes when mentioning the one following them.

    Although Darcel was curious if the one following them will feel any different after this battle.

    Ani and Yasami were fully engrossed in experiencing their new incredible power, so Darcel expected them not to notice.

    But he was positively sure he heard numerous shouts of peopleparing them to Heavenly Kings.

    At that point, Darcel hoped the one following them would be overly arrogant in their abilities and still attempt to fight them. It would be a shame if they miss out on such a good opportunity.

    In the midst of his thoughts, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami suddenly turned their head back as the chaotic noise of the Snow zed Hawk crashing into the snow echoed throughout the whole area.

    Looking at the corpse, the trio spotted Yasami''s blue fire clearing up on it.

    And from the spots that were clear, the trio spotted the Snow zed Hawk''s burnt bones eerily sticking out.

    "Hmmm.you know? Yasami, we need topare our ck mes with your blue mes! I feel there''s something incredibly special about them."

    Ani told Yasami with great interest.

    Truthfully, Ani always regarded Yasami as just simply having a good affinity with the Elemental of Fire like them. And herprehension ability should be exceedingly high, which in turn, gave her extraordinary jumping prowess.

    But now?

    After knowing Yasami has some form of a feline Monster bloodline that extends past her blue fire fox cloak. Ani believed her Fire abilities can be even more versatile than her''s and Darcel''s!

    Her main guess for this was from reading informative books and scrolls about some special Monster bloodlines having a unique affinity with various Elements.

    For a brief moment, a sh of realization sparked in Yasami''s eyes.

    She turned her head specifically to Ani, giving her a yful smirk. "That''s right, you two wouldn''t know about it. Fuuu~, you''ll be in for a special treat then."

    "Oooh~? Now I''m even more interested!"

    While Ani and Yasami banter with each other, the three of them finallynded on the icy blue road.

    And immediately, Darcel''s attention was taken off from their banter.

    "We''ll explore that avenue at night, girls. For now, we have a more.pressing matter. Look up ahead." Darcel pointed out to the girls making Ani and Yasami turn their heads over.

    Mild shock ran through both girl''s eyes when doing so.

    The scene up ahead while they could''ve expected this. It was still slightly surprising to actually see it in action.

    The cause for the trio''s mild shock was that all Innate Core powerhouses from the Ice Vige had their eyes burst open and were staring unblinkingly at them.

    Unknown to the trio, the mere fact that Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were acting so casually caused even more chaotic waves in the Ice vige''s cultivators'' minds.

    But there was two big questions that nestled deep inside the Innate Core cultivators'' minds.

    Just how the hell did these youths burst with such tremendous power?!

    And how the hell did they feel as powerful as mighty Heavenly King experts?!

    To further make this scene just so unbelievably was the fact that both Darcel and Ani were merely True Soul Core youths!

    If it was just Yasami alone, then they at least could somewhat equate her being a legendary genius only heard in records.

    But Darcel and Ani?

    No matter what kind of genius a True Soul Core youth was, it should simply be impossible to surge that kind of prowess!

    Yet here they are, with reality staring in their face.

    The Snow zed Hawk corpse was still slowly roasting, and the cause was those three extraordinary youths.

    When Darcel''s group had finally turned to notice them, Vice Chief Cily promptly sober up. She could now clearly spot the bronze ranked Fang badges on them and finally pieced together why these incredible youths decided to help them.

    Gathering up her courage, Vice Chief Cily flew forwards while the other cultivators were too shell shocked to move.

    And when they saw their Vice Chief going up to meet these terrifying youths, some wanted to warn her, but no one dared to speak up.

    "We greatly thank you for the much-needed assistance, young heroes. I don''t think we would''vested long at all against that Hawk. And I presume you three are from the Nobe''s Fang group, right?"

    Vice Chief Cily opened up with whilending a few feet away from Darcel''s group.

    Ani took the lead for talking, giving Vice Chief Cily a broad smile and confirmed her question. "That''s right! d we could make it just in time."

    A wry thought went off in Vice Chief Cily head since they did far more than just making it in time.

    Still, Vice Chief Cily was already quickly warming up to Ani''s jubnt attitude and bright energy. Plus, ignoring her terrifying prowess, Ani possessed a maic beauty that made it hard to dislike her at first impressions.

    Vice Chief Cily''s eyes quickly nced to Darcel, who had a steady neutral expression on his handsome face.

    And gazing at Yasami, Vice Chief Cily couldn''t precisely see her face. However, she had a bombastic figure that just captured anyone''s eyes.

    Seeing the youth''s calm, rxed statures up close was leading Vice Chief Cily to believe this won''t be as daunting of a meeting as she initially thought.

    "Are you one of the leaders for Thornshell Vige?" Darcel suddenly asked before Vice Chief Cily spoke up again.

    He took particr notice of their style of clothing, and it was impossible not to notice the decorated ne that was hanging on her neck.

    "Indeed I am. My name is Cily, and I am the Vice Chief for the Vige. And for helping us and essentially saving us. I have to invite you three to stay at least one night for a celebratory feast here."

    Vice Chief Cily offered to the trio.

    As they speak, she knows her vige folks are already preparing for a celebration and are causing an uproar about the recent battle.

    And she knows everyone would want to know about the three overwhelming auras that are equals to even mighty Heavenly Kings!

    "Eh? Celebratory feast? You all actually do that?" Yasami curiously asked, not too familiar with suchmunity gathering events. It all seemed a bit strange to her since she rarely would celebrate her achievements.

    "You can say it''s a tradition for us. We have built a strong sense ofmunity here that motivates all of us to grow together and achieve great feats together. Even for smaller events than this one, there would be people holding small get-togethers to go over and celebrate their achievements. But for such a monumental feat like this one, it would be our honor to share it with young heroes such as yourselves."

    Vice Chief Cily patiently exined, getting Ani and Yasami to momentarily think about it.

    To both girls, while they couldn''t find a genuine reason to do it on their own. The idea of at least showing up for lively festivity does sound incredibly tempting to them.

    Before answering, Darcel took a quick look behind Vice Chief Cily.

    He gauged the reaction of the various Innate Core powerhouses still hovering above Thornshell Vige.

    Most cultivators already returned back to the Vige. Still, the ones who stayed behind, Darcel, had reckoned they were a bit worried about their Vice Chief safety.

    But looking at their reactions now, Darcel assumed his and the girls'' rxed stance must''ve gotten the other Innate Core powerhouses to lessen their worries.

    They all still curiously watched their interaction going on. But at least they were assured the ones from the Nobe''s Fang group are as charitable as they im to be.

    Though those youths'' prowess is an entirely different story.

    Looking back at Vice Chief Cily, Darcel had then told her, "I''m not so much of a party guy. However, do you have sizable enough room that can fit all three of us after the feast?"

    Vice Chief Cily already had some ideas about these three rtionships. And Darcel essentially confirmed her thoughts. She smiled at their youthful romance, telling him,

    "We can indeed provide such a room for you all."

    A bright, saucy idea spiced into Ani''s mind then. She casually slung her arms around Yasami''s shoulders with a slightly suggestive smile.

    "Since it''s like this, we can stand to take a one day rest. This way, we can even have our own little ''special'' feast, right Yasami?"

    Yasami felt her heart rate quickly pick up from sort of understanding what Ani was suggesting. Now that they were in a shared rtionship, all the apparent signs Ani put down are much easier for her to notice.

    And Yasami didn''t even need to rely on their shared Darkness Soul link for that.

    Although, despite thinking how perverse it can get, a small, burning tingle of excitement trickles around her loins at the thought. "H-Hmph! We-well, I guess it can''t be helped. And resting does soundforting."

    Yasami began to look off to her side while Ani''s grin only grew wider.

    Darcel smirked at their cute interactions and had then told Vice Chief Cily, "Well, there you have it. We''ll stay for the feast. But we''ll only be here for one day, though. We run a pretty busy schedule."

    Vice ChiefCily was positively delighted at their answer, giving them a beautiful smile that fit her gorgeous face.

    "That''s no problem at all. As long as we get to show our gratitude. Come with me. I''m sure our Chief would love to meet with our saviors."

    Vice Chief Cily quickly turned around then and began walking towards Thornshell Vige.

    With his mind made up, Darcel follows behind her. Ani kept her arm slung around Yasami, and Yasami didn''t bother with trying to move her warm arm.

    Connected like this, both girls followed behind Vice Chief Cily.

    Seeing theme back already, the other Innate Core powerhouses finally flew back down to the Vige.

    Although, still on their minds were the terrifying prowess of Darcel''s group that seemingly contrasted with their rxed, casual attitudes.

    And from several feet behind everyone, the five men Darcel''s group met before had already shown up.

    Though they were all silent. Their eyes briefly nced to the burnt skeletal corpse of the Snow zed Hawk and then to the back of Darcel''s group.

    They all guessed what happened today was a one in a million chance they''ll probably never see again.

    However, some guesses are destined to be proven wrong.

    .

    The day quickly transitioned into the night as hours swiftly passed for Thornshell Vige.

    Compared to the suffocating atmosphere just many hours earlier, the night became radically different.

    On the streets of Thronshell Vige, nearly everyone was lively and joyously celebrating with each other. Food and drinks were in the Vige folks'' hand, savoring every moment of the feast.

    Festive music yed throughout the Vige from the various cultivators'' music experts, further adding to the joyous asion.

    After all, just earlier today, nearly everyone in the Vige was having their hopes dashed by the Snow zed Hawk.

    And when the Snow zed Hawk easily shattered their strongest cultivatorsbined defenses, people truly started to believe it was doomsday for their Vige.

    But all that changed when three powerful yet mysterious auras red out throughout the entire Vige.

    "I''m telling you all! If you were there, you wouldn''t be able to ever forget that crazy battle we luckily witnessed! Those three Nobe''s Fang heroes are out of this world!"

    A young man was excitedly recounting the events that he managed to see with his various friends. They all had multiple drinks such as alcohol, juices, or just in water.

    They were casually strolling about the Vige, basking in the celebratory feast atmosphere while discussing the hot news on everyone''s minds.

    "You say that. But I''m pretty sure there isn''t a single damn one of us that didn''t feel those hero''s aura. Seriously, I was on the verge of passing out in my own home!"

    A boy in their group was continually shaking his head as that suppression feeling was still fresh in his mind.

    "But have you guys heard the rumors about them? Because I just can''t simply believe it!" A girl eximed in disbelief.

    Disbelief that was shared between her fellow young Vige folks.

    "Right? I mean, they really want us to believe Two True Soul Core duo and one eighth rank girl can really explode with that kind of power? If someone truly can, that''s basically some kind of cheat like prowess!"

    "Ehhh.but have any of you seen those three heroes? Supposedly they''re still talking with the Head Chief, but none of them still haven''t made like any formal appearances."

    One of the boys in their group asked this question, getting the other youths to briefly stop. "Hey.you''re right! I kind of saw how the Snow zed Hawk died, but I couldn''t really spot the three who did it. Even when they came to the Vige, everyone was in an uproar, but only a few people caught slight glimpses of them."

    It was excited talks like these youths were having that rummaged throughout the whole Thornshell Vige.

    And unknown to the whole Vige, the ones that everyone had their minds on were hiddenly observing the festivities under their masked presence state.

    And once they had their full of their festivities, the trio silently returned in for the night, eager to start their own celebrations.

 Chapter 135: Crucial Meeting & Beginning A Festive Night

    Chapter 135: Crucial Meeting & Beginning A Festive Night

    While Thronshell Vige bustling festivities went down, an entirely different meeting was taking ce at the main hall of the Vige.

    The meeting took ce specifically in a decorative office-like room, filled with exotic lion painting designs that ran along the walls.

    There are six important figures taking ce in the meeting. And the one whomanded the most respect and power at the meeting was one tall, handsome looking man.

    This man had clean short brown hair, a chiseled body that ripped with power, and charming facial features that gave him a natural leader vibe. At the center of the man''s forehead was a distinct tattoo marking of a beautiful orange lion.

    The tattoo was urately detailed, almost looking like a real lion was painted upon his head. And like all other Vige folks there, this man also wore their signature orange lion fur coat.

    This man was the Head Chief of Thornshell Vige, Chief Anos!

    And amazingly enough, despite having the highest status there, Chief Anos was only an eighth rank Innate Core powerhouse.

    Vice Chief Cily, who was also participating in the meeting, is nearly his equal in terms of prowess. Yet, she also had the same level of respect in her eyes for Chief Anos being the leader over her.

    Presently, everyone there was discussing the marvelous heroes from the Nobe''s Fang group.

    And Chief Anos asked Cily specifically, "So? Have those three truly retired in for the night?"

    "Indeed they have. Those three seemed rather.eager to start their own nightly activities." Vice Chief Cily answered with a slight smile.

    She recalled how amusing it was to see the hooded girl evident embarrassment but also slight eagerness in their talks.

    Chief Anos also briefly mused himself with the thought of what a hot-blooded young man would do with two girls alone at night.

    A brief sh of a smirk dawned on his face before he pushed down the thought and continued their meeting.

    "In any case, what we witnessed and experienced today can never be forgotten. All three of theirbined powers quite literally suppressed our entire Vige. What''s more, when I met them earlier, none of them seemed even the slightest bit winded."

    "I should add as well; their teamworkbination is almost seamless. They only used three moves to kill the beast, yet each move blended perfectly in with each other." Vice Chief Cily only supplied further evidence on just how terrifying these youths could be.

    One of the Vige Elders participating in the meeting quickly connected the dots on where their Chief''s wanted to take this meeting.

    "By my guess, it sounds like you''re going to suggest a way to keep in contact with them."

    Vice Chief Cily nodded, telling the Elders, "It would be beneficial to us. With the power all three of them wield, there''s no doubt they will get an extremely high ranking in the Nobe''s Fang group. They''re already Bronze ranks members in this case. Furthermore, Ani, the white hair girl, seems especially easy to get along with and call for support."

    The Vige Elders took a moment for contemtion.

    The four Elders here plus Chief Anos were the ones preparing and fueling the protective formations originally for the Snow zed Hawk.

    But once Darcel''s group''s powerful auras washed over them, they too went frozen in utter suppression of power.

    They may not have seen the battle, but their Spirit Senses clearly informed them that those youths could be incredibly deadly to their whole Vige!

    However, once Vice Chief Cily introduced the three to everyone here, the Elder''s and Chief Anos'' opinions became better about them.

    None of them possessed any outrageous arrogance, and as Vice Chief Cily thought, Ani managed to swoon them all with her bright enigmatic energy.

    While they all still felt some weariness about those three, they can at least be sure they won''t have to fear Darcel''s group being young tyrants.

    And taking all of this into consideration, one of the Vige Elders had then asked,

    "Barring all that information in mind. The question is, just what do we give monstrous geniuses like them that can even tempt them into helping us? For sure, you also know with the kind of extraordinary prowess like theirs, they won''t stay at the Nobe''s Fang group for an extended amount of time."

    "The biggest offer we have for them is actually quite easy. We''ll give them the Tempering Bodily Elixir." Chief Anos calmly told them.

    But the Vige Elders were in mild shockpared to Chief Anos''s calm tone.

    "You want to give them that?! Isn''t that just a little.well.hm."

    Initially, the Vige Elders were inclined to disagree with that offer. But their minds quickly went to weighing the pros and cons of this.

    They all know while Darcel''s group easily killed off a tremendous threat to their Vige, they know a monster like that could very well appear again.

    For all the millennials, their Vige had existed. It was only until recently they began encountering overwhelming beast. Even before the Snow zed Hawk, they had already faced off with a terrifying creature that had directly threatened everyone''s lives in their Vige.

    However, thanks to luck and spending a tremendous amount of power on their rare special talismans, they managed to kill that beast.

    But for the Snow zed Hawk, nearly all of their life-saving talismans had already been used. If not for Darcel''s group, they all could have suffered irreversible damages.

    And the Vige Elders know they can''t let that odd happen again.

    At the same time, Chief Anos also knows just how valuable the Tempering Bodily Elixir is.

    If one were to take this Elixir, then all of their Bodily physical defenses will get enhanced by at least thirty percent!

    Some cultivators who have better talent and aptitude than others can even increase the effectiveness of the Elixir.

    And the best factor of this Elixir was the fact that it came at zero negative drawbacks.

    Through Mage Alchemist''s power, if a cultivator already has a stable cultivation foundation, there would be no disarray to it as the Elixir rapidly strengthens the body.

    This kind of Elixir is well known throughout the Province, but not many can get their hands on it because of the extensive amount of resources it takes to make it.

    Although if a Mage Alchemist has the extensive and special resources at their disposal, then it''s not exceedingly difficult for an experienced Mage to craft the Elixir together.

    Chief Anos knows unless the foe just massively outstrips their realm, then the one who takes the Tempering Bodily Elixir would have a far higher chance at defeating their opponents because of their solid defenses.

    Even for geniuses like Darcel''s group, he was banking on them possiblycking a way to truly strengthen their bodies.

    And even if they do have a way, he knows it''s certainly not a detriment to having additional means at enhancing their strengths.

    Taking a look over at the Vige Elders, Chief Anos still didn''t hear any open disagreement.

    So he had then directed his gaze to the only Vige Elder in the room wearing orange lion robe clothes rather than their standard fur coats.

    He asked the Elder, "Elder Amis, how many batches do you have by now?"

    Elder Amis, the only Mage Alchemist here, had already considered the pros and cons of this decision. And if it has the possibility of potentially saving their whole Vige once again, he knew he could at least take this chance.

    "I have managed to create five whole batches now. But we can afford to trade one over. I do realize this could be significantly crucial for us."

    "Anyone have any disagreement over this?"Vice Chief Cily asked onest time after Elder Amis gave his verdict.

    And as she expected, the other Vige Elders gave their silent agreement.

    Seeing how the meeting went over so smoothly, Chief Anos dashingly smiled. "Alright then. Cily, you and I will personally send them off tomorrow and exchange the Elixir with a unique contact ring."

    "Got it. And to any lingering doubts in anyone''s mind, I''m positively sure we won''t lose anything from this." Vice Chief Cily told with an abundance of hope, nearly inspiring the other Vige Elders to have the same amount of hope.

    And unknown to all of them, this little decision did more than just save their lives in the near future.

    .

    In a spacious, luxurious room fit for very special guests, Yasami was currently staring out a round window of said room.

    Her eyes curiously gazed at the festivities of Thornshell Vige and the joyous atmosphere of people celebrating about.

    Personally, for her, she could see the fun in participating in such events. But she quickly became tired of rowdy noises of people loudly chattering about and music ring all throughout the Vige.

    Yasami never really considered herself a friendly, outgoing person in the first ce.

    And luckily for her, their room had a special property of blocking all sounds from outside, making the atmosphere here more serene.

    Thinking about the room, Yasami inquisitively nced her eyes around the whole room. The walls here were painted in a pure white color with orange lion designs mixed in them.

    There were also numerous decorates ced around that helped make the room dazzle more and possibly entertain the guests staying here.

    And the most striking aspect of the room, at least for Yasami, was therge soft cushiony bed.

    Her eyes linger on the bed, feeling a bit nervous about what''s going to go down tonight. It was made inly evident to Yasami both Darcel and Ani have rather ''special'' ns to make their night more festive.

    She knows it''s going to get incredibly lewd and perverse in here.

    Yet, Yasami also couldn''t help the sense of excitement that heated her whole body at those hot, lewd thoughts.

    Suddenly, Yasami felt Darcel''s gentle yet firm hand caress her head in the middle of her thoughts.

    "Fuuu~, hm?" Yasami instantly cooed on the first touch from his hand, and she promptly turned around to look at Darcel''s handsome face.

    Darcel didn''t even say anything, only smirking as he loved the melodic sound of Yasami cooing under his touch.

    Once she turned to stare at him, Darcel had then pulled down Yasami''s hoodie revealing her beautiful face and cute fox ears that were slightly twitching.

    Darcel''s smirk broadly grew, seeing that Yasami already had a slight but eager blush apanying her face.

    That cheeky smirk of Darcel''s caused some annoyance to rise up in Yasami, making her stutter out, "W-well?! What perverse things are you two going to do?!"

    Immediately, Ani popped up on Darcel''s shoulder when Yasami blurred out her embarrassment.

    She teasingly smiled at Yasami, telling her, "Oooh~! Someone''s excited! Hehe~, I can just feel the perverse heat radiating off from you, Yasami."

    "Yo-you.you."

    Yasami wanted to deny Ani''s words, but her body didn''t allow her to do so. With each passing second, those lewd and perverse thoughts only grew, making Yasami''s body heat up even more.

    Seeing her cutely squirm around like this, Darcel kept his hand on Yasami''s head and suddenly looked at Ani.

    "Before it''s her time, let''s put on a good show to ease Yasami into it."

    As Darcel talked, a heated, passionate look entered his eyes. A fiery gaze that was also shared with Ani. "Mnh! Perfect n! Yasami, open your eyes wide for this~."

    Ani had then immediately passionately imed Darcel''s smooth lips.

    Addicting pleasure sprang forth between them as their lips quickly parted, and they sucked on each other tongues.

    Seeing Darcel and Ani quickly go at it stunned Yasami.

    She watched in a heated silence as their tongues zealously tangled with each other like both couldn''t get enough of each taste.

    A burning desire quickly bubbles in Yasami''s loins. She felt drawn to get closer until Darcel suddenly took his hand off from her head.

    "Mnnh~."

    Darcel and Ani pleasurably moaned into their kiss as they began walking over to the bed. They sexily made out until Darcel crashed on the bed with Ani on hisp.

    Darcel and Ani had then pulled back from their hot kiss and trailed their eyes over to Yasami.

    A broad smirk matched on their faces seeing Yasami was incredibly entranced by their sexual energy.

    Yasami felt her mouth go dry, being mesmerized by the erotic aura Darcel and Ani had from just one kiss.

    And she wanted to see more!

 Chapter 136: Lustful Festivities

    Chapter 136: Lustful Festivities

    "Mesmerized already, huh~? Well then.feast your eyes on our full glory, Yasami!" Ani proimed in a grand holy tone.

    Her voice suddenly gained this incredible momentum that made Yasami hold her breath in anticipation.

    Pushing on her grand momentum, Ani''s hand began to glow a brilliant white shine! Ani had activated her telekinesis powers and swiftly focused on her and Darcel''s brown leather outfits.

    The gentle power of Ani''s telekinesis invaded Darcel''s body, yet he didn''t resist.

    Whenever she did use her telekinesis on him, provided they weren''t sparring, Ani''s power was like getting enriched by warm steamy water.

    Darcel simply let Ani do all the work in disrobing each other.

    And Yasami watched in bated breath as each article of clothing floated off from Darcel and Ani''s bodies.

    ''I.I.can''t believe they-Ah!''

    Yasami was trying to get some grasp of her mind. But it became futile as Ani had finally stripped herself and Darcel down to their near-naked glory.

    Yasami was entirely entranced by the duo''s beautiful bodies.

    Ani had taken her bra off, exposing her gorgeous perky breast that could perfectly fit it into one''s palm. Her sexy pink nipple was already erect in lustful anticipation for the night ahead.

    And seeing Ani''s long white hair sway against her beautiful creamy white skin only enchanted her alluring near-naked beauty.

    Tearing her eyes away from Ani, Yasami became even more enthralled with Darcel''s appearance.

    He was the epitome of being lean, muscr, and captivatingly handsome. His sleek ck hair unknowingly grew even longer throughout his journey, swaying elegantly down to his elbows, perfectlyplimenting his smooth body.

    Yasami had always thought both Darcel and Ani were gorgeous, even at their first appearance.

    But now, she thought they were probably if not the most sexiest bewitching people alive.

    "Hoh? So enthralled are we? Come over then." Darcel began to sexily beckon Yasami over to them. That heated undisguised lust in her eyes told him everything he needed to do for her.

    "You-you two are so.I mean, this ispletely perv-Ah! Whatever! You two better take full responsibility for getting me so heated!!"

    Yasami practically jumped over to Darcel''s side while blurting out whatever came to her head.

    Darcel simply smiled, and when Yasami neared him, he tightly wrapped his arm around her lovely waist. A full blush stered on Yasami''s face, but her expression was eagerly expecting with a hint of being bashful.

    Darcel didn''t wait for a second and quickly captured Yasami''s soft, luscious lips.

    "Mnn~!" Yasami immediately moaned into their kiss and eagerly opened her mouth totch on to Darcel''s tongue.

    Tantalizing pleasure shivered down both their bodies as Darcel and Yasami''s tongue zealously sucked on each other.

    It was a sloppy yet passionate kiss, and Darcelpped Yasami''s sweet saliva like it was miracle water.

    While they intensely made out, Darcel began to disrobe the upper part of Yasami''s robe with his other hand. At the same time, Darcel felt the wet squishy sensation of Ani''s moist pussy grind hard on his already erect dick.

    "Nnnh~, now I''m seeing why Yasami was so enthralled.there''s just something about us sharing pleasure that''s so sexy!"

    Ani honestly told while feeling her love juices increase as Darcel passionately made out with Yasami.

    Seeing their tongues fervently go after each other, Yasami''s ears continually twitch in excitement, and Darcel''s hot pole only gets more erect. It all caused an even fierier lustful desire to swell throughout Ani''s soul and body.

    For a brief second, Darcel assumed what was causing that was their shared Darkness Soul link. Since he first started kissing Ani, Darcel already felt his Darkness Soul link began to shiver in excitement.

    But, Darcel''s attention quickly focused back to reality as he managed to spring open Yasami''srge bountiful breasts.

    For a second, Darcel pulled back from the kiss, briefly mesmerized by Yasami''s enormous rack!

    From the outline of her robe, Darcel could tell her breasts were alreadyrge.

    However, that robe simply did her no justice.

    Up close and bare naked, Darcel reckons Yasami''s breasts were the size of prime mouth watery watermelons!

    "Oooh~! That''s a beautiful pair you have on you, Yasami! Ah! I can''t believe you were hiding this from us all this time!" Ani cooed at the sight of Yasami''s glorious breasts, even slightly admonishing her for unintentionally hiding it.

    "Why-why would I need to -Ahn~!!" Yasami abruptly moaned as Darcel began eagerly caressing her breasts. Electrifying waves of pleasure trickled through her from Darcel''s thorough touches.

    Darcel could one hundred percent confirm that the feeling of huge soft breasts is fantastic!

    It was an entirely different experience from Ani''s savory perky breasts as Darcel could sink his fingers far into Yasami''s soft skin.

    Immediately, Darcel wanted to taste Yasami''s protruding puffy pink nipples. But before dining on a divine taste, Darcel turned his attention to Ani, who was staring at Yasami''s breast in slightly heated lust.

    Quickly, Darcel surged a bit of his Darkness Qi at one of his fingertips, shot a thin line to Ani''s wet panty, and pulled it down her leg.

    Ani had naturally shifted her body to allow her panty to drop and fully turned her attention back to Darcel.

    With her gaze back on him, Darcel swiftly plunged two of his fingers deep into Ani''s wet eager pussy. A lewd wet sound gushed out of Ani, causing her to unleash a tremendous melodic moan.

    "Ahhh~!! I love your fingers!" Ani felt a rush of ecstasy as her pussy tightened around Darcel''s finger doing their magical work in fingering her.

    Wanting to dish out an equal amount of pleasure, Ani used her telekinesis to pull off Darcel''s ck boxer.

    In a heated daze, Ani began stroking Darcel''s erect cock, going as fast as he was going in her pussy. ted pleasure bubbled in Darcel from Ani''s soft yet quick handjob.

    But still, Darcel was able to divide his attention and focused back on Yasami. She had her eyes squared right on his big heated dick, also feeling her secret garden turned incredibly moist then.

    Darcel didn''t hesitate then and quicklytched his mouth on to Yasami''s sweet-savory breasts.

    "Ahn~?! Don''t do that so-AHH~!!" Yasami''s eyes burst open as a floodgate of pleasure rocked her mind.

    It was only her breast that Darcel was sucking on, yet the pleasure from his mouth was making her whole body shiver.

    For minutes on end, all three of them got lost in savoring every moment of the euphoric pleasure that st through them.

    And for every minute that all three continued pleasuring each other, Yasami had loved every second of these new mind-shattering feelings.

    However, in her loins, a fiery lust quenched.

    Yasami was hungering for more, and her hand instinctively began rubbing around her wet pussy. This action didn''t go unnoticed by Ani, and she suddenly said then,

    "Daaarcy~! Let''s show our eager cute fox the main event for tonight!"

    Darcel popped his mouth from Yasami''s breast, giving them onest lick that made Yasami gleefully shiver.

    Darcel had then taken his two fingers from Ani''s pussy and absolutely loved how they were drenched with her love juices. Sitting up a bit, Darcel leaned forward to capture Ani''s mouth in a brief steamy kiss.

    Pulling back after a second, Darcel agreed with Ani, saying, "Indeed. I nearly can''t hold out for any longer now."

    Yasami watched in heated, bated breath. Ani had slightly raised her hips to hover her moist pussy over Darcel''s cock, coating it in her sweet love juices already.

    Right then, Ani looked over to Yasami, telling her, "This is what we call lovemaking!"

    Ani had then mmed her longing pussy down hard on Darcel''s dick, causing them both to quiver in pleasure.

    "Ahhh~!!"

    Both Darcel and Ani roared a great moan as their spines shiver in blissful ecstasy.

    Darcel quickly grabbed Ani''s hips and began pounding Ani''s pussy in a frantic passion.

    Ani''s pussy walls tightly coiled around Darcel''s dick, trying to immediately milk for his creamy essence.

    "Mnnh~! Your lips~!" Ani squealed and wrapped her arms around Darcel to give him erratic, sloppy kisses.

    Their tongues zealously licked all over each other''s mouths. And Ani began matching Darcel''s rhythm as she began to intensely bounce up and down on the divine dick that was stirring her up.

    "Hooh~? You''re trying a new trick?" Darcel groaned in bliss when Ani suddenly mmed her ass down on Darcel''s dick, fully taking his whole length.

    "Mnh~, just watch this!"

    Right then, Ani began to wriggle her hips, making Darcel''s dick reach all around her fleshy walls. Darcel was sted with new waves of near orgasmic bliss.

    The soft, twisty turn feeling of Ani''s pussy wriggling on his dick was a new move that nearly made Darcel want to release right then.

    Ani as well nearly went to an orgasmic overdrive as she made Darcel urately poke her G-spot.

    All the while, Yasami hand that was massaging her pussy began to speed up, watching the duo''s passionate sex.

    "I-I-want-"

    "You want this, right?" Darcel interrupted Yasami, and his hand reced her''s that was rubbing her pussy. He went at the same fiery intensity she did while watching them.

    Yasami''s eyes burst open, overtaken by the heavenly pleasure Darcel''s hand was giving her.

    "Mnh~!!" Yasami suppressed a moan as she didn''t realize Darcel''s hand would feel far better than hers.

    "You want all of this delectable pleasure hm~?"

    Ani had captured Yasami''s attention by leaning backward to show Darcel''s dick glistening with his precum and her love juices.

    It was a sight that further drove Yasami into heated lust. "Ahh!! I don''t care anymore! Just let me feel it all, Darcel! Now!!"

    Darcel was almost caught off guard by the sudden, slightly demanding attitude from Yasami.

    But he stillplied and surged a thin line of Darkness to entirely pull down her whole robe, revealing her full naked beauty.

    "Ahn~! So it''s two tails~!" Ani suddenly eximed while slowly enjoying Darcel''s dick sitting in her pussy.

    "And they''re even swirling in excitement. Cute."

    Darcel also said as the first thing that caught his and Ani''s eyes were the two blue bushy fox tails that fervently swirled out of Yasami''s waist.

    Along with her cute two foxtails, Darcel''s also quickly noticed that Yasami''s beautiful blue hair was exceedingly long.

    Even longer than Ani''s waterfall white hair!

    Yasami''s ocean blue hair drooped all the way down to just above her knees. It was actually quite mesmerizing to gaze upon, but Darcel quickly shifted his focus back to the restless Yasami.

    "Nevermind that! Darcel!" Yasami was practically pleading at this point as she felt like her pussy was on fire with lust.

    Seeing how overly eager she was now, Darcel trailed his eyes down to Yasami''s pussy only to see it''s even more drenched with love juices than he thought.

    Quickly, Darcel coated two of his fingers in Darkness for that extra pleasure for Yasami. He had then slipped his two Darkness fingers inside her wet fiery pussy, causing Yasami''s pupils to dte.

    "AAHHNN~!!"

    Yasami unleashed a tremendous moan of euphoric pleasure and copsed on top of Darcel''s body, leaning half her body on to the bed.

    Earth-shattering pleasuring rocked her soul and body as Darcel wriggled his Darkness fingers inside her wet warm pussy. Her two blue fox tails sprang up and froze in utter ecstasy.

    Darcel was in mild shock while fingering Yasami''s pussy.

    It was fiery, incredibly fiery akin to addicting warmth he wanted to explore all over.

    Ani got curious and briefly halted her movements on Darcel''s dick.

    As she stopped, the fantastic heat from Darcel''s dick was teetering Ani to go over the edge and release a marvelous climax.

    But, Ani''s mind was getting tempted as she stared at Yasami''srge breast that glistened in an erotic sweat.

    On instinct, Ani leaned over and swiftly sucked Yasami''s nipples, immediately liking the sweet, fiery vor of her. Yasami froze in a near orgasmic bliss feeling Ani''s hot tongue roll all over her nipple.

    And right then, Darcel fully mmed his twitching dick into Ani''s pussy, striking her womb. Simultaneously he had also directly touched Yasami''s pleasure zone, releasing a small spot of lustful Darkness essence there.

    "CUAAHN~!!!!"

    Darcel didn''t know who shouted the loudest as he, Ani, and Yasami all roared as they experienced a heaven breaking orgasm!

    Yasami''s pussy had squirted like a waterfall spraying out all of her delectable love juices, heavily wetting Darcel''s fingers and the bed.

    Her body twitched uncontrobly. Her eyes rolled to the back of her, and her tongue sloppily swirled out of her mouth.

    Ani was in a simr state of euphoria, feeling her tongue droop out her mouth and pussy bursting with love juices as Darcel''s warm creamy essence filled up her womb.

    Darcel had buckled his knees, feeling like this was the best orgasm he had ever experienced!

    And after a few seconds, when they came down from their orgasmic high, Yasami promptly passed out and copsed entirely on Darcel.

    Ani fell on to Darcel''s chest, basking in the warm feeling of Darcel''s creamy essence. "Haaah.haaah.that was.incredible! And here I thought the little fox would''ve been able to experience this kind of pleasure tonight."

    Ani panted out as sweat fell down her eyebrows.

    "I have a sinking feeling that she''s going to be the one demanding to be first next time. Now then, let''s get her cleaned up and rested. I know neither of us is satisfied with just this."

    Darcel told her, prompting Ani to giggle and wriggle her hips.

    Still, Darcel was hard inside her and knew their night was only going to get more heated. "Huee~, I''m sure in the near future, our night will be even longer with the addition of the little fox."

    And unknown by all three of them, Darcel''s Darkness Soul link was intensely rumbling in all three of their souls, causing Qi to crazily suck towards them.

 Chapter 137: Morning Departure

    Chapter 137: Morning Departure

    A wonderful wet soft sensation coursed through Darcel''s mind as he had his eyes closed. Tingles of incredible pleasure were drilling down his body, making him quickly awake from a good dream he was having.

    Darcel was only halfway in groggily awakening.

    And it was then he immediately identified the soft wet sensation that is continuously pecking his lips.

    Whoever it was that was zealously going at him just absolutely couldn''t get enough of Darcel''s addicting taste.

    As he became more awake, Darcel''s body moved on instinct. He had wrapped his arm around the soft body pressed on to him and parted his lips to fully enjoy the kiss.

    An eager tongue quickly sought out to tangle on to his tongue.

    "Mnnh~!!" A quiet but cute moan squealed out of the one kissing Darcel.

    And the tongue that intensely sucked on him was passionate yet sloppy.

    All of thesebining factors led Darcel to immediately know who was giving him a fiery morning kiss.

    His eyes flung open and was met with the sight of the beautiful vertical slits of Yasami''s half-lidded striking blue eyes.

    Yasami''s eyes grew wider, seeing Darcel fully awake.

    But she hasn''t stopped kissing him yet. The addicting pleasure was swirling away in her mind for each second she prolonged their steamy kiss.

    And after a couple of seconds, Yasami had finally pulled back.

    A delicious trail of saliva connected from her''s and Darcel''s mouths and Yasami enthusiasticallypped up the steamy remnant from their kiss.

    Suddenly, realizing Darcel is watching her with great interest, arge sexy blush adorned Yasami''s gorgeous face.

    A bashful expression quickly stered on her while she blurted out, "Yo-you''re finally up! Don''t me me, I-I just want to do more perverse things with both you, hmph! So you better take full responsibility!"

    So cute, yet some tame under him.

    Darcel quickly liked this amusing side to Yasami, leaking out a small chuckle.

    And seeing Yasami slightly pout at him for chuckling only further pushed Darcel''s love about this side of her.

    "Hmmm, a nice blend of your fiery side and your lovable cute side. Yea that also suits you quite nicely." Darcel causallyplimented, and before Yasami could sputter another bout of bashfulness.

    Darcel had quickly pulled Yasami into another heated kiss.

    This time, Darcel took smooth control and guided Yasami''s warm, sweet tongue to correctlyp around his tongue.

    "Ahh.ooh~...." Yasami instantly cooed from their blissful kiss, and Darcel stroking her twitching fox ears.

    For a few minutes, the two stayed like this, fully engrossed in the kiss, falling harder into pleasure.

    It had taken Darcel to finally pull back from the kiss, leaving a steamy trail of saliva to connect from their mouths. He had realized if he didn''t put a stop to it, Yasami probably wouldn''t stop for a long time.

    And they didn''t have all day to just be lounging around and kissing.

    Though, when Darcel had pulled back, he noticed a sh of loss swirl in Yasami''s eyes.

    That little sense of sadness nearly pulled Darcel into kissing her again. But his attention got quickly diverted as his Spirit Sense explored deeper into Yasami''s body.

    Mild shock ran through Darcel''s mind then.

    Somehow, Yasami had directly stepped into the ninth rank of the Innate Core realm!

    Furthermore, it wasn''t only her that broke through.

    He and Ani as well jumped up to the fifthyer link of the True Soul Core realm! Darcel knows if he has sex with Ani, it outrageously increases the rate of their cultivation.

    However, he didn''t even have sex with Yasamist night.

    And arguably, breaking through to the ninth rank is a far moreplicated and arduous task than anything in the True Soul Core realm.

    At least, Darcel expected Yasami to go through some sort of enlightenment for the ninth rank.

    Yet, here they are, and Darcel was starting to suspect he''s been severely underestimating his Darkness Soul links.

    The sense of loss had quickly left Yasami as she noticed Darcel hadn''t broken off his mild gaze of shock from her in a couple of seconds. A sense of teasing swirled inside Yasami''s mind, and her two blue fox tails began to yfully move.

    "Why are you so shocked? Mesmerized by glorious beauty again~? Does someone need a kiss to wake them up~?"

    Darcel quickly snapped out of his mild daze and gained a cheeky smirk from Yasami''s yful tone. "You really can''t affect me anymore, and this basically sounds like another excuse to kiss."

    Darcel was right on the money as Yasami began to close her eyes and gain an expectant face, saying,

    "Weell? What if I did? Aren''t you going to unleash your perversion on me again?" Darcel was tempted to do so, but he had a more pressing question nestling in his mind.

    "Not right now. I''m more surprised at how casual you''re being now. Don''t you feel the peak changes in your body and soul?"

    Yasami sprung her vibrant blue eyes back open.

    Her reaction really didn''t go anyway Darcel expected. She only had a rxed slight smirk despite sensing the tremendous power growth in her.

    "It''s the soul link we share, right? I mean, when we''re together, all of my cultivating andprehension abilities just skyrockets. Sure, probably something special should''ve happened for the breakthrough to the peak. Buuut, you should''ve expected this to happen, no?"

    "Mnh! The little fox is right, Darcy! This is the beauty of our Darkness Soul links! Our pleasure and feelings are a testament to our outrageous strengths."

    Ani had suddenly perked, entering the conversation while leaning on Darcel''s arm.

    Yasami and Darcel turned their eyes over to her, not even hearing when she had woken up.

    Still, Darcel felt the suddenpulsion to kiss Ani now that she was up. "Pleasure a testament to our strength, huh? Like so?"

    Immediately, Darcel pulled Ani into a sensual kiss. Their lips quickly parted, and they fervently sucked on each juicy tongue.

    Yasami began to wryly smile while watching them. While they continued their heated passion, she felt her soul rumbling.

    A serene warmth spread through her, and Yasami could feel her soul ever so slightly increasing in power. "Really, it is like so. What a perverse method that I can''t believe I''ming to fall under it."

    Darcel had pulled back from the kiss after a few seconds, leaving Ani with a satisfied smile on her face.

    A thought suddenly streaked into his head then. Darcel told the girls, "You girls ready to leave? I''m afraid with this recent powerup, our zealous fan is even less of a challenge than before."

    Ani dawned a thinking expression while saying, "Than before? Even before, I still felt zero threat from them. So I guess it''ll be another second''s long fight for us."

    Yasami thought for a moment before shrugging.

    "No challenge as of now. But at least we can be sure future events will be more exciting. Provided that they didn''t get scared off from ourst fight."

    Though Yasami said so, a grin split on her, Ani, and Darcel''s faces.

    They knew for a second prideful powerful peopleck the self perversionmon sense. So the only question left was what would they desperately pull on them.

    .

    At the Thornshell Vige entrance, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were snuggled upfortably on their Snow lizard.

    Because of their outstanding service to the Vige, they were able to store the beast in a rtivelyfortable space where it also could rx.

    Darcel smiled contently as the girls leaned on to him. They were in their same position asst time, but he could tell there was a subtle change between them.

    Now, Yasami had fully sprawled out in hisps. Darcel felt the joyous rustling of blue fox tails swirling around from her robes.

    And with Ani, she had her hands draped over his and Yasami''s shoulder, really leaning on to Darcel''s back.

    The only thing that remained the same was Yasami still hiding her feline body parts and her face.

    Darcel wanted to ask why she''s doing that while they were inside their room, but he was content with Yasami taking the initiative to exin it herself.

    Plus, Darcel was sure Yasami would want to spill her secrets at a more secure location.

    Her personality does have that slight cautious and crafty side about her.

    Darcel currently began caressing the Beast Taming crystal, preparing to pour his Qi in it.

    Until Ani suddenly shifted her head behind and squinted her eyes. "Heey, it seems like the Chiefs were expecting us to leave early. And they''reing with all smiles."

    Darcel shifted his head to look back while Yasami didn''t move but curiously raised her eyebrows.

    Neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami wanted to deal with the busy work of getting recognized, so they went ahead and masked their presence.

    But it seemed they''ll have to do one more meeting before they go.

    Of course, the one''s walking up to the trio was Vice Chief Cily and Chief Anos. And when Ani noticed them, Vice Chief Cily opened up with a pleasant smile.

    "All pack and ready to leave now. I hope you all enjoyed your stay."

    Vice Chief Cily graciously told them. She and Chief Anos stopped near Darcel''s group Snow lizard and were d they just made it in time.

    They indeed had predicted the trio departing a bit in the morning after Vice Chief Cily recalls Darcel saying they run a busy schedule.

    And as they stood next to the Snow lizard, Vice Chief Cily and Chief Anos had an odd feeling.

    They both know Darcel''s group could all mask their presence. It was how Vice Chief Cily managed to slither the trio in without much noise.

    But, very vaguely, both Chiefs felt as if all three of them suddenly grew stronger sincest night!

    They couldn''t say for sure if this was the case. But the dangerous feelings Darcel, Ani, and Yasami naturally exude just seemed to explosively spike today.

    Darcel had caught on to the slight tension that filled the Chief''s bodies.

    Admittedly they didn''t fully mask their presence, so Darcel could tell they were feeling a tiny portion of their recent breakthrough.

    Still, Darcel helped to ease their tension by saying, "Our night was an incredibly festive one for sure. Something of which none of us are sure to forget and sure to repeat."

    Ani giggled a bit at Darcel''s slightly suggestivement. While Yasami just sighed,menting how openly shameless her boyfriend always is.

    Barring his girl''s reaction, Darcel had achieved his desired result with the Chief''s.

    Both of them felt their bodies rxed more at Darcel''s good naturement and were much amused at their youthful romance.

    Darcel had then given the two Chief''s a smirk, continuing on to say,

    "But I know you guys didn''te here to just give us farewells. You have something to offer us before we leave, I presume?"

    Seeing Darcel getting straight to the point, Chief Anos nodded to his question. "Indeed. Would you all be interested in a way to enhance your Bodily defenses?"

    Ani raised a curious brow while Yasami perked up at Chief Anos'' question.

    Darcel''s interest was also gained, so he said, "I see no reason to not be. We have no ways to naturally increase it on our own."

    Chief Anos broadly smiled as one of his guesses were correct.

    He had then gone on to exin, "Excellent. You see, we have arge batch of a Tempering Bodily Elixir that''s enough for all three of you. As you may or may not know, this Elixir can increase your Bodily defenses by thirty percent or even more. All we ask in exchange is for a way to stay in contact."

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami contemted for a brief second.

    They all know what the Tempering Bodily Elixir is and the zero drawbacks from just basic readings of various books.

    Still, the trio quickly saw where this could potentially go.

    However, Vice Chief Anos quickly spotted the realization on Darcel and Ani''s face, prompting her to swiftly speak out.

    "We won''t be contacting you for our troubles or anything like that. But with all of your extraordinary might, if you do happen to encounter the special resources needed for this Elixir, you can always contact us and trade the resources over. That way we can offer a huge discount for the next Elixir we make. Think of this free one as thanks for helping our Vige."

    Yasami mused out then, "I was just about to bring that up. So this our true ceremonial reward, huh?"

    "Indeed it is. We feel this is a much proper reward for your hard work." Chief Anos spoke up to exin.

    "Hmmm.I say.let''s take it! I quite like this Vige and how everyone is just so lively here." Ani voiced her agreement.

    "Eh. Why not. I mean traveling so snuggly like-uh I mean, traveling, in general, is so serene." Yasami attempted to smoothly cover her mid-speech slip up.

    Though, Darcel could feel her foxtails restlessly swirling about now. Focusing on the Chief''s though, he told them, "Sounds simple enough then. We''ll be sure to contact you if we have the resources. Or if you have another rare Elixir, you want our help in making."

    Darcel didn''t mind making the deal since they can deal with whatever issue the Vige might face in the future with a flip of their hands.

    "Then we have a deal. Cily, give them the rings." Chief Anos said in an exceptionally pleased tone.

    Vice Chief Cily nodded and took out a purple ring and blue ring with a lion design. She had then handed off both rings to Darcel, telling them,

    "It''s been a pleasure you all. Till next time."

    Darcel shoved the two rings into his pockets, and he and Yasami simply nodded at the Chiefs.

    Ani was the one that waved goodbye, saying to them, "Later!"

    The trio had then settled back in the Snow Lizard. Darcel poured his Qi into the Beast Taming Crystal, making the Snow Lizard''s eyes glow up. Instantly then, the Snow lizard sted off to the far distance, leaving Thornshell Vige behind.

    "Haaah.even as charitable they all seem, it''s still a bit worrisome interacting with them. Feels like a doomsday cane for us from just one wrong move."

    Chief Anos exhaled his remaining slight tension after the trio was entirely gone.

    Vice Chief Cily, in contrast, only had a rxed smile. "I can admit, I may have some tiny doubts about them. But as well, there''s just something about them that inspires me with hope. Now that they''re gone let''s get back to work."

 Chapter 138: The Fall Of A King

    Chapter 138: The Fall Of A King

    The wind refreshingly breezed by Darcel, Yasami, and Ani''s faces as they traveled at breakneck speeds.

    With their power surge fromst night, it became much easier to handle the speeds they were going on the Snow lizard.

    It was almost like they could go to sleep with the small portion of Qi they needed now. The only thing that remained the same was the fact that no Spirit Monster can contend with the Snow lizard near sound breaking speed.

    Ani and Yasami closed their eyes to enjoy their journey back.

    However, Darcel still had his eyes peeled open. His Spirit Sense expanded subtly around them, seemingly waiting for any pricks his sense could pick up.

    About a half a day has passed already since leaving Thornshell Vige.

    And so far, Darcel''s Spirit Senses didn''t prick at all. Darcel assumed it would be the same for the rest of the trip until he abruptly perked up.

    The spike sense of subtle danger had finally pricked into Darcel''s Spirit Sense. Darcel drummed his fingers around the Beast Taming Crystal and swiftly poured his Qi into it.

    A sh of blue glowed in the Snow lizard''s eyes, making it speed quickly slow to a bare crawl.

    As the Snow lizard got slower to the point of nearly stopping, still Ani and Yasami didn''t open their eyes.

    But, Darcel knew they were up and sensed precisely what he sensed. When he had perked his body up, he caught on to the subtle rising tension that filled the girl''s bodies as they leaned on to him.

    Despite going at sound breaking speed, the Snow lizard had perfect control over its movements.

    It took only a few seconds before the Snow lizard stopped moving altogether.

    And when the Snow lizard had stopped, Darcel tapped both Ani and Yasami''s shoulders. "I know you girls are ready. We''ll have more time for coziness after this."

    Darcel''s persuading words caused both girls to fling their eyes open in evident excitement.

    "Now that I''m actually all warmed up, I don''t even really care for stomping around our ''fan'' right now. Ah, whatever. Let''s hurry this over with." Yasami lightlymented while cracking her knuckles.

    Ani began giggling, also remarking with, "Hehehe~, can''t help but agree with you there, little cutie. Still! We must never waste an opportunity for some prime experience!"

    Only a few seconds passed since their Snow lizard stopped while Ani and Yasami were lightly talking.

    A few seconds that seemed like they were being a bit too casual.

    That is until Darcel uttered a single word, "Now!"

    ''Hua!''

    Immediately, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami sprang off the Snow lizard and sted off to a specific spot in the Wild Snow.

    All three of their Spirit Senses locked directly on where the danger spike urred.

    In just a split second, the trio already covered dozens of meters with just their base speed.

    But, just going out with their base prowess wasn''t Darcel''s group sort of style.

    Only a split second after they began running, a tremendous aura gushed forth from all three of them! Darcel burst with the explosive power of his Yin Spiritual State, transforming into his alluring bloodline appearance.

    Ani gushed out her Yang Spiritual state''s overwhelming energy, radiating the bright light of her bloodline appearance.

    And Yasami donned her blue fire fox cloak that glistened in pure, superior prowess.

    In that instant, the trio used their transform powers and blitz forward at lightning-like speeds!

    They crossed a mere mile in the manner of one second! And once they crossed this one-mile mark, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami felt a slight resistance.

    As if something was trying to block them off.

    However, the meager power behind the resistance simply made the trio savagely smirk. They simply increased the energy of their aura, causing the resistance that''s trying to block them off to get instantly vaporized!

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    Upon shattering the resistance, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami heard the noise of something akin to ss shattering into a million pieces.

    All around the trio, the surrounding area suddenly fell into chaos!

    The unfathomable power of Heavenly Qi crazily gushed out everywhere from the shattering! Huge splits in the snow tore through the ground, the wind kicked up into wild whirlwinds, and snow sprayed into the sky.

    Just the sheer pure power of Heavenly Qi can cause utter chaos to any weak space.

    And yet, despite the overbearing power that can make mighty peak ninth rank Innate Core warriors tremble to their knees.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami werepletely fine.

    The suppression power of Heavenly Qi couldn''t affect them; the Heavenly Qi aura merely tickled their bodies, and their powers only increased as they moved.

    "Heh! Mighty Heavenly King, my ass!" Yasami mockingly boasted as she felt exuberant over her incredible surge of power.

    Darcel and Ani smirked since they felt the aura of a first-level Heavenly Transformation powerhouse rapidly rise to the ground.

    They both thought over how with just one mocking line, Yasami already got their ''fan'' to show themselves.

    It was quite impressive, actually.

    And like they expected, the ground split open from in front of them.

    Out from the ground, a human figured had arisen and had flown into the air. The human figure was a beautiful silver armor woman. And With Darcel''s group''s excellent vision, they immediately recognized this style of armor.

    "So it''s time, Silver eyesores!" Ani also jeered as she, Darcel, and Yasami quickly halted.

    Up in the sky, Silver L''s normallyzed face was now reced by a deadly severe expression.

    An enormous silver battle hammer was already in hand, glowing a bright, brilliant silver shine. Despite already knowing it would be futile, Silver L was sting out her full Heavenly Transformation aura onto the trio.

    But of course, none of the brats were affected.

    Silver L didn''t even bother with useless words and quickly pointed her silver glowing battle hammer straight at the trio.

    However, right when she pointed her hammer, Darcel''s eyes focused squarely on her. In an instant, his ck eyes glowed a chilling Darkness hue.

    Faster than Silver L could charge her attack or even react, a Darkness shadow gushed from her feet despite being in midair.

    Instantaneously when the Darkness shadow appeared, numerous Darkness tendrils shot out from it and tightly wrapped around Silver L''s body.

    Lustful energies quickly drilled into her body, making a tremendous burning itch spread throughout her.

    "Nnnh?! What kind of-Ah! Tch!"

    Silver L was struggling to suppress moans as she felt tingles rampage her body and soul. In a desperate attempt, Silver L fruitlessly tried to surge her Heavenly aura to fend off Darcel''s Darkness tendrils.

    But before she could even make an attempt. Silver L''s eyes nearly got blinded by a bright blue shine! Indescribable dread filled her eyes then.

    A bright blue ming fox w was blitzing at her at tremendous speeds.

    Already, because Darcel''s Darkness tendrils was disrupting her aura and Heavenly Qi, Silver L had little ways to protect herself.

    But furthermore, the power behind this massive ming fox w caused an even greater suppression to crush her body.

    Yasami''s blue ming fox w felt no resistance when sailing at Silver L. It was only when her attack was mere meters away from her that Silver L''s soul instinctively reacted.

    For a brief second, there was the remnant of her Heavenly aura trying to automatically protect her.

    However, even for something that came from her soul, Yasami''s blue fire fox w effortlessly tore through the brief Heavenly aura!

    "Nn-AH~!!!"

    A moan that sounded like a mixed scream of pain and pleasure gasped from Silver L''s mouth.

    Tearing through that Heavenly aura was like tearing off a piece of her soul. Pain more than pleasure flowed through Silver L, and she felt bile rise to her throat.

    At the same time, "sh!" Ani shouted and burst her white shbang!

    Silver L''s whole world went white. She utterly froze as Yasami''s blue fire fox ws finally reached over her.

    ''Bang!''

    Yasami''s blue fire fox w brutally pped Silver L to the ground like she was a ragdoll. Silver L''s body got buried in the snow as blood spurted crazily from her body.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami casually gazed their eyes over to her, only to see the snow painted in crimson red from where shended.

    At a rxed pace, the trio walked over to the buried Silver L.

    Although, they were in for some surprise while walking. Amazingly enough, Silver L struggled up to at least get on her knees.

    Gone was any prestige of what a Heavenly King is supposed to have.

    Silver L right now was bloodied and battered. Her hair was filled with snow, her once beautiful face had dirt and blood mixed on it. Though Darcel''s group could spot a faint blush adorning her cheek.

    "Ju-just how?!? I shouldn''t be wrong! Fr-from what I sensed, none of you were nowhere near this strong!! My first formation sh-AHH~?!?"

    Silver L fell squared into the snow while unleashing a great moan.

    At the lowest state of her body, Darcel''s Darkness lustful energies had the entire range to roam free all throughout her. From every corner of her body to the deepest region of her soul, indescribable pleasure made her tremble.

    Despite the beaten and battered state of her being, Silver L felt her pussy squirm with love juices. Her eyes became hazy and unfocused as Darcel''s group walked right up to her.

    "A learning experience indeed! So this is the chaotic side of overwhelming pleasure. Look! Her tongue is already drooling out of her mouth." Ani pointed out the pitiful state of a once-mighty Heavenly King.

    And like she said, Silver L looked drunk with pleasure.

    Tears of pleasure drizzled out of her eyes, and her tongue drooled out of her mouth, panting like a beast in heat.

    "Th-this power-Ah~! Wha-wha-AHN~! It feels so gooood~!!!" Still, Silver L''s pussy was continually overflowing with her love juices to no end in sight.

    Her entire soul was overtaken by Darcel''s Darkness lustful energies.

    Even if Darcel were to attempt this if Silver L was at one hundred percent of her power, the result still would''ve been the same. From all the continuous pleasure and breakthrough, Darcel''s soul powers grew to an outrageous standard.

    He didn''t even need to rely on the small portion of Sariel''s essence still nestling deep in his soul. Silver L being majorly weakened only sped the whole process up.

    "Hmph, for a so-called Heavenly King, she sure was quick to fall into pleasure." Yasami jeering didn''t even reach Silver L''s mind.

    "Hehe~, in general, a Heavenly King''s prowess isn''t at all what it''s cracked up to be. Far too weak in my books!" Ani proudly said.

    "Your books are far too crazy to be in anyone''s reach," Darcel said as he got right in front of Silver L. He hovered his hand over her and continued saying,

    "Besides, it''s less about her being weak. But my soul and our prowess are just far above her''s. Now then, let me test this out."

    Ani and Yasami watched with great interest as Darcel glowed his whole hand inplete Darkness essence. And without any further words, Darcel grasped Silver L''s head, pulling her up.

    Immediately, Silver L ceased squirming around. Darcel as well went entirely still, putting on his full focus on her.

 Chapter 139: Plans Brewing

    Chapter 139: ns Brewing

    Darcel briefly closed his eyes to maximize his concentration.

    His Spirit Sense directly drilled into Silver L''s body and quickly rummaged through her. He was searching for a specific point in her body that would naturally be a bit troublesome to find regrly.

    But for Darcel, he had immediately located her Martial Veins. From his Darkness essence that gued all throughout her body, Darcel was able to swiftly connect with it and pinpoint the exact location of her Martial Veins.

    The pitiful, automatic defense that Silver L''s soul created for her Martial Veins got utterly vaporized by Darcel''s Darkness essence.

    It led Darcel to forcefully break into Silver L''s soul without a care for any type of consequences.

    On the outside, though, Silver L''s body began to tremble once again from a new wave of indescribable pleasure.

    Having the direct source of Darcel''s presence invading through her body caused a further warped sense of pleasure to overtake her.

    Darcel, however, ignored whatever changes that she felt from the pleasure. For him, even as he does prefer associating himself with a beautiful woman a lot more than a man.

    It doesn''t mean Darcel would hold a shred of mercy to any type of enemy.

    Be it male or female, if they wanted to hurt him and his girls, Darcel won''t hesitate to act.

    Moreover, her being a part of the Silver Bloody Hammer group already made her a foe that has to be put down in Darcel''s eyes.

    As Darcel plunged into Silver L''s soul, he was beginning his experiment.

    The experiment was, trying to forcefully imprint a full Darkness Soul link deep into Silver L''s soul to control her. This was a thought that was brewing in his mind for quite some time.

    Ever since his first visit to the Asylum of Mysteries and gaining a chance to sit in his soul, Darcel understood his soul has an invasion property.

    Because of the blossoming feeling between him and Ani, she was able to get pulled in his soulscape even before the first time they had sex.

    And now, with Yasami, he was building a firm Sou link with her that allowed them both to be pulled into a shared soulscape.

    The only thing was, for the girls, this was all done through a natural progression and one''s consent and desires for each other.

    So it was during their rtionship building, Darcel thought, what if he tries to use his Yin Pleasure abilities to forcefully invade an enemy soul and take away all equalness in their rtionship.

    That ethereal voice that Darcel didn''t hear for some time had always alluded to the fact that his Yin Pleasure abilities can create any type of connection or links.

    And since Darcel managed to grasp a bit of the sensation of his Darkness Soul link growing in Ani and Yasami. He decided to see if he can forcefully recreate that sensation and make Silver L subservient to him.

    Darcel knew Silver L would inevitably get killed by them, and that''ll cause the Silver Bloody Hammer group to have their full attention on his team.

    So he fathoms why not gain a little advantage over the group before they return by controlling Silver L.

    Darcel cared little how cruel this could be. This was after all his and his girls'' lives being threatened continuously.

    Soon, Darcel fell into a silent trance as he surged the familiar sensations of his Darkness Soul link energy.

    "Hmmm? So he''s finally starting it, eh? Wonder if this will work." Yasamimented as Darcel''s eyes opened up to a half-lidded state.

    But his gaze was clearly unfocused and dazed.

    "I have a good feeling it will. Well, maybe it will. Controlling another soul sounds tooplicated for me." Ani remarked.

    Both girls as well had a merciless edge for their enemies.

    Ani, because she grew up in the same cruel environment as Darcel and learned killing their enemies is natural. And Yasami simrly grew up in a rough environment since childhood.

    After a few silent minutes, Ani and Yasami finally saw a change.

    A Darkness glow hazed over Silver L''s eyes, giving her an ominous vibe. And right then, a look of pure ecstasy stered on her face.

    "CAAAAAHHH~!!!" Silver L unleashed a tremendous orgasmic roar.

    The Darkness glow in her eyes promptly disappeared to reveal her once blue eyes had suddenly gone all white!

    After screeching out her orgasm, Silver L fell right on to her back. A puddle of drool slithered from her mouth, and her expression was one of absolute pure bliss.

    On Darcel''s face, a disappointed expression crossed on it.

    Though his disappointment wouldn''t stem from any reason, an average person might''ve given.

    "Haah.just so close." Darcel quietly uttered while staring at his Darkness glow hand.

    Ani and Yasami walked up to Darcel though their eyes curiously watched the seemingly still Silver L.

    "It seems like a failure? That look just tells me something great and disastrous happened to her. But you did manage to gain some insight, right?" Ani asked him.

    Darcel contemted for a moment before saying, "Indeed I did. The main problem I faced was letting my Darkness essence run too freely inside her. Plus, I was a bit unprepared in controlling the new power growth of my soul. Essentially, Ipletely shattered her soul in Yin Pleasure."

    "Fuuu~," Yasami whistles out, clearly impressed. "That''s actually quite terrifying. It would be more terrifying if it wasn''t for the fact this ability is utterly perverse. Because I know, you''ll never do this with a man, hm?"

    Darcel simply shrugged at her usation. "I have no experience with actively pleasuring a man. Nor will I ever n to do so. Besides, I much rather have a cute girl working for me than some rough-looking man."

    "Mnh! A perfect point, Darcy! Really Yasami, do you want to hear the moans and shout of some brute man? Or the heavenly shrieks of a fairy woman?"

    Ani quickly backed Darcel up with all the flowery words she could muster.

    From under the hood, Yasami merely rolled her eyes and sighed, telling them in a low tone of voice, "Obviously a woman." But before either Darcel or Ani could tease her about this, Yasami quickly spoke in a louder tone of voice, saying,

    "Anyways! So what are we going to do with her? More than anything, she''s quite obviously an essential member in the silver eye sore group."

    Yasami noted the tinum badge that adorned the right side of Silver L''s breastte.

    Darcel simply walked to the side of Silver L''s chest and fished out his scimitar. Without any words, Darcel swiftly stabbed his de right through Silver L''s armor, cutting right into her heart.

    Blood pooled out of the spot, yet Silver L''s blissful expression didn''t change.

    Pulling his scimitar out of her, Darcel began to say, "Just look at her. She won''t be able to function with a shattered soul anyway. Killing her is actually merciful on my part. As for the silver eyesores-"

    "It''s about time we unleash a full-power strike on their group! If we don''t, they''ll only be more needlessly troublesome. Especially after this kill." Ani eagerly spoke up with assured confidence.

    Yasami paused at her intentions.

    If this was just days ago, Yasami would''ve thought this white hair girl was insane for such an outrageous idea. Taking on a Mercenary group filled with Heavenly Kings?

    A mere pipe dream.

    But now, Yasami was filled with the same boundless confidence that filled Ani''s voice. Everything she experienced with the duo, the extreme growth of her power in just a few short days, all inspired Yasami with incredible hope.

    So immediately, Yasami bes eager after a second of reflection. "That''s the only answer I expected from both of you. But, just how are we going to aplish this?"

    Already in Darcel''s mind, he was nning out several roads and avenues of a full-fledged n; as it came to him, he told the girls, "We''ll discuss in detail while we travel to town. But first and foremost, right when we get to town, we''re going to pay a visit to the Ice Darke Guild shops."

    An excited atmosphere had permeated between the trio then.

    The thought of taking on a whole Mercenary group should seem like a death sentence. Yet, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all felt their bloodlines boil in raging excitement.

    It''s time for their skills to be put to the test!

    .

    At the Silver Bloody Hammer group''s district in Mawold Town, night befell them.

    Many members were resting in for tonight, having little worries on their minds. Some were even preparing for a more sensual night between their partners.

    However, at one office, high up in their group, one man was entirely restless.

    One of the mighty Heavenly Generals of the Bloody Silver Hammer group, Heavenly General Dara, was sitting at his desk with a weary expression.

    A stack of paperwork was ced on top of Heavenly General Dara''s desk, but he was slowly filling them out. His mind was preupied with the well-being of one very important woman for their group.

    ''Lilia.just where the hell are you.or if you''re even alive.'' Thoughts like this swirled in Heavenly General Dara''s mind.

    For the five days she left, Silver L still hasn''t made one lick of contact with him or the other Heavenly Generals.

    What''s even worse was the fact when he tried to make contact with her, Silver L didn''t pick up her contact ring at all.

    Heavenly General Dara knows she rented a beast mount to chase those brats, so it wasn''t an issue of long-distance travel.

    Moreover, Silver L''s prowess goes even beyond than just an ordinary first level of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    The power of her formation is nothing to scoff at. Even as a third level Heavenly Transformation powerhouse like himself, Heavenly General Dara wouldn''t dare underestimate her formations.

    So the question was, why the hold-up andck of contact?!

    The brewing odd feelings Heavenly General Dara had about those brats she went after wasing back at full force.

    But Heavenly General Dara kept on pushing those ridiculous thoughts down.

    Suddenly in the midst of his thoughts, a blue ring on Heavenly General Dara''s desk lit up. Incredible dread filled Heavenly General Dara''s face like he just encountered a ferocious foe.

    Despite the dread filling him, Heavenly General Dara still picked the ring up.

    Immediately a voice ranged out the ring. It was a firm, womanly voice that carried an unstoppable momentum.

    The woman didn''t waste any pleasantries and cut straight to the point. "Don''t tell me.Silver L still hasn''t contacted you or picked up any calls yet?"

    Heavenly General Dara already knows the reaction she would have to his answer. But still, he couldn''t just not say anything, and he wearily answered with,

    "Still no. Just like the others, it''s like she''s gone missing."

    The room was silent for a brief moment.

    Heavenly General Dara thought she was processing the information. That''s until the woman''s voice became frightening steel-like. "Whatplete and utter nonsense! We''re going to meet to discuss and put an end to this foolishness once and for all."

    The contact ring glow immediately died down then. The woman didn''t even give Heavenly General Dara a chance to respond.

    Although he didn''t mind in the slightest.

    Even from her voice, that woman installed a primal fear into him. Him being a mighty third level of the Heavenly Transformation realm powerhouse meant nothing to that domineering woman.

    All Heavenly General Dara hoped for now, is for their meeting to go over well.

 Chapter 140: Disregarded Looks

    Chapter 140: Disregarded Looks

    At the entrance of Mawold Town, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

    Groups of cultivators were walking in and out of the Town, all busy with their daily lives,pletely ignorant of anything else.

    Nobody even took notice of three youths standing just a few feet away from the entrance. And this was just the way Darcel, Ani, and Yasami wanted it to be.

    But soon, everybody in Mawold Town will know the outrageous might of these three youths.

    Currently, a jubnt feeling fueled the trio''s bodies. They were spreading out their Spirit Sense, scoping for any trouble that would want to specifically interrupt them.

    The Snow lizard wasn''t present with them. But Darcel still had the Beast Taming Crystal.

    He had put the Snow lizard away at a safe ce, telling the girls that the Beast Trading Center would being to them for the lizard once they were done.

    Ani and Yasami were greatly amused by this. That only further served to boost their excitement for their n in action.

    "Hmmm.still only Innate Cores walking around. Not a single Heavenly King. Keep on masking our presence, right Darcy?" Ani whispered over to Darcel.

    "Right. Actually, at our level now, I highly doubt even a low-level Heavenly King can sense us. Either way, we''ll need to act swift and decisive from here on out." Darcel quietly exined to the girls.

    "Let''s carry on to those Mages then. Hopefully, their selections won''t eat up our time." Yasami said, and the trio began to quickly walk into the Town.

    And they were ready to make an utter storm.

    .

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami walked with a pep in a step-through Mawold Town. They headed on the path that led them down to the Ice Drake Guild trade fairst time.

    But they were taking some slight divergence in their paths, going off to the general district the Ice Drake Guild inhabits.

    Strangely enough, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Yasami spotted any real Mages walking around the district.

    It was all cultivators going about the several Mage''s shops that filled the district up. Although Darcel and Ani could recall, they barely saw any Mage roaming the streets during their time at Necrotic City.

    More importantly than the Mages roaming the streets, Darcel''s group kept their Spirit Sense peeled for any Silver Bloody Hammer group members.

    Any slight weirdness in people routines or anything of that matter, the trio would''ve spotted rather quickly.

    But, luckily for them, none of the Silver Bloody Hammer group members they saw seemed to be concerned about any sudden troublesome factors.

    It was like none of them even knows a tinum ranked member of their group is gone forever.

    Furthermore, like all other cultivators, there wasn''t a single Silver Bloody Hammer group member that took notice of them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami put on more casual smiles while walking.

    At least for now, they could take some leisure time here. For as soon, nothing they do will be rxed.

    In this casual manner, the trio eventually made it to one specific Ice Drake guild shop.

    During the little downtime they would spend in their rooms at the Nobe''s Fang group, the trio had studied the whole Town map for future references.

    And with the already base intelligence of the trio, it was quite easy for them to mesmerize what specific ce they would want to go to.

    "The Ice Drake weapon shop.quite a.well, I was actually expecting a name more grandiose. At least their designs are exotic!" Ani wasmenting as she, Darcel, and Yasami walked towards an enormous crystal blue building.

    And like Ani pointed out, there was a uniquely crafted sign on the building pointing it out as a weapon shop.

    Running along the crystal blue building were uniquely designed icicle designs. The icicle illustrations fit nicely with the whole Ice Drake Guild preference in studying Ice Arts.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami stopped just off to the side of the building so they wouldn''t block anyone from going into the shop.

    Before going in, the trio exchanged onest look at each other.

    With the n brewing in their minds, they know after this, their status will significantly change in Mawold Town.

    And yet, there wasn''t a single ounce of hesitation on their faces.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami didn''t even need to exchange words with each other. They all simply nodded and were ready to put their n in action.

    With that, the trio strolled inside the Ice Drake Guild''s weapon shop.

    ....

    Once inside, the trio had a good first impression of the ce. It wasboriously vast inside here, being big enough to fit hundreds of people alone in just this one room.

    Cultivators alike filled the ce. They were all walking around assorted shelves filled with a plethora of exotic-looking items.

    There were unique items such as Elemental talisman, Animal talisman, and all sorts of strange-looking Spirit Artifacts.

    Apanying each item was a concise description detailing a short summary about the items. Along with the description, there were also writings that detailed the talismans or Spirit Artifact''s rank.

    There were quite a few extraordinary weapons that could even outrank Darcel''s group''s current equipment.

    Yet, none of that caught the trio''s eyes. Ani''s eyes quickly shifted about the ce until itnded on one specific section.

    "Ah! What we need is right over there." Ani pointed to the Concealment section of the shop.

    Yasami took the lead and walked with a spring in her step while saying, "d we found it fast. Not so d at the limited selection here."

    Darcel and Ani were closely following behind, and the trio quickly made it over to several items in the Concealment section.

    And Darcel noted it was indeed true that the options here are significantly less than the other sections.

    "No matter what, I''m sure we just need to keep our eyes open and search. We can be highly versatile in what we can use." Darcel stated and began looking through the several Talisman and Spirit Artifacts in this section.

    Ani and Yasami only shrugged since they couldn''t disagree on Darcel''s point. And they, too, began carefully searching for the just-right items for them.

    Suddenly, while they were looking, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami simultaneously perked up.

    Their eyes curiously nced over to the shop entrance, and so did every other cultivator there.

    ''A Heavenly King?''

    Darcel thought as his Spirit Sense immediately picked up on an unknown Heavenly Transformation cultivator rapidly approaching the shop.

    Unlike Silver L, this unknown Heavenly Transformation cultivator far surpassed her. Hell, they was almost out of Darcel''s Spirit Sense scope! Darcel could just barely tell they were at the third level of the Heavenly Transformation realm, but she was exceedingly powerful.

    Right then, the doors to the shop sprang open.

    And what was revealed to everyone was a pure angelic, beautiful woman. Long gorgeous ck hair elegantly sways down her bewitching body.

    Her figure was alluringly curvaceous, and two towering twin peaks of breasts were on her chest. But, what really entuated this woman''s pure aura was the pure bright white robe she currently adorned.

    The white robe was spotless, and a long white feathery wing art was etched on to the white robe.

    Instantly, when this majestic woman had appeared, murmurs burst throughout the shop.

    Darcel was able to pick up some people saying,

    "Is that a Madam Snow Angel in the flesh?!"

    "What divine luck do we have to be grace in her presence!"

    "I wonder if more of the Snow Angels came to our lowly town."

    Despite all awe eyes on her and loads of reverence in people''s words, the white robe woman didn''t pay attention to any of that.

    She didn''t regard any cultivators there and calmly walked up to the front desk.

    The few cultivators waiting behind the desk made a wide breadth was made for her. And the Mage behind the counter immediately dashed to the back room.

    At the front desk, the white robe woman suddenly caught something of a little interest at the corner of her eyes. She briefly turned her head over to look at Darcel, Ani, and Yasami.

    More specifically, her eyes gazed at their bronze ranked Fang badges.

    Trailing her eyes further up, she indifferently regarded Ani and Yasami''s faces. But when her eyes settled on Darcel, a hint of disdain swirled in her eyes.

    That brief and subtle hint of disdain didn''t go unnoticed in Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s eyes.

    But as quickly as she noticed the trio, the white robe woman was quick to disregard them again.

    Nobody else seemed to catch that split second disy. But, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami sure as hell had their first impression of this bold woman drop even further.

    "Ah, Heavenly Snow Angel. You came so early. Shall we go in back to discuss?"

    A smooth voice suddenly spoke directly to the white robe woman. Coming from the back end of the shop was a tall, elegant-looking male Mage.

    This Mage held a distinct, powerful aura that was only just slightly weaker than the white robe woman.

    Yet, his appearance didn''t cause as near as of an uproar as she did.

    The white robe woman still didn''t talk and only nodded her at the Mage. Together, the Mage and the white robe woman swiftly walked into the back room, disappearing from public sight.

    With that brief but amazing sight over, everyone went back to their shopping. Though conversations about seeing a ''Madam Snow Angel'' didn''t die down in the slightest.

    "Tch! I can just tell that woman has a stick deep into her ass. Anyways, have you two found anything yet? I just can''t seem to find the right thing for us." Besides the slight annoyance Yasami had for the white robe woman, she immediately put her out of her thoughts.

    Ani as well quickly put the prude white robe woman at the far back edges of her mind and went back to trailing her eyes at the shelves.

    "I''m not sure.they''re all pretty good. But we need something that''s ju-"

    "Found it. Look over here girls, the Elusive Feather Spirit Artifact." Darcel pointed to a long unappealing gray feather sitting far away from the other items on the shelves.

    Darcel had put the slight disdain from the white robe woman in the back of his mind as well, but something was telling him that won''t be thest they saw that woman.

    Focusing on the present, though, Darcel gave room for Ani and Yasami to read the Spirit Artifact description.

    They read, ''Unkown Rankunknown Tier. The use of Heavenly Qi isn''t needed at all for this special Spirit Artifact. Heavenly Kings who are highly proficient in the soul to a genius-level are the only ones who can wield this Artifact. One can bring themselves or at most three other people to be nearly undetectable and invisible. Suppose thebined power of several souls is high enough. In that case, the whole group will be able to turnpletely invisible and intangible.''

    "Ha! Perfect for us!" Both Ani and Yasami said at the same time.

    The girls snapped their heads to each other, and Ani sweetly giggled while Yasami quickly brushed her head to the side.

    Darcel internally chuckled at that small interaction. But, he couldn''t deny that the girls were one hundred percent right in this being perfect for them.

    With their prowess, they all know their souls are on the level of Heavenly Kings.

    Especially after the fight with Silver L, that moment confirmed all of their suspicions.

    Furthermore, the trio could tell that barely any Heavenly Kings would want this Spirit Artifact despite having such an outrageous description.

    The soul''s power is hard enough to understand on its own for even the most talented of geniuses. Wanting to find a Heavenly King who''s a genius in using their soul''s power in a rtively small town like this is basically a fantasy.

    And adding on the difficulty, trying to direct your soul''s power into a Spirit Artifact just added anotheryer of highplexity.

    Aplexity that wouldn''t be a problem to either Darcel, Ani, or Yasami because of their Darkness Soul link.

    Since they were all in agreement, Darcel took the Elusive Feather, and the trio walked over to the front desk to pay.

    Because Innate Cores cultivators aremon in buying Spirit Artifacts for their Heavenly Transformation bosses, the Mage behind the counter didn''t question the trio.

    Darcel simply took out five green crystals he got from Silver L''s riches and paid for the Elusive Feather.

    And like that, the trio quickly walked out of the store, and nobody paid absolutely any attention to them.

    Once outside, a sneaky smirk etched on Darcel, Ani, and Yasami''s lips.

    Caressing the Elusive Feather in his hand, Darcel had then said, "Now then. Let''s give those silver eyesores and the whole Mawold Town a big good ol shock they''ll never forget."

 Chapter 141: Intrusion

    Chapter 141: Intrusion

    At the Silver Bloody Hammer group district, it was nearing the end of an average day as per usual. And everything seemed rtively standard for the ranked and unranked members.

    All ranked, and unranked members were going about their works or are just wrapping up their daily shifts.

    Although, some more curious members did briefly wonder about the strange disappearance of some of their higher rank members.

    But most didn''t think too hard beyond surface-level thoughts.

    They essentially just connect the higher rank members were simply on a long drawn out mission that requires days toplete.

    Missions like that were typical in their group. Plus, in a dangerous environment like the Plunged Tundra, it''smon sense to know anything unexpected can happen.

    So the members here focused on their daily and stable lives, unwilling to invest their noses in any deeper troubles.

    And while this sort of mindset is sufficient for them and wouldn''t cause them any troubles.

    It was an impossible mindset for the real heavyweights of their Mercenary group to have.

    Such as in the same office Heavenly General Dara upies, an drastically different atmosphere enraptured the whole room.

    Heavenly General Dara was standing upright and tensed before his desk. His expression was serious, not wanting to offend the person sitting on the couch before him.

    Like hisst meeting here, it was a woman sitting on the couch. But this woman far outstrips Silver L in every single possible aspect.

    Just the way Heavenly General Dara conducted himself, it was immediately apparent how frightening this woman was.

    A mighty third level Heavenly Transformation cultivator like Dara would never bow down or submit to anyone. Even if they were on the same level as him.

    Yet, this woman made Heavenly General Dara submissively stand without even telling him.

    The woman on the couch was a genuine heavenly beauty.

    Her face was gorgeously bewitching and glossed up with luxurious makeup, entuating her sexiness to a magnificent degree. Perfectlybining with her alluring face were bright, beautiful silver jewels that decorated her face.

    Long beautiful ck hair flowed from her head, and it as well was decorated with exquisite bright silver jewels.

    For her fit, unlike the luxurious silver armor Heavenly General Dara wore, this woman took it a step above.

    Her armor was a glorious tinum design armor that was a massive step above than any other silver armor designs. The quality and defense it had were all a tremendous step above Heavenly General Dara''s armor.

    As well being a step above Heavenly General Dara was this woman''s terrifying prowess.

    A natural aura swirled around her like she was controlling the air in her space.

    Such power can only be naturally exuded by a fourth level Heavenly Transformation realm powerhouse! And this powerhouse of a woman is known as one of the Vice Leaders of the whole Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    Her official title was Vice Leader Ninu!

    And just like one would expect from a Vice Leader of such a dominating group, Vice Leader Ninu had an expression that radiated with pure superiority.

    Despite Heavenly General Dara being only one level under her, Vice Leader Ninu''s eyes held a distinct disdain for his more recent actions. Actions that couldn''t entirely be med on him, yet Vice Leader Ninu cared little for that.

    However, while a fierce expression was apanying Vice Leader Ninu''s face. She was actually pushing down some odd, weird feeling that kept swirling in the pits of her guts.

    But Vice Leader Ninu ignored any weird and random feelings. The ce they were in couldn''t be more safer with the formations they have set around.

    Plus, her incredible prowess gave her boundless confidence to deal with any unexpected situations.

    So with an increasing sneering expression, Vice Leader Ninu was telling Heavenly General Dara, "So, let me get this straight. Three brats, two supposedly in the True Soul Core realm and one at the pitiful ranks of the Innate Core realm, got chased down by multiple members? And not only have those members just up and disappear, but you''re also saying those brats must have some unknown Spirit Artifact?"

    With the increasingly daunting tone of Vice Leader Ninu, Heavenly General Dara nearly hesitated to speak.

    But he pushed his nerves forward and answered with,

    "That would be the case. Numerous members of our reported Zeal''s team and Gedu''s team going in the same direction as those kids. But they were all quick to write it off as a coincidence now. Silver L is the strangest case since she actually fully believed those kids have some sort of exotic Spirit Artifact. But now."

    "But now she hasn''t contacted back for five days, huh? Seriously? Three brats, you''re telling me three brats managed to wipe off four seventh rank Innate Core warriors. Three eighth ranks, three ninth ranks, and one Heavenly King, with just some seemingly mysterious Spirit Artifact. Do you understand the foolishness in my words?"

    Vice Leader Ninu''s ice-cold tone pierced into Heavenly General Dara''s ears like ss shards.

    Before Vice Leader Ninu''s anger spilled all over him, Heavenly General Dara thought he had at least one silver living. "Well, Vice Leader, while Silver L hasn''t made any contact back. There also hasn''t been any sightings of those kids back in Town so far."

    "Save it, Dara. If a Heavenly King can''t capture three brats far under her prowess in a single day, what makes you think she would take over five whole days to do it? No, you know what?"

    Vice Leader Ninu suddenly stood up from the couch. She continued to say, "We''re officially going to-"

    "GAAAAHH!!!"

    Before Vice Leader Ninu could even finish what she was saying, the abrupt agonizing roar of Heavenly General Dara cut her off.

    Along with his anguish wails of pain, the sound of blood gushing out of skin had also red into Vice Leader Ninu''s ears.

    Vice Leader Ninu was utterly gobsmacked at the abrupt shift in front of her.

    Completely out of nowhere, there was a multi-color scalpel stabbing deep into Heavenly General Dara''s neck!

    A body of a third level titled Heavenly King was so easily broken into by this mere scalpel, causing blood to frantically pool out of him!

    Vice Leader Ninu just had no words. Her eyes went as wide as dinner saucer; a tremendous tension-filled her body, and her mind was in shambles.

    She couldn''t understand, just how did this happen?!

    Besides herself and Heavenly General Dara, there wasn''t a single person in the room!

    And still, Vice Leader Ninu can''t sense anyone else here!

    Moreover, her Heavenly Spirit Sense would''ve undoubtedly picked up on any presence trying to sneak into the office.

    Furthermore, the protective formations there should''ve picked up on any unknown intruders!

    But it was then, it all hit Vice Leader Ninu like whish.

    The seemingly random odd feeling she felt near the beginning of this meeting. That mysterious Spirit Artifacts those brats have, the disappearances, in a split second it all was about to click for her.

    However, before Vice Leader Ninu could react to anything,

    <em>''Fuuuu~''</em>

    A hypnotic heavenly melody soothed into her ears. Vice Leader Ninu''s entire being was already in a state of extreme shock, so her soul was utterly unprepared as it got immediately enraptured by the melody.

    "N-no-what''s going." Vice Leader Ninu was desperately fighting to keep her eyes awake. But it was a battle she was quickly losing. Her body was assaulted with a tremendous wave of dreariness.

    Her powerful Heavenly Soul couldn''t fend off the melodic melody overwhelming power.

    It didn''t matter how much power her Heavenly Soul wield; under the harmonious melody, it was as weak as any other soul.

    The sounds of Heavenly General Dara''s muffled groans of pain was getting quickly drowned out in Vice Leader Ninu''s ears.

    In just mere seconds, she knows she''s about to lose all consciousness.

    And as her soul became weaker and weaker, suddenly, Vice Leader Ninu felt a warm hand grasp the back of her neck.

    Right then, the warmth and the waves of dreariness was quickly overturned by an overflow of overwhelming pleasure!

    This sudden overflow of pleasure brazenly stormed her body and swiftly drilled right into her weakened soul.

    "What is goi-AHH~?!?" Vice Leader Ninu shrieked a moan and had then gone entirely still.

    And from behind her, the one who was grasping her neck already showed themselves. A handsome, confident-looking young man had appeared.

    Of course, this young man was Darcel!

    "Hehehe~! And would look you at this Yasami."

    Along with the appearance of Darcel, Ani and Yasami appeared in front of Heavenly General Dara''s desk!

    Heavenly General Dara groans of pain stopped, and his body was currently convulsing on the floor. Strangely enough, blood had stopped pouring where the scalpel had stabbed his, but the scalpel began to glow a brilliant silver.

    Yasami, though, she ignored the disturbing sight on the floor and turned her attention to Ani, waiting for her to continue talking.

    "Another seemingly impossible n to others, so easily done by the dream team!"

    A smirk boomed on Yasami''s smirk as she recalled how utterly broken and overpower theirbined Darkness Soul link powers were.

    As soon as they left the Mage''s shop, they went to a secluded area to test the Elusive Feather''s true potential.

    And from there, everything fell in line after their first attempt.

    With their geniusprehension, the trio was able to quickly figure out how to pour their Soul Powers in the Spirit Artifact.

    And like they expected, the Elusive Feather activated, covering all three of them despite them not being in the Heavenly Transformation realm. Once they were invisible, the trio decided to go on a little test run.

    When strolling through Mawold Town, the three of them could literally phase through anybody. And nobody had even noticed. Ani even remarked they were practically like ghosts.

    But for the real test, the trio went down to the Nobe''s Fang group ce.

    They found out they could pass through the walls and could even use their souls to float up the stairs, truly like ghosts.

    However, the most significant feat of the Elusive Feather was the fact that not even Heavenly General Gorbug could sense them!

    They went up right into his office, and he didn''t pick up on a single thing.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami went even further than him. They managed to locate the office of someone even more powerful than Heavenly General Gorbug. A third level Heavenly Transformation powerhouse.

    And yet, that powerhouse couldn''t sense them at all. After finding out this information, the trio was confident in making their next move.

    Though they weren''t entirely sure the Elusive Feather would work against a fourth level powerhouse, the trio still decided to gamble that risk.

    The only drawback of the Elusive Feather Spirit Artifact was that they couldn''t use any type of Qi. Or their invisibility and intangibility would immediately drop.

    All these experiments are why it took them nearly the whole day to infiltrate the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    But once they made it here, it went all too smoothly for them.

    The trio had bypassed all traps or formations to detect those who were under the Heavenly Transformation realm when they made it to the top floor.

    And by using their Souls to scope out the auras on the floor, the trio swiftly found the meeting Vice Leader Ninu was having.

    Yasami''s attention returned to Darcel as everything left was all up to him. She openly remarked, "Hopefully, this time, he''ll be able toplete the full fall of a Heavenly King."

    Yasami and Ani fell into silence then.

    They had their Spirit Sense expanded for anyone that could identallye here. And they patiently waited for Darcel to work his magic.

 Chapter 142: Master & Mistresses

    Chapter 142: Master & Mistresses

    Darcel curiously nced around the current space he was in. He felt at one with his soul here as an incredible influx of his soul power enriched him.

    ''So this is an invasion of my Darkness essence.''

    Darcel thought to himself, recognizing the ce he''s in is that tinum armor woman soulscape space.

    He could tell that initially, everything here would''ve been a bright silver glow.

    But now, there was a heavy mix of his Darkness essence here. Darcel could only spot a few patches of a silver glow shining through his Darkness essence.

    Yet, every time his eyes trailed to a silver patch, his Darkness essence would immediately overtake it, transforming it into pure Darkness.

    "This is.enlightening. I feel like.oh?" Darcel was talking out loud while walking until his eyes settled on a lone figure at the center of his Darkness essence.

    This lone figure was tightly wrapped up in his Darkness tendrils and constantly squirmed about in there.

    Darcel paused for a moment. He concentrated on the sensation of his Darkness essence.

    Darcel didn''t want a repeat likest time and have his Yin Pleasure go out of control.

    But, surprising to him, it''s like his soul adapted sincest time. His Darkness essence held that tinum armor woman, yet it didn''t try to overwhelm her all at once.

    It was slowly trickling into her as if it was awaiting for Darcel''s full presence. Realizing this, Darcel continued to walk over to the restless squirming woman.

    Vice Leader Ninu felt utterly helpless, wrapped in Darcel''s Darkness essence.

    She knows this is her soulscape, yet incredible pleasure was still making her go wild. Her soul body felt unbearably hot, and she could still feel the wetness of pussy squirting out constant love juices.

    And when Vice Leader Ninu''s eyesnded on Darcel slowly walking up to her, a mix of emotion swirled in her eyes. Confusion, hatred, fear, and lust.

    It was all evident emotion that Darcel even spotted in the tinum armor woman''s eyes.

    But the front-most feeling that overshadowed everything for Vice Leader Ninu was this mind-shattering pleasure! At every inch, every corner of her soul, Darcel''s Darkness essence was immersing her with pleasure.

    And when Darcel made it a few feet between her, Vice Leader Ninu said in a shaking tone of voice. "Ju-Ju-who-are.you?!?"

    Vice Leader Ninu couldn''t make heads or tails of this situation.

    All she could realize is this boy is an outrageous monster!

    And yet.Vice Leader Ninu didn''t want this feeling to stop. These feelings that Darcel gave her, it made strange words echoed in her consciousness.

    Words she quickly pieced together was something called Yin Pleasure!

    "Y-Yin-AH-Wha-what are you?!?" Vice Leader Ninu repeated her question, but now, there was pleasure mixed in her tone along with fear. The fear in her eyes lessened as well, and the hatred wasn''t there at all.

    Darcel didn''t mind the fearful tone of her voice. He got right up to Vice Leader Ninu and crouched down.

    His eyes bore a hole into Vice Leader Ninu''s mixed gaze, and he simply told her,

    "Your new boss."

    Darcel didn''t give Vice Leader Ninu a chance to react to his words before putting one finger at the center of Vice Leader Ninu''s forehead.

    The bursts of electrifying pleasure only increased in their intensity from Darcel''s single touch.

    Vice Leader Ninu moaned and panted as she felt like several orgasms struck her all at once.

    But before she could fall more into pleasure, Vice Leader Ninu went entirely still.

    At the tip of Darcel''s finger, a deep Darkness glow lit up. Slowly, Darcel began surging apleted Darkness Soul link to the center of Vice Leader Ninu''s soul core.

    What Darcel is touching now is essentially the entire being of Vice Leader Ninu. This would be the center of her soul core. And this is what forms her personality and thoughts.

    Through his Darkness essence tendrils that wrapped her up, Darcel was able to sense and figure this out.

    He sensed the rawest and most primitive emotions radiating from Vice Leader Ninu and could tell everything she was thinking. In this state, Darcel was assured about creating a Darkness Soul link here.

    He had experience adjusting to his new soul growth and knew where he went wrong with Silver L.

    This time, Darcel didn''t relentlessly push on the core of her soul.

    Instead, he continued to electrify the edges of her core with his Yin Pleasure ability. Every slowly tickled of his Darkness essence push Vice Leader Ninu to willingly go over the edge on her own.

    In some form, Darcel realized he needs some amount of consent from the tinum armor woman. Even if he wanted to just control her, she needs to be open and willing to be controlled by him.

    Darcel didn''t move, being in full focus. And after some time, he began to hear the sputtering moans of Vice Leader Ninu once again.

    "Ahn~, Mnh~ AHH~, Mo-Ah~!!" Vice Leader Ninu was like a beast in heat, unaware of how much time passed already.

    To Darcel, he only felt a few minutes at best passed as he was so focused on constructing his Darkness Soul link.

    But to Vice Leader Ninu, it was like hours, days, or weeks passed. She just loved it, Yin Pleasure. Everything about Yin Pleasure made her fulfilled.

    She needed this Yin Pleasure; no, she can''t live without this Yin Pleasure!

    Suddenly Vice Leader Ninu went limp. She ceased moaning though her tonguezed out of her mouth. A euphoric expression crossed her face, but her eyes still held life in them.

    And her eyes burned a fiery gaze into Darcel''s deep ck eyes.

    Darcel smirked, seeing the state she was in, and started to ask, "So? Do you-"

    "YES! Yes, Master! I want it all, Maaaster~!!"

    Vice Leader Ninu eagerly cut off Darcel, as she wanted to bathe in full Yin Pleasure now. And Darcel was the real Yin Pleasure source.

    He is the Yin Pleasure Master!

    A pleased smile crossed Darcel''s face then. For this type of rtionship, Darcel didn''t need to have sex to solidify Darkness Soul link. His Darkness Essence was enough.

    The Darkness glow around Darcel''s fingertip suddenly intensify.

    In that instant, Darcel pushed his Darkness Soul link straight into the center of Vice Leader Ninu''s soul core. And like he expected, Darcel wasn''t met with any resistance now.

    In fact, Vice Leader Ninu had zealously absorbed the Darkness Soul link to her soul core.

    Right then, Vice Leader Ninu''s whole soulscape space turned entirely into Darkness! Vice Leader Ninu''s soul body as well became enriched in aplete Darkness glow.

    With a wave of his hand, Darcel made his Darkness tendrils put Vice Leader Ninu on the ground.

    Immediately when she was on her two feet, Vice Leader Ninu got on one knee to bow to her new master.

    "Master~, what are your orders for me?" Vice Leader Ninu''s tone became respectful with a subtle hint of being alluringly sultry.

    The state Vice Leader Ninu is in now is what Darcel dubbed as one with constant blissful pleasure. From now on, her whole soul will forever be imprinted by Darcel''s Darkness essence.

    And in return, she''ll never hurt or betray him and only obey his orders.

    Yin Pleasure had warped Vice Leader Ninu''s soul''s core center, hardwiring her brain to see Darcel as the only master for her.

    With everything sessfully aplished here, Darcel told Vice Leader Ninu with a small smirk, "Let''s get back to the real world. We have a bit of cleaning up to do."

    .

    Back on the outside, Ani and Yasmi calcted about only several minutes passed since Darcel put his hand on that woman''s neck.

    And though nothing came up yet, the girls were starting to feel a bit antsy.

    "This over mour woman better not be so stubborn in resisting. It''ll only make this day longer if she''s a fool." Yasami said out loud, feeling her tension slightly grow with each passing second.

    "Yasami.you little cutie, you were also a bit stubborn on joining our rtionship. But look at you now! Nothing can resist Darcel''s Pleasure!" Ani assuredly boasted.

    Yasami only gave a small "Hmph." but didn''t fully respond, knowing she couldn''t deny her annoying words. And right then, Ani and Yasami''s eyes perked up.

    Darcel had finally begun to move!

    His eyes flutter open, and Darcel took his hand off from Vice Leader Ninu''s neck. Vice Leader Ninu had her eyes closed and stayed still even when Darcel took his hand off.

    Wordlessly, Darcel began to saunter over to the girls with an assured stride in his steps.

    "Sooo? Is it a sess? Unlike the other one, she isn''t roaring out in pleasure." Ani asked first. She had a bit of doubt in her mind, though, since Vice Leader Ninu hasn''t made a single move.

    Doubts that were also shared with Yasami as she eagerly awaited Darcel''s response.

    Darcel only kept a causal smirk, however. He simply pointed his thumb over his shoulder and said, "See for yourself if it is a sess."

    Ani and Yasami looked back over to Vice Leader Ninu.

    And like Darcel gave her the signal, Vice Leader Ninu''s eyes flung open. Ani and Yasami were slightly taken aback at the sudden apparent changes in the woman.

    Now there was a permanent, profound Darkness haze that glowed in her eyes. And instead of her usual indifferent, cold expression, Vice Leader Ninu''s face immediately shifted to a slight sultry one.

    Under the daze looks from the girls, Vice Leader Ninu walked to the trio. She came to a reasonable distance apart from just behind Darcel and spoke in a submissive tone.

    "What are your orders Master and Mistresses~?"

    Darcel was a bit surprised. Not at the woman''s mild flirty tone, but at her calling Ani and Yasami Mistresses. But he quickly fathoms it was because of their shared Darkness Soul link she would recognize the girls as such.

    "Oooh~? I''m a Mistress now? We''re both Mistresses Yasami!" Ani was mildly amused since this was the first time someone had ever called her by such a respectful title.

    Yasami was the opposite. She merely shrugged, not caring much the way she was called at all. She had then asked, "So how is this gonna.actually, what is your name?"

    Vice Leader Ninu cordially responded with, "This humble servant name is Ninu, Mistress."

    "And that''s all we need to do. Ask, and she''ll do anything we say." Darcel exined to the girls.Internally, he was also pleased that Ninu takes orders from the girl as well. That just made things more convenient.

    "Really like our very own worker....Alright! For your first order Ninu, tell us how many Heavenly Kings are left here?" Ani swiftly gave out her order.

    For a brief moment, Ninu trailed her eyes down to Heavenly General Dara. His body was still eerily twitching about, and the scalpel stuck him still shined a bright silver hue.

    Despite working together for so many years, the current Ninu didn''t care in the slightest about Heavenly General Dara.

    She focused her eyes back on the trio and respectfully answers them with, "With Dara.out ofmission. There are only two other Heavenly Generals here. Silver L is gone meaning there are only six tinum members left. And beside me, there are only two fourth level Heavenly Kings here."

    Hering the daunting line-up, neither Darcel, Ani, or Yasami felt any fear.

    They only felt their confidence rise at the challenging odds. Darcel had then taken out his Star-Spangled Flute, telling Ninu,

    "Order the remaining Heavenly Generals toe here. You have a very crucial meeting for them...."

 Chapter 143: Betrayals

    Chapter 143: Betrayals

    A bit of time has passed in Heavenly General Dara''s office.

    And the only one left in the room is the recently turned Darcel''s Darkness servant, Ninu. She was casually sitting on Heavenly General Dara''s desk with the same slightly sultry expression from before.

    Looking at the room''s current state, no one would believe any kind of altercation went down here.

    There is no blood on the floor, nor was any furniture out of ce there.

    Ninu satisfiedly smiled as her eyes scanned the whole room. She knows the seemingly calm atmosphere here will all change in just a few moments.

    And Ninu couldn''t care less about any type of disaster happening for the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    All her mind thought about was pleasing her Yin Pleasure Master. No matter the past allegiance she had or past rtionships, it all pails before her glorious Master.

    Ninu was lost in her thoughts, basking in the warmth of Darcel''s Darkness in her soul''s core center.

    But after a few minutes, the once bewitching sultry look on Ninu''s face quickly shifted.

    Briefly gone was the Darkness servant of Darcel.

    Now, Ninu dawned her previous superior, ice-cold expression from her days as being a Vice Leader for this group.

    As her indifferent expression reappeared, there was a knock at the door. The ones who knocked didn''t dare to speak up. They submissively waited for their Vice Leader to give them the call.

    "Come in." Ninu gave them the word, and the door promptly opened up.

    What came through the door were two handsome men. At first nce, anyone can tell the status these men wielded as they wore the same luxurious silver armor as Heavenly General Dara.

    One man had a smooth, a bit of a babyface. He generated a warmfy vibe about him looking like someone aligned to peace. His most notable feature though, was the sparkling blue hair that swerved out of his head.

    This man was Heavenly General Adric.

    As for the other man, he held the fiercest looking face out of all three Heavenly Generals. A big long scar ran down under his left eye, and his facial features were frightening to gaze upon.

    Though, contrasting a bit with his fierce looking face was the sleek, smooth brown hair that swayed down to his shoulders.

    This man was Heavenly General Reder.

    And for both Heavenly Generals, they would exude a boundless air of confidence and superiority on any other days.

    But as they entered Heavenly General Dara''s office, their faces were warped with apprehension.

    Neither of the two knew just why Vice Leader Ninu decided to suddenly call them out of the blue. Especially since she would barely contact them previously and would usually talk only with Heavenly General Dara.

    Moreover, when she had contacted them, her tone seemed a bit more distant than usuals.

    Both Heavenly General, Adric, and Rede thought she was already in a bad mood before they even met.

    And getting to see her indifferent cold expression in person, the thought of her having a bad day only got reinforced in the Heavenly General''s minds.

    s, there was little they could do about that.

    And neither wanted to risk upsetting Vice Leader Ninu even further. So Heavenly General Adric, while not leaving his spot in front of the door, he worked up the nerves to ask,

    "Vice Leader.we''re surprised you called us down here so suddenly. What do you have nned for us? Huh?.... Where''s General Dara?"

    When Heavenly General Adric pointed it out, Rede as well noticed the distinctck of Dara.

    Even while they were walking up to his office, neither of them sensed anyone inside the office beside their Vice Leader.

    Ninu, however,pletely ignored his question.

    She only pointed to the couch, telling them both, "Come, sit down. Getfortable; we have a lot to discuss."

    Heavenly General Adric and Rede exchanged a brief look between each other.

    Now, they felt some other worrying troubles suddenly happen for their group. Vice Leader Ninu''s vague statement only spawned the idea that Heavenly General Dara''s missing appearance would undoubtedly rte to what they have to discuss.

    So the two Heavenly Generals nodded at Vice Leader Ninu, went over to the couch, and sat down.

    As they sat down, the two Heavenly Generals were bing increasingly unsure of this meeting.

    They have heard from Heavenly General Dara about the strange disappearance of several of their strong members. But they quickly wrote it off as them taking on arduous missions.

    However, now, sitting in front of the stone-cold Vice Leader Ninu, both Heavenly Generals quickly piece something far more mysterious is going on.

    Strangely enough, though, even as they sat down, Vice Leader Ninu didn''tunch to any exnation.

    For a brief second,plete silence filled the whole room. And at their most confused and unsure state, Heavenly General Rede was the one that opened his mouth to speak.

    But right then, ''<em>Fuuu~</em>.''

    A soothing, hypnotic melody slinked into both Heavenly Generals'' ears! Just like what Ninu went through, both Heavenly Generals felt their souls get instantly enraptured.

    Indescribable waves of drowsiness suddenly washed over their bodies, making both Heavenly Generals incredibly sleepy.

    "N-No-What." Heavenly General Adric and Rede struggled to stay awake.

    But since the mighty fourth level Heavenly Transformation powerhouse couldn''t resist the melody sleeping powers, how could mere third levels resist it?

    Their souls fell even faster than Ninu''s soul. As they fruitlessly struggled to stay awake, neither Heavenly Generals knew just what was going on.

    Their Spirit Sense didn''t even spike at death swiftly approaching them.

    Ninu waited a split second after the melodic melody yed. She felt a slight weariness affect her body, but a strange yet warm energy pulse inside her, protecting Ninu from the drowsiness.

    And once at full attention, a savage and slightly sultry grin etched on Ninu''s lips.

    She ignited her spatial ring and pulled out a small, tinum design battle axe.

    Axe in hand, Ninu''s eyes swirled in killing intent. And in that instant, Ninu burst forth her tremendous aura of the fourth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    All Heavenly General Adric and Rede felt was their breath stopping as their eyes began to fully close.

    A sh of silver sparked in the slight vision they had, and it was thest sight they would ever see.

    ''Chi!''

    In one smooth, swift motion, Ninu swiped her battle axe horizontally and lobbed off both Heavenly Generals'' heads!

    Blood gushed out of their decapitated neck like a fountain, painting the whole office in a gory sight.

    Up in the air, both Heavenly General Adric and Rede''s decapitated head had their eyes closed. Both weren''t even given a chance to realize their fierce Vice Leader suddenly betrayed before their lives were quickly taken away.

    As both Heavenly Generals head fell to the ground, making a sickening wet thumb. Ninu slowly lowered her battle axe but kept up her Heavenly aura.

    Despite the overwhelming power she was exuding, the current state of the office was still orderly.

    Ninu had that much control over her power to dial in at least the range of destruction for small attacks. Only a mere second passed after Ninu killed the Heavenly Generals.

    Suddenly, Ninu felt two rings in her pockets burst.

    If it was the Ninu of before, then she would''ve felt tremendous distraught and crisis over the rings bursting. But current Darkness servant Ninu simply smirked for what''s about toe.

    Ninu didn''t even need to expand her Spirit Sense far before sensing two powerful auras equal to her rapidly approaching this room.

    A secondter and a silver aura shined behind the door.

    Ninu stood calmly as the silver aura burst through the door, utterly destroying it. And from the wreckage of the door, two men with distraught and panicking expressions appear.

    These two menpletely fit the bill of being hands and radiating a leader-like aura that made it pleasant to be around them.

    Both men were also wearing the same tinum armor design as Ninu.

    But there was one distinct difference between the men. On the left, the man had no kind of silver jewelry around his neck, showcasing his status as essentially equal to Ninu.

    This man was the second Vice Leader for the Silver Bloody Hammer group. And his official title was Vice Leader Tiny.

    As for the other man, he was the only one that had arge silver diamond hanging around his neck like a chain.

    The silver diamond wasn''t for merely cosmetic purposes as well. A strange, captivating aura trickled from the silver diamond, making those that are weaker than he gets lost in its alluring ambiance.

    This man was the Leader of the whole Silver Bloody Hammer group. Silver Leader Luga!

    And both leaders were utterly appalled by what they witnessed when breaking into Heavenly General Dara''s office.

    "Adric, Rede?!"

    On instinct, Silver Leader Luga shouted his confusion, seeing both Heavenly Generals bloody deposited heads on the floor.

    Immediately both Leader and Vice Leader snapped their heads to the only other person living in the room.

    And their pupils shrunk to needles sizes.

    Standing like she didn''t have a care in the world was their Vice Leader Ninu, holding her iconic small silver battle-ax that dripped with fresh blood.

    Even without words, Ninu had a knowing cruel smile on their face, telling her deeds without saying it.

    "N-NINU!!" Both Vice Leader Tiny and Silver Leader Luga roar with feracious killing intent.

    Their powerful fourth level Heavenly auras crazily burst out of them, causing a chaos of power to storm the whole room! Both Leader''s Heavenly aura crushed down on Ninu in an attempt to suppress her.

    But Ninu wasn''t the one to stand idly by. Just with the small amount of aura she already is releasing, she could just barely resist both leaders'' Heavenly auras.

    "Oooh~? Surprised at my little weing gift?"

    Ninu fully unleashed her Heavenly aura, violently shing against the two leaders'' Heavenly auras. The sh of several Heavenly King was causing the whole top floor to be a torrent of frenzy power!

    Enormous wide cracks burst on the floor and walls, and Heavenly General Dara''s room already got thrashed from the collision of Heavenly auras.

    "Tch! Don''t hold anything back, Tiny!!" Silver Leader Luga roared to Tiny and ignited his spatial ring.

    At the same time, Vice Leader Tiny also ignited his spatial ring. Both leaders had fished out a colossal silver battle hammer.

    Their Heavenly auras climbed to the peak of their prowess, and both leaders swung their gigantic silver battle hammer down on Ninu.

    Both leaders'' speeds were immense, and in just a split second, they would sh with Ninu.

    Ninu, however, didn''t panic, nor did she feel any danger.

    As, right when they were about to sh, ''<em>Fuuu~</em>.''

    The melodic melody yed out once again. And like all victims facing the melody power, both Leaders Luga and Tiny weren''t exempt from it.

    Their souls got instantly enraptured, causing massive waves of drowsiness to affect their entire beings. They both halted mid movements, and their eyelids drooped half-close.

    Although Silver Leader Luga and Tiny were actually a bit better in fending off the melody powers a bit. Their Heavenly souls were just barely resisting it, keeping both men up for longer than any other previous victims.

    Ninu saw this, but she knew why they were seemingly doing better than her under the melody powers. She could clearly sense that the melody powers got a bit weaker after continuous and repeated uses.

    Ninu, however, didn''t try to attack. Because right then,

    "sh!!"

    The sweet booming voice of Ani red out in the whole office. And as expected, a blinding white shbang covered the entire office.

    Vice Leader Tiny and Silver Leader Lugapletely froze, utterly defenseless to anything now. Thebination of the melody power and Ani''s stunning soul attack was perfect.

    And when the two leaders froze, Ninu finally made her move. She felt Darcel''s Darkness essence pulse once again in her protecting him from Ani''s shbang, giving her a perfect opportunity to strike.

    Ninu poured a hundred percent of power into her battle axe in one split second, making it glow a radiant silver shine.

    She had then plunged her silver shining battle axe deep into Silver Leader Luga''s chest, breaking through his tinum armor like it was ss.

    Blood crazily spurted out of his chest, yet Silver Leader Luga didn''t react. Even as Ninu''s full power wreaked havoc in his body and Heavenly soul, his eyes still stayed in the same half-lidded state.

    And Ninu wasn''t going to let this opportunity pass. Ninu quickly lifted her battle axe, holstering Silver Leader Luga up in the air, and she quietly uttered,

    "Silver Charge!"

    ''Chi!''

    A bright silver beam sted out from the tip of Ninu''s battle axe and sent Silver Leader Luga through the roof! Ninu''s silver beam tore their building, sting Silver Leader Luga all the way up to the skies.

    At the same time, Ninu sent Silver Leader Luga to the skies. Yasami had appeared along with Ani in front of Vice Leader Tiny.

    She had already donned her blue fire fox aura cloak being at full power at the start.

    Yasami had also worn her aura ws and had plunged them deep into Vice Leader Tiny''s chest, effortlessly shredding through his tinum armor.

    At the frozen, defenseless state Tiny was in, even as Yasami was still a bit weaker than him, none of that mattered now.

    Blood pooled out of Vice Leader Tiny, but he too didn''t react to the pain.

    Ani didn''t waste a second, and she too fished out her scimitar, tore through Tiny''s tinum armor, and stabbed him deep in the gut.

    Ani''s scimitar glowed an intense ck me aura as she shouted, "Fiery Slice!"

    At the same time, Yasami''s aura ws burst with a raging blue ming glow, and she eximed, "Foxmes!"

    ''Chi!''

    Ani''s ck fire stream and Yasami''s blue fire beam burst savagely through Tiny''s body.

    Simultaneously, the girls lifted Tiny''s body up and shot him through the roof, making him sail to the skies along with Silver Leader Luga.

    Ninu, Ani, and Yasami stared up through therge holes they made in the roof. Debris crumbled from the ceiling, falling on the cracked floor.

    From their Spirit Senses, the girls could tell Silver Leader Luga and Vice Leader Tiny was barely hanging on to a thread of their lives.

    Any one of them could easily kill them now, making it seem like the battle was over.

    But an excited grin split on Ani and Yasami''s face. They knew the fun will truly start now!

 Chapter 144: Disaster Day

    Chapter 144: Disaster Day

    "Ninu Now,"Darcel said in a slightly weary voice, finally reappearing in the room.

    Some small beads of sweat drizzled down his face, and he was a bit short on breath. But overall, Darcel didn''t feel that much handicapped.

    Although, Ani and Yasami''s eyes quickly noted the slightly tired state of Darcel''s face. Ninu felt some worry for her Master, but since he orders to go up, she wouldn''t dare to refuse.

    "Yes, Master~."

    Ninu immediately turned her attention to the destroyed roof of the office.She quickly flew up through the roof, sailing into the distant sky.

    Once she was gone, Ani and Yasami snapped their attention back at Darcel.

    Yasami walked up to Darcel with her hands on her hips, and her lips scrunched up in slight disapproval. "Don''t use that flute anymore for today! Even your crazy soul can''t handle repeated uses." She concernedly chided to him.

    Ani also walked up to Darcel, though her posture was a lot warmer and inviting. She gave Darcel a soft look saying, "You did perfect enough with the flute Darcy. But, can you still go up and fight?"

    Happiness boomed into Darcel''s chest, hearing both of his cute girlfriend''s concerns. There was always something nice about their worrying affection for him that Darcel simply adores to hear.

    He had then given the girls a small charming smirk, and as Yasami was the closest to him, Darcel pulled her into a surprise kiss.

    "Mnh~?! Mnnn~...." Yasami was understandably caught off guard but quickly melted into the kiss.

    Her mouth popped open, and her tongue zipped out to entangle with Darcel''s juicy tongue. For a few seconds, they sexily made out with each other, and Darcel was filled with pleasure and a wave of refreshing energy!

    Pulling back from Yasami, Darcel saw her uttered a small, "Hmph, eptable enough."

    Smiling at her cute side, Darcel turned his attention over to Ani, who was expectantly waiting with a teasing smile.

    Her eyes closed when Darcel turned his attention on her, and she leaned over, waiting for a kiss. Darcel didn''t disappoint and quickly pulled Ani into an electrifying kiss.

    "Mnn~!!"

    Darcel can practically taste Ani''s joy as she excitedly moans into his mouth. Just like with Yasami, Darcel was quick top up all of Ani''s sweet-savory juices, refilling his body back with tremendous energy.

    After a few seconds, Darcel pulled back, and Ani licked up the steamy trail of saliva that connected their lips.

    "Hehehe~. Back to full energy now?" Ani teasingly asked him.

    Darcel felt his lust ignited for a bit, and he was sure he was more than just at full energy. But, Darcel had excellent control of his body, pushing down his rising lust, and told the girls,

    "I''m ready to-"

    "Ahhh!!! Dammit, Ninu!!!"

    The rage-filled voice of Silver Leader Luga sted into the office and red over the whole Mawold Town.

    Along with his shout of hatred, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami felt thest remaining aura of a once-mighty Heavenly King on hisst legs.

    The trio looked back at each other, and they all savagely smirked. Ani opened up her mouth to proim, "It''s time for the final event!"

    And immediately then, Yasami grabbed on to both Darcel and Ani''s hands, ready for the grand show.

    .

    Just a little bit before, up in the clear sky, Ninu stood calm and collected while facing her enemies. Two heavily bloody and battered near-death Heavenly Kings.

    Silver Leader Luga was terrifying to look at. There was an enormous bloody hole that covered his whole chest, showcasing his ruptured organs and bones.

    Vice Leader Tiny was even more frightening to gaze upon.

    He had two huge bloody holes in his chest and gut. And a mix of raging blue and ck mes swirled around the two holes.

    It was amazing enough both leaders didn''t die after those attacks.

    Even for as mighty as these Heavenly Kings, even they weren''t exempt from having their soulspletely freeze up.

    And with the perfectbination of Darcel''s flute that could''ve put even Ninu to sleep and Ani''s soul stun attack, their defenses were easily breachable.

    At ast-ditch effort, their heavenly souls are frantically filling them with life force to keep them going. But, as their souls already sustain such tremendous damage. They had very little soul energy to keep them alive, making their deaths are assured.

    Even then, Silver Leader Luga and Tiny weren''t even sure they''d make it that long.

    And it was all because of this betraying woman standing so calmly in front of them! She was acting like she just didn''t make a tremendous mess in their group!

    They couldn''t call for any special formations, hidden powerful Spirit Artifacts, or even a life-saving talisman.

    All because this traitorous woman somehow perfectly ambushed them.

    Both Silver Leader Luga and Tiny know they''re currently far too weak to pull out any of their trump cards now. And none of their lower-ranked members can efficiently gather up what they need before they die or Ninu just outright kills them.

    If looks could kill then, the hatred filled gaze Silver Leader Luga and Tiny gave Ninu would''ve killed her a hundred times over.

    As the three Heavenly Kings hovered in the skies, of course, they quickly gained the interest of the whole Mawold Town.

    All three of their Heavenly auras constantly red out from them, and the first one to react was the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    All ranked and unranked members quickly pooled out of the massive buildings, and every single one of them was tremendously shocked. Staring up in the skies, nobody could believe what they were seeing.

    "L-L-Leaders?!?"

    "Wh-what the hell?!? Why?!"

    "A betrayal?!"

    Every member was uttering shouts of confusion, creating a hugemotion. Their noise plus the Heavenly auras was attracting attention from all over the whole several hundred kilometers town.

    And as more and more people were pilling over to them, Silver Leader Luga felt his hatred reach its peak. For all eyes to see his bloody humiliating state, and it was all Ninu''s fault.

    His face contorted with deep hatred, and Silver Leader Luga chaotically red out thest remaining power of his Heavenly aura and tried to shriek out,

    "Dammit, Ninu!! What the fuck came ov-Argh!!"

    Blood puked out Silver Leader Luga''s mouth, falling into the chaotic wind.

    And from under him, the whole town felt the sudden re of Silver Leader Luga''s frenzied aura.

    "Is that Heavenly Silver Luga?!"

    "Holy shit! Not only him but Silver Leader Tiny look nearly dead!"

    "What the hell happened to them?!"

    From average cultivators to even weaker Heavenly Kings from other ns and organizations, they all came to watch the scuffle.

    "General Gorbug.tell me this isn''t a dream." Even Heavenly General Sinaki from the Nobe''s Fang group came over.

    He was, of course, with Heavenly General Gorbug, who had an equally bewildered expression.

    "No-no.this is definitely real life." Heavenly General Gobug said, but in the back of his mind, he can''t help but feel this situation was explicitly caused by someone.

    The Heavenly Kings of the Beast Trading Center showed up to the chaotic fiasco as well, each being taken aback with shock.

    "Hm? So this is how your town settles things?" From far in the back of the massive crowds, the angelic white robe woman curiously watched the amusing scene.

    At her side was the same powerful Ice Drake Guild Mage, but he wasn''t so amused like her.

    "This.I have never seen a situation like this before. I''m just as out of the loop as everyone else." The Mage told the white robe man in a bewildered tone.

    The white robe woman merely shrugged but kept her attention on the drama unfolding.

    .

    Seeing that the whole town''s attention really dide here, Ninu pleasantly smiled.

    She told both leaders without a hint of remorse in her voice, "All that happened, it was because my Master said so. Goodbye, Luga."

    Without giving the two leaders a chance to respond or react, Ninu blitzed straight towards Silver Leader Luga.

    Silver Leader Luga felt a tremendous suppression crushed his body under Ninu''s prime vibrant Heavenly aura.

    At full power, Silver Leader Luga could correctly deal with Ninu''s power.

    But at near-death?

    All Silver Leader Luga could do was barely lift up his battle axe and poured the remaining bit of his power in a vain attempt to defend.

    Vice Leader Tiny felt like he was getting scorched, but he couldn''t just let Luga die without even trying to help. He surged up thest remaining bit of his power and tried to move to intercept Ninu.

    But right then, Vice Leader Tiny froze.

    Three tremendously powerful auras locked on to him, sealing his every movement.

    "Ah!! Heavenly Generals! They''ve e?!?"

    "Why are they heading for Leader Tiny?!?" No, wait! That isn''t the Heavenly Generals!!"

    Everyone watched in utter surprise as a Darkness aura, a white Light aura, and a blue ming aura sted straight towards Vice Leader Tiny.

    Despair swirled in Vice Leader Tiny''s eyes. As the three powerful auras approached him, all Tiny could do was try and put out some sort of counter.

    The severely weakened power of a fourth level Heavenly Transformation powerhouse red out of him.

    A silver glow enriched Vice Leader Tiny''s hands, and he sted out a bright silver beam at three rapidly approaching him.

    Everyone watching thought at least the ones approaching Tiny would stop to defend the silver beam.

    After all, a near-death fourth level Heavenly King attack is still an attack from a Heavenly King! Even a peak third level Heavenly King wouldn''t dare to take this attack lightly.

    But in the next instant, Vice Leader Tiny and everyone watching was immediately proven wrong.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami merely smirked at the uing silver beam.

    They red the full extent of their transformed state powers, revealing themselves to the whole town!

    "Ah?!? It''s just some-What?!?"

    Everyone became utterly gobsmacked as with Darcel, Ani, and Yasami only ring their powers, they utterly vaporized Vice Leader Tiny''s silver beam!

    And right then, Darcel pointed one finger at Tiny and shot out a Darkness tendril from his fingertip. The Darkness tendrils went faster than even Yasami''s flying, sailing at lightning-like speeds.

    Vice Leader Tiny couldn''t even react as Darcel''s Darkness tendril pierced right through Tiny''s left eye!

    "GAAAHH!!!" Tiny''s shouts of agony chilled most who were watching with a sense of dread.

    Blood sttered out Tiny''s eyes, but it wasn''t over yet for them.

    Yasami''s speed suddenly crazily burst, and she flew right above Tiny''s head. Tiny couldn''t even see straight as tremendous pain wracked his body.

    But Ani was ready as soon as they neared him.

    Her green scimitar was already in her hand, and Ani cleanly sliced through Tiny''s neck, savagely cutting his head right off!

    Blood pooled into the air as Tiny''s decapitated head swirled up in the sky.

    Tiny''s headless body crashed towards the ground like a broken puppet. And once Tiny''s bloody body mmed into the ground, making a sickening thumb, everyone watching awoke to reality.

    Nobody talked or made any kind of noise. Silence filled the whole town, almost making it a suffocating atmosphere.

    But, genuinely, nobody could believe their eyes.

    High up in the air, everyone could clearly see Darcel, Ani, and Yasami in full glory. Their transform state awed everyone watching, and the prowess they exuded caused a shiver to run down cultivator''s spines.

    From peak ninth rank Innate Core to even the third level of the Heavenly Transformation realm, they all were tremendously suppressed by the trio''sbined aura.

    This wasn''t a cheat nor some strange Spirit Artifact. They all were suppressed from their pure overwhelming superior power.

    "G-G-Gorbug.I-can''t-but how?!?" Heavenly General Sinaki felt his mind run at million miles per minute. He could barely breathe or move under the trio''sbined aura.

    And a small sense of fear took hold of him as he remembered his less than pleasant first meeting with the trio.

    "This.this is unprecedented." It was all Heavenly General Gorbug could utter out, fairing no better than anyone else under the trio''s aura.

    "Who-who are these terrifying youths?!?"

    "A Heavenly King.died just like that.under them?!"

    "You....you got to be kidding me! How can it be those three?!" Not even the angelic white robe woman could contain her shock. More shocking to her, considering she heavily disregarded those three previouly.

    The Ice Drake Guild Mage only nced in confusion at the white robe woman as he didn''t even pay attention to Darcel''s group in the first ce.

    "AHH!! LEADER TINY!!" Out of all the shouts of confusion, the loudest had to be the Silver Bloody Hammer group members.

    They felt tremendous hopelessness seeing their Vice Leader get killed like a sack of potatoes. A suffocating feeling of hopelessness was also shared with Silver Leader Luga as he wordlessly gazes at Darcel''s group.

    In just a manner of seconds, everything fell apart so quickly.

    His three powerful Heavenly Generals, dead, and his trusted right-hand man, also dead. Losing these Heavenly Kings was the equivalent of his entire Mercenary group losing their backbone.

    Depression hit Silver Leader Luga like a mountain, realizing his Mercenary group might never retain its former glory.

    And right then, Ninu''s voice echoed in his ears like cold water. "Don''t worry. I''ll send you off to see all of your trusted members now."

    Silver Leader Luga couldn''t even turn around before Ninu cleanly chopped his head right off with her battle axe.

    Silver Leader Luga''s depicted head sprayed into the air, spurting blood into the wind.

    And just before his headless body crashed to the ground, Ninu swiped off the silver diamond ne on his corpse. The silver diamond ne showed signs of sparking up after Ninu took it into her hands, but she squeezed it, making it go back to its regr shine.

    ''Oooh~! Master will surely love this!'' Ninu thought to herself as she swiftly put the diamond ne in her pocket.

    Silence once again permeated throughout the whole town. Another mighty fourth level Heavenly King died like it was nothing.

 Chapter 145: Violent Shift

    Chapter 145: Violent Shift

    "Leader Ninu?!? WHY?!?"

    The despairing wails were uttered out from the Silver Bloody Hammer group members, and several Heavenly Kings flew up then.

    Darcel, Ani, and Yasami noted these Heavenly Kings to be the tinum members.

    And like Ninu told them, two-second level Heavenly Transformation and four first-level Heavenly Transformation.

    Now neither Darcel, Ani, and Yasami may have sensed any outrageous killing intent directed towards them. But seeing these Heavenly Kingse up, Darcel knew it was their time to fully shine in everyone''s eyes.

    "Girls, let''s give everyone a full demonstration so there won''t be any leftover confusion."

    Ani and Yasami excitedly smiled in silent agreement.

    And Darcel had then let go of Yasami''s hand and sted straight towards one of the second level Heavenly Transformation members.

    Everyone''s eyes gathered on Darcel as his speed was nearly impossible to follow for even third level Heavenly Transformation cultivators!

    The tinum ranked members all abruptly stopped as Darcel rapidly descended towards them.

    Darcel''s aura already tremendous suppressed them, making it hard for them to even breathe and move.

    Darcel smirked, seeing them all locked up, and right then, he red his full aura once again!

    His Darkness aura around his arm intensifies as immense waves of power shot out of it. The whole area was slightly drowned in Darcel''s Darkness glow, and all those watching felt death was just around the corner for them.

    To say nothing about the weaker cultivators as even all third level Heavenly Kings there felt their pupils dte under Darcel''s power.

    Now people realized it wasn''t the fact that the trio hadbined their prowess; it''s just the fact that each of them has outrageous prowess like Darcel!

    The two second-level Heavenly Kings members bore the worst of Darcel''s full aura. They felt their organs and bones get violently crushed, and their protective Heavenly auras was vaporized in just a mere second.

    The fear of death assaulted both Heavenly Kings'' minds, but there was nothing they could do about it. They were but mere helpless chickens under Darcel''s full power.

    Absolutely nobody in the entire group could''ve predicted this sudden shift in the event.

    And even if they were prepared, the Heavenly Kings doubted that would''ve made any difference considering the tremendous power these youths have.

    Darcel cared little about the despair swirling on their faces had set his attention on the Heavenly King that had short ck hair and shot out a Darkness tendril from his palm to him.

    His Darkness tendril tore through the air and, in a split second,tched on to the ck hair Heavenly King''s neck.

    The Heavenly King''s eyes popped out of his skull as he couldn''t breathe under Darcel''s Darkness tendril.

    His whole neck got instantly crushed, causing agonizing pain to re in him. Yet the Heavenly King couldn''t utter any shouts of pain.

    Oncetched on to the Heavenly King''s neck, Darcel had then pulled himself towards him and aimed his foot at his chest.

    Darcel quickly traversed through the air, and his foot brutally descended on the Heavenly King''s chest. In just one attack, Darcel had savagely caved in the Heavenly King''s chest, turning the bones and organs in his chest to an utter bloody mash.

    Inside the Heavenly King''s body as well, Darcel''s bloodline power invaded and went straight towards his Heavenly soul. And his overwhelming power quickly destroyed the Heavenly King''s soul defenses and wreaked havoc on his whole soul.

    Darcel didn''t just stop at kicking and had let his falling momentum take both of them to the icy ground.

    ''Bang!''

    A terrifying impact red into everyone''s ears as Darcel caved in arge crater into the icy ground while the Heavenly King was still under his feet.

    As Darcel hadnded on the ground, he had shifted his direction towards the Silver Bloody Hammer group members. They all promptly got out of his way before he evennded.

    The Silver Bloody Hammer group members all prayed their tinum ranked member was at least near death and not worse.

    But, the Heavenly King was long dead before he even hit the ground.

    It was a frightening, cruel disy, yet nobody came in to help him. For the people not affiliated with the Silver Bloody Hammer group, it would just be a pointless suicide considering Darcel''s own strength.

    Moreover, some people were quite a bit happy to see the Silver Bloody Hammer group get taken down like this. Their dominating suppressive attitudested for far too long, with nobody being powerful enough to stop them.

    Others were indifferent to the cruel disy. Calling this in their mind as the Silver Bloody Hammer group just desserts.

    And the tinum ranked members of the Silver Bloody Hammer group still couldn''t move under Darcel''s aura. But they were too frightened out of their wits to react anyways.

    "Our turn, Yasami!" Ani called out and kept her handstched on to Yasami.

    Both girls savagely smirked, and Yasami flew straight down towards the remaining tinum ranked members.

    All eyes went on to them as Darcel receded his aura.

    The tinum ranked members snapped their heads up, only to see the terrifying Ani and Yasami hovering above them.

    "Hmph!" Yasami coldly harumphs, and she and Ani red out the full extent of their auras!

    Yasami''s blue fire fox cloak aura began to sparkle, and Ani''s white Light aura around her arm intensified.

    "Ah!! So they too, huh.really like a nightmare we can''t wake up from." Thest remaining second level Heavenly King member utter inplete despair.

    He and the other tinum ranked members couldn''t move under Ani and Yasami power, knowing they could die in a mere second.

    And for the outside watching, even more, fear and shock swell into people.

    Just like they expected, even if they weren''tbined together, the girls'' full power gave all third level Heavenly King a tremendous sense of crisis.

    Everyone watching thought they were about to witness a full-on massacre of Heavenly Kings. Nobody could take their eyes off the scene, yet nobody wanted to interfere for the safety of their own lives.

    Darcel gazed his eyes all around the crowd, satisfied with their reactions. Nobody had dared toe near him as hended on the ground, and Darcel knew it was out of fear.

    To put an end to this big fiasco, Darcel called out to Ninu, telling her, "Ninu, call them off now."

    Darcel''s voice boomed throughout the air, causing an additionalyer of surprise for the Silver Bloody Hammer group members and the town folks watching.

    From the very start, everyone could tell there was some weird exchange between the used to be Silver Leader Ninu and those freakish youths, considering she let them kill off her Heavenly Kings.

    But that doesn''t correctly exin why that boy is ordering her like some servant?!

    However, the next words that came out of Ninu''s mouth awed everyone and made people''s minds burst.

    "You heard, Master! All five of you stand down to the Mistresses!" Ninu descended to the ground as her voice clearly echoed throughout the area.

    "MASTER?!?"

    The collective confused shouts screeched out of nearly everyone there. Disbelief and chaotic murmurs ran rampant then.

    The five remaining tinum ranked members didn''t know what, how, or why this was happening. But they do know it was impossible to resist their Leader and those two frightening girls!

    Although, even if they wanted to submit, all five tinum ranked members literally had no control of their bodies under Ani and Yasami''s auras.

    Their eyes fearfully trailed over to the girls, their faces pleading for them to let all five of them go.

    "Hehe~, alright. I think everyone gets the message here." Simultaneously, Ani and Yasami rxed their auras, giving the five tinum members free rein of their bodies.

    Immediately a breath of huge relief sighed out of the five of them. But the tinum members didn''t miss a beat and quickly flew back to the ground, keeping their heads down.

    All the lower-ranked and unranked Silver Bloody Hammer members looked at their seniors tinum ranked members in utter disbelief.

    They were once mighty and nearly ruled over the whole Mawold Town with barely anypetition to keep them in check.

    But now, their two Leaders were dead, their Heavenly Generals were dead, and even one of their powerful second-ranked Heavenly King members were dead.

    And all of this happened because of three unknown youths and their third Leader turning betrayal on them.

    Even as there are several thousands of members under the Heavenly Transformation realm, they all know the trio can kill hundreds of them with a flip of their hands.

    And even then, there''s also Ninu, now the sole strongest in their group that can destroy the remaining Heavenly Kings here and every weaker member.

    Moreover, she''s also utterly loyal to that boy!

    "To everyone watching! Know this and listen well! Master and Mistresses are under mines and the whole Silver Bloody Hammer group protection!" Ninu suddenly said while pointing her fingers at Darcel and the girls.

    Despite saying so, everyone watching and the Silver Bloody Hammer group members still couldn''t understand how did those youths get the once terrifying Leader as a servant to them!

    Darcel, though, was content to let that thought nestle in people''s minds.

    He and the girls already made their point in showing their strength and ruthlessness. Plus, they also have a mighty fourth level Heavenly King under their belts.

    For now, at least, Darcel knows there won''t be any more trouble. But, he also wasn''t nning on staying in this town for an extended amount of time after this.

    Ani and Yasaminded right next to Darcel, and he turned to the girls, telling them, "Let''s get back inside, shall we?"

    Yasami causally nods like she just didn''t cause a tremendous shift in the whole town.

    "Let''s! I can tell today''s event will be an experience nobody will forget soon!" Ani proudly said.

    And like that under whispers, murmurs, and curious eyes all gathered on them, the trio saunter right into the Silver Bloody Hammer group building.

    Right behind them like the faithful servant she was, Ninu protectively guarded the trio as they walked inside the building.

    Left behind and dazed, the whole town broke in fanatic conversations, all centering around what had just transpired.

    Far up into the skies, two figures went unnoticed by everyone.

    One figure wouldn''t cause much noise on her own. It was Fruna who had a glorious smile stered on her face.

    As for the second figure that hovered slightly behind Fruna, he would definitely cause tremendous waves in people.

    It was a man dressed in all ck, wearing a hooded robe, and he was just as powerful as Ninu! Yet he stood so protectively behind Fruna.

    "See? I just told you, and well, everyone! They would surely make chaotic changes to the whole town. And now, our group will hugely benefit from this." Fruna assuredly states without a hint of doubt in her tone.

    The hooded robe man didn''t see the connection, so he curiously asked, "And what makes you so sure they won''t forget about us?"

    "The white hair girl you saw.she''s very kind to ones kind to her."

    The hooded robe man couldn''t believe such a simple reason would get those youths to help out their group. But he didn''t try to argue with Fruna.

    His gaze went back over to the Silver Bloody Hammer group, lingering on the entrance.

    .

    At this time, practically, the whole Mawold Town exploded into news about recent events. Everyone wanted to gather at the Silver Bloody Hammer group district, but the sea of people there was stillrge.

    The mystery of why Silver Leader Ninu betrayed her group nestled in people''s minds, but the biggest mystery of all was, just who the hell was those three monstrous youths?

    A question that burned into every townsfolk''s minds. All townsfolk, except one lone person.

    This person was the farthest away from all the bustlingmotion about today''s event. Yet, his eyes had lingered over at the Silver Bloody Hammer group''s district.

    This person wasn''t anything remarkable.

    He wore just a mere slim long white coat, a pair of ck sses, and ck jeans. The white coat covered his face a bit, making it a little hard to see his full appearance, but what could be seen wasn''t anything remarkable.

    Furthermore, to anybody passing by the lone man, his aura wasn''t anything noteworthy.

    Cultivators Spirit Sense only picked up on the man because he was in the area, and they only sensed him to be just an Innate Core warrior.

    Someone like this should have no relevance from such arge scale battle today. But, a creepy smile etched on the man''s face as he quietly said to himself, "So I finally encounter someone else, and it''s those two. Not only that, but they''ve also grown quite powerful like we expected and feared. But with that power....heh-heh, my project will be perfect. It''s time for a reunion. "

    And with a single step, the man quickly disappeared from sight. However, nobody had even caught the man''s disappearance.

 Chapter 146: Reveal

    Chapter 146: Reveal

    Massive chaotic waves of shocking news stormed all throughout Mawold Town for a whole day. Barely anyone in town couldn''t stop talking about the event now dub as ''The Fall of Silver.''

    In just a span of minutes, the once-powerful Silver Bloody Hammer group that had free reign on the whole town lost nearly all of their powerful Heavenly Kings, and only one frightening powerhouse remained. While the weakest ones were left.

    Furthermore, the strongest Heavenly King left in their group wasn''t even loyal to them.

    She was loyal only to three freakish youth that took everyone by storm.

    As more digging went into these unknown youths, soon the townsfolk found out all three of them seemingly originated from the Nobe''s Fang group.

    And what''s more, they were all mere bronze rank members in that group!

    People got even more curious, wondering just how the Nobe''s Fang group managed to lose out on three terrifying powerhouses. And as curiosity increased, the increase in people wanting to meet with the trio.

    Heavenly Kings from small ns and organizations alike wanted somewhat of a chance to exchange pleasantries with the youths.

    But, no matter what, Ninu had rejected every invitation offered to the trio.

    Even when Heavenly Generals Gorbug and Sinaki and their Vice Leader came to meet with the trio, Ninu unhesitantly rejected them.

    And with the strength of Ninu, no dared to press hard on this matter.

    Although it begged the question for everyone. Just what were those youths secretly up to now?

    And considering how shocking their first surprise appearance was, people simply couldn''t get their minds off of them.

    .

    "Here it is, Mistress~. The precious fire spirit source." Ninu showcased Darcel, Ani, and Yasami, a jar containing bright, beautiful blue mes.

    The four were currently in a luxurious treasure room filled with all the great riches of the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    With the Heavenly Generals and the two Silver Leader dead, Ninu had free reign to take the trio anywhere they wanted.

    Andpared to the turbulent waves the rest of Mawold Town were currently experiencing, the trio actually rested ratherfortably.

    Ninu had shown them one of their most extravagant resting quarters fit only for their group''s true heavyweights. And Darcel, Ani, and Yasami took full advantage of the room, restingfortably in it.

    In all honesty, neither Darcel, Ani, or Yasami truly cares about leading or taking over this Mercenary group.

    They only wanted a bit of payback and the abundance of resources this Mercenary group would indeed hold.

    That''s why Darcel had ordered Ninu to reject anyone trying to invite them and,te at night, stand guard out of their room.

    While Darcel, Ani, and even Yasami can admit it feels good to be in the limelight, they consider other aspects of being famous too much busywork.

    And though he is extremely confident about their prowess, Darcel still knows they may be some courageous people that would try and snipe them. Plus, there was an odd feeling panging in Darcel''s mind that he couldn''t get over ever since their fight.

    So to relieve any tensions from leftover fights, Darcel didn''t want to make love to Ani and Yasmai but instead simply cuddle with them.

    But during the night, while the girls restedfortably into Darcel''s chest as they all cuddled and cultivated together, an odd change happened in Yasami.

    Darcel had noticed her eyes suddenly sparkled with light blue mes and her expression went nk for a second.

    Before Darcel or Ani could question it, Yasami suddenly hotly told them, "We must see these silver eyesores riches tomorrow!"

    The duo didn''t mind since they were going to do that anyway.

    Which had then led to their current situation where Yasami had urately guessed to Ninu that they had a fire spirit source here. And Ninu was quick to please her Mistress, immediately showing the trio the jar of fire spirit source.

    Truthfully, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami nearly got lost in staring at the pure, unfiltered beauty of the blue fire spirit source. Not even their own mes couldpare to the glory of this fire spirit source.

    While Darcel, Ani, and Yasami all focused on the constant destructive side of mes, they never stopped to appreciate the serene, tranquil beauty of a me slowly roasting.

    Suddenly, Yasami quickly snapped out of her daze trance.

    Her mind promptly recalled why she''s even so shocked and frustrated at seeing the fire spirit source here. "So my senses weren''t wrong! Those damn feline bastards! They think they can keep leading me astray, huh?! I''ll def-"

    Yasami abruptly stopped herself mid-sentence when she felt the eyes of Darcel, Ani and Ninu gathered on her.

    Ninu had a curious expression, but she didn''t speak up.

    While both Darcel and Ani had concerned expressions hearing that undisguised anger in her voice.

    Yasami had slightly lowered her head then, feeling a bit embarrassed at the outburst.

    "Ah.uhm, that was-"

    Yasami was beginning to apologize until Ani walked over to her and reassuringly squeezed her shoulder.

    She didn''t even need to say anything. The wide calming smile that graced Ani''s lips was all that Yasami needed to feel a lot calmer then.

    And it was then that Yasami swiftly made up her mind about truly revealing herself to her team.

    Seeing Yasami rx, Darcel turned his attention to Ninu. He found it curious enough that Ninu now had a more calm expression than her slightly sultry one she usually has around him.

    Darcel had then told her, "Leave us for a bit. We have some things to privately discuss. While we talk, you will finally get everyone orderly here and take full charge of the group. Should be easy enough; quite literally, no one can challenge you here anymore."

    "Yes, Master. Ah! I almost forgot Master, a unique charm from Luga himself." Ninu fished in her pockets and pulled out the same silver diamond ne that hung around Silver Leader Luga''s neck.

    Darcel curiously looked at the diamond ne, liking the design and natural aura from it.

    Without the ne being powered by someone, its maic charm couldn''t affect Darcel at all. But its own aura was still alluring nheless.

    Darcel took the diamond ne, asking Ninu, "So? What is this thing?"

    "It''s a charm essory, Luga used to use to make all of his important negotiations meetings turn into his favor. And now, Master, you can further entuate your own charisma with this." Ninu exined to him.

    "I see.interesting. Alright, if that''s all, you can leave now." Darcel shoved the diamond ne in his pocket for future investigations.

    Ninu respectfully nodded to Darcel and promptly turned to leave the treasure room.

    Once she was gone, Ani suddenly said, "One special present out of many to go! And now." Ani trailed off at the end and went over to the shelf containing the jar of the fire spirit source and took it in her hands.

    "A present for you, little fox!" Ani presented the jar to Yasami with a wide smile.

    And though Yasami felt her nerves irked with that annoying nickname, she ignored it for now in the face of such a tremendous gift.

    "Eh-eh? Wait! Don''t you two want to share absorbing this?"

    Yasami stuttered out, still feeling some embarrassment over her previous outburst. She didn''t want to give Darcel and Ani the wrong idea of making it seem like she desperately wanted this thing.

    Ani, however, she quickly looked towards Darcel.

    He simply gave her the nod to continue, and Ani smiled at him. "Huee~, fussy as usual. But don''t mind any of that! It''s all for you, Yasami."

    Ani presented the fire jar again, and this time, Yasmai took the jar in her hands. She had caught on to that brief look and nod Darcel gave to Ani.

    And Yasami briefly paused with the jar of fire in her hands.

    A broad, beautiful grin etched on to her face as she said then, "Alright, alright! Since it''s like this, I''ll also give you two a big prize in the future. But for now."

    Yasami ignited her spatial ring and put the jar of fire in it.

    She had then proceeded to slowly take off her hoodie, revealing her ever-present beautiful face.

    Although Darcel and Ani could tantly tell something was up as Yasami''s broad grin quickly shifted into a nervous expression. Even her cute fox ears were nervously twitching.

    Darcel and Ani looked over at each other before egging Yasami to continue with just their expressions.

    After the current gift the duo granted her and everything else they''ve been through together. Yasami felt as if she needed to get this off her chest now.

    Still, she took a small sigh saying, "Haah.guys, I-I haven''t been entirely truthful during this entire time. My name isn''t Yasami.it''s Masami, Masami Kitsui."

    On instinct, Masami stopped herself, expecting some kind of shock or extreme reaction from hearing her family name. But almost immediately, Masami remembered both Darcel and Ani weren''t from around here.

    Before her thoughts could expand any further, her attention was taken as Darcel and Ani had a different kind of immediate reaction.

    "My, my. You little sly fox~."

    Ani and surprisingly Darcel simply chuckled at Masam''s reveal.

    It caused Masami''s beautiful face to scrunch up in slight confusion. But neither Darcel nor Ani exined why.

    They instead walked up to Masami, took a spot on her right and left shoulders, and,

    ''Chu~'' Darcel and Ani respectively kissed both Masami''s cheek.

    "A-Ah?! Wh-why?"

    Masami felt the heat in her cheeks rise but still stumbled out a simply why question. Surely, she thought at least Darcel and Ani would be a bit upset at keeping such a big secret.

    And yet, Darcel only smiled at her, saying, "We could already fathom that wasn''t your real name since you were never exactly keen on talking about your background before. Still, we understood that as well. You had your reason for not telling two people you just recently met and are quickly growing attached to. And also. Masami is a beautiful name for you."

    "Mnh! Mnh!" Ani reverently nodded. "A beautiful name for a beautiful little fiery fox!"

    Inside Masam''s chest, an overflow of warmth and joy course there.

    A gorgeous smile bloomed on her face as she said, "Hmph, of course, you two would react like this. No idea why I was worried."

    "But now I''m really curious. Why go so far out of your way with the hoodie and changing your name?" Ani asked in a soft, soothing tone. She knows this could be a sensitive subject, but the offer to ask was on the table now.

    Masami, however, felt entirely rxed.

    She had no problem saying, "It''s because I''m the youngest daughter of one of the most powerful men in the Icy Cloud Province. And he is one of the leaders at one of the most powerful sects in the Province. The damn Ice Nine Tails Sect."

    Darcel and Ani felt their curiosity rise. They didn''t care at all if Masami''s father is one of the strongest or her sect is one of the strongest.

    They focused more on the venom-induced tone Masami had when mentioning the sect.

    So Darcel asked, "So powerful. And yet, I''m assuming there''s a lot of discord over there, right?"

    Masami tiredly nods, exining to them, "You don''t know the half of it. To make a long story short. I was on the end of daily harassments, disdain, and challenges just because I''m supposedly the weakest talent out of my siblings and one of the lowest in the whole sect. To prove them all wrong, I had helped from grandmother to start a journey all on my own. One of my first destinations was the Nobe''s Fang group since my so-called ''friends'' fed me lies that they hold a fire spirit source that can help with my Fireprehension. Tch, looks like I would''ve been led astray."

    "Hey! At least on this path, you''ve met us. And with us, you can be assured we''ll help fulfill your family revenge plot. We already have a treasure trove of resources here!"

    Ani didn''t waste any time in showing her willingness to help Masami''s family problems.

    "That''s perfectly ri-wait a minute." Masami pauses for a second, nervously shifting her eyes between Darcel and Ani before asking, "You-you two really going to help me so far with this? I-I mean I di"

    "Of course, we''re going to help. How can we idly stand by when we just told our little cutie was getting constantly bullied by blindside people. Besides, even as your family is the strongest in the Province, it doesn''t change our rtionship."

    Darcel had swiftly cut off Masami to get rid of any doubts in her head.

    And Ani perfectly added in, "Smoothly and perfectly spoken Darcy! You can''t wriggle away from us that easily, Masami."

    Even if Masami told them her parents were one of the strongest on the whole, their reactions wouldn''t change in the slightest. Their feelings may be fast to grow, but it was firm and unshakable.

    Plus, with thebined force of their talent and prowess, Darcel and Ani know anyone that''s supposedly the strongest will quickly get surpassed by them.

    Masami couldn''t help but wryly smile.

    They quite literally had no reaction to even being told they may face off against Grand Sages! Even the geniuses she knew would feel a certain amount of pressure about meeting Grand Sages.

    And yet, Masami remembers, Darcel and Ani are no ordinary geniuses at all.

    Sighing in her mind, Masami just picked up their hands, saying, "Your words, not mine, hmph. So you two better follow through with it!"

    Darcel and Ani gave Masami their most assured smirk, boldly saying, "We never go back on any of our words.

 Chapter 147: Ninus Night

    Chapter 147: Ninu''s Night

    The day quickly passed for Darkness Servant Ninu. And she waspletely efficient in clearing her duties for her master.

    Currently, Ninu was in her office staring out of the window that overseer Mawold Town with a content smile.

    She was reminiscing on how easy it was to get things in a somewhat orderly state here. Ever since that fateful battle the day before, the Silver Bloody Hammer group was in total chaos.

    Nobody knew just who was the real leader in charge now.

    With Silver Leader Luga, Tiny, and their Heavenly Generals dead, all that left them was their Vice Leader Ninu.

    But, before today, Ninu had just up and left them!

    She didn''t even bother once with checking in on them, leaving the ranked and unranked members all confused and chaotic.

    Yet, there was nothing they could do about that. Ninu was massively stronger than them all, and she was entirely submissive for that terrifying youth.

    The only time Ninu had appeared, before today, was to reject all other foreigners Heavenly Kings and other organizations wanting to meet the youths.

    Nobody could get a word in edgewise when Ninu rejected them. Even if one of the ones that came here was a third level Heavenly King.

    And all Silver Bloody Hammer group members, ranked or unranked, simply had to watch on the side as everyone has seemingly forgotten their existence.

    It was at that point, the Silver Bloody Hammer group members were starting to get antsy.

    Besides Ninu, nobody held anyone of them in the same level of reverence and respect anymore.

    And everyone just wanted to meet those damn youths!

    However, before their resentment had a chance to buildup, their Vice Leader, now Heavenly Silver Leader, finally appeared.

    After she showed her Master and Mistresses their treasure room, Ninu issued an order to the remaining tinum ranked members to gather everyone into theirrgest room.

    The tinum ranked members were ecstatic to hear from Ninu.

    They know that she effectively caused their downfall, but there was no one else they could go to for leadership other than her.

    No matter what, they clearly understood, despite people not having the same level of respect before. Still, nobody dared to disrespect Ninu or overstay their wee in their district.

    One-fourth level Heavenly King is still one tremendous force nobody dared to take lightly.

    So that''s why the tinum ranked members led everyone else down to a vast open room whererge scale meetings were always held.

    Once gathered there, Ninu had immediately appeared. And when she had shown up, all members there were taken aback.

    The woman they saw was their Silver Leader, yet they couldn''t believe it was the same Silver Leader Ninu.

    The reason for everyone''s initial surprise and shock was because Ninu decided to use a different tactic for talking to her members. A tactic that made everything a hell of a lot smoother for her.

    Instead of the cold and indifferent facade that was her original personality, Ninu instead let the blissful feeling of her sweet master essence inside her carry her words and actions.

    The effect of this decision was prizing, to say the least.

    Previously, not many really ever noticed the genuine grand beauty of Ninu. Her dominating, intimidating stature and aura made it nearly impossible for those weaker than her to even properly look at her in the eye.

    But, once everyone got a good look at the changed beautiful, slightly sultry face of Ninu, members were immediately singing a different tune for her.

    The gorgeous smile Ninu had while talking absolutely captivated all watching her.

    Most people at thatrge scale meeting were even considering Ninu as the most beautiful woman they had ever gazed upon in their lives. Combing with her angelic beauty was her smooth tone of voice.

    Instead of a cold steel like one, Ninu used the same slightly flirty tone that she had with her Master and Mistresses.

    Just that sweet change in her voice made members go silent nearly instantaneously.

    And it was from there, Ninu basically relied on her previous leader''s instinct and experience to get members'' minds orderly.

    Ninu still didn''t really care much about the Silver Bloody Hammer group, but she does know it can benefit her master.

    And at the very least, Ninu knows the members are a decent fighting force for him.

    Their meetingsted for about an hour. Ninu assigned the new Heavenly Generals on the spot and sent everyone on their ways to acquaint themselves after the chaotic events.

    Of course, thest remaining second level Heavenly King was chosen to be the new Heavenly General.

    And though everyoneplied with Ninu''s words, she could still sense some doubts swirling in people''s minds.

    If Ninu still would''ve been cold and ruthless, she had no doubt in her mind she would''ve achieved the same result in calming everyone down. But she knows the doubts in their minds would''ve been greater.

    No matter what, though, Ninu knows they''ll fall into line eventually.

    Truthfully, besides theck of respect and status theymanded now, Ninu also knows nobody would go out of their way to provoke them.

    Not even their rivals, the Nobe''s Fang group, would try something outrageous with her still around.

    Ninu was also sure her own members won''t try and act unruly anymore with their loss of power, so troubles shouldn''t arise as of now.

    All in all, Ninu was feeling optimistic about their future. Her grin cracked a little wider, enjoying the quiet time.

    Until suddenly, Ninu blinked her eyes and froze.

    Her Heavenly Spirit Sense spiked, feeling some sort of shift in space. It was a short and barely noticeable shift. But Ninu was sure she felt as if something had just passed her window.

    Yet her eyes didn''t pick up anything. Nor did her Spirit Sense pick up on any human life signatures.

    However, when she had reopened her eyes from blinking, Ninu faltered a bit.

    Stuck right on the outside of her window was this small odd-looking bug.

    The bug appearance itself wasn''t anything to write home about, being just some regr insect Ninu would be prone to ignore.

    But there were two specific things that immediately struck out for the bug. And it was the fact that a small white note was attached to the bug back, plus Ninu can sense some kind of strange aura from the bug.

    It was incredibly odd.

    In just the mere split second, she blinked her eyes, somehow that shift in space urred, and this bug coincidentally ended up on her window.

    Ninu took a second again to spread her Spirit Sense throughout the whole Silver Bloody Hammer group district. But, she didn''t find anything strange or out of ce beside this mere bug.

    Ninu had to just shrug her shoulders at this point. She had then tensed her body, having her Heavenly Qi roaring to go into action at any moment. And in one swift motion, Ninu opened her window and grabbed the small bug.

    Once the bug was in her palm, Ninu had her Heavenly Qi ready for any kind of surprise attack or traps.

    But, just like how she watched it from the outside, the bug simplyid still in her hands.

    The aura she sensed from the bug was in no way harmful to her.

    In fact, it was almost like the aura had a quality about it that made it easy to track down where the source of the aura wasing from.

    Since the bug wasn''t a threat, Ninu took off the note attached to its back.

    She quickly read over it, and her eyes were filled with mild shock. She contemted a bit over what to do with the note until her mind promptly came to a decision.

    ''Master.he just has to see this!''

    .

    The night quickly passed, and morning washed over Mawold Town.

    All the way up at the Silver Bloody Hammer group''s top floor, only four people upied this space.

    One was, of course, Ninu, who was in her own space.

    And down the hall from her was one of the most luxurious and expansive sleeping quarters in the whole Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    Inside this roomid various rare looking scrolls, books, items, and decorative designs hanging off the wall. And at the center of it all was onerge silver bed fit for a king.

    And on the silver bed were Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    They all were in their gloriously naked state, and Darcel propped himself at the backboard of the bed. Lazing on hisps with a content smile was Masami, showcasing her more loafing personality side.

    Her huge perky breast was on full disy for Darcel and Ani, yet Masami didn''t mind at all.

    Considering that they also cuddle naked like this yesterday, Masami was even morefortable doing it today.

    She didn''t have any worries or guards being with the duo. And the feeling of Darcel stroking her cute fox ears and Ani rubbing one of her fox tail was absolute bliss to her.

    Ani was on Darcel''s shoulder, feeling unbelievably warm while leaning on Darcel''s soothing body and stroking Masami''s fluffy tail.

    With cultivating sessions like these, Ani knew she''ll never get bored of cultivating!

    Beingpletely naked like this and so close together most definitely aroused Darcel''s drive to have sex. Especially seeing how Darcel knew both girls would eagerly respond to his desires.

    But, just like yesterday, Darcel didn''t really go through with it.

    Even though he quite literally proved him and the girls to be one of the strongest here, Darcel just didn''t feelpletely safe here.

    During the first time they showed off their powers, Darcel didn''t let it show on his face in front of the enormous crowd. But he felt like there was someone particrly odd watching them.

    It sounded ridiculous to Darcel since he knew everyone was watching them. Yet, Darcel had this faint premonition that something significant could happen at any time.

    Funnily enough, while most premonitions people have tends to make them feel pessimistic about a future situation. Darcel didn''t feel like anything negative at all would happen to him or the girls.

    But, either way, theck of sex was only a minor inconvenience to Darcel.

    Naked cuddling with the girls still felt absolutely heavenly, and he tuned in to listen to what the girls were talking about.

 Chapter 148: Provoke

    Chapter 148: Provoke

    "Your siblings Masami.we didn''t even ask yesterday. But, just how much of blind a genius are they?" Ani was asking Masami, emphasizing the point of them being blind.

    She was seriously wondering, with all the prowess Masami showed them, how could her siblings'' talents supposedly be higher than hers?

    Masami only snorted in annoyance, remembering her family.

    "Even as they''re all identified with such titles, they are all idiotically irritating. I have three other siblings; one of them is my sister, who is only mere months older than me. And yet she was already a fourth level Heavenly King while I was only an Innate Core when I had left home. The second oldest is also a girl, and she''s at the sixth level, and the eldest one is a boy. And he''s at the seventh level."

    Hearing such high realms, neither Darcel nor Ani held any outstanding reactions.

    Ani simply kept stroking Masami''s tails while wondering how interesting their meeting will be with her siblings.

    While Darcel took more of the time to ponder about those kids'' levels. With as high a realm as those three are, Darcel could see why they would endlessly brag and irate Masami.

    Just those three alone can easily run through the whole Blessed Spirit Province. Sure it was the ninth-ranked Province and the lowest one, but absolutely no one in that area could match Masami''s siblings.

    And Darcel knew it would be the same for the ninth-ranked all the way up to the fifth-ranked Province.

    Vice Principal Zelle taught him a bit about the Heavenly Transformation realm, and he also read a bit on it.

    What he was taught was that there wasn''t a single fourth level Heavenly King from the ninth-ranked to sixth-ranked Province. And there were only a select few fourth level Heavenly Kings in the fifth-ranked Province.

    Compared to all other realms, the Heavenly Transformation is a whole different ballpark in practically everything rting to cultivation.

    This realm does offer a long lifespan, but it doesn''t mean cultivation bes faster here.

    For most that breakthrough to this realm, their cultivation slows to a snail crawl. It was astronomically challenging to make any sort of progress in the Heavenly Transformation realm, no matter the process one use.

    Even if one relies on the quickest and most unstable way of breaking through, consuming Heavenly Tier pills and other such Heavenly Tier resources. The quantity needed to breakthrough even one level is a price not even high influential sects could afford.

    It''s whyprehension and talent have to be on point in this realm.

    And even some luck here since it is possible for cultivators to find rare divine treasures that can also aid in their cultivation.

    Still, Darcel also remembered that Masami mentioned her father is just one of her sect leaders. So he had asked her then, "Besides your direct family, who else should we take into.consideration?"

    "Hmmm.well, our sect is made up of three factions. There''s mine, the Kitsui faction, and where most if not all my headachese from. The Koizma faction, and there''s only one annoying bitch over there that irritates me above all in that faction. And of course, she''s a genius on my Eldest brother level. Then finally, the Koduka faction. They.well, they bothered me the least, so I don''t have much to say about them."

    Masami exined, briefly recalling all the unpleasant and negative memories from home. Her face scrunched up for a second before melting back into rxation when Ani increased the strokes on her tail.

    Ani was preparing to continue the conversation, opening her mouth to speak. Until a blue sh right beside them caught all three of their attentions.

    A blue ring was glowing on a nice-looking stand beside their bed, and Ninu''s voice echoed out from it.

    "Master~! I have something you and the Mistresses must see! They say it''s something from your past you would specifically be able to identify."

    For a moment, Darcel and even Ani paused.

    Their brainsgged a bit since they most obviously know nobody on this should have any kind of information on them.

    Until it hit both Darcel and Ani like a ton of bricks.

    Their expressions went severe, and their eyes narrowed as they recalled one specific event that started everything.

    The yellow-eyed woman teleportation incident!

    It was only a hunch at best. But Darcel and Ani can tell whatever Ninu has in her possession is probably in some way rted to that organization.

    Of course, this could all just be a ruse.

    But Darcel and Ani weren''t willing to bet on it, considering how sneaky and crafty those people in the Parasol Organization are.

    Masami had noted the duo''s change in expression and more serious mood. Yet, she stayed quiet until it was the right opportunity to speak up.

    Darcel finally spoke after a few seconds of silence, telling Ninu, "Come to our room and knock when youe. We''ll go more into detail then. Get here quickly."

    The blue contact ring instantly died down, returning the room back to slightly tense silence.

    And right then, Masami''s two foxtails instinctively wrapped around Darcel and Ani''s wrist, providing them with a burst of soft warmth.

    Masami wanted to help ease their rising tension as she never saw Darcel and Ani get so serious about any situation until now. And it worked as she saw Darcel and Ani''s bodies visibly loosen up from her tails.

    "Past troubles, like me, right?" Masami spoke in a rare soft, soothing tone that also helped Darcel and Ani rx.

    Ani began to stroke her cute fluffy fox ears again, saying to her, "Sort of.but we''re not soo.uuhm. I mean.we didn''t mean to keep it a secret, but-"

    "Our origins are a bitplicated. And without realizing it, our showcase of power may have attracted a troublesome enemy for us."

    Masami didn''t say anything and nodded. She swiftly sat up from Darcel''sp and pulled in to give him a warm, soothing kiss.

    Darcel was a bit surprised at her sudden initiative, but he actually liked this kind of kiss.

    It wasn''t their usual lustful kiss. Instead, it was a nice chaste kiss that allowed Darcel to feel Masami''s warm feelings.

    They stayed like this, in perfect harmony, for a couple seconds.

    Masami had then pulled back from the kiss with a slight yet cute smirk. "Hmph, you see? I can also be surprisingly intimate and caring!"

    But right then, Masami''s eyes pulled over to Ani. And she felt her cheeks color with Ani.

    Ani had a teasing smile, and the expression on her face was expecting for Masami to kiss her as well.

    Masami could only embarrassedly stutter out, "U-Uhm.can we just hug? I-I''m no so good-Mnh?!"

    Ani didn''t have any of what Masami was saying, so she pulled over and gave her a sweet, chaste kiss right on her lips.

    Masami''s eyes sprang open in brief shock. However, she actually didn''t want to pull back. Though Masami wouldn''t admit this out loud, she always felt incredibly good whenever Ani touched her body.

    The moment that always stays in her head was when Ani sucked on her breast, teetering her to an overwhelming orgasm.

    But for this kiss, just like with Darcel, it was sweet and warm, full of their feelings for one another.

    After a couple of seconds, Ani pulled back with a massive smile on her face. "Sweet and warm! Now I see why you love kissing us so much, Darcy."

    Ani had absolutely no problem with kissing Masami.

    Even as she is another woman, Ani simply wanted to share her loving feelings with Masami. And it also helped that the kiss felt incredibly good.

    Masami had put her hand to her chest.

    She felt odd there. It was warm and fuzzy, just like how she feels with Darcel. Masami could tell her feelings for Ani were always there. Still, she especially had zero experience in that kind of department.

    But with this kiss, enhanced Masami''s feelings for Ani even more.

    "Haah.shameless woman." She uttered out in a soft, quiet tone though a small smile graced her lips.

    During the whole time watching, Darcel felt something spark in him. He felt his Darkness Soul slink quiver as if it suddenly experienced incredible growth, but that wasn''t what got his attention.

    Darcel felt a more primal emotion nearly overtake him, watching his cute girlfriends kiss each other. It was incredibly arousing to see their beautiful faces meshed against each other, and their gorgeous tits mush up to each other.

    It almost made Darcel push down both girls and do some rather hot steamy ys with them. s, Darcel quickly pushed that thought down.

    He had a potentially critical meetinging up, after all.

    .

    It didn''t take long for Ninu toe up to their rooms.

    Currently, the trio was fully clothed and sat at the edge of the bed. Ninu stood in front of them with her hands in her pockets.

    Darcel felt his tension slightly increased as he said, "Okay, show us whatever you have, Ninu."

    Ninu nodded, reached into her pockets, and pulled out a small ck bug that had a white note attached to it.

    Immediately, Darcel and Ani shot up.

    Their eyes squared in on the bug as their nerves tensed up. It really was the damn Parasol Organization!

    And one of those rat bastards is inside the town with them.

    "Ah, Master. The note said you would recognize it. It specifically said, ''Show this to the one you call Master, he and that white hair girl will know exactly what this is. Once you show it to him, tell him to follow this bug''s aura. Or I''ll specificallye to greet him and those girls.''"

    Darcel quickly snatched the bug from Ninu''s hand.

    Staring at the bug up close, all kinds of unpleasant memories sprang back up in Darcel''s head. Unpleasant memories that was also shared with Ani as she narrowed her eyes on the bug.

    Numerous thoughts ran in the duo''s mind until Darcel told Ninu, "If you have everything under control here, then go and make an alliance with the Nobe''s Fang group. We will be busy for a bit, but I''ll contact you if we need any support."

    Ninu paused as she didn''t immediately ept the order. Something in her gut was telling her to disobey and protect Master''s safety.

    The way that bug appeared to Ninu was still fresh in her mind, and she didn''t feel all thatfortable with letting Master go on his own with the Mistresses.

    However, inside the center of Ninu''s soul core, Darcel''s Darkness Soul link pulsed. It overwrote her doubts and assured Ninu that nothing dangerous could possibly happen to her Master.

    "....Okay, Master. But, be careful Master. The way that bug came to me was weird. I couldn''t sense it at all at first." Ninu exined and quickly left the room then.

    Masami, who''s been silent this entire time, scrunched up her face while looking at the ck bug. "What an ugly creation. But judging by your two faces, it''s not just ugly at all. What exactly is it?"

    "My little fox, this annoying thing had kept Darcy and I starving for Qi for years! This was interjected straight into our dantian, making it impossible for us to break through at first. And to create this.I only know a select few who can."

    Masami was a bit surprised hearing such an overwhelming description from such a little bug.

    Darcel continued on to say, "Yep. One of the scientists who''s especially a slithering rat. And I know what he wants, to lure us. He had, of course, saw our battle, yet he''s not afraid at all of openly provoking us. But if he was so strong, he wouldn''t use such a roundabout way to get us. Hm, what do you girls say about this?"

    "I say, it''s payback time! I''ve waited too long to be able to get the chance at putting those rotten scientists six feet under! Plus, all we did was unleash our aura onto the town. That guy still doesn''t know all of the cards under our belt." Ani was pumped up and ready to fight.

    Masami looked a little bit confused, but her confidence was at an all-time high. "I may not understand what''s fully going on but, isn''t this guy just another overly arrogant, fat sheep for us?"

    With their current strength and items, Darcel didn''t fear anyone under the fourth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    And even then, Darcel was also assured they could take on someone like Ninu in a fight.

    So with his confidence through the roof, Darcel told the girls, "This guy is a fat sheep, isn''t he? Alright, since he so badly wants to meet us, let''s not let down this guy''s expectations, right?"

    Ani and Masami broadly smiled with an overflow of confidence.

    But deep inside Darcel, he didn''t let any of it affect his current mood. Yet, there was something about the uing fight he felt odd about it.

    Like something will drastically change.

    And at the same time, Darcel still didn''t feel it would be an endangerment to his or his girls'' lives. Whatever it was, though, Darcel was ready for it.

 Chapter 149: Prelude

    Chapter 149: Prelude

    About a few miles out from Mawold Town, Darcel, Ani, and Yasami were casually strutting through the Wild Snow area.

    Before leaving, they had masked their presence and went virtually undetectable.

    The trio didn''t have to worry about getting unnecessarily stopped or a crowd forming around them. All they had to think about was the uing meeting with one cruel scientist.

    Darcel was positively assured neither he nor the girls needs any long or extraneous preparation for him.

    Of course, they had taken extra sets of talismans and healing pills just in case.

    But Darcel, Ani, and Masami had their confidence at an all-time high.

    Especially Darcel and Ani since they can finally take a bit of revenge for being made a ve for all of their childhood.

    Walking through the Wild Snow, Darcel knew precisely where he was going. The scientist purposely made it easy to follow the source of the bug''s aura, and he wasn''t that far from Mawold Town, actually.

    And soon enough, Darcel, Ani, and Masami sensed they were mere meters away from the scientist.

    The trio stopped and looked on ahead. And sure enough, they saw one lone figure approaching them.

    "Tsk, tsk. This scientist''s arrogance still hasn''t left him! And he also got some new digs just to show off, probably. He really thinks his tricks can deal with us so casually."

    For the first time, Masami heard, Ani had a rare heavy disdaincing her voice.

    A disdain that was also shared with Masami as she stared at the oneing towards them. An unremarkable-looking man spouting a long white coat and some normal pants.

    Masami couldn''t see his face all that well because of the white coat, but her eyes did spot sses on his unremarkable face.

    But besides the man''s average appearance, the real cause of Masami''s disdain was the man''s cultivation realm.

    "Seriously? This guy goes out of his way to make himself seem so mysterious. And yet he''s only in the Innate Core realm and thinks he can win? Heh! I would beughing if this wasn''t so pitiful." Masami spat out with an overflow of confidence.

    It wasn''t the fact that she was being arrogant or underestimating her foe. She just knows nothing under the third level Heavenly King could genuinely challenge them.

    "Hoh my. The little kids truly have grown up. But to respond to you, indeed, I do think I can win. Well, I may have some trouble doing it." The scientist boldly said as he can within a few feet apart from the trio.

    Just like Darcel''s group, the scientist spoke in an overwhelming confident tone. His posture showed no fear or hesitation, and his eyes stared directly into the trio''s disdain gazes.

    For one tense, silent second, neither the scientist nor the trio moved.

    Masami''s lips had curled into a savage mocking smirk as she said, "A bit of trouble," he says. So confident, so he most definitely has something up his sleeves. Hey, what do you truly have to say about this bit of trouble, huh?"

    ''Whir!''

    The whole area immediately fell into chaos as Darcel, Ani and Masami whipped out their transformation powers!

    Darcel''s bloodline Darkness glow shrouded his arm, Ani''s white light glow enriched her arm, and Masami''s blue fire fox cloak aura shined like the sun.

    Neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami spared any expense and red their full powers right towards the scientist from the get-go.

    Though as confident as they are, Darcel reminded the girls to not take the scientist lightly.

    Ani didn''t really need a reminder since she knew how much of a rat those scientists are. But Darcel needed to be sure Masami was on the same page so they could avoid any potential mistakes.

    And sure enough, thebined transformation aura of the trio caused a tremendous suppression on the scientist.

    But instead of a look of distraught or worry, the scientist had a simple look of appraisal.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s power were impressive.

    More than impressive, actually!

    Suddenly, the scientist''s tion about today grew a thousandfold, despite the fact he couldn''t move.

    But, before the trio''s aura could thoroughly crush down on the scientist, a sh of silver zipped from his pockets! A bright silver aura burst forth, drawing the whole area in its brilliant radiance.

    "What?"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were mildly taken aback. They felt their ownbined auras get canceled out by the silver aura.

    Their eyes tried to peer right into the bright silver aura.

    And they immediately felt a tremendous surge of power st out to them!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were surprised once again as three silver beams sted out of the silver aura.

    The three silver beams tore through the air to the trio, and none of them considered this attack a joke.

    If they were to casually take on this attack, they sensed it could seriously injure them. It was almost like facing an attack from a powerful third level Heavenly King!

    Darcel Ani and Masami quickly jumped up to the skies, just narrowly avoiding the three silver beams. Up in the air, an amusing smile graced their lips.

    It seems this battle will be much more interesting than they thought.

    But right then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes widened when they gazed back down at the scientist.

    There was a small blue, slightly gray syringe in his hand, and he was aiming it at his neck. And when the trio''s eyesnded on him, the scientist cruelly smiled and stabbed the blue, slight gray syringe deep into his neck.

    Even if Darcel, Ani, and Masami wanted to intercept that, they were actually too slow from dodging the three silver beams.

    And immediately when the scientist stabbed himself with the syringe, his power dramatically shot through the roof!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their pupils dted, sensing the scientist''s power rise in just a manner of seconds.

    From the eighth rank of the Innate Core realm to the ninth, breaking right into the Heavenly Transformation realm! Heavenly Qi and a Heavenly aura burst from the scientist, causing the wind to chaotically storm around him.

    But the scientist''s power simply didn''t stop after breaking through.

    His power immediately shot right up to the second level Heavenly Transformation,

    third level Heavenly Transformation and,

    ''BANG!!''

    A burst of tremendous Heavenly Qi gushed out of the scientist as he stepped right into the fourth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    A strange blue aura gushed from the scientist spraying everywhere in the wind. Mixed in with the blue aura was just barely tiny specks of a strange gray aura, not even the trio could spot.

    The ground quaked under the explosion of power, and snow wildly stormed in the air.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami narrowed their eyes. A suppression actually crushed their bodies, but it wasn''t immense.

    It was certainly notable, but nothing too major that''ll affect them much when fighting. Everything just happened so abruptly and quickly for the trio that they barely had any time to react to the scientist shooting up his power.

    And when his power had stopped increasing at the fourth level, the scientist didn''t give the trio any breathing time and disappeared from right where he stood.

    A chill passed through Darcel, Ani, and Masami, feeling the temperature drop significantly. Their Spirit Senses suddenly spiked, alerting them to tremendous danger just in front of them.

    In a split second, Darcel instinctively reacted, forming a profound Darkness shield from his hands.

    At the same time, Ani and Masami reacted in a split second, forming a white light shield and a blue fire shield, respectively.

    ''Bang!''

    Three blue ice Qi fist shed with their shields as the scientist appeared mere feet between them.

    Out from the scientist''s left fist were the three blue ice Qi fists.

    The sh of his fourth level power and the trio''sbined power recklessly swirled all throughout the area.

    Beneath them, the ground was trembling nonstop, and snow was getting eradicated from the sheer power of two mighty forces.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their excitement for battle rise with each second. Especially for Darcel and Ani, as this was the first time ever they felt a numbing feeling in their arms.

    Moreover, a bit of blood drools from the trio''s mouths. Their bodies fought off the Heavenly Qi, trying to ravage the inside of their bodies.

    The scientist was in a simr state, but he felt even more pain than the trio, and a longer drool of blood dripped from his mouth.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''sbined powers were indeed great, but the scientist ignored their powers ravaging inside his body.

    His speed was near-instantaneous, and he shed out of the trio''s sight once again.

    From up above, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt the temperature exponentially drop to near absolute zero degrees.

    But the trio couldn''t focus on the cold for long as they sense an immense mass of power quickly surging above them.

    Just a few meters above them, the scientist hovered over Darcel''s group, both of his hands glowing a chilling blue ice aura. It was like time didn''t matter for the scientist as right when the chilling blue ice aura formed, he instantly sted down an icicle storm to the trio!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami only had a split second to react, quickly raising their shields above to defend against the icicle storm.

    "Nnng!" All three of them grunted as the power behind the scientist''s icicle storm actually shot them down to the ground!

    The sound of numerous icicles crashing onto their shields pierced into the trio''s ears, and Masami felt her frustration rise.

    Right when they were forced to the ground, Masami puffed her cheeks, causing a massive sum of raging blue fires to gather inside her mouth.

    "Fuuuu!!" Out from Masami''s mouth, she released a powerful blue firestorm that curved upwards. The blue firestorm wrapped up the icicle storm in an attempt to destroy it.

    Right them, Darcel reached out with his other arm, grabbing onto Masami''s shoulder and surge his and hers Darkness Soul link.

    Masami felt a tremendous and warm, familiar boost of energy enrich her soul.

    Her raging blue firestorm explosively increased in strength then. It didn''t have a single bit of trouble in melting away the scientist''s icicle storm.

    Going unnoticed and unsensed by Darcel''s group, when Darcel had surged his Darkness Soul link, a very tiny patch of snow from under their feet mysteriously turned gray.

    Once the icicle storm was cleared up, Ani''s eyes burst with blinding white Light brilliance!

    "sh!"

    Ani''s blinding white shbang epasses the whole area.

    Up above, the scientist felt his soul get utterly stunned, making his entire beingpletely immobilized.

    Darcel worked in perfect tandem with Ani, raising his arm up and instantly firing out one concentrated Darkness tendril from the center of his palm.

    His Darkness tendril tore through the air and quickly wrapped up the stunned scientist.

    Cruelly smirking for what''s next, Darcel tightly clutched his Darkness tendril and violently mmed the scientist towards the snowy ground. With a loud thumb, the scientist crashed right through the snow and bounced off the hard cold ground.

    And right in the middle of his violent bounce, Masami rushed straight up the scientist, her aura ws already on hands and made them burst with raging blue mes.

    Masami was right near the scientist''s face, and her aura ws intensely sparkled, reaching the maximum height of its power.

    ''Bang!''

    Masami mercilessly shot a huge blue fire st right in the scientist''s face, making him sail like a broken kite.

    However, not even a mere split second after Masami released her st. The scientist didn''t utter any grunts of pain, readjusted himself in midair, burst a powerful ice pike from the center of his palm, and shed forward.

    For the rare times in her life, Masami pupils became needle sizes as her Spirit Sense frantically went off at a sudden tremendous danger!

    On instinct, she just barely ducked her body before a blue, slightly gray sh grazed her shoulder.

    Blood spurted into the air, and Masami felt a searing pain course in her shoulder. "Tch!" Masaim only clicked her teeth as this searing pain wasn''t light at all.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t even see what happen to Masami.

    Just like her, their Spirit Sense frantically went off in the face of real danger, and they could only barely move their bodies before the same blue, slightly gray sh grazed their shoulders.

    Blood spurted from the duo''s shoulders, and the same searing pain took hold of their bodies as well.

    "Tch!" Darcel and Ani also clicked their teeth, and they and Masami furiously snapped their bodies around.

    Their eyes were aze with ferocious killing intent as this was the first time someone had actually managed to hurt them!

    The scientist shakily stopped on his feet, turning around to face the trio with a broad, ugly smile.

    His body was practically screaming in pain from tanking Masami''s attack unprotected, but he didn''t care in the slightest.

    The scientist made it seemed like he was mocking the trio, but from the corner of his eye, he spotted very minuscule patches of snow turning gray, just seemingly popping up at random.

    Internally the scientist''s tion explosively increased, yet his expression didn''t change at all.

    Neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami paid attention to their surroundings. They only sensed the crafty rat scientist in front of them and had their full focus hatred on him.

    None of them could''ve possibly noted the tiny patch of gray snow just under their feet.

    Darcel''s eyes zeroed in on the scientist, and before he could react, a Darkness shadow spewed from his feet, causing numerous Darkness tendrils to instantly wrap the scientist up.

    The scientist was momentarily surprised as a strange energy was making his body heat up. He felt it was trying to disrupt his Qi flow, lowering his defenses and making it harder to escape the Darkness tendrils.

    Ani and Masami capitalized on this and rushed right towards the scientist.

    Ani''s scimitars was in her hand now, and Masami was charging her aura ws once again.

    However, before the girls could go near the scientist, a silver aura burst from his pockets again and destroyed Darcel''s Darkness tendrils!

    Despite his restraints being free, Aniel and Masami didn''t halt their rush.

    They were going to barrel right on to him until they felt their Spirit Senses frantically go off again. The girls instantly stopped, created another white Light shield and a blue fire shield in a split second.

    Immediately when they created their shields, numerous sharp ice spikes burst from the snowy grounds, shing against the girls'' shields and raising them a bit into the air.

    Right when the ice spikes burst towards the girls, Darcel also had to jump as ice spikes burst from him under him as well.

    While jumping up, Darcel quickly realized the ice spikes were too fast, and he formed arge Darkness shield, shing against the rising ice spikes.

    Darcel finally had enough then and gritted his teeth.

    He pushed all of his bloodline powers to the most he could muster, brought out his scimitar on to his other hand, and aze it with raging ck mes.

 Chapter 150: The World Changing Error

    Chapter 150: The World Changing Error

    "Girls! Skills! Now!"

    Darcel roared to the girls and pointed his ck ming scimitar to the scientist whose hands were glowing in the same chilling blue ice aura again.

    Darcel didn''t care though, and right when he finished talking, he sted forth his Fiery Slice skill!

    "Right!!" Both Ani and Masami roar and instantly surged forth their Martial Skills.

    Ani''s scimitar got enriched with powerful ck mes and shot out her Fiery Slice Martial Skill. While Masmai''s aura ws shimmered with raging blue mes and she fired out her Fox w Martial Skill.

    Two thin, powerful streams of ck mes tore to the scientist, and two bright blue ming fox ws barrel straight him as well.

    The scientist felt utterly suppressed under thebination of three powerful Martial Skills.

    But, right when the Martial Skills was about to hit him, a tiny gray spark swirled at the center of the scientist''s ice blue aura hands.

    ''BOOOM!!''

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Martial Skills caused a tremendous explosion of power to quake the ground for miles!

    Darcel cruelly smirked, but he swore he felt a spike of extensive energy while their powers exploded out. Neither Ani nor Masami felt any strange type of energy, firmly believing they had just won the battle.

    However, not even a second after the explosion, three blue beams shot out from the center of the st.

    The beams sailed straight at Darcel, Ani, and Masami, respectively.

    The trio had just fired their Martial skills and couldn''t react at all to the lighting like speeds of the three blue beams.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami got struck right in their chest by the blue beams, tearing right through their clothes, spraying blood wildly into the air.

    Their eyes widened as immense abrupt pain assaulted their senses. And like rag dolls, the three blue beams sent them tumbling back to the snowy ground.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami rolled in the snow for a few meters before quickly standing right back up.

    A big hole was made right in their clothes, showcasing their bloody chest.

    Blood dripped down their clothes, staining their bodies all over. Pain, actual great pain, swirled in Darcel, Ani, and Masasmi''s eyes.

    Even as they now have tremendous resistance to the cold, the scientists'' blue beams caused their bodies to tremble from the cold.

    As well, their pain tolerance is usually high, but thatst attack truly did a number on them.

    When they had stood up, for a very brief moment, Darcel, Ani, and Masami notice some odd patches of gray snow guing the area.

    Ani and Masami thought it was a bit peculiar. But they didn''t put much thought into the gray snow, merely assuming it was dirt. Neither of the girls felt or sensed anything strange or out of the ordinary.

    It was only them and that one rat scientist in front of them.

    Yet, with Darcel, he wrinkled his eyebrows.

    He didn''t sense anything else in his Spirit Sense, yet he felt like there was some form of energy swirling. It was odd. He couldn''t exin to himself what it was, yet he felt like he was stepping on some invisible force.

    But Darcel couldn''t keep his attention on some unexinable sensation for long.

    His and the girls'' focus was quickly reshifted when their eyes trailed back to the scientist. Their painful expressions turned into small grins.

    "Well, well. Looks like someone overestimated themselves." Masami cruelly mocked seeing the scientist''s current pitiful appearance.

    He was in a far more pitiful state than the trio.

    His white coat and clothes were shredded, revealing his torn up and bloody battered body. A mix of blue and ck mes sizzled on the scientist, and his sses were nowhere to be soon.

    And yet, when Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes trailed specifically to the scientist''s face, they became confused.

    "Heh-heh-HAHAHA!!! I didn''t overestimate anything! In fact! I still underestimated all three of you!!"

    Yes, on the scientist''s face, a wild, insane smile was stered on there.

    Ani and Masami had ludicrous expressions staring at the crazed scientist. They believed this guy had justpletely lost it being on the back robes like this.

    However, right when the crazed scientist stopped talking, Darcel''s Spirit Sense frantically went off like a chaotic storm!

    Darcel felt an insane amount of tension-filled his body. He didn''t know why or how, but for some reason, he could now clearly pick up on the same immense mass of power he felt when their Martial Skill went off.

    His eyes shot to the ground only to see the same gray snow spreading from right under his feet! Darcel''s eyes widened, and he quickly fired a ck fireball through the snow.

    Once part of the snow was cleared up, Darcel''s expression froze.

    It wasn''t merely the ground under the snow. It was now in this odd gray energy!

    "Hoh?! Finally, notice, huh?! Hahaha!! Too bad it''s toote now!!"

    As the scientist insanely shouted, Ani and Masami whipped their head back, only to be surprised at the mass of gray energy rising through the hole Darcel''s ck fireball made.

    Even now, the girls still couldn''t sense any power from the gray substance. But on instinct, they felt their bodies run cold, looking at the gray energy.

    Whatever that was, they knew they can''t just let it get to them!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami attempted to swirl their powers and move their bodies. They were most definitely going to intercept whatever crazy n the scientist was brewing.

    Ani and Masami violently cursed in their minds as they couldn''t believe they didn''t notice energy just under their feet! Simultaneously, they also couldn''t understand why can''t their Spirit Sense pick up on the energy?!

    Darcel was in a more distraught state, realizing he could''ve noticed the gray energy a lot sooner. The gray snow, that spike of energy when their Martial Skills hit, everything pointed to this.

    Yet, after all this time until now, Darcel firmly believed he and the girls could take care of this in their usual direct way. Nothing had really given him and Ani specifically a life and death challenge for some time.

    But no matter the mistake, Darcel has assured he and the girls will rectify this error now!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s immense transformed powers quickly surged, and they immediately tried to pounce their bodies forward.

    However, when they tried to move, a tremendous suppression enraptured their bodies, dispersing their mighty transformed powers!

    All three of their bodies became incredibly sluggish.

    "Shit!" The trio fiercely cursed as they were basically moving in slow motion now.

    Their eyes shot to the scientist in a mix of surprise and hatred, realizing they fell right into his trap.

    Darcel and Ani simply couldn''t believe it.

    They had encountered suppression of pure power before. Still, during those times, their souls had protected their veins, allowing them to at least move around normally.

    Yet this strange gray energy.itpletely suppressed their entire being!

    Down to their body, Martial Veins, and souls, nothing was spared from getting suppressed.

    Although going unnoticed for now, Darcel and Ani''s bloodline running in their bloodstream was starting to frantically boil over.

    Masami though, her frustration climbed its height as she was never protected from power suppression in the first ce.

    She was nearlypletely immobilized. Only a small spark pulsating deep inside her soul, right where Darcel''s Darkness Soul link was, kept her from bing entirely frozen.

    "Hey! Don''t be upset! Instead, marvel in this glorious sight!"

    The scientist got the trio''s attention, and he had pulled a tiny dull shard piece that was glowing in the same gray energy Darcel saw from the ground.

    Right, when that small gray glowing shard piece appeared, for miles, the snow instantly turned gray, and an immense power spewed everywhere!

    "Wh-what the hell is this?"Darcel struggled to utter out as he felt the suppression increase even more.

    But at the same time, he was finally feeling his bloodline and soul crazily boil over, wanting to go even beyond his current limits.

    The scientist cruelly smiled at the trio, and he began to openly say, "Since this fight is pretty much done here, I''ll at least give you brief final words before your sacrifices. You see, this is my project to perfect path to pow-"

    "Who cares what you have to say?!? HAH!!!"

    Ani had suddenly interrupted the scientist as her white Light grew frantically intensify. Her bloodline powers abruptly increased, and small streaks of white wings began to fizzle in over her bloodline arm.

    Like Darcel, Ani was feeling her bloodline and soul crazily boil over whatever this strange power was.

    And she didn''t care at all what this damn scientist has to say!

    She may have fallen into this rat trap, but she''s going to finish this now!

    With only her bloodline arm, Ani had actually managed to greatly resist the tiny gray shard immense increase of power suppression! She could only move her bloodline arm, though, but that didn''t matter to Ani.

    She quickly reached into her pockets and brought out the scalpel.

    And a crazed expression twisted the scientist''s face. "WH-WHAT?!? How?!? No-"

    "You''re done!!" Ani interrupted the scientist''s horror shock, frantically pouring all of her power into the scalpel, making it shine a bright multi-color ray.

    The scientist fished out his own scalpel that now had gray shine mixed in with its silver aura.

    A small portion of gray energy attached to the scalpel, nearly shattering the scientist''s body in the process, but he couldn''t lose here!

    "DIE!!" The scientist flung his scalpel, making it sail through the air by the gray energy.

    "DIE!!" Ani flung her scalpel with a strand of white Light bloodline powers as well.

    But right before the two scalpels shed, Darcel''s bloodline arm began to fizzle in ck wings as his powers frantically increased.

    Darcel couldn''t do anything about the scalpels shing, so he instantly shed right next to Masami in a Darkness spark.

    Masami felt her frustration boiling over until her eyes widened at a spark of Darkness popping up in front of her.

    Darcel had suddenly appeared right in front of her, and he covered her whole body with his.

    And right then, the two scalpels violently shed against each other.

    ''BOOOOM!!''

    The ultimate sh of Ani''s multi scalpel power, the scientist scalpel power, Ani''s frantic bloodline powers, and Darcel''s fierce bloodline powers finally caused the formation underneath them to fully activate!

    ''CHI!!''

    The whole area between the scientist and the trio was drowned out in a gray aura.

    And it didn''t just stop there.

    The gray snow that gued for miles suddenly explosively increased, and right from where Darcel''s group and the scientist fought, a gray beam shot into the sky!

    The gray beam broke past the sky limit, tearing straight towards an invisible force that blocked even the most powerful cultivators on the entire Verdant Tide.

    But when the gray beam shed with the invisible force,

    ''KA-CHA!!''

    A resounding shattered boomed in the sky, covering the entire Verdant Tide!

    The gray beam easily shattered the divine barrier in the sky and drowned the whole sky in an eerie gray aura.

    And right where the gray beam wasing from, neither Darcel, Ani, Masami, or the scientist were anywhere to be seen.

    Their presence vanished entirely from the area.

 Chapter 151: Gray Omen

    Chapter 151: Gray Omen

    Two traumatic events were shocking cultivators all across the Plunged Tundra and even the whole nine Provinces!

    For specifically, in the Plunged Tundra, the several thousand kilometers region in the Icy Cloud Province.Every single bit of snow there was mysteriously turned into strange gray snow!

    It took all of mere seconds before every spot of snow in the Plunged Tundra was wholly transformed.

    And on a more global scale, the sky was shattering people''s minds.

    The gray aura covering the sky didn''t just stop expanding over Mawold Town. In a couple of seconds, the gray aura extended over the whole Plunged Tundra.

    And in the next several seconds, the gray aura clouded the sky over the whole Icy Cloud Province!

    Not only the Icy Cloud Province as well.

    From the Blessed Spirit Province, Hawk Province, Five Jewels Province, Fierce Smoking Province, New Stalwart Province, Icy Cloud Province, Shadow Snake Province, Divine Vermillion Province, and Holy Peerless Province.

    Those nine Provinces make up the whole of the Southern Silken region they upied, and the whole Southern Silken region was covered in the mysterious gray aura!

    The Southern Silken region is, at least recorded by the cultivators there, approximately a million miles long and wide!

    And yet, the gray aura covered the whole region.

    And the gray aura only kept on expanding out.

    .

    Back at Mawold Town, it was a whole state of chaos. The several thousands of people upying the town were all in total distraught over the now gray sky.

    Nobody knew just what the hell was going!

    At the same time, the sky went to a strange gray hell; the snow surrounding their town had turned mysteriously gray.

    And nobody could see the end to this gray hell. But one thing for sure, everybody in Mawold Town dreads this was some sort of disastrous omen.

    Hovering a few miles right above Mawold Town were two figures holding extraordinary powers and untouchable statuses.

    One was the beautiful Heavenly Silver Leader and Darkness Servant to Darcel, Ninu.

    And standing right next to her was a hooded robe man. The same hooded robe man that stood behind Fruna when watching Darcel''s group take on the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    Not only does this man have prowess equal to Ninu, but his status is also now equal to her.

    He was the Heavenly Leader of the Nobe''s Fang group, Heavenly Leader Lien! And this time, Heavenly Leader Lien had taken his hoodie off, exposing his handsome face.

    These two mighty figures were once arch-rivals and sometimes enemies, continually going against each other, trying to outdo the other.

    But now, they both stood side by side, staring up into the sky.

    There was a truce forming between them, and they were exchanging pleasantries. But all was interrupted when the shattering of the sky burst into their eardrums.

    Lien''s handsome face held no calmness or tranquility of a fourth level Heavenly King.

    His current expression was distraught, disbelieving, and filled with worry.

    His mouth was trembling as he was uttering out in a small voice, "This.this.this just can''t be right. Never ever in our thousands of years of living have we ever encountered something like this. No record or history scroll ever recorded something like this. I''m afraid.this is a foul no, disastrous omen."

    Intensely staring into the gray sky, Lien didn''t sense any type of energy or Qi releasing down on them. Yet, Lien couldn''t help but feel as if there was some sort of strange pressure enveloping his mind by staring into the sky.

    On Ninu''s face, her expression matched the distraught and worried expression of Heavenly Leader Lien.

    But it wasn''t for the exact same reason as Lien.

    "Indeed. The gray sky, the gray snow, it''s all beyond our realm of understanding. And there''s nothing we can feasibly do about it now." Ninu said in an almost dismissive tone causing Lien to curiously gaze over at her.

    Ninu didn''t even notice Lien''s curious gaze as her mind was going a million miles per second.

    ''Master! Master! Why can''t I fully sense you?! Please.please, you have to be alive ande back!'' All of Ninu''s thoughts chaotically swirled around like this.

    It all happened when the shattering of the sky ur that Ninu felt Darcel''s Darkness Soul link fall into turmoil.

    It wasn''t like his Darkness Soul link had any intentions of disappearing from her soul''s core center as it was solidified entirely there. However, it had uncontrobly pulsated like it couldn''t sense its Master anymore.

    All before, Ninu could always sense her Master no matter how far she went because of the Darkness Soul link. But now, she senses nothing from him.

    It was like he was erased from existence!

    While Ninu may have had her brain hardwired into obeying only Darcel, she still had her old memories and personality in her.

    But in all honesty, Ninu just loved every aspect of Yin Pleasure.

    Her once dull, cold life only filled with loneliness was now reced by the pleasure, warmth, and blissfulness of Yin Pleasure. It honestly helped Ninu enjoy living life as there wasn''t a single moment where Yin Pleasure ever hurt her or torture her.

    Their initial meeting may have gotten off on a very rough foot. But Ninu could genuinely, even without her soul''s core center influencing her, that she would not change bing Darcel''s Darkness servant.

    It also immensely helped that Darcel wasn''t a cruel or savage master despite his brutal killings.

    He only ordered her to do the simplest of tasks and never even tried toy his hand on her body.

    The only saving grace Ninu had was the fact she knows if Darcel were to truly die, then his Darkness Soul link will vanish.

    But this small assurance didn''t lessen Ninu''s worries at all.

    As Lien stared into Ninu''s beautiful worried face, he was a bit confused. Most obviously, he could tell she was more concerned about something else than this world breaking phenomenon.

    The distraught in her eyes, Lien recognized it as distraught over worrying for another person.

    Lien wanted to ask if it was about that boy she calls Master. But he held his tongue, knowing it could potentially set her off.

    In all honesty, it was quite mind breaking to see the once cold and ruthless Ninu turn into like a woman with budding feelings.

    Lien wasn''t sure if he could just attest these feelings to Stockholm syndrome.

    When Ninu had reached out to him for an alliance meeting, he should''ve been more shocked. Yet, in the back of his mind, he was guessing it woulde to this after some words of a close rtive of his.

    And all throughout their meeting before they were interrupted, Ninu was actually pleasant to talk to. There was no air of arrogance or disdain in her words or stature.

    She only talked to him with a beautiful small smile gracing her lips and in a soft slight sultry tone of voice.

    And whenever Lien would bring her ''master'' as a reference, her expression would immediately shift into something akin to a beautiful woman holding genuine feelings for her crush.

    Whatever it was brainwashing, or she honestly like her'' master,'' Lien couldn''t tell for sure.

    There was only one thing he could say for sure. The air, previously the air was far more vibrant and pure than the lower-ranked provinces.

    But there was still a muddle dirt quality about it that made it far inferior to the air swirling around higher-ranked provinces.

    But now.Lien could feel, sense, and smell the air suddenly became a lot better to breathe in.

    .

    At Necrotic City, inside the Zakira Academy, Vice Principal Zelle and Principal Zakira were isted from everyone.

    They were in Principal Zakira''s office, looking out the window there and peering into the gray sky.

    Unexpectedly, like every other province, their whole city was in an uproar about the sky shattering. And for being the lowest of ranked provinces, cultivators here immediately thought something like doomsday wasing for their world.

    That kind of distraught happened inside their Zakira Academy, but luckily, they could at least contain the panic.

    Though, no matter how many staff or teachers they have, nobody could alleviate the bad omen they felt when looking into the gray sky.

    "Haaah.it still hasn''t cleared up. Zakira, has it gotten any better for you?'' Vice Principal Zelle briefly took her attention from the sky and stared at Principal Zakira.

    Immense worry was ster on Vice Principal Zelle''s face for a plethora of reasons.

    And one of them was for Principal Zakira''s abrupt change in appearance. More specifically, the drastic change in her eyes.

    Now, purple energy was chaotically bursting out of her eyes nonstop. Ever since the gray sky appeared, Principal Zakira''s soul couldn''t stop chaotically surging her power, causing her eyes to go in an uproar.

    And towards Vice-Principal Zelle''s concerns, Principal Zakira could only shake her head. "I don''t know-I-I can''t tell. Just-it''s just. Darcel and Ani. They have changed everything."

    "Wha-what?!? After all this time, now you mention them?! What do you mean?? What''s going on? Are-are they ok?!"

    Vice Principal Zelle''s worries instantly shot up as this was another issue always bearing on her mind.

    For weeks now, Principal Zakira would barely give her any update on the duo.

    And Vice Principal Zakira still couldn''t get those kids out of her head no matter what. She just felt an instinctual need to protect them. And now, these new worries caused her doubts to chaotically boom.

    Principal Zakira simply put her hand up to silence Vice-Principal Zelle.

    She began rubbing her temples, stuttering out, "It''s-it''s-I don''t know. The air has gotten better. But I can''t sense it. No Heavenly Kings can sense it. But all Grand Sages and above will know.the sky has broken."

    Vice Principal Zelle felt her fist clench on instinct. That terrible omen she was trying to push out of her mind came back at full force with Principal Zakira''s ominous words.

    "At least.at least can you confirm that they''re still alive?" Vice Principal Zelle could only hope about this now.

    She knows if Principal Zakira can''t sense them anymore, then they''ll truly be in the dark about Darcel and Ani''s statuses.

    Principal Zakira paused for a moment. The purple energy chaotically swirling in her eyes went dead still for one silent moment.

    Immediately after, Principal Zakira calmly said,

    "My crystal orb, my soul, my foresight. Nothing can sense either of their presence anymore. But.you know, and I know, Darcel and Ani, they will survive no matter what."

    Vice Principal Zelle wanted to say those words inspired her with hope. But, she could only feel her hands clench tighter.

    Sighing in her mind, Vice Principal Zelle hoped that the inevitable meeting Principal Zakira had once talked about will stille true.

    .

    Inside the independent space, no cultivators know about in the Asylum of Mysteries, one lone beautiful translucent girl had a small smile on her face.

    Inside her hand was a small silver core that was pulsating like it was alive.

    If Darcel and Ani were to see this silver core, they would''ve recognized it as the one those vile creatures and the disgusting man had with them!

    And of course, this beautiful translucent girl was the one and only Sariel!

    ''Hmmm.big brother was right. Higher realm travelers are dangerous! Because of him, I can no longer sense those two! But as well, specifically because of those two, a new age will fall for our world. Just.this all should''ve been impossible! Unless.Ah! Hehehe~!! I can''t wait for our next meeting, little boy and little girl!''

    The small smile Sariel had only grown wider with each passing thought. And her smile seemed pure, unaffected by the taint of mortals.

    Although.her thoughts didn''t quite match that unfiltered pureness.

 Chapter 152: Shifting Reactions

    Chapter 152: Shifting Reactions

    It was inside an expansive, luxurious room that cultivators alike would actually be grateful enough to have a chance to visit.

    The room was gloriously designed, filled with breathtaking imagery meant to awe any personing here.

    The room was coated in a beautiful crystal blue paint that seemed to shine to life. There wererge finely crafted ice sculptures of the legendary divine beast, the nine tails fox, ced throughout the room.

    By just one look, anyone can tell the grandeur of the legendary divine beast through the beauty of the ice sculptures. It forces minds alike to look at its perfect beauty and pay their full attention to it.

    And to top it off, there are three legendary figures huddled around arge window of the room, entuating the nobility of the room even more.

    It was two women and one man there, and each of them carried the weight and power to move continents of people.

    The extraordinary man there was a devilishly handsome one, having the captivating appearance to swoon the hearts of women. His noble-looking face just oozes with charm enough to make people submit to his will.

    His body was perfectly lean and fit, showcasing a stature that was always ready for action at a moment''s notice. Donning on his lean body was a gorgeous shiny blue robe.

    The blue robe had the design of the legendary divine beast, the nine tail fox, artistically crafted on to it.

    But the most remarkable aspect of the man was the two blue fox ears sticking out from the top of his beautiful blue hair. And elegantly swirling from the waist of the man was five foxtails!

    As for the woman, she was the definition of celestial beauty.

    And if Darcel and Ani were to ever meet this woman, they would see she was the spitting image of Masami!

    Only this woman had a more mature beauty vibe that amplified her holy presence. Her crystal blue eyes shimmered with alluring divinity that made it nearly impossible to not get lost in.

    She had a bombastic body with tremendouslyrge twin peaks protruding from her chest and a bewitchingrge curvaceous behind. She also wore the same shiny blue robe as the handsome man.

    And just like the man, the woman also possessed two fox ears and five foxtails.

    This magnificent pair of fox-like humans were actually the parents of Masami!

    The man was one of the three leaders of the Ice Nine tails sect.

    Kitsui faction leader Ryoka Kitsui!

    While the woman was his majestic wife and a tremendous powerhouse in her own right, Mika Kitsui!

    And beside them, then there was the only hooded robe woman in the room. Because her hoodie fully cover her face and the robe covered her body, it was hard to tell her real appearance.

    But out from her waist, the hooded robe woman had six tails swirling from there!

    She was the immensely respected grandmother of Masami, Nomiya Kitsui.

    These three were beings that stood over most cultivators in their Province. There wasn''t a single Heavenly King that wouldn''t bow in their presence.

    All because they all were legendary Grand Sages!

    The mystical realm that exists above Heavenly King and what so many ordinary geniuses pines to achieve.

    Although, despite the lofty status each of them wields, none of them held the bearing of a mighty Grand Sage currently.

    Ryoka''s expression was heavily distraught; his face was scrunched up in frustration and annoyance as he talked to his wife.

    "First the damn gray sky. Then the whole damn snow turned gray. Then the divine barrier getting utterly shattered. And now, none of us can''t track that troublesome girl anywhere! Fucking dammit!"

    The fiery rage-filled tone of Ryota didn''t affect Mika at all. Even for the Elders of their sect, nobody wants to be in Ryota when he''s roaring.

    But Mika only felt the fires of her rage build up as her crystal blue eyes bore a hole in Ryota''s face.

    "Oh, don''t you dare act like everything here isn''t your own damn fault! You know why our daughter is missing? Because of you!"

    Ryota''s blue eyes ze with rage, ring hotly into his wife''s face. "Bullshit! Don''t act like you''re some sort of kind saint! My ass you are! You know damn well you have some me for all of this!"

    Mika merely snorted at his usation.

    "Oh please, save it. You''re always the one enabling our other children to glorify their bad aspects. I''m far tamerpared to you."

    Ryota didn''t immediately respond. He instead opted to subtly increase the pressure of his Heavenly Sage aura on to Mika.

    However, Mika merely clicked her tongue as she intensified her Heavenly Sage aura to match Ryota head-on.

    The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. But before Ryota could speak again,

    "Enough! This unbelievable fiery side of our family is exactly why we''re ranked the lowest! The ming game will get us nowhere. And in any case, I''m the one to me since I helped her in leaving. Now, quiet down so I can finish assessing the situation."

    Nomiya had finally spoken up without even ring her Heavenly Sage aura. And yet, both Ryota and Mika dispersed their Heavenly Sage aura at the same time.

    Although their faces still kept up the fierce res aimed at each other.

    After a few seconds of tense silence, Mika was the one to break off the re. She looked over to Nomiya with a more subdued look and respect swirling in her eyes.

    "Grandmom Sage.please. Can you at least confirm she''s alive?"

    Nomiya nces up at Mika. There were no visible changes to her mood or expressions as she told them, "I don''t know. With the divine barrier broken, it''s hard to sense out far. Even with my special Sage Spirit Sense, I''m having immense difficulty. The Qi all around us is rapidly changing by the second. We''re going to need to work with Sage Ancestor."

    "Tch! Goddammit, I can''t believe we have to call on those old fogeys. No matter, hopefully, they can shed light on where that girl is." Ryota grumbled out, already feeling a headacheing on.

    Mika, too felt the same displeasure about the uing meeting. But she didn''t let it show on her face, knowing it''s useless toin.

    Nomiya didn''t care about their displeasure and already turned to go off to their great Sage Ancestor.

    .

    High and deep into the gray sky, beyond the limits of what average cultivators can peer into.

    Three powerful figures were floating right in the middle of the sky.

    The three were all men, and one of them donned a luxuriously looking red robe that smoothly fit his slim soft body.

    The second man wore a gorgeous, gentle green color robe that had the same captivating charm of staring into the tranquility of nature.

    And thest man wore the most extravagant looking robe. He wore a bright silver one that radiated his grand imposing presence.

    Around all three of the men''s necks was the hide of a silver jaguar, also showcasing the exotic taste they have in clothing.

    If these men were to go anywhere throughout the Nine Provinces, they would cause utter silence and immediate submission.

    They were what even Grand Sages refer to as the Masters of the World.

    "To think.there would actually be a day where the divine barrier is no more. Even now, I can just feel the Qi atmosphere rising in power and quality. This will be good and bad for all of us." The green robe man was expressing his thoughts out loud.

    And it was a simr sentiment shared with the red robe man as he nodded his head. "Indeed. Now, with no limits, who knows what kind of power those Demigod Kingdoms can gain. And that''s not even discussing the inevitable rise of numerous divine geniuses. We.may need to speed things up."

    The silver robe man didn''t immediately talk. His eyes closed for a brief moment and then quickly opened back up the next.

    A clear path formed in his mind as he told the other two men,"We will closely monitor the situation for now. Even with this violent shift of energy, nothing can happen immediately overnight. But, we indeed will need to quickly capitalize on this chance before everything bes haywire."

    The red robe man began to confusingly scratch his head. So many varying thoughts were swirling in his mind all at once.

    "Still, it''s all just so confusing. Our great Ancestors walked this world during the ancient era. Yet, it was always recorded that the divine barrier should be impossible to shatter. Not even the collective of the most powerful Demigods could shatter it. I pray this is a new era for our world than a disaster."

    The silver robe man had the calmest reaction throughout the whole dramatic shift of events. Even now, he kept his gaze neutral, only saying,

    "Maybe.just maybe it''s a bit of both."

    .

    On a remote ind surrounded by the endless clear blue ocean from away from any kind of normal civilization, the stench of death was prevalent there.

    Dried blood stained the entire ind, and there were skeletal corpses of once-thriving Spirit Monsters and even humans.

    There was only one figure left alive on this ind. And they were at the edge of the ind, peering up into the gray sky.

    Thest person alive was a woman with a peculiar appearance.

    This woman wouldn''t fit the bill for any kind of traditional or even average looks. Her face had long protruding ugly scars carved onto it, providing her with an already menacing stature.

    She had long yellow hair that was messy and unkempt. Her hair was filled with dirt, grime, sand, and spots of dried up blood.

    And she only wore one long ripped white shirt that covered her skinny body. From the ripped spots of her long white shirt, one can spot even more gruesome scars carved into her body.

    To anyone else, this woman would look like some kind of deranged demon.

    But, if Darcel and Ani were to take one look at this woman, they would instantly recognize her.

    She was the yellow-eyed woman!

    The very same woman that sent them on their journey!

    The yellow-eyed woman didn''t have any sense of time. She couldn''t tell just how long she''s been staring into the gray sky. In her trance-like state, only one thought kept on continually reying in her mind,

    ''Darcel.Ani.Darcel.Ani.alive. I.I must find them now!!''

    In the depths of the woman''s yellow eyes, a yellow spark of energy was slowly rising, preparing to unleash to the world.

 Chapter 153: Agony Awakening

    Chapter 153: Agony Awakening

    "Uuugh.shit. That at-argh! My head." Groans of agony and anguish uttered out from Darcel as his consciousness came back to him.

    But he wished he was still knocked out now.

    The pain he was going through wasn''t anything like he experienced before. An equal agonizing soreness spread in his body and soul, making it difficult to just stay up.

    It felt like his head was split open, and someone had violently shifted all of his organs.

    In a vain attempt to counteract the pain, Darcel tried to muster up any semnce of Spirit Qi.

    However, more dread filled his mind as he barely had any Spirit Qi running inside him now. The only thing Darcel could do was wait and hope for the agonizing pain to clear up a bit.

    Lying still on some hard cold surface, Darcel''s mind began to drift.

    As his senses slowly came back to him, he quickly realized theck of two distinct scents that was always by his side.

    ''Ani.Masami!'' The thought of the girls somehow filled Darcel with a bit of life.

    Burning pain aze his body, but Darcel still struggled to move. His eyes began to squirm, and after minutes of struggling, he could just barely open them.

    "Tsk.tsk.tsk."

    "Hey.hey."

    It was very faint whispers that slinked into Darcel''s ears. While he was slowly opening his eyes, these soft whispers abruptly began to slither into Darcel''s ears.

    Darcel couldn''t identify the gender of the voice nor even tell where it wasing from. But he pushed those whispers down in his mind temporarily as his eyes cracked open.

    ''Wh-what the?''

    Darcel already felt a small panic in his mind at the first image he saw whening to. As his eyes open wider and wider, Darcel fully identifies what he saw as that same damn gray energy!

    The gray energy that destroyed him and forcefully transported him to wherever this ce was. Just seeing that gray energy-filled Darcel with a sense of failure and anger.

    Failure for getting caught in the energy and anger at the Scientist for causing this whole mess, but muddling over these thoughts won''t get him anywhere.

    So Darcel attempted to move his body only to feel acute pain assault his senses. Just trying to move a little bit, felt like he was moving the fractured bones in his body.

    ''Not even when I got chased by that red creature did I feel so much like total crap.'' Darcel wearily thought, but he still pushed on.

    After a couple of minutes of groggily moving his body, Darcel had managed to sit up.

    Sitting upright, now even more confusion swirled in Darcel''s mind.

    His eyes gazed up at the ceiling, and it was a gray rocky cave roof. Numerous gray stctites dangled from the roof. Some form of a liquidity gray substance dripped from the stctites'' tips.

    "Where the hell.wait. Ani! Masami!" Darcel forced himself to shout.

    But he received zero response.

    Theck of response forced Darcel to quickly sober back up.

    His vision became more transparent, and Darcel''s eyes searched around the cave-like ce he was in.

    From in front of him, there was that eerie gray energy. And all around him was the structure of some ordinary cave. Although everything here was in the same gray color.

    But, barring the samey design here, Darcel''s eyes got more desperate while searching around.

    Ani and Masami were nowhere to be seen!

    Immediately, Darcel tried to spread out his Spirit Sense.

    "Ah!"

    But he instantly stopped when his migraine only worsened when using his Spirit Sense.

    A severe sense of depression and loss rocked Darcel like a mountain.

    Not having either girl at his side was something that hurt Darcel the most more than any physical pain. Always, no matter what situation they encounter, Darcel always expects Ani to be right by his side.

    And with his new rtionship with Masami, he had always expected the same would go for her.

    But now, all alone, in some dank gray cave, Darcel was feeling an emotion he rarely felt ever in his life.

    The gripping emotion of fear.

    Because of theirst battle, Darcel could only rely on his Darkness Soul link to try and vaguely tell if the girls were alive. But in his state, everything was too muddle and confusing to rely on his Darkness Soul link.

    What stung the worst was the fact that if they would''ve handled that fight differently, then this unknown situation wouldn''t have happened.

    With the abundance of talisman and the Elusive Feather Spirit Artifact''s broken abilities, they could''ve efficiently won that battle without getting blindsided.

    The shame of failure didn''t sit well at all with Darcel.

    So to distract himself, he slowly turned his head backward as he did feel one other familiar presence with him in here.

    A familiar presence that he didn''t want to see at all. Just mere feet away from Darcel, slouched against arge gray boulder, was the bloody and battered Scientist.

    When he had turned around, Darcel''s hatred filled eyes met with indifferent ones of the Scientist.

    "Come.Come.Come now!"

    The whisperings Darcel had heard before wasing back at a greater volume suddenly. A maic pull almost made Darcel turn around his attention to the gray energy.

    But Darcel couldn''t just let this rat scientist go. Another emotion he barely felt surged up inside him. A genuine hatred crossed his eyes, staring into the hazy, unfocused eyes of the Scientist.

    "You.argh!" Darcel coughed up a batch of blood while groggily standing to his feet. His legs felt like it was shattered all over while standing on them.

    And at this point, Darcel was seriously wondering how he could even stand at all.

    And for that matter, looking at the dried up blood on his clothes, Darcel wondered how he even managed to wake back up.

    The only way to ease the pain was already shattered before Darcel''s eyes. Darcel had trailed his eyes over to his spatial ring and saw it was utterly cracked and broken!

    Topletely crack a spatial ring actually requires far more power than one would even expect.

    All spatial rings that are worn have unique soul defenses properties that get empowered by wearer souls. And unless one is proficient enough in soul attacks, it''s exceedingly difficult to crack a spatial ring.

    But, that damn gray energy somehow did. With a crack spatial ring, the measly bit of Qi left in Darcel is now utterly useless.

    It didn''t matter how much energy he poured in now; the spatial ring won''t open up now.

    Everything, down to his talisman, weapons, resources, and healing items, was all rendered entirely useless to the current Darcel.

    Even more rage to the rat scientist filled Darcel''s bones.

    His fierce gaze snapped back to the Scientist, and Darcel began to hobble over to him. "You.just what the fuck did you do?! And.and where are the girls?"

    As Darcel slowly approached the broken Scientist, he finally showed a different expression on his face. Through the blood, the Scientist''s lips curled up into a terrifying smirk.

    He didn''t care in the slightest about Darcel''s hatred. In fact, he was almost revealing in everything that just transpired.

    "Who knows where the girls are? Maybe the-"

    The Scientist went dead silent. As he talked, Darcel''s expression contorted into something that even he didn''t know what to call it.

    It was a frightening look, something that looked like it was born from the depths of hell.

    During his time at the Parasol Organization, the Scientist for sure encountered many horrendously chilling experiments. There was horrifying human turned monsters there that would give any average cultivators nightmares for years.

    And yet..the Scientist felt none of that could match up with Darcel''s expression. If he were to even finish implying those girls are dead, the Scientist could tell then he''ll experience a real hell.

    Losing his wit, the Scientist didn''t bother with his original statement.

    He quickly said then, "You should know that you''re actually truly special for me to end up with you. Don''t know about your girls, but you''re the prime reason why we''re here."

    Now that got Darcel to pause for a moment. If there''s one thing he recalls from that cruel Parasol Organization was that all of the Doctors and Scientist there regrly go against themon grain.

    Anything they research isn''t normal, and rarely would they call an experiment special, no matter how out of this world it was.

    With a rising curiosity, Darcel couldn''t squash; he simply said, "Continue to exin."

    "Heh.continue to exin what? In just a short amount of time, I will die. I severely underestimated everything, which led to my untimely downfall. I''ll leave you with this though, you have no other options but to go through the gray energy. I mean.you hear whispers, right?"

    Darcel froze entirely then.

    For every slow step he took up to the Scientist, those low whispers indeed haven''t stopped at all. In fact, the longer he stays conscious, the stronger the pull he feels to go towards the gray energy.

    Darcel tried to calm his mind and run through the possibility of why any of this is happening. But, no matter the train of thought, nothing about this situation just made any lick of sense.

    With onest thought, Darcel asked the Scientist, "You, you sure did throw away everything for this. A crafty rat like you would never take such unnecessary risks like this because of this kind of situation. This.is this a treasure from the Realm of The Gods?"

    The Realm of The Gods.

    Even just hearing the name would cause a visceral reaction in any Mortal realm cultivators.

    But for the Scientist, his smirk didn''t change. It even grew a bit disdaining at Darcel''s bold im.

    "Re-realm of The Gods? Heh.don''t think so narrow-minded. This.this right here.is something beyond. But.no matter how special.you are.you will die without my help."

    The Scientist managed to squeeze out of his final breath. And then, utter silence. The Scientist went utterly limp, bing a bloody corpse right before Darcel''s eyes.

    Darcel seriously thought about what the Scientist said.

    He barely has any knowledge about the Realm of The Gods and only heard it in passing from the special Scientist and Doctors at the Parasol Organization.

    But what he had heard, he came to the conclusion that whatever that ce was, it''s something far beyond the understanding of Mortal Realm cultivators.

    Not even for all the high and mighty arrogance those Scientists and Doctors had would they look down on the Realm of The Gods.

    Yet.he was just told he was thinking too small about whatever this gray energy was.

    And he was also told he would die if he went through it, but simultaneously the Scientist contradicted himself, saying he has to go through it.

    However, as Darcel nced his eyes around the gray cave, he noticed he was literally trapped here. The cave wasn''trge at all, and there wasn''t any exit in sight unless Darcel made one.

    The problem with that being, Darcel couldn''t gather Qi strong enough for that, his body was broken, and his spatial ring was cracked.

    Plus, he had no way to regenerate from his injury or regenerate his Qi in a timely manner.

    If he does nothing, Darcel knows he will just die a slow and painful death. So had finally turned his full attention to the gray energy.

    The whispering got louder, and the maic pull was intense.

    ''Haaah.I have no other options.'' Darcel resigned himself and gathered his courage. Slowly, Darcel weary hobbled over to the gray, with the intent of making it out alive.

 Chapter 154: Only Option

    Chapter 154: Only Option

    During the exact same time, Darcel awakened in the gray cave, a simr situation was urring with Ani.

    She was in the same gray cave structure as Darcel, even going so far as to have the same gray energy swirling in front of her.

    But the difference with her was that Ani was all alone. Ani was currently slumped against a gray boulder, her eyes wearily staring at the gray energy in front of her.

    ''Darcy.little fox.I can''t believe we all got separated.'' These depressing thoughts nestle in Ani''s mind like a hurricane.

    Andbined with the bloody, battered, and broken state of her body, it truly made for the worst situation she ever been in.

    Just like Darcel, Ani''s spatial ring was cracked, rendering it utterly useless to the current her. Her Qi reserve was nearly depleted, and she wouldn''t be able to regenerate any bit of Qi.

    Also, like Darcel, Ani was hearing faint whispers slithered into her ears.

    Whispers such as, ''Come.you cane.'' or ''You muste.''.

    Although, unlike Darcel, her whisperings didn''t get as intense or as loud as his.

    But, Ani couldn''t really pay attention to those whisperings. Slouched against the gray boulder, staring into the gray energy, a heavy mncholy feeling was enrapturing Ani.

    For her childhood, there weren''t a lot of things she could remember. Trying to dig deep into her past, Ani would feel as if there was some sort of block in her mind preventing her from remembering.

    But, there was one memory that always stuck with her since childhood.

    Her first meeting with her beloved Darcel. The snarky, indifferent boy that was her beacon of light in the cruel Parasol Organization.

    Even as the Parasol Organization was a terrifyingly suffocating ce, Ani could genuinely say she wasn''t alone there.

    Through every cruel experiment, unbearable torture on patients, and the mental scarring, Darcel was always right by her side.

    Even before they got into a rtionship and Darcel began to change, he would always be there for emotional support for her so they both could get through the terrible times.

    And then, when they finally left that damning Organization, she and Darcel eventually met Masami.

    The only girl Ani can honestly say she has romantic feelings for, just like Darcel.

    Obviously, their connection is far shorter than the one she has with Darcel. But Ani genuinely felt like Masamipleted a part of her soul. An innate soul connection isn''t just sweet and flowery words.

    It was a bond that let Ani understand Masami and really go deep with their rtionship.

    Even with that short and brief kiss she shared with Masami, Ani genuinely wanted to explore more of Masami''s mouth and body, showering her with her feelings.

    But now.Ani felt her fist clench on instinct.

    She was all alone; two sides of her soul that she was attached to was forcefully stripped away from her.

    And Ani didn''t want to be alone; she wasn''t content to just sit here like a sack of potatoes. She knows perhaps things would''ve gone differently if they didn''t rush into that fight.

    But like how Ani learned early on in life, there was no use in dwelling on negative feelings. She can only improve and get better from here.

    And the first step was to get out of this cave and find her team!

    Ani''s eyes had already gazed around the cave, and she saw there weren''t any exits. The only choice she had was to take a gander and go through the strange gray energy that got her here.

    Realizing this, Ani calmed her body. She took a deep breath and let her body rest. For a few minutes, Ani stayed still, waiting for at least a bit of the pain to die down.

    When Ani finally felt the pain was bearable enough to stand, she slowly stood to her feet.

    ''Ah! Sheesh! There''s pain.but this-this is just terrible.'' Aniined to herself as acute pain ran through her legs while merely standing up.

    It was at times like this, Ani actually marveled at the extraordinary tenacity of a cultivator''s body.

    Or, more specifically, the tenacity of her body and soul.

    Ani was sure any other cultivators, even if they were in the Innate Core realm, would''ve already passed out from these injuries.

    Although, Ani wondered how she was able to bear with these terrible injuries. But since she''s up, Ani wasn''t going to waste time thinking heavily on that.

    Ani had then wearily hobbled over to the gray energy.

    The whisperings stayed at the same faint volume for her, and one thought nestled deep in her mind,

    ''Darcel, Masami.I will find you two!''

    .

    Once again, in the same gray cave yet in an entirely different location, Masami leaned against a gray rock while clutching her bloody chest.

    In front of her was the same gray energy both Darcel and Ani saw.

    And this whole situation was filling her with a tremendous sense of drought. Her body was ring in immense pain, her spatial ring was cracked, and her mind was in chaos.

    Masami couldn''t even focus on why she got here, the mistakes that led her here, or anything like that. Her mind was just filled with the depressing loneliness of being separated from Darcel and Ani.

    Masami wasn''t a girl who''s not used to loneliness. She''s been ustomed to being alone and isted from childhood until now.

    And during her previous alone times, Masami never felt like she needed to make friends or improve her rtionships.

    She even preferred being alone as she didn''t have to deal with all the trouble of interacting with people.

    But all of those thoughts immediately changed now that she''s away from Darcel and Ani.

    Not having them by her side was truly showing Masami just how deeply attached she is to them. Their lovely beautiful faces, their sweet, charming voices, she wanted them back already.

    The most frustrating and cruel part of this was how Masami couldn''t even tell if Darce or Ani even made it out alive. In the battered state of her body, trying to sense her Darkness Soul link left her too muddle and confused.

    ''Tch.and it was because of that.no.this fall into our hands.'' Masami wanted to put all of the me on the rat scientist, but she couldn''t delude herself in that.

    She knows if they just would''ve handled that battle a bit differently, then they would''ve been back at their room enjoying their sweet quality times.

    Masami quietly sighed to herself, and her eyes had then focused on the gray energy.

    It was faint, very faint, but Masami''s ears could still pick up on some whisperings. She managed to make out the whispers as telling her toe over ande now.

    Masami already knows there''s no escape besides the gray energy in her current state.

    But right when she was about to try and stand up. A memory from her past suddenly and vividly popped into her mind.

    The image of her mysterious grandma came into her mind as she recalled one strange conversation her grandma decided to mention to her.

    Her grandma told her, ''Little Masami, you know the mysterious myth of the infinite power source in our Plunged Tundra, hm? Well, what if I told you that myth isn''t so mysterious as what everyone thought.''

    Masami remembers she was quite a bit confused since that myth has been passed down for generations; she recalled asking her grandma,

    ''What do you mean, Grandma Sage? Is everything that recorded just a lie then?''

    ''Not necessarily. This is a secret, so you have to keep this between us. But there indeed was a time when the strongest cultivators on the entire actually gathered in the Plunged Tundra and attempted to look for the infinite power source. Their results? Well, they all reportedly sensed it, but none of them could break some sort of invisible barrier. Even with the powers of the invincible Demigods, none of them could get through. But, nobody knows about this story.''

    Numerous questions ran through Masami''s mind at that time. She blurted them out one by one, asking her, ''Eh-eh? Then how do you know Grandma? Were you a part of that group? And why are you telling me this?''

    Masami remembered her grandma didn''t even respond to any of her questions. She only saw a sh of blue spark from under her hoodie, and her grandma put her hand on her head.

    ''Who knows why I''m telling you this.maybe you''ll find out. Or maybe you won''t. Just keep this information in mind.''

    And that was as much information Masami got from her.

    Masami always knew her grandma''s knowledge and wisdom far surpassed anybody she ever interacted with. Not even her mother or her father''s wisdom or knowledge matches up to her.

    But that talk just came so out of the blue. Masami didn''t even remember bringing anything up to prompt that talk.

    Though, when her grandma put her hand on her head, Masami did feel subtle warm energy ran through her before quickly disappearing.

    And now, in this dank gray cave, that memory mysteriously resurfaces in her head without any warning. ''Grandma.can this truly be what she was referring to? But.ah whatever. Grandma is too mysterious and wise for her own good. I can''t make any head or tails about this. Only one option left really.''

    Masami shook her head, clearing her thoughts and focusing her mind.

    Enough time has passed thanks to that sudden memory resurgence where Masami felt the pain was at least bearable enough.

    Slowly, she shakily stood up while leaning on the gray boulder behind her.

    ''Nnngh.'' Masami inhaled a sharp pain of breath when standing on her feet. It was agony, but Masami knew she had to suck it up.

    Focusing her mind, Masami began to groggily stride forth towards the gray energy, her thoughts repeating the same line.

    ''No matter what this is, I won''t let it get in my way. I just found blossoming love, no way in hell I''ll just submit to fate and die!''

    .

    Chills shivered up Darcel''s spine as he stood in a new space.

    After passing through the gray energy, Darcel was taken to an entirely gray space where there was nothing but him here.

    There wasn''t any semnce of temperature here. Yet Darcel felt cold death chills just standing here.

    Darcel could admit it; it was genuinely frightening to be here.

    But once realizing he felt a bit of fear, Darcel calmed himself. He took a deep breath, letting the tension in his body rx.

    Though he still felt agony in his body, he''ll at least have a calm state of mind for anythinging up.

    And it was then an unidentifiable voice slithered into Darcel''s ears. "To be calm so quickly. And hold that in you. Really, anything is possible in the universe. Child. I have a question for you."

 Chapter 155: Cruel Choices

    Chapter 155: Cruel Choices

    Darcel snapped his head around like clockwork.

    The voice that slinked into his ears had a special ethereal feeling about it,parable to the ethereal voice he used to hear when his bloodline manifested to a new level.

    And what Darcel''s eyes saw truly did match the unidentifiable, ethereal voice.

    Hovering just a few feet above him was a mysterious figure inrge gray robes.

    If it wasn''t for two shiny green dots that peered out of the figure hoodie, Darcel would''ve thought this was some kind of ghost. He couldn''t spot any body like featureing out of the gray robes.

    There was only the eerie gray energy swirling out from where the figure''s hands and legs should be.

    This hollow like figure was a bit creepy, in all honesty.

    Furthermore,pared to the room, this gray robe figure exudes a far more deadly chilling vibe.

    Darcel felt as if with just one wrong move, this gray robe figure can erase him from this very existence. Even if Darcel was at his full power along with the girls, he still felt as if this figure could erase them with ease.

    This certainly isn''t the first time Darcel had encountered a being massively stronger than him.

    But this figure left a far more deep impression despite not ring out any semnce of power.

    Still, since the gray robe figure was addressing him, Darcel assumed this could potentially lead to something good.

    Darcel calmed his mind again and asked the gray robe figure in an even tone, "What question do you have for me?"

    "Why do you desire power?"

    When the gray robe figure asked the question, Darcel assumed those two green dots he could spot in its hoodie were its eyes as the green dots shimmered a bit.

    Darcel took notice of that oddity, guessing this is some sort of spiritual entity. But Darcel didn''t forget to answer, telling the gray robe figure,

    "So I can protect Ani and Masami. Live out and experience the full joys of my Yin Pleasure powers. And enjoy the thrill of a good battle."

    Darcel''s mind arranged that answer in the order that it came to his head. From the crucial importance of protecting his girls and to the least of simply thriving in battle.

    Though Darcel can absolutely be counted as a genius. He didn''t care to be counted as one. Unlike most geniuses, now Darcel doesn''t feel that much thrive in battle.

    Of course, the excitement of fighting will always be there.

    Butpared to his Yin Pleasure abilities or simply hanging out with his cute little girlfriends, Darcel was inclined to do the two former a lot more often.

    Merely basking in their soft bodies and tender feelings was an absolute treat fighting couldn''t offer.

    "Do you value your power?" The gray robe figure asked next.

    Darcel paused for a moment, wondering where this line of question will lead to.

    Still, he answered almost instantly with, "Of course I value my power. Without it, I wouldn''t be here today or enjoy my life as much as I have."

    Darcel spotted the gray robe figures'' glowing green eyes lit up more then.

    "Do you love Ani and Masami?"

    "Yes," Darcel answered back, not even a half-second sooner. He didn''t register at all that somehow, this figure knew of the girls. That question just made his mind react on instinct.

    His voice was resolute, showing no hint of any doubts or uncertainty.

    In Darcel''s heart, he already loves Ani. But being separated also made Darcel realize he doesn''t just have great feelings for Masami; he''s genuinelying to love her.

    Down to her fierce disposition, her cute innocence, and overall fiery determination, Darcel could say he fully loved those aspects about her. Genuinely, Darcel needed Masami in his life.

    Thinking about this question also made Darcel realize he should just say ''I love you'' more often to the girls.

    As he recalls, he only said ''I love you'' to Ani one time, and that was during their first time. Even if the girls won''t think it''s necessary, Darcel decided he''ll take the time to do it.

    The gray robe figure''s green eyes suddenly brightly sparked then.

    It raised its right gray robe sleeve, and oddly enough, Darcel heard a finger snaping from the sleeve.

    Immediately, Darcel became absolutely gobsmacked.

    When the gray figure supposedly snapped its hand, Ani and Masami popped right into existence! The girls floated right before the gray robe figure, showcasing longing and loving expressions to Darcel.

    "Ah-Ah?! Ani! Masami-Nngh?!" To Darcel, this actually was Ani and Masami!

    There literally wasn''t a single bit of difference on their beautiful face nor their expressions.

    It''s why Darcel wanted to rush up to them, but he couldn''t. His body was entirely locked by some sort of energy.

    Now, all cautious pretenses were thrown out of the window.

    Whether this was real or fake, Darcel absolutely loathed anyone using his girls like this. Without an ounce of fear, Darcel''s expressions contorted into a wild savage one.

    His eyes bore a hole into a gray figure''s green eyes. "What the hell is this?! Do you want to fuck with me?!"

    Though Darcel barely had any Qi to use, he felt his soul chaotically churn while his rage explosively increased. A Darkness glow slowly swirled in the depths of his pupils.

    Watching Darcel''s rage-filled outburst, the replicas? Ani and Masami''s expressions quickly shifted to one of immense worry.

    Their bodies began to slowly tense up as if they were trying to move. Yet neither of them could speak.

    The gray robe figure didn''t have any reaction to Darcel''s outburst. But it did find the girl''s response highly unusual. Furthermore, its green eyes did squint a bit, noticing the Darkness glow in Darcel''s eyes.

    Still, the gray figure ignored all the oddities and calmly asked the raging boy, "You have only one option. Either pick Ani to tremendously increase your bloodline powers. Or pick Masami to have perfectprehension over the Element of Fire and gain a Monster bloodline. Either or you pick, one girl will die."

    Darcel felt his body stiffen despite being locked by energy.

    The thought of ever letting either one of the girls didn''t register in his mind at all. It was impossible for him to ever choose one girl over the other. His soul is deeply linked with them! Darcel''s re only intensify as he said,

    "Bullshit your options! I have no need for any burst of power. If anything, I will take both of my girls with my own power and grow right alongside them!"

    The Darkness glow in Darcel''s eyes began to darken.

    And Ani and Masami''s faces soon shifted back into maidens in love. The gray robe figure was getting increasingly curious about the girl''s reaction.

    But its attention still stayed on Darcel. It calmly asked then, "Your own power.what if you could save them with your very own power but at the cost of all of your valuable cultivation? No one has to die, but they will just leave you in the dust,pletely powerless."

    Darcel paused for a moment. He wanted to confidently answer, but.doubts began to swirl in his. Doubts and fears in that if he were to actually lose all of his cultivation, those girls really will leave him.

    For the first time in his life, Darcel was truly uncertain of how to answer.

    That is until,

    "Darcy!! Don''t get swayed by their bullshit! We''re real! Well, kind of real, but the point is everything we say, we mean it! Even if you were to grow old and lose all of your power, I would be right beside you. Why? Because I love you!"

    Out of all expectations, Ani suddenly shouted with the firmest voice she could muster up!

    The gray robe figure and Darcel both froze when hearing Ani.

    And the surprise wasn''t done yet.

    "Yes! This isn''t like you, you blockhead! Weren''t you the one who''s always straightforward in his feelings and actions?! Then you should know, you''re my annoying boyfriend that I love no matter what!"

    Masami suddenly spoke up, causing further disbelief in both the gray robe figure and Darcel.

    Darcel''s eyes matched with both Ani and Masami, and he honestly thought this was them or at least some version of them.

    They both even had their signature expressions.

    Ani had her broad, beautiful smile, and Masami had her fiery, confident smirk.

    ''This.even for this boy, this should be impossible. They''re just soul forms.hoh? Huh, this boy.I understand now.'' The gray robe figure silently thought to himself.

    Unaware of the gray robe figure''s swirling thoughts, Darcel''s face regained its former determination and red straight at it.

    His Darkness Soul link began to crazily surge, inspiring him with a wave of incredible energy and indomitable determination!

    "Right.they''re right! Go ahead and cripple me! Even if I''m a cripple, I will always have my girls. And like I''ll just give up with no cultivation. No cultivation? Then I''ll simply find a new path to power and rise to the top my own way!"

    The gray robe figure didn''t show any reaction.

    Darcel didn''t even see its green eyes shimmer at his answer. And after only a tense second, the gray robe figure raised its robe sleeve and said in a neutral tone,

    "Ok."

    With one snap, the gray robe figure vanished the smiling soul forms of Ani and Masami. And with another snap, Darcel felt a violent shift in him.

    He could no longer feel any Spirit Qi in him nor his muddle Spirit Sense!

    It was like his body became mortal. However, instead of despairing, Darcel still felt energy swirl in his body.

    The energy from his soul.

    Darcel was a bit confused since he thought this gray robe figure would''ve got rid of all of his power.

    But no matter what, Darcel wasn''t going to back down now.

    "Congrattions, you passed the first part. Are you ready for the second trial?" The gray robe figure casually asked Darcel.

    And Darcel wasn''t even surprised this was some sort of trail. With the power this figure has, he could''ve just easily wiped Darcel from the ne of existence, yet he chose to patiently talk to him.

    Furthermore, recalling the whisperings and maic pull toe here, it was tantly obvious something was afoot here.

    Still, Darcel wondered just how this figure made perfect replicas of Ani and Masami.

    Pushing down that curious thought, Darcel stared right into the gray robe figure''s green eyes. While he may have no cultivation to use, Darcel was going to thoroughly tread this path. He had no other valuable options anyways.

    "I''m ready."

    .

    In the same gray space yet in another location, Ani''s face showed no fear or hesitation here. She even had a broad grin on her face for the current situation.

    Simr to what Darcel experienced, Ani had met the gray robe figure.

    She was put off at first at the deathly vibes the gray robe figure naturally exuded. But she was able to readjust the mind and even show the gray robe figure a broad smile.

    When asked the questions of desiring power and if she values it, Ani only gave curt and concise responses befitting of her.

    She told the gray robe figure in a simple answer, "I don''t desire power; I desire protecting Darcy and Masami! I only value the things I can do with my power for my two cute lovers. Also! I can''t deny it, too; there''s a lot of joy to have when fighting."

    The gray robe figure''s green eyes actually shimmered at Ani''s simplistic answer. And with a snap of his hand, the gray robe figure quickly created a soul form of Masami.

    But when creating Darcel.the gray robe figure took a second longer.

    Ani just barely picked up on it but was initially taken by surprise at the perfect replicas of Darcel and Masami.

    And it was then the gray robe figure proposed the question to Ani. It told her, "Choose who you value more and want to protect all of your life. Darcel or Masami. The other one dies."

    A tough question that should''ve muddled Ani''s mind only made her smile. Her thoughts didn''t get to any kind of disarray as she felt a spark of energy burst from her soul.

    Ani''s mindset of never focusing on the negatives and pulling through to enjoy the positive harmonize with her soul to be resolute on her answer!

    A bright white glow began to spark into Ani''s eyes as she said,

    "Listen, I don''t know who you are or what any of this is. But know this! I am a child of Light! My Light connects all and never abandons anyone! You can do whatever you want to me, take away all of my power, or even kill me. But I promise you, Light always finds a way!"

    Ani''s eyes burst with a white radiant shine!

    She was locked by the gray energy, but her body actually began to struggle against it!

    The gray robe figure''s green eyes brightly sparkle, watching her.

    Quickly, the gray robe figure snapped away Darcel and Masami''s soul forms and snapped away Ani''s Qi and Spirit Sense.

    "Eh? Ohh.so you actually did it, huh? Alright then, like I said, Light will find a way!"

    Feeling the loss of her power, Ani felt like she was mere mortal again.

    Well, almost mere mortal as there was still a sum of her soul energy swirling inside her body.

    But Ani wasn''t discouraged by any of this and kept up her confident smile. Her Darkness Soul link perfectly surged with her base soul powers, giving Ani a tremendous boost of confidence to not even care about losing power.

    "You passed the first step. Now then, can your Light take on the second step?" The gray robe figured evenly asked her.

    Ani didn''t back down for a second and boldly said, "Of course it can! And after this, I''ll go see my Darcy and my little fox!"

 Chapter 156: Hell Land

    Chapter 156: Hell Land

    Once again, in the same gray space yet at another location, Masami had a scowl on her face at her current situation.

    Whening to the gray space, Masami was more like Darcel when experiencing the atmosphere here.

    It was genuinely chilling to be here!

    Masami didn''t think she would experience a different kind of fear as soon as she stepped into the gray space. But even as she felt her fear grow, Masami had no intentions to back down.

    Masami took several seconds to calm herself. She had to find the center of her being and rxed all tension in her mind and body.

    Unknowingly in her state to be calm, her Darkness Soul link began to silently surge.

    And immediately after, Masami was able to calm down and have a prepared mindset for what''s toe.

    Though what did throw Masami a bit off again was the sudden feeling of an eerie atmosphere popping in right behind her. Masami swirled her body around and became slightly wide-eyed.

    The gray robe figure had appeared before her, slightly shocking the fox girl.

    But using the same rxing techniquebined with her Darkness Soul link, Masami called herself and pushed down the rming fear the gray robe figure presented.

    Like with Darcel and Ani, the gray robe figure had also asked Masami about her desire for power and if she values it.

    Masami actually had to think a bit longer about it.

    Her goal for power drastically changed over a short span of time. And she now held new values that she tightly holds on to.

    A confident smirk stered on Masami''s face when she had her answer.

    She told the gray robe figure, "Heh, my desire for power isn''t some deep or philosophical one like you may be expecting. All I want to do with my power is protect my annoying team forever. And to crush prideful people''s arrogance to make them see the light. You know, through your questioning, you made me truly realize my values. And that is, to do everything in my power to make life good for my team."

    A slight shimmered crossed the gray robe figure''s green eyes at her answer. And with a raise of its sleeve, the gray robe figure snapped its hand to create a soul form of Ani and a mass of Perfected blue mes.

    The gray robe figure had to snap its hand again to create a soul form Darcel, but like what happened with Ani, it took a slightly longer time to do it.

    Although, Masami didn''t even catch on to it.

    She was just genuinely taken aback at seeing perfect replicas of the duo!

    Moreover, she felt the blue fire essence in her soul chaotically rumble in the presence of the Perfected blue mes.

    Masami felt a rush of anger at seeing the gray robe figure so causal create Darcel and Ani like they''re some sort of puppets.

    But before Masami could hotly speak out, the gray robe figure began to talk. It presented her with three choices,

    "Either choose Darcel and share a perfect team life with only him. Choose Ani and share a perfect team life with her. Or choose the mes, and you''ll be able to instantly gain the power for your revenge against your sect."

    This choice is why such a vast scowl dawned on Masami''s pretty face. In a sense, Masami''s mind quickly pieced together what this gray robe figure''s intentions are.

    "So this is supposed to be some sort of trial of the mind or our characters, right? Heh.I just know for sure those two already easily pass this. And you know my answer to this?"

    Masami paused to truly contemte her answer.

    From her childhood until now, she went over all of her memories. And the only fond and cherished memories she has are with her kind and wise full grandmother.

    Everyone else, down to even her own parents, ced so much unjust value on her since birth. The daughter of one of the three strongest leaders in their sect, yet such pitifully low talent was uneptable in their eyes.

    Her own mother barely helped her out with these troubles.

    And on her journey alone to prove herself, Masami honestly felt lost.

    Lost and unsure until she met Darcel and Ani. These two shameless duos gave Masami feelings she didn''t even realize she longed for.

    The feelings of warmth and security. Warmth because they both showered her in just equal love and affection. And security because they both go out of their way to protect her and tremendously help her with her own cultivation.

    Besides, her grandmother would people rarely go out of their way for her. Plus, even when Darcel and Ani heard about her true origins, they didn''t feel any fear. Their bond only grew stronger then.

    Masami legitimately felt like they''ve been together for years despite knowing each other for a short amount of time. There wasn''t a single moment where she didn''t feel satisfied with them.

    And, of course, she can''t forget about the pleasure and bliss both Darcel and Ani can offer to her. The mind shattering orgasm, which was her very first orgasm, left a tremendous impression on her.

    And she wanted more, she wanted it all!

    Despite her terrible experiences with her family, there was one thing she inherited from them.

    Their fiery possessive trait to never let go of what she loves!

    Upon reaching this conclusion, Masami''s Darkness Soul link began to violently quiver. A frantic amount of energy surged throughout her body, and a Darkness glow shimmered within the depths of her slit pupils.

    "If you''re expecting me to struggle or get stumped, well, too bad! I could care less about your bullshit options because Darcel and Ani will be right by my side, and we''ll carve out our own path to power!"

    "Even if it means you''ll lose all of your cultivation right no-"

    "Yes! Didn''t you already hear me? You can do whatever you want to me because I, no, we will find a path to the top no matter what stands in our way!"

    Masami felt her confidence st through the roof.

    Her Darkness Soul link surging her with energy gave her theplete assurance she''ll be able to handle any hurdler thrown at her. Even if she loses her cultivation power, her soul assured her it will all be ok.

    It was like Darcel and Ani were right by her sides.

    The gray robe figure''s green eyes sparked, and it''s raised its sleeve. With two snaps of its hands, the gray robe figure got rid of Darcel and Ani''s soul forms and all of the Innate Qi in Masami''s body.

    Masami felt her body be simr to a mere mortal, and she no longer had her Spirit Sense. An event like this could crush any cultivator.

    Masami, however, stayed absolutely firm. She crossed her arms under her tremendous bosoms, still feeling soul energy course in her body.

    "Congrattions, you passed the first part. Now, are you ready for the second part? The path of hell."

    The gray figure asked, and Masami simply smirked. She took a short breath and resolutely said, "Bring it."

    .

    Sweat continually pooled from Darcel''s brows, his teeth clenched in pain, and his body was ufortably secreting.

    The only word Darcel could describe the current ce he was in, hell.

    The ce the gray robe figure transported him to seemed like an actual fiery hellndscape meant to torture any sinful souls that came here.

    There were numerous fiery mountains as far as Darcel''s eyes could see, and every one of them spurted boilingva.

    The sky was an eerie blood-red color, and there was even ghastly red smoke spewing into the atmosphere. Down at his feet, the entire ground was in a simr chilling blood-red color.

    From just meters in front of him, Darcel could also spot haunting human skulls littering the ground.

    And to top it off, Darcel could also just vaguely hear faint screams in the background as if somebody was getting rip to shreds.

    Just standing at the entrance of this fiery hell, Darcel could say he was a bit off-put about it.

    But instead of letting any fear try and take over his mind, Darcel ignored the screams, the unbearable heat and closed his eyes.

    He took a deep breath and let his body rx.

    Darcel found out not only he had no Qi to use, but he also couldn''t use his Spirit Sense. And without either, it became incredibly hard to control his soul energy.

    But, as an automatic defense, Darcel did feel his soul energy increase enough to just barely resist the heat here. His injuries only got a bit better, but his body was still worse for wear.

    Although, at his current state, Darcel was assured it was enough to get through the fiery hell.

    After a few minutes, Darcel reopened his eyes. His gaze calmly wandered throughout the fiery hell, and he began to walk.

    "It''s very simple. All you had to do is reach the end." The gray robe figure''s ethereal voice suddenly sounded in Darcel''s ears.

    Darcel paused to look around him, but he didn''t see the gray robe figure anywhere.

    Shrugging his shoulders, Darcel continued to walk. And with only one step, Darcel felt a sizzling sounde from his feat. An incredible burning sensation traveled through his foot, running up Darcel''s spine.

    ''Nnngh.well, I never expected a trial literally named hell to be easy.'' Darcel mirth to himself as his face contorted into pain.

    He knew the only reason he was surviving this right now was because of his soul energy.

    Specifically, Darcel''s Darkness Soul link was slowly spewing out special soul essence energy, just barely keeping him alive in this environment.

    After taking one step, Darcel looked at how far and wide this fiery hell was.

    Just looking at the vast scale of the ce, Darcel could tell this may be the hardest challenge he''ll ever face in his life. He would even go so far as to say this trial may be near impossible.

    But.Darcel knew going through this wasn''t just for himself.

    He had to see both Ani and Masami again. He needs to see their beautiful faces and relish in their loving embraces.

    So no matter what, Darcel knew he must push on here!

    Darcel violently clenched his hand to the point where blood began to draw from it. He pushed his mind to the absolute limit and started walking.

    Darcel''s feet sizzled into the ground with each step he took, and the fiery pain didn''t lessen at all. But this time, Darcel didn''t stop at all. He kept trudging on, pushing past the agony of fire.

    Darcel continued like this for several meters, and right then, he suddenly felt the wind quickly pick up.

    Red smoke blew past Darcel, almost taking his breath away.

    "Ack!....Tch!" Darcel violently hacked and cough, puking out fresh crimson blood.

    But, not even this could halt Darcel.

    A small increase of his soul energy let Darcel contend with the red smoke. He held his breath and stubbornly trudged through the red smoke.

    Darcel knew if he were to stop, it could all be over then. Even just a single second of rest could ruin his momentum and make him crash and burn.

    Putting a hand at his bloody mouth, Darcel continued to traverse the fiery hell, his thoughts squarely on meeting his girls again.

 Chapter 157: Harmonizing In Hell

    Chapter 157: Harmonizing In Hell

    Ani deeply sighed as her feet sizzled on a torch, bloody red ground with each step she took. The same fiery hell Darcel is currently going through was no different for Ani.

    It was chilling, torturous, and grueling.

    But Ani had no expressions in giving up. ''Haah.Darcy always supporting me even when he''s not here. And because of my little fox, I have just enough of that extra boost to survive this crappy hell.''

    In the depths of Ani''s pupils, the signature deep Darkness glow of her Darkness Soul link shimmered.

    Initially, her own soul, white Light energy, did help her resist the fiery hell.

    Like Darcel, with no Qi or Spirit Sense, Ani would''ve been dead just getting transported to this ce. However, thanks to her white Light soul energy, Ani felt as if she could make it through here.

    So with her confidence rising, Ani had begun to cautiously walk.

    But almost immediately, the fiery hell became too much from her. Just a mere few steps and her body couldn''t move from the burning pain. Her feet had sunken to the blood-red ground, bing trapped.

    And making matters even more torturous for her, a gush of red smoke had flown past Ani.

    It nearly took all of her breath away and painfully suffocated her. Ani was on the verge of copsing then.

    But right on the verge of death, Ani refused to give up.

    How could she give up? She needed to see her cute lovers! And it was then her Darkness Soul link chaotically surge!

    An incredible boost of power ran through Ani as an automatic defense. It gave Ani the energy to resist the fiery hell and inspire her with the determination to trudge through the torture.

    Ani''s trapped sunken feet had burst through the ground, and she forced past the red smoke, leading to her current slow walk.

    In her mind, all she needed to remember the smiling faces of Darcel and Ani to never quit.

    Ani continued on one straight path, believing she''ll eventually make it to the end this way. The path she traversed on was rtively clear, only eerie chilling red skulls littered in front of her.

    The enormous fiery mountains were a ways off from her, so theva spilling over there wouldn''t spill over to her.

    Ani was walking carefully and slowly through fiery hell, taking several minutes just to traverse several meters.

    The farther she got, the more oddities she began to notice.

    Now she passed by a few blood-red trees with human skulls adorned at the top. And there was even blood-red grass sprouting from the ground.

    Ani found it curious on how such an environment could even grow here. But she had enoughmon sense to not try her luck and investigate.

    As she continued on, Ani thought while the pain may be agonizing, at least she didn''t have to fight!

    But immediately when she thought she was scott free from fighting,

    "Rwarg!!"

    The ferocious cry of a vicious beast boomed into Ani''s ears. And her face turned ludicrous.

    ''That just has to be a coincidence.oh.'' Ani''s expression fell even more as several meters away from her, a blood-red lion was rushing straight at her!

    The blood-red lion had sparks of fire sizzling from its fur, its eyes were savage and red foam crazily spurts from its mouth.

    Ani sighed at her luck. Thankfully, she didn''t feel any pressure or suppression from the beast, meaning it was most likely mortal like her.

    Its speed even highlighted this as Ani saw it was slower than even a firstyer Qi Foundation beast.

    Though Ani lost all of her cultivation power, she could still remember that even a firstyer Qi Foundation being, human or Spirit Monster, will far surpass any mortal peak limitations.

    And at their distance, it gave Ani enough time to prepare for the iing wild, ravenous beast.

    With no Spirit Qi or her bloodline power and just soul energy, Ani had to rely on her basic fighting instinct.

    But, her body still hasn''t healed at all from her previous injuries, so Ani also has to make this fight short and sweet.

    Ani waited until the blood lion came just close enough where it tense its body to pounce at her.

    The blood-red lion got within a mere few feet from Ani, briefly stopped, and lunged straight at her head!

    The blood-red lion lunge was quick, but Ani wasn''t afraid.

    Her Darkness Soul link responded to her desire, filling her with the power to kill the beast. Ani nted her feet to the ground and, right at thest second, slightly shift out of the way of the blood-red lion lunge.

    However, the blood-red lion still managed to viciously bite down right on Ani''s right shoulder.

    Ani clenched her teeth as blood spurted out of her and pain wracked her mind.

    But Ani didn''t waste any time.

    Immediately when she was bitten, Ani''s left hand sparked in an intense Darkness soul glow, and she stabbed her hand straight towards the blood-red lion head.

    By her Darkness Soul link''s boosted power, Ani''s hand went faster than the blood-red lion could react to. Her hand appeared as a Darkness streak, drilling deep into the blood-red lion''s head.

    Ani''s Darkness glowing hand broke through the blood-red lion''s skull like hot butter, piercing straight into its brain.

    The blood-red lion life instantly slipped away from it, and the light left its beating red eyes.

    A numbing sensation coursed through Ani''s shoulder and arm; she sucked in a breath of pain while lifting the dead red lion off from her shoulder.

    Gazing at her right shoulder, there were now deep teeth marks gashes gushing out blood.

    To at least stop the bleeding, Ani put her Darkness glowing hand on her injured bloody shoulder, injecting a warm sensation there. A spark of her white Light soul energy sparked and mixed in with the Darkness glow.

    It took a couple of minutes, but the bleeding slowly stopped.

    But that was as far Ani could heal herself. The numbing only silently lessened, but the tremendous pain was ever-present.

    Holding her shoulder, Ani continued on, her thoughts center on reuniting with her Darcy and her little fox.

    .

    "Geh! There''s just no end to this damn ce!" Masami spat out a blotch of blood while her foot stood over the dead corpse of a bone red rhino.

    Both of her hands were ignited in a blue-Darkness mixed glow, and blood dripped down both of her arms.

    From the depths of Masami''s eyes, her Darkness Soul link intensely surged, continuously providing her power to survive this hell.

    When entering this ce, Masami didn''t wait at all.

    She wanted to rush through this ce in the shortest amount of time possible, and her Darkness Soul link responded to her wishes.

    Masami had gritted her teeth barreling through the fiery hell as her Darkness Soul link provided her just enough power to resist.

    And it didn''t take long at all before she began to encounter the savage beasts that roamed this fiery hell.

    Masami had no other choice in the battered state of her body but to get up close and personal with every vicious beast.

    For every blow she traded on her body, Masami killed a beast. And with each injury carved into her body, Masami''s Darkness Soul link had stabilized her injuries to at least keep her conscious.

    Her Darkness Soul link couldn''t do anything about the pain, however.

    Masami had to learn to forcefully suck up the pain in order to continue. Even for the most battle hungry and deranged cultivators, not even they could trudge through this kind of torture.

    But, Masami had a fiery will burning in her eyes.

    Every time she had even the slightest of doubts about giving up, her Darkness Soul link would pulsate, inspiring her with the confidence to continue.

    The confidence to see the ones that provided her warmth in her life.

    Still, as Masami took her foot off the bone red rhino corpse, she took a look over her whole body. Blood was pouring out of her seven orifices, and she felt several of her ribs cracked.

    ''Darcel.our damn soul link is a blessing and a curse!'' Without her cultivation powers, her deep wounds and injuries should''ve killed her ten times over.

    But because her Darkness Soul link, it provided her body with enough healing energy to keep herself just near the verge of copsing. A blessing and a torturous curse.

    Shaking her head, Masami began to walk. But only after a couple of steps, Masami started to feel a bit delirious.

    After all those injuries, it was starting to catch up with her bits by bits.

    Her Darkness Soul link could heal injuries and help mental states, but it couldn''t do much for stamina.

    Masami just wanted something, anything that could help alleviate the pain. As she stopped to wearily look around the fiery hellscape, Masami finally saw it.

    Only a few feet away from her, just several steps she could take, a blood-red tree had something vastly different from all other trees.

    Instead of the horrifying human skulls on top of the tree, this one had several big round juicy fruits hanging off its branches.

    The fruits were in an apple shape, glistening with mouth-watering juices. Somehow, despite being surrounded by a terrible environment, those apple-like fruits looked incredibly ripe and ready to eat.

    Masami''s eyes were drawn to the tree. Her gaze lingered there for several seconds. Temptations swirled in Masami''s mind; this could be what she wanted during her whole time here.

    Something juicy and refreshing that could heal her right up.

    But instead of walking up, Masami smirked to herself. "Foolish tricks. I won''t fall for such lowly temptations."

    Masami had then turned her attention back on the road. However, the light-headed feeling still didn''t clear up for her. It was quickly dawning on Masami that she couldn''t just forcefully continue like this.

    If she were to make even the slightest of mistake, then she could kiss her life goodbye.

    The wild, vicious beast here will capitalize on even the smallest of mistakes.

    To get through here, Masami knows she''s going to have to break past her current shell. The shell of her loss of power and near mortality.

    Masami closed her eyes and recalled why she is going through all of this agonizing hell. And the bright smiling faces of Darcel and Ani immediately popped into her mind.

    ''That''s right.for them.I want to-I to have to see them again. Our linked soul, it keeps on responding to my desire. And I''ll use it to break out of here!''

    Masami concentrated deep inside herself, looking into her heart and harmonizing with the love she has for Darcel and Ani.

    In this still state, her soul energy went static, allowing for the agonizing fire to surge through her feet. But Masami ignored the pain, focusing intensely on the pulsating feeling of her Darkness Soul link.

    Nothing happened for one minute, two minutes, three minutes, and when it finally seemed like it would be a burst.

    ''Chi!''

    Masami flung her eyes open, showcasing them to be in a deep Darkness haze! Slowly, Masami felt her lightheadedness go down as her Darkness Soul link gradually increased in power.

    ''We may be separated, but I can still feel you two. We''re all close by.''

    .

    Back with Darcel, he was in the same bloody and battered state as Ani and Masami.

    Numerous deep wounds and injuries carved into her body, looking like he should be dead already.

    But there was one crucial change that urred in Darcel. His eyes was in a deep Darkness hazy glow!

    Just like what Masami managed to pull off!

    ''Haaah.I can feel it. We''re not together, but our feelings keep on growing to get through this hell. Ani.Masami, I''m relying on you two.''

    The slow and steady surge of their Darkness Soul link power was pushing Darcel through the fiery hell.

    As the most experienced with his Yin Pleasure skills, Darcel assumed the girls must not be that far away from him.

    Just minutes ago, Darcel felt his Darkness Soul link pulsate, growing in power and spewing out Ani and Masami''s feelings to him. The better they could harmonize with their feelings, the more powerful their Darkness Soul link can grow.

    At least that''s what Darcel felt like was happening.

    He wasn''t a hundred percent sure since he couldn''t thoroughly analyze it with his Spirit Sense. But because he felt like Ani and Masami were literally right by him, it made the most logical sense of what''s happening.

    As Darcel kept on steadily walking, he passed by the run of the mill blood-red skull tree.

    Darcel, of course, didn''t think much of it and ignored the tree. However, when he walked several steps away, the branches suddenly started to shake!

    "Awah!!"

    Out from the top of the tree, a big blood red baboon came blitzing out. It quickly sailed to Darcel, who went entirely still.

    Darcel only shifted his body slightly to the right, and he soon felt the blood-red baboon''s ws pierced deeply into his left shoulder.

    But, instantaneously, Darcel whipped around and snatched up therge blood-red baboon before it could continue its assault. The terrifying-looking baboon struggled to breathe as Darcel''s hand crushed its neck.

    Not minding his recent injury, Darcel reared his other fist and plunged it right into the blood-red baboon''s chest. Darcel''s fist tore right through its bodily defenses and pierced through its heart.

    Without a change in expression, Darcel pulled his bloody fist out, which was now covered with blood-red baboon guts.

    Darcel didn''t react to the gruesome sight and tossed the blood-red baboon corpse out of his face.

    Keeping his focus up, Darcel quickly turned back around and hasten his trudge through the fiery hell.

 Chapter 158: So Close

    Chapter 158: So Close

    ''Darcy.Masami.I can feel it! We''re so close to each other! Just a little more.'' Ani was hyping herself up while engaging in a full-on sprint through the fiery hell.

    Her eyes were in the same hazy Darkness glow, just like Darcel and Masami. Boosted power course in her body, also increasing Ani''s determination.

    Ani felt like hours had passed since she first felt her Darkness Soul link frantically pulsate through Darcel and Masami''s feelings.

    And though her injuries quickly grew, her power as well quickly grew.

    She was able to now efficiently deal with the vicious beasts that came at her without having it be a life or death battle.

    Ani still couldn''t avoid grave injuries, but at least she wasn''t so desperate like the time she first encountered the blood-red lion.

    Running down this path, Ani had felt like she was close to the end.

    If she squinted her eyes really tightly, Ani swore she could spot a spark of blue just up ahead of her. Ani couldn''t tell the exact distance she needed to traverse. Still, at her current speed, she wouldn''t take too long to eventually arrive there.

    For the past minutes of running, Ani was starting to feel a bit wary, though. No savage blood-red beast tried to ambush her for a couple of miles now.

    But Ani kept her guard fully up, knowing it wasn''t over yet.

    And Ani was right to keep her guard. As she was thinking of theck of beast, the ground soon started to slightly tremble.

    Ani paused, focusing her energy on the next fight.

    Up ahead, a towering figure shot out from between the blood-red skull trees!

    "Hwagh!!"

    It was an enormous blood-red bear with redbones protruding out of its palms. The blood-red bear feral eyes preyed on Ani, and it savagely charged towards her.

    Ani took a deep breath. Her Darkness Soul link burst up, and hands ignited a Darkness glow.

    Ani didn''t hesitate and sprinted right towards the beast in the next split second, matching its crazed dash.

    In her boosted state, Ani no longer had the ordinary limits of mortals. Her speed had slightly eclipsed the blood-red bear, nearing it in a manner of seconds.

    Only inches away from the blood-red bear, Ani jumped and struck her fist straight towards its boney palm.

    The blood-red bear had trouble tracking Ani''s speed and just barely reacted to her fist.

    Ani didn''t have any fear of the blood-red bear''s terrifying palm.

    Her Darkness glow fist shattered the bones sticking out the blood-red bear''s giant palm, and she violently struck its palm.

    ''Bang!''

    Blood flew out between Ani and the bear, but only the bear had to take several steps back.

    Ani''s hand got shredded by the blood-red bear''s bones and sharp nails, revealing her gory flesh.

    While the blood-red bear felt its whole arm go numb, and bile rises to its mouth. Its face began to contort into slight fear.

    Ani crazily smiled at the beast''s fear. She didn''t let the blood-red bear rest for a second, and she swiftly jumped straight at the beast once again.

    This time, Ani reached a height of eight feet into the air just to match the blood-red bear''s giant head.

    The blood-red bear bared its razor-sharp teeth at Ani and struck out its other palm while she was in midair.

    Ani smirked as she just narrowly shifted her body in midair, letting the blood-red bear palm graze her right shoulder.

    Before the blood-red bear could react to her dodge, Ani quickly plunged her left fist deep into the beast''s eyes! Ani pushed forward her momentum, slipping her whole arm into the blood-red bear''s eyes.

    The blood-red bear''s bodily defenses was nothing but mush towards Ani''s Darkness Soul link increase powers.

    Even as its bones were fortified and enhanced, Ani''s fist shattered its skull, tearing right into its brain.

    The blood-red bear''s body spasmed in sudden pain for a split second.

    Their whole fightsted mere seconds, but the blood-red bear was already dead. Ani tore her arm out of the beast, and it was covered in the gory mush of brain matter and blood.

    As Ani dropped to the ground, the giant blood-red bear corpse crashed to the ground causing slight cracks in it.

    Ani didn''t care and just shook her arm to get rid of most of the blood and guts.

    After killing that giant beast, Ani felt as if the end of this fiery hell was near. She quickly took off in a mad sprint, going at speeds slightly beyond the standard limit of average peak mortals.

    At her speed, Ani didn''t know how long she was running.

    It felt like hours passed by in a snap. But after hours of endlessly running, Ani finally came upon a change of scenery.

    ''Ahh!! What the hell is with this ce?! So cold!!'' Ani immediately stopped, huddled arms together, and began to shiver.

    The immense freezing cold prated her body as just in front of her was an enormous ocean of ice-cold water!

    It was a dramatic shift in temperature that nearly caused Ani''s mind to go into a state of shock. She whipped her head back, and she still clearly saw the fiery hellscape boiling.

    And yet, when turning back around, all that was up ahead was this ice-cold ocean.

    Ani slowly walked up to the ice-cold ocean, gazing all around the ce.

    And like she expected, it was a real dead end here.

    There was nothing beyond this ocean, meaning.Ani looked down in the bask of ice-cold water. Her eyes couldn''t see the floor of the water, showing its vast depth.

    Ani looked back up, her expression a bit curious. She waited a bit, expecting for the gray robe figure to arrive.

    But after a couple of minutes, nothing showed up for her.

    Ani''s eyes gazed back down at the ice-cold water, realizing that she''s going to have to dive into the ice-cold ocean.

    A great big sigh escaped from Ani''s lips.

    There seemed to just be no end to what kind of pain this trial can dish out. Still, since she fought her way this far, Ani wasn''t about to turn back now.

    Ani closed her eyes and focused on her feelings. The frantic eagerness she felt about reuniting with Darcel and Masami increased the power of her Darkness Soul link at a slightly quicker rate.

    Not being hasty with this, Ani patiently stays still to gather her power.

    Her stillnesssted for almost half an hour. And after all that time, a faint Darkness glow aura covered Ani''s body. In the Darkness glow aura, Ani felt the cold was much more manageable to deal with.

    It wasn''t perfect, but it was enough to at least test out the waters. Ani reopened her eyes, staring down the ice-cold ocean.

    ''Here goes nothing.'' She thought to herself and jumped right into the ice-cold ocean.

    Ani only made it a couple feet down the ocean before she stopped entirely. Her whole body began to uncontrobly shiver as the freezing water temperature dramatically increased and prated deep into her bones.

    Ani closed her eyes tight. She began to focus intensely on her Darkness Soul link. It quickly responded to the near-death situation, creating a more defined Darkness glow aura around her.

    Ani felt some of the cold break off from her, but it wasn''t that much.

    Her eyes wearily open again, being able to just barely content with the freezing water now.

    Ani recontinued her slow descent into the freezing water. After a few minutes of diving, her body only increased in its shivering.

    Legitimately, Ani was starting to feel despair, realizing this may all be hopeless.

    The rate of her Darkness Soul link simply couldn''t keep up with the freezing temperatures. Frostbite began to cover bits of her body, making the cold honestly much worse than the boiling hell.

    And just when Ani was about to lose all hope, her slow Darkness Sou link suddenly began to frantically surge!

    Ani''s eyes burst open, feeling an incredible wave of energy explode inside of her.

    But her main reason for getting so shocked, ''Darcy! Little Fox! You''re here! And I''ming to you!!''

    Yes, Ani managed to feel that Darcel and Masami were very close to her! Her love for them exploded as Ani was eager for their reunion. Her Darkness glow aura intensifies, and Ani sets her targets below her.

    Inspired by a new wave of confidence and power, Ani sted off towards where she felt Darcel and Masami were.

    She tore through ice-cold water, feeling the freezing temperature decrease for her. The little frostbite bits broke of her body as her power steadily increased.

    .

    A profound Darkness glow aura shrouded Darcel as he brazenly sted through the ice-cold water. Just mere minutes before, he was on the verge of losing hope and copsing in this frozen hell.

    But, immediately when he felt the girls close by through his Darkness Soul link pulsating, Darcel felt a rush of energy and hope.

    His Darkness Soul link frantically increased in power, allowing him the ability to resist the cold and majorly increase his speed.

    Darcel wasn''t sure where he was going or if he was even going the right way to end the trial. Yet, none of that matters as he was squarely focused on reuniting with his girls no matter the cost.

    Time flew like the wind for Darcel, and he didn''t know how long he was crazily diving for.

    A few minutes may have passed, but Darcel felt like hours passed just being so close to his girls yet not being able to see them.

    ''D-Darcy?! D-Darcel?!''

    It was faint whispers that echoed in his mind. Whispers that made Darcel freeze and got him excited. He clearly heard the sweet, lovable voices of Ani and Masami in his mind!

    ''Finally, we''re here!'' Darcel shouted in his mind, unsure whether or not this would make it to the girls.

    But Darcel continued on diving; he felt his Darkness Soul link strongly pulsate as if he wasing right on the girls.

    And soon enough, Darcel froze once reaching miles deep into the ice-cold water. From only a few meters away from him, Darcel saw two figures that caused an endless amount of joy to burst in his chest.

    To his far right side, he spotted Ani in a Darkness glow aura, broadly smiling in extravagant happiness, looking between him and Masami.

    And to his left side, Darcel spotted Masami in the same Darkness glow aura and a trembling smile on her cute face.

    Darcel was sure as well a tremendous goofy smile epassed his face as well.

    Like three sonic booms went off at the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami shot off towards each other.

    All three of them felt their Darkness Soul link explosively increase in power to the point of far surpassing any other previous encounter. As they neared each other, none of them even felt the ice-cold temperature affecting them that much anymore.

    They got within a meter towards each other in just mere seconds to only a few feet.

    And right when they made it to simple inches apart from each other, Darcel, Ani and Masami stopped.

    They all relished in seeing their lovely faces again, and Ani immediately spoke out, preparing to tightly hug both Darcel and Masami.

    By her Darkness Soul link powers, her voice clearly echoed out despite being deep in water.

    "Darcy!! My little fo-"

    <em>''Rumble~!''</em>

    Ani had to stop the reunion short, however, when the whole ice-cold ocean began to violently quake!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes widened. They had to concentrate just to center themselves and not get tossed around by the intense rumbling.

    As the rumbling urred, Darcel, Ani, and Masami witnessed something bursting up from below them. "

    Ngnh?! What the hell? Bubbles?" Masami''s voice also clearly echoed out as she, Ani, and Darcel watched numerous streams of bubbles re right up at them.

 Chapter 159: The Final Stretch

    Chapter 159: The Final Stretch

    The rise of wild and frantic streams of bubbles blew right past Darcel, Ani, and Masami. As the streams of bubbles blitz past them, the trio had to grit their teeth and clench their bodies just to not get blown away.

    Darcel found this sudden rumbling and streams of bubbles highly curious.

    Almost like this was meant to happen if they were to meet up with each other. It clicked in Darcel''s mind then, and his eyes whipped down to the bottom of ice-cold water.

    His eyes widened, and a mild shock ran through his veins.

    Despite thinking he saw everything this trial had in store, it still managed to keep on surprising him.

    "Ani, Masami! Look to the bottom; we have something waiting for us."

    Darcel shouted to the girls through his Darkness Soul link aura.

    As much he wanted a loving reunion, it was obviously impossible to achieve now.

    Ani and Masami also wanted a touching, loving reunion. But they know this situation requires their full focus. Following Darcel''s voice, the girls zipped their eyes down and were simrly shocked.

    Looking no older than seven years old, an actual little girl was trapped at the bottom of the ice-cold ocean!

    From what the trio could spot, the little girl wore long gray robes, had long gray hair, and her eyes were closed.

    Wrapped around the waist of the little girl was what appeared to be a water tentacle! The water tentacle had torn through the ocean floor to wrap the little girl up and also unleashed that stream of bubbles before.

    "Out of all things, I wasn''t expecting to find some hostage situation in a hell trial." Masami shook her head in disbelief.

    Though the gray robe figure didn''t say anything about rescuing children, she was suspecting this may be part of their goal.

    And Ani had immediately assumed this was the case. "Hehe~, I miss your snarkiness, little fox. But you two do know what this means, right?"

    Masami and Darcel peered over to Ani. And Masami felt a wry smile curve up her lips. It was a nickname she didn''t like before but now hearing Ani say ''little fox'' gave Masami just that extra burst of warmth in her chest.

    A sh of understanding also ran through Masam''s eyes when matching Ani''s gaze, giving her a curt nod.

    Darcel also quickly realized what they had to do. Before anything, though, since there wasn''t anything trying to attack them now, Darcel asked the girls,

    "Girls, if you''re here, then I know you have no cultivation. So how are your injuries holding up? With only Darkness Soul links, we''re pretty limited on what we can do."

    Hearing Darcel''s express his immediate concerns caused beautiful smiles to bloom on Ani and Masami''s faces.

    Though it sounded no different than any other times, he had concerns for them. It was just the fact they''ve been through hell and back all for each other, and their Darkness Soul links were making their feelings run wild.

    They couldn''t hold back, and simultaneously, Ani and Masami burst right through the streams of bubbles andtched onto Darcel''s neck.

    "My body is in hell! But I''m feeling much better now that we''re back together!" Ani was mushing her face against Darcel''s face with the loveliest of smiles.

    "I feel like my body is about to break! But with you two, hmph, it isn''t as bad anymore." Masami nuzzled deeply into Darcel''s neck, inhaling his familiar fragrance that was now mixed with blood and sweat.

    Darcel almost felt watery in the eyes being sandwiched by the girls.

    But he also realizes they are miles deep in the ice-cold ocean. And they truly need to focus back up.

    Although, Darcel did indeed see why the girls are saying they''re feeling a bit better now that they''re back together. He could feel his and the girls'' Darkness Soul link rapidly pulsate as their feelings were strengthening and growing.

    Even now, Darcel could feel some of his terrible injuries began to slowly heal.

    Still, since they are unknown territories, Darcel gently peeled off Ani and Masami and stared into their beautiful faces that were stained with blood, sweat, and dirt.

    He began to tenderly stroke their bloodied faces, feeling a great shame he wasn''t there to help them out.

    Ani and Masami leaned into Darcel''s hands as he told them,

    "As much I would love to continue this, we do have a trial toplete. Luckily, there isn''t any wild or vicious beast in the water. So by my estimate, our Darkness Soul link should have provided us with enough energy to grab that little girl. Like I assume you girls were doing previously, we will need to rely on our battle instinct to dodge any unexpected troubles. Now, are you ready, my lovelies?"

    Ani grasps Darcel''s rough hand, tenderly stroking it, spouting a confident smile. She proudly said, "Even if it was a Kraken at the bottom, I still would feel assured enough to kill it!"

    Masami grasped Darcel''s rough hand, guided it to her fox ears so he can briefly stroke it. Feeling a burst of energy run through her body, Masami smirked and boldly stated, "Bet that gray guy didn''t expect us to be so powerful together. I''m ready to end this damn trial!"

    With their confidence back up high, Darcel, Ani, and Masami turned their attention back down to the little girl.

    Streams of bubbles still burst through the ocean floor from the water tentacle, but nothing else changed after having their little moment.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami paused for a split second.

    They simultaneously exhaled a long breath and tensed their bodies. And like they were three sonic booms again, the trio sted down, right towards the little girl.

    As they tore to the bottom, the ice-cold temperature increase but was still more manageable to them. While the immense pain and bone prating cold weren''t all gone, now it was enough for them to focus up for a fight.

    And from the bottom of the ocean floor, numerous spider web cracks began to tear there.

    At the center, the little girl spot on the floor was fine, but the water tentacle holding her clenched tighter.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami smirked while the ocean floor cracked.

    They were ready as the cracks burst open, shooting out numerous water tentacles at them!

    The water tentacles blitz towards them at swift speeds, quickly traversing the meters distance between them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami found the speedparable to a being at theteyers of the Qi Foundation realm.

    And like Darcel said previously, they relied on their natural battle instinct to dodge.

    Several tentacles shot at each of them simultaneously, and Darcel, Ani, and Masami just barely managed to nimbly shift their bodies.

    Blood still spurted out of them as the water tentacles tore right through their Darkness glow aura and grazed their bodies. However, the pain that red up didn''t even register in their minds.

    They already were in great pain; the water tentacle grazes were like a bad sting to them.

    Once they were within twenty meters from the little girl, Darcel suddenly gained an idea. He forcefully burst his speed, going several meters ahead of the girls.

    "Girls! Kick my back towards her!" Darcel shouted to them while continuing to narrowly avoid water tentacles.

    Ani and Masami briefly looked at each other, and they only needed a second to understand why.

    As Darcel was in front of them, Ani and Masami nimbly got close to each other, still avoiding water tentacles. When they within an inch apart, they sped their hands together.

    Immediately, their Darkness Soul link increases in power!

    Their Darkness glow aura intensifies, and their speeds shortly burst. Together, hand in hand, the girls tanked water tentacles to the face, tearing straight through them with their burst of speed and power.

    They quickly got right to Darcel''s back, gently nted their feet there, and firmly kicked off him.

    Amazingly enough, despite their severely weakened state, Ani and Masami heavily concentrated to not cause further pain to Darcel and hasten his descent.

    Darcel shot off like a torpedo from Ani and Masami''s kicks.

    He felt his Darkness Soul link powers increase from their concentrated touches, and Darcel zed by every water tentacles.

    His speeds managed to explosively increase that much to the point the water tentacles shooting from the ocean floor couldn''t keep up with him.

    At this speed, Darcel quickly traversed the short distance left andnded right by the little girl.

    Darcel curiously raised his eyebrows as the little girl still had her eyes closed. He either assumed she was knocked out or.dead.

    But when Darcel touched her neck, he did feel a pulse of life from her.

    Focusing up, Darcel grabbed on to the water tentacle covering the little girl and burst it into tiny droplets through the sheer power of his soul. Once she was free, Darcel picked up the little girl, cing her under his arm.

    Darcel was a bit surprised about the little girl''s weight as it was like she had none at all. But Darcel wasn''t going to question it since it made his job that much easier.

    Darcel turned back up, seeing Ani and Masami rapidly approach him.

    He was about to swim back up to them, but he suddenly felt the whole ocean floor intensely rumble again!

    Darcel felt his world shook. From under him, now the whole ocean floor began to crack everywhere!

    And in just a mere split second, the entire ocean floor cracked open and crumbled to dust.

    Darcel didn''t even bother looking down, and he held the little girl tight.

    When attempting to dive back up, Darcel felt his pupil dte. An immense suction force pulled on him, threatening to drag him to the abyss of darkness.

    "AHH!! NO!!" Ani and Masami''s panic shouts red out in the ice-cold ocean.

    They felt their Darkness Soul link tremendously explode as their feelings to save Darcel override their minds.

    Like two rockets, Ani and Masami''s speed massively burst! They used only a split second to appear right above Darcel.

    Darcel couldn''t even react as the girls firmly grabbed his shoulders and began to swim back up.

    The abyss'' suction force got stronger, yet it really didn''t affect Ani or Masami much. When grabbing on to Darcel, all three of their Darkness Soul links explosively risen.

    They tore right through the abyss whirlpool suction, sting towards the top of the ice-cold ocean like three ck missiles.

    As they quickly near the surface, the temperature once again dramatically dropped.

    Now they felt freezing temperature brutally prate back into their bones. But besides a slight shiver, neither Ani, Masami, or Darcel dared to stop.

    Hope began to swirl in the trio''s eyes when they were several feet away from the surface.

    But before they could break through, all three of them abruptly stopped. The whirlpool abyss suction force suddenly shot up and could now hold all four of them!

    "Ah! We''re so close!!" Ani was grinding her teeth, desperately trying to break the powerful suction force.

    "This-this dammit! Can we even make it?!" Masami cursed out loud as she too, put forth all her efforts to break out.

    Darcel, however, fell into a calm state of mind. He used his right hand to tighten the little girl''s hold under his arms and, with his other hand, grabbed both Ani and Masami''s hand on his shoulder.

    They whipped their heads back at him, and Darcel confidently smiled at them. During the trial, he carved his will to always protect the girls, and Darcel wasn''t about to fail that now!

    His extreme protective desire and love for his girls awoke something from the depths of Darcel''s soul core. A frantic rumbling of power was quickly rising from the depths of his soul.

    A power that''s even greater than his Darkness Soul link!

    "Don''t worry, girls. We''re leaving now!!" Darcel''s eyes turned a deep ck glow, and a tremendous power surged out of him!

    ''Chi!''

    Holding on to the girls, Darcel broke out of the suction force and sted right through the ice-cold water surface.

    Once they shot out of the water Darcel, Ani and Masami got suspended in mid-air.

    Their surroundings immediately changed, and they were suddenly back in the gray space! The trio was let go, and they crashnded onto the gray ground, wholly taken by surprise at the sudden shift in scenery.

    Darcel didn''t even feel the little girl in his arm anymore. But he did feel an incredible wave of exhaustion wash over him.

    "Oooh.shit.that was too abrupt." Masami groaned while rubbing her head.

    While lying on the gray ground, she, Ani, and Darcel wearily looked up, and not a half-secondter, the gray robe figure popped up to greet them.

 Chapter 160: Submission

    Chapter 160: Submission

    Seeing the same mysterious gray robe figure that was putting through so much hell, Darcel, Masami, and even Ani felt small resentment swell up in their chest.

    They didn''t even get to celebrate their reunions fully!

    However, before any one of them could utter aint, the gray robe figure''s green eyes brightly shimmered. It told the trio, "You more than astounded for thest trial. And now, let you be judged."

    The gray robe figure raised its sleeve, and a snap echoed out in the gray space void.

    A blinding bright green sh sparked from the gray robe figure, forcing Darcel, Ani, and Masami to shut their eyes.

    ''Too bright-Eh?'' At first, the trio felt like they were going to go blind.

    But immediately, a mass rush of energy washed over there. The energy didn''t feel threatening or powerful at all.

    It was an odd yet slightly calming sensation to go experience.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt all tension leave their bodies; their minds became calmer, and their mood turned serene.

    Theyid with their eyes closed, being absolutely still, for a lengthy amount of time.

    By the time they felt like a few minutes passed already, Masami suddenly said, "Haaah.did we finally catch a break on this hell-like day?"

    "Well, would you look at that?"

    "Indeed, it''s rare for people toe here, much less three at the same time."

    "And all three of them even pass chaotic judgment."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously flung their eyes open as three ethereal sounding voices soothed into their ears.

    However, instead of seeing three people, they witness something magical.

    Hovering six feet away from them was the most beautiful set of objects they had ever seen in their lives. It was three green diamond shards, elegantly hovering a few inches from the ground.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were in total awe at the green shards.

    Each green shards radiated a luxurious mesmeric green aura that nearly hypnotized the trio. There wasn''t a single aura before that couldpare to the green shards.

    Not Heavenly Kings auras, or even their own auras, couldpare to the green diamond shards'' luminous radiance.

    And on their appearance, the green shards looked like they were crafted by the hands of God.

    There wasn''t a single miss detail on them. Everything was entirely made, showcasing the intricate details neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami could urately tell what it was.

    So taken aback, Ani began to subconsciously utter, "Sooo beautiful.just what kind of mystic trial will in-"

    "You three may have been on a line of repeated sess. But let us obverse your true colors now." The three ethereal voices spoke at the same time, cutting off Ani''s thoughts.

    Faster than the trio could evenprehend, the three green diamond shards blitz over to them.

    The green diamond shards drilled right into Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s back but didn''t cause any blood to spurt out of them.

    Though there was no visible damage, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes still burst to the size of dinner saucers. They all immediately stiffen up as tremendous pain assaulted their entire being!

    "Ah-Ahhh!! What the hell?!?" Masami roared in agony, her hands thrusting to her chest, clutching it in anguish.

    "Th-this-Argg!! Hell!!'' Ani was shivering on the ground, writhing in immense pain.

    "Gi-Gir-Arg! Shit! Ju-Hold On!!" Darcel could only sputter slight words of encouragement while he grovels in pain.

    The trio felt like the pain was akin to getting their bones shattered over and over again without any rest.

    Only a few seconds passed since the green diamond shards drilled into them, yet the trio felt like hours passed already.

    And none of them could understand just one tidbit about this pain.

    Why the hell are they still alive?!

    Surely with their already terrible injuries, the trio believed this kind of pain should''ve pushed them over the edge.

    Yet, none of them could even pass out from the agonizing pain. They all were forced to stay up through every agonizing second.

    However, contrary to the trio''s thoughts, the green diamond shards weren''t actually breaking their bodies.

    No, in Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies, the green diamond shards didn''t spew out any power or energy and traveled towards their Martial veins.

    It was only the mere presence of the green diamond shards that was causing the intense pain.

    As the green diamond shards traverse to the trio''s Martial veins, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bloodlines simultaneously red up.

    Their bloodstreams tried to rumble against a foreign invader in their bodies.

    Even with theirck of cultivation, because they were truly in the presence of death, it seemed like their bloodstreams would actually gather a deep power.

    But, all the green diamond shards did was stop for a brief moment and shimmer a quick spark of green light.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bloodstreams immediately froze, going back to their dead silent state. After that, the green diamond shards continued on, swiftly making it to their dead Martial veins.

    In Darcel''s body, his Martial veins began to exude a faint Darkness glow as his soul defenses sparked up.

    Ani''s Martial veins hazed a faint white Light glow, and Masami''s Martial veins lightly simmered in a soft blue glow.

    This didn''t impede the green diamond shards at all. They simply tore right through their soul defenses, breaking into the trio''s Martial veins, and directly went straight into their souls'' space.

    "Indeed, not bad ones at all we got here." The green diamond shard in Masami''s soul space casuallymented.

    Her soul space was a blended mix of Darkness and ocean blue.

    And at the center of her soul space was Masami''s soul core. The very center of Masami''s entire being. Her soul core was a mix of pure blue ming essence and a deep Darkness glow.

    "Who knows, these two elements can mix together." In Ani''s soul space, the green diamond shard could actually hear the shard in Masami''s soul space while casually remarking.

    Ani''s soul space was a fantastic blend of Darkness and White Light.

    At her soul core, Ani''s was a mix of white Light, pure ck ming essence, and a profound Darkness glow.

    "Hm, and this boy is even more surprising." A genuinely impressed tone sounded out from the green diamond shard in Darcel''s soul space. It, too, could hear the other two shards''ment.

    All around, Darcel''s soul space was a wonderful blend of Darkness, white Light, and a bright blue glow.

    And Darcel''s soul core was the mix of Darkness, white Light, pure blue ming essence, and ck ming essence.

    Just from overseeing their soul space, the green diamond shards could tell how closely connected the trio was. The girls had a deep mix of Darcel while he had the perfect blend of the girls.

    And the time hase for them to undergo their true test.

    Without warning, gray energy burst from the green diamond shards! The gray energy had immediately drowned Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s soul space entirely in their tremendous power!

    "AH-AHHHH!!!"

    On the outside, Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously shrieked in tremendous agony. The gray energy wasn''t destroying their souls, but it was causing them the worst pain of all.

    The pain of having your soul get violently pierced into.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami violently convulsed on the green ground. They legitimately felt like they were going to die.

    And it was an excruciatingly slow, painful death.

    After a minute pass undergoing this hell of pain, a sudden thought streaked in the trio''s mind.

    They just wanted the pain to end in any way possible.

    They were mentally drained. Their hands had clutched deeply on to their heads, digging deep into and drawing even more blood from it. The trio didn''t even notice a change discharging from their bodies.

    The same gray energy terrorizing their soul space began to slowly spew from their bodies. It started to individually slowly wrap around Darcel, Ani, and Masami, attempting to form a cocoon around them.

    When all hope seemed lost, and the trio thought this soul breaking pain wouldst forever. The green diamond shards ethereal voices echoed in their minds at the same time.

    "This power you''re experiencing. It''s terribly agonizing, yet, it''s not even half a percent of what it can truly do. And this power is something you all can gain for yourself. With it, nobody can stay in your way again. Even the Gods of the universe will bow to you. All you have to do is lie down and submit to us, and all the pain will go away."

    "Nnngh." Only groans of anguish leaked from Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s.

    They heard the voices, and they were about to seriously contemte going through with it.

    Their whole soul space and soul core was nearly covered by the gray energy. And if they just go limp, maybe the pain can really go away.

    But right when thinking so, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Darkness soul link pulsated within the gray energy!

    A spark of Darkness burst in the trio''s eyes!

    And above expectations, Darcel, Ani, and Masami suddenly sat right up. Death-defying pain was shattering their very being. But there was one thing none of them could ept in any way.

    "Lie down and submit to you?! We don''t care what you are! You will never make us submit!!" Darcel, Ani, and Masami furiously shouted like they were roaring to the heavens!

    And right then, inside Darcel''s soul space, his soul core violently quivers.

    "Wh-what? Wait.no way!!" The green diamond shards immediately fell into a chaotic panic.

    An overwhelming power was bursting from not only Darcel''s soul core but also Ani and Masami''s! The same power that Darcel felt briefly surpassed his Darkness Soul link was surging again.

    This hidden extraordinary power wasn''t only changing Darcel, but it also began manifesting inside Ani and Masami through their Darkness Soul links. The Darkness Soul links acted as a bridge for Darcel''s hidden power to emerge inside of them!

    The Darkness glow inside all of them quickly intensified, and everything froze for a brief moment.

    <em>''BOOOM!!''</em>

    An immense Darkness explosion burst in the trio''s soul!

    Darcel''s soul core was continuously trembling, changing and transforming Ani and Masami''s soul core at the same time.

    Darcel''s soul core Darkness''s immense power quickly drowned out the gray energy and covered the green diamond shards.

    "Nothing will ever control us!" Darcel shouted with determination and power.

    "Only we can carve out our own path!" Ani roared in absolute indignation.

    "So you will lie down and submit to us! You will be absorbed by us!!" Masami topped it all off with a mighty shriek.

    <em>''Chi!</em>'' A Darkness dome suddenly shrouded the trio.

    Inside their soul space, the green diamond shards actually couldn''t move at all. This Darkness power was beyond their wildest dream.

    "They want to absorb us?!"

    "Nobody, nobody ever seeded in this! All Gods who tired died!! They-they can''t!!"

    "Oh no! What''s that?!"

    The green diamond shard all got starstruck as numerous Darkness tendrils sted out of the Darkness in the trio''s soul space.

    The Darkness tendrils tightly wrapped up the green diamond shards. They slowly pulled them to Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s soul core.

    Despite everything happening in three different soul spaces, somehow, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s souls were reacting simultaneously.

    As the green diamond shards got slowly pulled towards the trio''s soul core, they had finally realized it.

    "That boy.no Darcel. You''re.you''re an anomaly."

    Neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami even heard the green diamond shards''st thoughts.

    Their Darkness tendrils fully plunged the green diamond shards into their soul core then.

    Once again, agonizing pain red up in the trio.

    However, this time, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami made any lick of groans. They determinedly gritted their teeth, sitting upright, and fiercely resisted the pain.

    Their bodies spasm in pain, yet none of them left there sitting upright spots. And under the brutal pain, time quickly sailed by. It wasn''t until an hour passed that the Darkness dome surrounding the trio burst into small droplets.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t even take notice of it. They immediately went limped and copsed to the ground.

    They werepletely knocked out.

 Chapter 161: Gazing Into Mysteries

    Chapter 161: Gazing Into Mysteries

    Darcel awoke to a special feeling. His eyes slowly opened as what he would call the sense of liberation crawled into his mind.

    And when Darcel fully opened his eyes, hepletely froze.

    He wasn''t in the gray space nor in whatever ce those green diamond shards were. No, what he was currently staring atpletely surpassed any visual sights he had ever gazed upon in his life.

    Darcel could almost call it a celestial sight.

    He was high, so high above everything and everyone. And what was below him was a beautiful gxy ofs, stars,ets, and everything in between.

    While Darcel knows about higher realms than Mortal realms and the existence of differents. He never really studied the cosmology of space or how one travels to these different realms and worlds.

    He only got to the Verdant Tide because of some freak ident caused by that yellow-eyed woman.

    But his perspective heavily changed now. Darcel was enthralled by the beautiful gxyid out below him.

    There were numerous unique-looking bright stars, all shimmering in radiant colors, drowning a section of the gxy out with its brilliance.

    Bright shootingets frequently shot through space, leaving a trail of gorgeous energy in its wake.

    And even thes vastly differ from one another. There wasn''t a single simr to one another. Each of them differs in shapes, sizes, and colors.

    Darcel couldn''t spot just how manys or stars; he got lost in its vast endlessness.

    Besides the celestial sight he was bearing witness to, Darcel began to subconsciously tight his left hand, squeezing on a soft object.

    While Darcel was lost in awe, he was also feeling an incredible power coursing through his body.

    It took a few seconds, but Darcel did eventually turn his attention to his hand. Surprisingly enough, the soft squishy feeling he felt did not go with what was in his hand.

    It was the same bright green diamond shard that tried to forcefully invade his soul!

    The green diamond shard appeared to be even more luminous in this space. Its green radiance shimmered, illuminating the whole area around Darcel.

    Darcel''s gaze got lost in the shine of the green diamond shard now.

    Despite undergoing hellish torture by this thing, he now couldn''t help but feel more connected to it than ever. Holding the green diamond shard felt like it was an extension of his entire being.

    While Darcel became increasingly lost in the brilliance of the green diamond shard, two presences managed to drift right beside him.

    "This is.it''s so eye-opening. This is something I can never forget in my lifetime!" Directly on Darcel''s right, he heard the sweet awe voice of Ani.

    Darcel briefly trailed his eyes over to her.

    And just like him, Ani''s expression was one of beingpletely taken aback. Also, like him, Darcel spotted the green diamond shard glistening in her right hand.

    Moreover, Darcel also didn''t see a speck of injury or blood on Ani''s beautiful face.

    Like she said with her breath taken away, Ani was genuinely amazed by everything presented before her.

    Just staring into the vast region of a gxy, Ani felt the wheels turning in her brain. As if it was subconsciously trying to understand something.

    Darcel was assuming since Ani was here, then that surely means.

    "Not just beautiful. I feel like my mind is undergoing a holy wash by witnessing this!" And right on cue, Masami spoke to Darcel''s left, her face in simr utter awe.

    Darcel trailed his eyes over to her, noticing the green diamond shard shimmering in her hand. Furthermore, Masami had that same clean, spotless face like she just didn''t have been through hell and back.

    Darcel turned his gaze back to the gxy of worlds. Just like Masami said, he too began to feel a tremendous change surging in his brain.

    Everyet that shot by, every floating star that brightly glowed, it all was resonating a profound meaning in not only Darcel''s mind but also Ani and Masami''s.

    As his thoughts constantly swirled about, Darcel''s mouth began to open.

    He began to subconsciously utter out, "Every world of all different shapes and sizes. Every star andet that shoots by.they''re all, all are."

    At the same time, while he talked, Darcel''s green diamond shard began to lit up even more. His mind was starting to be less muddle, flowing smoothly like a stream of water.

    "Are all just so enriched. Enriched, staying above all life, constantly exerting its divine energy. They''re all enriched by." Ani picked up right where Darcel left off.

    Her green diamond shard began to glow as her mind was broadening her understanding.

    "By Positive and negative energy. At least, that''s what I think we''re feeling. I feel positive sensations coursing through me, joy, love, and all that. And at the same time, I feel negative sensation run through me, hatred, rage, and all that. Yet at the center, I am calm."

    Masami felt her mind was on the verge of a very rare breakthrough most cultivators never experience in their lives.

    A mental state breakthrough to break past her current mindset and grow!

    As one climbs through realms in regr cultivation, their minds will naturally grow as theirprehension abilities grow. And the higher the realm, the more profound one''s mind bes.

    However, this does not mean those cultivators experience a real mental state breakthrough.

    A mental state breakthrough gives one deep insight into all aspects of life, letting one see into the mysteries of the world.

    Masami was the only one that faintly knew about this.

    Her grandma sage mentions a mental state breakthrough being for only the divine talents of the whole world. But nothing too deep beyond that.

    Although, despite theck of knowledge, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were quickly picking up on what they had to do.

    They naturally were falling in line to grasp the so-called, ''mysteries of the world.'' They all floated silently, their minds continually evolving at every second.

    None of them knew how long has even passed since they just stayed still, floating quietly.

    Their green diamond shards were nearing the peak of their bright glow, and after an unknown amount of time, Darcel finally opened his mouth.

    He slowly uttered his words, perfectly pronouncing each syble of his words, saying, "This is all.a bnce of all things. We''re experiencing the bnce of positive-negative energy."

    <em>''CH!!''</em>

    The green diamond shards reached the peak of their luminous radiance!

    For kilometers in the massive region of the gxy, the bright green shivered drowned out everything.

    Simultaneously, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes turned entirely gray. Constant popping and shattering noises went off in their minds, undergoing a mental state breakthrough.

    The trio felt like they were truly undergoing a mind nirvana than just a mental state breakthrough.

    While this process transpired, the green diamond shards lifted from their hands and sailed straight into bodies.

    The shards went right in where their hearts would be located, yet neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami felt any pain. They floated motionless like statues, absorbing every aspect of this breakthrough.

    Time flew by like the wind.

    And slowly, the all-epassing green shine began to recede inside the trio''s bodies.

    Minutes, hours, days, and maybe even weeks passed.

    Nobody there would be able to tell the real sense of time passing. But finally after a long time, the green shine entirely receded into the trio''s bodies, and their eyes became clear again.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami began to rapidly blink their eyes.

    After all of that, they truly felt enlightened. It was a mind nirvana they''ll never forget in their lives.

    However, a wide broad smile still curved up Ani''s lips. "Woah.wow!! Now that''s unlike any breakthrough we ever had! It felt so distinct and different from even breaking through by making sweet love!"

    Masami immediately shook her head at Ani''s shamelessment. Still, she had to agree on just how profound this breakthrough was.

    "Haah.seriously, it''s like we are bathing under God''s light. I guess, in the end, those shards were useful beside torture pain."

    Darcel was merely smirking after all of this. He was mainly happy since even after a tremendous experience like this, Ani and Masami''s personality stayed the same.

    And so did his personality. "Now that''s over, I''m wondering when our."

    Like Darcel gave the cue, a burst of gray energy popped up a few feet away from the trio.

    The gray energy quickly formed into a figure. The trio felt rxed, waiting for the usual mysterious robe figure toe.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were greatly shocked when the figure finished forming.

    It wasn''t the stature of a tall being, but instead a really short one.

    The trio could spot long gray hair running past their bodies and a cute face that had its eyes closed. This small figure also wore overly long gray robes that draped past their body.

    The one that appeared was the little girl from the ice-cold ocean!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were at a loss for words. They only thought the girl wasn''t even real like she was only apart of the trial. But now, staring face to face to her, the girl exuded a whole different presence.

    When the little girl fully formed, a God-like power spewed out of her.

    She had a presence even more terrifying than the first gray robe figure.

    But, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami could understand. Wasn''t this little girl justpletely powerless before?!

    All they could assume now was that rescuing this girl had some hidden, deeper meaning they didn''t even realize. Darcel had also recalled the girl''s extreme lightness and how she disappeared from under his arm.

    Before any one of the three could get over their shock, though, the gray hair girl shot open her eyes.

    Immediately, they were sucked into the strange yet mesmeric gray eyes.

    And it wasn''t like the girl just had particr gray pupils. No, her eyes were actually entirely gray!

    The little girl''s celestial voice echoed out to them then, saying, "Congrattions. You all managed to form a direct connection and be blessed by the Gray Force. We will meet again, Darcel, Ani, Masami."

    The little girl''s voice could be described in one word, Godly.

    Those three green diamond shards absolutely paled inparison, and that first gray robe figure couldn''t hold a candle to this little girl.

    Darcel never even felt this kind of feeling from the ethereal voice that probably nestled deep in his bloodline.

    However, before he, Ani, or Masai could question the girl,

    <em>''BOOOM!!!''</em>

    Everything exploded in a rainbow color mass of energy!

    The whole gxy was covered up, and the trio was swallowed up whole. A snap suddenly echoed out in the middle of the rainbow explosion, and instantly, everything turned into a gray space.

    Only the gray hair little girl was left. But a secondter, the gray robe figure appeared right behind the little girl.

    It had immediately respectfully kneeled down to the little girl''s back.

    "Are you sure it was a good idea to let them go? I can admit, even now, I still feel an incredible fear for what they manage to do."

    Though the gray robe figure tried to keep its voice even, there was still a slight quiver about it.

    The little girl didn''t even turn back to the gray robe figure. Her eyes still lingered on the space the trio was. "Indeed, they managed to aplish a miracle only a select few did. But not only that, they seeded almost too perfectly. However, I won''t do anything to them. They wille to me eventually."

    The gray space fell back into silence. Neither the girl nor the gray robe figure moved a single inch.

    It wasn''t until the girl slowly turned around to the gray robe figure, a hint of a smile adorning her lips, telling it, "Let''s head back now. We''ll need to cate the Deities over the loss of those specific Shards."

 Chapter 162: Chaotic Changes

    Chapter 162: Chaotic Changes

    "Ahh!!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami shot their eyes wide open, waking up in frightening startle. Previously, they were taken off guard by the rainbow explosion and nearly couldn''t breathe while it went off.

    But when they thought they would suffocate, they suddenly cked out, awakening back to their real bodies.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s vision were blurry, and their minds were slightly delirious.

    It took a few seconds for them toe to reality, and the trio noticed they were back in familiar territory. Instead of that chilling gray space, they were back in the same gray cave they were first teleported to.

    However, now there was one distinct difference.

    Previously, this cave seemed like it had no entrances or exits to evene here. But now, there was a wide entrance, presumably leading down a long hallway, taking up the space where the gray energy was swirling.

    Darcel began to scratch his head while slowly sitting up. He felt his body was still sore but wasn''t in so much tremendous pain as before.

    And in the middle of sitting up, Darcelpletely froze.

    It was smoothly coursing in his body and soul like a running waterfall. An immense sum of energy that far surpassed any power he ever felt or used before!

    Darcel evenpared the energy to his previous cultivation and bloodline powers and felt his previous prowess is far inferior to this energy.

    But, at the same time, Darcel felt as if this energy was eerily familiar. And it instantly clicked with Darcel then.

    He swiftly sat up and nced back down to Ani and Masami.

    "Uuuu." The girls were both groaning, rubbing their aching heads, trying to sit up.

    Darcel knew they just had to have the same energy, but their consciousness hadn''t fullye to them yet.

    So Darcel decided to help by leaning over a bit to wrap his arms around their soft waist.

    "Hm?" Both Ani and Masami felt their bodies instinctively rxed as Darcel''s warmth spread through them.

    They leaned their weights into his arms, allowing Darcel to quickly sit them up. Once they sat up, Darcel wrapped his arms around both girls'' waist again, pulling them close to him.

    Warmth blossoms in all three of their chests as Ani and Masami quickly came to then.

    Ani began rubbing her eyes, wearily saying, "Mnn, Darcy, why the-Oh?!?"

    Halfway through, Ani shot her eyes wide open. Just like Darcel, an energy that far surpassed any power she ever felt before was swirling insider her soul and body.

    At the same time, Ani was getting shocked; Masami was scratching her fox ears, tiredly saying,

    "Rest is just never an op-Ah?!?"

    And just like her two lovers, Masami was gobsmacked at the powerful energy running through her.

    Masami felt even more shock run through her veins as she had more experience with encountering high realm auras. And the energy she felt running through her was more profound than even her Grandma Sage!

    "We can discuss and questionter. Quickly, cultivate the energy inside your bodies." Darcel exined to the girls, swiftly shutting his eyes then.

    He kept his arms around the girls since this actually helped with their cultivation.

    Ani and Masami didn''t object, falling in line with Darcel, closing their eyes. Of course, the girls didn''t mind Darcel''s arm around them since their cultivation results were evident to see.

    But also, even if it didn''t help with cultivation, the girls just liked to have Darcel''s warm arms around them.

    With their eyes closed, the trio intensely focuses up.

    Upon doing so, they were taken in for another great shock. They all found they had their Spirit Sense back!

    Though they didn''t sense their cultivation powers, they did sense tremendous change rapidly developing in their bodies and souls.

    Now, their once silent dead state bloodstream was vibrantly pumping, full of energy and vitality. As well, their Martial Veins were in a prosperous active state, being even more filled with longevity than if they had their previous cultivation.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were pleased but a bit confused.

    Since they had no Qi to use, their bloodstreams and Martial veins should be in a dead state.

    If it was just their souls doing this, then it would only be for a temporary duration of time. But it seemed like their Martial veins and bloodstreams were active for a lengthy amount of time already.

    The trio zeroed in on just what was causing this incredible state of their bodies.

    And they sense the source of the incredible energy running from their souls. It was easy for their Spirit Sense to dive into their souls and observe the massive changes to their soul space now.

    In Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s soul space, their whole space now had a permanent shade of a gray haze! The gray haze blended perfectly in with their already preestablished glows.

    Furthermore, an endless amount of gray energy nestles deep within the gray haze.

    And looking towards their soul''s core, they noticed it also had significant changes about it. Blending in with their multiple soul essences was now a permanent luminous shade of green.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had to remark that both the gray haze and green glow had a sort of holy quality.

    Their main elements, Darcel being Darkness, Ani''s being Light and Masami being blue mes, just seemed a tad bitcklusterpared to the new changes.

    Barring the appearance changes, the most significant difference had to be the immense power that was now swirling inside them.

    And since it''s now apart of them, the trio thought, can''t they just cultivate this energy?

    It wasn''t hard for any one of them to put two and two together to realize this gray energy and shade of green came from those diamond shards.

    And going off what the green diamond shards tried to tempt with, this is that god-breaking power.

    Fevrant excitement began to course in the trio''s minds.

    Though they didn''t let themselves get too eager. After the mental state breakthrough, they felt as if they can handle unknown situations like this with a calmer, well-adjusted attitude.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami used their Spirit Sense to take hold of the gray energy.

    Immediately, the trio had to pause in awe. When the diamond shards said this power could trump Gods, they certainly felt like it could!

    Just holding a silver of this energy they were holding on to felt like they had the power to split the whole world in half.

    A streak of an idea crossed Darcel''s mind then. He didn''t need to open his eyes to know the girls were experiencing the same sensation as him.

    Darcel said out loud, "Let''s try and guide this energy to our dantian. Since it''s permanently a part of us now, it should be able to revive our dead cultivation."

    Now, admittedly for Darcel, he never really read or heard about crippled cultivation being able to get fixed.

    But, the scene of that scientist mentioning this power is supposedly above the Realm of Gods, and the diamond shard''s sayings led him to believe that maybe, they can perform a miracle.

    Ani and Masami silently listen to Darcel.

    And all three of them began to pull the gray energy out from their soul space as if they were absorbing Qi from the air.

    Contrary to what they expected, this process went off without a hitch!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami smoothly guided a small quantity of gray energy through their active Martial veins and went straight towards their dantian.

    For Darcel and Ani, inside their dantian, their Nascent Core no longer had any Spirit Qi links. Nor did it exude any power or even had its distinct color essence.

    Although, their dantian space was still the same rainbow radiance as when they first broke through to the Nascent Core realm.

    For Masami''s dantian, she too had zero Innate Qi cracks on her soul core, no power exuded from it, and it was a in nk state of color. Though, just like the duo, her dantian space was still in a bright blue color glow from when she first broke through to the Nascent Core realm.

    It was a bit depressing to look at. Their once mighty cultivation prowess was reduced to nothing with just one snap.

    However, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami felt really any discouragement about it.

    Their minds were calm and determined, believing they can find a way to power no matter what. So in a careful attempt, the trio guided the silver of gray energy they held to their dantian''s cores.

    There wasn''t any obstruction when the gray energy got interjected into their dantian''s cores and,

    "WHA?!?"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously shouted in overwhelming surprise!

    A tremendous overflow of power began to quickly transform their bodies and bloodlines!

    <em>''Chi!''</em>

    Darcel Ani and Masami''s bloodline state explosively erupted.

    A blinding gray haze spewed from their bodies, and the green shade in their soul''s core explosively illuminated its radiance, overshadowing their whole soul space.

    On Darcel and Ani''s bloodline arms, their divine tattoo markings formed.

    But there were two massive changes to them.

    On both Darcel and Ani''s arms, their tattoo markings weren''t a vague image anymore. It managed to form into aplete set of feather markings!

    Furthermore, on Darcel''s bloodline arm, small beautiful ck feathers sprouted from his arm like blossoming nts.

    And on Ani''s bloodline arm, elegant small white feathers spring from her arm like spring peaches.

    Masami had undergone a more noticeable change than the duo.

    Her blue fire fox cloak became increasingly shinier and vigorous. But the most significant change was the fact an actual third blue fox tail sprouted from Masami''s waist!

    The third tail seamlessly swirled with the other two tails like she always had it.

    Despite all these tremendous changes, the trio couldn''t notice it yet, and there was one odd thing pricking their minds about this.

    They were ecstatic as their cultivation dide back to, and Qi began to once again surge in their bodies.

    However, all of their cultivation realms significantly dropped from before!

    Now, in Darcel and Ani''s Nascent core, a green color Spirit Qi link spewed, drilling into their Martial veins and plunging deep into their soul''s core.

    They were now back to the firstyer link of the True Soul Core realm.

    Masami''s True Soul Core gained a massive crack that was filled to the brim with a green color Innate Qi energy, putting her back at the first rank of the Innate Core realm.

    Yet despite their cultivation being so low, the trio still felt immensely powerful.

    To their bloodline and even their weaker cultivation, they felt far superior to their old cultivation in every aspect.

    Darcel and Ani even felt like they could destroy the previous version of themselves if they were at the same level, just in their base state. And that''s including if the prior version of themselves went all out with their inferior bloodline powers.

    Masami felt more awe than the duo. She felt like it was Heaven and Earthparing the previous version of herself.

    Even just in her base state, Masami felt like she could destroy the previous version of herself that was just about to meet Darcel and Ani.

    Quickly, Darcel, Ani, and Masami contained their awe.

    They began focusing up on absorbing more gray energy into their dantian. And just after a couple of seconds of absorbing, their dantian space changed again.

    Now in Darcel and Ani''s dantian space, everything was a pure shade of bright green instead of a rainbow color. And their Nascent cores transformed to a mix of gray and green, simr to their soul''s core.

    Masami experienced the same change. Her dantian space was now bright green and her soul core transformed into a mix of gray and green.

    The trio was patient, using hours to absorb as much gray energy as they can.

    And though their cultivation didn''t improve, they felt their overallbat prowess tremendously change. Darcel, Ani believed with the endless amount of gray energy in their soul space, they can make theirbat prowess utterly broken.

    However, after so many hours, the trio felt an imprable block on their dantian.

    They could no longer absorb any more gray energy! And when they couldn''t absorb anymore, the gray energy immediately vanished back to their soul space, slipping from their Spirit Sense grasp.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami wrinkled their eyebrows.

    Their Spirit Sense went into their soul space freely again. But they could no longer bring gray energy out to absorb to their dantian no matter how hard they tried.

    With no other options, the trio was forced to give up on any absorbing more gray energy for now. They knew there had to be a reason for it.

    Although they couldn''t pull anymore gray energy from their soul space. The trio did feel a small quantity of the same gray energy nestling deep within their dantian''s space.

    When they finished absorbing gray energy, their transformation state vanished, and Masami''s third tail went inside her body.

    Suddenly then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their minds massively broaden.

    Two words got deeply inscribed into their minds, Chaotic Energy!

 Chapter 163: Evolution

    Chapter 163: Evolution

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami flung their eyes open.

    While on the surface, there wasn''t any change to their appearance after that power surge. But if one were to obverse very closely, hidden deep within the iris of their eyes, a faint green shade nestles there.

    Darcel put his hand to his chest, basking in the afterglow of his tremendous power change. Down to his flesh, organs, bones, and everything in between, Darcel felt like he evolved.

    His mental state broke past its shell, his body was changed, his bloodline got even more powerful, and now there was some sort of Godly power permanently infused into his soul.

    And the words that struck the most significant cord to him was, ''Chaotic Energy.''

    Darcel began to hum out loud, saying, "Hmmm.Chaotic Energy. I suppose, well, that really has to be what that gray energy is. So girls-"

    Darcel got abruptly cut off when Ani and Masami excitedly tackled him to the ground. Their soft breasts heavily pressed on him like they were attempting to smother his chest.

    Darcel almost felt the mes of his suppressed lust burst!

    But he was a bit caught off guard first at the overwhelming ecstatic expressions of both Ani and Masami.

    In fact, Darcel thought for a moment, and he quickly realized the girls had never been this excited before.

    In the midst of his wondering, Ani didn''t even wait for a second when tackling Darcel to the ground.

    She leaned up to Darcel, mushing her sweet lips against his warms lips, giving him a big sloppy kiss.

    "Hm?" Darcel got immediately taken by surprise at how good this felt.

    Ani''s savory tongue was licking his lips, not looking for entry but wanted to eagerlyp Darcel''s steamy essence that was on his lips.

    And somehow.the pleasure was far greater than anything Darcel''s experience before! Both Ani and Darcel felt the spines uncontrobly tingle from the incredible pleasure sensations.

    "Mmmwa~! I-I feel great! Fantastic! Incredibly powerful! This is beyond amazing, Darcy!"

    Ani pulled back from the kiss, making a sexily erotic moan while doing so and expressing her enthusiasm.

    Darcel didn''t know exactly why, but for Ani, she felt a rush of emotions after everything they''ve been through. And really, she knew they all even survived because of Darcel.

    This loving settlement was also shared by Masami.

    Right when Ani pulled back from her kiss, Darcel felt one of her tails snuggly wrapped around his leg. He turned his attention to her and smiled, knowing what wasing up next.

    Masami, in turn, sexily smirked at him. A hot faint blush adorned her cheek, and she eagerly leaned up to give Darcel the same big sloppy kiss as what Ani did.

    "Nnnh~!" Masami had seemed just a tad bit eager than Ani.

    Darcel felt her tongue fervently lick his lips, causing a fiery pleasure to swell up inside both of them.

    And, just like with Ani, Darcel felt as if the pleasure tremendously increased.

    Admittedly, Darcel wanted to simply take control of the situation and experience how far their pleasure grew.

    However, Darcel wasn''t keen at all on doing it in such a ragged and dank cave.

    He wants his cute little girlfriends to have the best and only the best!

    So by the excellent control of his body, Darcel calmed his lust and enjoyed Masami''s fiery passion.

    "Nnaa~! Hm! Like what she said, I think we all just went through a massive evolution of some sorts." Masami raised an equally sexily erotic moan when pulling back from the kiss.

    And more so than Ani, Masami felt a fiery rush in wanting to show her love in any way possible. She also knew it was all because of Darcel that they could''ve survived for so long.

    Though there was a hint of embarrassment when thinking about being more public with her feelings, now Masami didn''t think it was that shameless to do.

    Darcel gazed his eyes at the girls, and a great idea popped into his head then.

    His smirk turned slightly mischievous as he said, "Hm, that''s a lovely way to wake up after cultivating. But, before we continue, the love needs to be shared all around."

    Ani immediately sprang up before Masami could even properly react.

    "And I was just getting to our little fox~!" Her head snapped towards Masami, who was looking a little weary about this.

    However, before she could even think, Ani swooped in and gave Masami the same big sloppy kiss.

    "Mnnh~!"

    Both girls moaned into their kiss, feeling incredibly good. It was just like what Darcel felt, a crazy boost in pleasure! The girls felt more tingles trickling down their bodies when kissing each other.

    For their kiss, Ani was a bit more reserved as she knows Masami would probably get too embarrassed if tongues got involved.

    And seeing their beautiful faces mush on to each other was a glorious site for Darcel.

    Even if both girls had some dried blood stains and dirt on their faces, they still managed to look like wild beauties.

    Still, Darcel pushed any lustful thoughts down for now.

    "Mwa~, see? A kiss between girls isn''t so bad." Ani pulled back from the kiss, spouting a broad blooming smile.

    A small blush was on Masami''s face, but her lips did curve into a wry smile. "Hmph, you''re lucky your lips are at least soft!"

    Darcel internally chuckled at their always amusing interactions. He had begun to stroke Masami''s soft fox ears, making her calm down and sweetly coo under his touch.

    "Oooh~, your hands are always so warm~." Masami became slightly putty.

    And while doing so, Darcel noticed in Ani''s eyes a slight longing seeing Masami coo under his hands.

    Darcel smirked and began petting Ani''s head, spawning a gentle smile on her lips.

    "I knew you would do it if I just showed a slight interest~." Ani cooed under Darcel''s hand as well.

    Darcel simply shook his head, but he did appreciate how rxed the girls can be under so many stressful situations.

    But he knows they couldn''t just stay lying on this cold hard ground. So after several seconds of petting, Darcel stopped, prompting a pouty expression from Ani and a dazed expression from Masami.

    He told the girls then, "Alright, alright, we can put this touching moment on hold. First, before anything, we need to leave this cave.

    "Hmm, alright. This cave is getting too cramp for my liking." Ani stretched out her arms, popping out the kinks in her shoulder.

    "Ah.ah! R-right, let''s leave this hell hole already!" Masami snapped out of her daze expression almost immediately.

    The trio had then slowly stood up, still feeling as if immense energy was bursting around their bodies. They looked towards the only exit in the cave, and Ani began to wonder out loud.

    "You know, the only exit is now through there. But with our whole new developed powers, I feel like we should practice, or at least test our amazing new prowess out."

    After this whole event, Ani had learned the importance of not getting toofortable and to use everything at their disposal. Though they may have gained something incredible from here, it doesn''t change the fact they could''ve very well died at any wrong decision.

    "Are you thinking of spar? But this little space is far too cramped for us. Plus, our shes of powers can probably attract some hidden decrepit Spirit Monsters hiding in the cave."

    Masami throws out her thoughts, also grasping how crucial it is to n ahead for everything.

    Darcel had looked towards their cracked spatial ring and felt a slight pang of disappointment. So much of what they needed will probably never be avable to them again.

    Pushing past that depressing thought, Darcel did quickly thought of a suitable n without their spatial rings.

    "With these rings'' cracks, we really can only rely on our powers. But Masami right, it''ll be too cumbersome to try and spar down here. So, for now, let''s just test if we can still hold our bloodline state for a long time. This massive boost in power may have changed some things."

    "Ok!" Both Ani and Masami eagerly nodded, feeling a bit zealous about it.

    They know a crucial aspect of their prowess would always be their bloodline states. And now, they''ll experience how far it truly has evolved!

    With a single thought, Darcel, Ani, and Masami began to surge their Qi.

    Mild shes of shock ran through their eyes as their Qi instantaneously came to them.

    The Qi they surged expelled the excess dirt, blood, and grime on their face and bodies, giving the trio a quick washdown.

    Not even a half a second passed, and their bodies were already filled to the brim with their Qi.

    Previously, in their base form, even for small attacks, all three of them would need at least a few seconds to gather Qi.

    It''s one of the reasons why they barely fought in their base forms, as their bloodline states make some attacks nearly instantaneous.

    But now, in base form, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Qi were swift, plus they sense their base form prowess had vastly improved.

    "Holy! With how quickly our Qi gathers now, we could truly throw attacks as fast as lightning!" Ani was holding up her hand, manipting small sparks of ck mes on her hand.

    "Our base got a nice upgrade. And now, let''s see if we still have our touch with our bloodlines." Masami said in an expectant tone.

    In the same manner, like they always do, the trio began surging their Qi into their bloodstreams.

    The results were automatic and astounding.

    ''Chi!''

    An immense re of three powerful auras churned the whole cave space!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami became widely shocked at just how much power they could wield now.

    Darcel and Ani promptly trailed their eyes down to their bloodline arms.

    And their faces stered in utter awe.

    Now, they both could fully gaze into thepleted divine tattoo markings of several wings. And the most significant aspect that shocked Darcel and Ani the most was the small feathers sprouting out of their arms.

    Darcel''s beautiful ck feathers enriched his eyes, and Ani''s graceful white feathers mesmerized her eyes.

    Masami was in awe of how more detail, shiner, and vibrant her blue fire fox cloak was. In her mind, she even beganparing it to members of her sect and realized she had a vastly superior glow to them.

    Darcel briefly trailed his eyes over to Masami and noticed the real change in her. His eyes widened as he blurted out,

    "Masami! You have three tails now!"

    Ani also traveled her eyes to her and was amazed at her three beautiful tails.

    Masami was the most shocked at all and quickly willed her tails to drape over her head. And like Darcel said, she felt three tails on her head and saw three tails dangling in front of her eyes!

    "Fiery hell.this is.incredible!! I think I forgot to tell you guys about this, but my bloodline is the nine-tail fox God beast bloodline. And the number of tails we have goes with how much strength and talent we have. So this means."

    "So your bloodline is an evolving one?" Ani said, but she immediately put a hand to her chin. "But even when you were nearing the Heavenly Transformation realm, you still only had two tails?"

    Masami shook her head to Ani''s guess, telling them, "I''m.actually just as confused as you are. You see, we may have a God beast bloodline, but it''s really heavily diluted and grossly impure. It''s why for our sect, the number of tails somebody would have is already set when they are born. And it''s rare, And I mean very rare, like a one in a million chance that someone can ever grow another tail. So I''m not quite sure."

    Masami trailed off, recalling what her Grandmother taught to her.

    She had mentioned that while they were powerful enough for stability if they actually had a true and pure nine-tailed fox God bloodline, the whole Verdant Tide would easily be ruled by them.

    But with the impure bloodline they have now, they''ll never be able to achieve such strength, nor can the number of tails ever increase.

    So now, Masami couldn''t understand why can she, someone born with meager talentpared to her whole sect, suddenly achieve the impossible!

    Two words popped into Darcel''s mind for all of their phenomena. His eyes lit up as he recalled the imposing words,

    Chaotic Energy!

 Chapter 164: High Prowess Last Resort

    Chapter 164: High Prowess Last Resort

    "I''m sure you girls also saw those words as well. Even now, it''s still inscribed in your mind, right?"

    Darcel began to talk, gathering both Ani and Masami''s attention.

    Their expression turned inquisitive as there were two words that immediately popped into their heads when he mentioned it.

    Seeing their facese to an understanding, Darcel smirked and continued on, "Like what you''re two thinking, the most usible reason for all these incredible changes is Chaotic Energy. It''s evolving not just our bloodlines but our entire beings. Just look at Ani and my bloodline arms Masami."

    Darcel raised his bloodline arm to Masami, showcasing the beautiful ck feathers blossoming from inside his arm.

    "Ah! That''s right, we sure did get a touch-up in appearance." Ani as well raised her bloodline arm to Masami, putting her elegant-looking white feathers on her disy.

    Masami exhaled a small gasp of surprise. Though she always found the duo''s bloodline states beautiful, the feathers now exponentially increased their grace!

    "Well, would you look at this? There''s just no end to just how stunning you two can look. Maybe if I breakthrough to Heavenly King, I can even grow another tail! But.if this is all the Chaotic Energy doing.do you guys think we can use this in battle?"

    Masami suggested while bringing her three tails to her hand, getting a full authentic feel for her new tail.

    Darcel and Ani pondered on her question.

    All three of them recalled how it''s now impossible to bring out anymore gray Energy from their soul space for some unexinable reason.

    But, they also could sense deep down in their dantian space, a small quantity of the same gray Energy was nestled deep within them.

    Darcel got a quick idea then and began telling the girls, "Firstly, after all this time, you girls feel any sliver of exhaustion in our bloodline state? I for sure don''t."

    Masami looked down her blue fire fox cloak and shook her head.

    "Not a single bit of exhaustion. Huh.you know, even at ninth rank Innate Core, I would still feel a slight pull at my stamina. It didn''t matter much since I trained to achieve high stamina, but now, it''s like being in my base state, really."

    "Mnh! Completely the same for me. Now it''s like second nature to use these forms. So noow.this mysterious Chaotic Energy! I can tell since we all woke up simultaneously, none of us can no longer pull that gray Energy from our soul space. So how about we test the limits of our dantian, hm?"

    Ani curiously said while rubbing her stomach. It made the most sense to her considering the gray Energy seemingly can move on its own.

    Masami appeared extremely hype to do it, already surging her Spirit Sense to her dantian.

    Darcel remained rtively even and reminded the girls, "Take it slow now. This power will obviouslye in some form of consequences."

    His warning swirled in the girls'' minds, but they were still excited to practice.

    The trio took a second to adjust themselves. And once they were ready, they closed their eyes and fully surged their Spirit Sense towards their dantian.

    Simr to going into their soul space, going into their dantian space became a much smoother process now.

    Once they were inside their dantian space, the trio didn''t have to take long at all to find where the Chaotic Energy was.

    Using their Spirit Sense, they directly grabbed hold of the Chaotic Energy resting in their cores, pulling it outside of their dantian space.

    A smirk bloomed on Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s faces since now the Chaotic Energy didn''t leave their Spirit Sense grasp. They had then flowed the Chaotic Energy to their bloodstreams, eagerly anticipating the results.

    The results were immediate, and Darcel, Ani, and Masami shot their eyes wide open!

    They quickly raised their other palms, looked down towards it, and was astounded by what they saw and felt in their bodies.

    The all-powerful Chaotic Energy was now swirling around their palms!

    The grayness of the Energy mixed in with their bloodlines auras, creating a unique color mix.

    However, the most significant change they felt was their prowess. The trio felt it was actually like Night and Day between the power differences of their bloodline powers and Chaotic Energy!

    They felt like there wasn''t anything in the entire Province that could close to stopping them.

    Ani even began to uncontrobly giggle, saying, "Hehehe~, this power really is Godlike! For sure, if we were to face those silver eyesores with this kind of power, we could''ve obliterated the whole group in a second!"

    "Hell, I''m not even sure what to call all of this! My Grandma talked about other rare special powers that could equal bloodlines. Either powerful Inheritances or Legacies left behind by the ancient Demigods on this. But.I feel like none of them can evene close to this. This is like a true divine inheritance!"

    Masami, while basking in absolute power, was also trying to connect this to whatever her Grandmother taught her in the past.

    Darcel, throughout this short time, had been silently pacing themselves.

    As the girls expressed their awe, he counted seven seconds exactly passed. He began to talk then, starting to say, "I wouldn''t even call it just a True Divine Inheritance. We-"

    Abruptly, Darcel stopped.

    Sweat burst down from his, Ani, and Masami''s eyebrows all at once. All three of thempletely froze. A sudden intense wave of exhaustion nearly forced them to their knees!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt wobbly in their legs. They were taken off guard by a huge margin.

    All they were doing was simply standing and talking, yet their stamina was almost immediately depleted. Even more strange is none of them didn''t even feel exhaustion during the previous seven seconds.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami quickly cut off the Chaotic Energy, and it returned to their dantian.

    Their normal bloodline state returned, yet it didn''t help at all with the intense exhaustion.

    Hell, now they felt far too weak to even be in their bloodline state.

    "Fuuu." Both Ani and Masamirgely exhaled, turning off their bloodline state. They had slightly bent over, bringing their hands to their knees, panting away their exhaustion.

    Darcel as well turned off his bloodline state, feeling none the less better.

    But he had the unique idea to quickly gain back all that lost stamina. A more perverse smile crossed his lips then.

    Though Darcel is holding off on the real lustful activities, if it''s helping them heal up, then being a little lustful won''t matter.

    Upon his reasonings, he had then wrapped his arms around Ani and Masami''s waists, pulling their soft bodies to his chest.

    "Huum~?" Both Ani and Masami knowingly hum, feeling an incredible warmth spread in their bodies. They snapped their heads up Darcel''s perverse smile, showcasing their own sexy smirks.

    No words needed to be exchanged between them.

    All three of them knew what was going toe next. And Darcel didn''t disappoint, and he leaned down to nt a kiss on Ani''s cherry red lips.

    Ani was just around Darcel''s shoulder height, so he didn''t have to strain much to kiss. As soon as their lips met, their mouths swiftly parted, and their tongues greedily entangled with each other.

    Darcel and Ani eagerly pulled on their tongues, sucking up each other''s delectable essence. At their incredibly weary and exhausted state, their Darkness Soul link began to pulsate.

    Both pleasure and Qi began to fuel up their bodies then.

    Darcel smoothly controlled the kiss, pulling on Ani''s juicy tongue and licking her sweet gums.

    "Mnnh~!" Ani had even softly moaned, loving Darcel''s divine tongue lick her gums.

    After a few seconds, neither Darcel nor Ani felt like copsing to their knees.

    Darcel pulled back from the kiss, and he didn''t get a second of rest before Masami leaned up to smash her lips against his.

    Masami was only slightly shorter than Ani, so she had to tiptoe up a bit to meet Darcel''s lips. Their soft lips met, and Masami showcased her fiery passion by immediately trying to pry open Darcel''s lip with her tongue.

    It was like she just found her favorite drink after being dehydrated for weeks.

    However, Darcel didn''t let his little fox take control. He quickly shot out his tongue and greedily sucked on her''s.

    "Mn-Mnh~!" Masami softly moaned, loving how zealously their tongues were entangled with each other.

    Their Darkness Soul links pulsate, Qi, and pleasure fuel their bodies as Darcel explores every region of Masami''s mouth with his tongue.

    After a few seconds, Masami didn''t feel heavy exhaustion anymore, and Darcel was returning more back to normal. With some of their stamina back, Darcel pulled back, and a hot trail of saliva connected his and Masami''s lips.

    "Now then, that Chaotic Energy is far too risky to use in a regr battle. As of now, we can only reserve that power for ast resort attack. Before we continue on now.what do my little lovelies say about taking a short rest?" Darcel asked while stroking the girls'' backs.

    Ani felt tingles trickling in her spine, and she hugged Darcel tighter. "Huuee~....this way of resting couldn''t be more perfect!"

    Masami also began to hug Darcel tighter, and one of her tails wrapped around all three of them.

    It was a fuzzy kind of warmthpared to normal, which got all three to smile broadly.

    Masami had then remarked, "We should do this only when we''re alone. It''s far too embarrassing to just show this in public."

    Darcel quickly spotted Ani''s smile turned mischievous. He can tell then that''s she about to try and persuade the fox girl otherwise.

    And Darcel couldn''t help but wryly smile already. Still, he began to focus on getting their bodies to full capacity and leave once and for all.

    .

    Unknown to Darcel, Ani, and Masami, there was one other presence in the room with them.

    A presence that they couldn''t detect but was immeasurably powerful.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were snuggly resting, quickly regaining back their strength. And several feet, hovering right above them, was a small figure with insanely long gray hair.

    The trio would''ve immediately recognized this as that mysterious and Godly powerful little girl!

    The mysterious little girl had been there the entire time they first awoke.

    Her eyes never left the trio for a single second. And when they had gathered Chaotic Energy onto their palms, something clicked in the little girl''s mind.

    ''Like I expected, none of them exploded or exhibited any sign of pain. At the Beginning Realms, they can use it for one attack. Hmm, all of this should be enough to hold the Deities over. I''ll be waiting.??''

    For all the power and wisdom she held, the little girl actually briefly froze for something entirely unexpected.

    Darcel, who was upied with getting snuggly with the girls, suddenly shot his eyes up.

    Him, just looking around the cave, shouldn''t be a big deal at all. But somehow, Darcel''s eyes locked on to right where the little girl was!

    "Hm? An enemy ambush Darcy?!" Ani immediately got excited, seeing Darcel abruptly shoot his eyes up.

    However, Masami only had confused expressions staring at where Darcel had his eyes. "Hmph, has this Chaotic Energy gotten into your head already? I don''t sense anything there!"

    Darcel just briefly narrowed his eyes at that seemingly random spot.

    He couldn''t tell why but.he just felt like something or someone was there. It came abrupt and out of nowhere, almost like instinct on his part. Now, Darcel wasn''t foolish enough to just write it off as a coincidence.

    But he also knows, if he were to investigate it with the girls, they would just end up with nothing.

    So Darcel just pushed the feeling in the back of his mind forter and returned his eyes to the girls.

    "You may be right, Masami. This Chaotic Energy is just having me a bit on edge."

    As Darcel said that, the little girl silently observed as the trio went back to their usual banters.

    A small smile cracked the little girl''s face then. ''Alright, Darcel, I''ll leave you and your links a small gift when you reach the Divine ne.''

    And just like that, the little girl vanished, as if she was never there in the first ce.

 Chapter 165: Teleportation

    Chapter 165: Teleportation

    "<em>Huee~</em>, like most things, the hallway entrance is a lot smallerpared to what''s inside." Ani''s sweet voice echoed out in a vastly wide and expansive gray hallway.

    About an hour passed since the trio finished resting up. And after a few more kisses and cuddles, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s were back at full strength thanks to their Darkness Soul link.

    Now, they were cautiously walking through this long and wide gray hallway; the three of them were hyper-aware of their surroundings.

    Masami had her hands clenched, ready for battle as her eyes trailed all over the ce. "No matter the size, there''s bound to be something dangerous down here. I''m not sensing anything yet, but for that scientist to somehow find that gray cave, he had to face some sort of trouble."

    For not having cultivation for so long, Masami was more than eager to fight. A sentiment that was also shared with Darcel and Ani. Especially now, with their evolution, they need a full stretch of their bones.

    The trio fell back into silence, focusing up on any potential ambush.

    The only sound that echoed out in the hallway was their feet hitting the gray pavement. And they continued like this for a few minutes.

    For thesest minutes, things began to get a bit eerie.

    Neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami spotted even the slightest change of scenery. Like they were walking down a repeated hallway.

    It didn''t help that there was any kind of design or particr structure on the gray walls or roof. In fact, it barely looked like a cavepared to where they woke up in.

    What also didn''t help was the fact they haven''t sensed any other kind of beings for so long.

    Darcel raised a hand to his chin, scratching it while saying, "Like this, I would say we were overly worried for nothing. Well, there''s just nothing here."

    "I don''t get it? I mean, you guys said that scientists must''ve got forcefully teleported to this spot. And clearly, what we experience far surpasses anything on this. So where is anything?!"

    Though she may have had a mental state breakthrough, Masami couldn''t help the fiery side of hering out when ites to battle.

    After getting smacked around in that hell trial for so long, she needed a real battle to flex her prowess.

    Ani thought for a brief moment and raised a single finger. A pure white ball formed at the tip of her finger, brightening the immediate ce around themselves.

    "Hmmm.like I expected, we still can''t see anything!" Despite how brightly Ani''s white Light is, everything beyond a few inches was still shrouded in a gray have.

    "Darcy.should we try and speed up out of here?" Ani asked, getting Darcel to further consider changing their course of action.

    No danger was presented before them, yet Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t help but feel slight dread down this hallway.

    And right when Darcel was about to talk, he, Ani, and Masami all abruptly froze in ce. Their eyes instinctively shut tight as they felt a soothing sensation wash over them.

    The wave of energy phased right through their bodies and souls, causing the trio to feel a shift.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami quirked their eyebrows.

    This shift.it feels so familiar to them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami weren''t strangers to the energy of getting teleported. It was always a unique sensation that goes by so quickly none of them had any time to deeply contemte it.

    And this wave of energy was remarkably simr to that sensation.

    Or more so, it felt far more profound than whatever previous teleportation energy they experienced. Although, like their previous experiences, the sensation was very brief, onlysting for a second.

    Once the teleportation sensation stopped, Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously flung their eyes back open.

    And they admittedly weren''t astonished at all to see their scenery had changed entirely.

    Now, instead of that eerie gray cave, the trio got transported to a bright blue cave with patches of ice carved into the wall. The mild temperature from before significantly dropped here to freezing cold.

    And up in front, the trio could spot a clear road to follow, presumably leading to an exit for this cave.

    "Heh.and just like that, we''re out of there. But that sensation....did you guys also-"

    "RWAA!!!"

    Masami was abruptly cut off as the ferocious roars of various vicious Spirit Monsters red into her, Darcel, and Ani''s ears. Their Spirit Senses had already frantically gone off, warning them of the dangers rapidly approaching them.

    The range of Spirit Monsters that barreled towards them varies from the first level of the Heavenly Transformation realm to the third level!

    Various Heavenly auras tried to crush the trio, yet they remained absolutely unaffected.

    Such a weak lineup before them was nothing to the trio.

    Even at their previous cultivation beforeing here, they would''ve had no worries about these beasts.

    Though their cultivation may be lower now, their prowess has taken a tremendous leap since then.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami waited until the vicious beasts got within five meters between them.

    Numerous Spirit Monsters had surrounded their every corner.

    From the back to the front and their sides, they were in a pincer trap by these beasts. But when the Spirit Monster finally got within five meters, Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously snorted.

    "Hmph!"

    <em>''Chi!''</em>

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami erupted their bloodline states!

    Their re of powers shook the area, and their auras crazily sted towards the Spirit Monsters.

    The dozens of Heavenly Spirit Monsters approaching all got tremendously suppressed by the mere release of the trio''s bloodline auras. In just a split second, their organs, bones, and souls were getting grinded by the suppression of absolute power!

    The Spirit Monsters were utterly helpless. When the trio''s bloodline auras reached them, it violently crashed into them, flinging the dozens of Spirit Monsters to the walls like mere ragdolls.

    Numerous bloody sts echoed out in the vast blue cave as the Spirit Monsters got cemented into the walls.

    Just from the mere release of their bloodline auras, no Heavenly King Spirit Monster survived.

    "Hehehe~, would you look at this?" Ani began pointing to all the bloodied stter Spirit Monsters. "None could even resist just a release from us! We couldn''t even do this in our previous bloodline state! Now we have a shortcut in mowing down weak beasts."

    Darcel was actually impressed they could now kill with their mere auras at their levels. A thought streaked into his mind then.

    Darcel Spirit Sense quickly expanded out; picking up that batch of Spirit Monster was only the beginning. "Hmm.as impressive as this is. We can actually use these Monsters as a sharpening tool since there''s a lot more of where theye from."

    Ani and Masami got greatly curious and eagerly listened in on what Darcel had to say.

    Darcel smirked and continued on, telling the girls, "Just instantly killing these beasts won''t really benefit us. So, let''s mask our bloodline auras, get these beasts to stille at us, and experiment with our abilities. After all this, I now know instead of merely overpowering our enemies, we can finish things even quicker if we master our abilities and skills."

    Ani and Masami perked up even more.

    While in the past, they would use their soul-stopping abilities to gain an absolute edge inbat. They also know there wille a time where they''ll fight someone that can resist their soul attacks.

    Or maybe even be forced into a dead-end by someone who far outstrips their realms.

    But with the evolution of their entire bearings by Chaotic Energy, Darcel was sure their skills and abilities evolved.

    Masami''s three tails began to swirl in excitement as she said, "Now this will make mowing down these beasts fun and useful! Makes me think we got to find some good cultivation guides and Martial Skills to master. For now, though, what do you say about giving our perverse boyfriend first picking Ani? I want to see how he dazzles us since he suggested this."

    "Oh-Oh! I was just thinking the exact same thing, little fox. Alright, Darcy! Let''s get this show on the road!" Ani was snapping her hands forward, indicating for Darcel to take the lead.

    Darcel wryly smiled, but he did appreciate the enthusiasm both girls brought to the table.

    In just a second, the trio easily masked their bloodline auras in the same way they hide their base presence. They deliberately let a bit of power leak from them just to get the Spirit Monsters to rush back at them.

    Once they were ready, Darcel took the lead, and they began walking on the singr path here.

    The trio walked only for a couple of minutes, and they didn''t have to wait long for another batch of Spirit Monsters toe screeching at them.

    "RWAA!!" Their vicious cries bounced off the cave walls as they came close.

    Ani and Masami smiled and folded their arms.

    Darcel was smirking while counting how many Spirit Monsters wereing this time. Three to their back, four from their sides, and five just up ahead of them.

    And this time, the Spirit Monsters'' prowess varies from only the second level to the third level of the Heavenly Transformation. Furthermore, there were more third levels than second levels.

    Before the vicious beasts got within ten meters of them, Darcel raised his hand to the roof, shot a Darkness tendril from the center of his palm, which swiftly drilled into the ceiling.

    In the same motion, Darcel''s Darkness tendril pulled him up, using only half a second to do so.

    The Spirit Monsters made it to the ten meters mark, but Darcel''s speed suddenly explosively increased!

    Darcel quickly rotated his body in a three-sixty motion. His Darkness eyes marked every Spirit Monster surrounding them while spinning.

    Only a mere second passed, and the Spirit Monster neared closer.

    Right then, Darcel snapped his hand.

    "GEA?!?"

    The Spirit Monsters all raised roars of confusion as they felt their bodies get utterly locked up! Spewing from under the Spirit Monsters'' feet was Darcel''s Darkness shadow.

    And out from the shadow was his Darkness tendrils that powerfully wrapped up the beast bodies.

    Ani and Masami admittedly got impressed. Previously Darcel always needed to concentrate only one person to spawn multiple Darkness tendrils from their feet.

    And if he did it to multiple targets, there would be barely any Darkness tendrils, and its power would be weak. Plus, Darcel always needed at least a couple of seconds before the shadow spews from the being feet.

    Yet now, all that limitation is gone!

    Darcel was only using a small percent of his bloodline powers, and he still managed to spawn so many Darkness tendrils at the same time. And every Darkness tendrils hold immense power no Spirit Monsters could break free from!

    Darcel felt a bit of pride seeing the girls impressed with his abilities.

    He had then snapped his hand again, causing his Darkness tendrils to spew a massive amount of Darkness Energy into the Spirit Monsters Martial veins.

    The Darkness Energy easily bypasses the automatic soul defenses and rampage inside the beast''s Martial Veins.

    The Spirit Monsters'' eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

    An overwhelming power was overloading their Martial veins causing their souls and bodies to get overly bloated.

    Ani and Masami curiously watched on as droplets of Darkness spewed out of the Spirit Monsters'' eyes.

    None of them could even utter a roar of pain, and in a split second,

    ''BANG!!!''

    Numerous wet pops red in the cave as every Spirit Monstersbusted into thousands of droplets of ck blood!

    This level of control and precision was something Darcel realized he could never do previously.

    His Darkness abilities used to be the most potent if concentrated on a single target. But now, everything was nearly instantaneous, far more powerful, and he can do multiple targets at the same time!

    Feeling a rising of confidence in his abilities, Darcel slowly lowered himself to the ground.

    What awaited him was the impressed smiling faces of Ani and Masami.

 Chapter 166: Dazzling Shows

    Chapter 166: Dazzling Shows

    "Fuuu~, truly shy Darcy! If this was our previous cultivation only at the firstyer link of True Soul Core, it simply would''ve been impossible for us to ughter those beasts. But with only a fraction of your power, you put on a splendid show!"

    Ani was showering Darcel in praise, and she meant every word.

    Indeed, back when they were firstyer link True Soul Core cultivators, they would have a hard time facing the peakte ranks of the Innate Core realm. Even if they were to use their bloodline states.

    But now, not even at his full power, Darcel can crush early level Heavenly Transformation Spirit Monsters like bugs.

    Masami smirked at Darcel, also telling him, "Hmph, Alright, I can give it up. You certainly met our expectations for a good show. Now then."

    Masami briefly expanded her Spirit Sense, and her eyebrows perked up a bit. "Hopefully, something in here can give a semi-decent workout for us while we practice. Doubt it from what I''m sensing, but maybe some powerful beast is hiddenly waiting for an ambush. You wanna take the next batch Ani?"

    "Oooh~! So we''re going to save the cutest forst?" Ani smirked at Masami, who just rolled her eyes but did like her honestpliment.

    "Alrighty then! My show now! Let''s roll out!"

    Ani and Masami already began to walk down the only road in the cave until Darcel suddenly spoke up.

    "Say, since we''re not in the mystical territory, let''s take our traveling speed up a notch. I''m curious to see how fast we got anyways."

    Ani and Masami stopped and nced back at Darcel.

    Mild excitement began to course in them as Ani eagerly answered, "Been wanting to stretch out my legs!"

    While Masami boasted, "Try and keep up then!"

    Feeling lightpetitiveness from the fox girl''s words, Darcel, Ani, and Masami bent their legs.

    And they immediately sted off like three sonic booms!

    The blue ground beneath them cracked like a spider web under the trio''s tremendous speed.

    While they explosively ran up, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were actually quite a bit surprised about their speeds. They felt as fast; no, they felt even faster than the time they rode on that Snow Lizard beast mount!

    And they clearly remember that Snow Lizard was nearing a sonic boom level of speed.

    The trio only ran for a couple of minutes before abruptly stopping themselves.

    And in just a couple of minutes, they already crossed twenty meters!

    "So fast.we should''ve expected this." Ani breathed out, feeling a little bit fazed about going such high speeds.

    While indeed before she, Darcel, and Masami''s speeds were always immense. They never quite went as fast as they did now.

    Still, the trio is quite experienced, so they only needed a second to regain their bearing.

    And right when doing so,

    "HWAA!!"

    Another batch of Heavenly King Spirit Monsters came roaring down to them. This time, the trio sensed there were even more third-level Heavenly Kings in the group.

    But, it didn''t affect Ani''s worries much. She simply smiled and pointed one finger to the cave walls. A bright white string of energy spewed from her fingertips and drilled deep into the wall.

    Ani actually didn''t wait at all for the Spirit Monsters to near her.

    When they were only within fifteen meters from them, Ani simply raised the hand she spewed the string of white energy, and clenched it.

    <em>''Rumble~!!"</em>

    This whole section of the cave began to slightly rumble!

    Masami had mild awe in her eyes while a sh of realization crossed Darcel''s eyes about what Ani caused.

    Numerous sharp spikes shot out of the cave walls at lightning-like speeds. The eleven Spirit Monsters couldn''t react at all and was instantly skewered by the spikes.

    Immediately when the Spirit Monsters got skewered, the light left their eyes. None of the Spirit Monsters even had a chance to squeal before dying.

    Strangely enough, though, no blood spurted out of them. All blood was absorbed by an enchanting white glow.

    The cave spikes all had a beautiful white glow to them, and that white glow pierced right in the beast''s Martial Veins, immediately shattering their souls.

    Ani cut off the white string of energy and turned around to Darcel and Masami with a proud smirk.

    "So you use your telekinesis again. And you barely needed seconds before you just seamlessly controlled the environment. Now that''s a crazed upgrade." Darcel honestly praised, thoroughly impressed by Ani''s disy.

    Ani nodded at Darcel''s assessment, telling him, "Still weaker than if I did my Martial Skills or ck mes. But! It''s enough for catching people off guard or foes on the same level as us. More than enough for those weaker than us."

    "I forget you actually have telekinesis powers.huh. You know.thinking about it, I don''t think I''ve ever heard of another cultivator having telekinesis power."

    Masami was trying to vividly recall her Grandmother teaching, but nothing about telekinesis popped up in her mind.

    She also got Darcel and Ani to contemte it.

    Though their life experiences aren''t as much as Masami. Neither even recalled those Doctors and Scientists having an ability close to telekinesis.

    "Hmmm.I guess that''s just another point on why we''re special! But we can think about thatter. Because I''m ready to be dazzled for our next show!"

    Masami smirked at Ani''s enthusiasm, and she began to boast herself up. "Hmph! I''ll be even quicker and more ''dazzling'' than you two! So, should we go at the same pace again?"

    Though she made it seem like a general question, both Ani and Masami subtly looked towards Darcel for his opinion.

    Darcel considers it for a moment, briefly expanding out his Spirit Sense.

    He shrugged a secondter and told the girls, "Looking at it now, everything here ranges to at most third-level Heavenly King. But, even if we find a fourth level, it''ll be no problem for us. Let''s roll; I''m eager for the next show as well."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami bent their legs and sted off like supersonic missiles once again.

    Behind them, they kicked up the air into a chaotic frenzy, causing any stray Heavenly King Spirit Monster to get swept up by their speeds.

    While running now, the trio took a moment to focus on their stamina. And like they were expecting from before, they felt their bloodline state was as natural as breathing.

    Eventually, the trio stopped again.

    Their Spirit Sense picked up on a slight exciting change in the batch of Spirit Monsters.

    Masami''s face was proud as she told the duo, "Keep your eyes peeled for this one!"

    Darcel and Ani crossed their arms and were eager to see what the little fox woulde up with.

    And Masami actually began to float before their very eyes.

    Masami smoothly levitated several feet in the air, having no problem with flying at all. Even at her previous cultivation, Masami did encounter problems grasping flying at the first rank of the Innate Core realm.

    But, despite regressing back to that realm, Masami was no longer the same as before. Her Innate Qi smoothly pushed her afloat, and Masami felt as if she had more control over flying now.

    "HWAA!!!"

    Once again, the familiar Spirit Monsters roars echoed throughout the blue cave. The exciting thing about this batch of Spirit Monsters was that there were a few fourth-level Heavenly Kings in the mix!

    But, this couldn''t faze Masami at all.

    In an instant, Masami puffed up her cheeks, gathering a massive sum of powerful blue mes there. Her long blue hair briefly shed in a bright blue glow. And the temperature dramatically rose.

    The Spirit Monsters were twenty meters from them, yet Masami didn''t need to wait.

    Masami turned her head upwards in a mere split second and spewed out the raging blue mes from her mouth!

    <em>"Fuuu~!"</em> Masami smoothly controlled her blue mes, making it swirl in a blue ming vortex!

    The blue ming vortex didn''t even get close to Darcel and Ani.

    The blue ming vortex blitzes straight towards the Spirit Monsters, covering the whole twenty meters distance!

    "GWAA!!!"

    The whole batch of Spirit Monsters shrieked in utter anguish.

    The blue ming vortex outsped even the fourth level Heavenly Kings, trapping them all and frying their bodies and souls.

    Though this may seem like a regr attack Masami could just do with her hands. There was actually a unique property inside her blue mes that could onlye from surging it internally in her mouth.

    The property of burning souls! Masami''s blue ming vortex drilled in the Spirit Monsters Martial veins easily, frying their soul defenses and torching their souls all over.

    It''s a highly concentrated technique that would typically take Masami several seconds to prepare, even in her bloodline state before.

    But now, it was quick, instantaneous, and far more powerful than ever. Moreover, Masami felt as if she didn''t need to limit herself to his one attack to cause a soul-searing move.

    Compared to her attacks before the evolution changes, Masami never felt a clear, direct link to her soul unless she specifically willed it.

    Yet now, power from her soul was automaticallying towards her.

    In just a few seconds, the anguished wail ceases; all Spirit Monsters were burnt to mere blue ashes.

    Masami gracefully flowed back to the ground, waiting to be showered in praise.

    Darcel didn''t disappoint the cheeky fox girl as he said, "Somehow, I feel like yourprehension of Fire got, even more, better than us now. At this rate, with our prowess, we can end fights before they even start."

    "Mnh! And I thought before we''re already powerful together. But it does seem like the challenge of these beasts is finally starting to increase. In fact."

    Ani expanded her Spirit Sense a bit ahead of them. "I can pick up on some decently powerful beasts ahead. I think we are going to eventually find that good workout, little fox."

    Not minding Ani''s nickname at all, Masami''s three tails began to dance in slight excitement.

    "Say, with all these beasts down here and the increase in levels, maybe there''s some sort of treasure down here! Going by how the temperature is freezing cold, plus the ice on the wall, we''re definitely still in the Plunged Tundra. And I read about a lot of dangerous but rewarding underground caves around the Plunged Tundra."

    "Hmm-Ah! That''s right! Remember Darcy? When Fruna mentions that supposed genius who managed to be so powerful from the treasures here? Maybe after that trial, our stroke of luck is finally looking up!"

    Ani mentioning it did get Darcel to recall Fruna''s introduction to the Plunged Tundra.

    Since there were no Spirit Monsters in their surrounding area at the moment, Darcel found they could stand and talk for a bit.

    And he turned his attention to Masami, who perked up at Ani''s mention, asking her, "Have any of what you read about that supposed lucky guy? Or any other extraordinary tales?"

    "I''ve.probably heard of that tale Fruna mentioned. But there''s one tale that stuck to me the most. In the same city where my sect resides, someone was able to attain some legendary divine artifact that pushed their sect to be able to contend with us and the other strongest in the city. Hopefully, we can hit a sweet jackpot like that."

    When Masami finished talking, Darcel walked in front of the girls, turning his head back to say, "Well then, shall we st through here even faster? A divine treasure could be waiting for us."

    Ani and Masami didn''t need to be told twice as they eagerly blurted, "Let''s Go!"

 Chapter 167: Middle Ranks Heavenly

    Chapter 167: Middle Ranks Heavenly

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were tearing through the blue caves, leaving a broad trail of destruction in their wake.

    For the past while now, they had been going in the same rotation. Each of them took turns in exploring their evolved abilities.

    And since none of them had any Martial Weapons, they all got creative in utilizing their abilities. The trio creatively made methods of attacks that could snipe people at the same level as them in an instant.

    Like this, the trio mowed down any and all Spirit Monsters that dared toe at them.

    And after fighting for a while, the trio noticed one crucial thing in all of their attacks now.

    Every attack they shot out now had natural soul property about it!

    If they were to concentrate on an attack that would purely use their soul, now that attack got tremendously boosted. And for any other non-soul focus attacks, every Spirit Monster still felt their soul tremble.

    This was actually quite surprising and pleasant for the trio.

    With their old cultivation, they didn''t have that much of a natural link to using their soul essence. For Darcel and Ani, they needed to concentrate squarely on their souls and couldn''t use any Qi at all.

    While Masami could only vaguely grasp her soul powers because of Darcel''s Darkness Soul link.

    However, now, after evolving so much, a small portion of their soul energy will always be linked with their attacks. Even the weakest of Qi attacks contain a soul property.

    It made the trio realize they now have another crucial aspect to their prowess.

    They won''t really struggle at all when facing those at the same level!

    Moreover, they were beginning to believe they could confidently face someone a few levels higher than their bloodline prowess.

    The trio found this idea when they were ambushed by a batch of fifth-level Heavenly King Spirit Monsters!

    Undoubtedly, if Darcel, Ani, and Masami still had the same prowess as when they fought the Scientist, it would''ve been an unwinnable fight for them.

    They had even recalled how just with the Scientist drugging himself up to the fifth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm. That sort of power caused them tremendous trouble.

    Plus, the Scientist alone was able to suppress all three of them at that time.

    But none of that trouble happened here.

    When the trio faced off against the six-man group ambush of fifth level Heavenly King Spirit Monsters, none of them felt the slightest bit of suppression.

    They for sure sense even if they were to go all out with their bloodline states, they could only just match the power of a fifth level Heavenly aura.

    Though the three of them could dominate fourth-level Heavenly Kings, a fifth level one is an entirely different ballpark.

    After all, a fifth-level Heavenly Transformation powerhouse is a wholly separated entity from the fourth level.

    Being at the fifth level means one has entered the Middle ranks of Heavenly King! And one''s entire prowess doubles at that level!

    Yet, despite the overwhelming advantages, Darcel, Ani, and Masami weren''t even scratched.

    All it took was Darcel''s Darkness eyes to peer into their souls. And because Darcel''s soul had massively evolved, his own Darkness eyes see into the beast''s souls, bypassing any automatic soul defenses.

    Once he marked their souls, Darcel simply snapped his hand.

    Six Darkness shadows spewed from the six Spirit Monsters, and Darkness tendrils instantaneously wrapped them all up.

    The six Spirit Monsters wouldn''t have been able to avoid this attack even if they were prepared. As soon as the beasts came within ten meters of their group, Darcel''s Darkness eyes managed to spot them despite being a lengthy distance away.

    Darcel had then concentrated even more power into his hands and with another snap, he sent massive waves of Darkness Energy into the beasts'' Martial veins.

    His Darkness Energy shredded the beast''s soul defenses in their Martial veins and unleashed a chaotic torrent of energy in there.

    Even with the power of a fifth-level Heavenly aura, the Martial veins are the weakest point on any human or Spirit Monster body.

    Because their souls weren''t strong enough, Darcel''s Darkness Energy could wreak utter havoc.

    The Spirit Monsters'' bloodstreams were overloaded with the lustful side of Darkness Energy, causing their bloodstreams to overheat andbust!

    Their souls as well couldn''t handle the Darkness Energy and was quicklybusted into a blob of Darkness Energy. And like all other Spirit Monsters, the trio barely moved to kill Heavenly Kings.

    After that encounter, things became a bit silent for the trio.

    They were running for a few minutes now, yet none of their Spirit Senses picked up on any Spirit Monsters.

    When it seemed like nothing wille up again, Ani smirked and jokingly said,

    "Hehe~, don''t tell me we already-"

    Ani couldn''t finish her remark as she, Darcel, and Masami stopped in their tracks. Their Spirit Senses danger sense went off, and the ground up ahead of them began to crack.

    "Nevermind! Looks like I provoked them!" Ani felt a weird sense of deja vu since something close like this happened in that hell trial.

    "Haah, at least for this situation, your jinxing abilities can make things interesting for us. Those beastsing up are decently powerful." Masami had causally crossed her arms under huge busts while sighing.

    Darcel stood in front of the girls, having no generalment, and waited to see what was cracking the ground.

    And the trio didn''t have to wait long.

    ''Chi!!!''

    Several meters ahead, threerge purple scorpion tails burst from the grounds!

    And right then, the whole ground cracked open, and three giant figures flew from underground.

    The three enormous Spirit Monsters crashnded merely a few feet away from the trio.

    The ground slightly shook under the extreme weight of the beasts.

    What appeared before the trio were Spirit Monsters they never quite seen before. It was three grotesque, giant purple scorpions. And covering the scorpions'' bodies was an odd-looking purple boney armor.

    Besides the beast''s strange appearances, the most special note about them was their prowess. Each of them was seventh-level Heavenly Transformation powerhouses!

    They were at the peak Middle rank tier of Heavenly power.

    Slight tears split in the wall and floor by the scorpions'' Heavenly aura presences alone. Even a whole group of sixth-level Heavenly Kings would feel immense fear on facing these three beasts.

    And yet, Darcel, Ani, and Masami remained firm and fearless.

    The Scorpions'' powerful seventh-level Heavenly auras couldn''t suppress the trio at all.

    But, the trio did sense that even at their full power, they wouldn''t be able to match the scorpions. However, after all their practice, the trio knows they have no need to try and overpower these beasts.

    Immediately when the scorpions hadnded on the ground, Ani wasn''t going to give them the to register their presence.

    The white glow around Ani''s bloodline arm fully burst, unleashing her full power!

    "sh!!" Ani shrieked, bursting forth a blinding white light!

    All of Ani''s attacks already get subtle power from her soul. And now, a concentrated soul attack from her wasn''t on the same league as before.

    The three scorpions truly couldn''t react at all. Inside their souls, a radiant white glow wrapped around their soul cores! Now instead of merely stunning their souls'' space, Ani''s shbang can directly freeze the soul''s cores.

    It made the three scorpions utterly freeze, open to any attack.

    But given how they had natural armor, Darcel took a different route. He smirked, lifted his palm, and shot out numerous Darkness tendrils from the center of his palms.

    The Darkness glow around Darcel''s bloodline arm intensifies as he, too, unleashed his full power. Compared to his Darkness shadows, the Darkness tendrils from his palm had a superior power.

    Darcel''s Darkness tendrils tore right through the three scorpions'' boney armor, drilled into their bodies, and invaded. Darcel''s Darkness tendrils didn''t even bother with trying to ruin the scorpion''s internal bodies.

    The tendrils all blitz straight towards their Martial veins!

    Darcel''s Darkness tendrils effortlessly destroyed the Scorpion''s Martial veins soul defenses and began its chaos of havoc.

    Darkness lustful energy chaotically disrupts their bloodstreams, wrecking their Heavenly Qi flow and Heavenly aura. And inside their soul space, Darkness lustful energy was wreaking the same havoc there.

    Although, unlike the fifth-level Spirit Monsters, these scorpions were strong enough to not die instantly from the Darkness invasion.

    But they were taking severe damage, and their defenses were utterly weak.

    Weaker than if the scorpions were to just have no defense on them.

    Darcel''s Darkness Energy actually lowered their bodily and soul defenses to the point where a weak first-level Heavenly King could badly injure them!

    And yet, none of the scorpions were even shrieking or moving in pain.

    They were still as Ani''s soul shbang still had their soul cores wrapped up.

    On the side, Masami wildly smiles, already preparing for her move.

    She raised her hands, and in a mere split second, her hands became a blur! Masami went through several hand signs all at once.

    Not even Darcel or Ani had the time to spot what she did.

    Though if they did see it, they would''ve noticed it bore a simrity to how Vice-Principal Zelle did her hand signs. The only difference was that Masami''s was far more refined and practiced with hers.

    At herst hand sign, Masami''s blue fire fox cloak luminously shined!

    She, too, unleashed her full power and burst two enormous blue fire fox ws from her cloak.

    The fire fox ws nearly covered the whole area between them! The three scorpions were only just beginning to struggle toe back to reality, but right then, their vision was clouded with ming blue.

    ''Bang!''

    Masami''s blue fire fox w mmed down on the scorpions causing the entire cave to tremble!

    Inside the three scorpions, Masami''s blue mes immediately vaporized their internal bodies and turned their soul core to ashes.

    On the outside, Darcel, Ani, and Masami watched as three pirs of blue mes burst out of the ming destruction Masami''s fire fox ws caused.

    The trio could spot the pirs of blue mes wasing out of the scorpion''s now charred heads.

    Once they sense the scorpion was dead, Masami waved her hand, causing all of the blue ming destruction to vanish. What was left before the trio were three charred remains of the Spirit Monsters.

    Just like that, without even a sign of battle, three seventh-level Heavenly King died like they were mere ants.

    Looking at the results, Darcel knew it wasn''t squarely their power or talent.

    Inside his, Ani, and Masami''s souls, the permanent shade of green inside their soul cores was continually pulsating ever since they first started fighting in this cave.

    And though Darcel couldn''t see it, he clearly felt it now. "This.this is the power of Chaotic Energy!"

 Chapter 168: Against Invincible Might

    Chapter 168: Against Invincible Might

    "Chaotic Energy, you say? Yea.yea! This power is far more than I could ever expect in my wildest dreams! The growth of our soul power is just immeasurable! Hell, with a bit of strategy and timing, we can probably beat even a half-step, Grand Sage, together!

    Masami''s bright blue eyes were sparkling as fervent excitement course in her veins.

    Darcel and Ani, though, were only smiling as if Masami just didn''t make such a substantial bold im.

    Truthfully, such an idle boast of iming to beat even a half-step Grand Sage is nothing to scoff at all.

    Although it merely appears as only a step away after the peak level of the Heavenly Transformation realm. Bing a half-step Grand Sage is actually the equivalent to entering a whole new world of cultivation.

    The Heavenly Sage realm, where one is referred to as Grand Sage, is the realm where one''s talent andprehension truly shines.

    On the Savage Sunset continent, even for the most talented and strongest of geniuses, none of them would dare to ever say they could contend against a half-step Grand Sage.

    Even if said genius was also a tenth level Heavenly King, just a fine line away from half step Grand Sage, they would still undoubtedly lose to any half step Grand Sage.

    Darcel and Ani weren''t aware of this information.

    They only know that the Heavenly Sage realm is the grand dividing realm that shows who is a real powerhouse in terms of strength.

    Yet, neither Darcel nor Ani felt like Masami was overhyping themselves.

    They heard time and time again that each next realm is massively superior to thest. And the higher realm always holds the absolute advantage inbatpared to the lower ones.

    But, what Darcel and Ani realized is that most cultivators, at least on this continent, have a fatal weakness.

    Their souls!

    Time and time again, they all were able to perform tremendous feats all because of everyone''s weak soul defenses.

    It''s true that the soul grows more powerful alongside the cultivator naturally, evolving and changing throughout various realms.

    But for the people that Darcel and Ani fought, none of them had unique cultivation manuals, inheritance, or bloodlines to enhance their souls.

    Something of which Darcel, Ani, and Masami possess and was immensely enhanced after the hell trials.

    And while Darcel and Ani know all of this could change at higher realms and stronger Provinces. They also know their strength will explosively grow with each passing realm.

    Plus, they also have the mystical Chaotic Energy and the green diamond shards that are infused into their souls'' cores.

    "Now, now, Masami. I wouldn''t want us to go brazenly test our luck against an actual Grand Sage without any practice. But, I do believe we can face a peak, Heavenly King."

    Darcel said his most fair assessment about their prowess.

    And Ani perks up, saying, "Right, right! Remember, little fox, we''re probably only scratching the bare surface of Chaotic Energy and our souls. Speaking of which, I can''t believe we didn''t ask this before. But, little fox, are there any soul cultivation manuals or techniques?"

    Through Darcel and Ani''s words, Masami did begin to calm her excitement.

    She put a hand to her chin, briefly thinking about Ani''s question.After a moment, she told them,

    "None that I know of in our province. But, supposedly, I heard of the First rank Province containing soul techniques. Though for sure, the Demigod Kingdoms have them."

    "Hmm.a n for the future then." Darcel spoke and turned his attention down the road. "For now, let''s carry on. I feel like we''re almost at the home stretch now."

    Ani and Masami dutifully nodded. Though before they started walking, the trio was finding it a bit odd that their Spirit Sense isn''t picking up on anything after that colossal battle.

    Even while they were just standing around and talking, nothing was close to approaching them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt some caution about theck of threats and proceeded on carefully.

    Instead of sting through the cave, like before, the trio opted to tentatively walk. It was a strange and sudden tonal shift, seeing as just before, numerous Spirit Monsters were roaming this cave.

    But when making it so far in the cave, for some reason, fewer beasts appeared.

    It was highly suspicious, and the trio didn''t treat this as just mere practice anymore. They were hyper-aware of anything that could jump out at them or step on a trap.

    The trio traveled in silence, and after several minutes of walking, still, nothing tried to kill them.

    However, while there weren''t any threats, the scenery was slowly bing more eerie and chilling.

    Continuing down the path, Darcel, Ani, and Masami began to notice bits and pieces of broken parts of bones. These bones were very few at first. But as they went deeper, bigger, and more defined shape bones started to pop up like crazy, littering the ground.

    "These are.ah? Human remains?" Ani called out while squinting her eyes at one passing bone

    This time instead of just being a nearly shattered bone, the bone actually resembled a human hand!

    "Yea, no doubt about it. These are, or well, were humans. Just look at that skull." Masami gained both Darcel and Ani''s attention, pointing at a strange human skull near the walls.

    The human skull looks grossly decayed, and there was even speks of little blue frost on the broken human skull.

    "Seems like some unlucky explorers managed to get down here. Let''s keep moving." Darcel was at the front helm of the girls, keeping his eyes rapidly alert while walking.

    The chilling human skeleton''s bones littering on the ground didn''t faze the trio much. Hell, they have even seen worse anyways.

    These remains did serve to tell them that something heavy was about toe up. Though their Spirit Senses still haven''t picked anything up yet.

    Walking further along the road, the scenery began to slightly change up again. The walls and ground started to gain a new coloreverything mixed to a more silverish blue color which admittedly looked unique.

    And at this part of the cave, instead of just human skeletons parts being randomly littered on the ground. Now there are groups of piles of human skeletons parts and patches of very dried blood.

    "The more we walk, the more everything starts to feel like some sort of old horror tale. I mean, there''s even literal groups of corpses now."

    Masami sounded calm whenmenting, but she did feel a slight bit of tension.

    "Ah! And not only human corpses it seems. Look guys!'' Ani pointed to the side of them, just a bit off the main path. "These skeleton parts clearly belong to some sort of giant Spirit Monster."

    What the trio saw were enormouslyrge skeleton bones, all in odd shapes and structures. Clearly, they weren''t human, but the trio also couldn''t tell just what kind of beasts they were before.

    "Now I''m getting more assured that we''re close to the grand finale. Be ready, girls." Darcel cautiously warned.

    Though, even as the trio passed the skeletons'' sights, they didn''t stop walking.

    Silence befalls the three of them as each of their Spirit Senses expanded ahead of them. For even the smallest of oddity, Darcel, Ani, and Masami would be aware.

    Eventually, the trio suddenly stopped walking.

    After walking by pieces of skeleton corpses for a few minutes now, they were expecting for the parts to ramp up as they near the end.

    But where they suddenly stopped, there weren''t any pieces of skeletons beyond this point. Just thirty meters ahead of them was arge ck hole that appeared to be an entrance to a huge room!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami squinted their eyes, attempting to see beyond the darkness. They tried for only a few seconds before shaking their heads and giving up on it.

    Even for their incredible eyesight, that darkness appeared to be unique in a way. None of them could see beyond the darkness.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami looked back at each other, taking a second to gather their bearing. After a moment, they nodded to each other and tread forth to the darkness.

    They quietly walked, and slight tension began to fill their bodies. Nothing was happening, yet the trio felt like something huge wasing up.

    Under the tense silence, the trio finally made it within several feet of the supposedrge entrance. And still, despite being so close to the darkness, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami''s eyes could see beyond it.

    Right when the trio was about to take another step, they abruptly stopped again.

    Finally, after all this time, their Spirit Sense frantically went off in a chaotic storm! The sense of death permitted in Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s minds!

    Their heads quickly snapped towards their roof, sensing that''s where the death senses wereing from. As their eyes gazed at the blue silverish ceiling, it immediately started to crack.

    Numerous spider web cracks split the roof, and then,

    <em>''Chi!!''</em>

    The roof was torn open by a gigantic figure! The whole area began to rumble as the enormous figure crashed onto the ground.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami narrowed their eyes at what appeared before them. It was a grotesque, giant scorpion, simr looking to the ones they killed just a while back.

    Although, this scorpion was far more giant than thest ones and had a more defined purple boney armor.

    But its appearance wasn''t what was so striking about it.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami sensed it and felt it. This scorpion had a power that far surpassed any Heavenly Kings! An immeasurable amount of power that none of them could ever hope to match with just their bloodline powers.

    Everything just seemed to stop around therge scorpion. Its immense aura stormed the area causing the air to be warped by it.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt as if the air became incredibly poisonous all at once.

    This Spirit Monster was at the one and only Heavenly Sage realm!

    The realm that can make even the strongest of peak level Heavenly King geniuses tremble to their very knees.

    But not only that, just a single Heavenly Sage can cause an entire city in any weaker provinces to kneel before them! Face to face with a genuine Grand Sage, anybody weaker would''ve felt a rational fear.

    Yet, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami backed down.

    They stood tall and firm even under the immeasurable might of a Heavenly Sage. Unknown to the trio, inside their Martial veins, a mixture of a green hue and a gray haze spewed out of there.

    For the trio, it didn''t matter to them at all that they were currently bearing the invincible might of a Heavenly Sage aura. None of them could feel any suppression of power in the slightest.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami for sure could sense they were far weaker even at their full power.

    But they still had total control of their bodies.

    And before the scorpion could attempt anything, Darcel immediately surged forth Chaotic Energy from his dantian to his hand!

    Since he was already familiar with doing it, Darcel had instantaneously summoned the gray energy to cover his hand.

    A crazed smile stered on Darcel''s face as he said, "Girls! We have a perfect subject for our Chaotic Energy!"

    Ani and Masami followed in Darcel''s lead, raising their hands and instantaneously surging forth Chaotic Energy from their dantian to their hands!

    "Let''s do it!!" Both Ani and Masami simultaneously spoke, spouting a crazed smile simr to Darcel.

    And throughout these brief interactions, the Grand Sage scorpion strangely didn''t move at all.

    When the Grand Sage scorpion firstnded before the trio, it truly believed they were all immediately suppressed by its Heavenly Sage aura. After all, not even in their full power bloodline state could the trio pose a slight threat to the scorpion.

    But when Darcel abruptly raised his hand and summoned strange gray energy, the scorpion instinctively froze.

    From Darcel''s hand, the beast felt it. It couldn''t believe it was feeling it, but a tremendous sense of death drilled into its mind, body, and soul!

    All from that sheer gray energy!

    And when the two girls summoned the same gray energy, that sense of death only explosively increased! Before anything else could happen, the scorpion quickly surged all of its Sage power!

    "SKAA!!"

    The scorpion beast shrieked at the trio while its long tail glowed in a ghastly purple hue. The poisonous stench in the air became even fouler, and Heavenly Sage power crazily spewed out from the beast!

    <em>''Rumble~!!''</em>

    All around them, the cave began to split and crack under the immense power of a Grand Sage. More of the roof started to fall apart, and tremors split open the ground.

    However, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s smiles only turned broader.

    With Chaotic Energy in their hands, not even the full power of a first-level Grand Sage could affect them much!

    The area around them wasn''t affected at all, and they were safe from the breaking environment.

    Only a second pass and the trio knows they have six seconds to end this fight. But Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt as if they only needed three seconds for this!

 Chapter 169: Breakthroughs

    Chapter 169: Breakthroughs

    Right when the Grand Sage scorpion red its immense power, it shot its huge tail straight at the trio.

    When firing off its tail, the Grand Sage scorpion still couldn''t believe its eyes. It felt even more, fear seeing as neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami was even affected by its full power!

    The scorpion tail moved incredibly fast. Faster than what Darcel, Ani, or Masami had ever experienced before.

    The ghastly purple hue tail reached them in a mere half-second and was inches away from Darcel''s chest.

    However, Darcel didn''t even put any thought into it, and his Chaotic Energy hand moved at an even faster pace than the Grand Sage scorpion!

    <em>''Bang!!''</em>

    A tremendous impact red in everyone''s ears.

    The scorpion tail didn''t impale into Darcel''s chest; no, he had actually caught it using his Chaotic Energy hand!

    The Grand Sage scorpion felt its pupil dted to tiny needle sizes.

    Darcel''s smile turned savage, and the ghastly purple hue shrouding the scorpions'' tail was instantly vaporized by Darcel''s Chaotic Energy! The poisonous stench couldn''t affect Darcel, Ani, or Masami at all now.

    Immense panic and fear erupted in the Grand Sage scorpion. It couldn''t sense even the speck of power from Darcel, Ani, or Masami.

    Yet, the Spirit Monster knew its death was near!

    The scorpion began to tremble uncontrobly, desperately trying to surge its Sage power and break free from Darcel. However, under Darcel''s Chaotic Energy hand, the Spirit Monster couldn''t move its body nor summon any of its Sage Qi!

    Incredible power rushed to Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s hands, and their Chaotic Energy aura intensified.

    The whole space around the trio froze.

    Another second passed, leaving them with only five seconds.

    And Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t wait a single second longer. Darcel briefly let go of the scorpions'' tail and,

    <em>''Chi!!!'' </em>Three gray beams shot forth from his, Ani, and Masami''s palms!

    When the gray beams shot towards the scorpions, the whole rumbling and destruction of the cave stopped. The Grand Sage scorpions simply couldn''t move at all.

    The power behind the Chaotic Energy beams was immeasurable, far beyond the mere limits of Sage''s prowess.

    The gray beams shot right through the Grand Sage scorpion, instantly vaporizing it into mere gray dust!

    The gray beams didn''t even cause a tremendous collision or any kinds of noise. Without stopping, the gray beams sailed into the darkness, still not making any sort of impact.

    And in only a mere three seconds, a Grand Sage, a being that could dominate in most ces they go to, was just instantly vaporized. All of this was done by two True Soul Core and one Innate Core juniors, no less.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt mild surprise at just how effective Chaotic Energy was.

    But after everything was said and done, the trio immediately copsed to their knees.

    <em>"Haaah.fuuu."</em> Darcel, Ani, and Masami exhaled a long sigh.

    All of their power and stamina was nearly depleted from that one attack. Their bloodline state automatically turned off, giving them some breathing room.

    "<em>Huuu</em>.as powerful that was.haah.we can''t be just spamming that for anyst resorts." Darcel panted out, feeling like he was on the verge of passing out.

    Ani had her hand to her forehead, trying to wipe off the sweat forming. But no matter how much she swiped off, more and more sweat kept pouring down her face.

    "<em>Hueee~</em>....sheesh. I wonder just how strong we''ll need to be for this overwhelming power. Haah."

    Masami shot her eyes towards the broken roof, torn ground, and the darkness hole.

    She quickly came to a conclusion, telling the duo, "We.we can''t stay here. What if there''s another terrifying beast like that somewhere around here. Let''s force ourselves to that hole!"

    "Haaah~, right!" Both Darcel and Ani didn''t reject Masami''s words and determinedly nodded.

    Though their Spirit Sense isn''t picking up anything now, who knows if there will be another Grand Sage ambush.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami pushed down all of their exhaustion. They forcefully rose to their feet and tense their legs.

    Against their depleted stamina, the trio took off in a mad dash!

    The distance between them and the darkness entrance was still only several feet. Still, the trio felt like they were running a marathon. They had to carefully avoid the many deep craters in the ground and destroyed rocks on the path.

    But they did manage to cross over into the darkness hole in a timely manner.

    Once inside the darkness, the trio stopped and put their hands on their knees, panting slightly. Their vision went entirely ck for a split second.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami blinked their eyes, and their scenery changed again.

    "Hooh? This is.beautiful!" Ani loudly eximed as she, Darcel, and Masami''s eyes were awe at their current site.

    Beyond the darkness, they came to a room that was littered with bright, beautiful pieces of shards.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t even tell how many shards were on the ground. Each shard was in a beautiful blue-silverish glow, causing the whole room to dazzle in its morous shine.

    The only variant in each shard was their sizes and shapes.

    Some shards were as long as an arm, short as a finger, or as wide as a hand. And the shards weren''t the only glorious sight in the room.

    The trio trailed their eyes over to the center of the room, and their awe increased.

    Floating elegantly in the air was a huge bright silverish-blue stone. At the top of the radiant stone, a string of blue silverish energy shone out of it and was drilling into the roof.

    What made this beautiful sight even more perfect was the vibrant energy enrapturing the room.

    Just being here, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their exhaustion leave them, and their stamina slowly climbed back to them.

    "Just our luck, we desperately fight only toe to a glorious reward and, and.ooh?" Masami''s full attention began to shift when a sudden pull was calling to her soul.

    Her eyes trailed back to the shards littering the ground, feeling that''s where the pull wasing from. And the longer she stayed in this room, the stronger the pull the shards had.

    Ani walked over to one of the shards and crouched down. The same pulling feeling in Masami''s soul, she as well was experiencing it.

    Her eyes deeply gaze into the blue-silverish shard sensing a very simr qualitying from it.

    "Mnh.that''s right little fox! I''m also feeling these wonderful shards hold a divine quality just so simr to our Chaotic Energy." And as Ani said it, she also felt there was another simr vague quality about these shards.

    But she just couldn''t put her finger on it.

    Darcel, too felt the same pull to his soul. And the vague feeling Ani couldn''t precisely tell also nestled inside Darcel. Although, he could tell it was directlying from something else inside his soul space.

    Try as he might, though, Darcel couldn''t remember just exactly what was so simr about these shards besides their Chaotic Energy.

    The only thing he was assured of was that these shards wouldn''t hurt them.

    So Darcel went with the most direct method. He walked over to a shard and casually picked it up!

    <em>''Chi!''</em>

    A bright blue-silver sh illuminated the whole room!

    Both Ani and Masami were taken off guard and quickly shut their eyes. The blinding sh only filled the whole room for a second.

    Once the sh quickly died down, Ani and Masami reopen their eyes and promptly snapped their heads over to Darcel.

    Though they didn''t hear him scream out in pain, they still were concerned for any other surprising element that could affect him. They felt a great relief pass through them as Darcel appeared to bepletely fine.

    He was only staring at his palm, clenching them for some reason.

    Ani quickly got up to Darcel, saying to him in aforting tone, "Ah, Darcy! You almost gave me a heart scare. Thankfully nothing happened. You should''ve at least waited a bit."

    Darcel turned his head, smiling at how cute Ani was being. He was about to talk when,

    "Hmph! You need to learn from me on how you are supposed to reprimand someone Ani. But we''ll do thatter. Inside though, are you feeling alright?"

    Masami had swiftly walked over and gently touched Darcel''s chest. Her tone started off a bit heated but turned incredibly cute and warm at the end.

    And a burst of soothing warmth shot through Darcel''s chest, though he didn''t need it.

    "Hehe~, little fox, I leave the cute embarrassed aggressiveness caring to you. But you do raise a good point!" Ani glowed her hand in a radiant white light and ced her hand near Masami''s.

    "So are you.hm?" Ani stopped as she did sense a slight change in Darcel.

    And Darcel actually felt a healing propertye from Ani''s white hand.

    He smirked when seeing Ani stopped and began telling the girls, "Rx, girls, I already sensed it, and these shards won''t hurt us. And you can sense the change in my Nascent Core, right Ani?"

    "Ah.ah! It''s very slight, but like this, I can sense your Nascent Core permanently grew just a little bit."

    Ani''s exnation caused questions to fly into Masami''s mind.

    "Eh? Really? Is it because of your light you can sense it? I don''t sense anything different."

    Ani smiled and rapidly nodded her head. As she said, Darcel truly did feel his Nascent Core grow in power.

    Picking up that shard was so automatic and quick. It was even faster than if they were just regrly cultivating!

    "Trust us, Masami, this little shard actually grew my cultivation just a bit. You two should try it now."

    Ani and Masami took their hands off Darcel''s chest and looked back down to shards. Of course, they hold full trust in his words, so the girls didn''t have any objection.

    They too casually picked a single shard, a bright blue-silver sh sparked the room, and a smile graced the girls'' lips. Just like Darcel, they felt their cultivation permanently grow as if they were regrly cultivating.

    Ani''s eyes trailed all over the room, bing more pleased with each passing shard. "Like this, we literally have a vault of resources here. Oh! And I bet depending on the size varies the amount of energy we get."

    Masami was instead starting to look a bit weary while running her eyes at all the shards here. "There''s almost too many shards here. Haah.this is going to take us quite a while."

    A smirk curved up Darcel''s lips as he told the girls, "Well then, let''s get to it."

    .

    Several hours passed, and endless blue-silver shes continually sparked in the room. After so much time, the initial bright radiance this room was bathed in had considerably gone down.

    The only radiance left came from the huge blue silverish stone floating at the center of the room.

    And for Darcel, Ani and Masami, they had just got done absorbing thest shard in the room.

    A vast, broad smile was etched on each of their faces.

    With dozens and dozens of shards littering the ground, all with various quantities of energy, the trio managed to have repeated significant breakthroughs!

    Now, Darcel, Ani cultivation shot right up to the fifthyer link of the True Soul Core realm! While Masami cultivation jumped straight up to the sixth rank of the Innate Core realm!

    With each breakthrough that came to them, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami experienced any mental blocks.

    Everything was as simple as just touching and absorbing to breakthrough.

    This kind of cultivating method would make any regr or talented cultivator''s hearts bleed at how oversimplified the trio had it!Weeks of cultivating that would''ve taken even Darcel, Ani, and Masami some time to achieve was done in a mere few hours.

    "Fuuu~...." Darcel, Ani, and Masami exhaled a long breath after absorbing thest blue silverish shard.

    Instead of their breath just being normal, now there was a unique gray color quality in the breaths they take.

    Masami clenched her fist, feeling incredibly excited at the overwhelming power running in her Martial veins. "Now probably won''t need to team up for stronger foes. We could literally take onte ranks Heavenly Kings in a snap!"

    Once the initial excitement ran through Darcel, he had calmed down and looked over to Ani. Out of everything in these rapid breakthroughs, Darcel was now sure of the other vague feeling he felt in these shards.

    His eyes locked with Ani, and he asked her, "You felt it, right? A small bit of her presence in these shards. Hell, I can now sense it more clearlying from that stone."

    Ani had a rare serious expression and slowly nodded. "Mnh.it was so very vague. But.there''s no way I can ever forget Sari''s presence."

    Questions rapidly popped up in Masami''s mind from the duo''s vague conversation. Her two tails shook in rapid curiosity, gaining back Darcel and Ani''s attention.

    With their attention on her, she asked, "Uuuh? Just who the hell is Sari?"

 Chapter 170: Divine Spirits

    Chapter 170: Divine Spirits

    "Back during our time in the Blessed Spirit Province, we happened toe upon a mysterious Spirit girl. She was in a ce called the Asylum of Mysteries. Do you know anything about this ce, Masami?"

    Darcel exined and asked the fox girl. Considering that she does live in a far more prosperous and abundant resourceful ce, Darcel thought they could probably find a silver of a clue from her.

    "No clue." Masami simply shook her head, squashing the little bit of hope both Darcel and Ani had.

    But after denying it, Masami put her hand to her chin.

    "Weeell.actually.can you give me more of a description about this Spirit girl?"

    Ani took it upon herself to answer and told Masami, "Ah.she''s a very mysterious one. That girl essentially forced us toe to her. Her power is also immeasurable! She forcefully put us inside our own soul space and could even easily invade it. Though, her power did help us get out of a tight spot one time."

    Both Ani and Darcel immediately recalled the time they faced against those vile creatures and decrypted men. And as they remember, the duo also realized since that time, they barely use Sariel''s power anymore.

    They especially don''t need it now since those diamond shards are infused into their souls.

    Masami processed the information, and her mind came to an immediate conclusion. "Hmm.and you''re saying that kind of Spirit has a presence in these shards. That Sariel girl may just be.a Divine Spirit!"

    Darcel and Ani raised their eyebrows at Masami''s conclusion.

    They never heard of a Divine Spirit even after all the information gathering they did in the Zakira Academy.

    Sensing their confusion, Masami smirked and exined, "Hmph! You see, it''s not only you guys, but lots of people also don''t know about Divine Spirits. My Grandmother taught me that on this whole, there exist many unique and powerful Divine beings. But none of these Divine beings can be so easily found. Hence why barely anyone knows about them. And Grandma told me that meeting any one of these beings will cause your whole life to get blessed! Though.she was really vague on the whole blessed part and what does it actually mean."

    Darcel and Ani linked Masami''s exnation to what they remembered about Sariel.

    And for sure, she does fit that description.

    Nobody knows about her, and they could say she blessed their lives in some way.

    Still, both Darcel and Ani felt as if there''s something more about Sariel. They recalled that sliver of power she demonstrated to them, and the duo just had a faint feeling.

    That kind of probably goes far beyond a Divine Spirit.

    Ani shook her head, knowing it wasn''t all that useful to specte with so little information. "That''s probably what she is. But we have very little to go on besides a vague feeling we experienced some time ago. So let''s move on to the main event!"

    Ani turned her attention to the enormous blue silverish stone still floating in mid-air. "This stone''s mere presence is so mysterious. Its energy just has to be tremendous!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami huddled around the massive stone.

    Their eyes nearly got lost in its luxurious luster. Moreover, they also felt a greater amount of simr Chaotic Energy qualitying from the stone.

    "Let''s see if we can make this stone our own." ''Darcel confidently spoke and reached out to grab the stone.

    Immediately when he made the slightest of contact with the stone, Darcel felt his body intensely shiver!

    Frost swiftly formed his hand and the chills shivering his spine quickly got worse with each passing split second.

    <em>''Chi!" </em>

    The cold was so incredibly terrible, it forced Darcel to automatically burst his bloodline state to full power!

    A Darkness glow shrouded Darcel''s bloodline arm, alleviating some of the cold. But there was still a sliver of freezing cold nestling throughout Darcel''s body.

    And when Darcel unleashed his bloodline state without warning, both Ani and Masami burst their bloodline state as well so they wouldn''t get flung by Darcel''s powerful aura.

    "Eh??" Both girls confusedly shouted simultaneously.

    Masami''s eyes noticed how there was still a bit of frost on Darcel''s hand, plus his body was shivering a bit.

    "Is it really that cold? Let me see." Masami cautiously put her hand on the blue silverish stone. And despite being in her fire fox cloak, Masami still felt an extreme cold shiver up her spine!

    It didn''t matter if her hand was literally on fire; small bits of frostbite also formed on Masami''s hand.

    "Hmph! What the hell is this??"

    Ani looked between Darcel and Masami, shrugging her shoulders.

    "I guess that just leaves me then." Ani put her hand on the blue silverish stone and wasn''t surprised when an immense cold chilled her body.

    Small bits of frostbite appeared on her glowing white hand, signifying just how cold it was. "And yep! This thing really is that cold!"

    Darcel looked between his hand, Ani''s hand, and Masami''s hand. And seeing as none of them were encased in a block of ice, Darcel gained an idea.

    "Since it''s not hurting us and only causing colds in us. Let''s see if we can try and move this thing."

    "Alright!" Both Ani and Masami nodded, not all too bothered by the freezing cold.

    All three of them already have a high tolerance to the cold anyway. Experiencing this freezing temperature wasn''t much to the trio.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami clenched their hold over the stone. Darcel spoke then, telling the girls,

    "On three. One.two.three!"

    Immediately, the trio attempted to pull the stone towards them at the same time. They strained themselves, yet none of them could move.

    Shock ran through Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes.

    Despite joining together, this blue silverish stone wouldn''t budge a single inch! And it''s not like the triocked physical strength.

    Even though none of them cultivates a Bodily technique, Qi still transforms any cultivator''s physiques to be more powerful.

    And the trio knows after all their previous breakthroughs, they could shatter the toughest of diamond materials with ease.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami briefly stopped.

    They exchanged a look between each other and nodded. Simultaneously, their powers explosively increased! Their bloodline auras quickly reached their peak as the trio pushed themselves to the limit.

    They strained their arms again and attempted to pull the blue silverish stone once again.

    The cave room began to crack all around them, rocks began to fall from the ceilings, and small craters split open the ground.

    But despite going all out, they still couldn''t move the blue silverish stone a single inch.

    Eventually, the trio gave up, turning off their bloodline state and returning the room back to a calm order.

    "Jeez! What''s with this oversized stone? I can''t even precisely sense the amount of energying from it." Ani sighed her frustration.

    Masami, though, suddenly recalled a vivid memory.

    From their previous conversation about Divine Spirits and the oddity of this stone, Masami blurted out, "I may have a clue on what this is! One time, my Grandma just randomly told me this story about how the strongest of Demigods supposedly found the infinite power source in the Plunged Tundra. But none of them could pass through a mysterious barrier.maybe this is."

    Darcel and Ani briefly contemte it.

    Darcel first spoke up, saying, "Your Grandma sure knows a lot. But while this could be it, we simply have no way of taking this stone even at our full power."

    "When we leave, we have to mark this cave. I''m sure we can quickly grow strong enough and take this oversized stone in no time!" Ani suggested, and Masami nodded in agreement with her.

    For a moment, Darcel thought if any of this had to do with Sariel.

    He kept the thought in the back of his mind and pointed to a clear exit of this room. "Seems like there''s nothing left in this room. And thankfully, there''s no dead-end here. Let''s return back to the surface."

    "Finally! To the real world!" Ani excitedly eximed.

    "I just can''t wait to show the whole Province our new gifts." Masami also held evident eagerness in her voice.

    But before continuing to leave, Darcel looked over Masami''s appearance. Her hoodie is ruined, and she could no longer hide her two tails in the tattered state of her clothes.

    So Darcel asked her, "Masami, your clothes got ruined from all of this. Surely people would recognize you now."

    Instead of even a slight look of concern, Masami just broadly smiled at Darcel, showcasing her sharp canine teeth.

    "Well, actually, believe it or not, outside of my sect, I''m not the most recognizable out of my ''genius'' siblings. Being the lowest talent leaves you with less fame in the outside world. My Grandma mainly made me wear this robe for any of our enemies who would try to kidnap me. But with our power now, hmph! I have no need to hide my face. Plus, we literally have no other options since we don''t have any spare clothes."

    Ani hums, seeing Masami''s point, and knows they have limited options as of now. "Ah well, Darcy. We truly can''t do anything about it right now. Our best bet is finding some sort of town fast and getting something to cover her identity again. Better safe than sorry little fox."

    Though Masami had a reinvigorated fighting spirit, she also understood the importance of safety first.

    "Hmmm....you''re right. But we also don''t have to live in fear for the while my appearance is exposed."

    With that out of the way, Darcel smirked and nodded at the girls.

    He began walking to the exit, telling them, "Let''s reintroduce ourselves to the world, shall we?"

    .

    Hundreds of thousand miles away from Darcel''s group, an hidden, unknown meeting was secretly urring in the Ice Nine Tails sect.

    In the same beautiful room where there was an abundance of Nine Tails Foxes sculpture, Ryota and Mika were right back in there.

    They were leaning on the wall by the window, waiting for the third person toe. The couple stood six feet apart from each other, and a strange, tense silence filled the room.

    Neither Ryota nor Mika took a single nce at each other since they arrived here.

    It wasn''t until a sudden thought streaked into Ryota''s head and he began to talk, hoping to break this awkward, tense silence.

    "You know.since there''s still going on with that Mercenary event, we''re still thest one that still hasn''t decided. Have you finally made up your mind on who we should send for training?"

    "Heh!" Mika scoff without care about raising Ryota''s ire. "That''s all you have to say after all this time?"

    For a split second, Ryota truly did felt his annoyance prick. But he forcefully calmed himself and clicked his tongue.

    "Tch. It''s a decision we''ll need to make it soon. Plus, let''s not forget you''ve been avoiding me all this time. So yes, I do think it''s a good opportunity to ask."

    Mika stayed silent for a moment. She calmly replied to Ryota, telling him, "We''ll examine who''s at the top of the disciple rankingter."

    Ryota only grunted in response, and they both were about to fall back into a tense silence.

    But right then, the door to this room quietly open, revealing the mysterious Nomiya.

    Mika instantly became ted; her five fox tails swirled in eager anticipation. She broke off her previous silence and promptly asked Nomiya,

    "Grandma Sage! So?! Did you find her?!"

    Nomiya, in contrast to Mika''s excitement, was perfectly calm. She looked between Mika and Ryota, telling them both, "You two need to work on your personal issues. Less you want our faction to fall even further behind."

    "Tch! Yes, Grandmother Sage, you say that every time we meet together. But respectfully, don''t we have more pressing issues at hand?"

    Ryota didn''t hold the same excitement as Mika, but he was clearly eager to hear any good news.

    Nomiya evenly answered their wishes, telling the parents, "Masami. She''s alive."

    Both Mika and Ryota became ecstatic! Their faces briefly lit up, their five fox tails fervently swirled in excitement, and their fox ears perked up.

    They both were thrilled until Nomiya said next,

    "But, we can''t track her."

    Immediately, both Mika and Ryota''s fox tails and fox ears depressingly dropped down. Their expressions fell, bing entirely distraught.

 Chapter 171: Foresight

    Chapter 171: Foresight

    "Impossible!! How can we not tract her?! We have quite literally the best tracking Spirit Artifact that''ll make even the top three Provinces go crazy over!!" Mika eximed in utter disbelief.

    Her five fox tails went stiff, and her vertical slits shined a deep blue glow.

    Though she won''t ever im to be the best of parents, Mika still wanted her daughter back and alive more than anything. On instinct, her Heavenly Sage aura chaotically storm the whole room!

    Large cracks split into the icy floor, the air became overwhelmingly oppressive. Ryota snapped his head over to the raging woman and shouted at her.

    "Hey! Calm the hell down! She''s obviously going to exin to us why!"

    Ryota tch in his mind as he actually had to surge a bit of his Sage aura just to withstand Mika''s burst of power.

    Realizing her power identally surged, Mika immediately calmed down. The room instantly returned back to its tranquility state.

    Mika bowed her head at Nomiya, respectfully saying, "Sorry for the outburst Grandma Sage. It''s just.I don''t get it. It''s one of the best Spirit Artifacts trackers in the whole continent.

    Nomiya stood still, entirely unaffected by Mika''s outburst. She didn''t even have to raise a speck of her energy to resist Mika''s impulsive burst of power.

    In a calm voice, Nomyia told them both, "And it''s useless to find Masami. Whatever happened during her disappearance massively changed her entire presence."

    "So what are we supposed to do now? To cover the entire Plunged Tundra could take up to weeks, even for us! And who''s to say she''s even still in this Province after that mysterious disappearance." Ryota also voiced his disbeliefs

    "We''re not going to do much, actually."

    Nomyia''s words exceedingly puzzled Mika and Ryota. "Wh-what do you mean?" They both confusedly asked at the same time.

    "I only just barely managed to suppress any news of Masami''s running away from home, her disappearance, and now reemergence. If any of this news were to leak, even the slightest of news, it would be a disaster for Masami. We may be the weakest faction, but the other two are always closely monitoring us. And I don''t need to exin how much they want our throats, do I?"

    Nomiya''s exnation only raised further questions for Mika and Ryota.

    "I.dammit. You''re right, Grandma Sage, but we obviously can''t just sit back and do nothing!" Mika still wouldn''t give up on this.

    "And that''s why what you two will do is send Kasai to the Mercenary Exchange Event. When he goes, you will also give him the return talisman."

    Ryota still looked a bit puzzled over her exnation, not knowing how that event connected to his daughter''s reemergence.

    While Mika''s eyes lit up, realizing that, "Wait.wait, ah! Did you perceive a foresight that can lead us to Masami?!"

    "All I know for sure is that something tremendous will go down at New Branch City during the Mercenary Exchange Event. And I perceive a bloodline very simr to you two being at the center there."

    Mika and Ryota''s faces became hopeful again.

    While they all share the same bloodline inheritance, there are still specific variations of their bloodline only immediate family members can share.

    It''s why some children born here all have varying amounts of fox tails.

    And though Masami''s inborn talent wasn''t the best, both parents know she still has their variant of bloodline. Mika excitedly started to say then,

    "That''s it! That''s our child! So why don''t we-"

    "If anyone of us even tries our best to leave in secret, all of the Ancient Grand Sages will know. And if you try to mobilize your forces in any odd or subtle way, the other two factions will know."

    Even for the calm Nomiya, when she saw both parents'' faces be increasingly frustrated, she felt a bit of sympathy.

    So she quickly followed up with, "But do not worry. I am closely monitoring Masami''s life tracker and this foresight for even the slightest of change. Although, I''m quite surprised at how tense you two are about her. Considering your less than favorable treatment about her that went on for most of her life."

    "Nnng!!!"

    It was words both Mika and Ryota didn''t want to hearing from Nomiya. Compared to themselves or anybody else, Nomiya''s words truly pierced deep in their hearts and minds.

    Mika''s fingernails dug into her skin, drawing blood, while Ryota violently gritted his teeth.

    They both know precisely well how much their own daughter much prefers her Grandmother to them. Moreover, they also know how much better Nomiya treated herpared to themselves.

    Seeing how badly affected the parents were from her words, Nomiya relented a bit.

    "But I can also excuse you two a bit. Because of the Ancient Grand Sages, you two had your hands tied in numerous situations. Plus, it does appear you two are willing to change for her after all of this, so it''s a reasonable start."

    Mika and Ryota silently gazed at Nomiya and then at each other.

    There were thousands of conflicting thoughts affecting their minds, but neither of them had it in them to go against Nomyia''s words.

    Her wisdom, knowledge, and abilities are far above any of their life experiences.

    And both Mika and Ryota already lived for hundreds of years!

    "Grandmother Sage.we''ll do as you say. But, may I ask why do you want Kasai to go specifically?" Ryota curiously inquired.

    Nomiya answered without a beat, telling them, "For this Mercenary Exchange event, the Koduka and Koizma faction are sending one of their best on the disciple rankings. We''ll follow in line, but Kasai will be doing a specific task for us. To bring Masami back home without anyone noticing."

    Mika and Ryota stayed silent once again. It is indeed true that you''ll only learn of the true value of something or someone once they''re truly gone.

    Both parents couldn''t get their minds off of Masami ever since the World-Changing Event, and they for sure won''t rest well until she''s home.

    Though Nomiya''s face was covered by her huge robe hood, both Mika and Ryota felt her gaze pierced into their determined faces.

    They all were silent for a moment before Nomiya suddenly said then,

    "By the way, you know what another foresight told me? This one was far more detailed and concise than the Mercenary Event. Do you two want to hear it?"

    Mika and Ryota traded a brief nce before nodding.

    And Nomiya told them, "You two need to be a harmonious couple, or our whole Ice Nine Tail sect will never prosper."

    "Wha-"

    Both Mika and Ryota had questions immediately ready for Nomiya.

    But she promptly turned around and began to walk off after telling them herst foresight. Mika and Ryota were left alone in the silent room, their thoughts in a chaotic disorder.

    .

    Massive piles of snow were bunched up together, efficiently blocking a whole path. A path that Darcel, Ani, and Masami were on to get back to the outside world.

    The trio had just emerged from the unique blue silverish cave and promptly came face to face with snow, but it was odd-looking.

    "Ehh? Hey guys .doesn''t this snow look so simr to the one that the Scientist made when we fought?" Ani said as the snow in front of them was in a gross-looking mesh of color.

    Some parts of the snow was gray, other parts were ck, while some parts were dirt white.

    Darcel thinks it over for a moment before saying, "Maybe it''s a side effect of us teleporting here." He had then expanded out his Spirit Sense while talking, sensing no threats near them. "But it is at least safe over here. Who wants to do the honor of clearing the way?"

    "I''ll wave it away," Masami stated and actually waved her hand.

    A small spark of blue fire shed in the middle of the dirt color mix of snow. The snow instantly melted away, revealing the bright white entrance to the trio.

    The trio smirked and made their way outside.

    Once they were outside, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were ted but also curious. Where they ended up was sure the Plunged Tundra, yet it had a significant change about it,

    A gentle breeze whipped past the three, but neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami felt the slightest of cold.

    While they know with their power now, just the Plunged Tundra''s general cold wouldn''t affect them much. But at the same time, they also felt as if the temperature must''ve slightly raised?

    It was an odd contradiction for them. They for sure sensed it was cold, yet it isn''t as cold as it should be.

    However, the main attracting difference came from the ground.

    The snow on the ground was in the same dirt color mix that was blocking their way before. The trio nced up to the sky and noticed it also was in a slightly odd color tone.

    Instead of it just being the usual ever-present bright sky blue, now the sky had a more dull blue like the whole sky was washed out.

    Although, the most meaningful change about the outside the trio felt was the very air around them.

    When Ani took a quick whiff of the air, her eyes popped open. "Wow! Seems like everything didn''t stay static while we''re gone. The air just feels so much better now!"

    "And the Qi.it feels just a touch more powerful than before. How very interesting." Darcel remarked while bathing his Spirit Sense in the new vibrant Qi in the air.

    He felt like the whole world must''ve experienced a major breakthrough with these changes.

    "Yea.this is.eh? Wait a minute." Masami suddenly stopped basking about being in the outside world, realizing something important.

    "We may be out, but we.we don''t even know where we are! Tch, and since our rings are useless won''t even have a map to go off from. This muddy ce just had to look the same no matter where you go."

    While Masami huffed and puffed, Darcel expanded his Spirit Sense out. He quickly covered a few miles hoping for just a single sense of human life.

    And in just a few seconds, his prayers were quickly answered.

    Darcel turned to Masami, who now had Ani beside her side, calmly stroking her fox tails to calm her down.

    He wryly smiled and told the girls, "Wherever we are, it''s for sure a higher level area than Mawold Town. I just picked up on a whole group of mid ranks Heavenly Kings close by. Let''s go and.familiarize ourselves with the locals."

    Ani perks up in curiosity, letting go of Masami''s tails and inquisitively said, "Oooh.I say there''s an eighty percent chance we''ll end up in a fight by how our luck works. So I''m curious to see how long human Heavenly Kingsst against us."

    In a much more calm state from Ani petting her tails, Masami smirked up to say, "Try ny percent. And there won''t be much of a difference between human and beast. Though, people do give much more amusing reactions."

    "Before we get on with it, make sure you two mask your presence. I want to see how far we havee in this department. And we should at least judge the situation ordingly."

    Ani and Masami dutifully nodded without any objections.

    The trio had then begun masking their presence, bing practically unnoticeable in just a second.

 Chapter 172: Unintentional Help

    Chapter 172: Unintentional Help

    Somewhere in the middle of the now gray-colored mixed snow Plunged Tundra, a peculiar event was currently unfolding.

    Nobody was around this peculiar group, but nobody sane enough would want to be around this daunting group.

    Five men all wearing the same white armor huddled around a beautiful center of attraction.

    The five men all held fiercely and intimidating appearances and statures.

    All of their white armors had strange yet chilling demon markings carved on them. entuating their fierce looks is the assortment of weapons each man held.

    One man wielded a long white spear, another had a short saber, one had two short swords, and another had a small battle hammer.

    But the most eye-catching weapon of them all was an overly long broad sword held in the hands of the man that had a long scar running right down the right side of his cheek.

    The broad sword was casually slung over his shoulder like it didn''t hold any weight.

    Each of the men''s expressions was a mix of slight arrogance, jeering and subtle undisguised lust.

    What was causing their mix of chilling expressions were three gorgeous women in the center of them.

    In contrast to the intimidating white armor-wearing men, these women exuded a beautifully pure, captivating elegance. All three of them wore just a gorgeous long pure white robe.

    The white robes snugly fit their bodies, highlighting their sumptuous body and bewitching curves.

    Their faces beamed with graceful elegance and pride. And despite beingpletely surrounded, none of the women had the slightest expression of being scared.

    They were indifferent, even going so far to have a slight disdaining expression to their current predicament.

    It was amazing for them to be so calm, considering the fact none of the five white armor men were weak.

    On the contrary, everyone there was incredibly powerful!

    Each of the five white armor men was mighty fifth level Heavenly Transformation powerhouses!

    As for the white robe women, two were at the fourth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm while the other was at the fifth level.

    Two powerful groups of cultivators, and there was an incredible tension between both sides.

    The white armor man that slung the broadsword over his shoulder had the most prominent arrogant expression there. He was speaking in an unbearable slimy tone, telling the pure women,

    "Well, Snow Angels? Are you still going to be so stubbornly obstinate? You know if you just smoothly cooperate with us, then there will be no harm, no foul. What''d ya say?"

    "Heh!" All three of the Snow Angel women simultaneously scoffed. The fifth level Heavenly King woman stared right into the scarred face man arrogant eyes, inly saying to him,

    "You White Demon group barbarians just can''t seem to grasp that you''re not the strongest nor will ever be the strongest Mercenary group. Even as you outnumber us and have slightly higher power than us, do you really think we''ll simply lie down and submit?"

    None of the White Demon men were annoyed by the women''sck of fear and confidence.

    The scarred face man smirk only got broader at their provocations. "It''ll be in your best interest. Just give us what we need, and we''ll be in for a good time at the Mercenary Event."

    This time, it was the Snow Angels turned to boldly smirk at the men.

    The fifth level Heavenly King woman spoke with a hint of mocking in her voice, "Hoh? Still fearing that the Golden Crow Circle will win again this year?"

    The Snow Angels'' smirk increased, seeing the White Demon men''s eyes twitch in slight annoyance.

    "Really so desperate. Hmm.either way, whether we submit to you or not, you all have no chances of winning. Just likest time and all other events prior."

    The White Demon men felt a small irk from the Snow Angel''s blunt, cold words. But instead of letting annoyance run in their minds, the men simply smile.

    And this time, their smile turned even more malicious.

    The scarred face men so brazenly looked up and down the Snow Angels bombastic body, telling them in a slightly threatening tone, "Heh, you know what? That is such a reasonably good point to bring up. But.how about we convince you three through some.light persuasions."

    Without warning, the five White Demon men unleashed the full force of their fifth level Heavenly auras!

    Immense waves of theirbined auras swirled in the area for miles.

    The whole air around them became turbulent, making it a bit hard to breathe for the Snow Angels. Furthermore, the immensebined auras crushing down on them was a real challenge to deal with.

    On the outside, each Snow Angel woman kept their expressions neutral and calm. But, they for sure felt immensely suppressed by their auras.

    A mountain-like pressure threatens to crush their bodies. However, the Snow Angel woman kept their heads held up high.

    "Hmmm? Still resisting, eh?" The scarred face men smugly called out.

    And the men who held a spear spoke up then, also saying, "Guess we need to up our light persuasions, eh?"

    Right when both the White Demon men and the Snow Angels were about to move,

    "sh!!" A sweet-sounding voice boomed into everyone''s ears, and then,

    <em>''Chi!''</em>

    A blinding white shbang apanied the sweet-sounding voice, blinding everyone there!

    "Eh?? Ah-"

    Nobody, neither the White Demon men nor the Snow Angel women, could move.

    They all were confused and felt an immense fear run through their veins! Down in each of their soul''s core, a radiant glow covered their cores.

    It put both groups in a state of utter weakness.

    And the ambush wasn''t over yet. Under the five White Demon men, a Darkness shadow spewed from each of their feet.

    Numerous Darkness tendrils shot out of their Darkness shadows, wrapping the five men tightly.

    The five men couldn''t react or struggle at all. Darkness Energy instantly invaded their Martial Veins. In no time at all, the Darkness Energy absorbs everyst bit of Qi in their Martial Veins, zapping them away of all their stamina and Qi in their dantians.

    Suddenly then, an immense dreariness washed over the five White Demon men.

    With all of their Qi and stamina drained, the Darkness Energy quickly forced the men to pass out.

    The five White Demon men''s eyes shut tight, and the Darkness tendrils disappeared from their bodies. Despite being free, each man promptly crashed into the gray mixed snow,pletely knocked out.

    On the scarred face man finger, his spatial ring glowed in a white light. His spatial ring had then slipped right of his finger and sailed towards the white shbang.

    When the five White Demon men passed out, the blinding shbang finally cleared up.

    The three Snow Angels finally felt free from that soul-stopping force. But when they came to, they all immediately became gobsmacked.

    Right before them, the five powerful White Demon men were all utterly knocked out, staying motionless in the gray mixed snow.

    It was an inconceivable sight to gaze upon.

    Each of them alone is no pushover in the slightest. And what''s more terrifying was there wasn''t even a sign of struggle or any kinds of noise of an intense fight.

    Slowly, the Snow Angels trailed their eyes just a bit ahead. And their expressions turned even more bewildered.

    Standing just a mere ten feet from them were three odd yet beautiful youths.

    These three had an entric appearance. Their clothes were slightly tattered, but each of them carried a maic, mysterious vibe about them.

    The Snow Angels nearly got lost in the deep ck eyes of the ck-haired boy and long white hair girl.

    Furthermore, the Snow Angels could only sense these two were in the True Soul Core realm. But they couldn''t tell just how powerful they were.

    It was like they only radiated a Spirit Qi aura that couldn''t be identified by even their Heavenly Transformation Spirit Sense.

    Turning their eyes over to the third girl, she was equally as mysterious.

    They first took notice of her blue fox ears and two tails swinging out of her waist. A thought popped in their heads about this fox girl, but they quickly squashed it down, believing that would be too much of a coincidence.

    Barring that thought, the Snow Angels also couldn''t identify this fox girl''s exact level.

    Just like with the other two, they could only sense an Innate Core aura radiating off from her. Her exact rank and power are just impossible to tell.

    There was a split second of silence.

    The Snow Angels were already tense while Darcel, Ani, and Masami were entirely rxed.

    Ani had even opened up with a charming smile to the Snow Angels. She friendly waved at them, saying, "Sorry for the intrusion! But, we are in need of some direction and help. You three also seemed to be in a pickle too!"

    The three Snow Angels instinctively tried to tense up. Not only was this the same girl that caused that soul freezing shbang, but they also somehow knocked five fifth-level Heavenly King in a matter of seconds!

    Yet, despite such terrifying feats, the Snow Angels couldn''t feel tense around the trio now. Ani''s voice just carried a warm,forting feeling that soothed into their minds.

    It made their guards drop a bit, believing that such a jubnt bright girl couldn''t be so bad. And by extension, both Darcel and Masami didn''t appear as threatening as before.

    Still, the Snow Angels had some form of rationality in their minds.

    They couldn''t believe anything that had just transpired, but they had no other choice but to ept reality.

    In their wildest dreams, none of the Snow Angels would ever expect they needed to take immense cautiousness against a trio of juniors far under their realms.

    The fifth level Heavenly King woman wearily asked first, "Before we continue, did you kill these three?" It was strange to the Snow Angels.

    None of them could sense any Qi in the five White Demon men like they were drained.

    "Heh?" Masami snapped her fingers to the White Demons. "These guys? Not worth our efforts. We only came asking for directions, not really to help. These guys are still your own problem when we leave."

    The Snow Angels couldn''t help but feel this whole situation was a bit ludicrous.

    These youths just appeared out of nowhere with powerful, mysterious abilities. And all three of them don''t even know where they are?

    Yet none of the Snow Angels dared to question their origins. They can tell with just one wrong move, all three of them could end up exactly like the White Demon men.

    "What is that you want to know?" The fifth level Heavenly King asked.

    "Simply just tell us where we are and what''s going here, and we''ll be out of your hair." Darcel calmly replied.

    "You''re all close to New Branch City. If you go directly behind us, you''ll eventually see the road. As for what''s going on.the Mercenary Exchange Event is starting soon in the City." Another one of the Snow Angels answered.

    Masam''s eyes immediately lit up then. Fervent excitement shocked through her whole body, and she quickly turned to Darcel and Ani.

    "Guys.this is.perfect! We need to get to the City now for this event!"

    "You three will be participating as well? If you don''t mind me asking, what Mercenary group do you hail from?" The fifth level Heavenly King asked.

    Because of the tattered state of their clothes, the Snow Angels couldn''t spot the Nobe''s Fang badge on the trio.

    "Well.you''ll probably see soon." Darcel mysteriously smirked at the Snow Angels. "Oh, and like she said, do what you will with these guys. We''re leaving now."

    Without speaking another word, Darcel, Ani, and Masami sted off at incredible speeds! They shot right past the three Snow Angels like sonic missiles, tearing right to the icy road.

    The Snow Angels had to shield their eyes as an intense, chaotic gust of wind gushed right past them. Still, none of the Snow Angels didn''t sense any overwhelming power behind their speeds.

    When the Snow Angels lowered their hands and turned around, the trio was already far long gone.

    "Just.what the hell was that?" One of the fourth level Heavenly King confusedly blurted out.

    The fifth level Heavenly King turned back around to the White Demon men, shaking her head about this whole encounter. "Not sure at all. But they just left us with a troublesome situation. Let''s just deal with these barbarians and get back to our group."

 Chapter 173: Prelude Of A Plan

    Chapter 173: Prelude Of A n

    On the bright glistening icy road of the Plunged Tundra, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were casually strolling their way to New Branch City.

    With their speeds, it didn''t take long for them to make it the icy road.

    And luckily for them, there wasn''t anybody in their general area, allowing the three to talk freely. A note the trio took notice of is just like the now gray mixed snow; the icy road also took on a change.

    The icy blue road changed to a grayish mixed, drowning out its once previous radiant shine.

    This change confirmed more in the trio''s mind that whatever the scientist did when activating that formation fundamentally changed the entire Province.

    But, the trio didn''t put their attention on that for long.

    They quickly got down to business. Both Darcel and Ani were greatly curious why Masami got so zealous about this City and that Mercenary Event.

    As they walked, Darcel started by asking, "So what''s this New Branch City about? And that Mercenary Event, what got you so excited about it?"

    Throughout all this time, Masami''s excitement never left her.

    And she only got more excited as he began to tell the duo, "For starters, I''ll go over what the Mercenary Exchange event can give us. You see, this event is something my sect funds, so it''s widely known throughout the whole Province. And because of it, all kinds of Mercenary groups gathered here with their most unique items and weapons to win. So you know what this means?"

    Darcel and Ani took a look over to each other. They had several questions on just why her sect would create apetition like this.

    But suddenly, Darcel''s eyes lit up as his mind began going into overdrive.

    He remained silent, and Ani was rubbing her chin. She answered Masami, saying,

    "So, if I''m right. you''re suggesting we should see if we can acquire those unique items through devious means?" Ani smirked grew a hint mischievous. "Oooh~! I like that n, little fox!"

    Masami''s face turned proud as she said, "Hmph! It''s the least we should do with our new abilities. I know these guys have all kinds of unique and quite powerful Spirit Artifacts that would be perfect for us. Plus, thepetition itself has some sweet rewards. The only true problem we''ll face is my sect showing up here."

    "Oh? You did say they founded this event, but they also participate in it? Though little fox, you''re saying your secting here so casually like it isn''t such a big deal, hm?"

    Although Ani''s words seemed cautious, her tone was very light, even yful.

    Masami as well wasn''t showing any fear or hesitation when mentioning her family. In fact, her smirk turned immensely confident.

    "Indeed, this whole event is funded by my sect. And they will also sneakily send some kids here to train here and gain experience. But anyone they do send won''t be a problem for us."

    Darcel, who was lost in thought for a bit, suddenly looked up at Masami, asking her, "Before we do attempt anything. What kinds of shops do they have down here. I''m assuming they have a plethora, right?"

    "Oh, of course! They have tons of stuff down here. Being funded by one of the top sects in the entire Province gives you a lot of liberties, to say the least. We can get a mask for me, go to the Beast Trading Center here or a Spirit Artifact to make things smoother for us."

    "Ah!"

    Ani suddenly realized something and reached out her hand to her left. Masami was on her left, and Ani began stroking her fluffy fox ears, making her abruptly coo.

    "This little fox! If your family does fund this whole City, then surely they would have some higher-ups to recognize you!"

    "Mmmn.yea-Ah!" Masami quickly shuffled her head out of Ani''s grasp with a slight blush appearing on her cheek.

    "Don''t do that in public! Jeez! And don''t worry about me getting recognized by my sect here. Until thepetition truly starts, there won''t be any higher up here. At most, they have some low-level scouters here, and none of them are strong enough to sense every single person thates in and out of the City."

    Some relief passed through both Darcel and Ani. But Ani still had some cautions. "Still, this only means we must rush to get you a mask! By the way.since you do know about thispetition, then do you know about the groupspeting? Or have they never given you this info?"

    Masami shrugs her shoulders and nonchntly said, "Even my Grandmother would barely tell me secrets about the groupspeting. All I know is that City Lord Manor does have reliable information on every grouppeting so they can customize their challenges. And unless we find a way to break in there, we won''t be getting any info. Although.I do recall that there are actually several City Lords here. And one of them is a beautiful woman. So."

    Immediately both Ani and Masami suggestively turned their eyes over to Darcel. They clearly remembered how he made Silver Leader Ninu their obedient servant.

    Even as at that time, Ninu was stronger than all three of them, she still couldn''t resist Darcel''s Darkness.

    And in all honesty, because Ninu was just that, a servant, the girls didn''t feel any type of way about Darcel giving her pleasure. Since they thought it wasn''t like she would actually be his girlfriend, or would they grow genuine feelings for each other.

    Darcel matched gazes with the girls and smiled. After his brief moment of silent thinking, he quickly reached a n.

    A n that he knows both girls will positively love.

    "Alright girls, here''s the n. For starters, Masami, who are the strongest geniuses in your sect?"

    Masami quirked her eyebrows at the seemingly random question.

    But she still answered nheless, telling him, "Hmmm.there''s this one kid who''s not a part of my immediate family. My Eldest brother and a girl from the Koizma faction. They are all seventh-level Heavenly Kings. But the strongest one out of the whole sectes from the Koduka faction. That guy is an eighth-level Heavenly King. It''s been a bit since I''ve been from home, so not sure if they progressed at all during this time. Probably not."

    "Oh, I see. So if it''s like this, things will be as simple as I imagine when we go to your sect."

    Though Darcel said it so casually like they were always going there. Masami did feel a great burst of warmth soothe her heart.

    They truly were going to help her with all of the oppressive family drama, no question asked.

    "Oooh, Darcy~? Is your n the return of us dishing out lessons to prideful youths?" Ani cooed over in excitement.

    A devious smirk curved up Darcel''s lips. "Not just quite. We indeed will be dishing out lessons, but it won''t only be limited to youths. You see, girls, I have a n that not only will raise Masami''s position to the top of the sect. But also trap all of her enemies, be it youths or ancient Elders. Furthermore, her faction will be elevated to the number one position out of the whole sect."

    Both Ani and Masami stopped, bing as still as stone statues.

    Darcel walked just a few inches in front of them, turned around, and gave the girls the most confident expression he ever had in his life.

    Simply put, both Ani and Masami had amazed expressions. Their eyes popped wide open, and their mouths hang open. Masami''s fox ears and fox tails even stilted up in overwhelming shock.

    Thanks to Masami, the three of them all know just how much of a massive powerhouse her whole sect is. Even as Masami seemed not to fear them individually on the outside, inside is a whole different deal.

    They know the Ice Nine Tail sect has hundreds of thousands of powerful Heavenly Kings. Thousands of half-step Grand Sages and full-fledged Grand Sages. And they can''t forget about the immeasurable power of the Supreme Elders and Faction Leaders.

    Nobody would ever dare to im they can face this behemoth on their own.

    And the trio even knows their limit.

    They know for sure they would struggle fighting peak Heavenly Kings, and they can just forget about fighting even half-step Grand Sages without Chaotic Energy.

    Yet here they were; Darcel stood confidently without a hint of fear, telling them they can take on this colossal sect powerhouse.

    And for Ani and Masami, what they felt wasn''t fear or craziness.

    No.they felt overly excited!

    Ani clenched her fist, spouting a wild smile. "Darcy.this may be our maddest lesson yet! Or maybe the wildest lesson the world has ever seen before!"

    Masami''s two fox tails began kicking up in zealous movements. She bared her canine teeth in a broad smile, asking Darcel, "This is far crazier than anything I had in mind! So?! Tell us what we''re going to do!"

    Darcel remained calm under the girl''s excitement. He trailed his eyes over their general and back to the girls.

    "Let''s not discuss everything so openly here. There''s nobody around our immediate area, but you never know. So first off, we''ll continue masking our presence from here on out. When we get to the City, we''ll quickly buy some masks for all three of us and then purchase a map for this whole Province. We''ll buy some useful talisman, go over to rent a room at an inn, and then we''ll go over our entire n. By the end of everything, even the top three ranked Provinces will know of our name."

    "Your n just keeps getting better and better, Darcy! Oooh! It feels like something in my blood is telling me this is going to be good!" And quite literally, Ani felt her bloodstream pump up in excitement.

    Suddenly then, both Ani and Darcel felt something fluffy and warm wrap around their bodies.

    "Oh?" They both said as they let their bodies get pulled toward Masami.

    She quickly wrapped both Darcel and Ani up in a tight hug. Her two fox tails wrapped around them like a fluff cocoon. Her face had the most blossoming, beautiful smile the duo had ever seen before on her.

    "You two are just the best!! I may not be experienced in rtionships, but I''ve seen too many just crumble and fail in my sect. Even rtionships like ours with one shameless guy and multiple girls, some of them also just fail horribly. Even my parents.well, besides them, I can absolutely say this is what it means to be a team! To always stand with each other and support each other no matter what!"

    Inside Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s soul, their Darkness Soul link began to slowly pulsate.

    Darcel felt the incredible love of Masami run through his soul. He wriggles his arms a bit to grab hold of both Ani and Masami''s waists, pulling them closer to him.

    "But of course, we''re a true team. Besides, this is the least I can do for the girls I love."

    Both Ani and Masami''s eyes slightly widen, and a small blush adorned their cheeks at Darcel''s love deration.

    But they both quickly responded and nuzzled into his neck, saying simultaneously, "And we love you too!!"

    Neither Ani nor Masami even doubted for a second that Darcel wouldn''t achieve his words.

    And a pure, beautiful smile blossoms on Darcel''s lips as well, feeling bliss at the amount of trust both Ani and Masami have in him.

    He began rubbing their backs and told the lovestruck girls, "Now then, let''s head on over to the City. Our n awaits."

 Chapter 174: Upcoming Exchange

    Chapter 174: Uing Exchange

    It was in an extensively spacious, beautiful courtyard area. This area was notably quiet, having a soothing peace to permeate through the site.

    There was only a single road in this courtyard area. And only one person was walking on the road.

    This person wore an overly long blue robe that covered her whole appearance. The only thing one would be able to spot from this person is six fox tails protruding out of their waist.

    This person calmly walked until they reached the end of the road.

    The end of the road led them to a gorgeousrge courtyard house. Surrounding the courtyard house were beautiful ice streams and a foot of grayish mixed snow.

    To get here, this house was far isted from the previous courtyard houses back on the road.

    Though there was ack of human interaction one can have here, everything had a tranquil melody that can rx anyone''s mind.

    The person who was calmly walking through here was none other than Nomiya. She arrived at the courtyard house and stopped right in front of the door.

    And right when Nomiya arrived at the door, she didn''t even need to knock on it.

    The door gently opened up, revealing a surprising sight.

    The person who appeared in front of Nomiya was an extremely beautiful.boy?

    For most males, the mostmon way to describe a good-looking one would be as handsome, noble-looking, heroic, or even cute.

    But for this boy, he could only be described as beautiful.

    His face held distinct captivating features that entuated his charm, pushing him past mere handsomeness and even the beauty of some women.

    His lips were a surprisingly red coat. His eyes were a bright, beautiful crystal blue color. His skin was shinier than women who kept their appearance up.

    Gorgeous long ck hair flowed out from his head and neatly ran down to his waist like a ck ink waterfall. The boy wore an elegant blue uniform robe that had the distinct design of the God Beast Nine Tails artistically painted on there.

    And this uniform robe seemed a bit big for the boy. But if one looked closely, you can spot some well-defined curves the boy had on him. The boy also exuded a calming aura despite his powerful cultivation realm.

    He was a grand genius achieving the seventh level of the Heavenly Transformation realm! However, his Heavenly aura was as calming as water, pulling even more people into his allure.

    If not for his adam apple, one could confuse this beautiful boy as a gorgeous girl.

    The beautiful boy had a small tranquil smile when facing Nomiya. He respectfully bowed his head and spoke.

    "Teacher Grand Sage. I am humbled by your appearance."

    "Kasai. No need to get too formal. I won''t be here for long. I came to give you a task of utmost importance, one that you must not fail." Nomiya''s voice was calm but had a hint of sternness that couldn''t be disobeyed.

    Kasai looked back up to Nomyia, and a serious expression crossed his gaze. "What must I do, Teacher Grand Sage?"

    "Soon, the Sect Master will call for you to go to the Mercenary Exchange Event. And I want you to take these two items."

    Nomiya pulled out a fox badge symbol and a crystal blue talisman. She handed it over to Kasai, and he felt both items had an odd texture about them.

    The fox badge symbol was surprisingly soft and fluffy to feel.

    And as for the crystal blue talisman, it was freezingly cold to touch! Kasai almost felt like he had a small ice cube in his hand.

    Curiously gazing at the two items, Kasai asked, "Teacher.this is?"

    "The Fox badge will only glow if you encounter someone directly rted to my specific variant of bloodline. And the talisman will automatically send you to my room no matter where you are. Like I said, this is a mission you must fail. You must find Masami Kitsui and bring her back to me."

    Kasai''s eyes briefly lit up. Of course, he had no idea that Masami was gone at all.

    But instead of questioning anything, Kasai simply nodded. "It shall be done, Teacher Grand Sage."

    .

    At the Silver Bloody Hammer group, a standard meeting was taking ce. It was on the top floor of their building, inside Silver Leader Ninu''s room.

    She was currently in a meeting with the new Heavenly General.

    Heavenly General Vi, who is a second-level Heavenly King. A slight downgrade from the previous Heavenly Generals, but it was the best they had at the moment.

    Ninu was sitting behind her desk, her face showing a wearyplex of emotions.

    And Heavenly General Vi couldn''t help but worry seeing this expression again. She tried speaking to her leader, hoping to raise her spirits just a bit.

    "Leader.you reported that Master was alive a while ago. Shouldn''t you be feeling happier these days? I believe he and the mistresses wille back to us."

    Ninu merely trailed her eyes at Heavenly General Vi. She sighed and told her, "I should be, huh? Haah.well, nevermind that for now."

    Every time Heavenly General Vi sees these strange, odd emotions radiated from Ninu, she always gets surprised that this was her previous cold Vice Leader.

    The once cold Vice Leader who would kill at a moment notice and people fear looking her in the eyes. Even Heavenly General Viol feared looking her in the eyes. But ever since that boy appears, Ninu was now an entirely different person.

    And it was honestly a bit confusing for Heavenly General Vi.

    She experienced firsthand how powerful Darcel and his girls were. But they never showed any interest in their whole Mercenary group. Nor did they really take anything substantial before their disappearance.

    Furthermore, she still couldn''t understand what Darcel did to Ninu.

    No matter how many times Heavenly General Vi scans Ninu with her Spirit Sense, she just appeared normal to her.

    She couldn''t identify any kind of odd energy inside her affecting her brain or her body. And yet, even after Darcel had been gone for so long, Ninu still remained genuinely loyal to him.

    "So tell me. Do we have anybody yet that we can send to the Mercenary Exchange Event?" Ninu''s slight mncholy voice brought Heavenly General Vi out of her thoughts.

    She shook her hand and answered, telling her, "While a lot of our cultivation is seeing a significant boost ever since ''that day.'' I don''t believe we will see any Heavenly Kings for quite some time. The only method I could feasibly suggest is."

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Suddenly, on Ninu''s desk, a blue ring sparked.

    Ninu raised her eyebrows and injected her Spirit Sense inside the ring. "....Oh? These two, huh?" Who Ninu sensed contacting her were two from the Nobe''s Fang group.

    It was the Leader of the whole group, Nobe''s Fang Elwin, and his granddaughter. Her once bitter enemy now so casually contacts her. A thought that didn''t affect Ninu at all.

    "Vi, it''s Leader Elwin and his granddaughter. Quickly bring them to me."

    Heavenly General Vi was briefly surprised. Though Ninu had a casual attitude about it, she still couldn''t get over the strangeness of having them as allies.

    A thought that was shared with many others between them and the Nobe''s Fang group.

    But with Ninu''s more charismatic leadership, she had been able to suppress any troublesome situation that may have ruined their alliance.

    It still didn''t make it any less weird to Heavenly General Vi that they were working with once bitter enemies.

    But she didn''t object to Ninu and quickly got over her initial surprise.

    "Right away, Leader." Heavenly General Vi swiftly got up and left the room.

    All by herself, Ninu''s expression shifted back to a slight weariness. Her Darkness Soul link now regrly pulsates but at a slightly more potent level.

    It clearly told her that Darcel is still alive and no longer unknown. But after all this time and Darcel still hasn''t shown up, Ninu began to wonder if she''ll ever see her Master again.

    It was a confusing mesh of thoughts.

    She knows her position is just a mere Darkness Servant. But, at the same time, the new feelings Darcel provided to her gave birth to genuine confusing emotions.

    Emotions that were other than pleasure or blissfulness.

    Lost in thought for a couple of minutes, Ninu didn''t move until a knock was heard at her door. She quickly straightened back up and spoke in an even tone of voice.

    "Come in."

    Her door opened, anding into her room was one strong-looking middle-aged man. He had an even, stern expression, showcasing the lifetime experiences he had in this Province.

    Of course, this was the Leader of the Nobe''s Fang group, Leader Elwin!

    Next to Leader Elwin was a woman who had a more in appearance but still held some cute qualities.

    A small smile graced the woman''s lips, and her back stood tall even amongst Heavenly Kings. This woman would cause a bit of shock in Darcel''s group.

    For as she was actually Fruna!

    And another surprising facet about Fruna was that Ninu sense was she was at the ninth rank of the Innate Core realm. The peak of the realm!

    Moreover, Ninu sensed that Fruna was close to reaching half-step Heavenly King.

    Ninu as well sense Leader Elwin had also grown a bit in cultivation since shest saw him.

    Heavenly General Vi was thest to enter the room. She closed the door behind and went over to stand behind Ninu.

    Both Leader Elwin and Fruna nonchntly sat on the couch facing Ninu, and Leader Elwin spoke first. "Silver Leader Ninu. I hope you''ve been well. I apologize for the sudden appearance, but I have something vital to discuss with you."

    Ninu curiously quirked her eyebrow. "If it''s something from you, then I already know it''s something immensely changing."

    Leader Elwin''s expression turned calmer, engaging with Ninu.

    Even he couldn''t resist her soothing tone and beautiful looks. "For the first part, it''s nothing too major. I wanted to ask if you would want to send our forces together for the Mercenary Exchange Event."

    "Hoh? So you brought this up first, huh? Are you not worried about the stillsting hostility between us?" Ninu genuinely asked.

    She wasn''t opposed but knew of the difficulties still permeating between their groups.

    "You see, Silver Leader, I already nned for this. Ever since that day'' Fruna''s cultivation talent finally returned to her. She''s quickly growing every day. And very nearly, she''ll breakthrough to the Heavenly King realm and go even further. With her diplomatic attitude, she will be able to oversee and mediate a group between us."

    Leader Elwin calmly exined. And Fruna finally spoke up after all this time, confidently telling Ninu,

    "I, too, really liked Darcel and Ani Silver Leader. They''re the reason our group can flourish with yours now. Plus, they also helped me out the first time I met them. So you have my word."

    Ninu didn''t respond for a split second. In her soul''s core, her Darkness Soul link pulsated towards Fruna. It gave her the feeling that Fruna was someone trustworthy.

    Moreover, Ninu could sense it herself that Fruna''s progress is exponential. Almost like she is a true genius.

    "I''ll.contact you if I find suitable candidates. Just give me a bit of time."

    Both Elder Lewin and Fruna nodded. And right next, Leader Lewin''s expression turned a bit more serious. "Now what I want to truly discuss. Silver Leader, have you ever heard of ''the day of Provinces Converging.''"

    Leader Elwin didn''t care about Heavenly General Vi''s presence here. Because, as he expected, her face just warped with confusion at hisst statement.

    But on Ninu''s face, her expression puzzled for a brief moment. And in the very next second, her whole face lit up. "That day....I haven''t heard since years ago. And I thought we would never see it again. Unless....ah. That''s right, ''that day'' did change, well, everything."

 Chapter 175: True City

    Chapter 175: True City

    "<em>Fuuu~!</em> This.now this is a city!" Ani whistled in awe, her voiceced in utter amazement. She, Darcel, and Masami were right by each other, strolling towards an enormous sight.

    Crowds of people were all around them, yet, seemingly there wasn''t anybody taking even the slightest notice of them.

    "Ah, that''s right. Since you guys only really explored the Blessed Spirit Province. You never saw a proper city. So, feast your eyes on one of the major cities of our Icy Cloud Province. New Branch City!" Masami made a grand gesture with her arm towards an endlessly vast city.

    And indeed, like she said, this city was a behemoth of a city. Even Darcel had remarked in his mind that this ce is quite luxurious.

    New Branch City looked to be at least countless timesrger than Necrotic City. There also were far more exquisitely designed buildings reaching into the skies.

    Each building as well was expertly spaced out, so nothing gets cluttered or mped on top of each other.

    As the trio neared the gates to the city, Darcel and Ani quickly spread their Spirit Sense out in the city. And they weren''t surprised to find it going far beyond than what their Spirit Sense can look up to.

    They quickly sensed ten miles into the city, and the duo felt they only scratch the surface with how vast it really is.

    "Actually.how many times have you been to this city Masami?"

    Darcel inquired, seeing as Masami already proved her knowledge about this ce.

    Masami, however, shrugged and so casually said, "Oh.only about one time with my Grandmother."

    "Nng?" Both Darcel and Ani nearly falter when hearing her nonchnt response. Their faces turned a bit ludicrous, directing pointing stares at the fox girl.

    But Masami smirked at them and puffed up her tails. "Hey! What are you guys worrying about? My memory is impable! How else I would''ve remembered every single story my Grandmother told me?"

    "Well.I guess you have a point. Our memories are also picture perfect like that, right Darcy? Lead the way then, little fox." Ani relented as she and Darcel did recall how Masami not only remembers her Grandmother''s tales but also almost every detail of her sect.

    Masami''s smirk turns wider, and she stepped ahead of the duo. "Try not to get swept in the crowds of people here. Unless you''re in their group, people here don''t like to get bothered."

    Darcel and Ani followed behind Masami while also observing the groups of people she mentioned.

    And like she exined, this ce was even more divided than Mawold Town.

    Darcel and Ani even tried their hardest to find a lone person walking into the city. But nearly everyone was involved in some sort of group.

    Eventually, the trio made it inside the open gates of the city.

    Darcel and Ani''s appraisal went up for the city as they followed behind Masami. Compared to looking on the outside, the inside was farrger to gaze upon.

    And despite many people going inside this city, the roads here were spacious enough to amodate thousands of people.

    Interestingly enough, the road here was in the same grayish mixed color as the snow outside.

    The atmosphere was also different as wellpared to ces like Mawold Town or Necrotic City. It was much warmer herepared to Mawold Town. And the stench of hardened warriors scent flowed throughout the air.

    Sensing the cultivators, Darcel and Ani expected them to be no pushovers. Most people here ranged from fourth-level Heavenly Kings to thete Middle ranks of Heavenly Kings.

    Furthermore, it was tantly easy to spot which batch of cultivators belong to whichever group. People here wore diverse clothes, but the different clothing styles would also be worn by multiple people.

    Darcel and Ani simply assumed this was because of the Mercenary Exchange Event.

    Ani felt a touch of excitement in her bloodstream as she whispered to Darcel, "Ah, Darcy. Could you imagine if we would''vee here before facing that scientist? We wouldn''tst a day here!"

    While Darcel was inclined to agree, he still sternly said, "True as that may be. Remember to not let your guard down. Even we can get in a tight spot if we''re against numerous people."

    "But that would only make a tad more exciting, though?"

    Masami turned her head back to them toment, getting Darcel and Ani''s attention on her.

    "In all honesty, unless we majorly screw up, we''re pretty much safe here. Now follow me this way. We''re almost there." Masami began leading them on a rtively straightforward path.

    They only had to take some turns and walk for a few more minutes until they arrived at an essory shop. The shop was big, looking a touch of a bit fancy but nothing overly luxurious.

    "So you really do have quite the memory." Darcel praised and was tempted to stroke the lovely fox ears of Masami. But he held himself back as he knew she would instinctively be loud.

    "Hmph! I have my own fair share of neat tricks. Now then, let''s head inside."

    After saying so, Masami, Darcel, and Ani strolled into the ce. Like the rest of the city, business was booming here as well.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes trailed around the shop, gazing at all the neat trinkets they have on assorment of shelves. From shiny jewel rings, elegant nes, or even specially made hats and such, this shop had a wide selection.

    "Really nice ce they have here. Let''s see." Animented while searching her eyes around. And she soon fell on precisely what they needed. "Ah! Over here, guys. The masks."

    Ani got Darcel and Masami''s attention while she already began to walk over to the mask section. Darcel and Masami follow behind her, the three of them swiftly making it over to that section.

    "Huh.this was all real quick and easy. Even with masking our presence, it was almost too easy to move around here." Darcel remarked as they came upon the mask section.

    Masami''s eyes began sorting through the various masks on the shelves while alsomenting to Darcel, "See? Like I said, we really would be safe unless we go out looking for trouble."

    "Hmmm.this really is a wide selection, though! We need to pick something that would perfectly fit our image."

    Ani was cooing over the more uniquely designed masks.

    While Darcel didn''t take long at all when gazing at the masks. His eyes spotted three ck and white masks lined in the same row on one shelf. He reached over, picking up three of them and turning back to the girls.

    Ani and Masami, however, they were seriously considering what design they should get for themselves. They stayed close to themselves, avoiding the few other people in this section, whispering to each other on a good fashion scent.

    A wry smile stered on Darcel''s face. He didn''t want to rain on their parade, but they also had more significant duties than this.

    "Girls.you know the design doesn''t really matter. As long it can fit us, it''s fine."

    Both Ani and Masami gazed over to the in ck and white masks Darcel held.

    Ani sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Really, Darcy, you never had the most dynamic fashion sense. But this is ok....for now."

    "Hmph. I would''ve chosen something that would''ve fit our menacing stature just fine. But I guess this is alright." Masami puffed up her tails while crossing her arms.

    The wry smile didn''t leave Darcel''s face. He walked over to the girls and, using one hand, began rubbing their soft hairs.

    "Next time, we''ll take all the time in the world for fashion, ok?"

    "<em>Fuuu</em>.alright." Both girls pleasantly sighed and had pleased smiles stering their faces.

    Once he finished cating the girls, Darcel walked up with them to a rtively short line leading up to a counter.

    They didn''t have to wait long as the line moved pretty quickly. Once up at the woman receptionist, Darcel took out the spatial ring they got from that scarred face man of the White Demon group.

    Since Darcel was far stronger than that man, plus he was also knocked out at that time, it was easy for him to erase his Spirit Presence on the ring.

    Darcel shed out twenty red crystals, purchased the three masks, and the trio promptly turned to leave.

    Once they were outside, Darcel shed the three masks inside his new spatial ring.

    Ani and Masami were a bit confused seeing him put it away. Ani curiously asked, "Eh? Darcy? I thought you wanted to immediately cover our identity."

    "Yes, I do. But first, we should get inside a secure ce before that. We''ll need to change our clothes, and since nobody is paying attention to us, that''ll leave us with no possibility of somebody recognizing us from today."

    "Alright. Next up, the Inn. Let''s go; I remember there was a really cheap one we could stay at." Masami took the lead again and led them down a different road this time.

    While they walked, Ani started to talk, saying, "Still, when I picked anyone of those masks, it felt so soft andfortable in my hands. That ce has some fine materials."

    "Well, that''s to be expected. This City gets a lot of variety in resources."

    Masami''s answer spawned another question in Darcel.

    "Been meaning to ask this. But you can technically call this a trade city with all the different groups staying around here."

    "Mnh. And even more so, this city does business across the entire Plunged Tundra. We have a plethora of things to buy here." Masami''s response made Ani''s eyes lit up at the possibility of discovering so many new things here.

    "Oooh~! Is that so? Then, we have to take the time to explore here in between our ns." Ani and Masami delve into chattering among themselves about the kinds of shops here.

    Darcel stayed quiet, having a calm smile while listening to his girls gleefully chattered. In all honesty, he didn''t have much of an opinion about shopping around, only finding shops as things he goes to if he needs something.

    Moreover, Darcel also knows, soon their lives are about to be much more interesting.

    .

    "<em>Huee~!</em> What a nice ce they have here. Certainly above the inns we stayed at previously." Ani remarked as she, Darcel, and Masami entered their inn room.

    The room here was nicely designed. It was spacious and had the basic needs for any cultivators. And most of all, there was argefy for them to sleep on.

    While Darcel walked a bit to get a further good look at the room, he suddenly felt the fluffy warmth of Masami''s tails wrap around his waist.

    Before he could question it, Masami pulled him towards her.

    A soft, pleasant sensation jolted Darcel''s body as Masami''s huge soft breasts squashed onto his chest. Darcel spotted the heat of lust, love, and desire run through Masami''s eyes.

    As her expression became sexily entranced, she swiftly leaned up to give Darcel a deep kiss.

    On instinct, Darcel parted his lip, and his tongue zealously tangled with Masami''s sweet, savory pink tongue.

    "Mnnh~...." Incredible pleasure tingled their minds and bodies as they moaned into each other''s mouths.

    Ani''s smile became sexily perverse watching them.

    She came to their side and wrapped them both in her warm tight hug. "Well, now? Seems like our little fox couldn''t wait for a second longer!"

    Masami pulled back from her steamy kiss, a hot trail of saliva connected her and Darcel''s lips.

    "Of course, I can''t wait! Before we get too crazy with our ns.I-I-I want to." A huge beautiful blush crossed Masami''s cheeks, but she still pushed forward to say, "I want to feel Darcel''s love!!"

    A great big smile crossed Darcel''s face. He began stroking Masami''s fox ears, making her coo under his touch.

    "And I want to experience your love too, my little fox."

    Masami felt her heart crazily throb under Darcel''s calling her that nickname. The fire and wetness in her loins rapidly increased at an exponential rate.

    Ani''s eyes filled with desire as well, already feeling her loins quickly burn with lust and passion. "Alright! Let''s not dilly dally anymore and get right to it!"

 Chapter 176: Fiery Night

    Chapter 176: Fiery Night

    Ani lifted her hand and sparked it in a radiant white glow. With a snap of her fingers, their tattered clothes shimmered in the same sparkling white light.

    And with another snap, all of their clothes flung off, revealing their glorious naked bodies.

    "Just like that and with none of the added hassle of removing clothes." Ani proudly spoke. She felt her body and soul intensify in burning lust as her bare naked body meshed up against Darcel and Masami.

    The same was urring with Darcel. He felt his hot rod stand on attention, throbbing from all the times he was repressing his lust earlier.

    His eyes savor the naked bodies of both Ani and Masami''s beauty.

    "Didn''t know you could use it like that. A neat trick Ani.oh?" As Darcel''s eyes trailed down Masami''s magnificent naked body, he witnessed an amazingly sexy sight.

    Masami''s beautiful pussy silt was already gushing her love juices like a waterfall. Her legs glisten with her sweet love juices, amplifying Masami''s sexiness to an unimaginable degree.

    Both Darcel and Ani got lost in the sight of Masami''s eager pussy.

    Their smiles turned perverse, and Masami became increasingly embarrassed. Her two fox tails began to quickly swish around, and her blush deepened.

    "Nnnh.don''t look at me like that! I couldn''t-l-let''s just get to the bed already!!"

    Darcel''s smile only broadened at Masami''s cute embarrassment. He responded to her by giving Masami another deep kiss.

    This time his tongue pried open Masami''s juicy lips, quickly entering her mouth and dominating her small pink tongue.

    "Mnnh~!!" Masami felt several intense jolts of pleasure burst through her soul and body. The feeling of Darcel dominating her so fiercely pushed her lust beyond what she already was peaked at.

    While Darcel pleasurably dominated Masami''s mouth, he didn''t lose focus and was multi-tasking.

    Darcel plunged two of his fingers in Ani''s already wet, burning pussy, stimting her squishy folds.

    "AH~!! I''ll guide us to.Ah! Bed!!" Ani''s eyes became dazed as an intense pleasure heavily aroused her entire being.

    But like she said, she did manage to guide them over to the bed. All the while, Darcel heavily made out with Masami and was fingering her moist pussy.

    Once near the bed, Darcel smirked as he knew what was going to happen next.

    "Ah!"

    Ani and Masami raised a cute yelp as the three of them crashed onto the fluffy bed. Darcelid on top of Masami, while Ani was right beside her with Darcel''s fingers still surprisingly inside her.

    Leaning up a bit, Darcel absolutely loved the feeling of his rock solid dick resting against Masami''s smooth, soft skin.

    In fact,pared to their previous lustful night, the pleasure just seemed to increase ten folds all around.

    And Masami was going crazy from the unbearable heat generating in her loins. Darcel wasn''t even kissing her or stimting her. Yet the feeling of his hard and hot dick on her stomach drove her made with lust.

    Masami''s vertical pupils suddenly burst a heavy blue glow. "Darceee!! Ahn~! I want it now!!" All Masami could think about now is the unbridled lust flowing from her soul and body.

    Darcel was obviously incredibly pleased with her over-eagerness.

    He gave Masami a loving smile, pulled his hand from Ani''s pussy, inciting a whine of loss from her, and lined up his roaring ready cock in front of Masami''s pussy.

    Before he started, Ani quickly got up and wrapped her arms around Darcel''s neck. Darcel turned his head towards her as she pulled in to give him a steamy deep kiss.

    Their tongues swiftly entangled with each other, both sucking up each other delectable juices. A burst of fireworks pleasure exploded in their mouths from the kiss.

    Ani''s eyes became dreamily half-lidded. She pulled back from the kiss a secondter, licking up the trail of saliva that connected their lips.

    "With that, Darcy, go on and show our little fox the heat of pleasure and love~."

    Ani spoke in a bewitchingly alluring tone that sent shivers down Darcel''s spine. He could only say, "dly," as he refocused his attention on the horny fox girl.

    Meanwhile, Ani pulled back, giving them both a bit of space. She began to massage her moist pussy in eager anticipation for what''s toe.

    At first, Darcel gently rubs the tip of his dick on Masami''s pussy.

    "Ahhh~" It elicited a heavenly sigh from Masami, already feeling incredible pleasure jolt through her being.

    Knowing that Masami needed no forey, Darcel initially began to slowly insert himself inside Masami.

    But once he made it a centimeter in, an immense heat wrapped around Darcel''s dick! Without even his control, Darcel''s dick quite literally got sucked into Masami''s fiery tight pussy.

    "AHH~!!" Both Darcel and Masami shouted in a surprise burst of tremendous pleasure. In just a single thrust, Darcel broke through Masami''s hymen.

    Immense simtions shocked through their soul and bodies.

    Masami''s pussy had even crazily spurted love juices as she had just experienced a mini orgasm. Darcel as well was pushed to the brink of orgasm in just a single thrust.

    And unknown to the both of them, when Darcel was pulled in, the green shade in their dantain''s core crazily lit up.

    But neither Darcel nor Masami could pay attention or even sense that.

    The pleasure that built up between them was too fantastic!

    Darcel couldn''t wait a single second longer. He leaned down, sped his hands with Masami''s, and began to intensely pound her wet snatch.

    The bed violently shook, and the erotic sounds of Darcel pping his flesh against Masami echoed in their room.

    "Ah-Ah~!! Har-AHH~! YE-AH~!!" Masami''s face was in a state of absolute bliss, panting and moaning, being unable to form a single word.

    Despite not taking it easy for her, even though it''s her first time, Masami didn''t care at all. In fact, she much rather prefers it this way. Being absolutely dominated by Darcel was a divine pleasure that was rocking her whole brain.

    Moreover, it truly was overwhelming for Darcel too.

    He didn''t let up for a single second, repeatedly pounding away Masami''s fiery pussy at lightning speeds. It was like an addicting heat perfectly curled around his dick.

    Plus, Masami''s pussy was also perfectly tight enough to coil around his dick with no resistance. Darcel pushed as far and hard he could get inside her, and Masami''s pussy folds perfectly reacted to his movement.

    This heat, this tightness.it was driving Darcel mad with pleasure!

    He suddenly grabbed Masami''s waist and went even harder in pistoning her fiery pussy.

    "AH-AHH-" Drool pooled out of Masami''s mouth as her eyes became unfocused in the overwhelming pleasure.

    At the speeds Darcel going, her huge tits sexily rocked back and forth, which was an enchanting sight for Darcel.

    And when he gazes at the blissful drooling face of Masami, Darcel felt an equal mix of pride and a maddening desire to further pleasure Masami.

    <em>"Huuu</em>.Ahh~....so intense."

    On the sidelines, Ani forgoes slowly massaging her pussy and was intensely fingering herself.

    She was roughly groping her modest breast, imagining she was in Masami''s ce. "Mnh.I want it.Ahh." Just the mere thought of it almost got Ani to cum on her own.

    Darcel noticed this and smirked. He didn''t want to keep his other lovely girl waiting for long. Plus, even as marvelous as it was feeling, Darcel didn''t want to entirely run down Masami.

    So Darcel lifted her hips up a bit, bringing her waist in the air. Darcel was halfway inside Masami, and before she could even question what he was doing, Darcel intensely plugged himself all the way inside Masami''s pussy!

    "AHHHH~!!!" Masami shrieked in overwhelming pleasure as Darcel perfectly attacked her G-Spot and poked her womb.

    Her toes curled, her hands violently clutched the bed, and her two fox tails wrapped around Darcel.

    Darcel leaned his face over to Masami and spoke in a hot breath. "My little fox, I''m going topletely fill you up." He didn''t give her a chance to respond and zealously kissed her.

    Darcel raised himself halfway out again and once again fully plunged himself inside Masami.

    "MN~!!"

    They both moaned into each other''s mouths as a mind-shattering orgasm washed over them.

    Masami''s love juices squirted out of her like a hose. And Darcel''s creamy essence filled up her womb. Masami''s eyes went entirely unfocused like she was passed out.

    An incredible warmth filled the lower half of her body, and she basked in it.

    Darcel pulled back from the kiss to enjoy the lovely sight of Masami basking in the aftershocks of an intense orgasm. For Darcel, he was used to this pleasure, so he wasn''t tired at all.

    Darcel had then pulled his still rock-hard dick out, noticing how it glistened with his cum and Masami''s sweet love juices.

    Looking at how much he let out, Darcel did briefly wonder about the possibility of pregnancy.

    But he was quick to dismiss this thought. After pouring so much semen inside Ani''s womb, and she still wasn''t pregnant, Darcel assumed it was his bloodline preventing any pregnancy.

    Plus, Darcel always felt his bloodline push him to cum inside the girls.

    Darcel was quickly broken out of his thoughts when an incredible wet sensation covered his dick.

    Lewd slurping noises came from his crotch, and he trailed his eyes down to see Ani zealously sucking his cock. Ani was making it an incredible show by making such sexy noises and staring into his eyes.

    While basking in the wonderful blowjob, Darcel did briefly feel some changes urring within his dantian.

    But he couldn''t focus for long when Ani made a loud popping noise.

    "Mwa! Mnh~! Always so delicious~!" Ani had popped Darcel''s dick from her mouth, cleaning his cock from the previous sex and lubing it up with her spit.

    "And now that''s it all clean." Ani quickly got on all fours, presenting her beautifully perky ass to Darcel. She began to sexily wiggle her ass, showcasing just moist and eager her pussy was.

    On instinct, Darcel didn''t say anything and quickly grabbed hold of Ani''s amazingly soft, squishy ass.

    "Ahhh, I want it-AHH~!!" Ani abruptly shrieked in pleasure when Darcel fully plunged himself into her.

    Her pussy squirted love juices like a fountain just from insertion. She experienced a mini orgasm as her pussy walls mped down on Darcel''s dick, trying to immediately milk for all of his cum.

    "Nng." Darcel only grunted in pleasure and roughly grabbed Ani''s modest breast from behind.

    He was still in a lustful burning state after his lovemaking with Masami, so he couldn''t wait at all.

    Without warning, Darcel began to quickly and intensely pound Ani''s snatch. For Ani, Darcel felt shocks of immense pleasure run through his dick with each thrust he made inside her.

    All Darcel could think about was pounding Ani until a moaning mess, bing entirely lost in pleasure.

    And Darcel didn''t have to wait long at all as Ani already became a moaning mess.

    Tears of pleasure flew out of her eye, and her tongue drooled out her mouth. For every time Darcel pped his flesh against Ani, it only served to increase his lust and go even harder and faster inside her.

    "Oooh~, Ahhh~!!!"

    Ani loudly moaned as her body couldn''t hold out anymore. Her knees gave away, and she copsed onto the bed.

    Darcel stayed on top of her and whispered into her ear. "You want it, my little angel?"

    "YES-YES~!!!" Ani shrieked as when she heard Darcel call her his little angel, an electrifying shock of love ran through her.

    "Then here you go, my little angel."

    Darcel felt Ani''s pussy tightened both times he called her that nickname. He lifted his hips up halfway out and then intensely dived himself all the way inside of Ani!

    "DAAARR~!!!" Ani shrieked in utter bliss.

    A heavenly orgasm far better than their previous times having sex rocked her entire world. A warmth filled the lower half of her body as Darcel''s creamy essence filled her womb.

    Ani''s body went limp, basking in the orgasmic bliss Masami had experienced.

    Darcel sat up and pulled out of Ani. She didn''t even react to the loss of his warm cock.

    Looking down at his dick, it was still rock solid. But before Darcel could even nce back at Masami, he felt her soft arm wrap around his neck.

    "Hmph! You better still be raring to go; I want more!!"

    Darcel briefly nced back down at Ani, and already he saw her twitching her body, indicating she''s about toe back to reality. Darcel smirked, realizing his long nights now just doubled in time.

    And he didn''t mind in the slightest.

 Chapter 177: In The Forest

    Chapter 177: In The Forest

    It was at a surreal yet beautiful sight. A sight most people would never get a chance to gaze upon in their lives. The scenery was a beautifully colored forest that burst with a maic radiance!

    Instead of the usual dreary and drown-out green most forests, even in the mysterious world of cultivation, tend to have. This forest was in a radiant orange shine!

    If one to obverse from the skies, the brilliant orange shine of the forest would be noticeable even miles high in the sky.

    A ce like the Necropolis Woods from the Blessed Spirit Province simply can''tpare to this luminous orange forest.

    The trees here were all the epitome of vibrant healthiness. Most extended several meters high in the sky. And the trunks of each tree was in a beautiful orange coat of paint.

    The leaves of the tree simrly held that exuberant orange shine that pierced through the skies.

    Moreover, the very grass that littered the forest illuminated the area with its own sparkling orange shine.

    If one word had to describe this ce, everyone and anybody would simply say tranquility. The serenity here could even allow cultivators with a low mental state to feel like they enter a new cultivation realm.

    Nothing could take away from the sereness of the orange forestnothing except for one figure.

    The grass and leaves on the ground made a sickening crunch as one figure marched through the tranquil forest.

    Compared to the beauty of the forest, this figure simply didn''t belong here at all. It was a tall, pale-skinned woman mindlessly stepping through the orange forest as if she held no apparent goal or direction.

    This pale-skinned woman didn''t have any semnce of what can be described as beautiful. In fact, she was actually quite terrifying to gaze upon.

    Just the nk expression stered on her face would be enough to send chills down anyone''s spine.

    But to add to this woman''s mysterious yet chilling allure was fresh patches of blood sttered on her face. The fresh, bright red blood glistened under the bright orange light of the forest. It amplified the daunting appearance of the pale-skinned woman.

    Furthermore, the clothing of the pale-skinned woman was equally eerie.

    The only thing that covered her bare naked body was one ghastly white shirt that went down to her knees.

    Simr to her face, the dirty white shirt had patches of fresh crimson blood sttered on it. Just from the woman''s bloody face and shirt, it would be enough of a deterrent for anybody to not mess with her.

    But, these weren''t the woman''s biggest attraction.

    No, in her eyes, is what held her most defining appearance. Two bright yellow eyes shimmered a mind enrapturing glow from the woman.

    The yellow-eyed woman, the very one who started Darcel and Ani''s journey, was mindlessly walking in the middle of this orange forest.

    She didn''t know how long she walked or really that much of how she got here.

    Her memories were in a constant state of a chaotic jumble. But, there was one constant feeling that never left the yellow-eyed woman.

    ''Darcel.Ani.still so far away.''

    Ever since that fateful day, the Divine Barrier in the sky shattered, all thoughts of the yellow-eyed woman center on Darcel and Ani.

    She couldn''t even clearly recall what she was doing on that bloody deste ind. Nor could she urately remember just how she got off the ind or who she killed on it.

    Yet, none of that mattered now.

    No matter who or what gets in her way, the yellow-eyed woman was crazily determined to find Darcel and Ani once again.

    And in this orange forest, the yellow-eyed woman seemingly walked undisturbed.

    That is until four immense presence quickly approached her.

    The yellow-eyed woman didn''t stop walking, but she clearly sensed four tremendous aura tearing right at her.

    The clouds high in the sky, which was bright orange in this area, seemingly froze as these powers approached the yellow-eyed woman.

    "You!! Don''t move a single inch more!!"

    Multiple voices rained down at the yellow-eyed woman.

    Just the mere booming power of the voices caused the whole orange forest to tremble. This orange forest expended for several hundred miles, yet those voices shook the entire forest to its roots!

    Right when the voices shouted, four figures suddenly popped up high in the sky, hovering over the yellow-eyed woman like they were ghosts!

    When those four people appeared, the yellow-eyed woman did stop moving. But she didn''t bother looking up at the people in the sky.

    Seeing she has no intentions of moving, the four people in the sky looked at each other and nodded.

    From several miles high in the sky, four people sted to the ground in a single second.

    What appeared in front of the yellow-eyed woman was an incredible sight.

    Two of the four people were noble, handsome men. Their gazes were firm and stern, exuding a majestic air about them. They were dressed in bright orange robes and had the legendary God Beast Vermillion Bird inscribed on them.

    The other two people, they were stunning beautiful women. Their bright orange eyes seemed like they could pierce into the depths of mortals'' souls, gazing at all of their sins.

    Like the men, the woman also wore bright orange robes and the legendary God Beast Vermillion Bird inscribed on them.

    As these four beautiful people stared down at the yellow-eyed woman, it was like the world itself stopped.

    The power of these four was simply iprehensible.

    Every breath they took spewed immense energy that could make weaker people faint by just getting in their general vicinity.

    They all were in the mystical realm that surpassed even the legendary Heavenly Sage Realm. They all were known as Throne Lords, high existences that could oversee the whole world.

    This was the Emperor Origin realm!

    Such unfathomable power couldn''t be understood by even the strongest of Heavenly Sage powerhouses.

    One of the handsome men took a bold step forward to the yellow-eyed woman. He fearlessly pointed to the nk staring woman and aggressively stated to her,

    "You! Do you know you''re trespassing and viting the property of the Divine Vermillion Bird Sect?!"

    Still, the yellow-eyed woman held no reaction. The four Vermillion members felt a bit peeved at the woman''sck of response.

    For a second whennding, the four Vermillion members nearly got lost in the woman''s yellow eyes. But an overflowing sense of anger squashed any admiration for the woman.

    The same man continued to talk even as the yellow-eyed woman seemingly didn''t react to him. "Normally, we would''ve just killed you and be done with this. But with your stranger performance, you wille with us. Surrender yourself! Or, we''ll take you by force!"

    <em>''Chi!!'' </em>

    When the man finished talking, the immense power of four Throne Lords explosively erupted! Their air stagnated, and space seemed to freeze around them.

    Even though Throne Lords have excellent control of their powers, their immense natural auras couldn''t be contained.

    Although, despite all four of them going all out immediately, none of the Vermillion members quite understood the situation.

    They all were cautious of the yellow-eyed woman despite her not exuding even a single semnce of power. And yet, the four members know precisely why those fresh blood are on the woman''s clothes and face.

    At least they assumed they knew why.

    They got reported that some mysterious figure nobody could urately sense was running amok in their sect area.

    Despite the fact they have the highest and most unique Spirit Artifacts here, nothing could seemingly fully sense this woman. Furthermore, it was reported that this woman somehow killed any Spirit Monster that tried to go up to her.

    And though no Spirit Monster here could pose a threat to these Vermillion members. It was the mere fact that the weakest Spirit Monster here was a tenth level Heavenly Transformation beast, and it varies all the way up to peak Grand Sage!

    And somehow, gods know-how, this yellow-eyed woman killed any and all Spirit Monster that tried to step up to her.

    Only two seconds passed since the Vermillion members threatened the yellow-eyed woman with their auras.

    And it was a tense two seconds. Neither side moved a single inch. At first, the Vermillion members were going to believe that the yellow-eyed woman was simply suppressed under theirbined auras.

    Though she wasn''t moving, the fact that she didn''t explode into a mist of blood under their Throne Lord''s auras really does mean she has some skills.

    But right when the man from before was going to talk again, the yellow-eyed woman finally made slight movements.

    The Vermillion members immediately tensed up.

    But all the yellow-eyed woman did was slightly lift her head up. Her gaze didn''t practically focus on anyone, but she still spoke.

    "Do you all know where Darcel and Ani are?"

    For a split second, the Vermillion members got puzzled. But they quickly ignored the woman''s strange question.

    The same man from before took a single step forward, telling the yellow-eyed woman, "Who? Look, we don''t have ti-"

    "Then Die."

    The yellow-eyed woman pointed two fingers and uttered two chilling yet straightforward words.

    And for a split second, everyone froze.

    No power was gathered, no aura surged, no Laws were summoned, the four Vermillion members sensed absolutely nothing.

    But immediately when the yellow-eyed woman pointed to the man,

    <em>''PUFF~!!'' </em>

    The immeasurable powerful Throne Lord man burst into a yellow blood mist!

    The man didn''t even feel anything upon his death. One split second he was bright and full of energy. Then instantly, his entire being burst into yellow blood.

    Down to his very Emperor Origin Soul, nothing remained of the man.

    A mighty Emperor Origin powerhouse, one that can look down the whole Savage Sunset Continent, died without a trace to be seen.

    However, the yellow-eyed woman didn''t stop at one death.

    The other Vermillion members were frozen in utter fear. Their eyes were wide open, and their brainsgged. Nobody could understand what just happened.

    But the yellow-eyed woman didn''t wait for them to get a grip.

    She pointed both her hands to thest remaining man and one of the women.

    <em>''PUFF~!'' ''PUFF~!'' </em>

    And just like the man, those twobusted into a yellow blood mist.

    It was when she was thest remaining one there that thest Vermillion woman regained her senses. Her legs violently trembled, and she snapped her body around.

    In a vain attempt, she began to burst all of her power to escape this nightmare.

    But the yellow-eyed woman simply pointed to her as well.

    "Ah-ahhh?!? I-I-I-Can''t-Aiee!!" The Throne Lord woman couldn''t move at all. She couldn''t gather any power at all, bing a helpless baby in front of this yellow-eyed menace.

    Suddenly, the yellow-eyed woman popped up just a few feet from the woman''s face.

    "Ahhh!!" The woman couldn''t control her fear. "Pl-please!! Don''t kill me!! I-I-I-I''ll do anything!!" She groveled in a desperate plea for her life. Even with the mass amount of power and experience this woman has, nobody truly wants to die.

    "You.you said you are called the Divine Vermillion Sect?" The yellow-eyed woman talked without a hint of emotion. When she saw the woman fearfully nod, she continued to ask, "What is your sect ranking on this Mortal?"

    A small hope was inspired in the woman then. Seeing that she may have a chance to survive, the woman desperately said,

    "We-we''re a two-star sect, DemiGod! In-in fact, we''re one of the strongest two-star sects out of the nine Provinces. Nobody can casually mess with us!!"

    The yellow-eyed woman near the Vermillion woman''s face then. "I see.then your sect will have a lot. I''ll be using you for a bit."

    Without warning, the yellow-eyed woman poked her finger on the Vermillion woman''s forehead. The Vermillion woman''s eyes immediately became entirely yellow, and her expression changed from fear to a nk indifferent one.

    Slowly, the yellow-eyed woman murmurs to herself. "Darcel.Ani. I''ll see you soon."

 Chapter 178: Morning Meeting

    Chapter 178: Morning Meeting

    Inside the glorious Inn room, Darcel''s group stayed in; the whole room now had the fragrance of an erotic stench. Breathing the air in here would be sure to fire up anyone''s beastly desires.

    But the thing is, Darcel, Ani, and Masami weren''t even engaged in lovemaking. The trio is sitting at the edge of their bed, all with various thoughts on their minds.

    Darcel had his eyebrows furrowed in deep contemtion. While Ani was sitting on Darcel''s left with a small smile epassing her face.

    "These new clothes are pretty good. Something simple and nice is just what we need.for now, of course."

    "Hmph, I guess. At least until we get our image known around here." Masami sat on Darcel''s right, appraising their new clothes.

    Like the girls were talking about, the trio was now decked out in new clothes.

    And none of them wore anything that stood out. They all wore a in brown fur jacket and some in shirt and pants. Their ck and white masks were held in their hands, and if they were to put them on, it wouldplete their average unnoticeable outfits.

    This clothing fit,bined with masking their presence, will make them even more unnoticeable than before.

    While Ani and Masami went over their fashion styles, Ani soon noticed a certainck of noiseing from the boy in the middle.

    Her eyes trailed over to Darcel, asking him, "Darcy, what do you.Darcy?"

    Darcel truly couldn''t hear what either Ani or Masami were talking about. His mind was entirely focused on something that happened so suddenly and quickly that he had no time to process what just happen.

    In the midst of having an excellentfy morning with the girls, a feeling abruptly streaked in his mind.

    The feeling just came so unprovoked and seemingly out of random.

    Yet.Darcel''s eyebrows furrowed tighter. This feeling, whatever streaked into his mind, it just felt so familiar to him.

    And at the same time, it felt so foreign to him.

    As soon as that familiar yet foreign feeling came to him, it almost instantly went away. But Darcel couldn''t get his mind off it no matter what. And try as he might, he couldn''t recall the sensation of that feeling at all.

    It seemed even silly and trivial for Darcel. However, there was something so mesmerizing about that feeling that nearly put Darcel in a state of enrapture.

    Darcel wanted to continue pondering over this feeling, even just for a little bit, though he knows he won''t get any results.

    However, he soon felt two soft fingers poke his cheek, waking him from his stir.

    "Hmph! Care to share with the rest of the ss what''s going on in that perverse mind of yours?" Masami crudely jokes with a jolly smirk on her face.

    "Hehe~, little fox, you have to agree, though. His thinking face is pretty cute!" Ani''s bright smile washed over to Masami, and she averted her eyes.

    A hint of a blush crept on her cheek as she said, "Hmm.well.it was a little cute."

    The stir of Ani''s giggling and Masami''s cute embarrassed grunts fully got Darcel back to reality.

    He looked back up to the girls, admiring their inquisitive expressions. As he stared into their beautiful faces, Darcel couldn''t help but remember some strangeness this morning.

    The strangeness of despite having sex and Masami even losing her virginity, none of them broke through. Considering that almost every single time he does have sex, he and Ani gets a breakthrough, Darcel found this more than odd.

    But he and the girls just convinced themselves this was Chaotic Energy doing.

    When they had woke up, though they sensed no breakthrough, they had also sensed the Chaotic Energy nestling in their dantian space had just slightly grown in quantity.

    Still, Darcel just shook his head at the girls. "It''s nothing really. Just thinking about Chaotic Energy." Darcel pushed that familiar and foreign to the back of his mind since it''s useless to think about now.

    Ani and Masami curiously raise their eyebrows.

    They didn''t find anything wrong with Darcel''s answer since they, too, continuously wonder about their mysterious Chaotic Energy.

    Although, for a split second before, both girls thought they felt something odd in their minds.

    Ani quickly squashed that thought down since they had more important things to do today. "We can''t understand Chaotic Energy for now. But what we can understand now is our mind. So? What''s the first of our grandiose ns?"

    Darcel had straightened up his back, clearing away any unnecessary thoughts now.

    "So first thing first. We''re going to need resources to boost our own cultivationinsider info on the Mercenary groups. And build up our own powerful force that can contend with other powerful forces. So, in order to aplish any of this, we need to get some new Darkness Servants."

    Masami puts a hand to her chin, contemting it. While Ani genuinely perked up at this idea. Neither had any problems with Darkness Servants and had found Ninu as an intriguing one to have.

    After all, they knew they would only just be servants.

    Still, the thought of the Darkness Servant did make Ani remember the lone Silver Leader Ninu. "Hey, speaking off, can you sense Ninu from here? We should visit our first Darkness Servant one of these days."

    Darcel actually did reflect back on the short time he spent with Ninu. He just needed to slightly focus on his Darkness Soul link, and he quickly searched out the soul core of Ninu.

    One of his eyebrows curiously raised up by what he sensed.

    "Ninu.she''s all fine and well. Though, it appears she''s under some slight stress. Probably just because of work on managing those silver eyesores."

    And though Darcel imed it, he did wonder a bit on why he truly felt a slight chaotic mix of emotion from Ninu''s Darkness Soul link.

    He shifted it to the back of his mind as he intends to revisit Mawold Town one of these days.

    Masami, however, shrugged her shoulders at this news. "Eh, enough about her. What we need to focus on now is who would be suitable targets to be Darkness Servants."

    Masami''s two tails waved around slowly as she took a moment to think. Darcel and Ani were also about to contemte the issue.

    Until, not even a secondter, Masami abruptly perked up. Her two fox tails stilted up, and her eyes shed in remembrance.

    "Actually, we don''t need to think long about it. Let''s get those prude Snow Angels! They seemed like they would be the most isted from other groups. Plus, they seriously need an attitude adjustment to the outside world."

    Vivid memories of the time they first met a Snow Angel in Mawold Town ran through Masami''s head. She couldn''t forget that peculiar hint of disdain that woman unprovokedly directed at Darcel.

    As a devious glow shined in Masami''s blue eyes, both Darcel and Ani wryly smiled.

    Compared to her, they both are more rxed when they get disdained or look down upon.

    Although the duo did understand because of Masami''s troubled past, she would have the most negative reaction to getting disdain on. Furthermore, though they can deal with it, neither Darcel nor Ani liked to be disdained.

    Darcel reached over to caress Masami''s fluffy fox ears, making her warmly coo and calm down a bit.

    Thinking about the Snow Angels, a n quickly formed in Darcel''s mind. "Not a bad idea, actually. Out of everyone, these women make it a clear point to stand out with those pure white shining robes. And with their standoffish attitude towards others, that just makes it easier for us to ambush them."

    "Hmmm.but we can''t go for just ordinary members. We have to go for the high influential ones! That way, our takeover can be achieved quickly." Ani had suggested.

    While she was getting a pet, Masami nodded her head to Ani''s suggestion "Make sense to me. We have no need for any weak servants. So once we get them, whates after?"

    Darcel stopped petting Masami and reached into his pocket to bring out his new Spatial ring. While Masami slightly pouted at him for the loss of his hand, Darcel told the girls,

    "Once we take over the Snow Angels, we''ll go over the information they have on other groups and decide who would be the next to take over. Once we have all the resources needed to make some major breakthroughs and a powerful force under us, we can then start on taking down the City Lords here."

    "Alright! Let''s get this show on the road!" Ani was pumped for a second and then froze in the middle. "But uuh.where would they even be in this huge city?"

    Darcel smirked then and ignited his Spatial ring. He brought out a map that caused a small surprise in both Ani and Masami.

    "While you two were picking out these clothes yesterday, I got us a map of the whole City. And would you believe this thing was quite costly?"

    Ani and Masami''s eyes trailed down to the map. Slight awe gathered inside Ani and even Masami''s eyes at just how massive and detailed the map was.

    "Sheesh! I didn''t think it would actually be this big!" Ani eximed in utmost praise.

    "Though I''ve been here one time before, I never knew this City had this much of arge scale." Masami genuinely praised.

    Her grandmother had visited numerous ces when they hade here together. But Masami herself was very limited on where she could go on her own.

    With both girls'' attention on the map, Darcel pointed to the most isted area on it. In this district, the buildings seemed to be in a closed-off space, meaning one would have to go out of their way if they wanted to visit that district.

    "Closed off and isted. This ce is for sure where those Snow Angels are located."

    Staring into this spot, the widest of smiles formed on Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s lips.

    They all were eager to their core to get this n on the road.

    But before they started, Masami looked over Darcel and Ani. Both her fox tails reached over to curl around their waist, bringing them closer.

    Entranced by the sudden fuzzy warmth, Darcel and Ani peered over to Masami, both having loving smiles when looking at her.

    Masami had her own soft smile that was in direct contrast to the eager one she had just a second ago. "I know I already said this, but.thank you, Darcel and Ani. Even if there''s a possibility we may fail, that fact we are even going to try will forever remain carved into my heart."

    Suddenly then, Ani vanished in a white sh and appeared on Masami''s left side. At the same time, Darcel and Ani gently caressed her fluffy fox ears, drowning her in warmth.

    Masami''s eyes became half-lidded as her mouth leaked warm sighs.

    And Ani softly told the fox girl, "No need to say thanks, little fox. Feelings like love, it''s all to be expected when we go hard for each other!"

    Darcel also spoke up in a loving tone, "From this day onward, we''ll show to your parents, to your whole sect on what it means to be a genius."

    Masami leaked a sigh of content, basking in Darcel and Ani''s touches and words.

    After a moment of peaceful silence, Masami suddenly said, "I probably don''t need to say this. But I want you two to hear it. No matter what powerful or tricky enemies that could appear from your past, I''ll make sure to light them up blue ashes!"

    Darcel and Ani traded a brief nce at each other.

    They both knowingly smile, and Darcel told the fox girl, "I don''t think we have exined it fully yet. But you probably already figured it out. Yes, we aren''t from this, and indeed we may face incredibly powerful foes that can pose a true threat to us. So I''m relieved we have a fiery fox like you on our side."

    Hearing how both weren''t from this would''ve been shocking news to others.

    But for Masami, she had zero reaction. As Darcel assumed, she already figured out both Darcel and Ani wasn''t from this world.

    After all they''ve been through with that fiery hell trial, it was inly obvious for her to understand that the duo came from mysterious origins. However, it was also in that fiery hell trials and that gray space where Masami''s heart became rock solidly firm about the duo.

    She didn''t care where they came from or what they are. All in her heart that kept her pushing forward from perilous near-death situations was reuniting with Darcel and Ani.

    And she promised in her mind, she will never let Darcel and Ani go!

    Afortable silence fell between the trio again.

    They all sat, merely enjoying each other warm feelings before they would go out and enact their n.

 Chapter 179: Distinct Snow Angels

    Chapter 179: Distinct Snow Angels

    Towards the east corner of the massive New Branch City, here it was what people around the city called the Angel District. This area of the city was by far the most isted and less bustling than other parts.

    Although this area expanded at least dozens of miles, making it entirely spacious for hundreds of people to walk through, not many litter the streets in this District.

    However, what was in this District, was truly deserving to be called the Angel District.

    For starters, there was only one building in this expansive District. But this building quite literally took up miles in this area. This overlyrge building had more luxurious vibes than even thergest mansions.

    The building''s structure was intricate, having many interconnected buildings nearly as tall as the main building.

    Unlike other designs in the city, for this building, it was coated in a pure stainless bright white paint.

    Anybody who passed by this District couldn''t help but get their eyes drawn to the extensivelyrge white building.

    However, the building wasn''t the only glorious site in this District.

    There weren''t many roaming the street in the Angel district. But the asional ones that did walk were all beautiful sights that could turn the eyes of hundreds of men.

    All who roamed the streets here were angelic, beautiful women.

    Each of them wore a pure white robe that shined even brighter than their buildings. And each woman''s pure white robe, was of course, stainless, showcasing their untouchable purity to the whole world.

    For the residents that lived in this city, there wasn''t a single person that didn''t know about this District.

    After all, this is where the Snow Angel mercenary group resides!

    And currently, at the exit of the District, three distinct, beautiful women gathered there.

    One was a surprisingly tall woman, standing at a towering statue of six foot three.

    Her face was proud, exuding boundless confidence that showed she wouldn''t back down no matter the situation. Her stature stood cleanly upright and was ready for any sign of trouble.

    The natural aura around this woman was almost suffocating for any far weaker than her. This woman was a high-ranking member of the Snow Angel group, Zara, a seventh-level Heavenly King powerhouse!

    Standing right next to Zara were two women who had different contrast in their beautypared to her.

    Whereas Zara spewed an daunting confidence that could intimidate people with even average wills.

    These two women had a surprisingly friendly vibe about them. They had small smiles on their faces, and their arms were yfully crossed under their moderate busts.

    A little bit of annoyance can be seen in their eyes, but their stature was far more casual than Zara''s.

    One of the women had illuminating white pearls decorating her long blue hair, making her have a distinguished lookpared to the others.

    And for the other woman, she had a radiant white ne dripped around her neck.

    The woman with the white pearls in her hair was named Lauren, while the white ne girl was named Abby.

    They had a weaker aura and a lower status than Zara, but they weren''t women any average person can mess with.

    Both Lauren and Abby were sixth-level Heavenly King powerhouses.

    These three women were actually waiting by the exit for quite some time. Which would exin the slight annoyance swelling Lauren and Abby''s eyes.

    Though for Zara, her face remained calm and serene throughout the wait.

    Lauren wasining to her team, saying in a cute annoyed tone, "Muuu.Be just always takes sooo long with just everything! I mean, we don''t have all day here!"

    In contrast to a lot of the Snow Angels members, Lauren''s voice had a more bubbly, upbeat aspect about it.

    Her bubbliness was also shared by Abby, who was continually tapping her foot. "Seriously! Out of all people, we just had to be unlucky enough to be paired with the sloth."

    Zara calmly peered over to her teammates. She inevitably ending up sighing as they both brought up some good points.

    "Haah.she should be getting the rest that we need. Although....about ten minutes already passed and yet-"

    "Alright, alright. No need to get further antsy now. I have arrived."

    A tired voice called out to the group.

    Zara, Lauren, and Abby turned around to a beautiful woman slowly walking up to them. This woman''s eyes drooped low, almost like she was ready to fall asleep at a moment''s notice.

    Her hand was shoved into her robe pockets, and her body posture was slightly slouched over. Even her Heavenly aura radiated a tired feeling that would make people bezier around her.

    Andpared to her fellow members, neatly kept hair. This woman''s ck hair was more unkempt, as if she had just woken up and haven''t bother with styling it up.

    Although, none of herzy qualities could detract from this woman''s natural beauty. She, just like the other members, radiated a pulling bewitching allure, whether it was her gorgeous face or sexy body.

    Furthermore, this woman was actually on equal standing with Zara.

    She was Be, a seventh level Heavenly King powerhouse! As she got near her group, Be slightly yawned, exasperatedly saying,

    "You know what''s serious, girls? How are we assigning so much importance over this damn.damn.uh, what''s this flower called again?"

    "Haaah." Lauren, Abby, and Zara all leaked exasperated sighs.

    Abby was the one to tell Be, "It''s the Silver Virgin Flower. You know, the flower that can dramatically push all of us to the head of the pack? Yea, it''s pretty important."

    "Yea, yea. Getting high ranks or whatever. I got the detection talisman so let''s just get this over with already." Be already began walking out of their District while talking.

    Lauren became amped up as she sped her hand around Abby''s hand. They both had sparkling radiant smiles, and Lauren excitedly said,

    "This is sooo exciting! If Chloe''s group is right, then we''ll never have to worry about those White Demons'' annoyance again!"

    "Let''s go." Zara turned around and began walking behind Be.

    But suddenly, Be stopped walking. She half-turned around towards the others with a curious expression. "Say.when you mentioned Chloe''s group, didn''t you girls find it just a bit weird on how they dealt with the White Demon members they encountered?"

    Zara, Lauren, and Abby stopped. Their thoughts quickly shed back on what Chloe''s group told their whole group.

    "I mean.a horde of Spirit Monster ambushing them shouldn''t be that umon. Especially in the Wild Snow, right?" Lauren nonchntly shrugged her shoulders.

    "Yea, I mean like, the chances of getting ambushed by Spirit Monsters out there is literally a hundred percent chance." Abby followed the same causal action as Lauren.

    "Hmmm.is that so?" Be turned herzy eyes to Zara. "And just what do you think, little Ms.Perfect."

    Ignoring the annoying nickname, Zara did seriously think about what Chloe''s group said.

    A momentter, she told them, "Perhaps because the White Demon members were all fifth level Heavenly Kings does raise some suspicions on how they didn''t manage to deal with a random horde of Spirit Monsters. But with our prepared items, we need no such fear."

    Be peered into Zara''s face for a second. For a very brief moment, Be''s eyes changed. A different atmospherepared to her usual carefreezy one sparked within the depths of her eyes.

    Lauren and Abby didn''t catch on to it. But Zara did. However, she didn''t show any change in reaction.

    And as quickly as it happened, Be returned to her usualzy self.

    "Hm. If you girls say so. Well,e on then. Our ''high rankings'' awaits." And with that, the group proceeded to altogether leave their District.

    Their thoughts all pertaining to the Silver Virgin flower''s effectiveness and how life-changing it could be.

    Well, them going to find the flower was life-changing but not in the way any of them could''ve ever expected.

    .

    Out in the gray mixed Wild Snow, Zara''s group was already making swift progress.

    The four Snow Angels had gone on the same path Chloe''s group went on. And they quickly caught up to where they stopped and went even beyond that point.

    After walking for so long, the four Snow Angels eventually ended up far away from New Branch City, far away from anybody else. However, none of the four Snow Angels were worried about being so long gone.

    Be was looking at a talisman that was slowly glowing blue in her hand. As they continued to walk, the talisman slowly but noticeably increased the intensity of its blue glow.

    "Hmm.so I guess this truly won''t be a bust." Be''s words seemed hopeful, but the tired tone she used showed she was evidently disappointed about having to stay out here longer.

    "Come on, Be. Don''t be like that! The Silver Virgin flower would be good for even you too!" Lauren eximed with genuine excitement in her tone.

    She, along with Abby, was ecstatic that they are nearing close to that unique flower.

    Be didn''t respond to Lauren''s excitement and trailed her eyes over to Zara.

    As usual, she kept a calm head and was concentrating on her surroundings. Since Be had brought it to attention, Zara was continually going over Chloe''s group words.

    And their words were them basically saying they got extremely lucky to escape both the White Demon group men and that horde of Spirit Monster.

    The question in Zara''s mind from this is, why weren''t they scratched at all?

    Even if they did get extremely lucky, none of them was even the slightest bit out of breath. Furthermore, when Zara had sensed Chloe''s group, all of their energies were rich and vibrant, like they didn''t go through any trials.

    These odd suspicions didn''t enter Zara''s mind yesterday. But now, she was hyper-aware of it.

    So Zara was keeping her eye peeled for any of the slightest strange mishaps.

    "Still thinking about what I said, Zara? It was just a little passing thought. No need to get all serious about it." Be tried to casually rx the apparent tension coursing through Zara.

    But Zara turned her head towards Be, exining to her, "No.your words hold some truth. Though I''m not as worried, you''re making me out to be. It''s still impera-"

    Zara abruptly stopped talking. She, Be, Lauren, and Abby all stopped walking simultaneously.

    A detection sense was formed around the four, and it was crazily going off.

    Their bodies whipped around to see four white glowing objects sail at them with swift speeds. The Snow Angels were a bit surprised.

    The four white glowing objects urately blitz right at each of them.

    And in sync, Zara, Be, Lauren, and Abby perfectly caught the white glowing objects, and their lips twitched.

    Whatever was thrown at them actually stung them a bit.

    Ignoring how their mighty Heavenly Kings bodies could even get stung, Zara, Be, Lauren, and Abby attempted to destroy whatever was in their hands by clenching it.

    However, their eyes soon widened in mild surprise. They all looked back down at their clenched hands, noticing the white glow was still there.

    No matter how hard they clenched, they couldn''t destroy the object in their hands.

    Out of curiosity, the four women opened their palms and their shock only increased.

 Chapter 180: Suffocating Heavenly Kings

    Chapter 180: Suffocating Heavenly Kings

    "....Ehh?? It''s just some rocks??" Both Lauren and Abby said in utter puzzlement.

    Yes, what was in their, Zara and Be''s hands were just in white glowing rocks.

    But besides the strange white glows shrouding the rocks, none of them felt any mass of power, aura, or energy surging around their area.

    They had only whipped around to catch the rocks because their detention talisman alerted them to something flying at them.

    Zara curiously held up the glowing white rock. She pushed her Spirit Sense in it, but try as she might, there wasn''t anything peculiar about the rock she could sense. The only thing it had was this strange white glow.

    Be simply shook her head. "What a waste of ti-"

    Whatever her sentence was couldn''t be finished when an intense burning pain wrapped around her hand.

    And it wasn''t just her feeling the burn.

    Zara, Lauren, and Abby all froze up when their hands holding the rock began to crazily burn. And immediately when the burning sensations coiled around their hands,

    <em>''Chi!!''</em>

    "AHHH!!!" Lauren and Abby''s screams echoed in the air as a mix of blue and ck mes burst from the glowing white rocks!

    The power behind these mes was immense,pletely taking everyone off guard.

    Lauren and Abby were flung backward like ragdolls, their petite bodies skidding through the gray mixed snow for several meters. Their sixth level Heavenly auras burst in the middle of their rolls, but the damage was already dealt to them.

    Meanwhile, neither Zara nor Be screamed, but they were just as taken off guard.

    They sailed straight up in the air, going several meters high. Their arms were crossed over their faces and were covered with a mix of blue and ck mes.

    Their seventh-level Heavenly auras managed to protect them more than Lauren and Abby but only by a tiny margin.

    "Ha!" Both Zara and Be grunted, flexing the full extent of their Heavenly auras.

    The mes on their arms sted off them, but both Zara and Be felt a deadly crisis swell in their minds. Their expressions severely hardened, but a small sense of fear nestle in the depths of their eyes.

    Despite having a detection talisman creating an invisible aura around them, none of them could pick up on that power.

    Furthermore, the power behind that attack was immense!

    Just a second slower, and both Zara and Be would''ve ended up in a pitiful state like Lauren and Abby.

    Although, as soon as both women cleared the fire on their arms, two tremendously powerful auras red from right above them.

    An immense suppression crashed onto their entire beings. Their full power seventh level Heavenly aura couldn''t contend against these two mighty auras.

    ''The hell?!?'' Both Zara and Be puzzledly roar in their minds. Their breathing hitched, and it felt like their bodies were being crushed under hundreds of enormous mountains.

    This kind of power.it was like facing highte ranks Heavenly Kings!

    They were in the seventh level, but these two auras frighten both women to their wits. Not even their superiors can make them feel such fear so quickly.

    Zara wanted to move and desperately escape the suppression. She tried to understand any of what the hell is happening.

    But even before she could attempt to move, Darkness wrapped her vision.

    And when the Darkness came, so did a crushing, tightening feeling wrap her body together.

    ''Nnng?!?'' Zara leaked a small groan of pain mixed in with another confusing feeling.

    Whatever was crushing her was causing her bones to crack under the tremendous power. But at the same time, a small sensation of pleasure jolted her body and soul.

    Zara attempted to push past this weird mixed feeling and surge her Heavenly Qi.

    However, it was merely futile.

    Before, she was already under immense suppression. But now wrapped up, her Heavenly Qi flow got disrupted and became chaotic.

    Only a small bit of Heavenly aura remained inside her body as nearly all of it was suppressed or disrupted. More dread and fear began to swell inside Zara.

    Just who or what the hell was doing this?!

    What was crushing Zara was multiple Darkness tendrils. And a meter above her, Darcel was there, hanging on to Darkness tendrils that shot out of his palm. It allowed him to stay afloat in the air.

    As he heard that mixed groan from Zara, Darcel smirked.

    He clenched his Darkness tendrils and made his Darkness Energy invade directly into Zara''s Martial Veins.

    Now at the fifthyer link of the True Soul Core realm, Darcel''s bloodline state took him to unimaginable heights. He didn''t need to rely on Ani freezing an enemy soul.

    Darcel''s powerful bloodline state was enough to utterly overwhelm Zara''s seventh level Heavenly Transformation power.

    "NNG?!?" A bigger groan leaked from Zara''s mouth as she felt Darkness Energy rampage in her Martial Veins.

    Her automatic soul defense was vaporized by Darcel''s Darkness Energy, and his Darkness quickly absorbed all of Heavenly Qi.

    At the exact same time Darcel trapped Zara, Be was under the threat of Ani.

    Be felt like she would pass out from ack of air under Ani''s tremendous aura. She only had the thoughts of moving before she felt a soft hand firmly grasp the back of her neck.

    When that soft hand grasped her, Be''s vision became white, and her entire being froze.

    Arge smile epassed Ani''s face as she clutched Be''s neck. "You''ll be the subject for my new technique! Hand sh!"

    A white glow covered Be''s entire body then. Inside her soul space, it and her soul core was covered entirely in a radiant white glow!

    Be couldn''t do anything at all now, nor can she even attempt to struggle.

    Her whole soul was entirely frozen by Ani.

    "So? What did you think of my new attack name?" Ani peered her head around Be''s, gazing directly at Darcel. Because she''stched on to Be, they both can stay afloat for a few minutes, as long as Be''s power doesn''t drain.

    Both Ani and Darcel had their ck and white masks, so neither could spot their expressions. Although, just by the jovial tone of Ani, Darcel knew she just had the widest of smiles.

    Darcel crossed his eyes over to Ani as Zara writhed in the loss of power and a rising pleasure.

    He shook his head, recalling a nostalgic scene they had back in Necrotic Woods. "It still needs some, well, a lot of work. But, it''s cute to hear the names youe up with."

    Instead of being happy at being called cute, Ani huffed and put her other hand on her hip. "Muuu.I bet little fox would actually appreciate my names!"

    While Darcel and Ani were slightly bantering, Lauren and Abby had finally stopped rolling in the gray mixed snowy ground. Their sixth-level Heavenly aura managed to clear the blue and ck fire on their arms.

    But it did not manage to lessen their pains.

    "Uuuug." Both girls groan in pain as their bodies writhed on the gray mixed snowy ground. They both were going to try and get up.

    That is until an immense aura locked on their bodies.

    "Ahh?!?"

    Both Lauren and Abby shrieked as they felt utterly suffocated under this powerful aura. Their bodies became entirely suppressed, and neither could move their bodies at this point.

    But the nightmare wasn''t over yet. An intense burning sensation wrapped around their necks and a powerful force was crushing their wind''s pipes.

    "Ge-Ah! Hu-hurts!!" Both Lauren and Abby wed at their necks under immense pain.

    But when their hands touched their necks, they immediately pulled back.

    Quite literally, touching their own necks almost caused their hands to burn off! Lauren and Abby struggled to look down at their bodies.

    And what was crushing their necks were two fox tails wrapped in a blue ming aura.

    "Hmph! Just a little trick and a bit of my aura, and you two be so helpless. Not so stainless now, are we?"

    The sweet voice of Masami red into Lauren and Abby''s ears. She willed her foxtails, pulling them up from the ground, and brought them towards her.

    Lauren and Abby helplessly dangled in front of Masami, being unable to resist anything she could throw at them.

    Masami smirked as she knew it would be easy like this. Though she didn''t have as high asbat prowess as Darcel or Ani, or prowess still made significant leaps when breaking through to the sixth rank of the Innate Core realm.

    Lauren and Abby''s sixth level Heavenly Transformation auras was quickly shredded apart by Masami''s bloodline state.

    And just when she thought the battle was over, two spikes of power streaked in her Spirit Sense.

    Masami shot her gaze up at the duo. But she wasn''t worried at all by what she sensed. ''Looks like the fun parting soon.''

    ....

    Back in the air with Darcel and Ani, they, of course, sense those spikes of powers. And it came from both Zara and Be.

    Darcel curiously watched as the right side of Zara''s chest burst in a chilling blue glow.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Suddenly, numerous crystal ice shards popped out of Zara''s body and started to shred Darcel''s Darkness tendrils.

    Zara''s power grew dramatically, quickly climbing to the eighth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    But right as she was about to entirely free herself,

    "AHHN~?!?" A colossal moan squealed from Zara''s mouth!

    And this wasn''t a moan of pain or a mixed one. This was a scream that exuded pure, unfiltered pleasure!

    Inside her soul space, a Darkness hue invaded and coiled around her soul core. The ice shards popping out of Zara''s body ceased, and her rise of power quickly fell back down.

    With her hidden trump card destroyed, Darcel decided to end this.

    Using hisst remaining Darkness tendril that wasn''t shredded by the ice shards, Darcel pulled himself to Zara, sailing at her at lightning-like speeds.

    He coated his hand in pure Darkness, and once he neared her, he violently mmed his palm right onto Zara''s chest.

    <em>"AHHHN~!!" </em>

    Zara''s voice raised even higher as she felt all of her power leave her.

    The life-saving talisman in Zara''s clothes got overpowered by Darcel''s mighty strength. His Darkness Energy fully invaded Zara''s body and soul.

    Darcel swiped his palm off Zara''s chest and sent her flying back to the snowy ground.

    Meanwhile, with Ani, she had actually directly sensed where Be''s life-saving talisman wasing from. Her other hand glowed white, and she shoved her hand inside Be''s white robe.

    "Ah! There it is!" Ani quickly took out a gray talisman that was vibrating under her palm.

    A white glow shrouded the talisman, suppressing its rising surge of power.

    With a smirk, Ani clenched her hand andpletely crushed the gray talisman! The sudden power trying to surge inside Be quickly left her, leaving her entirely powerless.

    Ani began to slowly float back to the ground due to Be''s loss of power, her hand still grasping Be''s neck. Shended on the ground a bit after Darcel fell gracefully to the ground.

    "And for you, Darcy!" Ani eagerly presented Be like she was a gift.

    Be could only hopelessly watch as the masked Darcel neared her like he was her executioner.

    Without saying anything, Darcel violently smacked his Darkness palm onto her chest.

    "AHH!!"

    A colossal moan of pleasure squealed out of Be exactly like Zara.

    "Hehe~, now rest while we get the other two." Ani giggled to Be, who was writhing in intense pleasure. She tossed her into the mixed snowy ground, making hernd right next to Zara, who was also writhing in pleasure.

    "Hmmm.you know? I think these two have a simr talisman. But I guess it was too weak to stand against my mes." Masami''s boasting voice caused both Darcel and Ani to turn around.

    They saw her walking up to them with both Lauren and Abby dangling from her blue ming foxtails.

    "Oh my little fox! Hopefully, you didn''t burn them too badly." Ani lightly chided, though she didn''t spot any mes on either girl''s bodies.

    "Of course I wouldn''t. I know our shameless perverse boyfriend wouldn''t like it if their pretty faces were ruined." Masami joked as she presented both Lauren and Abby to Darcel

    "Looks like a little fox needs to be reminded of who''s the hidden perverse one here," Darcel smirked behind his mask.

    Masami jumped a bit and quickly shifted her head to the side. Even with the mask covering her face, Darcel knew there was a big beautiful blush crossing Masami''s cheek.

    Masami knew exactly what Darcel was referring to. Her hidden desire and love of Darcel sweetly dominating her caused a burst of embarrassment to rise in the fiery fox girl.

    "Just get this over with already!!" Masami blurted without even looking at Darcel, her voice being incredibly cute.

    Darcel smiled widely and turned his attention to the silent Lauren and Abby. In just a split second, Darcel smacked his Darkness palm on both girls, causing them to both loudly moan and writhe in pleasure.

    "Hmph." Masami tossed both girls at Zara and Be, lining up the four Snow Angels perfectly.

    And without any sort of struggle at all, two sixth level and two seventh level Heavenly Kings were utterly defeated.

 Chapter 181: Desire

    Chapter 181: Desire

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were rxed and pleased. They were stretching out their arms as their minds went over their dominating fight.

    Masami pumped her blue ming aura-covered fist in the air, feeling refreshed after that battle. "Hah! That was even easier than I thought it would be! They couldn''t evenst for twenty seconds."

    "<em>Hehe~,</em> and I didn''t even have to use my soul shbang." Ani also joined in, relishing their overwhelming prowess.

    Dominating humans is a far different experience than destroying mindless Spirit Monsters. Ani and Masami felt more satisfied after this battle.

    This battle had also confirmed in Darcel''s mind the importance of simply raising their base cultivation. Though their overallbat prowess is getting significantly high, the only way to truly capitalize on that is with repeated breakthroughs.

    Just at the firstyer link of the True Soul Core realm and the first rank of the Innate Core realm, he, Ani, and Masami could already contend with fifth level Heavenly Kings.

    Now with just several mini breakthroughs, the three of them can easily dispatch seventh-level Heavenly Kings.

    Despite the fact that he, Ani, and Masami didn''t take the time yet to properly cultivate to stabilize their breakthroughs, from this battle, Darcel sensed they simply didn''t need it.

    Stabilizing one''s foundation bes even more essential with each higher realm. And a shaky cultivation foundation can leave one stuck in the True Soul Core realm or Innate Core realm for decades.

    But Darcel didn''t sense any imperfect cultivation foundations in himself, Ani, or Masami.

    It went hand in hand with how none of them felt any mental blocks when making their repeated breakthroughs.

    So on this n they''re going on, and with all the resources they can gather, Darcel ced greater importance on raising their base cultivation.

    And to put a colossal foot ahead on increasing their cultivation base requires the Snow Angels women writhing in pleasure on the ground.

    With these thoughts in mind, Darcel turned around to the pleasure writhing women. Ani and Masami stopped their conversation and turned at the exact same time Darcel did.

    "Sooo, should we do something while you turn them into our faithful servants?" Ani asked with an anticipating tone.

    Darcel nodded and began walking towards the women. "Ani, Masami, hold down these three." He pointed to Lauren, Abby, and Belle.

    As Darcel and the girls approached the Snow Angels women, none of them even registered their presence.

    Continuous small moans leaked from the four of them; indescribable pleasure ran through their entire body and souls. With no power to resist, Darcel''s Darkness Energy drowned them in Darkness Lust.

    Lauren and Abbyid face up on the gray mixed snow ground, their tongues drooled out of their mouths.

    "Ahhh~!" They both were a lot more vocal about their pleasures. Their hands desperately wanted to reach and finger their burning pussies, but their previous injuries made it difficult to move.

    "Nnnh~...." Zara desperately tried to reduce her moans though it was impossible to suppress the small leaks. Her body quivers at the unfamiliar sensations of overwhelming pleasure.

    "Mmmn~" Be was the only one who Darcel noticed had the quirkiest reaction. She was the least injured out of the three and could somewhat move her body.

    And what Be decided to do was use both her hands to rub her moist burning loins on top of her white robe.

    She managed to flip herself over on the snowy ground, pulling her body up a bit so she can massage her burning itch.

    Of course, as Darcel''s power increases and transforms, so does his skill with Yin pleasure.

    All it took was just a simple palm p of concentrated Darkness Energy, and the once pure Snow Angel women were quickly falling to pleasure.

    Behind his mask, Darcel smirked at that entertaining thought.

    He went to stand right over Zara. And even as he stood directly over her, Zara still didn''t react to his presence.

    "I''ll be starting with her first," Darcel told the girls. He crouched down to stare into Zara''s unfocused eyes that were taken over by pleasure. In the depths of her eyes, Darcel could spot a faint Darkness hue.

    While Darcel went over to Zara, Ani stood over Be. She tilted her head at Be''s distinct reaction to Yin''s pleasure. "Hmmm.this one is sure odd. It''s almost like she''s aware of what''s going on."

    But as Ani crouched down to stare into Be''s eyes, it was in the same state as Zara. Unfocused with pleasure and the depths have a faint Darkness hue.

    Ani shrugged her shoulders. She glowed her hand white again and poked Be''s forehead.

    The same white glow shrouded Be once again, stopping her from rubbing her wet pussy.

    "Nnng~?!"

    Be raised a moan of shock. On instinct, her eyes began to dart all over the ce, trying to figure out why she can''t move. Her expression became desperate as she just needed anything to the burning desire saturating her pussy.

    Ani''s curiosity became further piqued. Though she only saw Darcel do this process two times, each time, none of the women were in control of their actions.

    Yet Be seemed to be in a state of semi-awareness.

    "Ah! I can already see it. This one will be an interesting servant of ours." As Ani appraisingly nodded about Be, Masami walked in between Lauren and Abby.

    She dispersed the blue ming aura shrouding her three foxtails, letting swirl freely. Then, Masami willed her tails to wrap around Lauren and Abby''s waists.

    The two girls didn''t even react as a blue glow appeared around their bodies.

    Neither could move now, though trying before would''ve only caused them pain. And ironically enough, under Masami''s tails, they felt some of their previous pain let up, creating more pleasure for them.

    "Ooooh~!!" Lauren and Abby squealed a greater man under a new wave of pleasure.

    Masami crossed her arms and shook her head. "These two didn''t even need a second to submit."

    Once Ani and Masami were done, Darcel was ready.

    He turned his attention back to Zara. For a brief moment, Darcel appreciated the proud beauty allure Zara seemingly radiated at all times.

    A small amount of eagerness swelled inside Darcel''s bloodstreams about making this woman his Darkness Servant. He quickly reached with his hand and grasped Zara''s soft, smooth neck.

    Immediately, both Darcel and Zara''s eyes turned entirely ck.

    .

    Darcel blinked his eyes, and he was in apletely different space. His eyes quickly orientated themselves to a mixed white space.

    What would''ve pure white space was now invaded by patches of Darkness Energy.

    Darcel knew where this was, that proud, beautiful woman''s soul space.

    ''Hm?....What''s this?'' As Darcel realized where he was, there was another feeling that streaked in his mind.

    It was a foreign feeling that definitely didn''t belong to him.

    The feeling of fear and confusion was directed at Darcel. From these mixed feelings alone, Darcel could almost perceive what they were trying to tell him.

    ''Who are you?''

    Darcel jumped a bit when an unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind. It was a woman''s voice that held no mannerism of being proud or confident.

    But Darcel quickly realized what was going on. ''So I can now more deeply peer inside their thoughts, eh?''

    Darcel summarized that these foreign feelings and voices were all from that proud, beautiful woman.

    Since he got far stronger than thest time he attempted this, Darcel assumed his Yin Pleasure skills could now more deeply explore the hidden depths of one''s soul.

    Darcel didn''t even have to sense around the soul space.

    On instinct, he turned around his body, and his gaze perfectlynded on that proud, beautiful woman. Zara''s soul core transformed into her soul body as she was wrapped in numerous Darkness tendrils.

    She and Darcel''s gazes locked. Darcel didn''t wait for a second and promptly walked up to the writhing Zara.

    "Wh-who are yo-Ah~!" Zara wanted to appear as fierce, but she ended up squeaking arge moan at the end.

    This confirmed in Darcel''s mind that what he had really heard earlier was Zara''s mind since their voices were precisely the same.

    Once Darcel neared within several feet from Zara, he briefly stopped.

    Getting so close to Zara''s soul core, Darcel felt a new feeling streak in his mind. A hidden, profound feeling of a deep desire.

    Zara was confused as Darcel suddenly stopped walking.

    But after a quick second, Darcel resumed walking, much to Zara''s chagrin. He got within inches from her, being able to now appreciate the beauty of Zara''s soul form body up close.

    Without giving Zara a chance to react, Darcel poked a single finger onto her forehead.

    "NNNG~!! Enou-Sto-Ahhnn."

    Zara couldn''t raise any pleas to resist. The moment Darcel touched her, the pleasure explosively increased to an unfathomable level.

    Darcel was rather calm while he touched Zara. And after a small moment, he nodded to himself. "So that''s how it is, huh."

    Zara didn''t know any of what Darcel was talking about.

    But the next word out of Darcel''s mouth quite literally shook her soul''s core.

    "Zara Cox, is it?"

    The feeling of pleasure lessens a bit, allowing Zara to appropriately react to her name being called.

    She shakily trailed her eyes up to stare in Darcel''s in ck and white mask. "Y-you.h-how?"

    "I know what you really wantthe strong desire to rise and push your Snow Angel group to be number one. And you, yourself, want to be number one out of the humiliation of past failing rtionships. It''s admirable to see desires and goals fueled with passion."

    Once again, Zara was shaken. His words deeply pierced into her. Though she couldn''t see his face, Zara just felt Darcel''s eyes see entirely right through her.

    However, Zara simply couldn''t ept that.

    Or rather, she couldn''t understand any of what was happeningthe feeling of frustration born from being helpless burst from Zara.

    She exploded her feelings onto Darcel while Yin Pleasure made a further mess of her mind. "Wh-what the hell are you talking about?!? Who, what is this?!? If you don''t let me go, my Snow An-"

    "Just rx, Zara."

    A warm, soothing tone leaked from Darcel. Zara was surprised as she actually did feel her rising explosive feelings calm down. The pleasure she was feeling also became more soothing rather than overwhelming.

    "Ah.I see. I''ve been doing it a bit wrong before. Zara, I can sense you have suffered a lot in the past. And I know you can feel me sensing the deepest region of your soul core."

    Zara didn''t respond, drooping her eyes down.

    Darcel was right. The longer they spent here together, the more Zara felt attached to not just Yin Pleasure but to Darcel''s overall presence.

    And as Darcel talks to her in aforting, soothing tone, it caused her to feel even better than when she was overloaded with pleasure.

    Yet Zara didn''t want to admit any of this. She stubbornly kept her head down, not willing to meet his eyes.

    Darcel continued on. "So it''s like this. Zara.you wish to be number one and ovee. So I will help fulfill your greatest desires and get you to be number one!" His tone was firm yet still soothing.

    Throughout this entire time, Darcel was quickly adapting to what works best with his Yin Pleasure. And what he''s realizing is that making the woman calm and willing to submit is the process he has to go on.

    Darcel equated it to his rtionship with Ani and Masami.

    The more genuine feelings they have for him, the easier it was for a proper Darkness Soul link to form between them.

    And now with Zara, though he''s taking away her option to refuse him, Darcel could still see the greatest desire of Zara and correspond to that.

    Darcel knew this was manipting in a way. But, he never had the greatest of morals from the start. And for Ani and Masami, he would, of course, do dirty deeds if it means protecting them.

    Furthermore, he genuinely wasn''t lying to Zara. He sincerely will put Zara and her group at the top of this Province as it does corrte to his own n.

    Plus, he didn''t mind helping the proud, beautiful woman. Determined people like her could do genuinely amazing things with the right tools.

    And Darcel''s genuine, sincere feelings were directly transmitted to Zara''s soul''s core.

    Her whole soul body shiver, yet Zara still couldn''t face up to Darcel.

    Within the center of her soul''s core, a Darkness Soul link was already quickly forming. Under the irresistible pleasure and Darcel pulling at her greatest desires, all of Zara''s emotions and feelings were in a confusing, jumbled mess.

    She didn''t know what to clearly think.

    But as mere seconds go by, Zara honestly started to feel as if Darcel was right. Her quickly forming Darkness Soul link began to pulsate.

    "Ju-just what are you doing to me. And why does it feel so.so.so good!!" Zara''s voice became uncharacteristically high for the first time.

    "A difficult life of oppression and tragedy, and now you want supremacy to rise and be free in your life. Getting to this point must''ve been immensely challenging, right?"

    Darcel began to stroke Zara''s beautiful blue hair. His soothing words got her guards to quickly lower, and her Darkness Soul link to pulsate stronger.

    Zara still held on, gritting her teeth, and aggressively spoke, "You.you have no idea who I am, or what I''ve been through!! You think you can just so casually manipte m-"

    "Yes. Yes, I am manipting you. But.you''re saying about resisting, but you''re not really resisting, are you? If so, then I would''ve felt more fight from your soul."

    Darcel''s tone turned even softer, nearly like he was speaking to either Ani or Masami. "I promise you, one day, you will see that you and your Snow Angels group will stand at the top of the whole Icy Cloud Province."

    Zara''s Darkness Soul link burst as she was genuinely falling into Darcel''s words.

    Her mind was catching on to what was going on but even then.Zara couldn''t say she wanted this to stop now.

    She couldn''t exin why, but Zara genuinely felt as if Darcel''s words were the truth. As the seconds slowly trickled by, Yin Pleasure just felt right to her.

    Yin Pleasure and Darcel will grant her greatest desires.

    For as he is her.Zara''s head snapped up to Darcel. "Is what you''re really saying is true. Can you really put me and my group at the top of the Province?"

    "I already easily beat your group of four, right? Moreover, I can also convert the others in your group just like this. All you and your other groups'' members have to do is rx and submit."

    "Rx and submit.rx and submit." Zara kept repeating those words like a broken record.

    And Darcel stayed unmoving from his spot, continuously stroking Zara''s hair.

    Both didn''t even realize that seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours.

 Chapter 182: Conversion

    Chapter 182: Conversion

    In Zara''s soul space, numerous hours passed. And the whole scenery of her soul space underwent beautiful changes.

    Instead of Darcel''s Darknesspletely taking it over, Zara''s soul space was an excellentbination of ck and white.

    It was like Zara''s whole soul epted Darcel''s pleasurable Darkness Energy. And at Zara''s soul form body, Darcel was still crouched, and his hand was still stroking Zara''s beautiful hair.

    Quite honestly, Darcel didn''t know how long it had passed.

    By now, it felt like more than just hours passed. He felt like at least day had passed in here.

    And it was all a blur for Darcel.

    His eyes unwaveringly stared into Zara''s face, who now had her head droop slightly down.

    Her body stopped convulsing at Darkness pleasure, seemingly epting it after all this time. Though Darcel had his mask on, a small smile formed on his face.

    His thoughts had changed during this conversion process.

    The first thing he realized that with Ninu, he had gotten extremely lucky. There was actually a massive chance that Ninu would''ve ended up in a soul-broken state like what happened with L''s soul core.

    There were several fortunate reasons why Ninu had so easily submitted to Darcel. The first reason being was that Ninu already had a strange disposition before bing a Darkness Servant.

    Ninu''s entire life was filled with the desteness of a lonely coldness. She had no one she could truly rely on. And, of course, there was the merciless bloodshed she performed without a second thought.

    In all her life, Ninu never once experienced such positive, intense emotions as Yin''s pleasure.

    And Yin pleasure goes beyond mere ordinary fleshly pleasure as Yin pleasure heavily stimtes the soul. Meaning her entire being was wrapped with indescribable pleasure no other person could possibly give her in her life.

    Adding on to Yin''s pleasure was the serene feeling of blissfulness. It filled Ninu with a sense that there is something worth living for than just mindlessly going about life, day today.

    And what essentially sealed the deal on Ninu''s conversion was the Soul Spangled Flute.

    That mystic Spirit Artifact allowed Ninu''s soul core to be weakened so low to the point that Yin''s pleasure and blissful emotions can warp her entire being.

    Darcel realized all of this through recalling his first time with Ninu while simply stroking Zara''s hair.

    And he had then realized with Zara, it wasn''t a simple process.

    In fact, if he had tried this without receiving all those transformations when he was down in that mysterious Gray Space, Darcel assumed he would''ve likely failed.

    That green diamond shard.whatever it is, significantly evolved his soul.

    Now, Darcel can use his Yin pleasure to peer into anyone''s greatest desires. Of course, they have to be filled up with Yin pleasure to get to this point. And once his Darkness Energy invades their soul space, their hidden desires will be transmitted to him.

    He never really noticed he could actually do this with Ani and Masami because he already knows their greatest desires.

    Moreover, they have an equally shared romantic Darkness Soul link where they all depend on each other.

    The difference with Zara is that their Darkness Soul link will be slightly unbnced as she will only obey Darcel and never hurt him or the girls.

    But, at the same time, Darcel can''t force it on the woman.

    Like with Ninu, she was coerced with her weakened soul. The new feelings and stimtions of Yin''s pleasure and blissfulness made her drown in it. This had hardwired Ninu, giving birth to a unique personality because of her changed Soul Core.

    And now, with Zara, her soul isn''t in a weakened state. Though Darcel''s soul is far stronger than her, that Soul Spangled Flute had mysterious properties that affected the soul in a way even Darcel couldn''t understand.

    So with all of this, Darcel had to appeal to her greatest desire and genuinely transmit sincere feelings of wanting to help to her.

    It was a slower, more intricate process.

    Darcel couldn''t see into her past, but he most certainly can sense that she had a grueling one. Her high pride and headstrongness would be challenging to get through for anyone else.

    But, while this conversion process is now muchplex and slow, his Yin pleasure skills are slowly making this possible.

    The Darkness Soul link inside Zara''s soul core has an irresistible property that''s impossible to ignore.

    Darcel senses that not even Ninu''s soul core has this. It was a faint divine property that came from the permanent green shade inside Darcel''s own soul core.

    The divine property didn''t force Zara to submit. No, instead, it drowned Zara in feelings that correspond to her desires.

    And for Zara, it was the feeling of absolute power and superiority.

    This reminded Darcel of how those green diamond stones tried to sway him and the girls into submitting by letting them believe they could make that unbearable pain go away and give them god-ying powers.

    But this time, Darcel had no overt malicious intentions, unlike what he had sensed at thest seconds from the green diamond shards.

    He indeed acknowledges that this is still maniption but, he does intend to make Zara''s desiree true.

    After all, it also lines up perfectly with his and his girl''s ns.

    So under the green shade divine property and the indescribable pleasure of his Darkness, Zara finally stopped squirming after what seemed like days passed.

    Darcel stopped stroking her hair and awaited Zara''s next response.

    After a short moment, Zara snapped her head up. She unwaveringly stared into the ck and white mask of Darcel, her previous proud expression returning to her face.

    But now, there was absolute respect and admiration in her eyes towards Darcel. Her Darkness Soul link fully solidified and pulsated at the center of Zara''s soul body.

    Zara knew what she wanted. She understood everything of what happened to her and was shown a new path.

    Yin Pleasure and Darcel, they are her Master who will lead her to the top!

    Darcel was even a bit taken aback at his colossal sess. Now he felt a stronger Darkness Servant connection with Zara than what he had with Ninu.

    "Master," Zara said one word, and her tone was filled with pure respect.

    Darcel got curious at his new Darkness Servant. He gave onest stroke to Zara''s hair which made her shudder in pleasure.

    Darcel stood up, and while he got up, he couldn''t help butpare Zara to Ninu again.

    Ninu''s personality had drastically changed after bing his Darkness Servant. Pleasure and blissfulnessbined gave her a brand new allure that nobody could ignore.

    However, with Zara, Darcel sees that she still has her same proud personality. Even as she''s now wholly loyal to him, Zara still radiated her previous air of boundless confidence.

    More so now, Darcel could spot a new edge in Zara''s eyes.

    Zara has an inspired determination that will now get her to go beyond any tasks that Darcel could assign to her.

    Darcel was exceptionally pleased with this. That kind of determination will be greatly useful for his ns.

    Darcel snapped his hand, and his Darkness tendrils gently ced Zara on her soul space ground.

    She immediately went on one knee, her gaze still never breaking from Darcel''s.

    "I see that you''re already eager. Zara, you would be my second Darkness Servant. And you won''t regret it." Darcel nodded and told the proud kneeling woman.

    And Zara responded without even a second thought. "This is my great pleasure, Master. Any order you need, I willplete them, no questions asked."

    Liking this woman more and more, Darcel smiled behind his mask. "Good. Let''s get back to the real world now."

    .

    "Hmmm.hey? You know, isn''t this taking longer than that Ninu girl?" Back on the outside, Masami was impatiently tapping her foot in the gray mixed snow.

    Ani peered over to Masami and began scratching her pure white hair. "Uuuhmm.I guess? Well, Ninu only took like five minutes at the least. I honestly can''t really remember. But it certainly does feel longer, little fox."

    "Tch, hopefully, this woman isn''t being troublesome to him. Heh, I actually want to see what kind of sultry face a proud woman like her will make."

    Ani felt a wry smile form on her lips. She was going to talk when she spotted slight movementsing from Darcel.

    "Oooh! Look alive little fox! He''s waking up now."

    Both Masami and Ani focused up as Darcel slowly came back to reality. They felt some anticipation rise in them, eager to see if Zara would be just like Ninu.

    Darcel took a second to orientate himself as he returned back to the real world. He let go of Zara''s neck and peered his eyes down at her. Zara''s eyes were still closed, but her face was calm.

    Darcel slowly stood up, and while doing so, Ani''s jubntly voice spoke to him. "Was she a naughty one, Darcy? You took a bit longer than the time with Ninu. I bet you needed thorough lessons because of that stubborn proudness,<em> hehe~</em>."

    When Darcel was going to respond to Ani, Masami felt something a little familiar so close to her. Her head quickly snapped towards Zara''s body.

    Masami wrinkled her eyebrows and quickly pointed out, "Ah! Let''s just see for ourselves, Ani. She''s already moving."

    Darcel turned back around, taking a few steps back to give Zara a little space. Like Masami said, her body began twitching, showing signs of awakening.

    And the trio didn''t need to wait long for her to get up.

    In just a second, Zara''s eyes split open. She quickly got up, but halfway through standing up, Zara got on one knee.

    Her gazes peered directly into Darcel''s as she respectfully said, "I will dutifully carry out any orders, Master."

    "Eh? She seems no different?" Ani curiously remarked as her mindpared her to Ninu.

    "Ugh, really? I can''t believe after what you put her through, she still has that annoying proud expression." Masami was more evident in her disappointment about Zara''sck of personality change.

    "Well, it''s because my Yin pleasure skills have received numerous upgrades since our time with Ninu. Essentially my Darkness can now connect with her greatest desires and convert her through that. You can say she has a different level of loyaltypared to Ninu."

    Darcel exined to the girls, and Ani immediately sparked up. "So then you can also see our greatest desires, Darcy? Ooh! What am I-"

    "From the first day we met, I already know about your greatest desires, my little angel." Ani felt her body tingle at her sweet pet name and giggled since she knew Darcel was right.

    Darcel had then snapped his attention towards Masami as he knew she would be pouting right about now. "And that, of course, means you too, my little fox. Even before our Darkness Soul links, I can just feel your desire for revenge."

    Masami''s whole body quivers at her loving nickname. She quickly avoided Darcel''s gaze to stare at the still kneeling Zara. "Hmph. So it''s going to be the same thing for these three?"

    Darcel nodded and walked over to Masami. "That would be the n. I''ll do these two next. Now that I''m familiar with how to do it, this won''t take long. Oh, and Zara, you don''t have to stay kneeling. You can stand."

    "Thank you, Master." Zara promptly stood up. She watched as Darcel walked over to her fallenrades, but she wasn''t worried about them.

    She already knows her Master will show them a new way like her.

    "Hm. We''ll be timing you then." Masami lightly joked while unraveling her foxtails from Lauren and Abby.

    Darcel got in the middle of them and grasped their necks simultaneously.

    His, Lauren, and Abby''s eyes all went entirely ck then. Leaving Ani, Masami alone with their new Darkness Servant.

 Chapter 183: Cute Double

    Chapter 183: Cute Double

    With a blink of his eyes, Darcel came to another soul space. And like he expected, this time, this soul space was a mesh of color. A wonderfully blended mix of white, blue, and Darkness was presented to Darcel''s eyes.

    This time, it was slightly uncharted territory for Darcel.

    After all, he''s now dealing with two soul spacesbined together. While standing, Darcel took a deep breath. He let any nerves or tension leave his body.

    ''Haah.yea. Ah, like I expected, I feel no strain whatsoever.'' Darcel was entirely rxed. He half expected it from before, but invading inside two soul spaces was quite easy for Darcel.

    It especially helped that both Lauren and Abby were far weaker than him.

    Throughout the entire time, he and the girls followed their group; they all assumed these two were closer to themselves than anyone else.

    Just from the small mannerism Lauren and Abby showed to each other, it was pretty easy to tell. And so, Darcel believed it would be the easiest way to make them both Darkness Servants by doing them together.

    ''Now then.hm?'' Right when Darcel got rxed, two foreign feelings streaked into his mind.

    This time Darcel was prepared. He calmly perceived these new feelings, which was a burst of fear, confusion, and pleasure.

    ''Who-Who are you.'' A bubbly voice bounced in Darcel''s mind.

    ''Wh-what are you.'' An equally energetic voice boomed in his mind. Despite the addition of two souls, Darcel wasn''t perturbed.

    He instinctively snapped around his body, and his gazended on two beautiful sights. Lauren and Abby''s soul core bodies were right next to each other, both wrapped up in Darkness tendrils.

    Both Lauren and Abby were convulsing from Yin''s pleasure. Their eyes had never left Darcel''s back, and when he turned to look at them, they both were taken aback.

    "You-you-Ahh~!!!" Both Lauren and Abby tried to speak at the same time, only to end up moaning at the same time.

    Unlike how Zara at least looked like she could just barely resist Yin''s pleasure, Lauren and Abby appeared as if they had already fallen prey to Darcel''s clutches.

    Both of them just wanted the burning heat in their loins to be satisfied. And with the appearance of Darcel, they felt a natural calling to him.

    Although, Lauren and Abby retracted their gaze from him as that calling feeling came to them. They still didn''t know what was going on, and their minds were continuously thrown into a chaotic mess by Yin''s pleasure.

    As Darcel stared down the two girls, he found their reactions a touch bit cute. Compared to their other members, Darcel found these girls to be a little simr to Ani''s vibrant energy.

    He smiled behind his mask, already knowing he''s going to like having these bubbly energies working for them.

    There was a time where he found high energy slightly tiresome. But now, he can''t help but find it absolutely adoring when a woman is cutely energetic.

    ''Though, given that both Ani and Masami are somewhat equal in how hyper they can get, it''s no wonder I have a soft spot for this.'' Darcel began musing to himself while walking up to Lauren and Abby.

    Halfway in his walk, Darcel wrinkled his eyebrows.

    He didn''t stop walking as two mixed feelings of Desire streaked into his mind. Familiar with this sensation, Darcel closed his eyes while walking up, letting himself absorb what these Desires are about.

    As Darcel neared them, Lauren and Abby quickly shifted their eyes up at him. They, of course, couldn''t see behind his mask, so they only watch the ck and white masked boy taking his time to walk towards them.

    Lauren and Abby''s expression increased with its mix of fear. But every time they felt their fear grow,

    "Ah!....Mn~...."

    A burst of pleasure would burst within both Lauren and Abby''s soul core.

    Their eyes went back down, trying to resist the enrapturing Yin pleasure. Though it was all futile as the pleasure was beginning to outweigh the fear trying to nestle into their minds.

    It was then Darcel had arrived in front of Lauren and Abby. Up close, he got an excellent view to appreciate their cute beauty charm.

    Compared to the proud beauty Zara exuded, these two were a lot less standoffish.

    They both just seemed to have a natural friendly aura that could attract all kinds of people to them. Darcel had to give it up in his mind; the Snow Angels were really worthy of their names with the level of beautiful women they have there.

    Shaking his head past these thoughts, Darcel did learn one crucial thing about both Lauren and Abby while walking up to them.

    As both girls'' eyes stared into the soul space floor, hoping Darcel doesn''t talk to him, he had begun talking.

    "The desire of wanting to protect each other above all, huh?"

    Immediately then, both Lauren and Abby felt their soul form bodies quiver.

    Darcel''s voice was iparably warm and soothing.

    His very voice caused immediate changes in them. The overwhelming Yin pleasure quickly changed its sensation from just being overwhelming.

    The pleasure turned into a soothing sensation that gave both girls a sense of blissfulness.

    But the most shocking aspect that heavily affected both girls'' minds was Darcel''s words. It may seem like he was randomly speaking, but his words nestle deep in their souls.

    Slowly Laurena and Abby lifted their gazes back up a bit.

    With both girl''s eyes back on him, Darcel began to slowly crouch down while talking. "I too want to protect what''s precious to me no matter the cost. I don''t have many people in this life. A sense of family that goes beyond even biological family is truly admirable."

    "Ah-ah?"

    Laurena and Abby didn''t know what to think. After getting so merciless beatdown before, here they were now getting talked to by this mysterious masked boy.

    But the strangeness of it all was.Darcel''s words just resonated so deeply with them!

    It was like his words were touching the deepest region of their souls, allowing him to understand both of them.

    Darcel was pleased as he knew he was already making significant progress. With all that time he spent with Zara, Darcel learned several things about his Darkness invading someone''s Desire.

    And the biggest thing he learned was knowing how to exactly identify what the Desire is and what to say to resonate with them.

    Zara''s Desire was the will to reign supreme over all to gain back her sense of freedom. Darcel had deeply explored all aspects of her, familiarizing himself with just how deep her Desire ran in her.

    And now, with Lauren and Abby, Darcel senses their Desires to be not only the same but also much more simpler than Zara''s.

    The Desire is wanting to protect each other more than anything in the world.

    Their sense of friendship ran deeper than their whole Snow Angel group. Darcel felt it even went beyond some blood-rted siblings rtionships.

    Darcel had perceived all of this and actually couldn''t help but resonate with their Desires. It was just like he said; he really doesn''t have anyone else in life besides Ani and Masami who he can entirely trust and love.

    Lauren and Abby were obviously unaware of Darcel''s thoughts. Though they did feel a trace of familiarity from him.

    Still, Lauren and Abby could only respond with a confused, "Wh-wha?? What ar-"

    Before either of them could finish their question, Darcel began to gently caress their soft hairs.

    "Ah-ahhh." Both Lauren and Abby felt an intense rush of pleasure jolt within them.

    They both thought something, either bad or good, was going to happen to them from Darcel''s touch. But, their rising shouts quickly turned soft as Darcel''s touch soothed their soul cores.

    Darcel didn''t let his momentum go down and spoke while Lauren and Abby squirm under a wave of warmth. "Lauren Wolf. Abby Hart. You two feel more connected with each other than anyone else in your whole Snow Angel group. This kind of unbreakable bond is what I already like in you two."

    Lauren and Abby''s whole world were shaken once again.

    Lauren finally whipped her eyes to fully stare into Darcel''s ck and white mask. Confusion, frustration, and a small sense of fear was jumbled into her eyes.

    "Ah-Ah!! Just who are you?! Why do you keep talking like you know us?!?"

    "Just what do you want from us?!?" Abby also raised her voice to shout at Darcel.

    As more of his words deeply resonated inside both girls, the more chaotic their minds were.

    Words that shouldn''t affect them from a total stranger were making massive waves in them. And the most puzzling part of it all was the fact that both Lauren and Abby felt closer and closer to Darcel with each second they spent in this shared soul space.

    Darcel was calm in the face of their outburst. He gently touched both Lauren and Abby''s forehead with one finger.

    "Nnng?!" Lauren and Abby felt a maic allure burst within them.

    The green shade divine property flowed into their soul''s core body form, drilling right into the center of them. Lauren and Abby were quickly drowned in their desires.

    They were submerged in the Desire to protect.

    Lauren and Abby never felt better under this sensation. Yin Pleasure, Darcel''s touch, and the green shade divine property was quickly coercing their entire soul''s core.

    But no matter how good it felt, there was just something neither Lauren nor Abby could ever understand.

    Lauren was the one to say what was on both their minds. "You.you fight us, beat us and then capture us. Just why.why are you being so nice now?"

    "Because this is Yin Pleasure. To feel blissful and happy. Under me, I can make sure your Desire to protect and stay safe will always be secure. Even your Superior Zara epted my Yin Pleasure. Your lives will undoubtedly prosper from here on out. All you two need to do is rx and submit."

    Under Darcel''sbined efforts, Lauren and Abby finally calmed down.

    "Rx." Lauren quietly said. And within the center of her soul''s core body, a burst of Darkness intensifies.

    Lauren couldn''t find any faults in Darcel''s words. The sensations she felt from the green shade divine property were irresistible. It fueled her with the overwhelming power to protect.

    Yin pleasure soothingly courses in her soul, drowning her in feelings never once experienced before. And above all, Darcel''s warm touch felt perfect to her.

    Under Darcel.he''s right!

    Lauren realized then, under Darcel, she can truly have the power to always protect Abby and live a prosperous life!

    <em>''Chi! </em>

    Two bursts of Darkness slightly stunned Darcel. Lauren''s Darkness Soul link quickly formed and solidify!

    Simultaneously, Abby also ran through a simr line of thoughts.

    Darcel, no, her Master is so graciously showing her the way that she can always protect Abby and live prosperously!

    Furthermore, more than even Lauren, Abby just absolutely loves the soothing warmth of Yin Pleasure and Darcel''s touch! Abby''s Darkness Soul link formed at the same time as Lauren and had solidified just as quickly.

    After that second burst of Darkness, Darcel blinked his eyes. Once he came to, he saw both Lauren and Abby''s beautiful faces staring directly into his gaze, both supporting unbearably cute smiles.

    "Master!!" Lauren and Abby excitedly shouted simultaneously.

    Darcel was a bit taken back again as this was far quicker than Zara and even Ninu. Though he knew he was continually getting better, he couldn''t tell if Lauren and Abby''s fast conversion was because of himself or their personality.

    Darcel shook his head and just banked it on a mix of both.

    "d to see you''re both eager already. Like I said, this is an opportunity of a lifetime." Darcel told the girls while standing up.

    As he took his hand from their foreheads, Darcel found it cute that they both slightly pouted from losing his touch. With a snap of his fingers, Darcel''s Darkness tendrils gently put Lauren and Abby on their feet.

    And immediately, Darcel felt a burst of warmth and softness when Lauren and Abby tightly hugged him.

    "Oooh, Master! It''s our greatest pleasure to be under you! Now, we''ll stay safe forever!" Lauren happily said while rubbing her face in the nook of Darcel''s neck.

    "Mnh! Mnh! Anything you need from us, Master, just ask! We will do anything for you!" Abby was excitedly nodding her head while taking a good whiff of Darcel''s soul body.

    Darcel didn''t reject their hugs and was merely curious at how initiate they are. He simply began patting the girls'' heads, making them both shiver in pleasure.

    "I''m d to hear it. Come on. Let''s get back to the real world."

 Chapter 184: Smoothing Out Envy

    Chapter 184: Smoothing Out Envy

    An unusual silence permeated the outside world.

    Ani was still crouched down, holding the pleasure writhing Be in her Light abilities. Her lips were curled up into her usual small smile behind her mask, entirely unbothered by the silence.

    Although, right next to her, Masami had the opposite stature. One of her feet irritably tapped into the gray mixed snow. Her arms were crossed under her huge bust in sort of a huff.

    And though nobody could see her face, it was all scrunched up currently. Though Masami is always used to silence from being a loner, something about this situation made the silence all the more annoying to her.

    And it all had to do with one woman standing at a respectful distance behind her and Ani.

    Of course, that woman was the proud, beautiful Zara. She, simr to Ani, was undisturbed by the silence.

    Her eyes mainly stayed on her Master Darcel, awaiting the next conversions of her members.

    Ani felt a bit wry about this situation. Only a couple of minutes passed, and yet her little fox is making everything so tense!

    So to ease the situation, Ani started to sweetly giggle. "Hehe~, little fox~?" Her sweet melodic voice soothed into Masami''s ears. It forced her to put her attention on Ani and ease up on her previous scrunched expression.

    With her attention taken, Ani smiled up at Masami and continued on. "What''s wrong? Already don''t like our new servant? She''s a bit rigid, but I''m sure we''ll all get along great!"

    Ani didn''t even care that she could be describing Zara in a slightly offensive way. She knows that since she''s yielded to Darcel, then she''s also yielded to her and Masami.

    A small smirk curved up Masami''s lips when Ani described Zara as rigid.

    She huffed a momentter, telling her, "Hmph. I don''t care enough to not like her. She just has an annoying face."

    Zara didn''t even react at all to either Ani or Masami''s tant provocation. Her emotions were serene, and her body was in a constant blissful state, having no unnecessary tension in her; she kept her eyes right on Darcel.

    Hearing no reaction from Zara, Masami already expected that to happen.

    She pondered for a short moment, thinking if it was genuinely possible to get a rise out of someone so straightced.

    But before her thoughts could go any further, her eyes lit up when she trailed over to Darcel.

    "Ah.ah! Look, Ani!" Masami pointed over to Darcel, though Ani already had her eyes on him. "He''s already moving, but two minutes just barely passed!"

    "Hmmm.I see! Then this just means Darcy already got better in such a short time frame!" Ani excitedly praised him, eager to see their next results.

    And as the girls talked among themselves, Darcel was quicklying back to reality.

    His body shook a bit as his eyes quickly reoriented to the outside world. He only needed a second, and his first sight was the sleeping faces of Lauren and Abby.

    Seeing their sleeping expressions were admittedly cute to Darcel. Compared to the pain Masami inflicted on them, they now contently had their eyes closed, a charming smile epassing both their faces.

    After taking a moment to appreciate the sight, Darcel stood up. He began to walk backward, and he already heard the eager voices of Ani and Masami talking to him.

    "This would be your record time, Darcy!" Ani praised once again.

    "Hm! Seems like you made me-" Whatever Masami was going to say got cut off when

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A Darkness glow burst from Lauren and Abby''s bodies!

    Darcel, Ani, Masami, and even Zara were a bit taken aback. They watched in silence as, for a brief second, their Darkness glow shrouded their entire bodies.

    Unknown to them, the surface-level injuries from these two girls'' previous fights were getting quickly healed up.

    And in the next second, the Darkness glow instantly vanished. Lauren and Abby flung their eyes open immediately after.

    Ani and Masami put their full focus on the girls. They both felt some anticipation in seeing if these girls'' personalities would change or not.

    Even Zara felt a small rise of anticipation on seeing the oue of Lauren and Abby''s conversion.

    Only with Darcel did he furrowed his eyebrows a bit. A troublesome thought streaked into his mind then.

    ''Oh.this may be a troublesome first meeting.''

    Darcel''s mind shbacked to the over-eagerness and intimacy both Lauren and Abby showed him. And he knew exactly how they''re going to react now.

    Right when Lauren and Abby awoke, they quickly sat up. Their eyes began to dart around until theynded on Darcel.

    "Master!!" Both Lauren and Abby had the broadest of glowing smiles while raising their arms.

    Ani found their reaction a bit cute. Even Masami could admit it was an entertaining reaction. Zara was also pleased with how excited these two girls are on their new path in life.

    However, before anyone could say anything, Lauren and Abby tried to do one action that drastically changed the whole mood.

    Lauren and Abby were just feeling a rush of energy from the pleasure and happiness of seeing their new Master. And going along with their original personality, Lauren and Abby were quick to express their emotions.

    At the same time, Lauren and Abby sprang up from the ground and quickly ran over to give Darcel a big hug just like they did before.

    Their expressions were loving as they both said once again,

    "Mas-Ah?!"

    And right when both girls were mere inches from Darcel, they felt two faint terrifying pressures violently crash down on them.

    "Aieee?!" Both Lauren and Abby fearfully clung to each other, stopping right in front of Darcel.

    "Ma-master? What is that?!" Lauren shakily said as she clung to Abby for dear life.

    "It''s like I''m getting watched by a death god!" Abby also shouted her fear, never letting Abby go for a second.

    Darcel just felt that wry smile forming on his face. He slightly turned around to face the two culprits of those pressures.

    "Ah.I''m sorry. But, what are you two.servants, doing?" Ani''s voice waspletely different. There was an odd chilling edge to her tone as if she was ready to strike at a moment''s notice.

    When she saw both Lauren and Abby''s loving expressions wanting to run up to her Darcel, Ani actually felt something instinctively arise in her. Compared to how Masami lovingly looks at Darcel, there was just something that Ani didn''t like about how these girls did it.

    "You two wouldn''t be doing anything foolish, right?!" Masami''s voice somehow became twice aggressive and fierce. She didn''t even put in half a thought before reacting to her envy rising in her.

    "Uuu.scary." Both Lauren and Abby only shrunk even more under Ani and Masami''s words.

    Even Zara, who wasn''t involved in any way, felt a bit of fear at her Mistresses sudden change in mood.

    Only Darcel remained calm. He found the girls'' reactions a bit amusing but still shook his head. "Rx my cute little angel and my cute little fox. You''re scaring our servants."

    Darcel spoke in a firm yet gentle tone. As terrifying as these girls could be, Darcel knew with just nting a solid foot down, they will calm down.

    Even for someone like Darcel, who''s basically going off from instinct for his rtionships, he knows he can''t let the girls just walk all over him or do literally anything and everything they want.

    It creates an unbnce, and in Darcel''s mind, he assumes all rtionships must have a sense of bnce.

    "Hmmm.alright." Ani''s tone did lessen from her overt chilling one but still had a steel edge to it.

    "Hmph! They should count themselves lucky." Masami had also lowered her tone but kept a bit of her aggressiveness.

    Darcel knows it''ll take a little bit more with those two. But first, he turned his attention back around to Lauren and Abby. They both didn''t feel as much fear as before, but they were still a bit scared.

    To solve this, Darcel reached out and began patting both Lauren and Abby''s soft lushes hairs.

    "Ah!"

    He heard a whineing from both Ani and Masami at that same time, but he chose to ignore it at the moment.

    Darcel kept his attention entirely focused on Lauren and Abby. Both girls were blissfully shivering at his warm touch.

    Smiling behind his mask, Darcel calmly told them, "Don''t mind them. Get along with your Mistresses, ok?"

    Both Lauren and Abby felt continuous electrifying jolts shiver up their spines. Their eyes became sexily half-lidded as Lauren said, "Of course, Master~."

    "No problem, Master~." Abby also agreed.

    Darcel nodded and took his hand off them. And without giving anyone a chance to react, he vanished from sight.

    "Ah!" Both Ani and Masami cutely squealed as they were unprepared for Darcel suddenly appearing before them.

    He quickly pulled them both into his warm embrace. Both Ani and Masami felt their slight chaotic state of emotions rapidly smooth out.

    Darcel wasn''t done yet, however.

    He quickly raised Ani''s ck and mask a bit, allowing for her beautiful lips to be revealed to the outside world. Immediately, Darcel raised his mask a bit and swooped down to capture those sweet soft lips.

    "Mnn." Their kiss didn''t hold a single scent of lust behind it.

    It was a simple sweet kiss that Darcel poured all of his feelings into. Their Darkness Soul link shuddered in delight as Darcel and Ani felt their bright love for each other.

    After a second of their sweet kiss, Darcel pulled back.

    He smoothly reached over to pull Masami''s mask up a bit, revealing her cute expecting lips that were quivering slightly.

    Darcel didn''t need to think twice, and he gently meshes his lips onto Masami''s hot yet soft lips.

    "Nnh." Like with Ani, their kiss was one of love and affection. Masami''s fox tails curled in absolute delight.

    Darcel and Masami''s Darkness Soul link also tremble in bliss as their love courses in their bodies and souls.

    After a second, Darcel pulled back from their kiss.

    Both Ani and Masami were quietly cooing as their lips formed into beautiful, loving smiles. Their chest felt iparably warm, and all that dominating aura from before instantly vanished.

    "That was really cute, seeing you two slightly jealous. But remember, my heart will always belong to you two." Darcel''s lips curved up into a smirk, figuring this was the best way to get them to calm down.

    "Hmph!" Both Masami and even Ani gave Darcel an adorable huff in response. But immediately next, they simultaneously kissed his slightly exposed cheeks.

    "A spontaneous Darcy is also slightly cute. Now, let''s finish this." Ani pulled her mask back down and stated.

    "I''ll be seeing if you can do this one just as quick." Darcel spotted a sly smirk as Masami pulled her mask back down.

    A pleasant smile took Darcel''s lips. He as well pulled his mask down, let go of the girls, and crouched down to Be. She no longer had the white glow, but her body was still writhing in Yin pleasure.

    Darcel had then touched her neck, causing his and Be''s eyes to turn entirely into Darkness.

 Chapter 185: The Lazed Final One

    Chapter 185: The Lazed Final One

    As per usual, Darcel''s eyes open to a changed soulscape space.

    However, this time, Darcel was feeling mildly shocked in this soulscape space. Compared to Zara, Lauren, and Abby''s soulscape space, his Darkness spread far here.

    Be''s soulscape space was a healthy mix of bright blue and an overwhelming mix of Darkness.

    Darcel found even this slightest of change quite intriguing. He could already somewhat tell how this meeting will go down.

    At first, in Zara, Lauren, and Abby''s soulscape space, Darcel needed to actually convince them before his Darkness became overwhelming there. His Darkness not entirely invading them showed they had some small resistance about him.

    But here.it was like Be didn''t bother to put up any resistance. And the changes didn''t even stop at the scenery.

    Darcel didn''t take a single step yet, but he had already quirked his eyebrows.

    Almost immediately aftering here, Darcel felt a massive amount of tension leave his soul body. His shoulder visibly rxed, and he felt his mind clear up within mere seconds of being in Be''s soulscape space.

    Darcel had to admit it; this was a refreshing sensation.

    Inside Zara, Lauren, and Abby''s soulscape space, he truly didn''t feel anything from the atmosphere.

    Yet here with Be, it was like he stumbled upon a rxing spa.

    The whole mood of Be''s soulscape space wasforting. Darcel felt like he could actually just sit down and rx in here, letting time freely flow past him.

    It was then a foreign feeling streaked into Darcel''s mind. A clear, calm voice echoed in his head, telling him,

    ''Oooh.so it''s you?''

    There wasn''t any confusion or fear mixed into this soothing voice. At most, Darcel only felt the feeling of realizatione from her.

    It was actually quite calming to experience a more serene batch of emotions than the chaotic ones from his previous conversions.

    And on instinct, Darcel slowly turned his body around.

    His gaze immediately fell onto Be''s soul-core body. ''As I expected.'' Was Darcel''s immediate thought when first seeing this woman.

    Be''s expression didn''t hold any mix of distraught. Her face waspletely rxed. She was wrapped up in Darkness tendrils, yet the intense stimting Yin pleasure wasn''t bothering her much.

    In fact, Darcel could almost say that Be appeared to be basking in his Darkness tendrils.

    When Darcel had turned around to look at Be, his and her gazes matched. The whole world just seemed to stop between them.

    There wasn''t a single ounce of fear or intimidation nestle in Be''s clear eyes. She really only had curiosity festering in her eyes.

    As Yin pleasure courses throughout her soul-core body, Be had the mildest reaction out of the Snow Angels girls.

    Already, Darcel couldn''t help but fancy this calming woman.

    Under her curious eyes, Darcel began walking up to her. As he slowly walked up, a bit of surprise shed into his eyes. From his Darkness, he was able to feel Be''s greatest Desire.

    But it was nearly instantaneous to feel Be''s Desire. And what he felt was so vastly different yet also simplistic.

    Darcel already made it more than halfway to her, yet Be still didn''t talk. So Darcel decided to take the initiative since this won''t be nearly asplicated as the other Snow Angels girls.

    "So casual, calm, and curious. It''s actually quite rxing to simply walk in your soul. Though, I suppose this matches your carefree personality, eh?" Darcel came within inches of Be when he stopped talking.

    Up close and personal, Be felt a bit shaken by his words. They just met, but she felt as if Darcel''s words deeply resonated inside her soul.

    Moreover, it wasn''t like Be could deny any of his words.

    Her curiosity towards this ck and white mask boy only grew with each passing second. Though Darcel was so close to her, Be didn''t avert her gaze for even a second.

    She directly stared into Darcel''s ask and curiously asked, "Say, that was a pretty good guess about me. Can you read minds? Well, this is my soul, so I guess mind-reading abilities wouldn''t be out of your league. Sooo.now what?"

    Darcel felt his lips curved upwards into a smirk. He crouched down to get a better appreciation of the carefree beauty that is Be. Unlike most beautiful women Darcel either met or encountered, there was something genuinely unique about Be.

    Her beauty, her very aura alluring carefree charm, Darcel felt it was like, no matter who or what you are, anybody would be able to rx in this girl''s presence.

    Once Darcel got on an equal level to Be, they both faced off.

    Neither of them talked for a good moment.

    Be was just finding her situation more and more curious rather than frightening. Despite the fact she was just beaten and captured, Be felt as if no real harm woulde to her.

    Furthermore, there was the fact that she wasn''t resisting Yin''s pleasure at all.

    Unlike here other fellow Snow Angels, Be felt more intune in experiencing overwhelming pleasure. She let herself melt and meld into pleasure rather than resist it or let it take over her.

    Darcel was silent as he genuinely got a feel on how Be would act just from this little staredown.

    And after a moment, both he and Be smirked at the same time.

    Even though Be couldn''t see Darcel''s smirk, she just felt like he actually did smirk.

    Darcel had then pointed one finger and reached to gently touch Be''s forehead. Be''s expression lightens even more as the overwhelming pleasure turned into soothing pleasure.

    "Be Cote.you''re quite the simple one, huh? It''s rather really admirable to look into a person such as yourself."

    Darcel''s words soothed right into the center of Be''s soul core body.

    Be shuddered as Darcel''s gentle tone made her body warm. She didn''t even bother to think about what Darcel was trying to gain from her.

    She just began talking in her usual casual tone, "What can I say.I''m a simple woman. I just like toze around more than anything. Hell, from what I guessing you''re probably doing this to all my partners, right? Quite honestly, maybe this is something we needed. I really don''t even fully like the Snow Angel group. Too many prudes."

    Just entirely on her own, Be began spilling out on what''s on her mind. Her voice didn''t shake for a second as if she was talking to a regr friend of hers. Be didn''t feel weird or out of ce for doing this.

    With each second that passes by, Be just felt more and morefortable with Darcel. Even when he guessed her name, it just made Be want to open up more to him.

    Although, Be was confused as to if this was just Darcel overpowering her or if she was just doing this with her own vition.

    Whatever the case may be, Be had reaffirmed in her mind that Darcel for sure would not hurt her.

    Darcel as well couldn''t tell if Be was being so open because she wanted or coerced into doing it.

    But one thing he for sure knew from touch her head was that Be''s Desire was a straightforward one.

    It was more straightforward than even Lauren and Abby, making Be that bit more interesting in Darcel''s eyes.

    Be didn''t desire power, freedom, or anything really so deep. She desired the simple,forting feeling of rxation.

    Darcel started to talk again. "How interesting. You know, you''re right. I did do this to your other partners already. And their Desires were a bitplicated. Especially Zara."

    "Oh? Was it like that with little Miss Perfect? Heh, I''m not surprised." Be''s eyes turned slightlyzy while she enjoyed Darcel''s touch.

    Compared to Yin''s pleasure, Be already felt quickly attached to Darcel''s presence.

    The way they talk without reserve was something that put Be''s mind at ease. Adding on, just in general, Darcel''s warm touch was irresistible for almost anybody.

    Darcel felt even more amusement from Be''s bantering reply. He continued on to say, "And for you, Be, I know what you greatly desire is a simple, carefree life. You can be serious when you want to be, but what you really want most is to take life easy. Going against the norm of our dominating cultivation world."

    Be froze for a split second. Her gaze hardened in that split second, thoughtfully staring into Darcel''s gaze. Every word that he spoke was indeed spot on. Be once again couldn''t find any faults.

    And realizing that, Be''s expression quickly morphed back into being casual.

    "Hmmm.you haven''t said one wrong thing. But really, can you me me? Everyone always wants to fight, kill and grow stronger. Some even want to reach the top of the world. But.that''s all too troublesome, quite honestly. What''s the point of all this relentless dedication to power if you simply can''t lie down and rx."

    "Hmm.you know." Darcel began thinking about his journey up to this point.

    All he had been doing really is for he and Ani could survive in this harsh world. And now, with Masami, he found a new goal out of his love for her.

    But for himself?

    Darcel couldn''t really say he Desires to stand above the top of the world or be the strongest. While fighting and crushing arrogant people certainly was fun. It wasn''t something that was a top priority for Darcel.

    He may have highprehension, but Darcel never put extra thought into the deep Profoundness that is cultivation.

    What he can say that truly makes him happy is merely enjoying his quality time with both Ani and Masami.

    Darcel knows there''s a lot of unknown variables in the world that could permanently ruin his time with his girls.

    So if he wants to secure that forever.Darcel felt a burst of assuredness.

    He no longer had any more small doubts. On this path he''ll take, he''ll converge as many he needs to protect his loving rtionships.

    "I certainly can see where you''reing from, Be. And I shall give you a way where you''ll always be able to enjoy a pleasurable carefree life."

    Be''s eyes open a bit at this. Some exciting glow nestles within the depths of her eyes. "Oooh? Really? You can do that? I already gave up resisting a long time ago, so do your worst. Or, I guess, do you best?"

    In Darcel''s soul core, his green shade shed. The green shade divine property was quickly transferred inside Be''s soul core body, making her quiver in absolute delight.

    Be''s Desire was rxingfort, so her green shade divine property drowned her in a securing warmth. A warmth that wrapped her entire being, telling her that no matter what, life would be rxing for her.

    Only a second passed, and already a broad grin formed on Be''s face. "Mn hm. I like this a lot."

    Be''s eyes gained recognition when staring into Darcel''s gaze.

    Yin pleasure, the green shade divine property, and Darcel''s touch made Be quickly realize that he is her Master that she wasn''t even looking for.

    <em>''Chi!''</em>

    A Darkness soul link burst within the center of Be''s soul core body!

    Nearly instantaneously, Be''s Darkness soul link solidifies. It was far faster than even Lauren and Abby''s Darkness Soul link.

    Darcel was only a bit surprised as he got a grasp on Be''s demeanor.

    Once her Darkness Soul link formed, a rxing smile, one that would get anyone''s tension to leave their bodies formed on Be''s face.

    "Master. To our warmth."

    Darcel nodded at Be, saying to her, "As expected of you." He had then snapped his hand, getting his Darkness tendrils to gently put Be on her soulscape space floor.

    On her feet, Be took the time to stretch out her arms, cracking any kinks from being tied up for a bit. She raised an appreciative gaze to Darcel while doing so.

    "Thank you, Master.''

    And with this, the first step waspleted; Darcel was pleased with how everything went down so smoothingly.

    He nced at Be, telling her, "Now with you, your whole group is done. Now then, let''s leave and finish this meeting."

 Chapter 186: The Next Step

    Chapter 186: The Next Step

    "Mn...Ahh." A content sigh leaked from Darcel''s lips as he took his time to blink open his eyes. A fresh wave of refreshment washed over his entire being.

    Everything just went so smoothly in line for him.

    To crushing the powerful group of Heavenly Kings, converging the Snow Angel women, and learning more about his Yin pleasure skills, Darcel seeded it all without a single hitch.

    But the main reason why he was so pleased was because his n to make his little fox gain the respect she deserves can now truly begin.

    Darcel wasing to his surroundings and was about to trail his eyes down to Be''s face.

    However, in the middle of his movement, he stopped.

    The atmosphere permeating the area was once again strange. His Darkness Soul link was noticeably pulsating, alerting him to the weird mood.

    But even without it, Darcel could just feel and even hear why it felt so strange out here.

    His ears perked up when two groups of whispering slinked into his ears.

    The first group of whispering he heard was obviously trying to keep their voice down like they fear to be even the slightest bit loud.

    "....Ah! Finally! Master''s back! I already feel much less pressure." Despite speaking so low, Darcel could easily identify that bubbly voice as Lauren.

    "Mnn.If it was just a second longer, aauuu. Mistresses are just too scary!" The higher-pitched tone Darcel quickly identified was Abby.

    At the same time, Darcel heard another group of whispering that really wasn''t trying at all to be quiet.

    It''s more like they wanted Darcel to listen to them.

    "You see how they''re acting, little fox? Just watch now; Darcy is going to shower us in love!" Ani''s crafty voice echoed in Darcel''s head, sounding like she just crafted the perfect n.

    "Hmph.it''s not like I''m dying for it like you. But.you better be right!" Masami''s clearly cutely embarrassed voice swirled in Darcel''s ears.

    Darcel already felt his wry smile form. It was truly intriguing to see the girls act like this.

    Darcel briefly thought of it, and beside Masami, no other girls showed an outward romantic interest in him that would get Ani to be riled up.

    The only person that came close would be Hao Cao, but she clearly saw them more as friends. At least, that''s what Darcel thought about her.

    And as for Masami, Darcel already half-expected Masami to be a jealous type.

    Even during the first days, he met her. Darcel knew it would be imperative for Ani and Masami to get along so a genuine bond can form between them.

    Now, a slight altercation may arise with his more energetic Darkness servants.

    Darcel, of course, had no interest in pursuing his own servants that he''s coercing. But that doesn''t really help when his servants keep their original personalities.

    Still, Darcel doesn''t really have it in him to be hard on any of his cute girls.

    So Darcel simply fathoms; all he has to do is keep on smoothing out any envy or jealousy until it''s all gone from them.

    Darcel nodded to himself and stood up. His head turned halfway around, and his amusement further rose.

    The girls were all ced so oddly spaced out from each other.

    Ani and Masami stood together but were at least several meters apart from Lauren and Abby. Lauren and Abby, of course, stood together, both still clinging on to each other slightly.

    And Zara, she simply stood in the middle of them. Her face remained entirely indifferent to the peculiar situation going on.

    If not for anything, Darcel could admire that Zara could be so calm in awkward events.

    When Darcel had stood up and turned his head around, Lauren, Abby, Ani, and Masami all got visibly excited.

    However, before anyone could even think,

    <em>''Chi!''</em> A Darkness sh took everyone''s attention.

    Everyone''s eyes gathered on Be, who nowid face down in the ground. A Darkness glow briefly shrouded her body in a simr manner when Lauren and Abby were first waking up.

    In a split second, Be lifted her head off the gray mixed snow. Her eyeszily open as if she just had a good nap.

    "Ahhh.this snow is surprisinglyfortable toy on."

    Be yawned while stretching, taking her sweet time to get up. Once she sat right up, Be turned her head, and her eyes immediatelynded on Darcel.

    "Master." A rxed smile grace Be''s lips as she greeted Darcel.

    Be proceeded to get up then, and her eyes peered past Darcel, over to Ani and Masami. Her eyes gained a curious glow as Ani''s head was tilted inquisitively to her, and Masami''s body stance told she already dislike her.

    "Oh? These are the Mistresses? Really beautiful, they are Master." Be sincerely praised. Despite their less than weing statures, it instantly clicked for Be that those girls are not to be messed with.

    Darcel nodded to Be, telling her, "Indeed they are. Remember to get along well with them. And really, don''t mind their attitudes."

    "Hmmm." Ani had a slight interest in how rxed and quick to the uptake Be was. Still, she didn''t like getting praise at all from her.

    "Tch." Masami openly clicked her teeth, crossing her arms under her chest. She found that rxed attitude of Be almost as annoying as the proudful Zara.

    Sensing the mood was about to take a slight dip, Darcel vanished in a ck sh. He reappeared right in front of Ani and Masami, who both jumped a bit at the sudden pop-up.

    "Little envious cuties." Darcel began patting both of their soft lushes hairs.

    "Mnnn." Melodic coos leaked out of both Ani and Masami''s mouths. Ani nuzzled her head into Darcel''s hand, and Masami''s fox tails curled up in happiness. The whole mood around them instantly brightens up.

    While that was going on, Be walked up to Lauren and Abby. She became amused when both girls exhaled a small sigh of relief to their Mistresses bing happier.

    "Well, well, it seems like Master has a handful. And looks like we''re all under our gracious Master lead."

    "Yea! Master will be great for us!" Both Lauren and Abby stated in a bubbly tone.

    Both weren''t even that much affected after just being under the terrifying pressure of Ani and Masami.

    "So hyper as always. As expected from you two. Hmmm?" Be trailed her eyes over to Zara.

    Their gazes locked, and Be''s smile turned a bit taunting.

    Zara remained impassive, but she felt like something troublesome was about to arise from that look on Be''s face.

    "Surprised to see little Ms. Perfect so submissive and willing. Thought that high pride would take hours to break." Be provoked without holding back her words at all.

    Lauren and Abby looked at each other and nervously smiled. Even under their gracious new Master, something just never changes.

    Zara genuinely felt her eyebrows twitch a bit. However, she managed to remainpletely neutral while talking.

    "Like you all, I simply found Master''s way to be best for us all. If I were to take an extended period of time, then it would be because I was simply putting more thought into it."

    "Hoh. Still so subtly glib tongue as usual too." Be only felt a further push to provoke Zara.

    However, before things could escte, Darcel stopped petting Ani and Masami''s heads and turned around to them.

    While Ani and Masami pouted behind their mask, Darcel began speaking to them. "Ok, you all listen up."

    Darcel spoke in not a firm tone but a soothing one. It quickly got Lauren, Abby, Zara, and Be to pay attention to him.

    "Out of all of you, who''s the highest-ranking?"

    Zara immediately answers, saying, "I''m the highest among the seventh levels leader captains, Master. I specifically have ess to a majority of our special and unique resources along with the plethoras of others. My duty is to help distribute them to the Snow Angels group to those who are worthy enough."

    "Hmph, so that''s pretty useful. But what about intel on other Mercenaries groups?" Masami asked.

    Be perked up next, telling the trio, "That would be me, Mistress. I''m actually only just one lower rank captain than Zara. But unlike her, I have a sharp mind, believe it or not. I''m mainly in charge of gathering intel in any way possible, so I can provide juicy details for Master and Mistresses."

    Zara didn''t respond to the not-so-subtle jab at her. Not because she didn''t want to be rude, but because Be can actually back up her words when boasting that she has a sharp mind.

    "But first! Before we start prating the other groups, we need to firmly establish ourselves here. Sooo, who is the strongest in your group." Ani asked the following question.

    Lauren quickly responded. "Ah, Mistress, we have multiple strongest. They are Karis, Zih, Melea, and Kyra. And they''re all eighth-level Heavenly Kings. Uhm.though, I think Leader Kyra went into close door cultivation ever since we got deployed here."

    "Also, Master, you have to be careful about all of them. Master and Mistresses are incredibly powerful, but all of the Leaders have life-saving Spirit Artifacts that will automatically activate." Abby had added on.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami briefly contemte.

    They know even with Spirit Artifacts, their prowess is still far superior to even an eighth-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    The only thing Darcel found curious was the one still in closed-door cultivation.

    But for now, Darcel only wanted to focus on one Leader. "So, who would be the least troublesome out of the four?"

    "Ehhh.probably Leader Melea. She''s not the weakest but her personality.let''s just say she''s kind of an airhead." Be exined.

    A n quickly formed in Darcel''s mind. "Alright, here''s the n. Be, you lure Melea here, and we''ll take care of her. Zara, you go and gather a decent amount of special resources that won''t make you suspicious ande back here. Lauren, Abby, you two will stay here so Be could use you two as a possible excuse toe."

    "Right away, Master." Zara nodded and immediately began flying back to New Branch City.

    Be''s response was a bit slower as she began to stretch her arms. "Hopefully, that airhead won''t be troublesome. Oh, and here you go, Master."

    Be had walked over to hand Darcel the blue detection talisman.

    As Darcel, Ani and Masami curiously gazed at it, Be exined, "While you wait, maybe you can find some treasures. Alright, be back in a jiffy."

    Be began to fly back to New Branch City, though at a more casual pace than Zara.

    Once alone, Darcel directed his attention to Lauren and Abby, who both had small pleasant smiles.

    He asked them, "By the way, just what exactly were you all looking for?"

    Neither he, Ani, nor Masami knew what kind of flower they talked about when they were initially following them.

    Lauren answered Darcel, telling him, "It was the Silver Virgin Flower Master. From its special property, if we could refine it and make it into pills. Its purpose is for any woman who still has their virgin yin would receive a major cultivation boost if they take that pill."

    "It''s what the Snow Angels were nning to do with it, Master. But you can use it to gain a lot of riches." Abby exined in tandem with Lauren.

    Ani''s interest was piqued. She took the detection talisman from Darcel''s hand, saying, "While we wait, let''s explore for that flower. Or maybe we can even find some hidden goodies."

    "This would be a decent distraction until then. Hopefully, that airhead can be some fun." Masami also had curiosity piqued.

    Darcel directed his attention back on Lauren and Abby, telling them onest thing, "While we''re gone, familiarize yourself with your new Darkness Soul links. It''ll be crucial for all things we do in the future. Just sense inside your soul for it."

    Both Lauren and Abby smile and nodded. They closed their eyes, letting all tension leave their bodies.

    Entirely rxed, Lauren and Abby sensed inside their souls. Though they weren''t unfamiliar with sensing inside their souls, both girls were already taken by surprise doing it this time.

    Previously, it would take at least twenty minutes for them to peer into their souls. But now, it was almost instantaneous!

    Lauren and Abby''s admiration for Darcel only went up as they knew he was the cause for this.

    Once inside their souls, they both were hit with a slight wave of Yin pleasure. Their bodies shudder in delight as they can never forget this feeling.

    "We feel it, Master!" Both girls excitedly eximed.

    "Good. Justprehend that sensation for now." Darcel had then turned back around to Ani and Masami. "Shall we distract ourselves for a bit?"

    Both Ani and Masami eagerly nodded. They were highly anticipating all future events that wille.

 Chapter 187: Snow Angel Leader

    Chapter 187: Snow Angel Leader

    At the expansive, interconnected buildings of the Snow Angel district, Zara and Be had already returned.

    Zara was the first to arrive, making it in record time. She quickly crossed several miles of distance in a massive effort to please her Master.

    And as soon as she got inside the Snow Angel building, Zara quickly shuffled through to gather the special resources. Because of her Captain status, nobody questioned her intentions.

    Although some Snow Angels members were a bit confused. They were thinking, didn''t Captain Zara just leave for a mission a while ago?

    However, with just one look at Zara''s determined expression, nobody dared to question here. Her natural proud aura somehow became even more suffocating, deterring anybody from trying to talk to her.

    Not even the Senior ranked members wanted any part of the New Zara.

    While Zara determinedly shuffled through the Snow Angel building, Be had just arrived a little bit after.

    She just had to smile at Zara''s eagerness at wanting to fulfill Master''s goals. And thinking back on it, Zara really always eager in this way. To the ones she respects most, she always goes above and beyond.

    And now Darcel is the one she respects most in the world.

    Be wryly shook her head and casually strut through the Snow Angel building. Like always, the Snow Angel interior is just as luxurious and stainless as its exterior design.

    The walls here were all coated in a beautiful white coat of pain; every hallway had neatly named rooms so no confusion would ever arise.

    The Snow Angels members didn''t rummage the halls much, preferring to be in a quiet space in their rooms.

    As Be made her way through the rtively quiet halls, she was stopped by several of her curious younger members. Unlike Zara, Be''s rxed attitude always made her essible to talk to.

    Of course, the members were all cute young women, and they were asking Be, "Captain Be, we just saw Captain Zara rush through here; what happened?"

    "Did you all find the Silver Virgin Flower already?"

    "Wasn''t that just a bit too easy?"

    Be simply smiled at the curious girls and told them, "We have not. But there''s a pressing matter at hand I must discuss with Leader Melea. Run along now; I can''t get distracted now."

    The three younger members got even more curious. Their Captain Be isn''t really the one to get so serious about a task. Even though her stature still appears rxed, she exuded a more professional vibe about her.

    The younger members didn''t bother questioning anymore as Be continued walking after answering them, leaving them wondering just what pressing matter hade up.

    Like this, Be kept leaking just a sliver of her aura to prevent her from getting halted. She quickly navigated the Snow Angel buildings, climbing the stairs to the highest floor there.

    Once on the highest floor, Be came to a hallway that only had four rooms.

    One door stood out in particr, and she sauntered over to it. The door was in their standard pure white color but had a unique design at the top of it.

    Written in cutesy pink color were the words, ''Leader Melea.''

    Considering it so distinctly contrasts with everything else, showcasing Melea''s personality already, Be had to sigh in slight admiration.

    Be didn''t bother with trying to listen or sense if anybody was in the room with Melea. Her room had a unique enchantment applied to the outside, which prohibits anyone weaker than Leader Melea from spying on her.

    Still, Be didn''t bother to knock. She grabbed the door handle, swung the door open, and boldly strolled into Melea''s room.

    And just like the way she wrote her name on the door, Melea''s room was an intriguing design.

    There were many, far too many books just clumsily littered around her office. It was for too many for Be to simply count off her in mind.

    Despite being a high-ranking Leader, Melea only had one shelf in her room. And it wasn''t even stacked with important documents or anything of that sort. It was filled to the brim with strange and dusty old scrolls that nobody else would ever bother to read.

    Given their prudish reputation, this room isn''t anything that would be expected from a leader of the Snow Angels group.

    Be casually strolled into the slightly messy room, closing the door behind her, feeling a bit confused.

    Even with such a loud entrance she made, Melea still didn''t react to her.

    It was when Be finally trailed her eyes to Melea she found it why she wasn''t reacting to her presence.

    Melea was a beauty, though she had a more studious graceful look, mesh perfectly together with a cutesy appeal.

    Her face was alluringly charming as she was quite expressive. Her eyebrows would cutely wriggle around, and her eyes would alternate between widening and squinting as she was heavily invested in her work.

    Melea had lovely short brown hair that was neatly braided and stylized to hang a bit over her shoulder so it wouldn''t be distracting while she worked.

    Even though she was sitting down, Be could spot a sizable pair of breasts on Melea as she leaned forward on her desk to read. Her clothes consisted of the stainless white robe, but there were cutesy pink heart designs sporadically painted on her white robe.

    Melea was heavenly engrossed in reading one long sheet of paper.

    She certainly felt someone enter into her room, but it couldn''t bepared to what she was reading.

    Be could only just barely spot what Melea was reading. And she noticed a few familiar names on it.

    Be felt her curiosity pique a bit, and she jokingly asked, "So Leader Melea, finally found something that could keep your attention?"

    Melea had finally reacted. She bounced up from Be''s question snapping her eyes from the paper to her.

    A bit of confusion nestled into Melea''s eyes as she asked Be, "Oo-oh? Be? I thought it would be one of them.ah! Hey, what are you doing back so soon? Already got the flower?"

    Before Be responded, an idea quickly formed into her mind. That list Melea reading would be particrly useful for Master''s goals.

    Even though Darcel hasn''t fully exined it to them yet, Be could already guess he''s nning something big for all Mercenary groups.

    She asked Melea then, "Well, about that, it''s something important that won''t take up too much of your time, but-"

    "Ah!" Melea quickly leaped up from her chair, a worrying expression quickly coloring her face. "Are the little girls in perilous trouble? Is Zara with them? We mus-"

    "Rx, Leader Melea. If they were in real trouble even, I would be a bit more serious." Be calmly exined while shaking her head.

    Melea simmered down, and Be continued to say, "We just need your certain skill set for a particrly troublesome beast. Zara already got back here first, gathering some extra supplies while Lauren and Abby are keeping tabs on the beast just in case it were to move in any weird way. The detection talisman pointed that the flower was underneath that overgrown beast."

    Melea pause to take in Be''s answer, and she couldn''t see any faults in it. In the Wild Snow Land, Melea knows first hand that it''s considerably typical to run into extraordinary Spirit Monsters that would give anyone a run for their money.

    Furthermore, she was particrly willing to believe since she believed Chloe''s team actually got ambushed by a powerful Spirit Monster horde.

    Melea nodded towards Be, telling her, "Alrighty, so we''re close to what we need. Let''s get going then."

    Before Melea could walk around her desk, Be pointed to the sheet of paper she was reading. She asked, "Before we get going, I''m curious. What were you reading that had you just so engrossed into it?"

    Melea peered back over to the paper and gave Be a slight shrug. "It wasn''t anything whimsical like I like to read. But some pretty important news on three of our greatest foes. The White Demon group seems to have gotten pretty powerful in just a few short weeks, and just days before it was reported that lots of members are suspiciously crowding around the Wild Snow Lands."

    Be thought about it and honestly didn''t find the fact that the White Demon group is growing more powerful quickly that weird.

    Since their Snow Angels group, too are experiencing a quicker rate of growth ever since the World-Changing Event.

    Although, them crowding around the Wild Snow Land was a bit strange to her. "So, I could already smell they''re nning on being more troublesome than usual. What about the other two greatest foes?"

    "The Golden Crow Circle is also acting strange. We can''t even tell if they''re growing more powerful quickly since they already are so powerful. But they''re acting a lot more carelesslypared to any other previous years. Although, the biggest batch newses from the Raven Mage Order."

    Now Be had more interest in hearing that group''s name. Despite how strange the White Demon group and the Golden Crow Circle are acting. Be couldn''t say she was that surprised since both groups are known to be less than weing to anyone besides their own.

    However, the Raven Mage Order is one of if not the most reclusive Mercenary group.

    It''s a group allposed of powerful Mages, and wanting to spy or get intel from them without getting caught is immensely difficult.

    Compared to their cultivators'' Mercenary groups, the Mages have more unique and specific Magic trackers ced all around their district to detect even the slightest presence of cultivators.

    Plus, even the members have various Magic tools on them that can keenly discern cultivators.

    So hearing they actually got some sort of intel on them even got the usual casual Be to pique her interest. Be asked then, "So those high in the sky Mages finally slipped up after all these years. What''s up with them?"

    "Weeell.the intel I got is not entirely urate, but it closely lines up to how they''re acting. You see, there''s an influx of Spirit Rank Magesing to the City. And during thest several days, our readings picked up on powerful Spirit Artifacts aurasing from their district. They may be cooking up something that will give them an absolute edge in this year''s Event."

    "Sounds pretty dangerous. Any ideas on what these Spirit Artifacts could possibly be?"

    Melea paused for a moment. Despite having the means to sense other Spirit Artifacts'' aura, they were still left in the dark about the Mages.

    She shook her head, telling Be, "It could be anything really. Maybe even something we have never seen before; those Mages are crafty like that. But don''t fret about them too much. Leader Kyra is making rapid progress to being a ninth-level Heavenly King! If she doesn''te out during the first round of the Event, she will surely appear for the second round."

    Be''s eyes lit up at that news. Though the ninth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm seemed like a far way level for her. Be felt her Master and Mistresses won''t even be stumped at that level of prowess.

    Be could still distinctly remember their tremendously powerful aura. Andparing it to someone like Melea, she felt that Darcel''s group was still far superior.

    Keeping her thoughts to herself, Bezily nodded. "Hm. We can talk more about thatter. Shall we get on our way?"

    "Ah! Right! Let''s go! You can exin more about the situation as we travel." Melea already began shuffling towards her door.

    A small smile formed on Be''s face. She told Melea, "Leader Melea, after today, this is going to be an amazing event for all of us."

    Melea smiled in agreement, eager to help out her little girls and get that unique flower.

 Chapter 188: Absolute Ice & Flames

    Chapter 188: Absolute Ice & mes

    Melea and Be swiftly sailed through the sky, sailing straight back towards where Melea believes Lauren and Abby are supposedly waiting for them.

    Along the way, Melea did ask several questions on their journey leading up to the Silver Virgin Flower.

    As a bit of an airhead she can be, Be can admit that Melea was caringly kind towards everyone in the Snow Angel group. Her slight over worrying when she had first told them about the situation wasn''t the first time she reacted like that.

    Still, Be didn''t slip up when answering questions.

    She smoothly answered each of Melea''s concerns with each half-true or small little white lies. And it wasn''t like Melea was a gullible person.

    Be had to make sure herzy attitude was on point so she wouldn''t even suspect the slightest mishap.

    Although, this wasn''t a particrly difficult ordeal for Be.

    And it wasn''t just because Be is a natural at simply being herzed self. When she had lied or covered up for Darcel, her Darkness Soul link had slightly pulsated.

    The pleasurable pulsation filled Be with indescribable confidence every time she was to lie, having her acting be perfect.

    And with the speed of twote ranks Heavenly Kings, it didn''t take long for them to cross several miles of distance.

    After a few more kilometers of traveling, Be put up her hand to stop whatever question Melea had next.

    She began to fly slower, telling her, "Put your next thought on hold, Leader Melea, this is the spot."

    Melea looked a bit surprised, but she did slow down. She expanded her Spirit Sense out and sensed two familiar signatures just several kilometers below her.

    Looking down, Melea instantly notices Lauren and Abby waiting on the ground.

    They both stared up at her and Be with small smiles as if they were expecting them toe right at this moment.

    "Ah, there they are.hm?" As Melea began to lower herself to the ground, her eyes and Spirit Sense began wandering all around the gray mixed snowy ground.

    Slight confusion was quick to arrive on her face.

    "Heey? Zara isn''t back yet? Surely getting some extra tools shouldn''t take that long. And you arrived even a bitter than her, Be. Moreover, where''s that extraordinary Spirit Monster?"

    Melea and Be stopped once they were only twenty meters above the ground.

    Constant questions began spewing out of her mouth, but her suspicions didn''t really rise. After all, she has no reason to believe that her little girls are acting suspicions.

    Melea thought Lauren and Abby were going to energetically fly up to her like they usually do when greeting her to exin the situation further.

    But even when she got close, Lauren and Abby stayed still with small smiles.

    Another odd note was the fact Be as well didn''t bother to help rify the situation. Melea slowly turned her head to Be, expecting to get some answers about this sudden slight strangeness.

    However, right in the middle of turning her head,

    "sh!!" A bright sweet-sounding voice boomed into the area, and apanying it was, ''

    <em>Chi!'' </em>

    A blinding white shbang that burst like a radiant bomb!

    Be, Lauren, Abby, and Melea all froze. Inside their soulscape spaces, all of their souls'' cores gained a blinding white glow.

    But almost immediately for Be, Laren, and Abby, their Darkness Soul links pulsated inside their souls'' cores, fueling their bodies with Yin pleasure energy. They blinked their eyes as that split-second soul-freezing moment cleared away.

    Although right then, Lauren, Abby, and Be felt their bodies tightly lock up again. They felt heavily sluggish, and some slight dread swirled in their minds as they instantly recognized the powers bursting in their area.

    Three tremendously powerful auras crazily burst from right below Be and Melea! A Darkness aura, a white Light aura, and a blue ming aura chaotically swirled from under them like grand tsunamis.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t waste any words, spurring their bloodline state powers in a split second.

    While Melea was still utterly soul frozen, Darcel, Ani, and Masami sted from the ground, leaving mini craters from where they took off.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were amazingly quickly, crossing several meters in the sky in just a second.

    Their powerful bloodline auras focused specifically on Melea and violently crushed her sturdy Heavenly Transformation body.

    Melea couldn''t react to the pain, but her bones and organs were getting intensely squeezed by Darcel''s groupbined aura. If she were to be hit like this, then the threat of death was very much close to Melea.

    And right then, before Darcel, Ani, or Masami could get any closer to Melea, a bright blue glow sparked from inside her pink-hearted white robe!

    The blue glow intensely lit up around her neck, spewing out chilling blue rays of light that split through her clothes.

    Immediately, an immense power spewed from Melea''s blue, glowing light. The chaotic rising power stormed their area, shifting the air around them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami actually froze in midair. Each of them was a bit surprised.

    "Nn? This power, it has to be near peak Heavenly King!" Masami pointed out, though her tone wasn''t filled with any genuine concern.

    And like she said, the immense power of the ninth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm crazily swirled out for miles.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bloodline auras shed with the ninth level Heavenly King power, causing two torrents of immense powers to storm the area.

    And quite literally, the whole temperature of this area dramatically dropped.

    The blue glow from Melea''s neck dropped the temperature far beyond the already freezing weather of the Plunged Tundra, essentially freezing over everything for miles.

    Be felt an unbearable cold pierce into her body as a blue glow covered her body. She already couldn''t move from Darcel''s groupbined aura, and now, she felt like she was frozen in an ice cube!

    Back on the ground, Lauren and Abby as well suffer from the absolute cold as a blue glow covers their bodies.

    Even Darcel, Ani, and Masami weren''t exempt from feeling cold.

    Actual slight chills shivered up their spines as the same blue glow tried to shroud their bodies. For just a single second, they were legitimately stuck.

    And right then, Melea had regained control of her body as her Spirit Artifact counteracted Ani''s soul shbang.

    Her eyes red down to Darcel, Ani and Masami suspended in mid air.

    She angrily snorted at these mere youths'' pitiful attempt to ambush a Snow Angel Leader!

    "Hmph! This is Absolute Ice! And you three-"

    "We can finally go all out guys! Hah!" Ani''s eager voice cut off Melea.

    Before Melea could even react, she felt her death crisis chaotically red in her Spirit Sense!

    <em>''Whir!!'' </em>

    "Ha!'' Darcel, Ani, and Masami blurted a mighty battle cry as they pushed the full extent of their bloodline transformation state!

    Darcel''s Yin Spiritual Force, Ani''s Yang Spiritual Force, and Masami''s three tail nine tail blue firefox cloak auras all brilliantly shined.

    Their full power auras destructively ravaged everywhere, making the snowy ground below them split apart. Their powerful auras fiercely shed with Melea''s Absolute Ice Spirit Artifact and immediately matched in terms of pure power!

    Melea was utterly gobsmacked.

    She actually felt immensely suppressed under these children''s full powers! Her teeth violently gnashed, unwilling to believe this bizarre reality.

    Her eyes blinked as she yelled, "How-Ah?!"

    Immediately when Melea blinked her eyes, a Darkness glowing fist neared her face. To her left side, a white glowing hand grasp towards her neck, and towards her right side, a blue ming fox w was swiping right at her.

    Darcel, Ani and Masami had Melea pincer down.

    She had no avenue to escape, only to defend. And just a split second before their attacksnded, Melea''s Spirit Artifact sparked a radiant blue glow again.

    The blue glow shined Melea''s body, immediately creating an Absolute Ice wall around her.

    <em>''BANG!'' </em>

    Darcel''s Darkness fist, Ani''s white glowing palm, and Masam''s blue ming fox w violently crashed onto the Absolute Ice wall.

    <em>''Rumble!!''</em>

    Darcel, Ani, Masami, and Melea''s Spirit Artifact powers exploded out in the area, causing the very ground to shake and split further apart for a few miles.

    "Nnng!!"

    Be was chaotically flung away for a few meters, but before their sh of power destroyed her body, her Darkness soul link frantically pulsated!

    A Darkness glow shrouded Be''s bodies, abruptly stopping her in midair and just barely protecting her from the intense sh of powers.

    Be fiercely gritted her teeth as she still felt tremendous pain all over her body. But, Be forced down the pain and the rising bile of blood in her throat.

    Her Spirit Senses quickly expanded out, and her eyes snapped down to the flying bodies of Lauren and Abby.

    A Darkness glow was shrouding their bodies, but because of their weaker levels, they weren''t able to withstand the explosions of powers as well as Be could.

    Be pushed out her full power, ring her seventh-level Heavenly King aura wildly in the air. She forced her body and sted right towards Lauren and Abby''s sailing bodies.

    Be''s Darkness Soul link kept on constantly pulsating, fueling her with just that extra bit of power to tear through the air.

    Miraculously, Be managed to catch both Lauren and Abby before they werepletely thrown out of the area.

    Be had both Lauren and Abby under her arms. She quickly nted her feet through the gray mixed snowy ground, skidding along with it for several kilometers.

    A gray aura burst from Be and quickly formed into a Sword Qi barrier which stabbed itself into the ground, halting Be''s momentum.

    "Nnng.damn." Be managed to get far away from Darcel''s group fight, but she nearly felt like passing out once stopping herself on the ground.

    Be''s eyes had then trailed down to Lauren and Abby.

    And these two weren''t in any better shape. Both Lauren and Abby had their eyes closed, and their bodies were continually shivering from both the previous cold and pain.

    The only reason they both and Be could still be conscious was because of their Darkness Soul links constantly pumping them up with Yin pleasure energy.

    Be shakily turned her body around to see the effects of the massive fight.

    "<em>Fuuu.</em>holy hell. I knew they were strong.but this strong?" Be was whistling in amazement at the aftershocks of the fight.

    A colossal fissure had split right below where Darcel, Ani, Masami, and Melea''s Spirit Artifact traded blows, expanding for at least a few meters.

    ....

    At the same time Be swooped down to catch Lauren and Abby, Melea was in a constant state of disbelief. Her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets as her Spirit Artifact Absolute Ice wall was cracked all over!

    ''Just how?!?'' Melea truly couldn''t understand.

    Her Spirit Artifact was equivalent to the ninth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm! How can these masked juniors possibly match up to it?!

    Melea had no choice but to push this thought down. When she wanted to move, Masami''s fox tails suddenly grabbed both Darcel and Ani.

    Masami had then swiftly flown backward with the duo firmly in her fox tail''s grasps, a wide smirk splitting on her face.

    "Let''s see if your Absolute Ice can match our mes!" Masami confidently boasted.

    And right then her, Darcel and Ani''s powers explosively increased.

    Melea felt her whole world shook again as the incredible suppression suddenly tripled.

    ''Shit! Martial Skills!'' Melea fiercely cursed, knowing exactly why their powers increased beyond their full capabilities.

    The power of Martial Skills, once perfected, shouldn''t be underestimated no matter what initial rank it is. Melea felt her frustration burst over as now she could barely even move under Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s rising power of their Martial Skills.

    Melea felt immensely sluggish. She felt as if tons of building weight of pressure was continually crashing onto her.

    Still, Melea didn''t want to give up. She attempted to slowly move her up, but right then, the temperature dramatically shot up!

    The previous freezing cold vanished by boiling, zing heat. Dread could only fill Melea''s eyes as she peered down to glorious fiery sight.

    Blue mes and ck mes elegantly mixed together as Darcel, Ani, and Masami pointed their hands at Melea.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t even need two seconds before they gathered the energy for their Martial Skills.

    "Fiery Slice!!" Two thin streams of ck mes burst out of Darcel and Ani''s palms.

    "Fox ws!!" Masami shouted at the same time, sting out a massive blue ming fox w from her palm, only needing a second as well.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Melea''s Spirit Artifact sparked its most intense blue glow yet.

    Melea''s Spirit Artifact shot forth its Absolute Ice Storm, spewing out a blue icicle storm at Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Martial Skills.

    <em>''BOOOM!!!'' </em>

    A tremendous explosion burst between their ultimate shes of powers.

    Blue and ck mes spewed out everywhere, burning holes right through the gray mixed snowy ground.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were knocked to the crack and split ground from the explosion. But they managed to flip their bodies around, nting their feet into the ground and tore through it for a few meters.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami forcefully stopped themselves and snapped their heads up.

    They all spotted Melea rolling on the ground, a trail of blood spewing from her mouth.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t rest for a second. They quickly blitz right forward, tearing through the dust of their explosions.

    Once they were only several feet from Melea, one of Masami''s fox tails sailed out and grabbed hold of Melea, preventing her body from rolling any further.

    Ani shed right next to Melea''s body, spotting that same blue glow appearing on her neck.

    "Nope!" Ani reached down to the blue glow, grabbing a solid object, and tore it right off Melea''s neck.

    Ani opened her palm to a shining blue Spirit Artifact ne that was trying to surge its power. Ani didn''t let it, shrouding the Spirit Artifact ne in her Light powers, making its blue glow vanish.

    Darcel was thest one toe up Melea''s body. As Darcel stood right over her, Melea wearily opened her eyes.

    Her ne Spirit Artifact couldn''t fully tank the triobined Martial Skills and Melea just barely survived the attack.

    And now she had zero energy left. All of her Heavenly Qi and Heavenly Aura was gone. Melea was basically a helpless doll with no strings attached to her.

    She could only stare in fear as the masked boy began coating his palm in a deep Darkness glow.

 Chapter 189: Falling Snow Angel Leader

    Chapter 189: Falling Snow Angel Leader

    Darcel stood over Melea''s fallen body with an impassive look on his face. He held Darkness''s glowing hand in an imposing manner over her, feeling no sway from Melea''s slightly frightened expression.

    In one swift motion, Darcel mmed his Darkness palm right onto Melea''s heaving chest.

    <em>''PA!''</em>

    "AAAHN~!!" A mix of pain and overwhelming pleasure assaulted every fiber of Melea''s being.

    Darcel''s Darkness Energy quickly stormed through her powerless body, throwing her whole body and soul in a lustful chaotic state.

    "Mnn~!! You-" Melea surprisingly still managed to grit her teeth, hanging to the slightest thread of consciousness. She wanted to talk, but Yin''s pleasure was far too overwhelming for any coherent sentences.

    Her eyes red into Darcel''s ck mask. But the more she stared into Darcel''s hidden gaze, the greater Yin pleasure became for her.

    And a faint longing allured Melea to Darcel the longer she stared.

    "I-I-Ahhn." Melea was reduced to a mere moaning state. She couldn''t believe that her, a grand eighth level Heavenly King respected by many, was thrown into such a state.

    In fact, Melea couldn''t think straight or clearly about this situation at all.

    So Melea opted to shut her eyes, hoping to cut off the longing feeling Darcel was transferring to her. But even with her eyes close, the longing she felt towards Darcel only got stronger.

    Melea''s body began to writhe in Yin pleasure. She attempted to wriggle around while still being wrapped up in Masami''s foxtails. An unbearable burning desire heated her loins.

    At this point, all Melea wanted to do is try to calm the burning lust of her moist pussy. But her situation became even more unbearable as she couldn''t even move her arms. Masami''s fox tails got her tightly locked up.

    Even for a friendly leader like Melea, she still has her pride. But currently, that pride was quickly vanishing.

    All that her mind could focus on was Yin''s pleasure. And she just wanted the boy standing over her to do something about it!

    While Melea struggles with overwhelming Yin pleasure, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were catching their bearings.

    They de-transformers from their bloodline state, and a slight wave of tiredness suddenly hit them.

    "Fuuu~...." Both Ani and Masami slightly sighed.

    Ani stuffed the now powerless Spirit Artifact ne in her pocket and began to talk. "Really, it''s almost always surprising when we have to use our full power. We may need a little bit of training on this."

    Although this wave of exhaustion wasn''t anything significant for her, it told Ani a bit about their prowess.

    Because of their craft soul tricks, they rarely would need to use their full power for anyone. But as they fight higher and higher realm enemies. Ani notices they may need to step up their strategy.

    Even if currently, this exhaustion was nothing to them, Ani found it was better to be prepared for even the slightest of mishaps.

    Masami had nodded at Ani, also providing her own thoughts. "Yea, I mean, battle like these reminds me of how I had to always go all out with an opponent. But ever since we became a team, it appears that we may be cking off a bit in this department. Still though, at least this woman was a legitimate good workout."

    Darcel as well felt was going over the fight in his mind. It was a bit eye-opening to him, to say the least.

    Darcel thinks back on how regrly using their bloodline power causes no strain on them no matter how long they had it up for.

    Even if they were to step it up and go all out to only half of their full powers, their stamina drain is almost negligible.

    However, full power was an entirely different ballpark.

    Furthermore, what also didn''t help their stamina was quickly surging their Martial Skills in a mere second.

    Nevertheless, Darcel knows this was just a slight weakness he and the girls can quickly ovee.

    Darcel had then crouched down to Melea, who still had her eyes shut tight. He told Ani and Masami, "With just slight training, we will be able to use our full power like second nature. For now, let''s finish this servant up."

    "Good luck!" Both Ani and Masami eagerly encouraged Darcel. Although a small part inside them felt a bit of trepidation.

    The small jealous, envious part of them that had blossomed with Lauren and Abby was now affecting their thoughts about future Darkness Servants.

    However, even though neither were growing fond of these Darkness Servants, both Ani and Masami knew they were necessary and highly beneficial to them.

    So they kept their thoughts to themselves and began chatting with each other to distract their minds.

    While the girls began chatting it up, Darcel''s Darkness glowing hand grasped Melea''s sock neck.

    "Ah!"

    Melea''s eyes burst open. Aplete Darkness glow shrouded her eyes and was, of course, wrapping Darcel''s eyes.

    .

    Darcel blinked his eyes open to a peculiar soulscape space.

    It was Melea''s soulscape space, and it was a bright shimmering blue color. Patches of the usual Darkness Energy invaded her blue soulscape space.

    But, what made this soulscape more unique was the atmosphere of the ce.

    With Be, Darcel felt uniquely rxed in her soulscape space. And now, with Melea, her soulscape space didn''t affect his emotions. However, it was actually quite chilling to be in here.

    Darcel had even exhaled out his soul body mouth and was surprised to see a slight cold breath exude from it.

    Suddenly then, a jumbled mix of foreign emotions sprang into Darcel''s mind.

    It was a jumbled mix of fear, confusion, pleasure, and irritation, all directed at Darcel. He had then heard,

    ''You-you!! Turn around!!''

    Darcel was mildly surprised at that frantic tone of Melea''s.

    On instinct, he turned to look at Melea''s soul core body. And right as Darcel turned around, he heard Melea''s voice ring out in her soulscape space.

    "Ahhh! You! Hey! What are you dooo-Ahn~!!:

    Darcel''s eyesnded on Melea fruitlessly struggling against his Darkness tendrils. Though she was moving a bit oddly. Her tongue panted out her mouth, and she was mainly moving legs in a desperate motion.

    Melea wanted more than anything to rub her moist loins with her legs, but those damn Darkness tendrils made it almost impossible!

    Darcel felt his smile considerably broaden as Melea surpassed Be in the most oddest reactions to Yin''s pleasure.

    He had then begun walking up to Melea, instantly gaining back her attention.

    "He-he-Nng! Damn! Ahhh." Melea simply decided it wasn''t worth it to talk anymore, given that she can''t suppress her moans. She thought it would be different in her soul but was immediately proven wrong.

    Melea started back on trying to rub her burning pussy while staring directly into Darcel''s ck and white mask.

    As he walked up, Darcel abruptly felt Melea''s emotions quickly change.

    The initial feelings of fear and irritation began to quickly go away. And what was left was confusion and the feeling of wanting more.

    On Melea''s soul core body face, her expression morphed into a fiercely determined one.

    Darcel thought he should be a bit more surprised at this sudden shift. After all, he didn''t even start the actual coercion process.

    But he assumed it was just his Yin Pleasure bing better efficient at changing emotions during these times.

    And finally, Darcel didn''t even make it halfway, yet he already felt Melea''s greatest Desire. It was quickly transmitted to Darcel during this strange and sudden shift of Melea''s emotions.

    Darcel quickly went over Melea''s Desire in his mind. He nodded to himself after and didn''t stop walking.

    As Darcel got within inches of Melea, neither broke gazes for even a split second.

    Darcel started to talk, telling Melea, "So Snow Angel Leader Melea Patel, quite a shift of emotions I''m sensing from you."

    Up close and personal, Darcel''s smooth voice was already soothing out Yin pleasure to be less overwhelming. Melea''s writhing quickly subsided.

    But Melea still kept up her determined gaze. She wasn''t overwhelmed with pleasure now; however, it didn''t lessen the longing to finger the burning yearning generating in her pussy.

    She red right up to Darcel, saying, "It''s all your fault!! All perverts in the world would wish to have a skill like this! Ahhh.it just feels sooo good!!"

    Darcel felt a bit queer about Melea''s reaction. Her just so quickly jumping sides took even Darcel a bit back. However, he quickly shook his head and was at least grateful that this coercion won''t take long.

    Darcel crouched down to Melea''s eye level and gently poked his finger on her forehead. As Melea began to shudder from his touch, Darcel told her,

    "Let''s start talking real; we can skip the middle man. You''re quite the protective one, hm. A mere nce at your Desire and I can clearly tell, you really made all those Snow Angels your responsibility."

    "Eh?" Melea felt her mind pause. Darcel''s words nestled deep in her soul core body, and she felt an additionalyer of rumbling her soul.

    Melea nearly wanted to rx in Darcel''s touch then. "So straightforward and direct.wait.how do you know this?!"

    "Just rx. I, too, can understand the feeling of being a bit overprotective. I wouldn''t let anything bad happen to my cute girlfriends." Darcel began to slowly massage his finger on Melea''s forehead.

    Melea felt her entire soul rx all over. Profound patches of Darcel''s Darkness began to cover more of her bright blue soulscape space, creating a new blended mix of blue and Darkness.

    Melea''s mind was moving at a million miles per second.

    But the most significant concept that was at the front of her mind was this boy, no, this strange man''s magic finger!

    "Ahhh.your finger is even better Magic than Mages. I suppose that''s why you have multiple girlfriends with hands like these. Yes, yes, protecting loved ones is goood." Melea''s words turned slightly rambling at the end.

    Darcel was greatly amused at just how peculiar Melea''s mind is.

    Darcel fathoms that he barely needs any words to coerce M towards his Darkness Soul link.

    Inside Darcel''s soul core, his green shade Divine property sparked up and transferred into Melea''s soul core body.

    Melea''s eyes immediately bust open wide. She was drowned in her greatest Desire, the Desire to have the ultimate power to always protect what''s dear to her.

    "Oh-oooh! This!!"

    Interestingly enough, Melea is the only one that could make any sort of noise during this process of coercion.

    In just a few short minutes, Melea went through a rollercoaster of emotions, feelings, and sensations.

    But there was something that Darcel said that rooted deep into her.

    His Desire to always protect his girlfriend, never letting any harm befall them no matter the cost.

    Throughout this entire time, Melea was already growing attached to Darcel''s presence. But him simply saying that solidifies the process.

    Yin pleasure, the green shade Divine Property and his touch all helped speed up the coercion.

    Melea had already decided that the strange man who wants to protect is also her Master that will give her the power to protect her precious Snow Angels!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A Darkness glow burst from the center of Melea''s soul core body!

    She was even slightly shorter than Be when her Darkness Soul link formed, and it had instantly solidified.

    With her Darkness Soul link formed, Melea still didn''t break eye contact with Darcel. But now, a beautiful broad smile curled up lips.

    "Ah, Master, this was fun! And now I no longer feel crazy in my loins. Now, let''s get going!"

    Darcel was smirking as he snapped his fingers, letting his Darkness tendrils unravel Melea and gently put her on the soulscape space floor.

    "Master! This is going to be incredible! Under your and my rule, nobody will ever get hurt!" Melea eagerly continued on.

    Darcel felt a bit of a wry smile form at just how eager Melea was. Still, he confidently told the Snow Angel Leader, "Of course, you''re all my servants now, and I can''t be losing any one of you. Now then, let''s get back to the real world."

 Chapter 190: Amazing Force

    Chapter 190: Amazing Force

    "Soo.we have azy one, a super serious one, and two overly energetic servants. And now this woman.hmmm." Ani curiously peered over to Darcel and Melea.

    Ani''s eyebrows quirked as she could already make several guesses on what Melea would be like. "She''s certainly already proven to be a unique, eh, little fox? I mean, somehow, her face got so expressive at times, and we even heard small little noises leaking from her mouth."

    Only about two minutes passed since Darcel started his conversion of Melea. But in just mere two minutes, both Ani and Masami watched a variety of expressive emotions dawned on Melea''s face and quickly left it.

    The girls spotted brief shes of annoyance, frustration, and confusion. However, after the minute mark, Melea''s face would periodically sh in blissful pleasure or satisfaction.

    Neither Lauren, Abby, Zara, or even Be kicked up a fuss when Darcel was conversing them.

    Ani genuinely found it highly curious as she fathoms that maybe Melea can prove to be more valuable than she initially thought.

    Although Masami was almost entirely indifferent. Her arms were crossed under her chest, holding an impassive stare at Melea, who abruptly went gone deathly still again.

    "Hmph, you say curious, but I just say another future annoyance. And hopefully, this mere servant knows where to keep her hands."

    Masami couldn''t help the tiny mes of jealousy rise in her.

    Though she rarely considers herself a part of the family in her sect, Masami couldn''t deny she holds some simr personality quirks with them.

    And one of them being the possessive and envious side ingrain in their genes.

    Although, Masami does consider herself tamer than what she experienced around the sect. And of course, she knows Darcel will nevery a hand on their Darkness servants.

    Still, Masami wouldn''t contain her emotions whenever these servants would act out of her line.

    Ani was softly giggling at Masami''s more envious side, though she didn''t hold any disagreement with her. "Hehe~, I know I talk a lot about forgoing such tiresome negative emotions. But even I would much prefer if our servants keep their hands to themselves. Plus, we can get Darcy to fawn all over us if we react to them attempting it."

    Ani began to teasingly nudge Masami''s shoulder. "Another great benefit to gaining these servants, eh little fox?"

    Masami felt her whole body lit up in heat at the thought of Darcel spoiling them likest time. She felt her chest soother in a swirl of happiness and almost ended up cooing.

    But Masami snapped out of it and quickly regains herposure. She swiftly turned her head away from Ani, huffing while doing so.

    "Hmph.I guess it''s an alright benefit.hm?"

    When Masami turned her head around, her Spirit Senses picked up on three signatures approaching them. And when her Spirit Senses picked up on them, so did her eyese across three figures in the distance.

    Ani as well noticed the three figures approaching them, and a sh of realization hit her. "Oooh! So that''s what happened to them."

    Ani was nodding to herself, and Masami was smirking behind her mask.

    As those three figures approached them, she suddenly said, "Well now, somebody sure did take their sweet time getting over here. Although, I thought you three would''ve been ster further in the wind."

    The three figures that were slowly making it to the girls were Be, Lauren, and Abby.

    But more specifically, it was Be still carrying Lauren and Abby under her arms. A bit of blood pooled from Be''s mouth, yet she still kept up azed smile.

    As a Captain of the Snow Angel group, she, of course, had healing pills to stabilize hers, Lauren, and Abby''s injuries.

    Although, that didn''t mean all of the pain simply vanished. Be, though was undisturbed from her Mistress tauntingments.

    She casually told Masami, "Ah, I guess you can say we were lucky because of Master''s graciousness, Mistress. But it was quite a walk to get back here."

    While Be still talked with such a casual tone, under her arms, Lauren and Abby were struggling. They were still slightly quivering from their previous injuries even though they were fed healing pills.

    Blood leaked from their mouths in the same manner as Be and Lauren shakily said, "We-we knew Leader Melea wouldn''t stand a chance. But.Master and Mistresses are too strong!"

    Ani and Masami ignored the girl''sints. Their attention focused on Be as she had just mentioned something slightly interesting.

    Ani asked Be, "You said Darcy''s graciousness helped you? How so? Truthfully, the aftershocks of our attacks should''ve left you all face nted into the snow."

    Bezily smiled as both Ani and Masami''s attention was on her.

    Though Lauren, Abby, and even Zara feared these girls'' terrifying pressure, Be still kept her carefree facade.

    She slightly shrugs while telling the girls, "It was whatever Master put in our souls. It helps us resist the aftershocks, sort of like an automatic defense. Really, these two are perfectly fine on walking on their own."

    As Be said so, she suddenly dropped both Lauren and Abby right into the gray mixed snow.

    "Ah! Puu!"

    Lauren and Abby immediately spit out a mouth full of gray mixed snow.

    The taste was gross, but somehow they both nearly felt like gagging from this gray mixed snow. Lauren and Abby promptly stood right back up, their faces fiercely ring at Be.

    "Not funny!!" They both shrieked at her though Be wasn''t evenughing.

    Be''s didn''t even pay attention to their reactions as someone new and familiar had just entered the range of her Spirit Sense.

    Ani and Masami also sensed this new person, turning their heads to the right of them.

    "Ah, you came just in time, Zara. Almost nearly perfect timing." Ani said as Zara swiftly approached from the sky.

    Whileing up to them, Zara was in slight awe of the after state of their battle.

    In her mind, she already knew Master and Mistresses could beat Leader Melea. But, she wasn''t prepared for such widespread destruction.

    The ground was cracked, and splitting like several earthquakes simultaneously went off. And looking at Ani and Masami, neither of them was even the slightest bit injured.

    Zara already considers Darcel, Ani, and Masami as terrifying geniuses with insanebat prowess. But just this mere disy already elevated their terrifyingness to an extrayer.

    Zara quickly touched down in the area and immediately bowed her head to Ani and Masami. "Mistresses. I hope I have everything you and Master needed."

    "Well then, I would have to be the judge of that." Darcel''s voice suddenly cut through the area.

    Ani, Masami, Zara, Be, Lauren, and Abby all snapped back around to him.

    They were taken by a bit of surprise as nobody heard him getting up and even further surprise when they saw Melea already up.

    Melea had her hands on her hips in an imposing manner as she stared right into Zara''s mildly surprised face.

    "You better not have disappointed Master, Zara! The other Captains were all out on duty today, and the other Leaders are heavily preupied. So the resources you have better be top-notched!"

    Zara didn''t say anything but respectfully nodded at Leader Melea. Even as she is under a new Master, she wouldn''t dare disappoint her Leader.

    "Leader Melea really is under Master now." Lauren said in slight disbelief. It wasn''t the fact that she was under Darcel''s control but more surprised at how quickly it happened.

    "This.this is just a testament to how amazing Master is!" Abby spoke honest words of praise, barely surprised at all.

    "Hmmm.with her now with us, I wonder what the others will be like." Be''s mind turned to the other far more prideful Leaders being under Darcel''s control.

    Mild amusement shed into her eyes as she thought, just maybe, they could all finally get along that way.

    Ani and Masami strolled right up to Darcel. Their gazes scrutinized Melea, but she only took a respectful step back while slightly bowing her head.

    "Mistresses. It''s great we can all work together." Melea kept an absolute respectful tone.

    Ani curiously titled her head. "Oh? She will be an interesting one." Her attention had then turned back to Darcel. "And with this, we already have an amazing force under us! Two sixth level, two seventh level, and one-eighth level Heavenly King!"

    Maasmi also turned her attention back on Darcel, not having any real opinions about Melea. She asked then, "So the next step of our brilliant n?"

    Darcel''s gaze immediately turned towards Zara. He held his hand out and asked, "So, let''s see what you have for us."

    Zara nodded, quickly went up to Darcel, and handed him a blue spatial ring. "I have gathered numerous special resources that would normally be reserved for the above excellent talent Master. Along with the resources, there are also four contact rings so you can call on Be, Lauren, Abby, and Me at any time you need to." She swiftly exined.

    "Perfect." Darcel nodded as he held the blue spatial ring.

    His, Ani, and Masami''s gaze was entirely into the small ring. Already, the three of them can smell a fresh, exotic scent permeating from the ring.

    Furthermore, Darcel could even feel that this Spatial ring felt a touch bit softer.

    He had then turned his attention around to Melea and asked her, "Though the amount of resources in here will serve us well, we will need loads more. And given your group actions, I know you all are searching for more treasures. So, what other treasures have you all been looking for?"

    Melea took a second to think. And her eyes immediately brighten after.

    She told Darcel, "Ah! Just before this, I was in a recent meeting with the other Leaders. We were heavily reviewing a confidential source, and apparently, those little White Demons are mobilizing a powerful force for a special treasure."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami got curious. Masami folded her arms, putting a scrutinizing gaze on Melea, asking her, "And? Just how reliable is this confidential source? I''m sure it''s not so easy to spy on another group."

    "It really isn''t, Mistress." Melea''s smiles didn''t falter despite confirming Masami''s thoughts. "But, with how long we''ve been at odds with them, we can easily predict their actions. You see, those little demons have far better means to track special treasures'' energies. And we hypothesized they''re nning to fully search in a couple of days."

    Darcel thinks for a moment, automatically believing everything Melea says as she can''t lie to him. As his thoughts contemted the White Demon group, Darcel didn''t see them as a threat at all.

    Moreover, Darcel knew he, Ani, and Masami would essentially grow far stronger after today.

    So Darcel nodded and told Melea, "We will focus on them a bitter. For now, we need to use all these resources and raise our cultivation. And you five-"

    Darcel directed his attention towards Lauren, Abby, Zara, and Be, who all intently listened to him. "-You all will take the night to cultivate masking your presence through your Darkness Soul link. Be, Lauren, and Abby, you all already felt it. And I trust that you, Zara, and Melea already know what I''m talking about?"

    For a while now, Darcel noticed that Ani and Masami could indeed use his Darkness Soul link for added extra power.

    It''s how they all survived the Fiery hell trails.

    But usually, Ani and Masami had no need for it. Theirbat prowess is already immensely high, and their Darkness Soul link, in their current state, is almost negligible to their bloodline state.

    Darcel fathoms that his Darkness Soul link could grow in power that can aid all three of them majorly in fights, but he also concluded it could take some time.

    But with his Darkness Servants, none of them are nowhere near close to their level of talent.

    Even if they''re all Heavenly Kings, Darcel had sensed in their souls that they''re at best decently talented.

    And Darcel was only going off the range he experienced. He has no idea how talented those in the higher Provinces are, though he can tell they''re all probably far, far more talented than anybody here.

    So Darcel knows that his Darkness Soul link would be significantly beneficial to all of them. It''s his Darkness Essence now infused in them and can power them all.

    Zara had swiftly closed her eyes and sensed inside her soul. She only needed a second before she sensed her Darkness Soul link.

    Zara had then quickly surged a bit of this power, causing a sliver of Darkness aura to spew from her body.

    "I feel it, Master," Zara calmly said, feeling extraordinarily pumped up from the Darkness Soul link. Though she didn''t let it show on her impassive face.

    Be, Lauren, and Abby all recalled the sensation from before and simrly surged just a bit of their Darkness Soul link on their own.

    Lauren and Abby had excited grins feeling the incredible energy run through them while Be remained calm.

    Melea simply blinked her eyes and already surged her Darkness Soul link.

    "Mn! This will be good for cultivation." It instantly clicked in a second for her to use her Darkness Soul link.

    Darcel nodded, already expecting instant results from all of them. Since it''s inside their soul''s core, it woulde naturally to them on how to use it.

    He told the girls then, "Excellent. Now, don''t try to overexert yourself with this power. Just focus on cultivating masking your presence in this state. Tomorrow, I will call for you all, and depending on each of your progress, we will further discuss our ns."

    Suddenly, Darcel felt Ani''s soft squishy breasts mush into his right shoulder. She began leaning on him and eagerly said, "Right right. Meeting adjourned! Now then, let''s get to powering up!"

    Darcel had then felt Masam''s giant soft pillow-like breast mush into his left shoulder. Her foxtails began to swirl in excitement as she said, "Hm. We have lots to do tonight."

    Darcel took onest look at his Darkness Servants, smirking behind his mask. "We''ll be taking our leave now."

    And with that, Darcel, Ani, and Masami abruptly vanished from the Snow Angels girls'' sights.

    "Alright! Let''s get cultivating girls! Master has given us such a great gift; I never felt so in tune with cultivating before this!" Abby had immediately pumped her tiny fists in the air, eager to make her Master proud.

    Melea nodded and looked at Lauren, Abby, Zara, and Be. She began turning around, telling them, "You girls follow me. Leader Zih and Karis won''t have much to say facing me. So let''s make Master and Mistresses proud."

 Chapter 191: Pleasant Results

    Chapter 191: Pleasant Results

    Darcel abruptly snapped his eyes open inplete disorder.

    Immense shock and confusion frantically swirled in his mind at his current scenery. He was no longer at thefort of his girls.

    Instead, his eyes peer open to a pure yellow space. Everywhere he would look, whether it was up, down, or all around, it was all in a bright yellow color.

    Darcel''s mind was in colossal disarray. He usually would be calm in these kinds of odd situations.

    Whether it was some special dreams or getting forcefully pulled inside his own soulscape space, Darcel was always able to think calmly and rationalize what was happening.

    But this time.Darcel was utterly lost.

    Hising to this ce was far too abrupt, far too confusing to make any sense. Moreover, this bright yellow ce was nothing like he had ever been to before.

    It wasn''t his, Ani, or Masami''s soulscape space.

    Although.as Darcel attempted to clear his mind, he suddenly felt like his head was on fire!

    "Aaargh!!"

    Darcel tried to clutch his hand, only to find out he couldn''t even move his body.

    "Tch!" Darcel had to violently grit his teeth.

    Like how he came here, this sudden sharp pang in his mind was causing Darcel an even bigger mix of jumbled-up emotions and feelings.

    "What.just what is this."

    This sudden re of burning pain felt so utterly foreign to Darcel. But at the same time, it felt so strikingly familiar to Darcel. Like this sensation has been with him his entire life.

    Darcel had immediately recalled back to just before he and the girls went out to Zara''s group.

    At that time, a brief sensation of something being so familiar and foreign had abruptly streaked into his mind.

    But the sensation left so quickly Darcel had put it in the back burning of his mind.

    However, now, Darcel linked that sensation with this strange yellow ce. And though he was in immense pain, he was able to tell both sensations are eerily, precisely the same.

    Although, this only spawned further and further questions for Darcel.

    And the main question that he desperately wanted to know was, just why is this happening to him specifically?

    As time passes and the more Darcel experiences on his journey, he truly starts to believe that many unexined things in cultivation happen for a reason.

    His life took so many unexpected twists and turns, but all of it wouldn''t be possible if it wasn''t for one strange woman.

    Suddenly then, Darcel felt his entire being stiffened.

    "C.L"

    A very faint whisper slithered into Darcel''s mind. Darcel felt his whole being shudder from this vague whisper.

    He couldn''t identify whether or not it was a man or woman voice. Although Darcel had a faintpelling telling him it was a woman. He didn''t know why but it was almost like an instinctive feeling nestling in his gut.

    Darcel zipped his eyes all over the ce, but still nothing.

    For the first time in Darcel''s life, he honestly couldn''t rationalize anything that was going on. And he was unsure what would happen to him here.

    Darcel attempted to speak again. "Who."

    "I.a."

    That spine-chilling faint whispering voice echoed in Darcel''s mind once again. Likest time he could barely make out what they were saying.

    But something struck a slight ord within him.

    ''C, l? I, a? Nng.my head is still killing me. But if I''m here, then most obviously, it is for a specific reason. C, l. I, A. Could it be? No, I have too little to just quickly assume that.''

    The faint word he picked up from the whispering voice made Darcel think, just perhaps, it was referring to his and Ani''s name?

    He only assumed so because this yellow space felt familiar to him; he knows that he was obviously pulled here, and the letters match up to their names.

    However, Darcel didn''t immediately believe so. There were still too many unknown variables on what this voice could truly be saying.

    In ast attempt, Darcel attempted to speak once again, "Have.have we met-"

    Abruptly, Darcel stopped talking as he felt his consciousness quickly fade.

    .

    "Nng!"

    Darcel shot his eyes back open again. And this time, he was back in familiar territory. His eyes quickly roamed around the familiar Inn room that he made one unforgettable memory in.

    Darcel trailed his eyes down his body, noticing he was still in the lotus position, sitting upon the bed. His eyes peered to his right, and there was Ani in the same lotus position, sitting shoulder to shoulder to him.

    And peering his eyes over to the left, Masami was sitting in the same position, also being shoulder to shoulder with him.

    Both girls still had their eyes closed, focusing their all on cultivating.

    Darcel sighed a bit and shook his head, trying to get the recent events out of his head. ''Once again, something so familiar and vague. The worst part, I can''t even tell if something good or terrible will happen to us. Haah.whatever, we''ll just deal with whateveres. At leastst night was a decent harvest.''

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t sleep or spend any lovemaking timest night. They had spent all of their time cultivating.

    When Darcel had thought about it, he and Ani haven''t spent much time seriously cultivating ever since they left the Blessed Spirit Province.

    And he had forgotten just how much time flies when cultivating. Even if he didn''t sleep, cultivating all those resources,prehending Spirit Qi all felt like he was in a semi-consciousness state.

    Darcel had to honestly praise how efficient Zara was with their resources. She indeed went far and beyond for this task.

    From exotic and unique-looking herbs, Heavenly Rank Pills, and a tremendous abundance of green crystals, it all aided the three greatly.

    Because of Darcel and Ani''s unique souls and extraordinary talent, they never had problems before absorbing crystals, pills, or herbs. And now, with all of their new transformation, absorbing external resources came even smoother to them.

    Initially, though, Darcel did briefly wonder if Masami would have some slight problems absorbing all those external resources.

    But just like themselves, Masami had no issues with the abundance of resources.

    She had even mentioned to Darcel and Ani, her process of absorbing resources in the past is ''simply dirtpared to now!''

    Masami had even given Darcel a very passionate, lustful kiss for it.

    Although Darcel would''ve been more than happy to oblige in passionate lovemaking, he knew they had to be serious about cultivating.

    So after some much soothing pats to both Masami and Ani, both girls took cultivating seriously and started their sessions.

    And after the whole night, Darcel was rtively pleased with their results.

    He had shot right up to the eighthyer link of the True Soul Core realm. Ani jumped right up to the seventhyer link, and Masami broke through to the seventh rank of the Innate Core realm.

    Though Darcel was satisfied with these results, he couldn''t help but notice they didn''t break through as much as he thought they would.

    Darcel was sure some of the stuff they had in that ring could make any decently talented cultivator break through to a whole new realm or at least get them near a new realm.

    Although that cultivator''s foundation would be incredibly shaky and unstable, all they needed to do would be to take the time and stabilize their foundations.

    And yet, Darcel could only gain threeyer links. Ani only got twoyer links, and Masami only improved one rank.

    Darcelpared it to those odd silverish blue shards in that cave, and those gave them a much more significant result.

    ''Hm, maybe it''s just those shards was far beyond Heavenly rank resources. Or what we need to actually breakthrough is improving more and more. Either way, we certainly won''t becking in treasures in the near future.''

    Darcel truly wasn''t that concerned about their results decreasing. He was confident he would have the whole New Branch City as their one tremendous resource soon.

    Still, one slightly odd question remained in Darcel''s mind. Howe he had advanced more than Ani and Masami?

    With Masami, he could at least attest to her inborn talent being just a slight bit below his.

    But with Ani, he and her would always share the same level of breakthrough. Though he was only a simple level higher, it did warrant some slight thoughts in Darcel''s mind.

    He thought back on the night and recalled that he did feel his Darkness Soul link continually pulsating all throughout the night on its own.

    Darcel guessed it was equated to that, but he still wasn''t entirely sure what was causing his Darkness Soul link to pulsate on its own.

    As it mainly only pulsates on its own if he''s sharing loving feelings with either Ani or Masami. Or if he''s in the process of conversion with his Darkness Servants.

    Darcel shook his head at this matter since it genuinely won''t affect their team dynamic if he''s just a slight bit stronger.

    In any case, they could already face power equivalent to the ninth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    And now, Darcel was positively assured each of them can face peak Heavenly Kings all on their own. Darcel was so confident he fathom they could possibly fight it out with a half-step Grand Sage.

    With their increasingly growing prowess and tremendous force that Darcel will continue to increase, he was certain that Masami''s whole Ice Nine Tail sect will have their eyes burst open wide.

    Darcel had then turned his eyes over to Ani''s beautiful face.

    While seriously cultivating, Ani radiated a maic allure that she typically rarely shows. It was a graceful serious side of her that made Darcel appreciate her all the more.

    And as Darcel stared into Ani''s charming face, it was like a bell went off inside her body.

    Ani''s eyes shot her eyes wide open, and she immediately turned her head to give Darcel a lovely broad smile.

    She didn''t say anything and quickly jumped on Darcel, clinging to his neck. Their faces morphed into smiles full of love for each other.

    Ani had swiftly leaned up then to give Darcel a sensual chaste kiss.

    "Mnn."

    They both got absorbed into their simple french kiss, letting themselves be drowned in their feelings for one another.

    After a couple of seconds, Ani pulled back from the kiss, her face zed over in love. "Good morning! And good cultivating session! Though I still find this a bit boring, hehe~."

    Darcel wryly smiled though he could concede on the point of cultivating for so long does get tiresome.

    Darcel began to pat Ani''s soft white hair, telling her, "Boring as it may be, this is a pretty good way to wake up after a cultivating session."

    Suddenly then, Darcel snapped his eyes to Masami, feeling something very vague about her.

    Ani had also snapped her eyes to Masami, but she just broadly smiled at the fox girl, not feeling anything different from her.

    Masami seemed like her usual self as she snapped open her eyes, crossing her arms under her bountiful bust.

    She calmly said, "Hmph. Seems like we all vastly improvedst night."

    Right when Ani was about to say something, Darcel abruptly moved.

    "Ah!"

    Masami let out a cute squeak as Darcel suddenly pulled her into his chest.

    As her vast soft, pillow-like breasts mashed into his chest, Darcel gave Masami a warming, gentle smile.

    And that unknowingly helped tremendously calm the state of the vague slight chaotic state of Masam''s emotions.

    Ani couldn''t sense it at all. But Darcel could just barely sense slightly mixed feelingsing from Masami.

    And Darcel could guess where it wasing from.

    He shot up three levels, and Ani shot up two levels. And Masami only jumped merely one level.

    They all had an equal amount of resources to share, yet the results all varied, and Masami had the lowest result.

    And going by her past of constantly being told of being the worst talented, Darcel knew what he had to do.

    Darcel swiftly leaned in and chastely kissed Masami''s sweet-savory lips.

    "Mn!" Masami was taken off guard at first. But....

    "Mnn."

    She quickly melted into the chaste kiss. Darcel didn''t hold back at all, pouring all of his love had for her into the kiss.

    After a couple seconds, Darcel pulled back from a cute flushed Masami. He began to gently caress her fox ears, making her further coo into his body, and Darcel started to tell her,

    "You cultivated greatst night. Who cares about the results? We all go at our own pace, and I''m always proud of whatever results you can achieve."

    Masami felt her cheeks lit aze, and her chest burst into a warmth of love.

    She couldn''t stop a beautiful smile from curving up her lips.

    Though she already knows how much Darcel loves her. The fact that someone other than her Grandma was praising her for her cultivation felt incredible to Masami.

    Ani may not have sensed Masami''s initial chaotic slight feelings, but she was quick to the uptake. Her hands began to gently caress Masami''s other fox ear, telling her,

    "Hehe~, our little fox can never disappoint us. And you should treat every breakthrough, no matter what it is, no matter how small or big, as a whole new world! It can make these dull cultivating sessions that bit more exciting!"

    Masami couldn''t stop her foxtails from swirling fervent excitement over getting doubly praised. She had to avert her eyes from the duo due to the embarrassment crawling up her.

    But her loving smile only grew broader.

 Chapter 192: Mages Specialty

    Chapter 192: Mage''s Specialty

    "Wh-whatever.I wasn''t really upset or anything, h-hmph." Masami desperately tried to cover up her embarrassment.

    But, even without looking at Darcel and Ani, she could just feel the smiles morph into annoyingly teasing ones.

    In an attempt to get back on track, she loudly cleared her throat, saying, "<em>Ahem~!</em> So-so, what''s our agenda for the morning? We shouldn''t waste time on you two being annoying!"

    Darcel and Ani smiled at how cute Masam''s voice always will be whenever she gets embarrassed.

    Ani began to ask then, "I''m assuming you''re going to call one of the servants, right Darcy? By the way, are you having them practice masking their presence for those super sneaky tasks?"

    Masami also perked up at this since neither she nor Ani took the time to ask yesterday.

    Admittedly for both Ani and Masami, they wanted to leave their Darkness Servants as fast as possible to hog Darcel all for themselves.

    Vaguely aware of thoughts, Darcel just kept his wry smile but had nodded towards Ani. "Indeed. The better every servant can hide from others, the farther our reach can grasp. Now then, let''s see their results."

    Darcel pulled out a purple contact ring from his pocket. This ring had the small initial ''Z'' on it, and he knew this belonged to Zara.

    Darcel only needed to pour a tiny bit of his Darkness Essence into the ring, and it quickly shed up in a light purple glow.

    For a second, Darcel, Ani and Masami waited as they thought it would take a bit of time before Zara responded since she might be in the middle of something.

    But their thinking was quickly proven wrong.

    Before any one of them could talk, Zara''s contact ring brightened a darker shade of purple glow, and the trio heard then,

    "What shall I do, Master?" Zara''s voice echoed out of the contact ring.

    Ani and Masami remained impassive, but Darcel had just slightly quirked his eyebrows.

    Zara''s tone was her usual calm, stoic one, but Darcel could just sense a slight bit of eagerness hidden within the depths of her voice.

    In all honesty, if it wasn''t for his Darkness Soul link connection to her, Darcel would''ve never been able to sense that very slight shift in her tone.

    The main thing that this told Darcel that his Darkness Servants will be increasingly eager to serve him. Or it was just Zara''s base personality of being keen to serve her most respected.

    Smiling a bit at this thought, Darcel had then told Zara, "First off, Zara, what is your progress with masking your presence. And do you know the others'' progress?"

    "Master, as soon as I came back here, I spent all my time cultivating with your gracious gift. And I can safely say there''s nobody on my level of prowess that can sense me when I mask my presence. As for the others."

    Zara''s line is dead for a second. She appeared to be seemingly contemting her answer, and the very next second, she answered with,

    "I don''t know at all what are the other progress Master. We all retreated towards our room, and at least, I haven''t interacted with them sincest night. I only went out of my room for several experimental test runs."

    Darcel calmly took in the news. He wasn''t surprised at all that Zara could achieve such magnificent results in a short amount of time.

    The process of masking one''s presence is actually a far moreplicated and intricate task than what Darcel makes it seem like.

    Most cultivators don''t even bother with this skill as it requires far too much time to cultivate individually.

    Moreover, it was tremendously hard for other cultivators to see any significant results even if they took extensive amounts of time training.

    Vice Principal Zelle may have taught Darcel and Ani how to mask their presence, but she was nowhere near a master at it.

    In fact, Darcel was sure it never been reported of a cultivator being able to perfectly mask their presence so that they could hide from other Spirit Senses.

    But, with his Darkness Essence, none of these rules or restrictions applied to Darcel or his Darkness Servants.

    Darcel simply already had tremendous talent and the ability to perfect masking his presence.

    And as for Zara, her Darkness Soul link continually pulsated as she cultivated, tremendously boosting her progress to an unimaginable degree.

    Darcel had then told Zara next, "Alright, Zara, I want you to now find Be, Lauren, Abby, and Melea''s progress. Once you do that, I will ping for only you toe to a disclosed spot. As a Captain, I''m sure nobody would question you going out for a, let''s say, ''morning patrol.'' And remember to keep masking your presence as you go through the city."

    "On it, Master. And no, nobody would question me if I were to leave by myself. I''ll be ready whenever you decide to call Master."

    Zara swiftly stated, and her contact ring immediately died down in its glow.

    Ani and Masami curiously gazed at Darcel. Though they get the gist of what they need to do, they spected Darcel has something nned explicitly for the servants.

    Masami took it upon herself to ask, "Just what exactly are you going to have them do? Even if that annoyingly proud one did have some resultst night, what if the rest do even poorer than her?"

    Darcel closed his eyes for a second, gathering all of his thoughts.

    He snapped them back open a momentter and told the girls, "With my Darkness Essence, each of their results will be undoubtedly good like Zara. And what we will have them do is be our spies agent. For starters, depending on who got the furthestst night, I''ll send them to spy far more deeply in the White Demon group to know about that treasure Melea mentioned. Since they are all far more familiar with how that group operates, they''ll have an easy time spying closely on them. Once we got the info we need, we''ll follow those demons to the treasure, steal it and make sure there are no witnesses after."

    "Oh! And then I know what we''ll do next!" Ani had excitedly bounced up while on Darcel''sp, gaining both his and Masami''s attention.

    She smirked as their attentions poured onto her, telling them, "Once that treasure is in our grasp, we''ll use it to break through again and finish our whole rule over the Snow Angels."

    Darcel smiled and began caressing Ani''s soft hair, making her scrunch up her face in absolute delight.

    He appraisingly nodded to Ani, saying to her, "Indeed, that will be our next step. By the time we use that treasure to breakthrough, nobody in the Snow Angel group can stop us."

    Masami began to smirk as a devious light shined in her eyes.

    Never in her life would she thought she''d be actually taking control of a whole Mercenary group by making them mere servants.

    But now, besides some slight dislike about the servants being all women, Masami couldn''t help but feel mischievous about making highly proud people submit to them.

    With a widening smirk at this thought, she eagerly told the duo, "Well them, we have all the pieces inset. So let''s not keep that annoyingly proud woman waiting and get our takeover started!"

    Darcel and Ani also shared sly smirks, obviously affected by the energy Masami was radiating.

    They both know, starting from today, is when they''ll have their names eventually known to the whole continent, and they were entirely prepared for that.

    .

    Several hourster and Darcel, Ani and Masami were out of New Branch City.

    They swiftly traveled undetected, going several miles out in the Wild Snow Lands until there was no one around them for miles.

    Darcel had decided to give Zara at least a little bit of time to prepare and gather her information before calling her.

    And he knows, by the other members seeing Zara walk around the ce would help lessen any slight suspicion of her suddenly leaving.

    And now they waited long enough. Darcel had taken out his contact ring for Zara and infused a bit of his aura in it.

    As Darcel stared into the ring while doing so, he had to admit these little things were even more curious than spatial rings.

    While it''s known that spatial rings can be developed by both Mages and incredibly powerful cultivators. Contact rings are known to be only created by Mages.

    During his time around Zakria Academy, Darcel had read that these contact rings have an extraordinary Magic power that binds itself slightly to one''s soul and another contact ring.

    Essentially, Zara has two of the same contact ring, and Darcel now holds the other contact ring, which allows him to instantly contact her or send a ping of his aura so she can sense it and follow towards his location.

    Darcel didn''t have to worry about his aura leaking out to others since the contact ring makes it specifically so that only Zara can sense his aura.

    Even while doing this process, Darcel couldn''t understand at all how this works.

    Though he''s a grand genius when ites to cultivating, pure Magic power always seemed entirely elusive to Darcel.

    But, this only fueled Darcel''s interest more in wanting to explore the depths of Magic power. Throughout his entire journey so far, he never once heard of someone being a cultivator and a Mage at the same time.

    And Darcel wanted to see if it would be possible to break this mold.

    ''But first thing first. Taking over these Mercenary groups.'' Darcel shook his head, putting his mind back on track.

    Zara''s contact ring shined a dark purple hue the second after Darcel interjected his aura into it. It indicated that Zara had received his ping and is nowing towards them.

    "So now, while we wait, what should we do? We''ll have at least several minutes to ourselves before she drags on over here." Masami asked while keeping her arms patiently folded.

    Ani put a hand towards her chin, rubbing her ck and mask in thought.

    Although, Ani didn''t take long to think about it when she eagerly said, "I know! Seeing as we''ll be dealing with serious business for a while, let''s discuss some fun dates ideas we can go on with Darcy, little fox. Though we''ll mainly be busy with nonstop action, there will always be a time for romance!"

    Masami didn''t want her excitement about being taken on a date show on her body. She felt her body lit up in a zealous ze at the mere thought of spending quality time with Darcel.

    However, though Masami kept her body stance neutral, she couldn''t stop her foxtails from curling up in genuine excitement.

    Masami had to sigh in her mind as she was at least thankful for the mask, which can cover up any further embarrassment.

    Masami pointedly avoided Darcel''s gaze, knowing that she''ll just get more flustered from it, and tried to calmly tell Ani,

    "Hm-hm. Well.I suppose it wouldn''t hurt. And even then, that''s just him doing his duty as our boyfriend, right?"

    Ani quickly went and casually slung her arms around Masami''s shoulders, bringing them close together. She turned to look at Darcel, telling him in a teasing voice,

    "No snooping in, alright~?"

    Darcel jokingly raised his arms as he let the girls talk among themselves. He honestly didn''t mind such light-hearted talks now since it was a genuine way to relive any slight tension they may unknowingly have.

    And, more importantly for Darcel, this will get girls to bond even more with each other.

    Although Darcel couldn''t deny it, the thought of spending quality one-on-one time with both Ani and Masami exceedingly excited him.

    Several minutes went by in a sh.

    Darcel was briefly lost in thought, contemting several things about the future. He crossed his gaze over to Ani and Masami, noticing that both girls seemed enamored in their talk.

    And right then, Darcel already felt someone enter in the range of his Spirit Sense.

    His gaze snapped over to his left, and as far as his eyes can see, a figure was rapidly approaching them.

    ''Hoh? That was pretty quick.'' As the figure quickly approached, Darcel made it out to be the proudly beautiful Zara.

    "Ah?" Ani had suddenly stopped their talk and peered her head to the left. "Dutiful indeed! She''s already here. And just when I was about to go into the juicy details of our date."

    "We don''t need to mention that now! Let''s just get this meeting over with."

    Masami fully turned around, standing in an imposing manner as Zara came upon them.

    In just a few seconds, Zara dropped in from the sky, stopping just several meters away from Darcel''s group.

    She quickly bowed her head at Darcel. "Master. Mistresses. I have.good news for you all."

    Darcel already felt curious but for a slightly different reason, as Zara''s tone just seemed a bit off.

    Only Darcel could sense that slight oddity in her tone, and he could tell it was like Zara was trying to hold off a little envious feeling about this topic.

 Chapter 193: Heat Passing

    Chapter 193: Heat Passing

    "Well? Spit out the good news already." Masami impatiently said, entirely unaware of the slight oddity Darcel managed to sense within Zara''s tone.

    Before Zara talked, Darcel briefly nced at Ani. Even for the slightest of movement, Darcel can tell if Ani was able to pick up on vague things.

    Yet, she, like Masami, didn''t pick up on the slight change in Zara''s voice.

    Darcel thought back on it, from this morning and now; this makes two times where he can sense vague feelings in others, but Ani and Masami seemingly can''t.

    Darcel could understand why his Darkness Servants wouldn''t be able to have this ability.

    However, Ani and Masami were in a league of their own. They both are essentially his equals in their shared Darkness Soul links.

    Although, it''s shaping up to Darcel that he may still hold some uniquenesspared to Ani and Masami. Darcel pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind forter experiments and continued listening to Zara.

    Zara lifted her head to match gazes with Darcel and the girls.

    She got over her split hesitation and, with a clear look, began telling the trio, "Lauren and Abby did exceedingly well. They can now hide from sixth level Heavenly Kings Spirit Sense. Leader Melea also did good, but she''s on my level, only having the ability to hide from seventh-level Heavenly Kings. And Be.well she somehow far more advanced than all three of us. She can now perfectly hide from even Leader Melea Spirit Sense."

    Though Zara didn''t want to admit it, she had to forcefully acknowledge Be''s talent is quite good. Perhaps even slightly above her. Even before they all went under their new Master, Zara knew Be always had a talent for instantly learning new things.

    The only major problem in Be''s learning that also sows discord between her and Zara was the fact that Be never seriously pursued anything.

    Be would quickly pick up something but never take a chance to seriously study upon it. Sometimes she would even forget about a previous helpful talent she quickly learned.

    And her reasoning frustrated the dutiful Zara to no end.

    Be had consistently imed every time when Zara asked why did she quit, ''Why do I need to strive for more? I''m perfectlyfy like this.''

    The mere fact that Be never put her skills to good for the whole Snow Angel group was always a point of contention for Zara.

    However, now, there was nothing Zara could genuinely say.

    Be is using her excellent talent for the good of their Master and their whole Snow Angel group. Plus, she was even still cultivating when Zara had arrived at Be''s room to get her results.

    Zara would rarely feel this in her life. But she couldn''t help but feel slightly envious at how greater gifted azy colleague of hers is.

    And all of these negative, chaotic feelings were transmitted to Darcel.

    Darcel couldn''t pinpoint why Zara was envious at the moment, but he for sure knew it was something rted to Be as he felt Zara''s envy feelings spike when mentioning her.

    Darcel doesn''t really consider himself as a good or nice guy, just so willing to help out anyone''s mental problems.

    But with Zara''s envy, Darcel already had several ideas in mind on how he can develop this emotion reading ability in his Darkness Soul link.

    For now, though, Darcel focused on the first task at hand. He began telling Zara, "So she can hide from eighth levels. Alright then, Zara, I want you to go back and devise a strategy with Be on how she can get the most of spying on the White Demon group with this new ability. With all of yourbined experiences, I trust this will be easy. And just one more-"

    Darcel abruptly stopped talking as his Spirit Sense went off.

    His eyes immediately zipped to the sky to spot one approaching figure swiftly flying through the air.

    Ani, Masami, and Zara as well sensed this figure and had trailed their gazes to the sky at the same time.

    Before this powerful person even got close to them, everyone there felt a sudden shift in the temperature.

    A high heat signature formed as a widespread aura around this person and directly counteracted the Plunged Tundra''s freezing cold. The air seemed to intensely burn around this figure.

    Darcel, Ani, Masami, and Zara sensed this level of power was from a ninth level Heavenly King!

    And as this person approached closer to their group, the temperature only raised. Although, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami were impressed by this brazen feat.

    Masami had even scoffed slightly, saying, "Hmph, this guy seems well confident and well arrogant. Even if you were a mile away from him, you could still feel this guy heat. Honestly doesn''t seem like a smart move showing off like this during a time for an intensepetition."

    Throughout this entire time, Zara had her eyes squinted on the uing figure. And finally, when the man revealed himself by flying past over them, Zara''s eyes instantly brightened.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami could just vaguely make out the man''s appearance.

    From even several miles high into the sky, they could tell he had shiny bright short blonde hair and wore a bright, luxurious golden robe that just screamed pride.

    And that was the best the trio could make of the man as he didn''t stop when flying over Darcel''s group. The man didn''t sense Darcel, Ani, or Masami at all.

    After all, Darcel, Ani, and Masami never stopped masking their presence since leaving the Inn.

    And that golden robe man only vaguely sensed a seventh-level Heavenly King aura. But it obviously wasn''t anything worthy for him to stop and pay attention to.

    As the golden robe man flew by them, Zara suddenly started talking. "Master! That''s a high-ranking member of the Golden Crow Circle! We should follow them."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami snapped back their attention to Zara while keeping their Spirit Sense on that golden robe man.

    Their heads tilted curiously as none of them heard of this group before now.

    Though they were nning on gathering more intel on the Mercenary group here, Darcel wanted to assemble their own power before going for intel.

    Raising their own realms and having a powerful force under them will create a strong safety for his team to fall back on when traversing these Mercenary groups.

    Ani and Masami were on the same train of thoughts, both knowing the importance of having a stable strength before doing anything.

    But since the opportunity has presented itself, Darcel asked then, "And just who are these Golden Crow Circle?"

    "Master, they are the strongest Mercenary group in the whole Province. They''re even just under the most powerful sects in top-ranked cities of the Plunged Tundra. But very recently, like we suspect with all other Mercenary groups, they may have an explosive increase in power."

    Zara stopped for a second and nced over at Masami. She continued to say, "And to your point, Mistress, they are indeed acting very brazenly. But the oddest thing is, this group was never known for doing this. In fact, all of their actions, like this one, contradict how they behaved in the previous years. I can fill you all in on itter, but for now, we shouldn''t let him leave alone."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami quickly contemted Zara''s intel. Truthfully, none of them feared the supposed strongest Mercenary group.

    Even if they have groups of tenth-level Heavenly Transformation cultivators, it won''t sway the trio''s minds in the slightest.

    Although going by what Zara told them, they now seem worthy enough in only temporarily checking out.

    And even if they were to sh with that golden robe man, the trio knows they can beat him easily either solo or together.

    "So if it is as you say, then let''s go, guys. That crow member won''t wait for us." Ani already had her mind decided and started slowly walking towards where the Golden Crow Circle member flew off.

    "Golden Crow Circle, huh? Quite an ovepensating name for a Mercenary group. Let''s see what the so-called strongest has for us." Masami followed in Ani''s lead, walking just behind her.

    Before leaving, Darcel told Zara, "Ok, Zara, go back to Be and provide her with any help she needs. This guy won''t sense us, so no problem should arise from tailoring him."

    Darcel smirked as he felt Zara''s emotions turned slightly chaotic at the thought of having to provide help to Be.

    But Zara didn''t let it show, only nodding to Darcel, saying to him, "Understood, Master."

    And with that, Darcel, Ani, and Masami explosively increased their speeds, sting straight towards the Golden Crow Circle member.

    Although they managed to control their powers where no huge noise leaked from their speeds.

    Zara took onest look at where the trio sprinted off too before turning back around, flying off back towards the City.

    .

    Dozens of miles away from New Branch City, a fiercely aggressive-looking man zed through the sky.

    This man had luminously bright golden hair that was quite literally impossible to ignore. It was the equivalent of a bright mini sun shining on the top of his head.

    This man dawned a constant straight, no-nonsense, daunting expression permanently etched onto his face. Just one direct gaze from him and even strong will people could feel shivers crawl up their spines.

    This man was the Golden Crow Circle member Darcel''s group previously saw. And he was still tearing through the air. But as he flew further away from New Branch City, so did his previous brazen aura decrease.

    The man''s speed also began to slow as he traveled further.

    One mileter, the golden robe man began to lower himself to the ground. He swiftly approached a small cave that was currently filled with gray mixed snow.

    The man stopped just a few feet from the cave and patiently waited.

    As he waited, the man made sure to expand his Spirit Sense dozens of miles out. Though he was sure he didn''t sense anything whening up here, it never hurts to double-check.

    The man only needed a second to cover miles of distance, and still, he didn''t sense anything.

    Suddenly then, the cave''s gray mixed snow began splitting apart. The man quickly refocused his attention as someone slowly walked out of the cave.

    The one who appeared was another Golden Crow Circle member. Only this man''s clothes showed he was in a superior position.

    He wore a mix of bright orange and golden robes with the elegant design of the God Beast Golden Crow crafted on it. Chained around his neck was also a bright golden ne in the shape of a crow.

    However, what people would first notice about this man wasn''t his clothes but his aura.

    This man radiated the powerful suffocating aura only belonging to someone at the tenth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    He was an actual peak level Heavenly King!

    And this man''s gaze was incredibly sharp as his eyes trailed around the area. He suddenly began talking, telling the other man,

    "Surprised no one followed you, Asari. These rat spies are bing increasingly troublesome."

    Despite being in the presence of a mighty tenth-level Heavenly King, Asari still kept a dignified look. He was only a little bit affected by this man suffocating aura, but he didn''t let any difort show on his face.

    Asari merely shrugged a bit, telling the man, "It''s just like you said, Crow Sone. Everyone may be getting lucky, but showing off a bit of actual true power gets people suspicious but also pathetically afraid."

    Asari paused for a moment, trailing his eyes down at Sone''s hands. "So I know if that was done already, it would''ve been shown off to me the first second I got here. So what exactly have you called me for? You were quite vague before."

    A hint of a smirk curled up Sone''s lips. "It''s actually quite recent news I have. I''m sure you heard of Province day converging, right?"

 Chapter 194: Mystery

    Chapter 194: Mystery

    Asari raised a single eyebrow while scratching his head. His mind began drawing on any past information he heard or either read about on the so-called ''Province Day Converging.''

    However, nothing of significance rose in Asari''s mind.

    He slightly shrugged and told Sone, "No.nothing that''s worthy enough to talk about. But even then, why bring this up now? Surely that event is just some old fairy tale other gullible people like to believe."

    Despite the doubts, Sone kept up his smirk.

    He raised one finger and began telling Asari, "Oh no, it''s not just some old news anymore. Ever since the Divine Barrier was shattered, word has been rapidly spreading that the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect is preparing to hold another one in the near future."

    Asari still looked a bit unconvinced. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Sone, but with what he knows, this event seemed so out of the blue to hold now.

    "Surely after all this time, they didn''t just randomly decide this? I mean.look how long it''s been since thest one. Plus, even with the Divine Barrier shattering, there hasn''t been much immediate significant change to the world."

    "I understand your doubts. Even I was hesitant to believe this news. But from our intelligenceworks, these rumors have very little reasons to not be true. Either way, it wouldn''t be long before the whole Nine Province gets dragged into some sort of event because of the Divine Barrier shattering. Look, just inform Crow Hana about this news so he can take the measure to step it during the Mercenary Event."

    Sone exined, feeling assured in what he knows. The fact of the matter is, whether or not the Province Converging Day wille, the whole situation of the Nine Provinces will undoubtedly change.

    With cultivators in the Heavenly Transformation realm experiencing more rapid spouts of growth, things could potentially get chaotic very well in the future.

    And Sone knew it would be imperative to make deeper connections during the beginning stages of change.

    Asari, though, still looked a bit unconvinced. But he did also understand the situation of the whole Nine Province won''t stay the same because of the Divine Barrier shatter.

    He relented and nodded towards Sone. "Alright, in any case, we''ll just have to make a bigger show than usual if the top-ranked Province truly wille down here to watch us. Well, we were nning on doing that this year anyways. And speaking of, how goes the progress on that Spirit Artifact? If we can use it, we can one hundred percent capture that special attention from them."

    Sone''s eyes briefly nced back in the cave. Some pride swelled on his face at the ultimate creation he was brewing up. He quickly turned back to Asari and told him,

    "Not quite done yet. But it will be when the Mercenary Event starts. And don''t worry, it will be prizing when revealed. Now then, quickly go back to tell Hana the news. I''m sure at least the Raven Mage Order and the New Branch City manor should also be aware of this news."

    Asari nodded and started to turn around. Although halfway, he began to think about just how short this meeting was.

    And in all honesty, Sone could''ve just contacted or called for Hana himself.

    So he briefly stopped to ask Sone before leaving, "Say, before I go on. Why didn''t you just call Crow Hana on his contact ring? Not like himing here would''ve made any difference on whether he gets the news or not."

    Sone''s mood turned incredibly serious then. The sudden shift in attitude made Asari increasingly alert for anything about toe next.

    Sone had then told Asari, "I''m sure you didn''t feel it whening here, but I had actually erected a detection Formation here that expands for a couple of miles."

    Asari''s eyes widened a bit. He tried to search with his Spirit Sense but honestly couldn''t detect any Formation under him.

    "I could just chalk it up to you wanting protection while working on that Spirit Artifact. But I feel like there''s a deeper, more sinister reason to this, am I right?" Asari curiously asked.

    And Sone nodded as Asari hit the note on its head. "Indeed. This had actually been going on for quite a while between Hana and me. But we believe there might be someone suspicious among us. We can''t totally say why, as we''re not sure ourselves. But there had been vague strange energy permeating our main base back in our city and the one here in New Branch City."

    Asari''s confusion only increased at this news. Throughout all of his time, he never encountered anything that could be called ''strange energy'' within this group.

    Asari''s mind immediately clicked this to the Divine Barrier shattering being the cause. Still, even then, that seemed like a significant leap in logic.

    "Strange Energy? I can only assume this is something you notice after the Divine Barrier shattering since this had nevere up before. But surely, you would have more of a guess than this vague one, right?"

    Sone paused for a moment. He went over all that he knew in his mind but still shook his head. "Look, this is just something to keep an eye open for. The fewer people know about this, the better. After all, this is just something me, Hana, and a few other Crow Leaders vaguely suspect. This could very well be just nothing, and it''s simply the new energy from the sky pouring down on our world. Either way, just remember to be more discreet when within closed doors like we''re doing now. We''ll explore more about this situation after the Mercenary Event."

    "Hmmm.if you say so. I''ll be taking my leave now." Asari kept what Sone told him in the back of his mind. He quickly turned around and flew away, shooting off into the sky.

    Sone took onest look over in the area before returning back into his cave.

    .

    "Province Converging day.and a Divine Barrier.this event just got a little bit more interesting!" Ani said with an inquisitive deposition in her tone.

    She, Darcel, and Masami were now slowly walking back to town, going over all of the information they heard from the Golden Crow Circle members.

    That mere detection Formation didn''t matter at all to the trio.

    They managed to reach a point in masking their presence where they can genuinely make it seem like they have no Qi in their bodies.

    And when crossing over into Sone''s detection Formation, it simply didn''t activate because it couldn''t sense any Qiing from the trio.

    No matter what realm a cultivator is in, even if they''re at the firstyer of Qi Foundation Realm, there would always be Qi present in the body.

    And someone having the ability to truly mask all the Qi in their bodies is nothing short of impossible for residents throughout the Icy Cloud Province.

    But for Darcel, Ani and Masami, it wasn''t a problem at all.

    However, Darcel, Ani, and Masami weren''t even fully aware of this. All they knew was that the so-called detection Formation didn''t work on them.

    And even if it did, the trio had no fear in facing a tenth and ninth level Heavenly King.

    Out of that brief meeting, only two pieces of information stuck inside Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s minds. They were just a bit curious about the Golden Crow Circle internal problems, but it wouldn''t affect them much.

    What were the trio mainly thinking about was this mysterious Province Converging Day event and the Divine Barrier shattering.

    Neither Ani nor Darcel heard about anything like that during their time in these Provinces.

    But for Masami, as she thought more about this subject, memories of her wise Grandmother began popping into her mind.

    And when a specific memory made her foxtails spring up in realization. "Ah! Guys, I think I may know a little bit on at least this Divine Barrier."

    Masami confidently said as Darcel and Ani''s gazes quickly fell on her. They both had a feeling this would involve that mysterious Grandmother of hers, but the duo held their tongues.

    Masami carried on to say, "You see, my Grandma rarely likes to talk to me about things far beyond my level. But, there was one time she mentioned that supposed Divine Barrier to me. When I asked her just why we can gather so much strength but be so limited in exploring the skies, she told me that it''s because our first Ancestors known to this had shackled the skies."

    "Shackle the skies? I''m sure this must be the Divine Barrier those two were talking about." Darcel muttered out loud and turned towards Masami again. "I don''t suppose your Grandmother mentioned anything after that, right?"

    Masami began digging deeper down into her memories. But besides that one time, there had never been a moment where she brought it up again.

    She disappointedly shook her head, saying in a slightly exasperated tone, "Sadly no. Grandma can just be too cryptic at times. Well, most of the time, really."

    Despite not being able to gain further information, both Darcel and Ani didn''t mind. But it was clear as day to them that Masami wants to be the information provider to them, and not being able to do that dispirited the fox girl.

    Since Masami was on Ani''s left, she reached out to pat one of Masami''s fox ears, making the fox girl spirits quickly rise up again.

    "Don''t worry about it, little fox. A theme I''m quickly noticing is that really aged and powerful people will never tell you the truth outright."

    "Hmph, I''m not some pet that needs cheering up, you know." Masami kept her head held up high while quietly muttering, hiddenly enjoying getting her fox ears pet when she''s a bit down spirited.

    "And also, you know, with the time frame of everything. I think that the Divine Barrier must''ve gotten shattered when we fought that Scientist. Ooh, now it feels like we''re trying to solve a mystery. Should we ask about it to those servants now, Darcy?" Ani question to Darcel.

    Darcel was thinking on his own throughout this time, and he really couldn''t put up any feasible conclusion.

    As Ani said, all they could say for sure was that their fight with the Scientist caused a tremendous change in the environment.

    Before answering Ani''s question, Darcel asked Masami again, "Before moving on to the Servants, I don''t suppose your Grandmother told you anything about the Province Converging Event, Masami? Those two were speaking as if that event happened dozens of years ago."

    Masami didn''t take long to answer this time and quickly shrugged her shoulders. "Nope. Not a single thing on that event. Not even from the old history book in my family''s library did I read anything about some Province Converging Day."

    Darcel had to relent now since they all were very limited in their knowledge. The only other pieces of informations they had left to go over was those two men talking about that strange energy in their bases.

    But neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami could honestly say they cared much about their internal problems.

    In fact, the trio knew it would be a plus for them if their group did have some internal problems, making them possible easy pickings forter.

    And the only thing that remained was the Golden Crow Circle supposed powerful Spirit Artifact that they''re specifically crafting.

    Darcel, however, didn''t attach that much importance to it since he knew they could just kill Sone and steal itter if they so, please.

    Even if it was something that somehow could be on the level of Grand Sage prowess or close to it. Darcel knows his, Ani, and Masami''s prowess will also quickly reach that level.

    Darcel had then told the girls next, "Since it''s like this, we''ll just have to ask either Be or Zara. But we''ll contact them at ater time. With how brief that meeting was, Be is probably still in the middle of her spying mission."

 Chapter 195: Enlisting Magical Help

    Chapter 195: Enlisting Magical Help

    Miles away from New Branch City, far up in the sky, onezy-looking woman was flying through the air at a rxed, casual pace. Her expression was blissfully tranquil, holding no stress.

    If one didn''t know any better, they would mistake this woman as someone simply enjoying the cool breeze that brushed past her face.

    This woman, of course, was Be. And she had her hands behind her head, keeping a steady pace through the sky.

    A sliver of a ck aura leaked out of her body, being barely seeable to the naked eyes.

    ''Mnnh.sure this helps with cultivation. But Master essence is so pleasurable and so rxing. Like it was made for me.'' Be was positively basking in the sliver of power from using her Darkness Soul link.

    Yin pleasure saturated her body and soul, heightening her to a tranquil blissful state.

    It was simr to how Ninu constantly feels about Yin pleasure, in a continuous state of life-giving blissful pleasure.

    Ever since yesterday, Be can''t remember ever deactivating using her Darkness Soul link. And as per Darcel''s instruction, Be didn''t bother with overexerting herself.

    She went at her own perfect pace. And her results were more than evident.

    The more in tune Be fell in line with her Darkness Soul link, the better her progress was in masking her presence. Now, Be could genuinely take on thosezy days without getting bothered by any other members or captains.

    However, Be wasn''t entirely rxed. She remained at a steady pace as she followed behind two other figures just a mile below her in the sky.

    These two figures were two men Be had the slight displeasure in steadily following them.

    These men wore bright white armor that stood out like a sore thumb in any ce they were to travel to. Both of them also wielded overlyrge broadswords, slugging around their shoulders as if they had no weight.

    From a mile away, anybody in New Branch City would be able to identify where these mene from.

    They were, of course, White Demon group members.

    And they weren''t any ordinary members. Both men were powerful seventh-level Heavenly Kings!

    They both were at the exact same level as Be, being at a simr high ranking in their own group.

    With their level of prowess, both men surely would sense Be from even miles away from them.

    However, neither of them had the faintest of clue Be was right over them. They continued to casually fly through the air, chatting it up with each other like they were truly alone.

    ''Master is just bing more and more terrifying. They''re all just so interesting, really.'' Despite recognizing there are even more depths to Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s powers, Be didn''t feel any genuine fear at all.

    The more special powers her Master and Mistresses have, the more Be felt safe andfortable being under them.

    As like today, by her going out while masking her presence, Be was able to take a pleasant stroll throughout the city with nobody going up to bother her.

    Being a Captain of the Snow Angel group gave her a lot of unwanted notoriety that Be honestly would''ve preferred to be a no-named regr member.

    But because of her Master, this problem was getting quickly dealt with.

    And while on her stroll, Be decided to pay a visit to the White Demon group district. She knew she would be able to find at least some White Demon members preparing to go off on their own.

    And when Be traveled towards their district, she was not only correct but had a plethora of options to follow.

    None of the White Demon group members picked up on Be walking so close to their district. And Be knew the most powerful members would be cooped up in their building.

    So Be decided to discreetly hide from in sight, and when two pairs of seventh-level Heavenly Kings went flying out of their district, she quickly followed behind.

    Attempting any of this simply would''ve been impossible in the past.

    But Darcel''s Darkness Soul link enchanted Be''s already excellentprehension to an unfathomable degree.

    For the first time in her life, Be even had developed an interest in seeing what else she can study further with her Darkness Soul link.

    However, for now, Be focused on listening in on these two men as they finally started talking about something worthwhile.

    The man on the left, whose name Be heard was Toma, began saying, "You know, with how far we''re going out, you think we''ll stumble on that magical Spirit Monster horde?"

    His tone wasced in a heavy joking manner. Toma still couldn''t believe after all this time, a strong group of their own were wiped out by a mere beast horde.

    And the sentiment was shared by his partner.

    Be had heard this man''s name was Kaba, and his grin turned sardonic when responding to Toma. "Oh, for sure. Maybe we''ll meet even a stronger version of the horde, containing onlyte ranks Heavenly Kings! Seriously, those damn Snow Angels are obviously bullshiting. I just can''t wait for that Mage toe over here tomorrow and help us find that Heavenly Crystalline treasure. Oh, the things we can do with that!"

    Toma had also shared in Kaba''s eager enthusiasm as he began to say in a zealous tone, "It''ll be great to finally put all those damn bitches in their ces. And those shitty crows won''t even know what hit them."

    Suddenly, Toma''s expression turned a bit thoughtful. His thoughts delved a bit deeper into that Mage as he said, "Still.I''m surprised those damn Raven Order Mages are willing enough to agree to this."

    "Heh, I think they just realize we were always a group to invest in even before the Divine Barrier shattering. With their help, even those small-time Mercenary groups like the Nobe''s Fang group will fall in line to us."

    Kaba seemed positively assured about the Raven Mage Order help.

    But there were still small doubts in Toma''s mind. Everyone knows Mages, in general, are incredibly proud and even somewhat biased against cultivators.

    And this didn''t decrease after the Divine Barrier shattering.

    In fact, just like how other Mercenary groups were suspecting each other of quickly growing in strength very recently. Everyone also suspected the same for the Raven Mage Order group.

    However, for cultivators, it was, of course, easy for them to judge another cultivator''s level of strength.

    But a persistent problem that had always bugged cultivators was that they have no urate way to judge the power of a Mage.

    The properties and qualities of Magic Power are essentially undetectable to cultivators all around the Nine Provinces. All they really had to go on is a faint feeling of pressure from them, and the status ranking a Mage gets ascribed to when they supposedly increase their Magic Power.

    And with how already prideful Mage''s are, sometimes even more than extremely powerful cultivators, Toma suspects unexpected things could happen with them.

    Toma voiced out his concerns, telling Kaba, "You know, as great their help will be, how can you still be so sure that everything will go smoothly? There''s a reason why both sides of power rarely fight with each other. Every single one of those Mages is incredibly dangerous."

    In response to Toma''s worries, Kaba''s smile didn''t lessen.

    His smirk only grew a bit more sinister as he began saying, "Oh sure, this doubt is going on in many other member''s minds. But you know.no matter how possibly powerful they got, we still have a perfect way to deal with them if things get out of hand. You also know there''s a reason why Spirit Artifacts are so highly valued, right?"

    Toma contemted Kaba''s words for a moment.

    He didn''t need to be told twice on how efficient various Spirit Artifacts. But it wasn''t like Mages were in the dark about this subject.

    However, right then, one very special Spirit Artifact streaked into Toma''s mind. His eyes started to brighten as he said,

    "Wait.don''t tell me we actually managed to get that Spirit Artifact?! Is Captain going to bring that with him tomorrow?"

    "Oh, for sure he is. If that Mage were to even try the slightest thing that''s out of line, we''d be more than prepared. Now then, stop worrying so much, and let''s focus on scourging these fields. "

    As Kaba began talking about what their jobs were today, Be already stopped listening.

    She paused in the air as her mind began connecting the dots on what the White Demon group wanted to do.

    ''The Heavenly Crystalline treasure.so that''s what they want, huh? And that supposed Spirit Artifact.alright then White Demons, let''s y around.''

    Be began to drift back to the city and, while doing so, brought her contact ring to Darcel.

    She infused a tiny bit of her Qi into her ring, making it glow up in a brilliant purple shine. After a second of silence, Darcel''s voice ranged out from the wing, asking Be,

    "Yes? What do you have for us?"

    "Master, I was able to find out exactly where the White Demon group is going tomorrow. And they''re also bringing special preparation." Zara exined, already feeling slight anticipation for whatever her Master has brewing.

    A secondter, Darcel voiced sound out of the ring again as he said, "Ok, when you get back, bring Zara into a room where no sound can be leaked. We all have vital information to discuss."

    Be''s contact ring went dead, and she turned her head back up. She was smiling and shaking her head, finding this whole situation peculiar.

    Her past self would''ve found plots and ns like this far too troublesome. She would''ve done anything other than actually help and probably would''ve tried to find an excuse toze around.

    But now, without any influence from her Darkness Soul link, Be genuinely wanted to be active in screwing up this whole Mercenary Event.

    And it''s all because she feels....no, she knows her Master can take their whole group to the top of everything! Meaning apletely easy-going life for her to bask in.

 Chapter 196: Ancient Tales

    Chapter 196: Ancient Tales

    Several hours passed since Darcel, Ani and Masami tailored the Golden Crow Circle members and arrived back at the City.

    The first thing they did was swiftly traveled right back to their inn room for somest-minute cultivation.

    But as they were in the middle of cultivation in their room, Darcel had received Be''s call. And Darcel decided, instead of having a meeting in the open snowy fields, it was much better to talk over the contact rings.

    This way, they can have every precaution taken care of and won''t have to worry about any unnecessary troubles.

    After Be''s call, the trio decided to stop cultivating and wait for when she got back.

    But as they waited, Masami brought up an interesting topic to the duo. Her eyes became engrossed as she asked, "Say.is there really not a single thing neither of you can remember from childhood?"

    Her tone was soft and sympathetic. Just a bit before, Ani had mentioned so casually how neither she nor Darcel can recall anything from childhood.

    And though it seemed to not affect Darcel and Ani much, Masami couldn''t help but feel it''s a bit depressing they couldn''t experience that.

    As Ani minds recalled into her past, a small calm smile graced her lips.

    She began saying in an even calm tone, "Yep. All I can really remember was growing up in some ragged orphanage that didn''t even have windows. And next thing I knew, some people in white coats snuck into my room and kidnapped me."

    "Oh.hmm." Masami couldn''t really find the right words to say.

    She began wracking her brain to know the perfect words to say in this situation. And while she contemted it, one of her fox tails subconsciously wrapped around Darcel and Ani.

    Ani perked up at the soft warmness, feeling it soothe around her waist. Though Ani wasn''t experiencing any change of emotion, it was quite lovely to have Masami''s fluffy tails curl on them.

    Darcel as well appreciated the fluffy warmness of Masami''s foxtails though his emotions were calm and tranquil.

    He already knew of how Ani got to the organization, and so Darcel decided to share how he ended up in that bastard of a ce.

    "It''s exactly the same for me. I can''t remember anything before my kidnapping. Hell, I can''t even remember the ce I had stayed in. All I can recall is lying on some hard wooden floor before those white coats people took me to."

    "I see." Masami quietly uttered.

    She beganparing her past with the duo and quickly realized how worse off Darcel and Ani really are.

    Although Masami had no sense of family back home, at least she did know her mother and father and had a ce to stay rtively safe in.

    She also had her knowledgeable, kind, and caring Grandmother, who essentially raised her. Compared to Darcel and Ani, she at least had one parental figure in her life.

    But all Darcel and Ani had were each other and still really only have each other and Masami. Her sympathy arisen for Darcel and Ani as neither had ever once looked like they were majorly affected by their past.

    Even in the cruel dog eat dog world of their society, it takes a vast amount of willpower to stay sane after being treated as a ve for so long.

    Suddenly while Masami was in deep thought, she felt Darcel''s warm hand pet her head.

    Masami quickly felt her slew of emotions calm as Darcel''s tender hand caressed her fluffy fox ears.

    Darcel had actually sensed that slew of emotions from Masami through their Darkness Soul link.

    He had then given Masami his small smile, telling her, "Don''t null over this too much. If there''s one thing that I can say for sure, it''s that Ani and I got tremendously lucky in that ce. It was depressing, suffocating, and grueling being in that ce. But we were never physically tortured."

    Ani began to huff up as her thoughts crossed over to her previous line of work in that damned ce. She could honestly consider the mental toll of being in that ce as horrible if they were to endured torturous pain there.

    In a surprising venomous tone, Ani hotly said, "Hm! They just had the gall to treat us like ves for whatever amount of years we''ve been stuck there! Having to do all of those stupid experiments because they were so delusional in thinking that they could break cultivation was taxiing. That''s why I''m so d we were able to get a little revenge on that scientist, even if I didn''t get to see him die."

    Masami curiously nced over to Ani, finding her more venomous side as incredibly intriguing. Truthfully, she had only ever shown this side when they were going to meet that scientist the first time.

    It more and less confirmed in Masami''s mind that even for a bright, energetic girl that Ani seemingly always is. She, too, can divulge such negative thoughts and feelings.

    And at the thought of them taking revenge, Masami had to ask, "Hey.I know that we''re building to take revenge against my sect. But have you two ever considered taking full revenge against that shitty organization? I mean, the three of us can, no, we will have the power to stand at the summit of the whole continent! And by then, we can raze that dammable organization to the ground!"

    Darcel and Ani became genuinely thoughtful. Indeed, they both had entertained such ideas of taking full revenge against the Parasol Organization.

    Neither Darcel and Ani considered themselves good people. They would only take revenge out of their selfish desires than wanting to save the poor victims kidnapped by that ce.

    But upon seriously thinking further about revenge, Darcel simply shrugged at the end.

    "Maybe I do have that me of desire for revenge. But it''s nothing we really want to go out of our way to do. Because we were basically dropped off on this, neither Ani nor I even know what realm that organization is in. Furthermore, we don''t even know the true limits of that whole organization''s power."

    "Hm." Ani nodded her head in agreement. "As much how nice it felt taking small revenge, it''s really not worth it for us to try and locate those guys. Besides, I prefer staying on the beauty of this than going back to that dreary gray ce."

    ''Chi!''

    Abruptly, the contact ring in Darcel''s pockets glowed its radiant purple shine through his clothes.

    "Well, we can talk more about thister. For now, it''s time to solidify our ns." Darcel took his hand off from Masami''s head, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the contact ring.

    This contact ring had the initial B on it, indicating it belonged to Be.

    Darcel spoke into the ring, asking immediately, "Be. Are you there with Zara?"

    "Yes, Master. What do you want to discuss first?" Be''s carefree voice crisped out of the contact ring.

    Ani and Masami went silent, focusing up for the uing meeting.

    Darcel took a moment to think and had then told Be, "Let''s first discuss what you found on the White Demon group."

    "Ah Master, those little demons are nning to use a Mage tomorrow to raise a cave out of the ground that contains the Heavenly Crystalline treasure."

    Be exined, and Darcel, Ani, and Masami raised their eyes.

    "Oh? Now that''s a real fancy name." Ani remarked, and the same settlement was shared by Masami. Though Masami found the name overly long more than anything.

    Darcel simply asked, "What''s that fancy-sounding treasure about?"

    "You see, Master, the story is that long before any of us walked thesends. Our first Ancestors had buried these incredible sources of energy that took the form of Crystallines. Nobody really knows why for sure. And what''s even more of a mystery is that Mages are the only ones that can find these treasures and raise them from the ground. I know exactly where the White Demon is going since our group tried this with a Mage several moons ago. But we were utterly unsessful in our attempt." Be swiftly exined.

    Darcel''s eyes gained a certain glint as he told Be, "Perfect. You shall take us there tomorrow, Be. I will ping for you when the night is almost over so we can get an extreme head start in the morning. For the next part of our meeting.Zara, Be, have you two ever heard of something called the Province Day Converging."

    The line on the other end quickly fell silent.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami can just tell those two were quite shocked hearing about this event. Both of them would always be so quick to respond, but now they were pausing.

    After a moment, it was Zara that spoke up this time. She asked, "Master.that''s an incredibly ancient event that hasn''t urred for over thousands of years. The Golden Crow Circle.just what did they mention about it?"

    "Basically, they were informed by their intelligencework that the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect are going to hold another one in the near future. Two members met up with each other, and the tenth level Heavenly King mentions it could be connected to the Divine Barrier shattering."

    Darcel stated as his Ani and Masami''s interest grew in this subject.

    Zara was swift to exin, telling the trio, "Master, the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect is the strongest and most influential sect out of the Nine Provinces. They essentially have an entire grasp over everyone. And they''re the ones that held this event twice, thousands of years ago."

    "....Ah! I forgot to mention it before." Masami had put a finger to her chin, recalling some memories. "My Grandma had mentioned several times to me that out of everything in the whole Nine Provinces, they''re the only group people I must never bother with. Anybody who angers them, nobody, no matter what sect they came from or who they are, can escape their might. They''re supposedly that terrifying."

    Although Masami exined that the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect is quite intimidating, her tone didn''t have any hint of reverence. Darcel and Ani as well didn''t feel any different at the supposed strongest sect.

    Be''s voice spoke of the contact ring this time as she said, "Mistress is quite well informed. And as for their connection with the Province Day Converging, long story short, they are the only ones with apparently some means to predict when an extraordinary Mystical Realm will open. And this realm is just chock full of Divine treasures, Divine resources, and whatnot. The Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect had supposedly identally found where the Mystic realm was opening through some hidden means. And when they had found it, the Mystic Realm had immediately opened up. Upon the first opening of the Mystic Realm, portals suddenly began popping up all over the Nine Provinces, which led to that Mystic Realm. And it was called absolute chaos as everyone scrambled and killed senselessly for any treasure in there. Eventually, everyone was forcefully ejected out of the realm. And after that, the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect had organized a massive meeting between the Nine Provinces so that when the next time the Mystic Realm opens, everything can be far more organized. After that meeting, people had to wait for over seven hundred years for the next opening. Since the second opening, thousands of years have already passed, and people mostly forgot about this old tale. If the intelligencework of the Golden Crow Circle is right, then this is pretty suspicious."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami went into deep thought, processing that truckload of information.

    They had immediately found some parts of that tale odd. Such as just how did the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect manage to identally find something so groundbreaking?

    How can they so urately predict the opening and any other secrets that they''re obviously hiding from the public?

    Darcel had then asked after a moment of silence, "I don''t suppose you two have any more intel besides surface-level information?"

    "Sorry, Master, but this is all we know. So much time has passed since then, so there are not many people who can recall this event. And nobody can get any more intel from the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect." Zara had exined.

    Darcel mulls over the topic a bit more but quickly shakes his head.

    There are just far too many suspicious holes in this tale. And none of them had any way of verifying the truth as of now.

    "We''ll think more about thister. For now, Be, get ready; we''ll be seeing the White Demon group soon. Zara, you, Lauren, Abby, and Melea keep onprehending your Darkness Soul links until further instruction."

    "Yes, Master." Both Be and Zara swiftly reply, and the contact ring immediately dies down.

    "<em>Fuuu.</em>now that was a huge load dump on us! The Provinces event.it sounds so interesting. But far too jumbled up." Ani had bounced up to say once they were alone.

    Masami''s eyes lit up, realizing they may have away. She told the duo, "Ah! Once we get back to the sect, we can just ask my Grandma. I''m more than sure she''ll be willing to provide us with the info we need once we make our name well known." Her lips curved into a dauntingly devious smirk.

    With rising anticipation for tomorrow''s event, Darcel quelled his emotions, telling the girls, "Like I said before, we don''t need to worry much about this now. What we need to focus on is dominating these Mercenary groups and increasing our power and forces. Tomorrow will be a taste for what''s toe for the whole City."

 Chapter 197: Treasure Spot

    Chapter 197: Treasure Spot

    Dusk was breaking into the day. It''s the time where people either wake up from a well-rested sleep, finish a long cultivating session, or are simply continuing their work fromst night.

    The main point is, not too many people venture out so early in the morning as their mornings would already be preupied with busy work.

    But several miles away from New Branch City, at another secluded random spot in the Wild Snow Lands, three masked figures stood patiently in the gray mixed snow.

    If any cultivator were to pass by this trio, nobody would even take the time to notice them. Their presence was nearly undetectable to any Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    And, of course, this trio was Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    They had just arrived not too long ago and were now waiting for their more rxed Darkness Servants, Be.

    Darcel stood with his arms folded, contemtingst night''s events.

    After the meeting, Darcel decided they should finish cultivating everything else inside the resource ring Zara gave them. He wasn''t worried about using up all the green crystals since they could simply get more from Zara.

    However, despite a hefty amount of resources still left inside the ring, neither he, Ani, nor Masami breakthrough. In fact, he barely felt any of their cultivation rise.

    Darcel expected this minimalck of progress, though. And he knewter today, they''ll gain a tremendous resource that''ll shave off weeks of cultivation.

    As for Ani and Masami, they were chatting with each other. Their current topic of discussion was their lethargic servant.

    "Hmph, just watch. I''m betting thatzed one will show up at least fifteen minuteste. Or maybe more. Her attitude is just as annoying as that damn proud one." Masami puffed up her foxtails and snorted.

    "Weeell.Darcy never really specified a time. And he did only ping her just a couple of minutes before. But, I won''t be surprised if she''s wiping the sleep out of her eyes now." Ani was wryly shrugging her shoulders.

    Darcel smiled as they talked, not feeling any tension at all before their mission. At this point, with how casually he, Ani, and even Masami now act when they have to face a troublesome task, Darcel wonders if they''ll ever get that sense of blood-pumping danger.

    Although Darcel knows the importance of always nning ahead. He can admit it was genuinely thrilling to fight against monstrously powerful foes or facing an unknown variable.

    Pleasure in lust would alwayse first, but Darcel could also say there was a pleasure to be had in life''s thrilling battles.

    Before Darcel could continue this train of thoughts, his, Ani, and Masami picked up on a presence swiftly approaching them.

    "Ahh, Master and Mistresses. You weren''t kidding about being early. I guess because of how I usually am, you would be right to doubt my attendance. But I actually made sure to get up early for today."

    To the trio''s right side, their eyes peered over to Be, slowly walking up to them.

    She waszily waving her hand at them, and Darcel and the girls could spot that Be''s eyes seemed evenzier than usual.

    Masami simply huffed, obviously not expecting Be to just instantly arrive but also won''t take back what she said. "Seriously, I can''t believe you''re the one with this supposed crazily hidden talent. I would''ve even believed the two little loud ones morepared to you."

    Be didn''t react negatively to Masam''s backhanded praise at all.

    Even before going under her Master, Be could safely say she was used to most kinds of people''s attitudes.

    Be simply gave Masami her most sincere smiles, telling her, "Thanks for the praise, Mistress. I''m just hoping I''ll have more chances to show off my hidden talents. It''s a nice way to pass the time."

    Ani began nudging Masami''s shoulder, getting her attention.

    "At least she has a far more pleasant tongue out of our Darkness Servants, eh? That should at least count for something." Ani teasingly said.

    Masami rolled her eyes from behind her mask. She turned her gaze over to Darcel, asking, "So since she''s here, should we leave right away." There was an apparent eager tone dripped in her voice for today''s events.

    Darcel didn''t immediately answer. He inquisitively trailed his gaze up and down Be, who kept her usual easygoing smile.

    Darcel had then asked Be, "Have you improved at allst night?"

    "Yea, Master. I did some tests outside of the Wild Snow Lands, and I found out I can now perfectly hide from ninth-level Heavenly Transformations people. I would''ve practiced inside the city, but Kyra hasn''t broken through yet, and all other ninth level Heavenly Kings are basically hermits inside their bases."

    Ani and Masami paused for a moment. They were finally a bit surprised at how swift Be''s progress is. Even with Darcel''s Darkness Essence majorly supporting her, that progress was actually good.

    Although Ani and Masami didn''t let it show on their bodies. They both harrumphed at the same time, saying,

    "Hm. Not Bad."

    Darcel felt mild amusement from his girls and Be''s reaction.

    Through his Darkness Soul link, he can tell Be was feeling a bit of pride over getting Ani and Masami to slightly acknowledge her.

    Although going by how her rxed smile never left her face, it would be hard to tell she was feeling pride.

    Darcel pushed down his mild amusement and had then told Be, "Since it''s like this, we''ll have noplications for this mission. Alright, Be, take us towards the treasure spot. When they arrive, and that Mage opens up the cave, we''ll strike."

    Be nodded, turned around, and told the trio, "It''s just over this way here. It won''t take long to get to."

    And with that, Be flew into the sky.

    Masami had quickly grabbed both Darcel and Ani''s hands and took off into the sky, following right behind Be.

    .

    After some time of flying behind Be, Ani''s eyes began to blink at an uing sight. She squinted her eyes at familiar imagery she thought she wouldn''t see again for quite some time.

    "Huh.this ce.it seems so.Ah!" It had quickly clicked in Ani''s head on why this ce looked so familiar.

    Masami tilted her head, not recognizing what Ani was referring to.

    But after a split second, she too felt it clicked in her mind as she stared deeply into a cave filled with gray mixed snow.

    Darcel had instantly recognized the cave when he first saw it. It was the cave they came out of and had led them to New Branch City.

    For future references, Darcel had memorized this particr cave structure in his mind.

    Initially, the trio thought they were going up to that cave.

    But Be didn''t even react to that cave. She suddenly made a sharp turn left, slightly throwing off the trio.

    Masami had no problem following Be''s sudden turn, but her, Ani, and Darcel''s mind were on that cave.

    They briefly wondered if this was more to explore in that cave. None of them had suggested going off the one beaten path there, primarily focusing on making it back to civilization.

    Yet now, with the missions they''re on, the trio wondered if there''s a hidden depth to that cave.

    After all, it is where that unmovable blue silverish sphere is and those shards that instantly enhanced their cultivation. Darcel and Ani even had further thoughts in thinking they can find something else rted to Sariel there.

    Keeping these ideas in the back of their mind, Masami kept following Be for three more miles.

    The four of them had eventually came upon an empty gray mixed snowfield.

    Bended on the empty field, and Masami closely followed behind. Oncending, Masami, Ani, and Darcel began curiously looking around.

    None of them could pick up anything in their Spirit Sense. And considering their Spirit Sense can pick up on even the slightest of detail, the trio made a guess that Magic Power may be imbued to the ground.

    "And here we are, Master, Mistresses." Be had spread her arms open wide. "The spot for our treasure. Should we just hide now, Master? I assume the White Demon group won''t be here for some time."

    Darcel nodded, saying, "I suppose so."

    Ani and Masami quickly cling to his arms then, squishing their soft breasts onto Darcel''s arms.

    "Let''s get reaalfortable before we have to fight, shall we?" Ani said in a slightly teasing tone.

    "Hm. It''s the best time waster." Masami remarked, trying to keep her tone as even as possible.

    Darcel couldn''t stop a slight smile from forming on his face. At the same time, he, Ani, and Masami swiftly vanished from Be''s sight with their superior speeds.

    Be wryly smiled at her Mistresses antics. She shrugged to herself and flew off to find a good hiding ce that would also serve as a good resting ce.

    .

    Several hours quickly passed.

    On the horizon, numerous men were slowly approaching the empty snowfield Darcel''s group left at.

    This group of men getup could be spotted from miles away.

    Nearly all of the men were dressed in shiny white armor that shimmered against the gray mixed snow. And out of the sea of white armor men, only one man was wearing all ck Mage''s robes.

    There wasn''t a single man in that group that didn''t appear to have a dauntingly aggressive stature.

    Nearly all of the white armor men slung terrifyinglyrge weapons over their shoulders, and each of their expressions was warped with immense greed.

    Of course, the white armor men all hail from the White Demon group. And their lineup showed why they shouldn''t be underestimated lightly.

    There were fifteen of them in total, and ten of them were seventh-level Heavenly Kings.

    Four were eighth-level Heavenly Kings, and only one was a ninth-level Heavenly King.

    The ninth-level man stood at the front of the pack and had the most distinct look. His white armor looked to be the most polished, and there was a single short sword strapped to his back, in direct contrast to the others'' overlyrge weapons.

    This man was one of the Leaders of the White Demon group, Demon Mikal. And next to Demon Mikal was the ck robe man.

    The ck robe man was all-around elegant in his looks and stature.

    He had a tranquil expression permanently dawned on his face that exuded an aura of boundless confidence. His ck robes also held the distinct design of arge ck Raven on them.

    The most notable thing about the man was the fact he didn''t exude any speck of Heavenly aura. In fact, this man simply had no Qi in his body.

    But nobody considered the man weak at all as everyone there felt a faint pressure from the man''s presence.

    This ck robe man was a Spirit Mage from the Raven Mage Order group, Raven Likal.

    Demon Mikal and Raven Likal led the group behind them, and Raven Likal stopped right at the center of the empty gray mixed snowfield.

    Demon Mikal promptly stopped as well, and so did the other White Demon group members.

    As expected, the White Demon group members attempted to spread out their Spirit Sense. And there wasn''t a single one that could pick up on anything in the air or below the ground.

    Demon Mikal as well attempted to see if he could sense anything, but like his other members, there wasn''t anything odd he could feel.

    His eyes trailed over to Raven Likal and spotted his eyebrows wrinkling.

    Demon Mikal felt a small bubble of anticipation rise in him. Apparent greed bubbled on his face as their sweet heavenly treasure was here.

    He asked Raven Likal then, "So.is this the ce?"

    Raven Likal didn''t immediately respond. He kept his eyes glued to the ground; his eyebrows was furrowing more by the second.

    The other white Demon group members waited in rising anticipation. Despite none of them being able to sense anything, nobody bothered to question anything.

    And after a few brief moments, a strange glint shimmered in Raven Likal''s eyes.

 Chapter 198: Rainbow Gold Mine

    Chapter 198: Rainbow Gold Mine

    Raven Likal looked back up, but he didn''t turn around to Demon Mikal. He only said in a calm, subdued tone of voice,

    "Yes, it''s here."

    Immediately Demon Mikal and the other White Demon group members felt their excitement rise.

    They are only one step away from gaining a Heavenly ss resource that''ll push their group to have a significant edge overall in thepetition!

    Demon Mikal and the other White Demon group members kept silent. They patiently waited in bated breath for Raven Likal to do his magic.

    Raven Likal lifted his hand, and on his finger, a ck ring began to glow a profound Darkness aura.

    Demon Mikal looked over to the ck ring, narrowing his eyes at it. This ring had a simr external design as any other regr spatial ring cultivator use.

    But, much like everything with Mages, Demon Mikal couldn''t sense just what kind of power Raven Mikal was using to make it glow.

    Raven Mikal didn''t pay attention to Demon Mikal''s prying eyes, and after a split second, he brought out a long, luxurious-looking Magic staff.

    The Magic staff was coated in a glossy ck coat of paint and appeared to me made in a unique type of ck metal.

    At the tip of the Magic Staff was a shiny ck crystal orb.

    The ck crystal orb slowly pulsated with pure Magical Power as if it was a beating heart.

    When peering into the ck crystal orb, Demon Mikal nearly felt his eyes get sucked in the rhythmic beating of the orb.

    Suddenly then, Raven Likal lifted up his Magic Staff and imputed with his mysterious Magic Power.

    The White Demon group member watched in slight awe as the Magic Staff ck crystal orb began vigorously pulsating, spewing out streaks of profound ck glowing lights.

    While his Magic Staff put on a spectacle, Raven Likal began muttering strange words under his breath.

    Demon Mikal tried listening in on what he was saying, but he couldn''t understand the very first words he heard.

    It was like Raven Likal was speaking some ancient aliennguage to him.

    A couple of seconds went by, and Raven Likal''s Magic Staff ck glow only intensified. Right then, a surge of powerful energy red out from his staff, surging all around the area.

    "So this is the power of Mages?"

    "I can''t sense what type of energy is this.but it''s incredible!"

    "Heh! No wonder we don''t bother with these folks."

    The White Demon group members were muttering their remarks under their breath.

    And like they were saying, none of them could identify this mysterious power Raven Likal was using. But everyone there felt a considerable suppression weighed down on their bodies.

    Even as everyone always has a Heavenly Aura shrouding their bodies, giving them automatic protection against anything, Raven Likal''s Magic Power still managed to affect them.

    Not even Demon Mikal was spared from feeling a slight suppression. His brows furrowed more as it was like facing another individual at the ninth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    Raven Likal had blocked any sorts ofments. He was utterly focused on the ground.

    And after another few seconds, the ck crystal orb on his Magic Staff reached the highest point of its ck glow.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A ck beam of Magic Power burst from Raven Likal''s ck crystal orb, drilling deeply into the ground.

    The whole surroundings went utterly silent for a tense second.

    And right then, the whole area began to shift!

    <em>''Rumble~!!'' </em>

    The ground violently quaked as if several intense earthquakes were going off simultaneously!

    The White Demon group members were surprised at how intense the shaking was.

    All of them, including Demon Mikal, had to reinforce their bodies with more Heavenly Qi just to stay bnced on this violent earthquake.

    They all felt it was like the was about to split apart!

    Enormous cracks, vast fissures all began to split into the gray mixed snowy grounds for several miles.

    A cave was slowly rising out of the ground from about ten meters in front of the group.

    As the cave continued to rise out of the ground, the intense rumbling quaking the ground only increased in its ferocity.

    It took about five seconds for the cave to fully rise out of the ground. Once the cave was entirely out of the ground, the rumbling abruptly stopped.

    With everything back to a calm, quiet state, the White Demon group members focused their attention back up.

    Demon Mikal and the White Demon group members were immediately in awe by what they saw.

    The cave that rose from the ground was a rtively small one. But its structure wasn''t what got everyone''s interest.

    "This is actually so damn luxurious!"

    "It''s like our rainbow goldmine!"

    "This will for sure lead us to trample on those damn crows!!"

    The White Demon group members were all throwing out massive praise as they stared into the beautiful rainbow color entrance of the small cave.

    The rainbow colors of the cave quite literally popped out to everyone.

    It was mesmeric to see each luxurious colors beautifullyplement each other and elegantly mixed together.

    Nobody could take their eyes off the small cave for even a second.

    Raven Likal blinked his eyes and quickly got over his slight awe. He held his hand out to Demon Mikal, asking him, "Did you prepare the talisman? We don''t have much time."

    Demon Mikal didn''t mince words and shed his spatial ring. He brought out a shiny white talisman and promptly handed it over to Raven Likal.

    With the white talisman in hand, Raven Likal quickly shoved it towards his ck crystal orb.

    And contrary to Demon Mikal''s expectations, the shiny white talisman was perfectly infused into the ck crystal orb.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A burst of immense energy fizzled out of the ck crystal orb!

    Along with storms of immense energy, a ck and white light beam shot out from the top of the ck crystal orb, piercing straight up into the skies.

    The White Demon group members'' eyes shot up to the sky, and their awe increased.

    None of them could even pay attention to the immense swirls of energy spewing around them. They all just couldn''t believe the magical sight right above them.

    For miles, the whole sky turned into a beautifully blended mix of ck and white!

    And at the center of what was causing the skies color to change was the ck and white light pir beam.

    Raven Likal wasn''t distracted by that magical sight. He kept his eyes firmly locked on the small rainbow cave and pointed his Magic Staff there.

    Immediately, another ck and white beam burst forth from Raven Likal''s ck magic crystal orb. The beam quickly tore through the air at actual lightning-like speeds and smashed into the small cave''s entrance.

    <em>''Ka-Cha!'' </em>

    The sounds simr to million shards of ss shattering brought everyone''s attention back to the small cave.

    Nobody even saw a barrier protecting the cave, but Raven Likal had just instantly smashed it apart.

    The small cave rainbow-colors seemingly brightened even further then, and incredible waves of pure energy stormed into the area.

    Feeling the waves of pure energy brush past his skin made Demon Mikal feel refreshed.

    The Heavenly Qi from the air couldn''tpare to how pure this energy was. But Demon Mikal didn''t let his mind drift.

    He quickly focused up, pulled out his shiny silver short sword, and began to shout. "You lots! Get ready! No doubt now a lot of powerful Spirit Monsters, ones that can even threaten us, wille out now!"

    Demon Mikal shouts got the other White Demon group members to sober up as well.

    They all got into battle positions as their expression morphed into a violent one.

    Raven Mikal nodded in agreement, and he began to shout, saying, "Everyone, on my wo-"

    But right then, everyone, including Demon Mikal and Raven Lukil, abruptly froze up.

    Three unfathomably powerful auras crazily swirled throughout the area and violently crushed down on everyone there!

    "sh!!" A bright sweet-sounding voice boomed into their ears and apanied the voice,

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A stunningly white shbang covered their whole group!

    At first, everyone froze because they were taken off guard at the abrupt burst of auras. But now, everyone quite literally couldn''t move anymore.

    Inside everyone''s soulscape space, including the Mage Raven Lukil, their soul''s cores were entirely shrouded in a radiant white glow.

    Nobodies soul''s scores were strong enough to fend off the white glow and essentially took over their entire beings.

    And as they all were frozen up, the whole area burned in a zing heat!

    Up in a sky, ck mes and blue fires chaotically surged. Behind the surge of these wild mes were Darcel and Masami.

    Masami held Darcel''s hand as they both raised their ming palms up into the skies.

    Their bloodline state powers split the ck and white clouds in the skies, causing the whole area space to fall into chaos. In a split second, an enormous ck ming w rose from Darcel''s palm.

    And from Masami''s palm, a vast blue ming fox w burst out of her.

    Both Darcel and Masami felt their battle-hungry smirks form as they quickly swept both of their palms down to the soul-stunned group.

    Immediately Darcel''s ck ming w and Masami''s blue ming fox w blitz towards the soul-stunned group at near-instantaneous speeds.

    And just before the ming ws hit the group, a ck light burst from Raven Lukil''s robes, and a white light attempted to fizzle from Demon Mikal''s armor.

    <em>''BANG~!!!'' </em>

    The whole ground split wide open and ferociously rumbled under the intensebination of power Darcel and Masami!

    Blue and ck mes burst everyone on the gray mixed snow, burning through the ground like moltenva.

    Darcel and Masami indifferently stared at their handiworks. And after a couple of seconds, they both snapped their hands, making their ming ws vanish away.

    What was revealed to them was a gruesome sight.

    Numerous charred bloody meat pastes littered their ground, being what once remained of the White Demon group members.

    The stench of blood and guts putridly revolted into the air, staining the whole area with the unbearable stench of death.

    If Darcel, Ani, and Masami had not gained those extra levels fromst night, then the results would''ve been slightly different. Slightly different in that Darcel and Masami would''ve needed to go all out to kill everyone in one fell swoop.

    But even with just small breakthroughs, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s prowess continuously improve.

    Darcel and Masami barely even used half of their bloodline state powers for this destruction.

    And while Ani''s soul shbang made this fight a simple cakewalk. Even without it, the end results wouldn''t have changed at all.

    As they looked down at the mass death and destruction, neither Darcel nor Masami was bothered by it.

    Darcel had trailed his eyes further along the bloody charred ground and eventually noticed an intriguing sight.

    "Hoh? Look at that Masami. Seems like someone got rather.unlucky."

    Masami had also trailed her eyes over to what Darcel was referring to. She had a cruel smirk as she said, "Poor bastard. But we''re just doing what we need to do."

    What Darcel and Masami were referring to was the only man left on the bloody charred ground there.

    It was Demon Mikal, but his state was absolutely nightmarish.

    His body was utterly broken at every part, numerous deep flesh woods littered his body, his charred bloody guts spilled out of him, yet he was still breathing.

    All because of the hidden Spirit Artifact that tried to protect him a split second before their attacksnded.

    But not even his life-saving Spirit Artifact, something that no ninth level Heavenly King cultivator could challenge, save him from the Darcel and Masami''s powerful attack.

    Ani was several meters to the side of the gruesome death and destruction. She, too, wasn''t bothered by the scene and only shook her head as that man really did unluckily survive their attack.

    A sweep over of their Spirit Sense and Ani, Darcel, and Masami only sensed Demon Mikal to be alive.

    Their whole n went off without a single hitch.

    But right then, Ani felt her instinct frantically scream to her. In an instant, she shot her gaze right towards the rainbow color cave.

 Chapter 199: Desperate Mage

    Chapter 199: Desperate Mage

    Ani felt her body and mind react on instinct. She didn''t have time to call out to either Darcel or Masami. She quickly sprinted towards the rainbow color cave, causing an even broader destruction on the ground because of her immense power.

    As Ani rushed up to the cave, the ground near Demon Mikal''s bloody broken body burst open!

    Out rushing from the group was Raven Likal! He was in a severely wounded state but not as bad as Demon Mikal.

    His ck robes were ripped to shreds, blood pool down his half charred face, andrge charred fleshy wounds wrapped around his body. But even against all of his injuries and massive res of pain, Raven Likal could still move.

    "Eh? He survived?!" Up in the sky, Masami eximed her shock.

    She and Darcel were entirely taken by surprise as they didn''t feel any instinctive danger in the air. Because they were so far away, their instincts didn''t crazily re like Ani''s.

    They both couldn''t rely on their Spirit Senses as well since Raven Likal Magic aura was essentially undetectable to them.

    But as soon the two did notice Raven Likal, he was already near the rainbow color cave entrance. However, right as he neared the cave, a radiantly bright white glowing hand was grasping towards his neck.

    Ani''s face was beautifully determined as she made it within a few inches from Raven Likal.

    She didn''t bother with trying to send out an energy-based attack since her movement speed eclipses it in a short burst situation.

    In just a mere split second, Ani''s white Light hand would strangle Raven Likal''s battered and bloody neck. But right then, in Mikal''s right hand, his Magic staff burst in a ferocious Darkness glow!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A blinding Darkness aura covered not only them but also covered Darcel and Masami all the way up in the sky.

    Upon casting this move, Raven Likal''s ck crystal orb shattered into a million pieces, and his Magic Staff cracked all over.

    <em>''PUFF~!!'' </em>

    The awful sound of his right arm bursting into a mangled string of flesh assaulted Raven Likal''s ears. But Raven Likal''s pushed past everything, violently clenching his teeth so hard that it was shattered even more.

    The ultimate price for causing such tremendous damage to himself was the fact that neither Ani, Darcel, nor Masami could move at all.

    The three of them all seemed to be going in extreme slow motion.

    Darcel and Masami were slowly reacting to the abrupt situation. And Ani became as slow as a snail.

    And on each of their faces, it was like they didn''t even notice that everything slowed down, almost like time itself slowed down.

    Just for a single second, Raven Likal managed to slow down everything to a snail crawl in his Magical Darkness aura!

    And Raven Likal wasn''t foolish enough to believe he could attack Ani despite slowing her down.

    All this technique does is slow them down majorly; it didn''t get rid of their prowess or base boldly defenses.

    So Raven Likal surged the remaining Magical Power left in his body and soul, nearly causing himself to pass out for good.

    But in desperation, Raven Likal just barely managed to hang on.

    And with the boosted power from his soul''s core, he shot right into the rainbow color cave. And as he zoomed into the rainbow color cave, his Darkness aura immediately vanished.

    Back into real-time, Ani barely reacted to Raven Likal suddenly vanishing from her.

    Her eyes just widened a bit, and she disdainfully snorted. "Tch!"

    Ani snapped her body around like clockwork and rushed towards the rainbow color cave.

    In a split second, Ani swiftly reached the entrance of the rainbow color cave. However, right as she neared the entrance, Ani''s Spirit Sense went insane!

    Her eyes fully widened in surprise now.

    Very rarely, since Ani started her journey, would she have this sense. A death sense that alerted her that her life is heavily at risk from immense danger!

    Immediately Ani forgone going into the cave, lit up her body in a faint white glow, and instantly flung herself to her left. With telekinesis shrouding her body, she just barely managed to safely hit the ground.

    <em>''CHI~!!''</em>

    Shooting out from the rainbow color cave like a nuke was a tremendously powerful rainbow beam of pure energy!

    The rainbow beam of pure energy shot off with lightning-like speeds, disappearing into the far horizon.

    And as the rainbow beam of pure energy tore through the air, the snowy gray mixed ground split into two wherever the rainbow color beam traveled.

    <em>"Huuu~...."</em> Ani had to inhale a sharp cold breath after that.

    Just a split secondter, and she would''ve taken the full brunt of that incredible power. And even Ani didn''t know whether or not she would''ve survived that kind of power that made her Spirit Senses go frantic.

    At the same time the rainbow color beam shot forth from the cave, Darcel and Masami were just nowing down from confusion.

    They were entirely taken by surprise again by a sudden immense surge of power.

    However, before either of them could react, their eyes snapped back towards the cave. Immediate cold sweat began to pour down their eyebrows.

    Just like how Ani experienced it, Darcel and Masami also felt their Spirit Senses frantically go off.

    Their Spirit Senses alerted them to something quickly shooting towards them and can directly threaten their lives!

    At the roof of the rainbow color cave, an equally rainbow color glow shrouded the top. Instantly when the rainbow color glow formed, another rainbow color energy beam sted from the roof of the cave!

    Masami''s three foxtails abruptly shined an intense blue glow, fueling her body with a short burst of power.

    Clenching Darcel''s hand, Masami shot towards the ground like a missile.

    They both felt their clothes rustle as they just narrowly avoided the rainbow color beam. Once crashing into the ground, Darcel and Masami snapped their eyes over to Ani.

    Masami felt a massive relief that Ani managed to safely fling herself to the ground, avoiding a life-risking injury.

    But Darcel felt a rush of anger boom inside his body and soul.

    Just a split second slower, and who knows what would''ve happened to Ani! Darcel absolutely couldn''t ept the thought of Ani getting even slightly hurt at all.

    Abruptly then, a deep Darkness glow entirely shrouded Darcel''s bloodline arm as he erupted his full power all at once!

    "Ehh??" Masami felt a massive wave of warmth wash over her despite Darcel''s full power ring out in the area.

    She snapped her eyes over to Darcel and was a bit shocked at some minute differences in his appearance.

    Aplete Darkness glow aura shrouded his legs, and on his bloodline arm, his ck feathers tore through his clothes and began writhing about.

    "I got this." Darcel swiftly stated while letting go of Masami''s hand.

    He had then sted off towards the rainbow color cave, splitting the ground apart from the sheer force of his full power.

    "Fast."

    Masami quietly uttered as her eyes had trouble keeping up with Darcel''s new speed. In just a split second, he was already within a few meters from the rainbow color cave.

    But immediately, Masami felt her Spirit Senses frantically go off once again. Her worry shot up for Darcel since the speed he was going at, he would not be able to dodge the next attack in time!

    Masami didn''t put any thought into her following action. In that instant, Masami surged her full power and was about to dash right to Darcel.

    However, it would be quickly made clear to Masami that her support would be unneeded.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Another rainbow color energy beam sted out of the cave''s entrance and blitzed straight towards Darcel. Truthfully, Darcel also realized as well there is no course of action for him to doge anymore.

    But Darcel wasn''t nning on dodging in the first ce.

    In fact, at full power, his Spirit Sense barely reacted to the uing rainbow color energy beam.

    A mass of Darkness energy instantly swirled around Darcel''s left palm.

    He strutted out his Darkness energy palm towards the rainbow color energy beam and met it in a head-on frontal collision!

    <em>''BANG!!'' </em>

    Darcel''s Darkness energy palm mmed on the rainbow color energy beam andpletely stopped it in its ce!

    Darcel felt his leg dig deep into the ground, keeping his bnce still.

    Even as the sh of their powers chaotically stormed the area, Darcel didn''t lose his footing while clutching on to the rainbow color energy beam.

    A slight burning sensation tried to torch Darcel''s hand, but he easily ignored this little pain.

    On Darcel''s Darkness Energy palm, each of his five fingertips promptly intensified a Darkness Energy ball.

    Immediately, five Darkness tendrils shot forth from each of Darcel''s five fingertips. His Darkness tendrils instantly wrapped around the whole length of the rainbow color energy beam.

    Now, the rainbow color energy beam power became suppressed under Darcel''s Darkness tendrils.

    The rainbow color energy beam couldn''t even writhe under Darcel''s palm anymore as its power started to get disruptive.

    Darcel felt his smirk grow wider. He continuously poured an overabundance of power into his Darkness tendrils.

    From the Darkness tendrils, his Darkness Energy chaotically invaded inside the rainbow color energy beam, making the energy ferociously shake.

    At Darcel''s full power, the rainbow color energy beam simply couldn''t contend with his Darkness Essence.

    The rainbow color energy beam quickly gained a deep Darkness shade, and right then,

    ''PUFF~!!''

    The whole rainbow color energy beam imploded into a profound ck hazy mist!

    Masami had stopped in the middle of surging her power and was quite impressed at Darcel''s ability.

    In just a span of a few short seconds, Darcel annihted the rainbow color energy beam like it was nothing. It was rather impressive for Masami seeing as this attack was directly threatening their lives a few seconds before.

    Ani as well watched with an impressed gaze while she lifted herself off the ground. She didn''t even know Darcel could use his Darkness tendrils in such a creative way like that.

    After destroying the rainbow color beam, Darcel didn''t stop at all.

    He instantly dashed into the rainbow color cave without any hindrance. Once inside, his dominating aura locked onto the lone figure there.

    "Wha-wha?!?"

    Raven Likal was still utterly gobsmacked by everything that had just transpired. His only good arm was holding onto a rainbow color Crystalline that was continuously pulsating.

    The rainbow color Crystalline floated independently in midair, and its luster had slightly dimmed after the continuous attacks.

    And as soon as Darcel dashed in here, Raven Likal felt as if death itself hade to im him. He couldn''t surge any Magic Power or move at all.

    And Darcel wasn''t going to give Raven Likal a chance to think.

    He crossed the short distance between them in a half-second, violently grasped Raven Likal''s bloody neck, and holstered him up into the air.

    Raven Likal''s eyes nearly popped out of his socket.

    In just an instant, he couldn''t breathe anymore as Darcel''s hand crushed down on his windpipe.

    "Hmph." Darcel disdainfully snorted and tightly clenched his hand,pletely crushing Raven Likal''s neck.

    The light in Raven Likal''s eyes immediately vanished. His body went limp, and all Darcel was holding in his hand was a Mage corpse. Even in death, Raven Likal couldn''t tell just what kind of monstrous freaks killed him and their whole group.

    Darcel was indifferent as he had just scored his first Mage''s kill.

    The only thing noteworthy he saw about them so far in terms of battle was that unique skill that had let him run away from Ani.

    Darcel dropped Raven Likal''s feet to his feet and turned around to the entrance of the cave.

    Ani and Masami had quickly rushed in and became even further impressed when seeing that Raven Likal''s corpse at his feet.

 Chapter 200: Joyous News

    Chapter 200: Joyous News

    "Holy Darcy! I never seen you outright do a mighty sh like that!" Ani''s voice was dripped in awe, and if Darcel could see her face, she would practically have stars in her eyes.

    For all the fights she and Darcel have been through, he never really showed to perform dominating, shing attacks like directly halting that rainbow color energy beam.

    Seeing Darcel take a rather imposing stance against the beam made Ani feel legitimate wonder.

    "I''ve seen you use those tendrils against living beings.but energy-based attacks? Just what exactly did you do?" Masami felt awe but was more curious about how Darcel utterly annihted that beam.

    She didn''t think it was just because Darcel merely overpowered it at his full prowess. If that was true, Masami knew he would''ve just fired his Martial Kill or some other concentrated attack.

    And considering that rainbow color beams could directly threaten their lives, Masami was highly inquisitive on how Darcel cane outpletely unscathed.

    Darcel had just held up his left palm, clenching it.

    The slight burning sensation from the beam quickly left him, and his palm didn''t even look like it was charred.

    Darcel looked back over to the girls, telling them, "It''s basically the same thing I regrly do against living beings. My Darkness Essence invaded the beam in a simr manner to how I induced lust into people. Then I simply overloaded it with my power."

    "I see." Both Ani and Masami nodded simultaneously.

    Ani began wondering the creative way she can use her pure Light energy.

    Compared to Darcel, Ani mainly had one way of attacking with her Light energy, which is that stunning soul shbang. And she wonders if she has a more variety of skills like Darcel''s Yin Pleasure skills.

    Masami as well wondered about the different ways she can use her blue fire essence.

    In her Sect, she wasn''t really taught how to properly handle her mes, only getting taught the bare necessity because she was the Kitsui Leader Faction''s daughter.

    But now, with all that she had gained with Darcel and Ani, Masami was sure she could go far above and beyond even the most advanced techniques her Sect has stored.

    While the girls ponder on that subject, Darcel turned his body back around to the main reason why there were here.

    His eyes zed over to the rainbow Crystalline still floating and pulsating in midair.

    The rainbow Crystalline had a unique shape, being in beautiful star shape form. A lot of the rainbow Crystalline glow had heavily dimmed, but its remaining rainbow glow was strong enough to light up the whole small cave.

    Darcel turned his sights beyond the rainbow Crystalline and quickly noticed there was nothing else here. It was just dirt-grayed walls surrounding them.

    Darcel fathoms that there could be a chance for a treasure to lie in the walls, but for now, he focused on the rainbow Crystalline.

    He began walking close to the Crystalline and started to say, "So now that we have this peculiar thing-"

    "Now you can simply absorb it, Master. I''m amusing from how that Mage used it to attack; you can use it to absorb. The ancient legends also mention how beneficial these are to one''s cultivation. And I''m sure Master and Mistresses will have no problem with abortion."

    Be had suddenlye into the cave with a timely exnation.

    She could easily tell that her Master and Mistresses have some sort of unique bodies considering how fast they broke through in just a span of a night.

    And thinking further about it, Be wasn''t even sure she read about people so easily absorbing external resources and having no problem with their foundation.

    Be kept this thought down forter research and kept her rxed smile as she faced the trio.

    Darcel, Ani, Masami had briefly turned around when Be had entered the cave and nodded at her.

    They knew it was impossible for Be to lie to any of them. Furthermore, it made sense they could simply absorb it since a near-death Mage managed to manipte the Crystalline effectively to the point of being able to threaten their lives.

    Simultaneously, Darcel, Ani, and Masami got near the star shape Crystalline.

    Staring intensely into its luxurious rainbow color was nearly hypnotic. The trio gaze quite literally got lost into the Crystalline.

    Without any thoughts from their minds, their bodies began moving on instinct. At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami gently ced their palm on the star shape Crystalline.

    "Oh!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously leaked out surprised grunts.

    A jolt of incredible pure Qi energy shocked through their bodies and souls! Compared to the Qi constantly permeating the air, this Crystalline Qi energy was on another level of pureness and richness.

    It didn''t even matter that Darcel and Ani are in the True Soul Core realm. And Masami is in the Innate Core realm.

    The Crystalline Qi energy that ran through their bodies adjusted to each of their realm and levels.

    Although, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could clearly sense that the Crystalline Qi energy isn''t as potent as before. They didn''t get the same immense, powerful feeling as before.

    But, what was here was enough for all three of them.

    Simultaneously, Darcel, Ani, and Masami pulled the Crystalline Qi energy into their Spirit Sense. An incredible fresh wave of energy pools into their minds, making the trio rx more.

    In a clear state of mind, Darcel, Ani, and Masami began carefully directing the Crystalline Qi energy straight into their dantian space. ''

    The effects were immediate. In Darcel and Ani''s dantian space, they both felt their True Soul Cores grow a bit. And in Masami''s dantian space, her Innate Core began pulsating.

    On the outside, Darcel, Ani, and Masami remained still.

    The rainbow Crystalline began to shimmer a bit as the trio quickly absorbed its Qi energy.

    ''Hmmm.this will be a while.'' Be quietly thought to herself and headed to lean against the wall near the cave''s entrance.

    She closed her eyes, but her senses were alert on anything.

    .

    It was at the Snow Angel District''s massively multi interconnected building. Inside Snow Angel Leader Melea''s office, a meeting between two of Darcel''s Darkness Servants was taking ce.

    It was, of course, Melea and Zara meeting in Melea''s office.

    Melea was sitting behind her desk with a slightly bewildered expression. Zara had just exined something entirely unexpected to her.

    "Provinces Converging Day." Melea quietly uttered in disbelief. "Not even our ancient founders have any in-depth information on this event. But it always seemed like a fairy tale to me. Is that event really going to happen soon?"

    Zara unhesitatingly nodded. "I wouldn''t doubt Master''s words for a second. And the Golden Crow Circle does have a far wider reach than any Mercenaries groups. Furthermore, this could also somewhat exin their drastically different behavior this year."

    Melea paused, going into deep contemtion.

    She, of course, didn''t doubt her Master''s words, but she didn''t trust either the Golden Crow Circle or the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect.

    Both are extremely powerful organizations with numerous secrets to be held. And the Lustrous Silver Jaguar Sect are not known for divulging information so readily.

    Still, Melea also realizes that her Master was hiddenly spying on those Golden Crow Circle members, and those members would have no reason to lie to each other.

    Melea''s eyes turned serious as she told Zara then, "When Master and Mistresses finish with the little demons, we''ll need to devise a strategic n once they also get the other Leaders under them. I know you also read how even the second time that event happened, things still got brutal for the whole Nine Provinces."

    "Indeed." Zara readily agreed and was about to talk again.

    But right then, her eyes and Melea''s eyes snapped to the door. They both sensed a powerful presence rushing to Melea''s office.

    A secondter, Melea''s door burst open, revealing another beautiful woman. Though, out of the Snow Angel group''s beautiful women, this woman radiated a far more icy, standoffish aura.

    This woman''s face was beautifully intimidating. She had dangerously sharp eyes, a half-cut on her sleek eyebrows, and a small scar going right under her right eye.

    And those distinct qualities didn''t detract from her beauty but showcased the rough experiences she had in her dangerous life.

    Her body was sexily bombastic, having a figure that could turn anyone''s head. She had firmrge mouth-watering breasts, bewitching curvaceous hips, and a sexilyrge round behind.

    The pure white robe she wore perfectly entuated her bodily figure.

    This woman was Snow Angel Leader Karis. And the icy eyes Leader Karis would usually carry was reced by a noticeable slight joy.

    She only took a brief nce at Zara before reporting to Melea, "Leader Melea, I have excellent news. We must greet Leader Kyrha now. She finally broke through and became a ninth level Heavenly King!"

    Melea and Zara''s eyes simultaneously widened a bit.

    They already knew that Leader Kyrha was making rapid progress to a breakthrough. But they didn''t expect it to be this fast.

    However, both Melea and Zara quickly calm back down.

    Even if Leader Kyrha were to luckily breakthrough to being a tenth-level Heavenly King, neither of them still wouldn''t be worried.

    Their confidence lies in the fact that their Master and Mistresses simply outss all of them.

    Just when Darcel, Ani were at the fifthyer link of the True Soul Core realm and Masami was at the sixth rank of the Innate Core, the three of them could already outmatch ninth level Heavenly King power.

    And now, Melea and Zara know the three of them made some breakthroughsst night with all those resources. Furthermore, there''s not even telling how strong they can get with the Heavenly Crystalline treasure.

    Melea trailed her eyes back over to Zara, telling her, "We''ll further discuss thister. For now, I want you to continue your further check-up on any special resources that need distributing."

    Melea turned her attention to Leader Kryha. "Leader Khyra.let''s go celebrate our new changed Leader! This is a joyous day now!"

    Melea gave her usual chipper smile towards Leader Kryha.

    Leader Kryha simply nodded and walked out of the office. She didn''t even bother to question why Melea was sending Zara to check up on the resources.

    Before leaving, Melea gave Zara onest look. Melea''s jubnt smile turned into a mischievous crafty knowing one.

    And even on Zara''s usual indifferent face, her lips curved up into a devious smirk.

 Chapter 201: Alliance Proposal

    Chapter 201: Alliance Proposal

    At the Ice Nine Tails Sect.

    Inside the Kitsui Faction side of the sect, their side holds a protective region for their most prosperous geniuses. At this region, it was essentially a Qi Haven for geniuses.

    There was a unique formationid out deep underground in this region, which continually purifies the Qi here. The purified Qi is far easier for youths toprehend and absorbpared to the regr Qi on the outside.

    This region has a gray mixed snowy path that led to various geniuses'' vast snowy courtyard houses.

    And at the far end of this gray mixed snowy path was the most isted part of this region. Compared to most other ces in the whole Ice Nine Tails Sect, this area is entirely calm and tranquil.

    There wasn''t any noisy bustling of young Sect members or busy Elders or any high-level figures.

    The only thing here in this tranquil quiet area was one lone snowy courtyard house. This Courtyard house belongs to the Kitsui Faction, one of several prosperous geniuses, Kasai Ktsui.

    Inside Kasai''s courtyard house, he could be seen sitting in a lotus position inside a spacious living room.

    His living room design fit Kasai''s quiet and calm personality. There wasn''t much furniture and mostly shelves of various books and scrolls.

    Kasai was serenely cultivating, ensuring he was at his absolute best for the various essential tasks he hading up.

    Coming out of his waist were four fluffy blue foxtails. Each of Kasai''s foxtails curved upwards, and at the tip of each of his foxtails were tiny wisps of blue mes.

    The tiny wisps of blue mes gently whirled in a mesmeric pattern.

    Kasai''s control of the Element of Fire was excellent as the wisps of blue mes showed no sign of going uncontrolled.

    To spawn multiple wisps of mes and have each of them be perfectly controlled is no easy task at all. At most cultivators who are linked to the Element of Fire can only control one batch of mes at early realms.

    And Kasai went beyond that, showcasing his future prospects in Fire Comprehension.

    While he cultivated, Kasai''s seventh level Heavenly Transformation auranguidly whirled around his living room.

    And unlike how the power of a Heavenly aura can cause a mess of any environment it''s in, Kasai''s aura was extremely calm.

    Kasai almost moved his Heavenly aura in an elegant fashion.

    His long gorgeous ck hair elegantly swayed from his Heavenly aura, creating a beautiful scene of him cultivating.

    If anybody were to see this, they would''ve thought it was pure fair fox maiden cultivating her divine power. It wouldn''t be a mistake to take him for a beautiful woman in this scene.

    Cultivation was going smoothly for Kasai as per usual. That is until he abruptly stopped swirling his Heavenly aura.

    The tiny wisps of blue mes on his foxtails vanished, letting his foxtails slowly swayed down to the ground. Kasai slowly opened his eyes as he sensed someone arriving right in front of his house.

    Before he got up to meet the uninvited guest, Kasai carefully inspected who hade. And after a second, his eyebrows twitch in the slightest of displeasures.

    Truthfully, Kasai was half attempted to ignore who came.

    But a low sigh escaped his lips at the idea. ''Haah.it''s more troublesome to not meet him anyways.''

    Kasai just had to suck it up as the person outside his door could be annoyingly persistent when they wanted to be.

    Shaking his head, Kasai stood up, slowly strolled towards the door. As he walked up, Kasai heard the person knock several times on his door.

    Kasai hesitated for a moment on whether or not this possible headache was worth it.

    Ultimately Kasai got rid of his hesitation and gently opened up his door.

    The person standing behind the door wasn''t some intimidating-looking or even mischievous-looking person.

    It was a handsome boy who had a natural friendly-looking face. The boy''s eyes were soft and kind, showing no hint of any edge or sharpness; youths around his age tended to develop.

    The boy had a weing, charming smile as he greeted Kasai.

    And while Kasai can generate a calm vibe around him, this boy seemingly had a warm, inviting vibe that makes it easy for anyone to talk to him.

    But a bit simr to Kasai was the fact this boy was a seventh-level Heavenly Transformation genius. The difference would be that this boy only had three blue foxtailspared to Kasai''s four foxtails.

    As soon as Kasai had opened the door, the friendly-looking boy promptly began talking. "Kasai, buddy! So you were the one chosen for this year''s Mercenary event, eh? May Ie in?"

    The boy''s tone was easygoing, almost rxing to listen to.

    In Kasai''s ce, not many people would be able to reject a trustworthy face like his.

    But Kasai wasn''t having any of it.

    He was utterly indifferent to the boy''s charming attitude. His eyes seemingly saw right through the boy and all his tricks.

    But Kasai didn''t reach much, only nodding to the boy and saying, "Yes, I am going. Is there something you need, Zhaun?"

    Kasai didn''t move a single inch from his spot. His soft voice carried a certain firmness that exined to Zhaun he wasn''t in the mood.

    Zhaun, however, wasn''t affected by Kasai''s unweing attitude. He casually shrugged like he''s been through this scenario numerous times already.

    "One of these days, you''ll need to improve your hospitality. Ah well.so let''s down to business."

    Zhaun''s tone turned a bit more serious, and his eyes narrowed a bit.

    But surprisingly enough, he still managed to keep up a friendly disposition even when getting serious. "You''re always the straight man Kasai, so I''ll get to the point. I''m here to offer us to form an alliance for this year''s Mercenary Event."

    For the first time since they began talking, Kasai finally had a change in expression. One of Kasai''s eyebrows slightly raised, and his eyes narrowed just a bit.

    "You want an alliance? Why?"

    Kasai knows Zhaun hails from the Koizma faction. And Kasai knows for sure that the Koizma faction has the infamous reputation for not working well at all with the other factions.

    Zhaun wasn''t upset at Kasai''s suspicion. He clearly knows just how much of an infamous rep his Faction built up.

    But this didn''t dissuade Zhaun a single bit. He kept his smile up, telling Kasai, "Why? Well, it should be obvious, no? It''s all because of the Koduka Faction. I''m sure you heard all about the rumors on how Kato is so close to a breakthrough. And Cui was the one chosen in her Faction to go to this year''s event."

    Kasai''s eyebrows furrowed even further. He really couldn''t see how those two events corrte to each other, so he asked, "Your point is? Those two things aren''t adding up with each other."

    Zhaun''s smile broadens as at least Kasai seems willing to listen now.

    He continued his point, exining to him, "Look, we''re going to need everything we get from this year''s event to even stand a fight chance for this year''s younger generation meeting. But you know how Cui is so....just so close to Kato? Not only is Cui at a deeper level of Fire Comprehension than both of us, but she''s also far more crafty than us. And if she ends up getting a plethora more resources than us, then she''ll surely give most if not all to Kato."

    Kasai thought about it but didn''t really believe Zhaun too much. He asked, "Isn''t that a bit too much of paranoid behavior. Who''s to say she simply won''t use the resources for herself."

    Zhaun''s smile turned wryly. He began shaking his head, saying with a slight mock expression, "Ahh.despite having better looks than most of the beautiful women in our sects, you''re still so naive to matters of the heart."

    "Just get to the point." Kasai snappily responded without missing a beat.

    His expression remained indifferent, but Zhaun knewments like those certainly got to him.

    Zhaun''s smile turned back to being friendly as he jokingly held his hands up.

    "Take it easy, just a bit of a joke. But seriously, Cui''s feelings for Kato run so deep that she really will just give nearly all of her resources to him. It''s not even a secret that she has deep feelings for him. And if Kato manages to break through to the ninth level.well, we can just kiss our chances goodbye."

    "....So what exactly do you have in mind in this alliance?" Kasai decided to hear out Zhaun''s words since he couldn''t really deny them.

    "I already have it nned out. It''s very simple, actually. All we need to do is simply work together to gather up all the resources and make Cato barely get any. No matter how troublesome she is, she can''t stand against a two v one situation. And in the end, we''ll split the rewards between us. What''d you say?"

    As Zhaun finished exining, Kasai could notice a slight shift in his demeanor.

    That warm, weing smile he had begun to turn a bit devious. The devious smile directly contrasted Zhaun''s friendly-looking face.

    Kasai didn''t actually immediately deny his request. He began mulling over the past history of the Younger Generation Meetings.

    And for numerous years now, the Koduka faction had always reigned supreme at being number one at each event.

    Moreover, the Koduka Faction is often seen as the strongest in the Ice Nine Tail Sect by nearly everyone in their Province. People would even go so far as to say that Kiduka Faction is the Ice Nine Tail Sect''s pride.

    Because of their high tail fame and glory, any other achievements, whether it was from the Koizma Faction or their own Kitsui Faction, their feats would be dismissed because the Koduka Faction could do better.

    However, despite how tempting it was for Kasai to crush on the Koduka''s Faction pride, he wasn''t foolish enough to blindly trust Zhaun.

    Moreover, he also has other vital matters swirling in his head.

    Kasai told Zhaun after a moment''s pause, "I''ll.think about it."

    Despite the uncertainty in his answers, Zhaun''s smile broadens. "At least you have the seeds of doubt in your mind. So it''s a start. Look, I''ll just give you my contact ring if you decide to change your mind."

    Zhaun took out a blue ring with his initial Z sign on it.

    Kasai looked over the ring and, after a moment of hesitation, took the ring off his hand.

    "Well then, I know how much you hate people overstaying their wee." Zhaun began turning around already while talking.

    He gave one briefst look at Kasai, saying to him, "Later. Hopefully, you''ll see my point." And with that, Zhaun flew off into the distant sky.

    Kasai brought his gaze back down to the contact ring. He shoved it into his pocket as other various issues popped into his mind then.

    And the main issue that took priority over everything was finding Masami Kitsui.

    But, at the same time, Kasai also wants to improve his own strength and strive to win in the Younger Generation Meeting. Not only to gain pride for himself but to also show that his so-called weakest Faction isn''t what everyone thinks it is.

    ''Then again.it is her. And she''s well.'' Kasai fathoms that if Masami is there at New Branch City, she won''t be troublesome at all to get.

    He also believed the tales that Masami''s talent isn''t so great at all.

    And Kasai just knew there would be no way for her to break through to the Heavenly Transformation realm in such a short amount of time.

    At most, Kasai guessed it would just take a bit of his time to return Masami Kitsui home. With various thoughts like this swirling in his mind, Kasai went back into his house to ponder on everything.

    And several miles into the sky, hidden from everyone''s view, one lone hooded robe figure had watched that entire exchange go down.

 Chapter 202: Destructive Breakthroughs

    Chapter 202: Destructive Breakthroughs

    Back inside the rainbow color cave, frantic torrents of Qi energy were making an utter mess of the whole area.

    The floor had spiderwebs crack all over the ce; rocks were either split off or burst from the walls from the sheer destructive power.

    It was a mix of powerful Spirit Qi and Innate Qi chaotically bursting out of Darcel, Ani, and Masami that was causing the crazy storms of energy.

    But this density of their pure Spirit Qi and Innate Qi far surpassed any regr Spirit Qi or Innate Qi. And this wasn''t even their bloodline state. All of this destructive chaos was simply their base energies.

    Even the most talented of geniuses with immensely powerful bloodlines couldn''t cause this much destruction from breaking through.

    In fact, Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t even cause this kind of destruction when they had cultivatedst night.

    Be wasn''t even inside the cave anymore. One would be able to spot her lying on top of the rainbow color cave, her eyes still closed. Admittedly at this point, Be was quickly growing unfazed to her Master and Mistress''s never-before-seen specialties.

    Back inside the cave, the star-shaped Crystalline had nearly lost all of its rainbow radiance light. After a few hours of constant absorption, its rainbow glows heavily diluted, looking almost washed out.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami still remained like statutes even after several hours.

    None of them could even notice the chaotic destruction around them. All they were focused on were the rapid progress made in their cultivation.

    The trio was nearing the edge of their next breakthrough.

    Inside Darcel''s dantian space, his True Soul Core had nineyer links of Spirit Qi connecting towards his soulscape space. And now, a tenthyer link of Spirit Qi was rapidly forming.

    It is nearly the same in Ani''s dantian space. Only she had eightyer links of Spirit Qi, and a ninth one was quickly forming.

    Inside Masami''s dantian space, her Innate Core grew to exponential size.

    And on her Innate Core were eight enormous cracks of pure Innate Qi essence formed. Simr to the duo, there was also a ninth crack quickly splitting down Masami''s Innate Core, signifying her near a breakthrough.

    Throughout the rapid advancement, the trio made, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami had to worry about any mental blocks.

    Any time one tried to block them from progressing to the next level, their already insaneprehension abilities would immediately shatter it.

    Unknown to even Darcel, Ani, and Masami, theirprehension abilities started to be something passive to them. It was like instinctive knowledge that''s deeply nted into their brains, and they can''t forget it.

    It only took a few more seconds until Darcel, Ani and Masami finally reached the edge for their final breakthrough here.

    <em>''Ka-Cha!'' </em>

    The rainbow Crystalline began shattering all over!

    An immense burst of pure Qi sted out of Darcel, Ani, and Masami as they simultaneously reached a breakthrough!

    At the same time, the trio flung their eyes wide open, feeling an incredible rush of powerpletely fuel their bodies.

    Darcel nced down to his palm, clenching it, and felt his bones pop with power. Spirit Qi was essentially crackling out of palm. A rush of excitement washed over Darcel, but he managed to retain his calm.

    He quickly did a brief scan over with his Spirit Sense on his, Ani, and Masami''s realms now.

    Darcel already knew that he''s now at the tenthyer link of the True Soul Core realm!

    The absolute peak of the realm!

    Ani had reached the ninthyer link of the True Soul Core realm, just being a step behind him. While Masami had actually reached the ninth rank of the Innate Core realm!

    She was once again at the peak of the Innate Core realm.

    Unadulterated Confidence began bursting out of Darcel then. With their prowess now, Darcel didn''t have any doubts about dealing with anyone in the city.

    Even if someone has some rare, unique Spirit Artifact, Darcel wasn''t going to fear it at all.

    "Mnnn.Ahhhh~!" Ani''s dreamy sigh brought Darcel out of his thoughts. She was stretching her arms, making her bones pop with pure Spirit Qi power. "And just like that, I''m nearing the peak of my realm. While you two are just a step away from a whole new realm!"

    Masami eagerly nodded at Ani; if either Darcel or Ani could see her face, they would spot a broad grin that threatened to split her face.

    She excitedly said, "Not bad, not a bad find at all! Soon, we''ll have this whole city under our thumb!"

    For the briefest of second, Darcel turned his gaze back on the Crystalline, or what''s left of the Crystalline.

    Only a single shard of the Crystalline hung in the air, and its rainbow glow was heavily dimmed. Littering the ground below the Crystalline was millions of tiny dulled shards, spotting no shine at all.

    Staring at the single shard left in the air, an idea streaked into Darcel''s mind. He pushed the thought aside for a little bitter and returned his attention to the girls.

    "Now then.wait." Darcel''s eyes began ncing around the cave.

    "Be-"

    "Congrattions Master and Mistresses."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s attention turned around as Be came walking through the entrance again.

    "Your breakthrough was quite destructive before, so I was forced to hide out for a little bit," Be exined to them.

    Right then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes searched around the whole cave, finally noticing the destruction.

    "<em>Fuuu~!</em> We didn''t even cause such noisest night! I wonder what changed?" Ani remarked in an impressed tone at the chaos they caused.

    "Well.it just had to be because of that now broken Crystalline, right?" Masami guessed with a shrug of her shoulders.

    Darcel also assumed it was because of the Crystalline, considering this was the only time he can recall that their Qi energy went wild during a breakthrough.

    As Darcel was about to speak up, a bright purple shing from his pocket got everyone''s attention.

    Darcel reached in and took out the purple sh, which was a contact ring, having the initial M on it.

    The ring belongs to Melea. She didn''t waste any time when she finally got through to Darcel, immediately telling him, "Ah! Master! You''re finally done! During the time you''ve been gone, I have some great news for all of us! Oh, and congrattions on your breakthroughs."

    "Thank you, Melea, but now, tell us what great news happened," Darcel asks in rising curiosity.

    Ani and Masami listen in closely. Even if they both find Melea annoying, she would be the one with the most helpful intel.

    Be also focused up on listening since Melea didn''t even bother to contact her about this apparent great news.

    "It''s about Leader Kyrha. She had just be a ninth-level Heavenly King! Will this bring any changes to your ns?"

    Immediately, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt any genuine anticipation died down. They weren''t fretting about a ninth-level Heavenly King at all.

    The three of them had even briefly nced over to each other, and behind their masks, they all were shing confident smirks.

    Be, on the other hand, did feel a mild shock at this news. Mainly because it wasn''t even that long since Leader Kyrha went into closed-door cultivation.

    But she also knew, ultimately, it won''t matter in the end.

    Darcel responded to Melea in a rxed tone, saying, "Not at all, Melea. This changes nothing but does, in fact, be better for all of us. All you need to do now, Melea, is lure those other two leaders out. Once I mark them both, we can easily lure thest one out."

    "Ok, Master....but.we may need a slightly different strategy for these two Master. Compared to me, Karis and Zih aren''t so easily willing to go out and help with any old task members are assigned to." Melea cautiously exined to him.

    For a second, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes began ncing around the small cave. They could say they expected the other Snow Angels Leaders to fall in line with their group''s general prude behavior.

    Melea, Be, Lauren, and Abby were indeed rare exceptions in their proud Mercenary group.

    As the trio started to look around, it didn''t take long at all before their eyes focused on thest shard of the rainbow Crystalline.

    "Ah! I know what you''re all thinking, right?" Ani called out in a devious tone.

    "Oh, this is perfect! Even for all that pride, these Snow women have, they also are preyed to greed." Masami simrly remarked in a mischievous tone.

    "Eh? Mistresses? Have you found something else?" From the contact ring, Melea spoke up her confusion.

    Darcel was swift to answer her. "It''s what we already have, Melea. From the Heavenly Crystalline we absorb, there''s still a single shard left. And there''s still a fair amount of energy nestling in it. What you will do, Melea, ise over to his cave and ping the Crystalline shard remaining aura to both Karis and Zih. Given how your group so desperately wants strength, not even they can resist this temptation."

    As Darcel talked, he was gauging the amount of Qi energy left in the rainbow Crystalline.

    From a quick scan over, he sensed there indeed was still a fair amount of energy left that''ll have anybody lust over it.

    After he and the girls achieved theirtest breakthroughs, Darcel sensed it was like the rainbow Crystalline had forcefully cut itself off from them.

    He guessed it was an automatic attempt to preserve itself.

    Even though the rainbow Crystalline Qi energy isn''t nearly as potent as before, Darcel can just vaguely sense that its Qi energy was slowly regenerating.

    And when Darcel sensed it as slow, he really meant it was even slower than a snail pace.

    If it wasn''t for his own extraordinary Spirit Sense, Darcel wouldn''t even be able to tell that the Crystalline could regenerate.

    On the other end of the contact ring, it went silent for a moment as Melea contemted Darcel''s idea.

    After a moment, she told him, "This.yea.this could work, Master! As long as there''s still a tiny bit of that Heavenly Crystalline aura there, I can fool both Karis and Zih intoing. They, too, also like exploring for treasures anyways. But Master, what should I tell them about the dead White Demon group members since I just know you and Mistresses killed them all."

    "Don''t fret about that. We''ll mostly clean up the area, but we''ll let the stench of blood and death stay, so they don''t gain any suspicions uponing here. I''m sure you can make up a story from there."

    While talking, Darcel suddenly remembered that Demon Mikal had unluckily survived their ambushed attack. He briefly wondered if that guy was still in agony, struggling on to life, or kicked the bucket already.

    Either way, it was of little concern for him.

    "I already have several ns and stories forming in my mind already, Master! So when should we start this?"

    Thinking it over, Darcel knew he and the girls quite literally have nothing else to do after this. So they really only had one option if they wanted to use their time effectively.

    Darcel told Melea, "No time like the present. You cane over first, and we''ll have everything ready by then. Once you''re here, we''ll go over the n once again."

    Melea''s voice became incredibly excited then. "Alright Master! Oh, I just know Kyrha, Zih, and Karis will all love this when it''s all over!"

    The contact ring went dead as it lost its luster.

    "Ok, so I guess we''re on slight cleaning duties." Ani spoke in a small wry tone. She suddenly turned her gaze on Be, asking then, "But what should she be doing until Meleaes?"

    "With simple Qi, cleaning is a small task. As for Be, she''ll stay here and continue to stay when Melea arrives. It''ll help out Melea''s story to lure those other women out." Darcel exined.

    Be didn''t have a change in expression and simply nodded.

    Right then, Masami had suddenly perked up. She began to swiftly say, "Alright. For this battle, Ani and I will be handling it. You already got your chance to show off Darcel."

    Ani rapidly nodded her head in eager agreement, telling him, "Sami''s right. It''s time for us to stretch our arms a bit Darcy."

    Darcel didn''t have any objections and casually shrugged. "As you two wish."

    Although Darcel already knows their ''fight'' willst five seconds at best.

    "Ah, Leader Melea shouldn''t take too long to get here. She''s always eager to please." Be spoke up as she returned to leaning back on the cave''s wall.

    Darcel nodded, and he, Ani, and Masami vanished from Be''s sight.

    Be resumed closing her eyes, getting a bit of rest before the next crazy part of her day.

 Chapter 203: Luring Out

    Chapter 203: Luring Out

    A wave of one incredible new was storming through the Snow Angel District''s multi interconnected building.

    All the way at the top floor of their building, it was where the four Snow Angel Leaders resided. And currently inside another office besides Melea''s, a meeting was taking ce.

    The office the meeting took ce in was Snow Ange Leader Karis.

    And currently, Leader Karis was sitting behind her desk and across from her was a woman equal in beauty to her.

    This woman had radiated a more proud beauty aura simr to Captain Zara. She had a darker skinplexion which looked distinctly different from the usualplexion most cultivators tend to have. However, it still looked positively gorgeous on her, emitting a more exotic beauty vibe.

    The woman had far shorter hairpared to herpanions, only falling down to slightly beyond her shoulder. But, her hair had a lustrous blue shine that sparkled like flowing water.

    Her face had an enchanting allure as it was focused and determined, showcasing that she should not be undermined.

    Furthermore, her body was also a bit more lovely petite rather than sexily bombastic. Her petite body thrown in a mix of a cutesy aura that surprisingly fit well with her proudful air that constantly permeated around her.

    This lovely petite woman was Snow Angel Leader Zih.

    And both Leader Karis and Leader Zih had several thoughts swirling in their minds.

    Quite some time has passed since their fellow Leader Kryha had broken through to be a ninth-level Heavenly King. Word had swiftly spread in their group about it, causing every one of the Snow Angel members to be in a joyous mood.

    Even for how subdue and quiet the Snow Angels members are, they couldn''t contain their happiness on their Leader Kyrha reaching near the peak of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    Because of leader Kyrha''s breakthrough, a thought nestled in all Snow Angel Member''s minds.

    They all can finally be seen and fear as fiercepetitors for the Mercenary Exchange Event!

    Although their group certainly wasn''t the weakest here, they definitely couldn''t contend all that well against the strongest Mercenary groups.

    And they were always constantly just under the White Demon group in terms of overall power.

    But now, with their ninth level Heavenly King Leader, they could finally take a firm stance and rise up in this year''s event.

    The power of the ninth-level Heavenly Transformation realm is just that great.

    Even several dozen eighth-level Heavenly Kings would find it nearly impossible to seriously harm one-ninth-level Heavenly King. A cultivator''s Heavenly aura at the ninth level is on a whole other realm of prowess.

    However, despite all this good news, something else was weighing on both Leader Karis and Leader Zih''s minds.

    Leader Karis opened up their meeting with, "Even with a historic feat like today, you too also think Leader Melea is acting a bit.strange. Stranger than how she usually is, right?"

    Leader Zih furrowed her eyebrows. "It''s hard to tell. I don''t know what happened yesterday, but she''s awfully a lot more cheerier than she ever was. And I can''t differentiate if this is normal or something good happened to her."

    "Hmmm.maybe she''s being hidden about something? I didn''t think anything of it, before but yesterday, she quickly rushed out to help Captain Be and Zara. And when returning, it was like her whole mood evolved." Leader Karis couldn''t forget the ever-present broad smile Melea had on her face that day.

    And when Leader Karis had mentioned the other Captains, Leader Zih''s mind began to divulge on a different mysterious topic.

    Her eyes glowed up as she said, "Not only that but when they alle back, something about their general presence just felt.off. Leader Melea''s presence could always be felt from miles away. But now, it''s getting a bit tricky to tell if she''s even on the same floor as us. It''s like her presence is somehow diminishing."

    Leader Karis''s eyes simrly began to lit up. "Not only her. The young ones Lauren and Abby, Captain Zara, and even that damnzy Captain Be, they all are just a lot more trickier to detect. More suspicious is the fact all of these odd changes happened just a day ago."

    And unknown to both Leader Karis and Leader Zih, they were led a fool by Lauren, Abby, Zara, Be, and even Melea.

    Though in just a span of the night, both Leaders found their presences just trickier to pick up, the fact was, those women were letting both Leaders sense them.

    Whenever Melea would go for experiments outside her office, she practically walked circles around both Leader Karis and Zih.

    But, they were both, of course, entirely unaware of this.

    And whenever Melea had to go into a meeting with them, she adjusted her presence just enough so they wouldn''t get too suspicious of her.

    The same thing happened with the rest of Darcel''s Darkness servants, as they adjusted their presence just enough when leaving their own rooms.

    However, there''s still the in fact that they all began abruptly switching up in just one day. So suspicion still inevitably arose in both Leader''s minds.

    Zara, Be, and Melea expected something like this to happen. Still, Darcel assured them even if they do suspect, it won''t matter in the end.

    "Hm, whether or not this is all just a string of coincidences, Leader Kyrha can simply deal with whatever troublesome thing they have brewing." Leader Zih spoke in an utmost assured tone.

    Leader Karis inclined her head in agreement. In their group now, even if it wasn''t explicitly said, Leader Kyrha was quickly bing the unanimous Leader among them.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Suddenly then, a bright blue sh illuminated from Leader Zih''s pockets.

    Immediately both Leader Karis and Zih froze up.

    An incredible pure aura gushed out of the contact ring and stormed around the office like a tornado!

    Both Leader''s eyes widened as their Spirit Sense got a sharp whiff of this fantastic aura.

    A refreshing wave of energy cleared their minds and body just from this sliver of aura. With only just a tiny portion of the aura, Leader Karis and Zih could positively say that was the purest Qi energy they had ever sensed in their lives!

    It even far surpassed the pure Qi energy they could generate in their own building!

    Instinctively both women sprang to their feet; a rush of rising excitement was dawning both of their faces.

    Leader Zih quickly fished out the contact ring, her face showing an explosion of emotions she would rarely have in her life.

    She instantly spoke into the contact ring, saying in an overly eager tone that contrasted her proud personality, "Leader Melea! This aura.this Qi energy! Just what the hell is this.no.for that matter, just where the hell are you?!"

    Leader Zih is typically never the person to shout, but this incredibly vibrant Qi energy got her frantically wound up.

    <em>"Fufu~!"</em> Melea''s giggling voice echoed out from the contact ring. "So excited already, huh? Well then, what if I told you that Be and I have just stumbled upon a Heavenly Crystalline treasure!"

    Leader Karis and Zih''s awe was taken to the next level.

    They both, of course, heard of all those ancient tales about this treasure and its wondrous effects. But experiencing it in real-time.words simply couldn''t do this Qi energy justice.

    Leader Karis suddenly spoke up next, asking Melea, "Are you sure this is it? You''re not mistaking it for something else, right?"

    "Oh? Leader Karis is also here? Perfect! And no, I''m not mistaking it. The Crystalline has a glorious rainbow glow, and it''s spewing rainbow rays of light. It''s almost too addicting to look at."

    Leader Zih went silent for a moment. After her initial excitement, her rational mind began to return. And she realized that it shouldn''t be easy as this to just stumble upon a Heavenly treasure many would die for.

    With some suspicions starting to nestle in her mind, Leader Zih asked, "This is almost too good to be true.surely you must''ve seen or at least sensed someone close by. From what''s told, only a Mage can make this Heavenly Treasure appear."

    "Weell, there are signs of a great battle here. In front of the cave, there''s a wide range of charred ground and fresh bloodstains. But when scouring all around this ce, me and Be didn''t pick up on a single soul out there. Possibly, whoever fought must''ve ended in mutual destruction." Melea exined in an assured tone.

    Leader Karis and Zih fell silent again. They had no reason to doubt Melea''s words, even if she was acting a bit stranger a day ago.

    Furthermore, their Spirit Senses clearly sensed this incredibly pure Qi energy, which adds to Melea''s tale''s believability.

    Leader Karis and Zih shared onest look at each other and nodded.

    Leader Karis told Melea then, "Ok, we''ll head over there immediately. Leader Kyrha is still stabilizing her breakthrough, but once we make it there, I''m sure she''ll be nearly done, and I''ll ping her about it then."

    "Excellent! Oooh.I just can''t wait to take this back to our group! This will be life-changing for all of us!"

    Melea''s chipper voice echoed out of the contact ring one more time before losing its luster, going silently dead.

    Leader Zih nced up from her contact ring, and a sudden thought streaked into her mind. "Hey.didn''t we get reports for the past weeks about the White Demon group suspiciously going around like they''re preparing for their own treasure hunt?"

    Leader Karis wrinkled her eyebrows. "I can tell you may think this is they''re doing, right? But knowing the White Demon group, they''re not so careless to leave something so important like this unattended. Moreover, I don''t believe they would just carelessly die like how Melea described it."

    Leader Zih relented and shook her head. "No use in spection now. The three of usbined face even a ninth-level Heavenly King for a little bit of time. Plus, Be''s Spirit Artifact would also help with any unexpected troubles. Let''s go."

    Leader Karis didn''t object, nodded her head, and they both quickly left the office.

    .

    A little bit whileter.

    Leader Karis and Zih were miles deep into the skies, going visually unseen by anyone. They were soaring straight to where Melea''s contact ring had pinged them.

    Leader Karis and Zih didn''t spare any expense as they tore through the air at top speeds, bing a blur.

    Although they were so far up into the skies, going out of view, both Leaders still knew there was a chance for any other Mercenary group to sense them up here.

    But, both Leaders were willing to take the risk for this Heavenly treasure.

    Plus, they both were also immensely confident in their prowess to deal with any unwanted followers.

    As they traveled, both Leader''s Spirit Senses were spread out for dozens of miles. They would be prepared for any human ambushes or sudden Bird-type Spirit Monster.

    However, after traveling several miles already, neither Leader Karis or Zih sensed anythinge up.

    It was like just for today, everyone in New Branch City was busy, and all Spirit Monsters had cleared out in the Wild Snownds.

    Despite theck of beings, Leader Karis and Zih soldier on.

    It wasn''t until they made it within a couple of miles of the Heavenly Crystalline spot that Leader Karis and Zih finally experienced a change.

    They both abruptly stopped flying as a heavy stench instantly assaulted their noses.

    "Nnn.very rarely would I sense a stench so rotten like this. The stench of death." Leader Karis scrunched up her face while talking.

    The same sentiment was shared by Leader Zih as she simrly scrunched up her face.

    Though both Leaders were no stranger to the rancid smell of death, there was something about this stench that was absolutely putrid.

    "We''re basically close to the ce. And Melea did mention signs of a battle that took ce. Let''s check it out." Leader Zih suggested, and Karis nodded.

    They both quickly lowered themselves to the ground expecting a bloody sight. But halfway towards getting to the ground, both Leader Karis and Zih''s eyes widened at what they witnessed.

 Chapter 204: No Chance

    Chapter 204: No Chance

    "This.this kind of destruction. Just who could''ve caused this?" Leader Zih quietly muttered as her eyes trailed all around the chaotic, devastating scene.

    What appeared before Leader Zih and Karis''s eyes was a show of power; they both knew they''ll never be achievable with their own prowess.

    In fact, they don''t know anyone that can cause a scene like this.

    The gray mixed snowy ground was split open far and wide for several tens of miles. At the center of it all was an enormous hole in the ground neither Leaders could see the end to.

    It was like somebody forcefully took the whole of the ground and cracked it wide open with their bare hands.

    A feat they know not even the strongest Heavenly Kings can achieve.

    Looking down into each wide open crack in the ground was like staring into an abyss of Darkness. Neither Leader Zih or Karis could see beyond the Darkness, and their Spirit Senses couldn''t even go that deep underground.

    Even though their Heavenly Spirit Sense can expand for dozens of miles, they still had a max limit on how far they can go.

    For the spots of the ground that weren''t split open, everything was charred for miles. Andrge singr holes punctured through the ground next to some charred areas.

    Adding on to the chaotic scene was putrid gore of fresh blood and guts.

    There were patches of fresh bloodstains littering the area and even some charred, mangled flesh stered on the ground.

    Most obviously, Leader Karis and Zih concluded that this was the battle Melea mentioned.

    But what she didn''t mention was that this battle was far beyond anything they''ve seen. Leader Karis and Zih could just tell that theirbined prowess can''t surmount this even with their Spirit Artifacts.

    Some caution filled the two Snow Angel Leader''s body then.

    However, they didn''t get discouraged and continued to lower themselves to the chaotic area. And as they got closer, a pure wave of incredibly vibrant Qi energy made the Leaders snap their heads forward.

    Almost immediately, both Snow Angel Leaders nearly forgot all about the previous shocking scene.

    Their gazes were entirely locked and focused on a small structure cave exuding faint, dimly rainbow color lights.

    Leader Karis and Zih instantly sensed the incredible waves of Qi energy wereing from that small cave. And they both identified that this pure energy aura was the exact same they had sensed from Melea''s contact ring!

    Eagerness and a slight rise of greed began filling Leader Karis and Zih''s faces. But they didn''t let the greed get ahead of themselves and act irrationally.

    Leader Karis and Zih floated until they were a meter above the ground and stopped.

    As they stopped, a question entered both Leaders'' minds.

    They have their Spirit Senses continually expanded out. And yet, neither of them sense Melea or Be. Considering the fact that both Melea and Be for sure would''ve sensed theming, it was odd neither of them came out to greet them yet.

    The only thing both Snow Angels Leaders could possibly guess is that Melea and Zih simply aren''t in this area.

    In this instant, Leader Zih gained the idea to contact Melea again through her ring.

    But right then, both Leader Karis and Zih entirely froze.

    Their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as they genuinely couldn''t move any more!

    For Leader Karis, she felt a tremendous force crush down on her neck! An immensely powerful aura suppressed her entire being.

    A radiant white glow shrouded around Leader Karis''s entire body. Inside Leader Karis''s body, all of Heavenly Qi and Heavenly aura was instantly vaporized by an influx of pure white light energy.

    ''Wha-wha?!?'' Leader Karis was utterly gobsmacked by this abrupt situation.

    A frantic swirl of dread began bursting in her mind as it was impossible for her to do anything at all. Against this sudden tremendous force, she was the equivalent of a bug.

    Suddenly then, Leader Karis heard a voice slithered right into her ears.

    "Mnn.looking for treasure, huh?"

    The voice was amazingly sweet-sounding and hypnotically charming to listen to.

    But to Leader Karis, it was an absolute nightmare.

    She felt cold sweat pour down her head like a waterfall. A fear that Leader Karis never thought she would feel again in her life quickly crept on her.

    The fear of death.

    What made the fear even worse was the fact she was at the mercy of this terrifying, mysterious voice. Leader Karis could barely move her mouth to shout, which added to the haunting situation.

    At the same time, Leader Zih was in an equally death trapping situation.

    Much like Leader Karis, Zih had zero chance to react to anything. Butpared to Leader Karis, Zih was in far more pain.

    An agonizing burning sensation tightly clutched around her neck like a fiery snake.

    <em>''Sssch~!!'' </em>

    Leader Zih could quite literally hear the sizzles of me roaring around her neck. And it was genuinely the most terrifying thing she ever heard in her life.

    A colossal powerful aura invaded her body and soul, wiping away her Heavenly Qi and Heavenly aura. Leader Zih not only felt like she was burning but also couldn''t even struggle to move.

    However, a sound that surpassed even the sizzling of mes slithered into Leader Zih''s ears.

    "Tsk, tsk! Shooting so close to the sun, eh?"

    It was an astonishingly aggressive but beautiful voice of a woman that boomed around in Leader Zih''s head. This voice sent cold shivers up Leader Zih''s spine despite being heated up.

    ''Wh-why.how.'' Leader Zih was in absolute disbelief. The fear of death was causing chaos in her mind.

    And it was mental torture to know there was positively nothing she could do to prevent an uing death.

    Of course, the ones who was causing such mental torture on both Leaders were Ani and Masami.

    Ani was right behind Leader Karis; her hands were ignited in pure Light energy and tightly clutched on the back of her neck.

    While Masami was directly behind Leader Zih and one of her ming aura foxtails tightly coiled around her neck.

    Though Ani and Masami were wearing their masks, a vast grin had sprouted on both of their faces. They were basking in the feeling of absolute power.

    Although they were expecting this fight to be easy, they didn''t think it would be this easier.

    But, it was to be expected. Just when Ani was at the start of the True Soul Core realm and Masami was at the beginning of the Innate Core realm, they already had a significantly boosted prowess.

    They could already match fifth-level Heavenly Transformation cultivators just at the beginning of their realms.

    And then, with Ani being at the fifthyer link and Masami at the sixth rank, they were equal to a ninth level Heavenly King.

    Finally, now, after their repeated breakthroughs fromst night and from that rainbow Crystalline, their true prowess could only be imagined.

    Ani and Masami were able to get within mere inches behind both Leaders with their masked presence abilities now.

    Leaders Karis and Zih''s mere eighth-level Heavenly King prowess were essentially insectspared to the girls.

    If there''s one thing that Leader Karis and Zih could say about this nightmarish situation, it was that they never experienced power like this ever.

    Not even when they met the now ninth level Heavenly King, Leader Khyra, did she hold this kind of immense power. Honestly, both Leaders could say that Leader Kyrha''s prowess was nothing in front of this.

    And at this thought, Leader Karis and Zih thought they were about to die at this exact second.

    At their quickly rising death crisis, something inside both Leader Karis and Zih''s robes began to spark up.

    A gray hue started to rise up from within their robes, and two bursts of vast power began to crazily surge out of them!

    The power sting out of both Leaders quickly rose up to be the equivalent of a ninth-level Heavenly King!

    However, these rising surges of powers caused no sense of concern in either Ani or Masami. Both girls had briefly nced at each other, and they could just tell they both had wry smiles.

    "Uh-uh"'' Ani turned her attention back on Leader Karis, her voice a bit mocking.

    Her Spirit Sense located where this surge of power wasing from, and she quickly shoved her other hand inside Leader Karis''s robes.

    Ani''s hands immediately grasped the source of power without mistake. Her bloodline power instantly suppressed the source of power, causing its surge of energy to vanish.

    Once the power was neutralized, Ani pulled out just what was causing that surge of energy.

    "Oh? Never seen one quite like this!" What Ani pulled out was a small gray dagger that was now entirely shrouded in her''s white light energy.

    At the same time, Masami dispersed the ming aura shrouding one of her hands, used her Spirit Sense to locate the source of power inside Leader Zih''s robes, and quickly shoved her hand into her robes.

    Masami''s hand instantlytched on to that source of power, and her bloodline power suppressed it, causing its surge of energy to vanish.

    Pulling her hand out of her robes, Masami had seven bead jewel ne on her palm.

    The seven bead jewel ne got coated in a blue ming aura so its power can stay suppressed.

    "Tch, so this is what you rely on in tough spots? How pitiful." Masami spoke without a hint of remorse.

    Both Leader Karis and Zih nearly felt their minds break at this moment.

    Everything that happened was like a neck-breaking whish. Just a few moments before, they both were mighty eighth-level Heavenly Kings thatmanded a massive amount of respect.

    But now?

    They both were nothing but mere insects under two psychotic women that just attacked them out of the blue.

    Even for the long life and frightening experiences these Snow Angel Leaders had, they too had a rational fear of death.

    "Oh Darcy! They''re ready for you now!" Ani''s voice suddenly shouted.

    And when Ani said it, a Darkness sh popped right in front of Leader Karis and Zih''s eyes.

    Darcel made a haunting appearance as if he was a ghost.

    Immediately when appearing, Darcel raised both of his palms, ignited them in his Darkness Essence, and had then mmed both of his palms on Karis and Zih''s chest!

    "AHHH~!!!"

    Neither Leader Karis or Zih could contain their moaning shouts as intense waves of pleasure washed over them.

    Their bodies could now move again, and they both promptly began convulsing in overwhelming pleasure.

    All other emotion in their minds, fear, frustration, and dread, they all were instantly reced. The only emotion, the only feeling warping both Leader Karis and Zih''s minds, was Yin Pleasure!

    "Hmph." Both Ani and Masami snorted and dropped both of the Snow Angels Leaders to the ground.

    While on the ground, Karis and Zih still had no other thoughts. Their bodies writhed in pleasure as a warm feeling was starting to rise in their souls.

    Seeing their intense reaction, Ani curiously titled her head. "Mnnn.seems like your Darkness Essence is transforming at sonic speeds, Darcy."

    Masami had shrugged while observing the slowly writhing Snow Angel Leaders. "Hopefully, this will help break their annoying pride faster."

    Darcel had crouched down to get on Karis and Zih''s eye level.

    Both women suddenly snapped their heads right up to Darcel. The warm, soothing feeling had exponentially increased when staring into Darcel''s mask.

    Karis and Zih abruptly stopped writhing as their gazes got lost in Darcel''s gaze.

    Yin Pleasure was still coursing in their bodies and souls. But there was something so irresistible about Darcel''s presence that caused both women to calm down.

    And in the depths of their eyes, Darcel could spot a faint green shade hue gradually nestling.

    Without even going into their soulscape space, Darcel''s green shade Divine property was already affecting the women.

    "I won''t necessarily be breaking their pride. But the idea of speeding up this process is true." Darcel had exined to Masami.

    He had then put one finger on both Karis and Zih''s forehead, making their eyes go nearly all ck. Their eyes weren''t entirely ck as the green shade hue still shined within the Darkness.

    "This won''t take long, girls," Darcel told Ani and Masami before his eyes went nearly all ck with a prominent hue of a green shade.

 Chapter 205: Seconds Conversion

    Chapter 205: Seconds Conversion

    Inside the Crystalline small cave, a very faint multicolor glow shimmered. Compared to how it was when Darcel''s group had finished breaking through, there was now a soft luminosity to the cave.

    Be was still inside the cave,zily leaning against the wall. Her eyes trailed over to the single shard Crystalline, and her curiosity peaked.

    ''It really is like this thing is just slowly regenerating.'' Be remarked to herself.

    It hasn''t been long since Darcel''s group left to ''meet'' with Karis and Zih. But in this short span of time, even Be, who usually barely pay attention to minute details, could spot some slight growing changes in the Crystalline.

    The single Crystalline shard now noticeably looked slightlyrger than before. There was now a slightly more pronounced colorful huepared to its near faint dull glow from before.

    And the Crystalline incredibly pure Qi energy gained back more of its potent quality. Every wave of Qi energy the Crystalline emitted now was akin to inhaling a fresh wave of air.

    Be was guessing in her mind, fathoming that with just days or even several hours, this Crystalline could be halfway back to its prime state.

    Turning her attention away from the single shard Crystalline, Be stared over to Melea, who was sitting cross-legged, cultivating on the ground.

    Be found it amusing that as soon as their Master left, she immediately went into cultivating to further enhance her abilities in masking her presence.

    Be could tell, though it was a bit more subtly than Zara, that Melea as well was a bit bothered she was more skilled than her. Amusing as this thought was to her, Be wasn''t going to bother with teasing Melea about this.

    There was one thought that she was curious to get Melea''s opinion on, though.

    "You know." Be suddenly started to talk, and she saw Melea''s ears begin to twitch. "I only felt one brief re of power during our short time here. Looks like Mistresses already dealt with them. So how long do you think Karis and Zih willst under Master?"

    Even with her eyes closed, a bright smile lit up Melea''s face.

    She told Be in an entirely confident tone, "With Master current realm.I give them ten seconds at best. Those girls are quite a bit stubborn when they want to be."

    "Hmmm." Be hummed, though, in her mind, she believed it would be even quicker.

    Another thought clicked into Be''s mind as she asked next, "Speaking off proudness, any idea on how to lure Kyrha here? She''s the highest headstrong of them all."

    Melea''s eyebrows began wrinkling. Several ideas and ns she was resting on began resurfacing to her mind. But there wasn''t anything genuinely reliable she could confidently speak out on.

    "I''ve been brewing on thoughts and ns.nothing concrete yet, though. We''ll need Master and Mistresses inputs.oh?"

    Suddenly Melea flung her eyes back open. "Wait.you sense them too, right Be?"

    Be''s eyes glowed up as well, sensing several presences gradually walking up to the cave. "Oh? Seems like Master is far more amazing than what I already think. Kyrha better prepares herself."

    As Be finished talking, Darcel, Ani, Masami, Karis, and Zih walked into the cave''s entrance.

    Immediately both Karis and Zih''s eyes widened a bit when seeing Be and Melea.

    But a quick sh of realization streaked into their eyes the next second. Karis wryly shook her head while saying, "So that''s why you two were slightly suspicious. It''s all understandable under Master now."

    Any slight confusion Karis had before was all quickly cleared away.

    Compared to any other previous times when seeing these two, Karis now felt something clicked inside her in Be and Melea''s presence.

    And Karis promptly identified this as the unique power her Master had granted her. This linked feeling exined to Karis that they''re all under the same boat now.

    After her conversion, Karis felt her mind be far more precise and more determined. She felt as if she could more calmly analyze unexpected situations.

    The Yin pleasure coursing in her soul and through her body provided her with a blissful refreshing sensation she didn''t even know that she needed.

    As Karis finished talking, Zih quickly spoke up next. "And to think, this all happened in just a manner of a day. Master and Mistresses never waste a second, it seems."

    Simr to Karis, Zih felt her mind be sharper and more determined.

    She felt a rising eagerness to boost their entire Snow Angel group. And much like all other Darcel''s Darkness servants, Zih felt absolutely blissful in basking in the fantastic sensations that is Yin Pleasure.

    A small smile tugged on both Be and Melea''s lips.

    They already knew, no matter how high-strung their personality initially is, it simply can''tpare to Master''s Yin Pleasure skills.

    "Wee to the club." Be offered azy wave to her Leaders, now fellow Darkness Servants.

    "Ah! Just like I thought, you two are absolutely loving this!" Melea had already stood back up, offering both Karis and Zih a more bright weing.

    Darcel was smirking to himself, and his mind recalled back to both Karis and Zih''s conversion process.

    After several sessful repeated attempts and his far higher realm now, conversion became almost too natural and easy.

    Now his Yin Pleasure skills have a much more dominating effect in heavily minimizing the women''s initial fears. And, of course, the sensation of pleasure became far more potent.

    But the most significant change that made conversion much easier came in his green shade Divine Property.

    His green shade Divine Property exponentially grown and even has a gradual passive effect now.

    Darcel observed this when even before going into Karis and Zih''s soulscape space, they both instantly rxed at his close presence. Furthermore, there was also the green hue that had promptly nestle deep within their eyes.

    When thinking about these woman''s desires, Darcel had found they both had lined up to each other, much simr to the likes of Lauren and Abby.

    They had a rtively simple desire to be the strongest and most revered Mercenary group out of the whole Icy Cloud Province.

    But an interesting addition to their desires was the fact they even wanted to rise above the most powerful sects inhabiting this Province. They quite literally want to be the only Mercenary group that can make any Sects tremble to their knees.

    Darcel only needed to say to both women that he can grant them powers never before seen on this.

    And once activating his green shade Divine Property directly on his finger, both women were seen drowned in their desires for absolute power and respect.

    An interesting note that happened during this part of the conversion was that for the briefest of seconds, both Karis and Zih''s eyes turned entirely into a bright green hue.

    And after only a few seconds, Karis and Zih realized that the man touching them spoke no lies.

    Darcel was their true Master that''ll take them to rise far above anyone on the whole Sunset Savage Continent!

    From this conversion, Darcel could see now that his green shade Divine Property is actually that mysterious greenshard that was absorbed by his soul.

    But, before Darcel divulged any more thought into that mysterious greenshard, he heard Ani''s sweet, charming voice say,

    "Alright! Now we only need one more before we canplete our takeover. And I have an idea for it, Darcy."

    All attention focused on Ani then.

    Masami had curiously tilted her head, her face behind her mask morphing into a teasing smirk. "Oh really, now? Just how much more devious can you be?" She spoke in a mischievous tone.

    Ani pointed her gaze at Masami, haughtily putting her hands on her hips, and huffed up to say, "I can be plenty devious! It''s just Darcy is a more long-term thinker than me. But for this, we actually don''t need much. All we need.or well-"

    Ani pointed to the three Snow Angel Leaders, who all instantly perked up at attention.

    "All they need to do is call up Kyrha while pinging the Crystalline aura. Talk about how they managed to find the Heavenly treasure, but a powerful barrier is blocking it, and they need her power to break it. She''ll for suree running down then!"

    Karis ponders Ani''s suggestion for a moment. Her eyes began to twinkle the next second as she sensed the single Heavenly Crystalline shard aura and nodded.

    "This will work. It was enough to lure Zih and me here. Plus, the three of us here will make our story impossible to not believe."

    Masami crossed her arms and said in a slightly approving tone, not wanting to give Ani too much credit, "Hm. I suppose it''s not a bad n. Basically the same thing with some bells and whistles but enough to ignite anyone''s greed."

    Be, Zih, and Melea were silent in agreement seeing as the Heavenly Crystalline indeed was an irresistible temptation.

    Of course, the girls were waiting on Darcel to give the final word as he was the unspoken leader among them.

    Darcel didn''t have any objection, nodded his head, and told them, "Alright, this is perfect. As shees over here, we won''t wait. I''ll intercept her and do her conversion in a snap."

    "Hmmm.Master your prowess basically makes her an insectpared to you. The only thing I will say is her high headstrongness can be a bit tricky. She''s even more headstrong than Karis and I." Zih swiftly spoke up.

    And Masami promptly snorted. "Hmph! Don''t worry about that. In just a manner of seconds, she''ll fall quickly just like you all."

    Neither Karis and Zih thought Masami was wrong since Darcel quite literally did their conversion in a manner of seconds.

    Suddenly then, Melea gently grabbed both Karis and Zih''s shoulders.

    "Oooh! This is just going to be so great! All of us, under Master and Mistresses lead, taking our Snow Angel group to the top!" She spoke in an energetic, chipper tone.

    If it was the past, Karis and Zih would''ve subtly shaken Melea''s hands. They were never really used to her high optimism. Nor did they understood why she always has that much energy.

    But now, with the link they both feel to her, Karis and Zih didn''t mind her touch. It even felt a bitforting, though neither Snow Angels Leaders would even openly admit that.

    Be added her own input then, saying, "Just remember not to be obstinate to Mistresses, and we all will live afy life."

    "Hm." Ani and Masami simultaneously nodded, and Masami said in an approving tone, "At least they''re quickly knowing their ce."

    As the women conversed, Darcel took a look over his whole group.

    ''A scene any men would fall over for.'' Darcel remarked in his mind as his team was nothing but kingdom toppling beauties any men would go berserk for.

    And the fact that they''re all subservient to him would surely ignite any man''s envy.

    Darcel wryly shook his head at this thought and told the girls, "Now then, let''s finish everything off. Either one of you, Melea, Karis, or Zih, will contact Kyrha so we can finish her conversion."

    "Yes, Master!" Karis, Melea, and Zih eagerly spoke simultaneously.

    Darcel smirked as he basked in the atmosphere of his team. From his Darkness Servants to Ani and Masami, Darcel felt everyone''s rising anticipation for the near future.

 Chapter 206: The Last One

    Chapter 206: The Last One

    It was at the Snow Angel''s District multi interconnected building.

    There exist an extraordinary special room at the very top of this massive building that reached several miles high into the sky.

    It was an immensely unique room very, very few had ess to, and barely anybody knows about this room. The staircase leading to this top floor area was heavily protected by several formations, allowing only four certain people toe up here.

    The top area didn''t contain anything remarkable in design.

    It was simply the usual pure white coat of paint that the rest of the Snow Angel''s building painted on their walls.

    The only thing the top area contained was that distinctive hidden room.

    Even before one would go up to the white doors that contained this special room, anybody would feel positively refreshed on this top floor area.

    Permeating the air here was a different quality of Qi energy that wasn''t avable to the outside world. It was incredible purified Qi energy, a quality of Qi energy any cultivator would lust over.

    And beyond the white doors, here was a room entirely fitted for closed-door cultivation.

    Inside, this room contained the most purified Qi the Snow Angel''s group had to offer. There was seemingly an endless amount of purified Qi here.

    These kinds of purified Qi spaces were called Qi Haven Doors.

    And inside the Snow Angel group''s Qi Haven Door, it was a massively expansive area. This Qi Haven space could fit up to hundreds of people at the same time.

    Following the aesthetic of the Snow Angel group, this Qi Haven space is entirely pure white.

    There wasn''t any furniture, walls, or any unnecessary design in this Qi Haven space. It was entirely for cultivators to enlighten themselves and experience bouts of incredible growth.

    Despite how far and wide this Qi Haven space was, there was only one long figure inhabiting the ce.

    It was a woman who floated a few feet off the ground, sitting still in a focused meditative position.

    This woman was a beauty that surpassed even top-notch beauties.

    She exuded a pure fairy-like presence with glistening creamy white skin that could shine bright even in the darkest of nights.

    This woman had a peerless beautiful face that looked perfectly sculpted, radiating a sexy maic allure. She had dazzling light blue hair that elegantly danced down to her waist like a natural flowing waterfall.

    Completing her near hypnotic appearance was a wlessly bodily figure. She had a bewitching figure-eight body that burst with raw sexiness and stole the souls of anybody daring enough to stare at her.

    Her pure white robe dress perfectly nuzzled on her sexy body, entuating her pure fairy-like maiden aura.

    This woman was the strongest out of the whole Snow Angel group. She was the Snow Angel Leader, Kyrha!

    One of the first ninth-level Heavenly Kings that everyone in their group believed will lead them to achieve glorious feats!

    After Leader Melea, Karis and Zih briefly met up with her, Leader Kyrha promptly went back to cultivating.

    Even as she achieved a significant level in the Heavenly Transformation realm, Leader Kyrha didn''t let it go to her head. She knew she had to take the extra time to stabilize her foundation after this massive breakthrough.

    And quite some time has passed since then.

    With Leader''s Kyrha exceptional talent, she was just nearing the edge of stabilizing her ninth-level Heavenly King aura.

    As she neared closed, a sudden blue glow shed from within Leader Kyrha''s robes. When the illuminating blue sh sparked, Leader Kyrha''s eyes immediately swung wide open.

    Despite being in a literal Qi Haven right now, Leader Kyrha was sensing an aura far, far purer than the Qi energy here. A wave of incredible refreshing energy washed over Leader Kyrha''s mind, nearly clearing away all of the tension in her mental state.

    Her eyes snapped down into her clothes in slight disbelief.

    Leader Kyhra didn''t think twice and snappily took out the blue sh, which was a contact ring that had the initial ''KI'' signed on it.

    She immediately began talking into the contact ring, saying, "Leader Karis.this aura.is this what I think it is?!"

    Several old tales began running through Leader Kyhra''s mind with each passing second she spent under the contact ring aura. For rare moments like this in her life, she legitimately couldn''t keep her excitement down.

    "Indeed it is Leader Kyrha. Just some time ago, Leader Melea had called us out here as she had found a Heavenly Crystalline treasure! Unfortunately, though, we can''t get past the barrier blocking. It''s all three of us, Melea, Zih, and I, yet we can''t make a dent into it. We need your help, Leader Kyrha." Leader Karis''s voice echoed from the contact ring.

    Leader Kyrha ponders it for a moment.

    To be able to gain an incredible treasure like this is a dreame true. Although Leader Kyrha did have one question. "Did you have to fight anybody to get it? Were there signs of people there?"

    "Well.we didn''t have to fight anyone. But there were signs of a great fight here, though it seemed like it ended in mutual destruction. We''ve been here for quite some time, yet nobody still hasn''t shown up. And even if they did, there''s not much that can seriously threaten us." Leader Karis seamlessly exined.

    Leader Kyhra thinks all of this over once again.

    It was basically impossible to give up on a treasure as great as this. And Leader Kyrha also began to recall the specific Mage requirements needed to even open up the cave.

    On that note, Leader Kyrha''s mouth began to slightly curve up as she knows the perfect thing for this little barrier.

    She told Leader Karis then, "Ok. One of you wille back over here to watch the ce while I''m gone. I''ll be there shortly."

    "Ok, Leader Kyrha. And I think Zih will be the one that goes back." After Leader Karis finished talking, the contact ring lost its luster, going silently dead.

    ''Hmm.with how I am now, I nearly have an early perfected foundation. It''s enough.''

    Leader Kyrha went over several possibilities in her mind. But out of everything, she was assured no immediate danger will befall her or her group while traveling.

    With her prowess and her Spirit Artifact, Kyrha didn''t even fear tenth-level Heavenly Kings.

    A bright blue glow suddenly shrouded Leader Kyrha''s body, and she had then vanished from sight.

    .

    Sometimeter.

    Leader Kyrha was briskly sailing through the skies. She didn''t take any caution at all and was sting through the air at top speeds, bing a blur that split apart the clouds.

    As she traveled, it was almost like what Leader Kyrha expected.

    Nobody was daring enough to follow a powerful ninth-level Heavenly King. Even for how reckless some Mercenary groups can be, they all clearly know their limit.

    Leader Kyrha also had her Spirit Sense spread out for dozens of miles around her, being prepared for any unexpected situation.

    However, the most strange part of this all was the fact there wasn''t a single being to where she was heading.

    Although she expected no humans toe because of her realm, Leader Kyrha didn''t even sense somebody attempting toe near her range.

    In fact, she barely sensed anyone outside of New Branch City.

    Thisck of appearance fell on the Spirit Monsters as well. There weren''t any feral, savage beasts trying to im her life.

    Despite the strangeness of it all, Leader Kyrha didn''t have the time to sit back and contemte why.

    She continued on through the air, crossing tens of miles in a short while.

    It wasn''t until Leader Kyhra made it within several miles of the spot Kari''s contact ring pinged her did a change happen.

    As Leader Kyrha got close, and incredibly foul stench whiffed into her nose. It was the putrid odor of death and blood. An odor she was all familiar with.

    Although, this odor smells even more rancid than usual. Leader Kyrha scrunched her nose but didn''t stop flying.

    However, right then, Leader Kyrha''s eyes burst wide open, her bodypletely froze up as a frantic of overwhelming fear boomed into her mind.

    An immensely powerful aura that was causing the air itself to freeze had crushed down right on her body.

    To her body and into her soul, this tremendously powerful aurapletely constricted her entire being!

    Her ninth level Heavenly aura and Heavenly Qi was utterly vaporized, leaving Leader Kyrha entirely powerless under this terrifying unknown figure.

    "Wha-wha-AHHH~?!?"

    A high pitch moan of pure pleasure squeaked out Leader Kyhra as a Darkness tendrils had blitzed down towards her from the sky and tightly wrapped around her waist, all in the span of half a second.

    Leader Kyrha only saw her vision going slightly dark before the instant surprised attack.

    She barely felt a slight re of pain from how tightly the Darkness tendril crushed her waist. But, that re of pain, her initial fears all pales inparison to this sudden intense sensation of overwhelming pleasure!

    Leader Kyrha couldn''t focus on anything else. Her tongue drooped out of her mouth, and her eyes began to water over from the pleasure.

    Right then, Leader Kyhra blinked her eyes as a figure coated entirely in Darkness sted past her like a missile.

    The Darkness figure shot straight towards the ground, and Leader Kyrha felt an intense tug around her waist.

    "Ahh~!" Leader Kyrha''s shouted in a mix of pleasure and surprise as her body was pulled towards the ground like a helpless child.

    There simply wasn''t anything she could do in this situation.

    This Darkness figurepletely suppressed and destroyed her ninth level Heavenly aura and Heavenly Qi. Furthermore, the pleasure sensation taking over her mind, body, and soul made her not even want to struggle free.

    Leader Kyrha''s unfocused eyes helplessly watched as the gray mixed snowy ground quickly approached her.

    <em>''BANG!'' </em>

    Leader Kyrha was violently mmed into the ground, causing a mini crater to form beneath her impact.

    "Nnng~! Ahhh."

    However, instead of any squeals of pain, there were only moans of pleasure leaking out of Leader Kyrha.

    Somehow from that impact, the pleasure only got better!

    Leader Kyhra felt as if her whole being was lit aze with desire. Her loins were moist and had a burning craving there. But all Leader Kyrha could do was convulse her body in pleasure as she couldn''t move her arms.

    Leader Kyhra slowly lifts her head up, realizing that it may be over for her.

    That violent impact not only made the pleasure increase but also dispersed the Spirit Artifact power that was attempting to surge within her robes.

    The impact from the ground released a mere small percentage of the tremendous aura power and easily overwhelmed the Spirit Artifact power.

    A power that had risen to be equal to tenth level Heavenly King power was absolutely nothing against this Darkness aura.

    As Leader Kyhra''s body writhe in pleasure, her pupils began to dte.

    She spotted that same Darkness figure that zoomed past her, slowly walking up to her. Though her eyes were a bit unfocused, she could make out the appearance that the figure was a man wearing a ck mask.

    Of course, this masked man was Darcel.

    And he was delightfully smirking behind his mask as he walked over to Leader Kyhra''s body. When he made it right over her body, Darcel heard something fainte from her.

    In just a barely audible tone being a vague faint whisper, Darcel heard,

    "So-so warm."

    Leader Kyrha''s face was back down in the snow as these words subconsciously leaked from her mouth.

    Darcel''s very presence brought about a warming, soothing sensation that mixed in with her burning lustful desires.

    ''Hmm.seems like I don''t even need to directly touch them now.'' Darcel had hypothesized in his mind as both his Yin Pleasure skills and his green shade Divine Property were only growing stronger.

    Darcel had then crouched down, slowly lifted Leader Kyrha''s head up, and expectantly saw a faint green shade hue nestling within the depths of her eyes.

    ''Now for the finale.'' Darcel remarked to himself and touched Leader Kyrha''s forehead with one finger, making her and his eyes go nearly all ck with a hint of a green shade within them.

 Chapter 207: Continuous Improvement

    Chapter 207: Continuous Improvement

    Darcel looked around his current scenery with mild surprise nestling in his soul from body eyes. He was now in Leader Kyrha''s soulscape space, and there were immediate, surprising changes here.

    Darcel had expected his Darkness Essence nearly taking over her whole soulscape, drowning out most of Leader Kyrha''s blue Ice essence.

    But what he hadn''t expected were shimmering light spots of a green hue.

    When invading Leader Karis and Zih''s soulscape space simultaneously, there weren''t any green hue spots soling their soulscape space. The only green hue was within their eyes.

    Darcel wanted to continue thinking about this, but his mind got quickly diverted.

    A feeling streaked through Darcel''ls soul body then. His eyes began to twinkle as he instinctively whipped his body around to stare at the person he came for.

    Leader Kyrha''s soul core body was on her feet, but a single Darkness tendril wrapped around her waist.

    Compared to his previous targets, Leader Kyrha didn''t need to be wrapped up in numerous Darkness tendrils.

    And there was another key differencepared to all other times Darcel performed his conversion.

    Shrouding Leader Kyrha''s body was a faint green hue aura that resembled the shimmering green spots in her soulscape space.

    Even when Darcel went into Karis and Zih''s soulscape, they were still wrapped in numerous Darkness tendrils. And around their soul''s core bodies, there wasn''t any green hue aura.

    ''So it''s already improving this much, huh?'' Darcel nodded to himself as he didn''t even expect his green shade Divine Property to grow this rapidly.

    Everything was already madepletely easy because Darcel was simply stronger than all of his targets during their conversion. His soul could dominate them all.

    But with targets stronger than him, Darcel knew the conversion process wouldn''t be nearly as easy.

    If it was the past before the hell trials, Darcel would need to heavily weaken the woman''s soul before the conversion, just like he did with Ninu.

    However, now Darcel felt absolute assured confidence in making women stronger than him, his Darkness Servants.

    And it''s all because of his green shade Divine Property.

    Just with how fast this ability is growing with each breakthrough, Darcel had an assured feeling he would be able to convert even half-step Grand Sages!

    Suddenly, Darcel was taken out of his thoughts as he heard,

    ''So-so warm.mnnn.so warm.''

    Leader Kyrha''s hypnotic voice smoothly slinked into Darcel''s mind.

    He began broadly smiling, and he as gazed over Kyrha''s face, he saw her mouth slowly moving, uttering in a quiet voice,

    "So warm.mnnn.so warm."

    Outside and inside, Leader Kyrha could only focus on an overwhelming warmth sensation. In simplest terms, it was absolutely the best sensation Kyrha ever had in her long life.

    And as Darcel''s gaze peered over her, Leader Kyrha instinctively snapped her heads up towards him.

    Nestling within her eyes, Darcel didn''t see any frustration, dread, fear, or hatred. There was only a mix of confusion and pleasure.

    "You-you.Ahhh~" A low moan escaped from Leader Kyrha''s lips.

    With each passing second, she stared at Darcel, the stronger of a connection she felt towards him.

    Leader Kyrha stared right into Darcel''s ck and white mask as she tried to ask, "What-what is this? I feel so."

    "Empowered?"

    Darcel asked as he started walking up to Leader Kyrha.

    In response to Darcel''s answer, Kyrha paused for a moment. Indeed, this warmth mixed with pleasure sensation was making her feel like she was on top of the world.

    Leader Kyrha couldn''t understand what was going on. But her mind was quickly beginning to believe that this masked man won''t hurt her.

    Slowly, Kyrha nodded her head at Darcel''s question.

    As he walked up to her, Darcel''s presence was so warm that it was bing an addicting sensation for Leader Kyrha. There wasn''t anything that Kyrha could legitimately hate about Darcel or these sensations.

    Darcel made it within a few inches of Leader Kyrha.

    Staring up close in her face, he appreciated the fairy-like beauty Kyrha naturally radiated. And her beauty was enhanced by expressions being warped with pleasure and warmth.

    Darcel didn''t say anything, raised a single finger, and at the tip of his finger, his green shade Divine Property began shrouding it.

    Leader Kyrha''s eyes became entirely focused on the luminous green aura encasing the tip of Darcel''s finger.

    It was too beautifully mesmerizing to simply look away.

    None of Leader Kyrha''s high headstrongness or stubborn pride showed up here. She was entirely under the whims of Darcel''s power.

    Seeing how entranced Leader Kyrha already is, Darcel began to talk in a hypnotic, soothing tone. "You know.I don''tpliment others often. But, it''s quite admirable you have the drive to lift people who''ve been in weak positions like you had once been in. And under me? Nobody will be weak."

    "We-weak.mn." Kyrha quietly muttered as Darcel''s words struck her to the core.

    Everything Darcel said in just that instance made Kyrha briefly recall some deep and personal memories that she keeps nestled in her mind.

    Although Darcel is really just aplete stranger to her, his presence is heavily affecting her.

    It was all abination of Yin Pleasure, the green shade Divine Property and Darcel himself that helped quickly from that connection with Kyrha.

    Her mind was still in a frantic loop. But one thing that was bing more assured in her mind by every nanosecond that passes with Darcel.

    It is that he is a warmth that she didn''t even know that she needed.

    Kyrha''s jumbled state of mind was inly evident on her face. Darcel strikes while the iron is hot and poked his green aura finger on Kyrha''s forehead.

    Immediately Kyrha stiffens up for a split second but quickly rxed the next second.

    Kyrha was drowned in her desire to empower weak people that she thinks; they''re worth it. The desire for support, power, and protection courses throughout Kyrha''s entire being.

    Only a few seconds went by.

    But Kyrha already saw the path she needed to take now. The mysterious masked figure in front of her.no, her Master is showing her the way!

    Under her Master, they''ll never let undeserving people suffer!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A Darkness glow suddenly burst from within the center of Kyrha''s soul core body! Her Darkness soul link swiftly formed and solidified all in a span of a couple of seconds.

    Darcel kept his finger in ce as the conversion was almost finished.

    Kyrha had closed her eyes for a few moments. After a short bit of silence, she suddenly said without opening her eyes,

    "Master~...."

    Darcel felt a small jolt of surprise as Kyrha''s voice was almost like a cute purr. For a woman described as headstrong as her, he certainly didn''t expect that out of her personality.

    Kyrha opened her eyes the next second; a determined yet soft expression quickly dawned on her face.

    She continued to say, "Master.let''s lift the spirits of those are worth it!"

    Darcel appreciated the sudden bright enthusiasm Kyrha suddenly gained. And he found that soft determined expression on her surprisingly cute.

    With the conversionpleted, Darcel began to take his finger away from Kyrha''s forehead. Upon doing so, Darcel got further surprised when, for the briefest of seconds, he spotted a sh of disappointment popping up in Kyrha''s clear eyes.

    A pleased smirk etched on Darcel''s lips as his conversion abilities are gaining significant advancement each time.

    Even though it was only a brief sh of emotion, it still told plenty enough to Darcel about Kyrha''s loyalty. The more addicted she is to his overall presence, the more eager she will be to please him.

    Darcel snapped his finger, causing the Darkness tendril around Kyhra''s waist to vanish.

    Now free, Kyrha had regainedplete control over her body.

    And the first thought that came into her mind was showing her Master her gratitude. Kyrha promptly bowed her head in front of Darcel and said in an unmistakable respectful voice,

    "Master, shall we get back to the others."

    Darcel tilted his head a bit, finding Kyrha''s words a bit curious considering he hadn''t even mentioned anything about the others. But he also realized she must''ve already guessed the other Snow Angel Leaders were here since they intentionally lured her here.

    Darcel nodded at Kyhra, telling her, "Indeed and urate guess you got there."

    .

    At the entrance of the Crystalline small cave, Ani was the only one standing out here.

    Though Ani didn''t have as many problems with Darcel''s Darkness Servants like Masami does. She still prefers to not interact much with them.

    As bright and weing she was, Ani felt more of a slight sense of superiority to the Darkness Servants than Masami''s overt jealousy.

    When the rule is that all of their Darkness Servants will unhesitatingly listen to whatevermand she has. And the fact that none of them can ever disrespect her, it would be inevitable for Ani to feel a bit above them.

    Ani never really had control for most of her life, even during the starting moments of her journey.

    So having this much absolute control over very prideful people was an absolute delight to Ani.

    Currently, though, Ani''s mind was focused on other things. She mainly had her mind on the topic of revenge.

    Ani already has aplete assurance that they would be able to prove Masami is now the best talent in her sect, and nobody in her younger generations will be able to catch up to her.

    What she was more focused on was the part where Darcel mentions they''re going to take on even Grand Sages.

    And it wasn''t that Ani feared them, but she wondered how far are they''re going to go when cutting down those enemies.

    Being raised inside the cruel and inhumane Parasol Organization, Ani is already utterly indifferent to killing. She has already killed numerous times on their journey so far.

    However, she had never really entertained the thought of killing a sizable amount of people before.

    And Ani knows when they go to ''clear out'' all of Masami''s enemies, there will be bloodshed.

    In their kind of world, talks will never be enough to get one''s point across. Everyone can wield highly destructive power, and very few want to be entirely subservient to one person. Especially if they don''t respect them.

    As she thought more on this subject, Ani began to furrow her eyebrows.

    ''Mnnn.nope! I just don''t feel any different about this. Actually.'' Her expression began to brighten behind her mask.

    ''I know I''ll feel extremely happy about doing this! Masami will get the respect she deserved!'' At the thought of putting a genuine loving smile on Masami''s face, all other things didn''t matter to Ani.

    Even if killing a sizable chunk of people may seem cruel and demonic to others, Ani simply couldn''t care about it.

    The bonded soul link between her, Darcel, and Masami can never be broken, and Ani would do anything for them.

    All because they''re a team and will always stick together. At this line of thought, Ani felt her mind just be a bit clearer and more focused on anything that wille to challenge their unbreakable team.

    Suddenly then, Ani felt her Spirit Sense prick, and she turned her gaze to the sky.

    A broad smile curved her lips as she watched a bright blue figure swiftly float down towards her. "Sami! You sure did get Darcy down there fast."

    "Hm. Of course." Masami began boasting, having arms crossed under her chest as she floated down within a few inches apart from Ani. "No matter how fast a mere ninth level Heavenly King is, it''s still snail pace to any one of us."

    "Ahh.always so boastful. Oh! By the way, do you still have some energy left in your dantian? Like some of that Crystalline Qi energy is still slowly getting absorbed inside you?" Ani suddenly asked.

    Masami looked down at her body, putting her hand on the lower half of her stomach, and said, "Yea.a bit. I thought it was normal that the Crystalline didn''t enhance as much because of our special cultivation. But.maybe we slightly underestimate that crystal."

    Ani was about to speak again when suddenly, her and Masami''s gazes shot forward. They both picked on two signatures walking towards them.

 Chapter 208: New Stay

    Chapter 208: New Stay

    Ani and Masami felt a slight bit of joy as they identified one of the presences walking up to them. They both began to smile, but a question did pop in their minds.

    ''Wasn''t it just seconds ago he started it?'' Both Ani and Masami thought.

    And as both girls sensed the two presences, they both had quickly appeared in their vision.

    And of course, it was Darcel and the now Darkness Servant Kyrha.

    "Fuuu~, so quick, Darcy! Quite literally a few seconds before you got here, Sami had just arrived here. Your conversion is at lightning speeds now!" Ani whistles in eager excitement.

    The faster Darcel could do the conversion process on these women, the wider their control can breach, and more things can get done. It made Ani genuinely curious about the opened possibility of Darcel having the ability to possibly one day do an instant conversion.

    "If you were just going to be this quick, then I would''ve just waited for you," Masami remarked, feeling a simr rush of excitement on the constant approving abilities of Darcel''s conversion powers.

    She had then trailed her eyes over Kyrha''s face, who had a small kind smile curving up her lips. Masami slightly nodded and said, "Hm, at least she appears obedient."

    Kyrha was trailing six feet behind Darcel, slightly lowering her head dutifully at Ani and Masami before even getting close to them.

    Darcel nodded to the girls, feeling a bit of pride swell in himself at theirpliments, and told them, "It''s all thanks to Yin Pleasure. And those chaotic shards our souls absorb. In fact, without that, I really wouldn''t be nearly as fast."

    "Those chaotic shards, huh? Mnnn.those shards still seem even more special than just overpowering our attacks." Ani thought out loud.

    She, Darcel nor Masami didn''t care that Kyrha was listening in on a great secret like this. Darcel''s Darkness Soul link is permanently engraved into Kyrha''s soul core, and she''ll never leak out or betray the trio ever.

    "Alright, alright, we can think about thatter. For now, with all four Snow Angels Leaders under us, we basically control the entire group. What devious ns do you have next, Darcel?" Masami''s tone turned increasingly mischievous at the end.

    And Darcel was sure that Masami had an equally mischievous smile on her face while talking.

    Wryly smiling to himself, Darcel told the girls, "Now, we won''t have to deal with anything troublesome if we want resources or intel. But before we continue onto the next group, we should rest up to properly digest everything that happened thesest couple of days. With that Crystalline Shard broken, it''s no use to us now; we''lle back for itter."

    While they had waited for Kyrha toe, Darcel had already attempted to take thest Crystalline Shard. Unfortunately, though, even at his full power, thatst Crystalline Shard didn''t budge a single bit.

    As Darcel''s finished talking, Kyrha''s eyes suddenly lit up.

    She boldly began talking, asking her Darcel, "Master. Mistresses, may I make a suggestion?"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami snapped their attention over to her. Ani and Masami didn''t particrly want to hear Kyrha''s suggestion.

    But Darcel didn''t mind at all. "Go ahead and tell us then."

    "You see, Master, I can get you all without being seen at all at our Snow Angel''s base. Because of your Masked presence abilities, you''ll practically be invisible, and I have a route to get in that isn''t known to people. In our base, I have a suitable room that can make cultivation much smoother." Kyrha smoothly exined.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami paused for a moment and look over at each other. They contemted where they should stay, and Ani was the first to arrive at a swift conclusion.

    "I say, let''s go! We should get to know the base we essentially took over. Plus, it''ll be better than that small inn."

    "That, and it will also be easier to ring up these servants." Masami approvingly nodded her head also.

    Darcel also saw far more advantages at staying with the Snow Angels. So he nodded his head, telling Kyrha,

    "Alright, we''ll make the next step of our ns there."

    "Oh? Would you look at this? Our number one Snow Angel Leader is finally here, and she''s joining us." Thezy voice of Be echoed out the cave as she was the first one to arrive at the entrance.

    "I guess now, the whole gang of Snow Angels Leaders can maybe get along better this way. Wee to the servants club." Be continued on, offering Kyrha azy wave and rxed smile.

    Any formalities Bell would have about Kyrha being the strongest Snow Angel Leader was getting quickly dropped because of Darcel''s presence.

    Kyrha simply had a slight smirk as she stared past Be''s rxed face. And as she expected, Melea, Karis, and Zih were all walking out of the cave.

    The four Snow Angels Leaders'' eyes met, and a hint of amusement danced in each of their eyes.

    "Well, well. Looks like things will get a lot more interesting now." Kyrha said with a hint of amusementcing her tone.

    Karis and Zih only crossed their arms at her, smirking all the while. And only Melea had a big weing smile as she said,

    "Indeed. You don''t even know the half of it, Kyrha. Master and Mistresses truly are that extraordinary. But now that we''re linked up and together, shall we head on over to the base?"

    "Right. You take the lead, Kyrha." Darcel directed, and Kyrha promptly turned around and began slowly rising up in the air.

    Masami had grabbed both Darcel and Ani''s hands and began rising up in the air with them, following right behind Kyrha.

    Melea, Karis, Zih, and Be were right behind them as well.

    .

    A whileter.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami stood still as their gazes roamed up and door a big white door. The trio was currently in a pure white design hallway, and on the walls were elegant artsy designs.

    "Heey.seems like you weren''t full of hot air, Kyrha. I can already feel the purified Qi opening up my pores!" Ani genuinely praised as small waves of pure Qi emitted from being so close to the white door.

    In Ani''s honest opinion, she was indeed impressed by the Snow Angel''s massively interconnected building. But she could really just say she was a sucker to the all-white aesthetic these Snow Angel women coated themselves in.

    Ani assumed it probably has a bit to do with how she has Light Essence nestling inside her soul, but the color white was always pleasing to her eyes.

    Like how Darcel can feel warmth with Darkness, Ani felt the same with any pure white color.

    "I''m d you think Mistresses. Out of most Mercenary groups and even some powerful Sects Qi Haven spaces, we have a high quality that even they would praise." Kyrha stated as she was right beside the trio.

    "Hm." Masami remained impassive, only giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. Shepared the pure Qi here to the Crystalline pure Qi, and the Crystalline was obviously far superior.

    Although even Masami could admit to herself that it wasn''t an entirely fairparison topare these two.

    Other than that, in contrast to how Ani felt warm about the pure white color. Masami only found the constant white as drooling.

    ''Seriously, how don''t these women''s minds just burst from constant white eyesore color.'' Masami slightly shook her head, not even wanting to understand what went on in these Snow Angel women''s minds.

    Darcel remained neutral but was nodding his head in approval. His mind began to briefly recall just how easy it was to get up here.

    And Indeed, Kyrha did have a secret route to get into the Snow Angel''s building.

    A very secret route that not even Melea, Karis, or Zih knows about.

    Before they even got here, Melea, Karis, Zih, and Be have split off to take the standard route and await Darcel''s further instruction.

    Once the trio was alone with Kyrha, they naturally weren''t noticed by anyone''s Spirit Sense as the three had already masked their presence.

    Kyrha had then led them on the secret route, which led to the very top of their building.

    And with just a snap of Kyrha''s hands, she disabled the protective formations for a few seconds, allowing Darcel''s group to enter undetected.

    Darcel felt mild amusement thinking about it since it was almost like a Sunday stroll he took with his girls. So easily did he invade a massive Mercenary group and right under the noses of the City Lords of New Branch City.

    Darcel returned his attention back to reality and turned his gaze over at Kyrha, telling her, "We''ll be staying the night here. During this course, I want you and the other Leaders to gather the most useful intel you have on the other Mercenary group and that Mage''s Mercenary group. I''ll ping for when you toe and give us the intel. Also, don''t forget to cultivate masking your presence with your Darkness Soul link."

    During their travel here, Darcel had already received Kyrha''s contact ring.

    "Right away, Master." Kyrha dutifully nodded, turned around, and left the area, heading straight towards the only staircase in the hallway.

    Once alone, Masami boldly strolled up to the door and smacked one of her palms on it. "Come on. Let''s see if this ce is what she cracked it up to be."

    Masami clenched her hand and swung therge white door wide open.

    A burst of pure Qi swept right past Darcel, Ani, and Masami. Their eyes curiously trailed over the pure vast white space that was the Qi Haven room.

    "Mnnn.not bad.not bad at all!" Ani remarked out loud.

    She, Masami, and Darcel all had simr sentiments. This Qi Haven is nowhere near the Crystalline level of pure Qi, but it''s certainly was better than the general outside world.

    Without a moment to waste, Darcel, Ani, and Masami filled into the Qi Haven space.

    A loud m echoed out from behind them as therge white door had automatically closed back up.

    Now inside the Qi Haven space, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their bodies loosen up here. Some slight tensions they had quickly disappeared within mere seconds of just standing in this Qi Haven space.

    Darcel felt it was like standing in a rxing spa.

    ''Now then-''

    Suddenly, before Darcel could even think of something else, his body went stiff.

    This went unnoticed by Ani and Masami as they started to walk ahead of Darcel. Masami began to talk while curiously trailing her gaze around the Qi Haven space, "Now that we''re here, what should we start off with? Cause I''m thi-"

    Ani suddenly interrupted Masami by slinging her arm around her shoulders.

    She began to talk in a sweet, teasing tone. "Now, now, after a day of battle, we should be properly rxing! And I''m sure you also know the perfect way for that, right Sami~?"

    Ani''s voice began to turn a mix of slight sultry and naughty at the end. She didn''t bother to be subtle about her desires.

    And Masami couldn''t deny her words. She felt a rush of passion as a burning desire ignited her whole body.

    Her two foxtails curved and started to quickly swish in eager anticipation. However, Masami still managed to keep her cool despite her own body betraying her excitement.

    "Hmph, and I''m just sure you would agree?"

    When Masami turned her gaze to Darcel, she became a bit confused. Ani had also snapped her attention towards Darcel, tilting her head as she stared at him.

    Out of nowhere, Darcel just abruptly stopped moving.

    They didn''t notice it at first, and seeing it now, they both could tell something was off about him.

    Darcel didn''t know what wasing over him. He took off his mask, revealing his eyes that looked utterly drained.

    Darcel gazed over towards the girls, feeling this overwhelming exhaustion sensation just get stronger and stronger. He could only utter out then, "Sorry, girls. As much as I would love to do it, you two will have to hang out on your own a bit. I''m just feeling."

    Darcel couldn''t even finish his sentence before his eyes promptly shut and his body began to slowly fall over.

    "Darcel/Darcy!!" Masami and Ani simultaneously shrieked as they instantly shed right over to Darcel.

    Masami and Ani instantly caught Darcel, their minds in increasing chaos, entirely unprepared for this situation.

 Chapter 209: Dream

    Chapter 209: Dream

    Ani and Masami''s Spirit Senses immediately inspects Darcel''s entire being as their faces were warped with concern.

    Darcel seemed just so perfectly healthy mere moments ago; how could he abruptly fall over like this?! Both girls'' thoughts swirled in a frenzied loop, sharing a simr sentiment.

    But almost immediately after sensing Darcel, both Ani and Masami''s expression immensely rxed.

    "Fuuu~...." Both girls exhaled a big sigh of relief. They felt all the immediate tension stacked on their bodies quickly leave them.

    Still, as Ani stared at Darcel''s resting face, she began inquisitively tilting her head. "I''m so d he''s ok. But.this is so strange! He was perfectly fine literally moments before! And it''s not like Darcy is thezy type to just randomly fall asleep."

    Masami as well was tilting her head in confusion, trying to find any possible exnation on what just happened. Though, just like Ani, nothing reason sounding came in her head.

    She just shook her head with a sigh, saying, "Maybe it''s stress? I mean.we do want to go up against a huge behemoth of a sect. But at the same time.he rarely or, if ever, shows a stress face around us. And I don''t believe he would hide something like that to us."

    In the end, all Ani could do as well was sigh.

    She looked around the Qi Haven space and told Masami, "Let''s just sit down. Since he''s just sleeping, he''ll eventually wake up again. Hopefully, the ground isfy."

    After taking another look over the whole Qi Haven Space, Ani and Masami relented, shrugging their shoulders.

    Since there''s no furniture or visible wall, the girls slowly sat down right where they stood while adjusting Darcel''s body on them.

    Ani had put Darcel''s head on her softp, supporting the upper half of his body. While Masami sat shoulder to shoulder with Ani and had Darcel''s lower half of his body crossed on herp.

    They both took off their masks, revealing their beautiful faces that are still warped with slight concern.

    Masami just shook her head again and said in a slightly exasperated tone, "I guess you''re right. Since he''s sleeping, let''s just let him sleep then."

    Suddenly, Masami''s lips curved up in a slight smile as she observed their current position. "I bet if he was up, he would spout some flowery words about this being a heavenly sensation."

    Though her tone was joking, Masami actually felt a calming warmth generate in her from holding Darcel''s body. She nearly wanted to wrap his legs up with her arms because he just felt soforting to have.

    But Masami regained some self-control. And she didn''t dare let her overt desire show on her face since Ani was right there to tease her about it.

    A smile had returned to Ani''s face, and her tone began to turn mischievous. "Hehe~, yea, he really would! But now.I guess since he is sleeping...."

    Ani suddenly turned her gaze towards Masami, who felt some slight dread at Ani''s increasingly mischievous smile.

    "I think it''s time for some more good ol fashion girl talk! Not like our cultivation will increase in just one short night."

    Masami only gave a little sigh towards Ani''s suggestion but didn''t protest.

    Masami knows she can''t stop Ani whenever she wants to talk or do any energetic event she has in her bright minds of her.

    Although, as a small smile slowly formed on Masami''s lips, she also knows any talks with Ani are undoubtedly highly entertaining.

    .

    Darcel snapped his eyes open in a frantic rush of emotions. Uponing into his consciousness, Darcel immediately felt a crazed jumbled mix of emotions and sensations viciously assaulted his brain.

    "Nnng!!" Instinctively, Darcel clutched his head.

    He didn''t know what was going on. All he can tell that whatever is going on is causing immense distress in his soul and body.

    Darcel simultaneously had to deal with an intense churning in his soul and a chaotic rumbling in his bloodline veins upon awakening as well.

    This all cultivated to a head-shattering headache that Darcel swore was going t split his head into two!

    "Dammit! Where.where.huh?! Oh no."

    As Darcel''s eyes quickly focused on his surrounding, an addition of dread filled his mind.

    He was back in a familiar space he hoped he would''ve never seen again.

    It was the entire yellow space that assaulted his dreams just a couple of days ago. And just like the first time, everything felt so familiar and vague here.

    "This.this isn''t a mistake. I''m sure of it now. But.just why."

    Darcel clutched his head tighter as his headache only got worse with each second he spent in this hellish yellow nightmare.

    Suddenly then, Darcel blinked his eyes a couple of times. He clenched his hand, again and again, realizing something. ''Last time I couldn''t move at all.but now, I can.''

    Despite the tremendous pain violently impacting his head, Darcel slowly took his hands off his head. He let his arms fall to the sides and further realize he hadplete control over his whole body.

    Darcel took a moment to peer around the whole yellow space again.

    Despite the chaos urring within himself, Darcel felt an innate curiosity about this ce. And seeing as he had nothing else to do but wallow in pain, Darcel decided to see if he could move.

    By leaning his body forward, Darcel slowly began to float along in the yellow space. By moving back, he floated backward and so on with other directional movements.

    ''It''s kind of like flying.'' Darcel remarked as he didn''t need to move his legs at all to move.

    He recalled the sensations he felt whenever Masami would pick him up to fly. It bears a remarkable simrity to that.

    Focusing up his mind past this, Darcel clenched his palms and tried to rx as much as possible.

    He leaked a great sigh as he started to force down the chaos rumbling his entire body, soul, and mind. It took a few seconds, but eventually, Darcel felt fine enough to move slowly.

    With a rising curiosity towards this yellow space, Darcel slowly floated forward.

    He didn''t know what he would find here, but there was just something he couldn''t ignore about this ce.

    And as Darcel aimlessly drifted further in this yellow ce, he felt as if this was a ce he belonged to. It was a genuine strange feeling to Darcel.

    He never felt any sense of nostalgia or home towards any ce.

    The only thing he could honestly say was a homey feeling was being embraced by Ani and Masami if they decided to sleep.

    However, this yellow space was inscribing Darcel with an odd sensation of familiarity.

    At the same time, conflicting with these feelings, Darcel wanted to desperately leave this ce.

    The feeling of familiarity was getting overwhelmed a bit by an innate sense of danger. As far as Darcel is concerned, this ce is bringing nothing but pain to him.

    No matter what, though, Darcel does realize he is temporarily trapped here. Usually, if it was just somemon dream, Darcel can easily snap himself awake with Qi.

    But, it''s a different case with dreams like this.

    It reminded Darcel of the dreams he had with that long hair ethereal-sounding figure.

    He could never leave those dreams with the little bit of Qi he had back then. And even when he left the Parasol Organization and had a dream like that again, he still couldn''t wake up from it.

    Darcel didn''t know how much time truly passed. He guessed only minutes passed, but it felt like it was hours.

    Just mindlessly wandering around in an eye hurting yellow space was almost maddening.

    What also didn''t help Darcel''s mental state was the intense res of pain; his mind, soul, and body continually pushed out to him.

    But, despite how nightmarish this situation was, Darcel just felt like something was pushing him to keep ongoing.

    ''I wonder how those girls are doing.'' Just to get himself distracted, Darcel began thinking of a true sentimental feeling. The image of Ani and Masami''s smiling face shed in Darcel''s mind, getting him to briefly smile.

    Even if it was just a brief sh, Darcel felt his mind alleviate just a bit from the chaotic mess it currently is.

    And right then, Darcel stopped moving. An irresistible pulling sensation called from right behind him.

    On instinct, Darcel began slowly turning his body around. Once Darcel had fully turned his body around, he went still again.

    A few inches from his face, Darcel witnessed something trying to open within the yellow space.

    Darcel had to squint his eyes a bit.

    He quickly realized whatever that was trying to open resembled a vast human eye! Slowly but surely, this eye-like thing continues to open up. And Darcel couldn''t move his body at all.

    Or rather, Darcel didn''t want to move his body at all. Whatever that was about to open up was putting Darcel in a hypnotic trance.

    It took several minutes. Several minutes of pure silence before the eye-like thing fully opened up.

    "!" Darcel''s mouth swung open as his whole body went stiff.

    His eyes stared into an enormous yellow eye that stared right back at him. Staring into this yellow eye, Darcel felt as if it was peering into the depths of his soul.

    "Wha.nngh! Argh!!"

    An intense headache far surpassing what he felt before ferociously struck Darcel''s mind! Darcel immediately clutched his head as sudden imagery began shing in his head.

    Each passing imagery that red into Darcel''s mind felt so familiar to him.

    It was like what he was seeing was memories of one particr event. As the images became more precise, it suddenly clicked with Darcel then.

    Out of everything from that memory, the image of a woman''s face permeated in his minda woman with a highly distinctive appearance that was impossible to ignore.

    A woman that made all of this possible for him.

    ''The.that woman.it can''t be.'' Darcel felt like he was being thrown into a loop by this memory.

    As Darcel remembered this specific woman, a voice began slithering into his ears.

    "Darcee."

    The voice sounded so simr to a woman. But before the voice could finish whatever it was saying, Darcel went still again.

    His vision began going ck as his consciousness quickly faded.

 Chapter 210: Marked

    Chapter 210: Marked

    It was far deep underground, thousands of miles away from any living being. Covered by the dirt soils of the, a room existed here. Nobody would ever even think there could be someone living so far here, much less a room here.

    Qi did permeate so far underground on this, but it was obviously lesser than the outside world. It was essentially useless for any cultivators or even Mage to travel so far down.

    But against all expectations, there was a room inhabiting thousands of miles deep underground.

    And the room was surprisingly spacious and well lit. Inside this room, a bright orange glow illuminated the space.

    The cause for this radiant orange shine was a medium-size orange crystal that was in a distinctly unique shape. The glowing orange crystal was directly modeled after the Legendary God Beast, Vermillion Bird.

    Just from how clearly detail the design was, anybody would be able to get drawn into the majesties this Divine Bird would naturally exude.

    From the crystal Vermillion Bird eyes, luminous orange rays of lights spewed out of there like shimmering sun rays.

    Next to the Vermillion Bird Crystal were two people that can make anybody''s head turns.

    Although, these two figures would have entirely different reasons for gathering attention on themselves.

    One of the figures wasn''t anything special looking on the surface.

    It was a simple middle-aged-looking woman who kept up a dignified appearance. She didn''t have an overwhelming beauty, but she did carry a confident unbreakable stride on her face that nobody would reasonably mess with.

    But though her general appearance wasn''t unique, what the woman wore was definitely extraordinary. This woman was actually wearing a bright orange robe that had the God Beast Vermillion Bird inscribed on it!

    Just from this clothing alone would this womanmands respect to most ces she would go to. Nobody would dare to even think about underestimating because of her average looks.

    There was only a specific set of people that could wear such an extraordinary outfit like this.

    This woman is from the Divine Vermillion Bird Sect!

    Furthermore, she''s also a highly influential Elder of the Sect! It wouldn''t be a mistake to say this Vermillion Bird Elder could make people kneel in her presence.

    But such a dignified person was now in apromising position.

    Currently, the Vermillion Bird Elder had both of her hands holding on to the Vermillion Bird Crystal. Her eyes were closed tight as tiny beads of sweat slowly pooled down on her face.

    The cause of so much stress on the proud Vermillion Bird Elder was because of the only other figure in this room.

    And this figure was holding on to the Vermillion Bird Elder''s shoulder without a care in the world.

    Despite being in the presence of a monstrous powerhouse, this figure didn''t care at all about the Vermillion Bird Elder status or prowess.

    In fact, the Vermillion Bird Elder body was ever so slightly shaking as this figure had their hands on her.

    Although the Elder desperately tried to suppress the innate fear this figure naturally exudes, it obviously wasn''t enough. Anybody would be able to see the naked fear twitching on her face.

    The figure that is making the mighty Divine Vermillion Bird Elder quake in her own territory was a nightmarish-looking woman.

    On this woman''s face, fresh bloodstains painted all over as if she just got out of a tremendous battle.

    Yet, there was no sign of her sustaining battle damage or any scars. The only scars this woman had was ancient, dealt to her a long time ago.

    The woman had one long old dirt grain shirt that went just a bit past her knees, covering her skinny, frail body. The white shirt, simr to the woman''s face, was painted with bright, fresh bloodstains.

    However, despite all these chilling features epassing her image, these weren''t even her most terrifying features.

    Her most frightening feature was two bright glowing eyes that shined even brighter than the Vermillion Bird crystal light. These piercing yellow gleaming eyes could peer right into anyone''s souls, grasping them with primal fear.

    Of course, this was precisely the yellow-eyed woman that had followed Darcel and Ani to this Mortal.

    And currently, the yellow-eyed woman wasn''t so lost like she usually is. After so much time of aimlessly wandering, aimlessly killing, she was finally close to her goal, her desperate goal of finding Darcel and Ani.

    Despite being so close to what''s she been frantically pining for, the yellow-eyed woman''s face remained chilling impassive.

    She was staring directly into the Vermillion Bird crystal,pletely uncaring at how much she was terrorizing the Vermillion Bird Elder.

    The room had been an eerie, suffocating silence for days on days.

    The Vermillion Bird Elder was nearly about to snap over in suffocating fear. She just felt like at any random time, this yellow-eyed woman would randomly change her mind, and her life would be over.

    This is genuinely the most frightening experience the Vermilion Bird Elder had ever gone through in her incredibly long life.

    The Vermillion Bird Elder could even say that nothing can everpare to this chilling situation after this is over.

    The Vermilion Bird Elder can count on one hand about those who can make her feel genuine terror. However, none of those people hold a candlelight to this indifferent-looking, yellow-eyed woman.

    Massive swirls of chaos continuously erupted in the Vermilion Bird Elder''s mind. And yet, she forcefully pushes through, desperately trying to keep somewhat of a strong face.

    But as the days slowly passed, the stress was getting to the Elder.

    Her mouth broke into twitch. She felt like her knees were jelly and her hand touching the Vermilion Bird crystal finally began to quiver.

    The Vermilion Bird Elder still couldn''t believe this situation.

    She is one of the most widely respected people in the whole Nine Provinces. Nobody on her level would even dare to look at her straight in the eyes.

    Whether it was a high status in the sector her own monstrously unfathomable prowess, she could be called an untouchable existence by some.

    However, all that status, fame, and power meant absolutely nothing now.

    In front of this yellow-eyed woman, this Vermillion Bird Elder who can look down on nearly all of the Nine Provinces was nothing but a mere insect.

    The Elder couldn''t even sense the arrival of the yellow-eyed woman. She also couldn''t sense any sign of power from her.

    Yet, the yellow-eyed woman had just one day appeared in front of her like a chilling ghost. The Elder couldn''t react at all as the yellow-eyed woman''s hands moved at the hands of light speed and had simply touched her shoulders.

    From that one touch, all of her energy and aura was immediately suppressed!

    The yellow-eyed woman made it so the Vermillion Bird Elder could only use an amount of power she allowed. The Vermillion Bird Elder simply couldn''t surge any power against her.

    And the Vermillion Bird Elder wasn''t just at the Emperor Origin realm. She was nearing the peak of the Emperor Origin realm!

    This was a monumental feat that took thousands of years! The Elder was reaching a height where there weren''t many that could match her in the Nine Provinces.

    Yet now, the Vermillion Bird Elder couldn''t even think about resisting. Her whole life was practically in the hands of the yellow-eyed woman.

    And in some strange stroke of luck, the yellow-eyed woman didn''t kill her.

    She was only making her do this one task. Though when the yellow-eyed woman gave the Vermillion Bird Elder this task, the tone she spoke in left absolutely no room for failure.

    The Elder just knew if she failed this, she would experience a fate worse than death.

    Finally, after mind-crushing days, the Vermillion Bird crystal begins to slightly dim. An ice-cold sensation streaked through the Vermilion Bird Elder''s entire body.

    Her eyes twinkle as she was familiar with this sensation.

    The Vermillion Bird Elder didn''t have the courage to look back at the yellow-eyed woman. So she kept her gaze pointed at the Vermillion Bird crystal, gathering all of her courage to report her findings.

    She took a small deep breath and told the yellow-eyed woman, "Miss-miss Demigod. The person you''re looking for is in the region of extreme ice. It''s the Icy Cloud Province. We-we have the means to quickly get there through our teleportation Mage."

    Throughout her entire spiel, the Vermillion Bird Elder was surprised she only stuttered twice. She thought she would for sure trip up on her words more.

    But, not having to look at the yellow-eyed woman''s terrifying impassive face did help immensely in simply talking.

    The yellow-eyed woman trailed her eyes to the back of the Vermillion Bird Elder head, staring impassively at it. She, too, felt that extreme freezing sensation during this process.

    This process was peering into one''s mental scape.

    All the yellow-eyed woman needed to do was merely drop a single drop of her blood into the Vermillion Bird Crystal. And after all this time, she finally felt himthe boy she was chasing after all over.

    This process had actually taken two repeated attempts seeing as the yellow-eyed woman had to control her blood powers. Her single drop of blood was far too powerful for the likes of the Vermillion Bird Elder.

    But finally, after a long extended amount of time, the yellow-eyed woman has a clear, concrete direction.

    And still, despite finding precisely what she''s looking for, the yellow-eyed woman''s face seemed incapable of expressing emotions.

    As the yellow-eyed woman''s mind recalls the sensation of Darcel''s presence, she asked the Vermillion Bird Elder, "Because of diluted blood, this crystal should now be able to continually trace a vague semnce of his aura, right?"

    The Vermillion Bird Elder still didn''t have the courage to look back nor take her hands away from the Vermillion Bird crystal.

    But, the Elder still stiffly nodded her head. "Yes, now that you know how to use it, you will have no trouble tracking this person."

    The possibility of denying this yellow-eyed woman was zero improbability. Even if she did try to lie, there''s nothing she could do against the yellow-eyed woman.

    Although the Elder knows after this, her life will be chaos for a while.

    ''Still.dealing with troublesome problems or keeping my life. it''s the only option I have. Haah.just how can a being like this exist in our Mortal World.'' The Vermillion Bird Elder sighed in her mind but kept her lips shut.

    The yellow-eyed woman took a moment to n out her next course of action.

    She quickly mulled it over before reaching a swift decision. "Alright then. This crystal can be helpful to me in the future, so I''ll be taking it. And you will direct me to that teleportation Mage. Once we get there, you''ll be my guide while we travel this.Icy Cloud Province."

    A tremendous wave of relief washed over the Vermilion Bird Elder. Just a little bit more, and she''ll finally be out of this nightmare!

    Even though the Elder will need to guide the yellow-eyed woman a bit more, she knew it wouldn''t take a long time.

    The Vermillion Bird Elder considered the Icy Cloud Province a minuscule region she could travel in a couple of days. Once there, she hopes she''ll be free atst.

    The Vermillion Bird Elder took her hands off the crystal, atst, asking without turning around, "Should we leave now?"

    The yellow-eyed woman nodded. "Yes. I can''t have anything unexpected happen to them."

 Chapter 211: Waves

    Chapter 211: Waves

    As Darcel''s consciousness faded back to him, he felt an increasing warmth shroud around his head. The warmth was nearly soothing enough to luby him back to a dream state.

    But Darcel persisted in waking up, knowing he can''t sleep for long. Plus, he actually felt good about waking up now.

    Instead of the state of chaos, he woke up in the yellow space; Darcel felt truly tranquil now. The warm sensation he felt was akin to a secure safety that he knows he can rely on.

    This was a true sense of a homey feeling.

    Under this calm state of mind, Darcel took his timeing back to consciousness. As he did so, Darcel heard the soft mumblings of two sweet voices he always loves to hear.

    One was brightly energetic, radiating a mesmerizing charm. While the other had a charming snappy attitude that was positively cute to listen to.

    Of course, Darcel identified these voices as Ani and Masami. On instinct, Darcel felt his body twitch upon his awakening.

    And doing so, Darcel felt the girl''s conversation died down, presumably with them focusing all of their attention on him.

    Even for small moments like this that may seem so inconsequential, Darcel can''t deny he liked having all that concern on him from Ani and Masami.

    Slowly Darcel''s eyes open. A great big loving smile graced his lips at the beautiful sight presented before him.

    The first thing he saw was Ani''s gorgeous, broadly smiling face, peering right down at him.

    As their ck eyes met, Ani quickly began to talk. "Quite a nap you had, eh? Hopefully, you''ll be well-rested now!" A burst of joy swells into Ani''s chest from just being able to talk to Darcel like this again.

    It may seem odd to some, considering that they were literally talking mere hours ago. But Ani couldn''t but have concerns after seeing Darcel had just spontaneously passed out without any warning.

    Darcel felt a burst of joy from leaving a nightmarish hell dream to the loving smile of his brightly cute girlfriend.

    Before he spoke, Darcel could now fully perceive the warmth spreading throughout his entire body. He looked down past Ani and saw Masami''s smiling face, revealing a small cute canine in her teeth.

    As her vertical slit eyes matched with Darcel''s ck eyes, Masami joyously said, "It''s about time too. We were thinking you were about to take a full course of eight-hour rest."

    As she humorously chided, Masami couldn''t stop her two foxtails from swirling in excitement. She, too, felt the same burst of joy from having the same concerns as Ani.

    Darcel had now noticed he was in true bliss.

    He was being held up on two amazing beautiesps. Ani''sp was incredibly soft, akin to a soft, warm cushion.

    While Masami''s had an equally soft, warmp for his lower body.

    There was a lot of perfect ways Darcel could wake up with his girlfriends. And this was definitely up there as being the best.

    A slight warm smile curved up Darcel''s lips as he exined to the girls, "Sorry about that, girls. I just don''t know what."

    Towards the end of his sentence, Darcel began trailing off. An odd distance look suddenly swirled in his eyes.

    Ani and Masami raised their eyebrows, yet they didn''t speak up.

    From the way, Darcel had spontaneously passed out and now his odd thinking look, the girls knew he was about to tell them something significant.

    Darcel didn''t even notice the girls'' concerning looks. His mood had instantly soured. The cause for his worsening mood was his mind quickly recalling that nasty yellow nightmare space.

    His bright smile from meeting the girls morphed into a small frown. A short sharp pang of pain streaked through Darcel''s head then.

    It only caused him to furrow his eyebrows though.

    The head-splitting headache in that nightmare was far superior to this small lit of pain.

    Still, everything about that nightmare, Darcel could vividly recall. It was like it was mere moments ago he experienced it. And Darcel realized it technically was mere moments ago, at least for him.

    "Darcy.are you ok?" Ani softly asked him. After a moment of Darcel not responding, she had to ask.

    It was a mildly surprising situation for both Ani and Masami. When he was sleeping, Darcel''s face was utterly indifferent. They would never be able to tell he had undergone a head-inducing nightmare.

    The only relief they had was that Darcel is up now.

    The warm, gentle voice of Ani smoothly slinked into Darcel''s ears like a fairy song. It quickly got Darcel to snap his mind away from recalling the dream and on to Ani and Masami.

    The rising chaotic state of his mind calmed down, refocusing on their concern-looking faces.

    Darcel didn''t leave hisfortable spot on theirps, took a slight deep breath, and began to talk.

    "I''m ok.but the dream I had." Darcel starred directly into Ani''s deep ck eyes, asking her, "Ani.do you remember that moment, the one before we got teleported out of the organization? That yellow-eyed woman?"

    Ani paused for a long moment. When Darcel mentioned it, her mind vividly recalled that life-changing moment.

    The most vivid detail she remembered, however, was that chilling, yellow-eyed woman.

    Ani''s eyes began to glow up, specifically recalling that frighteningly powerful woman. "That woman .there''s no way I can ever forget about her! I honestly still think about her some nights."

    Her eyes began to widen a bit as she excitedly asked Darcel, "Don''t tell me.did you have a fate dream about her?! Just like those old dreams?!"

    Masami''s face was stered with mild confusion for a second. But she quickly connected the dots just from the specific points the duo briefly mentioned.

    A thought entered Masami''s mind as she asked, "So this ''yellow-eyed woman'' who is she? Or, do you know what she is? I''m amusing; she''s the one that teleported you both to this realm?"

    Darcel and Ani took a brief nce at one another. They honestly never really cared about their past that much considering their future is so much brighter.

    This is why they ended up neglecting to tell Masami certain aspects about them.

    To rify it for the fox girl, Darcel told her, "Indeed, Masami. You see, somehow, during ourst experimentation at that ce, I had dripped a drop of my blood into her, which mysteriously caused our teleportation to workno idea how that happened. But from what we can tell, that yellow-eyed woman is outrageously powerful. Even when she waspletely restrained, near death with nearly zero energy, she still made those powerful scientists and doctors tremble in their boots. And now.I''m pretty sure I just had a dream about her."

    Darcel took a moment to collect all of his thoughts as that nightmare scrambled his mind every time he thought about it.

    Ani and Masami patiently waited, feeling a slight rise of anticipation.

    After a brief moment, Darcel started to exin his dream. "Basically, the dream took me to an entirely yellow space. In it, I had a raging headache, my soul ached, and my bloodline rumbled. But something kept pushing me forward. Eventually, I floated far enough in the ce to encounter ita huge full yellow eye. A yellow eye that I know belongs to that woman. When staring at it, I got the same sensations I felt the first time from her."

    Masami''s reaction was to curiously tilt her head. She had never directly asked, but she had assumed that the duo had been on this Mortal for weeks now.

    She further questioned Darcel with, "So, let me get this straight. This yellow-eyed woman kick-started off well, essentially everything. And only now, after all this time, you have dreams about her?"

    Ani and Darcel traded curious nces with each other. Pointing it out like that does seem very strange. But both Ani and Darcel could only helplessly shrug.

    Ani exined to Masami, "That pretty much sums it up. I mean, as far as we know, Darcy''s blood is obviously connected to her. Don''t know anything beyond that. Everything that has to involve that damn organization is just too puzzling."

    Darcel thinks for a moment, recalling back to the yellow dream. There was one other thing he was sure of now.

    He spoke up to the girls, saying, "There is one other thing I can confirm now. In that dream, that yellow-eyed woman knows my name."

    Ani and Masami furrow their eyebrows in mild thought. Although, a secondter for Ani, her eyes began to brightly twinkle.

    "You''re connected by blood, and she knows your name. Why.all of this is none other than a sign! We may be close to an inevitable reunion!"

    "It may be a sign, but what kind of sign?" Masami brought to attention. "Even if she is contacting him, who knows what kind of intention this woman has. I mean.she was restrained by so many powerful people for a reason, right? She sounds just a bit worrying, in all honesty."

    Ani didn''t have such a pessimistic belief about the yellow-eyed woman as on their very first meeting, Ani felt a strange connection to her. Although she did see Masami''s point.

    Darcel as well didn''t disagree with Masami''s opinion.

    He shook his head, telling the girls, "You''re also right, Masami. In my dream, I had to deal with that constant head-splitting headache. Plus, when I saw that yellow eye, I felt a mix of danger. Either way, we can''t really do much about this. It''s all just dreams and feelings at the end. We''ll just take extra precautions just in case anything unexpected happens.''

    "Alright/Alrighty then." Masami and Ani readily agree.

    All three of them were immensely confident in their strength. No Heavenly King can match them, and they weren''t even afraid of half-step Grand Sages.

    Darcel continued on to say, "Let''s just push this thought down forter. For now, let''s call up Kyrha and gather more intel on these Mercenaries groups."

    .

    Meanwhile, in the vast New Branch City, various storms and waves were affecting other Mercenary group districts.

    And in the White Demon group district, they were taking some hard-hitting news.

    At the White Demon District, they had a simr multi vast interconnected building holding as their base. They were even in a matching color of an all-white design like the Snow Angels.

    Though, unlike the Snow Angels, their white color wasn''t stainless or exuded a pure vibe.

    Currently, if anyone were to go to their district, they would see White Demon group members in a rare state of panic. The news that caused a frenzy of uproar within them was that Demon Mikal and his whole squadron was wiped out!

    All members, no matter their rank or seniority, were fraught with distraught.

    Demon Mikal is one of their powerful backbones! Losing him was a monumental loss that just can''t be recovered for a long time for them.

    Furthermore, this wasn''t even discussing the fact they also lost several eighth-level Heavenly Kings and numerous seventh-level Heavenly Kings. All were severe losses that will undoubtedly impact their performances in the Mercenary Exchange Event.

    At the very top of the White Demon''s group vast building, a crucial meeting was taking ce.

    The meeting urred between four immensely powerful men. Each man all had fiercely intimidating appearances, matching their dangerous auras.

    These men were the rest of the Demon Leaders in their group.

    And only one ninth level Heavenly King remained. The only ninth-level Heavenly King was titled Demon Percy, a chilling-looking bald man.

    The other three men were all eighth-level Heavenly Kings, spouting numerous scars etched on their faces to further enhance their frightening vibes.

    These men were titled as Demon Jude, Tomas, and Lee.

    The news going around of them losing a Demon Leader heavily impacted them all, that they all hoped this was all a cruel nightmare that they''ll soon wake up from.

 Chapter 212: Untraceable Case

    Chapter 212: Untraceable Case

    "I''ll say it right now. This is bullshit!" Demon Lee immediately burst his thoughts without care right at the start of their meeting. His anger about recent events truly couldn''t be contained. "After all this searching, how can no one know just who did this?!"

    Demon Jude and Tomas held equally furious expressions.

    None of them knew just who the hell to me for this whole mess. The loss of several backbone members of their group, yet not knowing who to ce their revenge on, drove them insane.

    Demon Percy was the only that held a calm but grim expression.

    His mind attempted to quickly rationalize all that was happening. Although, even after so much time passing, his mind still stayed in a chaotic loop.

    Like Demon Lee, Demon Jude also couldn''t hold his emotion. He tightly gripped the round table they were seated around, his eyes twinkling in rage.

    "First, some mysterious Spirit Monster Horder wipes out a seventh-level group. And now? Our ninth-level Leader and his whole squadron got wiped out! I refuse to believe something shifty isn''t going on!"

    A malevolent light gleamed in Demon Tomas''s eyes as he also joined in the conversation. "You know what''s really odd? I did sense those Snow Bitches leave the City just earlier today. I ignored it, but looking back on it.they were the only powerful ones leaving the City today."

    Demon Jude and Lee furrowed their eyebrows at first. But almost immediately, their eyes began to shine in a simr devious light as Demon Tomas.

    Even if it was so little to go off on, the probability was still there.

    Demon Tomas''s lips began to cruelly smirk as he saw the other Demon Leaders catch on to his suggestion. "You know.those bitches never did like us. And even if the probability is so minuscule, just maybe."

    "Let''s not past grievances cloud our judgment." Demon Percy suddenly spoke up, cutting in the devious atmosphere.

    The other Demon Leaders looked like for a brief moment they wanted to protest. However, with just one even stare from Demon Percy, the other Demon Leaders backed down.

    As strong as all three of them were, they all know whomanded the most authority here.

    Demon Percy slightly nodded as they backed off. He continued on to say, "While it''s not impossible to rule them out, it''s highly unlikely those women have anything to do with this. Even if all four of the Snow Angel Leaders magically became Ninth level Heavenly Kings, they still wouldn''t be able to wipe Mikal and his whole squadron."

    It didn''t help lessen the three Demon Leaders'' anger, but they did see Demon Percy''s point.

    No matter how strong Ninth level Heavenly Kings are, every Mercenary group was sufficiently prepared with special Spirit Artifacts and talisman to help counter them.

    On this point, this whole situation just made even less sense to the Demon Leaders. Just what kind of power was used to effectively go against an entire squadron of Spirit Artifacts and talisman?

    Demon Jude, Tomas, and Lee were assured of knowing every Mercenary group in the City. And not a single one of these groups ever spawn that kind of unfathomable power in the countless years this event has been going on.

    As the three Demon Leaders were contemting, Demon Percy asked another question.

    "Just.did anybody notice anything unusual these past couple of days? I seriously can''t tell, seeing as everything has been nearly the same as ever up to this point."

    Demon Judas, Lee, and Tomas all vividly recalled their past few days.

    They tried to pinpoint any strange or unusual detail that they may have ignored. Yet, no matter how hard they tried, absolutely nothing popped into their minds.

    "Nothing at all." The three Demon Leaders simultaneously spoke while shaking their heads.

    Everything about this trail of killing was just ending up at a dead end. And the Demon Leaders know they can''t falsely use any Mercenary group without facing dire consequences.

    Before Demon Percy responded, though, a minor memory streaked into Demon Judas''s mind. This memory was so brief and minor he honestly forgot it ever happened.

    He quickly spoke up first, saying, "Well.actually, there is one maybe odd thing. But it''s rted to the Golden Crow Circle. I''m sure you all also know what I''m referring to since I''m bringing it up now."

    Demon Tomas, Lee, and Percy slightly furrowed their eyebrows.

    They began recalling a bit of the Golden Crow Circle. And quickly, their eyes lit up in slight realization.

    Seeing their expressions, Demon Judas continued on. "Yea.that brazen showcase of power. I guess that could be considered odd. But after that day, they''ve been really quiet."

    "It could be them, but I doubt it. Plus, it''s best we avoid messing with them for now. Their incredibly aggressive attitude towards others is damn annoying." Demon Lee stated, having a slightly different tune about the Golden Crow Circle.

    All four Demon Leaders didn''t have to be a genius to know that out of all Mercenary groups, it''s disastrous to interact with the Golden Crow Circle in any way.

    They may not outright fear them, but they clearly had more respect for them than the Snow Angel group.

    All this really means, though, is that they''re back to square one.

    Demon Percy let out a hefty sigh. "Haah.this is a heavy loss for us. But.we won''t let this stop our ns."

    At the mention of their ns, the other three Demon Leaders perked up.

    A tiny glint twinkled in Demon Percy''s eyes as he continued on. "We''re going to need to set up another meeting with the Raven Mage Order group and try to appease them the best way we can. We need whatever is inside that cave and to stay on their good graces."

    Demon Judas, Tomas, and Lee exhaled a simr hefty sigh.

    None of them wanted to bow their heads to those arrogant Mages. But they also knew their help would be invaluable in every aspect.

    "Before we deal with those stuck-up pricks, first we need to calm down the members and get everything back in order. Hopefully.no more strange mishaps will happen after this." Demon Judas said while trying to mask the worry in his tone.

    Although, not only he but the other Demon Leaders as well felt odd.

    They pushed it down to the far regions of their minds, not wanting to even entertain the thought.

    But none of the four Demon Leaders could wholly suppress a strange, ominous feeling they have about the whole Mercenary Event.

    .

    Inside a profoundly ck-coated room, an oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire area. If any Early or Middle-rank Heavenly Kings were to enter this room, they would be brought to their very knees.

    A power far different from Qi stormed the air here. This level of power wasn''t even done by arge group of people.

    There were only two people in the room, and both were wearing matching outfits.

    They had ck robes that had two Raven birds design inscribed on them.

    These two were Leaders of the whole Raven Mage Order group. They were correctly titled Raven Leader Madu and Amir.

    Raven Leader Madu wore a simple indifferent expression on his face as he stared at Raven Amir.

    While Raven Amir spouted a slightly annoyed expression like he was just fed some troublesome news. Raven Amir was speaking first in their meeting as he was saying,

    "After exploring that sight for all this time, I''m unmistaken on who could cause that destruction. The Ice Nine Tail geniuses must''ve arrived."

    Raven Madu raised a curious eyebrow. He held no significant change in expression, though. Their Mage''s intelligencework reaches far and wide, so they were aware of the Ice Nine Tail sect''s presence in the City.

    But very few out of the Mercenary groups know of this secret.

    With how immensely powerful the Ice Nine Tail sect is, Raven Madu wasn''t seeing why the geniuses from there would waste their time exploring around the Wild Snow Land.

    Raven Madu started to ask, "What makes you think they.Oh, I see. The fire destruction, right? In terms of that, wouldn''t the Golden Crow Circle make for a better suspect from this event?"

    Raven Amir became increasingly assured of himself as he quickly responded.

    "No, the Golden Crow Circle only has some slightly special fake mes. But the Ice Nine Tail Sect, they''re the real deal in their mes power. Plus, there have been several legendary geniuses from there that could easily fight above their base realm. Those kinds of youths areing down here and may already be here. Besides them.not even the Golden Crow Circle could ammas that kind of destruction."

    Raven Madu briefly pauses before answering back. He knows that the Ice Nine Tail Sect, despite their immense influence on the whole Icy Cloud Province, aren''t the most weing people, to put it lightly.

    Raven Madu closed his eyes, telling Raven Amir, "If it''s really is them, then we all will have much fiercerpetition this yearpared to thest events. But, we still have no evidence at all. Plus, if it really was them, there would be simply nothing we could do about it. None of us Mercenary groups can go against that Sect."

    Compared to how the White Demon group members reacted, the Raven Mage Order Leaders was clearly taking their loss much more calmly.

    Raven Likal certainly was a valuable member, but they also understood whoever did this is a monstrous powerhouse.

    However, there still was a twinkle shimmering in Raven Amir''s eyes. "From all around, it seems like these cultivators are bing undeniably more troublesome. This will only make things more.satisfying when we show them their proper ce in this event."

    The same devious light glowing in Raven Amir''s eyes also appeared in Raven Madu''s eyes as he said, "Indeed. And after this event, we can slowly increase it until the whole Icy Cloud Province knows where cultivators truly belong."

 Chapter 213: Rising Tension

    Chapter 213: Rising Tension

    Several days slipped by in a sh. Time flew like the wind as no other mysterious happenings urred within New Branch City.

    Currently, New Branch City has undergone a whole different atmosphere after these days.

    The subdued atmosphere that hung in the air of the City vanished.

    Now there was a distinct battle stench that warped the entire air of New Branch City. Fighting spirits were rising; everyone was getting excited as the fateful day was approaching.

    The day for the Mercenary Exchange Event to start!

    Every single Mercenary group went hardcore in preparing. No matter how big or little the preparation was, everyone was making sure to cover their basis for a sessful year.

    This year, in particr, got everyone wound up. Nobody certainly wanted to lose out to others, and everyone had something to prove this year.

    It all stems from the fact that Heavenly Kings all alike were finding their cultivation speeds increased at a slightly higher rate.

    Since the Divine Barrier shattering all Heavenly Kings attempted to squeak in that extra time in close door cultivation for any kind of achievement. ''

    Also, during this time of year, New Branch City wouldn''t receive many outsiders.

    The only ones seen going in and out of the City were either the City''s original residents or Mercenary group members.

    However, there was one outsider group approaching the bustling high tension City.

    The group included three hooded robe figures, covering most of their identity. These three figures walked with a confident stride in their steps, uncaring to the numerous Heavenly Kings either walking past them or flying over them.

    At the same time, however, all who had passed this group of three seemingly just didn''t notice their existence.

    It wasn''t as if the Heavenly Kings found their presences inconsequential. It was legitimately the fact it was like this group of three were invisible.

    No matter how closely someone walks near this group of three, they wouldn''t even nce their eyes in their direction.

    However, if anyone were to notice this group of three and spot their true identities, nobody would dare to ignore them.

    These three hooded robe figures hold a high status no matter where they would go in the Icy Cloud Province. The three were top prime geniuses of the Ice Nine Tail Sect.

    It was the Heavenly Geniuses, Kasai, Zhaun, and Cui.

    The three all wore matching in blue robes that covered their foxtails and fox ears features. Around their necks was a shiny blue ne that faintly shimmered a brilliance radiance.

    This ne was the reason for their seeming invisibility.

    It was an illusion charm ne that made their presences incredibly hard to detect, provided that none of them use any power.

    Despite their differences among their factions, these three still walked together leading up to the City.

    Zhaun was on the far left of them; his gaze curiously wandered around the bustling Mercenaries group members. Kasai was in the middle; his gaze appeared calm, though he had some thoughts nestling in his mind.

    At the far right of them was Cui, under that hooded robe; it was hard to tell her proper appearance. But, one can still obverse a bewitchingly sexy body figure under her robes.

    Compared to the other two, Cui''s gaze was utterly apathetic, barely even registering anyone else around her.

    As they got within meters from New Branch City, Zhaun was the one that turned his gaze at his travelingpanions.

    Though both seemed perfectly fine with not talking, Zhaun decided to go against the grain and engage with them. "You know.now that we''re here, I''m sensing thepetition will be extra more pumped this year. From what my senior Brother told me about this event, the Mercenaries wasn''t nearly as active like this."

    Cui only briefly shifted her gaze on Zhuan before continuing to look forward,pletely ignoring his words.

    Kasai was the one to direct a curious gaze over at Zhuan, indirectly asking him, ''your point is?''

    Zhaun wasn''t dissuaded from theck of response, keeping the slight smile he had on under his hood. "Well, I''m just saying now that we''re here, we''re all probably going to split up. And things will probably be different this year, so."

    As Zhaun trailed off, the three of them had already arrived in the City.

    In response to Zhaun''s implied question, Cui gave him a mere fleeting nce. "Don''t bother Zhaun. I don''t have time for snakes."

    She snapped around from Kasai and Zhaun, paying them no attention for any longer. Cui''s very air exuding from her radiated a natural presence of pure proudness that wouldn''t submit to just anyone.

    And she, of course, believes for this year''s event, she''ll manage to secure the most resources and score the highest prize here. Cui was determined to uphold the mantle of her Koduka faction, alwaysing out on top.

    Without another word, Cui quickly vanished from Kasai and Zhaun''s sight.

    Zhaun''s eyes lingered on where Cui vanished off to. Even through the bustling crowd of people, Zhaun had a general feeling about where Cui was heading.

    He lightly sighs, shrugs his shoulders, and turns his attention to Kasai. "So I guess that just leaves us, eh? By the way, Kasai, it actually has been several days since we had a one on one conversation."

    Kasai, who was indifferent to Cui''s high pride, turned his attention wholly on Zhaun.

    Zhaun''s smile grew a bit wider even though Kasai wouldn''t be able to spot it. "So? Have you finally made up your mind on our little offer? With the way she''s already acting, I''m sure that added some persuasion, no?"

    Zhaun''s tone was even yet also a bit hopeful.

    As much as he disliked both factions, Zhaun knew in his mind who was the obvious more significant threat. Moreover, he even had a limit on just how proud the Kodua faction is.

    Kasai didn''t immediately respond. His mind certainly saw several beneficial opportunities to an unlikely partnership.

    But at the same time, he still wasn''t entirely sure about working with a crafty person like Zhaun. He told Zhaun after a moment of hesitation, "I need one more day. Just right before the event truly starts. You''ll have my answer then."

    After saying so, Kasai didn''t wait for Zhaun''s response. He quickly turned around and vanished from his sight.

    Zhaun''s eyes now lingered on Kasai''s spot for a few moments. He had underlying theories before, but now Zhaun was the utmost assured that something was off with Kasai.

    Kasai''s uncertain thought pattern was especially noticeable for a focused person like him.

    ''This event may already be interesting before it truly even starts.'' Zhaun mirth to himself. He had then quickly walked off into the crowds of people, blending seamlessly in, walking towards a specific direction.

    .

    A few miles away from New Branch City, somewhere in the middle of the Wild Snow Land, three ck and white masked youths slowly traveled. Their footsteps crushed into the gray mixed snowy ground, yet their steps made no noise.

    The masked youths were slowly tailoring behind a group of four ck robes people.

    Of course, the masked youths were Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    They were only within thirty meters from the group they were tailoring, and they went absolutely unnoticed.

    Over these past several days, Darcel, Ani, and Masami certainly weren''t idle. They were diligently cultivating, nning their next moves, and gathering all the intel they can.

    Much like others in New Branch City, they also had a rising fighting spirit for the Mercenary Exchange Event.

    Although, on the intel front, the trio managed to get far. They learned about the basics of this event, the Mercenary groupspeting, and who would be noteworthily troublesome on their mission.

    However, with their cultivation, there wasn''t much progress going on there. The only significant progress they made was reaching the peak of their current levels.

    Now, Darcel and Masami were a fine line away from entering a new Great realm. And Ani was a fine line away from achieving the peak of the True Soul Core realm.

    But at this point, none of them could break through anymore. At least, they wouldn''t be able to breakthrough in such a short amount of time.

    Darcel fathomed that they managed to reach the peak of their levels so quickly because of residue rainbow Crystalline energy left in their dantian.

    However, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami found this bottleneck as a particr problem. They all know they are plenty strong enough to efficiently deal with whatever most Mercenary group throws at them.

    The only concerning Mercenary group the trio were all a bit iffy on was the Raven Mage Order group.

    Out of all the Mercenary groups, the Snow Angels had the least deep intel on them.

    This is why they''re taking the time today to trail behind this group of ck robes people.

    On each of the ck robe people clothing was the beautiful design of a pitch-ck Raven. In each of the ck robes people''s hands was a deep ck Magic Staff.

    Each of their Magic Staff had a vigorously pulsating ck Magic Crystal.

    The group consisted of two handsome men and two beautiful women. From miles away, anybody would know just where this specific group of people belong to.

    They not only were from the Raven Mage Order group but were also rtively high-ranking members with equally high prowess.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami at least assumed so.

    Their Spirit Senses couldn''t urately tell just how powerful these Mages were. Butparing them, the trio equated them to being as powerful as eighth-level Heavenly Kings.

    The aura of power naturally exuding from them gave them simr sensations as eighth-level Heavenly Kings.

    Even though they can''t tell the Mages'' exact prowess, some things didn''t change, whether it was cultivator or Mage. No matter what power system the Mages had, they simply can''t detect Darcel''s group presence.

    Darcel was already confident in trying this theory seeing as Raven Likal also didn''t react to his or Masami''s presence despite hovering right above them at that time.

    Still, the trio didn''t immediately pounce on these Mages yet. Their eyes stared intensely at the pulsating ck Magic crystals.

    ''Hm-hm. So that thing is what got that other Mage slip from bright grasp. Nnng.still can''t sense anything from it.'' Ani was musing to herself, trying to focus all of her senses on the ck Magic crystal-like she was cultivating.

    She wasn''t provided with much results, however.

    ''I still think we should just crush them and get this over with.'' Masami had already given up trying to perceive the ck Magic crystal.

    And despite how much she wanted to simply yank those Magic Staffs from their hands, she patiently waited.

    Darcel felt Ani''s stubborn determination and Masami''s growing antsy through his Darkness Soul link and wryly shook his head.

    He only wanted to see if their geniusprehension can at least pick up anything from the ck Magic Crystal.

    With how that Magic crystal exploded, it allowed Raven Likal to move like he had teleported. And even before the Magic crystal exploded, Raven Likal could just barely move even while being under Ani''s powerful bloodline aura.

    Though Raven Likal went down like an ant when Darcel got his ws on him, it still was a call for caution and investigation.

    ''No matter how much of genius we are, it looks like we still need to be proper Mages.'' Darcel concluded in his mind, feeling minor disappointment.

    If Darcel''s group couldn''t perceive the ck Magic crystal, their only other option was trying to gather any possible intel on them.

    But Darcel, Ani, and Masami tuned out on what the Raven Mages discussed as they weren''t revealing anything they didn''t know.

    After minutes of walking with no progress, Darcel finally made up his mind. He looked behind him, seeing that they were far away enough from the City.

    But before Darcel returned his attention forward, a strange sensation pricked his Spirit Sense.

 Chapter 214: Black Ravens

    Chapter 214: ck Ravens

    It was very faint. Nearly unnoticeable and should''ve been rightfully ignored by Darcel. Yet, only Darcel could feel this prickling sensation at the far edges of what his Spirit Sense can cover.

    Miles away from them, Darcel just felt a seemingly vague presence that felt a touch simr in several ways.

    Out of all presences far away from them, this one stood out the most.

    Whoever this presence seemingly had a way to mask themselves. But it was far more unrefined and unnatural than how he and the girls do it.

    As Darcel focused more on this specific target, he had also noticed that this presence was wandering around the same path he and the girls had walked on.

    Moreover, this vague presence felt just a touch bit familiar. Darcel was thankful it wasn''t like the familiarity he had with the yellow-eyed woman.

    However, it felt a trace of familiarity to someone very close to Darcel.

    He briefly trailed his eyes over to Masami for a nanosecond. Masami didn''t even notice as Darcel''s attention turned back forward.

    A slight smirk began to slowly etch on his lips. ''So we may have some extra fun tonight.''

    Darcel fully turned his attention back on the Raven Mages, filling that small vague presence in the back of his mind forter.

    Darcel had then gently tapped Ani and Masami''s shoulders.

    Both girls whipped their heads around to him, a growing excitement filling up their chests. Even though the girls couldn''t see Darcel''s gaze, they knew it was time.

    Ani and Masami eagerly nodded to him, and the trio suddenly stopped walking. As confident they are in their prowess, they were going to make sure these callus Mages won''t escape their ws this time.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously bent their legs, surging only a mere tiny sum of their powers.

    And in the next half-second, Darcel, Ani, and Masami burst forward at tremendous speeds!

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    The trio was like three mini jet rockets, sting off at lightning-like speeds, causing a chaotic frenzy of wind to storm the air currents.

    From in front, the four Raven Mages were entirely unprepared for such chaotic winds.

    "Huh?!"

    The four Raven Mages nearly felt like they were going to get flung away like ragdolls. The insane powerful wind currents chaotically rustle their ck robes and almost flung their ck Mage Staff out of their hands.

    However, a ck glow lit upon each of their hands, keeping the ck Mage Staffs in their hands.

    "What''s goi-" The four Raven Mages were in the midst of shouting their confusions.

    But they had abruptly cut themselves off as their eyes widened.

    "Who?!?"

    The four Mages were entirely unprepared as Darcel, Ani, and Masami popped in front of them like ghosts! It was so absolutely mind-blowing that the Raven Mages felt their braing for a minute.

    Even though cultivators can''t urately sense Mages all that way, Mages for sure can pick up on any cultivators from even miles away.

    But these three were utterly untraceable. It was like they were actual ghosts!

    Darcel was in front of one of the men and one of the women, Raven Mage. While Ani was in front of thest man and Masami was with thest woman Raven Mage.

    Immediately when Darcel''s group popped in front of the Raven Mages, the trio didn''t give them any time to react.

    In the instance, the Raven Mage was absolutely bewildered by Darcel''s group''s sudden appearance; Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously red their bloodline auras!

    ''Hua!'' A white, ck, and blue aura mixed with each other, illuminating the whole area.

    Immense waves of their bloodline powers chaotically burst in the air, spreading out for several miles, making the turbulent air currents be even more intense.

    "Ahh?!? The hell?!?" The Raven Mages roar in a crazed panic.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s powerful bloodline auras immediately suppressed their entire being!

    The Raven Mages felt as if their bodies were getting slowly and brutally crushed by several tons of mountains.

    The Raven Mages wanted to move, but their bodies were unable to move a single fiber. They tried to surge their Magical Power, yet the trio''s bloodline aura wholly overpower them.

    Their Magical Power, their souls, were all in a frozen-like state.

    Darcel didn''t allow any breathing room for the Raven Mages. His hands reached out lightning speed, instantly grabbing on both Raven Mages''s ck Magic Crystal orbs.

    Darcel didn''t bother trying to grasp some understanding; he unleashed sheer overwhelming power into the Magic Crystal orbs.

    Immediately the ck Magic Crystal orbs began to crack all over spiderwebs.

    At the same time, Ani and Masami performed the same action. Their hands reached out at lightning speeds, grabbing the ck Magic Crystal orbs and causing them to crack all over.

    "NOOO!!!" The four Raven Mages simultaneously shrieked as if they were getting brutally gutted.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t pay any attention to them, keeping their eyes focused on shattering these Magic Crystals orbs.

    But right when the Mages shrieked, the ck Magic Crystal orbs reacted.

    The ck Magic Crystal orbs began to violently throb; they promptly emitted an intense Darkness glow even under Darcel''s group grasp.

    ''Wha?'' Darcel, Ani, and Masami actually went slightly wide-eyed as they felt a noticeable sting under their hands.

    For the first time ever, at least for Darcel and Ani, they felt a genuine resistance to their immense bloodline powers.

    And as soon that surprising sting burnt their hands, this time it was Darcel''s group that couldn''t react.

    At speeds they weren''t expecting, enormous ck Raven wings sprouted out of the four Raven Mages'' backs.

    In the same instance, the Raven Mages'' ck Raven Wings spawned, their wings immediately pped. The four Raven Mages were surprisingly able to move even under Darcel, Ani, and Masami bloodline auras, shing backward twenty meters in a ck sh.

    "Nng-Argh!!" The four Raven Mages were groaning in agonizing pain, however after escaping sudden death.

    Their ck Magic crystal orb was on the verge of shattering, their ck Mage''s Staff was violently cracked, and their arms holding on to the Magic Staffs was quickly turned into mangle bloody flesh.

    The Raven Mages'' internal bodies were fiercely churning as their Magical Powers went haywire in just trying to escape.

    The Raven Mages fearfully stared over at the three masked youths, and one thought swirled in their mind.

    ''Retreat!''

    Confusion and fear continue to burst in the Raven Mages'' minds, not caring in the slightest of how cowardly this option was. They didn''t know what, how, why this was happening, but they knew their lives were at significant risk.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami blinked their eyes once.

    Once again, these Mages escape their grasp even under their bloodline auras! Although the trio wasn''t even using their full power, this was still a concern to them.

    Previously when Darcel and Masamibined their powers to wipe out Demon Mikal, his group, and Raven Likal, Raven Likal''s ck Magic Crystal still managed to survive.

    But at that time, Darcel and Masami weren''t even putting forth half of their prowess. Plus, they were also weaker at that timepared to now.

    Yet, present-day, even with repeated breakthroughs, those Magic Crystal orbs can still counter them!

    Suddenly, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were pulled from their thoughts as they sensed movement from the Mages.

    The four Raven Mages didn''t think twice before pping their ck Raven wings, attempting to shoot off into the distant skies. None of the four Raven Mages dared to look back as they desperately wanted to get away from these masked monsters.

    "Not so fast!" Ani and Masami shouted at the same time.

    A white glow began to intensify around Ani''s bloodline arm.

    "sh!!"

    <em>''Chi!</em>'' Ani''s white soul stunning shbang blindly burst in the area.

    The four Raven Mages utterly froze as their soul''s cores were encased in a radiant white glow. Even their ck Magic Crystal had a faint white Light aura shrouding it, utterly freezing its vigorous pulsation.

    Masami raised her blue ming hand, her fox aura cloak began to brightly shimmer as an immense rising surge of power burst out of her hand.

    "Fox w!"

    An enormous blue firefox w sted out of Masami''s hand!

    The vast blue firefox w covered the four Raven Mages and made the air around them burn like moltenva.

    Right when the giant blue firefox w was about to m into the Raven Mages, their ck Magic Crystal orbs frantically surge with an abrupt influx of Magical Power.

    The faint white Light aura shrouding the ck Magic Crystal orbs got overshadowed by the Crystal orbs more profound Darkness glow.

    <em>''Ka-Cha!'' </em>

    The ck Magic Crystal orbs burst into a million pieces, and their ck Mages Staffs imploded into pools of Darkness droplets.

    "Hm?" Masami only curiously titled her head as she felt resistance towards her Firefox w attack.

    <em>"Scree!!" </em>

    Four Raven birds screech loudly boomed into the area, mildly surprising Darcel''s group.

    Fourrge ck Raven birds made from an over influx of Magical Power shot out from the explosion of Darkness.

    The fourrge ck Ravens were still dwarfed by Masami''s Firefox w size. Still, their powerful Magical aura briefly halted her attack.

    "Guee!!'' The four Raven Mages, however, were hacking up blood and guts as the ck Ravens birds protected them.

    The four Raven Mages felt their lifeforce quickly slip away from them with each second these ck Raven Birds stayed. Their eyes could barely stay open; all of their hope now was seeing if their Magical ck Raven birds can give them a slight chance to escape.

    All the while this happened, Darcel, Ani, and Masami weren''t much impressed.

    Masami had even snorted lightly. "Hmph. Seems like all that power went into simply trying to escape us. If I just pour a mere smidge more of my power, I can end this fight. But."

    She turned her gaze to both Darcel and Ani. "I''m sure you two don''t want the show to stop so soon, right?"

    As Masami asked, she indeed did have no problem maintaining her Firefox w against the four ck Raven birds. Her simple curiosity kept the fight going.

    "Oh? This is a little bit risky.I like it! Say, what should we do with these craft Mages, Darcy?" Ani asked, also not too much of a hurry to end this fight. She believed it was better to find out more of those foes, even at a small potential cost.

    Darcel was about to respond, but his attention suddenly refocused on the ck Raven birds. A surge of energy was quickly rising within them, and the ck Raven birds began to writhe under Masami''s power.

    Ani and Masami also focused their attention as Darcel told them, "It seems like they have one more trick up their sleeves. Let''s see the edge of their limit."

 Chapter 215: Limits

    Chapter 215: Limits

    The four Magical ck Raven Birds writhing only became more chaotic with passing second of facing Masami''s bloodline powers.

    The mere boiling Qi temperature was threatening to make the Magical ck Raven Birds sizzle over.

    However, amazingly enough, the Magical ck Raven Birds clung to life.

    And the longer the Magical ck Raven Bird stayed in existence, the stronger they were getting. In contrast to Masami''s overwhelming power, the four ck Raven Birds'' own Magical aura increasingly surge.

    The Magical ck Raven Birds Darkness aura increased in its profound depth, making the small area around them nearly turn pitch ck.

    From under the ck Raven Birds, the Mages still stayed suspended.

    Though their lifeforce was painfully slipping away from them, the Raven Mages had a high quantity of Magic Power to just barely keep them going.

    Although, none of them would be able tost a minute more. And the Magical ck Raven Birds wasn''t going to let a minute pass.

    <em>"Scree!!" </em>

    With another mighty screech ring into the winds, the ck Raven Birds movement became intensely chaotic. In just another second, they would break the hold of Masami''s suffocating power and attempt to sh against her vast blue Firefox w.

    But right then, from below them, Darcel''s eyes began to twinkle from behind his mask.

    Masami felt the Magical Raven Birds near sessful attempts to break free. Yet, she still didn''t bother ending the fight, allowing Darcel a chance to act.

    Darcel pointed four of his fingers, igniting four deep Darkness glow at the tip of his fingertips. His power was near instantaneous as Darcel sted out four Darkness tendrils from each of his four fingertips.

    The Darkness tendrils blitz through the air, splitting the wind currents apart.

    In just a half of a second, Darcel''s four Darkness tendrils reached the Magical Raven Birds and tightly coiled around their necks.

    "Nnng!!"

    The four Raven Mages felt as if their necks were suddenly getting crushed. Their eyes bulged out of their sockets as they painfully felt the air leave their lungs.

    As for the Magical Raven Birds, they surprisingly weren''t affected much.

    Their wings began to violently p, managing to struggle even under thebined grasp of Darcel and Masami.

    <em>"Scree!!" </em>

    The four Raven Birds refused to give up. Under immense suppression, their Magical aura began to explosively increase once again!

    At the top of each of the Raven Birds'' heads, massive swirls of Darkness Energy began to quickly take shape.

    "Hmmm.should we?" Ani curiously questions while not feeling much danger. No matter how much the Magical Raven Birds power increased, it never got to a point where it could make Ani even raise an eyebrow.

    Darcel slightly shook his head, finding this situation to be incredibly insightful. "We don''t have to do much. Despite not matching our prowess, these Mages certainly have a muchrger vitality. Any other Heavenly King in their position using a Spirit Artifact would''ve dropped dead by now. Let''s see if this new power can make a dent in Masami''s attack."

    "Hmph, I''ll eat my words if they could magically do that." Masami snorted with slight humorcing her tone.

    As Darcel''s group casually talked, the four ck Raven Birds finished charging their final stand.

    At the top of each of the four ck Raven Birds'' heads, their Magical Darkness energy formed into fourrge Darkness balls of great Magic Power.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Four ck beams immediately shot forth from the Raven Birds Darkness balls of power, shing directly against Masami''s vast Firefox w!

    <em>''BOOOM~!!'' </em>

    A tremendous explosion stemmed from the violent sh of two mighty sides of power. Blue mes burst all over the air, covering every droplet of Darkness energy, making it burn to nothingness.

    The ground ferociously quaked for several miles; long-running cracks split the gray mixed snowy ground by the sheer sh of power.

    A cloud of vast blue dust smoked out after the substantial explosion sh of power.

    A few seconds quickly passed by, and the blue dust began clearing up.

    As the dust cleared up, only three figures could be seen standing while another four figuresy buried in the gray mixed snowy ground. Where the four figures crashed, they even managed to create small craters beneath them.

    Of course, the three figures standing were Darcel, Ani, and Masami. The trio stoodpletely unharmed though some small spots of their clothes were a bit scratched.

    Their situation was nothingpared to the hell Raven Mages are in.

    The four Raven Magesid face up in the ground, their whole entire bodies bloody and battered. Besides sensing to see if they were alive, the only sign of lifeing from them was the Raven Mages slowly heaving their chests.

    The only thing keeping them from death''s door is their vigorous Magical aura, which was all nearly depleted now.

    "Fuuu~!" Ani whistles while appraising at their handiwork. "Now that was a shy ending! In all honesty, out of everything I fought, these Mages had some real shocks hiding in their sleeves."

    Ani had a genuine hint of respect in her tone. Their first battle with a Mage didn''t leave much of an impression on her, seeing as Raven Likal had to rely on that Crystalline treasure. But this time, these Mages proved themselves to be a potential worthy adversary.

    And this also raised Ani''s curiosity in bing a Mage herself.

    "Tch! Clearing away my Fox w, huh?" Masami seemed like she was going to have just a smidge of respect in her tone.

    However, her following words fell into her usual re. "Still nor surprisingly enough to be great worth of concern." And considering the fact that Masami indeed wasn''t even trying, she had the action back up being a bit cocky.

    Her Spirit Sense had then heavily inspected the downtrodden Mages, and Masami curiosity tilted her head. "So what now? They''re all just barely clinging to life."

    "Hmmm." Darcel began to quickly think it over while putting a finger to his chin. He gazed over the four Raven Mages before settling on one of the girls'' Raven Mages.

    Darcel began walking over to this specific Raven Mage, keeping his gaze locked onto her face.

    Ani and Masami turned their gazes over to each other.

    "Hm. Should''ve seen thising." Masami had folded her arm.

    "Hehe~, you know this will only be helpful to us, though." Ani wrylyughed, getting Masami to lightly snort.

    Both girls still follow closely behind Darcel, quite curious about what they can do with a near-death person conversion.

    Darcel stood imposingly over the Raven Mage, staring into her bloody, battered face. Even with all the gore, Darcel still nodded approvingly about this woman''s face.

    His eyes were like a hawk as Darcel could just identify that this woman was and could still be a beauty. Beyond the horrors, Darcel could see the distinct feature of cute beauty radiating from this woman''s face.

    While Darcel''s stood above the Raven Mage, her unfocused eyes stared up at Darcel.

    Initially, the Raven Mage didn''t even notice Darcel''s presence because of the crisis state she was in. But after just a couple of seconds, the Raven Mage felt a warm looming presence right over her.

    Darcel crouched down to get on the Raven Mage level, ignited his spatial ring, and brought out an Earth rank healing pill. A fresh medical fragrance promptly swirled out of the lone pill.

    The Raven Mage''s unfocused eyes almost instinctivelytched on the Earth rank healing pill.

    Darcel gingerly opened the Raven Mage bloodied mouth, uncaring of how dirty it is. He coated the healing pill with simple Qi and carefully guided the pill inside the woman''s mouth, swiftly directing it towards her Martial Veins.

    A burst of Magical healing energy traveled the Raven Mage body.

    The healing properties was enough to instantly heal her near-death injuries, keeping her away from the cold embrace of death.

    In just a matter of a couple of seconds, the Raven Mage could partially focus on her surroundings. Although, even as she was no longer near death, she still held massive injuries that will take far longer to heal.

    As the Mage partially came to her surroundings, she felt a bizarre sensation mixed in with her pain.

    For some odd reason, she felt unexpectedly.warm. That is until her eyes focused on a ck and white mask looming over her face.

    "Nn-!" On instinct, the Raven Mage felt a sprang of fear seeing the one who essentially ruined her like she was an insect.

    But almost immediately, the next second, the Raven Mage couldn''t feel that much fear next.

    "Nnng?" A soothing sensation washed over her mind, slowly calming down her fears.

    On the Raven Mage stomach, Darcel had already ced his Darkness Essence palm upon there. Darcel watched a green hue sparked in the Raven Mage eyes, glossing deep within her pupils.

    As Darcel was about to get into it to perform another conversion, he suddenly stopped. He felt his eyebrows furrow as a slight strain came from his soul''s core.

    It wasn''t anything significant or a call for concern.

    But, it was noticeable enough for Darcel to file in his mind forter. ''I wonder if this has to do with the fact I''m reaching some sort of limit or it''s because she''s a Mage.either way, it should be fine enough.''

    Darcel concluded it won''t be too much of a hassle.

    The Raven Mage is already weakened and has just barely escaped from near death. In her state, her soul''s core won''t provide much resistance or really any at all.

    Darcel had then poked the Raven Mage forehead making her and his eyes go nearly all ck with a hint of a green hue.

    As Ani and Masami watched the standard conversion affair, their eyes suddenly turned to the other Mages.

    Observing the gruesome state of them all, Masami indifferently shrugged. "So I say, let''s just kill them all. They officially ran out of their uses."

    Ani nodded in agreement. "Killing them is also honestly better for them than living through this kind of pain."

    Masami raised her hand, snapping her fingers, spawning three wisps of blue mes to hover over her hand. She had then flicked a single finger, sending the three wisps of blue mes to drill right into the remaining Raven Mages heads, instantly killing them off.

    "Hm, now that this is all over-" Ani suddenly cut herself off. Her Spirit Sense picked up on a vague presence rapidly approaching them.

    ''Hoh?'' She had wondered out loud in her head as this vague presence was incredibly unrefined in masking their presence.

    And Ani also felt a strange familiaritying from this vague presence.

    While Ani became curious, Masami''s reaction was far more intense. She instantly snapped her whole body around, and her gaze burned an invisible hole in a specific direction.

 Chapter 216: Great Satisfaction

    Chapter 216: Great Satisfaction

    "Hm?"

    Ani quickly shifted her gaze over to Masami, just feeling that violent shift of emotions radiating off from her. Her curiosity further piqued as Masami''s foxtails rigidly curled up as if she just encountered a fearsome enemy.

    Truthfully, though Masami tends to be on the aggressive side for most situations, Ani never saw her get so instantly hostile.

    In just a snap of a moment, Masami looked like she was ready to pounce on whatever thing she directed her burning gaze at.

    Ani started to move her hands over to Masami''s shoulder, preparing to ask just what got her so worked up.

    But right then, Masami swiftly spoke, still keeping her gaze locked on that specific spot. "So! The little crap geniuses are finally here to y?!?"

    The sheer intensity in Masami''s voice was also something Ani never heard from her before. Just from Masami''s surging anger, the air around them began to sizzle even without her spewing her blue mes.

    Before Ani had a chance to react again, Masami impulsively moved on pure anger alone.

    She raised her finger and instantly surged a brightly blue ming ball at the tip of her fingersmall streaks of blue ming wisps emitted from the burning ball, drilling deep into the snowy ground.

    In the same instance, Masami brought forth her blue ming ball of rage; she shot it right towards the specific spot she had her gaze locked onto.

    The blue ming ball tears through the air, roaring straight towards a seemingly invisible target.

    The interesting tidbit about Masami''s rage-filled attack was the fact she barely put any of her power into it. Masami may have anger on the brain, but she made explicitly sure she used even less than a fraction in her attack.

    Such a weak attack still would''ve made an eighth-level Heavenly King fear for their lives. And it was certainly enough to get a sneaking presence to finally show themselves.

    From fifty feet in front of Ani and Masami, the ground had suddenly burst open!

    A different set of blue mes chaotically rumbled in the air as a blue ming figure shot out of the ground. Just very narrowly, the blue ming figure shed out of the way of Masami''s blue zing ball.

    Although, Masami''s attack did graze that blue ming figure''s clothes before shooting off into the far distance.

    Ani''s eyes widened a bit. Now that vague presence was fully revealed to her Spirit Sense. And up in front of them, she finally saw just who was stalking them.

    "My, my, my! Just look who we have here. An actual beauty?" Ani was curiously tilting her head at their sudden stalker appearance.

    It truly wasn''t anything like she expected a stalker to look like. Fifty feet in front of her, and Masami was this seemingly beautiful woman.

    This beautiful-looking woman had long jet ck ink hair that was revealed after her robe hoodie was flung off. She had clear, gorgeous eyes that was warped with confusion and a bewildered expression to apany the disorder in her eyes.

    However, the main attraction that really got Ani''s interest was two fluffy fox ears standing rigid on top of this woman''s head.

    Ani''s eyes quickly peered over to Masami''s fox ears and this woman''s fox ears. Unless she looked closely into their ears, it was difficult to tell the difference between the two.

    A glint entered Ani''s eyes as she thought to herself, ''So it''s family time, huh?''

    Compared to the apparent interest Ani had in this seemingly beautiful woman, Masami was feeling a particr emotion bubble up inside her.

    She imposingly stood straight up, her gaze glowering down on the seemingly beautiful woman. "Really now? They sent the little girly boy Kasai huh? Guess our faction really is getting desperate...."

    Masami''s smirk insanely widened when seeing Kasai react hard to her insult.

    Kasai had briefly forgotten her surprise and confusion over this strange reunion as her expression turned a slight bit grim. The fact that it was someone like Masami tantly insulting him didn''t sit well at all.

    However, Kasai showed a degree of maturity most young, overly talented young people his ageck. He took a slight deep breath and attempted to calmly analyze this bizarre situation.

    Although, almost immediately, Kasai tightened his eyebrows.

    When attempting to make sense of this situation, nothing made sense at all. That mere minor attack Masami so casually flung at him was incredibly dangerous to Kasai!

    Kasai had felt immense pressure as if he was facing a peak, eighth-level Heavenly King.

    There was an actual threat to Kasai''s life. Just a step slower, Kasai was positively sure that Masami''s attack would''ve fatally injured him.

    And beside Masami''s insane prowess, there was this mysterious long white hair girl. Adding on to the confusion was the fact that this white-haired girl and Masami were wearing these odd ck and white masks.

    It was quite literally seconds ago that Kasai felt Nomyia''s fox amulet violently pulsated, picking up on Masami''s signature.

    Though it was a bit strange the amulet didn''t go off while he searched New Branch City and close to the city, Kasai didn''t bother to question at first.

    A bit unfortunate for Kasai was that the fox amulet quickly died down a few secondster.

    Still, Kasai was able to track the general vicinity of Masami''s variant bloodline presence thanks to the remnant pulsation of the fox amulet.

    And finally, here, Kasai had immediately identified Masami''s voice since it was admittedly loudly iconic.

    All this time leading up to the Mercenary Exchange Event, Kasai thought this would be an easy little pit stop for Grand Teacher. But actually, facing Masami was quickly shaping up to be an entirely different story.

    What made the situation just that more chilling was the fact Kasai could barely sense Masami''s cultivation realm. All he could pick up on was that she was somewhere in the Innate Core realm.

    Most worrying was all; Kasai couldn''t sense Ani''s cultivation realm at all.

    Out of these unexpected crazy developments, Kasai still tried to maintain an even face while talking.

    "Masami.it''s time to go home. Your Grandmother wants you, which is why I''m here." Kasai quickly thought it over in his head and realized appealing towards her impulsive emotions should work.

    And Masami indeed paused for a moment. She felt a sense of warmth, nostalgia, and love all nestle inside her chest, thinking of her Grandmother.

    However, before Kasai could think he would get somewhere, Masami began to softly chuckle.

    "Heh.you know, I do miss grandma. But.it isn''t time for me to go home yet. And when I do get home, she''ll be in for a tremendous surprise."

    Kasai began to tense up his body. He was preparing to respond a bit more persuasively until he felt two presences rapidly approaching from behind.

    Not only Kasai, but Ani and Masami shifted their gazes beyond Kasai''s body.

    "A surprise for the Wisdom Grand Sage of our whole sect? Is that so? That''s quite a big talk Masami Kitsui." A charming-sounding young man''s voice red up to them.

    Kasai looked back in slight surprise. Ani became more amused while Masami became increasingly excited.

    Sprinting up to them was Zhaun and Cui!

    These two began to walk as they got close, confidently strolling up the whole group as if they already had the entire situation under control.

    As they got close, Cui was indifferent as usual. But as her gaze crossed over to Masami, a heavy disdain filled her whole body. From under hoodie robe, one would be able to spot her lips curling up in disgust just from Masami''s presence.

    Zhaun had the same type of unweing opening gesture, just in apletely different way.

    Under his hoodie, his face was deviously smiling while looking over to Kasai. But when staring at Masami, Zhaun''s eyes turned as if he was staring at a colossal joke.

    Kasai didn''t care what reaction they had to Masami. He quickly demanded from both of them, "Just how did you.oh right." Kasai''s face began to lit up in realization. "The contact ring. You two.just why are you here?"

    Cui ignored Kasai''s question and peered her eyes over at Zhaun. "Hmph. Zhaun, when you said he had something potentially useful hiding in his clutches, I thought something actually useful." She peered her eyes back over at Masami, still filled with disdain.

    "Not just some joke."

    Zhaun put on a seemingly oblivious expression as he mockingly raised his hands in the air. "Come now, don''t be like that. Don''t you two want to see lowest talented dau-"

    Zhaun abruptly ceased talking. His face contorted into unbelievable shock! An unfathomable powerful aura violently crushed down on his entire being!

    Zhaun felt his blood run cold, his Heavenly aura was suppressed, and immense danger exploded in his mind.

    "!!"

    Zhaun and Cui weren''t spared as their faces had also transformed into bewildered shock. The same tremendously powerful aura suppressing Zhaun also crushed down on them, freezing their Heavenly auras, locking up their entire bodies.

    Zhaun, Cui, and Kasai tear their eyes over to just who was causing this powerful aura.

    And seeing who it was further destroyed their sense of disbelief.

    "No-no-no way?!?" Zhaun and even Cui and Kasai all fearfully uttered.

    Their entire faces were inplete awe and horror. In front of them, Masami stood tall and proud, decked out in her bloodline transformation state.

    Her blue fox ming cloak brightly shimmered like a miniature blinding sun drawing all eyes into her.

    ''H-Her cloak....it''s even brighter and richer than mines!!'' Zhaun, Cui, and Kasai simultaneously thought. Staring at just how vibrant Masami''s bloodline fox cloak was, their sense of inferiority only increased.

    Masami was curiously tilting her head towards the Ice Nine Tails geniuses as a sense of satisfaction increasingly surged within her. "You know, I let the three of you ramble on for so long, just for this moment. So what were you saying? Lowest talented da-what? I didn''t quite catch thest part."

    ''She''s enjoying herself. And I can''t deny, this is so fun to watch!'' Ani was musing to herself, perfectly content with Masami handling all of this.

    Kasai Zhaun and Cui, however, felt like everything dramatically turned into a bizarro world. Fear seeped into every fiber of their entire being; they all were having tremendous trouble believing this reality.

    Kasai, Zhaun Cui desperately tried to gather any scent of power, move a tiny part of their body to struggle, and even tried to draw on their souls.

    However, every avenue for them was futile. Zhaun, Kasai, and Cui were suppressed entirely.

    Their Heavenly Qi and Heavenly aura were utterly vaporized by just the mere sliver of Masami''s bloodline power. None of this felt even remotely right to Kasai, Zhaun, and Cui.

    Masami is supposed to be trash lower than even the weakest disciples! How could she hold this legendary genius prowess?!

    For the first time in her whole life, a jumbled frantic mix of emotion burst on Cui''s face. She started to fearfully stutter out, "Im-impossible-how-AH!!"

    Suddenly, Cui''s eyes nearly bulged out her sockets.

    "Thre-thre-three tails?!?"

    As Cui pointed it out, Zhaun and Kasai also looked at Masami''s foxtails. And an equally dumbfounded expression stered on their faces.

    "How?!?"

 Chapter 217: Fearful Hope

    Chapter 217: Fearful Hope

    Three fluffy blue foxtails were excitedly swishing out from Masami''s waist.

    Masami, who took immense gratification in seeing her Sect geniuses, so bewildered, took it a step further. She began to proactively swirl her three foxtails in front of her face, just to show off more.

    "How you ask? Why.you three should simply know what this means, right?"

    Masami''s voice was drenched in a heavy condescending tone as if she was exining an elementary subject to a trio of fools.

    Kasai, Cui, and Zhaun didn''t even react to Masami''s disdainful tone. They simply wanted to reject Masami''s words, yet her foxtails were simply undeniable proof.

    And they, of course, know what this signifies.

    Even though Kasai and Cui have four foxtails, they felt their inferiority towards Masami tremendously increased again. Zhaun felt his mind drowned in inferiority as he only had three foxtails.

    The fact of the matter is, Masami really is a genius exponentially above their levels.

    The legend of that one Ancestor genius who was able to grow another foxtail quickly came into Kasai, Cui, and Zhaun''s minds.

    The evolving Nine Tails bloodline.

    Everyone in the whole sect knows while their bloodline is at a Heavenly Rank. It''s a simple far cry from an actual Nine Tails God Bloodline.

    The only hope they had to change this irreversible destiny was to grow more foxtails and evolve. But for so long, that fantasy-like dream never urred again since their Legendary Ancestor genius.

    Kasai, Cui, and Zhaun even regarded that tail as mere folklore.

    Until now, that is.

    Their eyes were in overwhelming awe; their brains weregging further and further behind just to process this magical event.

    In actuality, Kasai, Cui, and Zhaun should''ve been astounded that a fellow member of theirs managed to grow another foxtail. Though their three Factions have heavy differences, there still was amon goal that bounded the three Factions together.

    That is to rise to the top of the Icy Cloud Province and perhaps even rise to the top of the whole Nine Provinces!

    And to achieve that, everyone in the sect believed somebody who can grow another foxtail could lead them to that unfathomable dream.

    However, there weren''t such high hopes swirling in Cui and Zhaun''s minds. Their Factions were always at heavy odds with hers.

    Kasai, though, was feeling something particr. But he couldn''t quite identify what it was. His mind was focused on trying to get through Masami''s vengeful wrath.

    "Ma-Masami."

    Kasai, Cui, and Zhaun all simultaneously spoke in a vain attempt to say something, anything to calm down this apparent monstrous genius.

    But besides saying her name, Kasai, Cui, and Zhaun quickly went silent.

    They simply didn''t know what to say. Not after so many past aggressions, taunts, and jeers. Furthermore, there weren''t any high-level Elders or authority figures to calm down the situation.

    ''Tsk, tsk. This is going to be painful for them.'' Ani mused to herself while shaking her head.

    In all honesty, she already has a predisposition to dislike anything from the Ice Nine Tail Sect because of her rtionship with Masami.

    Ani felt this was all just karmaing towards these unruly geniuses.

    "Ma-Masami what?" Masami jeers didn''t let up at all, furthering Kasai, Cui, and Zhaun''s shame. "You all could run your mouth so much before, but I guess fox got your tongue now."

    When seeing they all had nothing else to say, Masami crossed her arms.

    "Hmph." She disdainfully snorted and vanished in a blue fire sh.

    In that instance, Kasai, Zhaun, and Cui felt their fear explosively increase, seeing Masami finally beginning to move.

    And without warning, Masami''s first target was Cui as she shed right in front of her face. Being so up close and personal with Masami, Cui felt an unbelievable crushing pressure grasp her mind, soul, and body.

    "Wa-wa-" Cui fruitlessly tried to beg, but Masami didn''t have any of it; she reached out her hand at lightning speed, tightly grasping Cui''s frail neck.

    Masami''s smile only widened as Cui was utterly powerless under her grip.

    While Cui was experiencing her windpipe getting painfully crushed, Masami violently lifted her up from the ground, making her whole body helplessly dangled.

    An agonizing sizzling seared painfully burned Cui''s throat. Agony she never once felt in her life spread throughout Cui''s entire being.

    Cui wanted nothing more than to at least w at Masami''s cruel hand. Yet, there wasn''t anything she could do. A great fear of being absolutely powerless birthed in Cui''s heart and was carved deep within.

    "The Koduka Faction, hm?" Masami began to slowly shake her head. "Always, so proudful, arrogant and showboating. Never once in your lives do you think the other factions could ever top you, And honestly? You would be correct in this line of thought. Until now, that is."

    Masami''s words were like another massive mental attack on Cui''s mental state. Her whole pride was getting ruthlessly trampled upon by Masami in just a mere matter of seconds.

    Cui had even brieflypared Masami to Kato in her mind. Kato, the number one genius in the whole Ice Nine Tail Sect.

    And not even he carried such an overwhelming prowess like Masami.

    There was no supposed lowest talented daughter here, only a legendary genius that wasn''t seen for years!

    As Masami sent Cui down a mental hell of disbelief, she had then turned her sights on Kasai and Zhaun.

    "Hmph." Masami coldly snorted again. She willed her foxtails, making them quickly sail over to Kasai and Zhaun at light speeds.

    "Nnng!!"

    Kasai and Zhaun felt a tremendous crushing force on their windpipes as Masami''s foxtails tightly coiled around their necks.

    Masami''s foxtails lifted them slightly above the ground, making their bodies helplessly dangled just like Cui.

    Like Cui, Zhaun and Kasai were on the same road of mental hell.

    Though Zhaun knew his Faction was less than the Koduka Faction. He at least held a certain superiority belief over the Kitsui Faction.

    However, that belief was flushed down the drain all at once by Masami. Being powerless and helpless was quickly destroying the charismatic confidence he had naturally built up.

    It was just that Zhaun couldn''t stopparing himself to Masami. And In every aspect of cultivation, the inferiority just kept getting higher and higher to where Zhaun was actually considering himself to be an antpared to Masami.

    For Kasai, he was still trying to get over his state of shock.

    Admittedly for him, Kasai never really looked down on Masami that much. He indeed never regarded her as that much of an important person. But there wasn''t any apparent disgust when thinking about Masami.

    And now, all of his thoughts were being heavily changed.

    He greatly feared Masami with this extreme monstrous prowess. And yet, another feeling slowly birthed within Kasai''s mind.

    The feeling of hope.

    Whatever happens to them today, Kasai just felt a faint sliver of hope that Masami truly will change their whole Faction around. From what she''s showing off now, Kasai could believe there was a slight chance for a better future.

    "This is certainly fun, Sami, but what are you going to do with them?"

    Ani''s voice suddenly spoke up, making Kasai, Cui and Zhaun recalled that she was also here.

    Her following words, though, sent a cold fear down their hearts.

    "Are you perhaps going to kill them? I mean.from what they''re saying, only your grandmother has the faintest of clue that you''re here. And we can''t have them revealing our little secrets, right~?" Ani''s tone sounded teasing.

    Yet the words she spoke contrasted with her light teasing tone, making her sound like a terrifyingly cruel woman.

    Masami slowly put a finger to her chin, looking as if she was actually pondering on killing them.

    If they could move Kasai, Zhaun, and Cui''s bodies certainly would shiver with overwhelming fear. The fact they can''t only made the situation far more horrifying.

    After a slow, tense couple of seconds, Masami lightly said, "Hm, I don''t think that will be necessary. I''m not that much of a heartless woman. Besides, we have other options to keep their mouths sealed, right?"

    Kasai, Zhaun, and Cui only felt a sliver of relief.

    But there was still the uncertainty of what Masami means by ''keeping their mouths sealed.''

    Ani only nodded her head, and while keeping her eyes forward, she said, "I believe we do. Wouldn''t you also agree, Darcy?"

    "Indeed we do," Darcel stated while he stood right next to Ani.

    Ani didn''t even need to sense that Darcel''s was done; she just felt his presence slowly walk up to him.

    Surveying the situation, Darcel''s eyes suddenly locked on Kasai; he continued on to say, "And I think I just found something that''ll actually help us in the long run. Also, we now have Mage Darkness Servant."

    At that point, Ani turned her head around to look at Darcel.

    Standing a few feet towards his left was the once downtrodden battered Raven Mage. However, now, the Raven Mage is in a far better state.

    Her face was no longer bloody, now being able to showcase her natural beauty radiance. There was a serene glint in her eyes as she calmly analyzed the situation before her.

    Darcel pointed over to the Raven Mage, telling Ani, "Her name is Sako. She has a simr quiet disposition like Zara."

    "Mistress." Raven Sako quietly said while slightly inclining her head in deep respect.

    Ani got highly curious now that they finally have someone on the other side of power directly under them. "A Mage in the flesh.perfect! She''ll definitely have her worth. But for now."

    Ani turned her back on Masami. "How shall we finish this?"

    Darcel also turned his attention back on Masami. Though for a split second, his mind shed over Raven Sako''s conversion process.

    As usual, it was quick and straightforward.

    But there was a slight concerning thought that still permeated Darcel''s mind ever since he first tried to do the conversion on her.

    Darcel, however, pushed down this thought since he concluded he can still do what he needs to now.

    He can think upon that concerning thoughtter. Looking over to Masami, Darcel told her, "Masami, leave that one up." He had pointed over to Kasai, causing both him and Masami to feel slight puzzlement.

    "You can knock out the other two; they''re not worth much."

    Darcel''s cold, harsh words would''ve caused a violent reaction under regr times. But all Zhaun and Cui did was close their eyes in shame.

    Kasai, however, felt tension explode within him. He could only pray that whatever Darcel did wouldn''t be so disastrous to him.

    "Hmmm...alright." Masamiplied and turned her attention towards Cui.

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    Without another word, Masami violently mmed Cui straight into the ground! Cui felt most of her bones cracked and her organs chaotically churned; she was knocked out cold on impact.

    Masami willed her foxtails next, swiftly bringing Zhaun towards her face. "Anyst word, snake?"

    All Zhaun could think and say was, "N-nightmare."

    "Thanks, I appreciate thepliment." When she finished speaking, Masami mmed her foxtail to the ground, violently crashing Zhaun into it. Most of his bones shattered, his organs shifted, and he was knocked out cold on impact.

    With the final one, Masami slowly brought Kasai close to her face. She revels in his increasingly fearful expression, and Masami asks Darcel then, "So, what''s the point of keeping this femmy boy up?"

    Darcel began slowly walking up to Masami. His following words sent great shock in her mind. "Not a femmy boy. Just a masquerading beautiful girl."

 Chapter 218: Lovely Transformation

    Chapter 218: Lovely Transformation

    A crossed expression of puzzlement was stered on Masami''s face behind her mask. The thought of Kasai being a girl sometimes crossed her mind, but everyone in the sect, including herself, wasn''t wrong about his gender.

    Masami curiously tilted her head at Darcel, thinking he was just a bit confused.

    She briefly turned her gaze back to Kasai. Though she found it odd that Kasai''s eyes began to spasm, Masami regarded that he didn''t like to be called a girl.

    Masami shifted her foxtail a bit down to see that adam apple on Kasai''s neck, signifying he was indeed a ''boy.''

    Masami turned back around to Darcel, asking as he got close to her, "Ehh? I know that he looks so much like a girl, but he''s truly a boy, you know?"

    When Darcel finally neared Masami, Kasai''s pupils were heavily dted. This went unnoticed by Masami, but Darcel picked up on it.

    Before Darcel could talk, Ani suddenly chimed in her opinions.

    "Weeell.even I wouldn''t believe that at first, Sami. His resemnce to being a female is simply too much to just be a mere feminine guy." She shrugged her shoulders, partially believing the undeniable proof Masami showed.

    But she also partially believed Darcel may just have something to prove that he''s right. It certainly wouldn''t be the first time Ani witnessed Darcel doing something out of the norm.

    Darcel smirked at Ani before turning his attention to Raven Sako. "Sako, wait for my further orders after this. I have something for you to do."

    "Yes, Master."

    Raven Sako dutifully nodded, and Masami finally noticed the Raven Mage. Her eyes roamed up and down the Raven Mage, taking note of her particr presence.

    Masamipared her to Zara, noting that she has the same annoyingly calm eyes.

    Though Raven Sako seemed to be a bit more of a thinker as she appeared to be profoundly analyzing the situation urring before her.

    "Hm, I suppose she isn''t terrible. Anyways," Masami turned her focus back on Darcel, a hint of amusement dripping in her tone next. "Just how are you going to show me this pretty boy is actually a pretty girl?"

    Darcel felt hispetitive spirit rise up at Masami''s proactive words.

    "Just watch this."

    Under the girl''s eyes, Darcel got within a few inches of Kasai. He stared directly into Kasai''s dted spasming pupils, knowing exactly why his reaction was being so intense.

    Darcel lifted his palm, instantly coated it in his Darkness Essence, and without warning, roughly mmed his palm square on Kasai''s chest!

    ''Pa!'' A loud p reverberated in the area.

    And what happened next genuinely surprised Masami.

    "Ahhn~!"

    A real womanly moan red out Kasai''s mouth.

    Masami stared with great interest at Kasai as a deep Darkness glow briefly shrouded his whole body. Now Masami''s thoughts were getting turned over.

    Although Kasai did have a more feminine voice, he always had a clear voice pitch that sounded like it belongs to a man.

    But that moan, there was simply no trace of that in his shout.

    The Darkness glow encasing Kasai''s bodysted for all of a couple of seconds. And when Kasai was revealed, Masami''s confusion only surged.

    Now it was like she was looking at the same person, yet this version of Kasai was entirely different at the same time.

    The first thing she noticed was Kasai''s skinplexion.

    Previously he always had a lovely clean-looking skinplexion. But now, it was enhanced by several degrees. His skinplexion is now far lighter, more creamy smooth, almost like a pure maiden woman.

    Kasai''s facial features as well became far more gorgeous. There was zero traces of any masculinity in his face, appearing exactly like a beautiful woman.

    However, what truly cemented the deal was when Masami gazed at Kasai''s neck.

    His.or as Masami fathomed now, her, Kasai''s adam apple was gone!

    Masami began to scratch her twitching fox ears, being thrown for a small loop. She stared back at Darcel, asking him, "Uhmm.what? For as long as I knew this guy, he was always a confirmed boy. Moreover, how did you even know he was.well.a she?"

    Even for the many crazy feats cultivators and Mages can achieve, Masami never once heard of someone changing their entire gender!

    Plus, even if wasn''t changing genders, she never heard of masquerading transformation skill being so good it fooled an entire Sect of powerful cultivators.

    Darcel didn''t respond just yet. He tilted his head a bit while his mind found a way to urately answer her.

    When he didn''t promptly answer, Darcel didn''t even need his Darkness Soul link to feel Masami''s rapid impatience and growing anticipation.

    However, all the answer Darcel gave Masami was, "Well .it''s simple really. I sensed her true gender through Yin Pleasure and revealed it through Yin Pleasure."

    "Simple, my ass! That doesn''t exin anything to me."

    Masami was rolling her eyes as she could tell Darcel was finding amusement in her confusion and annoyance.

    Darcel didn''t chuckle out loud, keeping his enjoyment to the back of his mind. He evenly replied to Masami, telling her, "It''s the shortest exnation I can give, honestly. You would need to cultivate Darkness to understand Yin Pleasure. And not just any Darkness Energy, my specific Soul Darkness Essence. Not even our Darkness Soul link can achieve this.I think."

    "Haah.whatever. It''s not that much important to me anyways." Masami easily relented, showcasing she had just that much trust in Darcel''s words.

    Plus, there wasn''t a lie in his words either since it is known that nobody can simply steal from another cultivator''s Soul''s Essence.

    Masami turned her gaze back to Kasai and asked without even looking at Darcel, "So what now? Is what I would genuinely ask if I couldn''t guess what''s about to happen next." Her tone was a bit snappy.

    Darcel felt a wry smile etch on his lips while he casually shrugged his shoulders a bit. "I know, you know that this is an actual good idea. She will have very good uses for us."

    "Hmph." Masami lightly snorted but stillplied.

    She uncoiled her foxtail from Kasai''s neck, making her drop onto her knees. Staring down at her, Masami couldn''t honestly have such a huge issue with her like she did with Zhaun and Cui.

    They were a part of the same Faction, as little that mattered in the long run. Moreover, Kasai was one of the few that never really went out of her way to make her life a damn hell.

    All the while Masami and Darcel lightly discussed, Kasai was experiencing a new sensation she never underwent in her life.

    Kasai''s whole body couldn''t stop quivering as Yin''s Pleasure coursed throughout her entire being. Along with Yin Pleasure''s bliss was a soothing warm sensation that rxed Kasai''s mind, even the burning pain previously ring her body.

    For all of her life, Kasai never once thought she would experience something so good like this!

    Her mind became warped with Yin Pleasure and this soothing warm sensation. Without even much effort on Darcel''s Yin Pleasure, Kasai couldn''t stop thinking about Darcel''s presence.

    Darcel had finally crouched down to get a full view of Kasai''s face.

    ''Always beauties.''

    He mused to himself as Kasai was a gorgeous lovely woman. She radiated a more gentle, pure vibe out of the beauties Darcel came across.

    Even as her face was bing warped with Yin Pleasure, the bright blush covering her cheeks emitted a more innocent charm from her.

    Appreciating this kind of gentle beauty, Darcel was about to touch her forehead.

    Halfway through the motion, he abruptly paused.

    Darcel tightly knitted his eyebrows as a stronger strain discharged from his Soul. Inside his Soul''s core, Darcel could feel his Darkness Soul link increasing in a tight strain, even though he''s only going to do two conversions today.

    Darcel briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fuuu.this will be thest until I can break through again." He let his body release the straining tension, and he pushed down the slight Soul straining pain.

    Initially, Darcel believed he could do several more conversions before hitting the ceiling of his limit.

    However, it appeared he underestimated just how much power he truly needs from his Soul to sustain all these Darkness Soul links.

    Plus, there was also the fact he just got done doing a conversion process on Mage, which Darcel assumed took more energy than a cultivator.

    Getting back on task, Darcel gingerly lifted up Kasai''s head, staring into her changing eyes.

    As per usual, Darcel could spot the faint green hue nestling deep within her pupils. Furthermore, Darcel also felt Kasai shiver pleasurably to his soft touch.

    Smiling at the cute reaction, Darcel ignited his fingertip with Darkness Essence and touched Kasai''s forehead, making his and her eyes go nearly all ck.

    While he did that, Ani had already walked over to Masami. She was cracking her knuckles, saying,

    "We got a few seconds now. Time to make sure these two have a looong rest without killing them." At this point, Ani wasn''t phased at all, with Kasai being a girl and Darcel doing the conversion on her.

    As Ani appeared to be gearing up, Masami curiously tilted her head at her, asking the energetic girl,

    "I know I said we have the means. But.just what are you going to do with them?"

    Towards Masami''s question, Ani raised her palm high, coating it with brightly luminous Light energy. "I''ll be sealing their minds up!"

    .

    Darcel was feeling surprisingly warm and toasty as he stayed rooted in his spot, staring into a true womanly face. He was currently inside Kasai''s soulscape space, basking in its particrly lovely atmosphere.

    With most of the Snow Angels and Raven Sako, their soulscape space didn''t have a specific atmosphere.

    Most of the time, they just ended up feeling a bit cold before his Darkness Essence took over. Be was the only one who had a slightly warm atmosphere in her soulscape space.

    However, right now, none of that applied to Kasai''s soulscape space.

    Even when he first steps foot in her, a wave offortable warmth washed over Darcel''s soul form body. And when itbined with his Darkness Essence, Darcel felt nicely toasty here.

    This wasn''t the only surprise Darcel received. He was observing Kasai''s beautiful face, studying the deep green hue in her eyes.

    Unlike with all other conversions, Kasai wasn''t wrapped up in any Darkness Tendrils.

    And yet, Kasai''s expression wasn''t fearful, confused, angry, or warped with pleasure. Her expression was absolutely tranquil, as if this was the most natural thing in the world for her.

    When her eyes peered into Darcel''s gaze, there was a sense of warm affection that Darcel admittedly found cute.

    Darcel wasn''t even here for a long time. Yet, he is already making rapid progress and prodding good information from Kasai.

    He began asking the tranquil Kasai, "So your real name is Kassidy, huh? And just from your desire, you honestly value Masami''s grandmother a lot. That mysterious woman certainly has my interest.howe you value her so much?"

 Chapter 219: Foresight

    Chapter 219: Foresight

    "Mnn.Grand Teacher is extraordinary." Kassidy serenely nodded her head, having no problems with answering Darcel''s question.

    She even gave Darcel a small cutesy smile before continuing on to tell him, "I don''t think there is anybody in my Sect that doesn''t think Grand Teacher has an undeniable truth in her words. For me.I want to be just like her, so full of wisdom and knowledge. I want to achieve what she achieved to take control of my whole life."

    Kassidy''s voice was pleasantly sweet, having a tone filled with warmth and affection while talking to Darcel.

    By now, she was essentially drowned in Yin Pleasure, the greenshade Divine Property, and Darcel''s own presence.

    "Grand Teach huh.and she''s the one that sent you down here. But what for?" Darcel asked next. Even with all the stories he already heard about Masami''s Grandmother, his intrigue continued to rise with another person''s perspective.

    "Grand Teacher, or as you know her as Masami''s Grandmother, she wants Masami home now. I''m not too entirely sure about the specific details as she let me out of the loop. But, I can safely say, she has vital ns for her."

    When Kassidy finished exining, she suddenly directed her eyes right into the eyes of Darcel''s mask. In a genuine tone, she asked him,

    "Master.are you a miracle worker? No.you just have to be one."

    <em>''Chi!" </em>

    A Darkness glow burst from the center of Kassidy''s soul''s core form body!

    Darcel was taken by surprise for a bit, seeing as Kassidy already called him Master without her Darkness Soul link forming. Though he quickly saw why considering this apparent submissive personality she has.

    Kassidy, however, honestly didn''t put much or really any thought into epting Darcel. She didn''tplicate things by clinging to her brain in a vain attempt to push out Darcel''s Darkness Essence.

    Kassidy relied on her pure instinctive sensations.

    It was in a simr manner of how she would cultivate. She would let herprehension smoothly flow into her brain without forcing herself or over practicing for a lengthy amount of time.

    And Kassidy actually managed to gain several enlightenment insights this way.

    Now with Darcel, there was also a critical insight she almost instantly learned. That is, Darcel genuinely will be the one to lead her whole Ice Nine Tail Sect to the top of the entire Nine Provinces!

    She didn''t try to overthink it or apply any logic to it.

    Kassidy just had the utmost trust in her instinctive feelings, which was telling her that Darcel, her Master, holds unfathomable power never once seen by the whole Nine Provinces.

    In only a couple of seconds, Kassidy''s Darkness Soul link formed and quickly solidified.

    Her Darkness glow vanished, revealing the pleasantly smiling Kassidy. She had her eyes closed, basking in the soothing warmth Darcel''s presence had on her.

    "If you want an official answer on if I''m a miracle worker. Then, yes, you can say that I am. With me, you can gain all the wisdom on this entire continent and much, much more."

    Darcel''s words may be boasting, but he spoke with an unbreakable assurance, making it difficult to not believe him.

    Not that Kassidy needed the assurance. She slowly opened her eyes, having no touch of doubt anywhere. "Of course, Master. And we should leave now, Master. I''m sure that Masami will have questions for me."

    Darcel readily agreed and poked a single finger on Kassidy''s forehead.

    .

    Back in the real world, Darcel and Kassidy started to blink awake at the same time. Darcel''s eyes open to see Kassidy''s sky blue hypnotic eyes.

    Kassidy was giving Darcel her now usual small sweet smile while staring up at him.

    ''I wonder.is this her true personality? Or she never acted differently?'' Darcel mused to himself as he indeed didn''t have any prior interactions or experiences with Kasai.

    And out of all Masami talks about from Sect, ''Kasai'' rarely came out of her mouth.

    While Darcel briefly pondered about it, Ani and Masami came up right behind him. Ani held an analytical gaze at Kassidy''s proper appearance, already liking what she saw.

    Just from how serene Kassidy appeared as Ani can tell she''s one of the silent thinker types.

    Her appraisal of Kassidy went up a slight notch when she had turned her gaze over towards her and Masami, giving them the same sweet smile and a nod of respect.

    "Mnn, Darcy. The calms ones really are the most manageable." Ani thought out loud, nodding approvingly to Kassidy.

    Masami, on the other hand, had a more pointed gaze at Kassidy. Before anyone could start, Masami needed this cleared up for her.

    This thought was actually burning away in her mind. "Alright, just what the hell is this? What''s your exnation on being a guy for what would be like.twenty years of your life?" She asked while pointing a finger right in front of Kassidy''s face.

    Kassidy calmly reacted to Masami''s using question and tone. She stood up along with Darcel and exined to them with great respect filling her eyes.

    "It was all because of your grandmother, surprisingly or not surprisingly enough."

    "Eh? Grandma really went that out of her way for you? Just what did she do for you?" There was a particr slight envious pitchcing Masami''s tone.

    She always thought her grandmother does overly special things for her and only her!

    Kassidy, still remaining calm, told her, "Ah, it''s actually not special for what she did for me. At least from my memories, Grand Teacher gave me an exotic illusion charm for people to perceive me as a boy. The reason being is.well."

    For the first time since talking, Kassidy''s expression shifted. She briefly gained a slight mncholic one for a lightning split second.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami did manage to catch on to it, but a moment slower, they would''ve missed it.

    However, after that split second, Kassidy''s expression returned to normal.

    Before she could speak again, Masami interrupted her, telling the other fox girl, "Well, whatever, I''m not too interested in that. More importantly, just how did grandma know that I''m specifically here? And why does she want me to suddenlye home?"

    Darcel already knew half of her answer but kept his mouth shut. He waited anyways for the girls to listen to the whole story so there would be no confusion. And Ani was listening in very closely.

    "Ah, that''s right, Master. It slipped my mind when we were in my soul. I forgot to tell you that not only I know about Masami''s disappearance. But I was able to find out your parents know as well. Though Grand Teacher never explicitly told me this."

    Darcel and Ani looked over to Masami, gauging her reaction. They both know she has quite aplicated rtionship with her parents.

    But, instead of an aggressive reaction, Masami curiously tilted her head. "Disappearance? Wouldn''t Grandma simply tell them that I ran away from home or at least cover for me? I mean, that''s why you''re here, to get the runaway child."

    Kassidy didn''t deny Masami''s words, nodding towards her, but she had exined next,

    "Indeed. That''s what I think Grand Teacher was doing for quite some time. But, I was lucky enough to be told by Grand Teacher that a special crystal that was tied to your life aura suddenly broke. They lost all trace of you since that day, and they still can''t sense you. To this day, not even Grand Teacher is sure on why your life aura crystal broke."

    Darcel, Ani and Masami paused for a moment. They didn''t need to think long and hard at all as their eyes almost instantly shed in realization.

    "Something unexinable happened that shouldn''t have happened at all? Of course, it has to be that day!" Ani wonders out loud, pinning everything on the day they fought that Scientist.

    Darcel and Masami believed it as well since it made the most sense.

    When they got teleported to take those hellish trials, the trio could tell they weren''t anywhere near the Icy Cloud Province.

    Furthermore, they had also lost all of their cultivation at one point in those hellish trials. They could understand why they would think Masami had ''disappeared.''

    Masami got a little aggressive when speaking next, saying, "Tch, either way, I couldn''t give the faintest of damn if my parents think I disappeared. But...."

    Her tone quickly grew softer thinking about her grandmother. "Grandma.did she.ah! I know what she did; she actually used her mysterious powers!"

    "Yes, with Grand Teacher foreseeing abilities, she had foreseen something tremendous going down in New Branch City and must''ve amused you as the cause. She had given me the Fox amulet, which allowed me to trace your specific bloodline variant." Kassidy stated.

    "Did she now.hm." Masami turned her gaze over towards Darcel. "Now I see why you wanted her. She may be the only other youth beside me that has clear, deep connections to grandma."

    Darcel saw her point, but it wasn''t entirely true. He exined to her, "A bit of that reason. At first, I mostly just assumed she had some faint connection because she tracked us down. Mainly though, she left a far better first impression than those other kids. Now that she is under us."

    Darcel turned his attention over to Zhaun and Cui''s knocked-out bodies. He could spot a faint white Light glow shrouding around their heads. "How long will they be knocked out for Ani?"

    "Mnnn.for a week or so. I can also manually wake them up if you want me to. Basically, we won''t have to bother ourselves with their snooping eyes and noises." Ani exined.

    Kassidy had looked over to Zhaun and Cui''s fallen bodies as well, not caring in the slightest about their well beings.

    But she did quickly catch on to why Darcel would want them knocked out for a while. To quell any leftover concerns in him, Kassidy began to say,

    "Ah, Master. You won''t need to worry about them seeing something they shouldn''t have. Grand Teacher has a way to take care of that."

    Darcel put his gaze on Kassidy, nodding towards her, and told her, "Alright then. Also, Kassidy, you will still participate in the Mercenary Exchange Event." He had then turned his sights over to silent Raven Sako.

    "And Sako, you do have a contact ring, right?"

    "Yes, Master."

    When Darcel had pointed her out, Ani, Masami, and Kassidy suddenly realized that she was actually still with them. They nearly forgot about her presence because she was so quiet and deathly still.

    Ani and Masami could even safely say that Zara wasn''t this silent.

    Under the girl''s mild surprised eyes, Raven Sako briskly strolled up to Darcel and handed him her Mage Contact ring.

    Taking her Contact ring, Darcel quickly thought over some things. Compared to how he did it with the Snow Angels group, getting the Raven Mage Order leaders toe out of their hole would be a challenging task.

    All of them hold far different values than cultivators and even have rarer items than cultivators. Moreover, even with Ani and Masami, Darcel couldn''t say he was one hundred percent assured on taking Spirit Mages that are most likely equivalent to tenth level Heavenly Kings.

    Just from today''s battle, it showed that Mages have numerous surprises until their very end.

    Darcel only had it easy because he and the girls significantly overpower them. Being arrogant is a sin that Darcel proves himself time and time again that it leads to eventual ruins.

    But, though Darcel wasn''t assured of having a legion of woman Mages under his grasp now, he still had other ns for Raven Sako.

 Chapter 220: Looming Sign

    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?"

 Chapter 221: Mercenary Exchange Event

    Chapter 221: Mercenary Exchange Event

    Several days blew past like the wind for New Branch City.

    The rising tension stifling the air had shifted entirely in thesest few days. On this specific day, the intense stench of battle permeated all throughout New Branch City.

    It was bright early in the morning, and numerous groups of cultivators and Mages were already filling the streets of the City. There weren''t any ordinary residents of New Branch City in these groups.

    Every group that walked was affiliated with at least one of numerous Mercenaries groups inhabiting the City.

    These squadron groups stuck close to each other, not even daring to get too close to another different Mercenary squadron group.

    Although, every squadron group was following the same route, slowly shuffling towards the back of the City.

    On every Mercenary group member''s face, they all dawned the utmost serious expression.

    Today is one of the most important in these Mercenaries'' lives, after all.

    For as today was the start of the Mercenary Exchange Event!

    Every Mercenary group had their own thoughts, ns, and schemes ready to put in action for this year''spetition. They all, of course, wanted to attain the best results possible.

    Everyone''s fighting spirits were at an all-time high. Tension pumped up the Mercenaries'' bloodstreams, ready for even the slightest kick of action.

    Way at the far back of every Mercenary group squadron, trailing ten feet behind them, were three masked figures and one causally rxed woman.

    These four were entirely in the range of all Mercenaries groups squadrons Heavenly Spirit Senses, yet they all went practically unnoticed. It was like if one didn''t directly look at them, they simply had no presence to be aware of.

    The four were Darcel, Ani, Masami, and Snow Angel leader Be.

    Compared to all other Mercenary groups, they didn''t have that tension-filled fighting spirit that was roaring to be unleashed.

    Be was simply taking this monumental day as another Sunday stroll. She even had a slight smile epassing her face, more so eager to get this day over with so she could go back to rxing.

    Rxing while cultivating with her Darkness Soul link had admittedly be a favorite pastime of her.

    And while neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami felt tension filling their veins. They did have a genuine curiosity towards this Event as they were slightly lost in their own thoughts while walking.

    Over the past days, they learned everything they could about the Mercenary Exchange Event. And their main curiosityy in the various valuable treasures and goodies they could gain here.

    The trio felt a bit more agency to increase their cultivation faster, seeing as Masami''s grandmother potentially knows where they are.

    Moreover, Masami was assured that when Kassidy goes back to her sect, her grandmother would most certainly have the means to know what had urred down there.

    For as strong she, Darcel, and Ani was, they all knew they couldn''t match even a percent of Nomyia''s abilities.

    And if Nomiya were to personallye down to collect Masami, there''s simply nothing they could do about it, which would put a huge wrench in all of their built-up ns.

    Precise determination filled the trio''s minds at this thought, making them hopeful of finding a good enough treasure.

    Even though their cultivation wasn''t increasing, it didn''t mean either of the three gotzy. They had continuously spar in the Qi Haven Space, sharpening every aspect of their battle senses.

    To make itpletely even when sparring, Darcel had even suppressed his level by one, making it anyone''s game to win these sparring sessions.

    Although most of the time, Darcel ended up taking the win.

    And whenever he had won, Darcel was graciously rewarded with quite pleasurable prizes from both Ani and Masami''s heart and body.

    Though it doesn''t really matter who won since it would always dissolve into love-making after sparring.

    While Darcel practiced with his girls, he didn''t neglect any of his Darkness servants. He made sure all of them, including Kassidy, were diligently cultivating masking their presence.

    The ones that had the most outstanding results were Be, Kassidy, and Raven Sako.

    Unsurprisingly for Darcel, they all got insanely proficient in masking their presence in these several days. Darcel expected at least for this to happen, considering they all have very quiet personalities that majorly prefer time to themselves.

    Although these three servants were far ahead of the pack, it didn''t mean the others were that majorly behind.

    The rest, even including his weakest servants, Lauren and Abby, all couldpletely hide their presences against cultivators stronger than them.

    Besides his Darkness Servants progress, Darcel also began to go over how intriguing the rules for the Mercenary Exchange Event were. They had gone against his own expectations on what Mercenaries do whenpeting against each other.

    The rules were simple.

    The first round of the Event was the Hunting Competition. In it, every Mercenaries group is supposed to show off their teamwork in efficiently hunting Spirit Monsters and treasures.

    Every Mercenary group squadron has one Mage Badge that is used to record the Spirit Monster they took down and the rank of the treasure collected.

    And at the end, when all Mercenary group squadronbined their Mage Badges, whoever has the highest density of energy will win.

    It sounded extremely simple, but Darcel had learned that the ce where they would go is absolutely nothing like the Wild Snow Land. He found out it''s apparently an independent realm filled with monstrously powerful Spirit Monsters and dangerous traps.

    Powerful Spirit Monsters and traps that could even significantly threaten and or kill tenth level Heavenly Kings!

    And there was even recorded history of numerous tenth-level Heavenly Kings falling prey to the dangers thaty within this independent realm.

    This is why teamwork is majorly crucial here, as going off alone would get one kill without even knowing how they die.

    Darcel found it intriguing how the City Lords of New Branch City can make these brash Mercenary groupse together so well.

    Ani''s train thoughts differ from Darcel''s. After not speaking for a few minutes of walking, she suddenly turns her head over to Darcel and Masami.

    "Things have been pretty silent these days. But.I can''t help but wonder if the yellow-eyed woman wille here." There was still evident hope in Ani''s tone.

    Ever since that moment, she became increasingly assured in wanting to meet the yellow-eyed woman. Just like Darcel, because of the sensations in her blood, Ani was sure that woman wouldn''t hurt them.

    "Hm. If she doese here, she''ll certainly make the fights far more interesting for us." Masami snorted, still having the same distrustful tone about the yellow-eyed woman.

    She just couldn''t get over that terrifying sensation no matter how hard she tries.

    Darcel had already raised his hand when Masami finished talking, telling the girls, "Well, she''s not here now, so let''s just-hm?"

    He had abruptly stopped talking as his attention quickly shifted towards the skies. Ani, Masami, Be, and everyone else''s attention also shifted towards the sky.

    Everyone there sensed a frighteningly unfathomable aura descending down to them, covering across the whole New Branch City.

    This immense auramanded absolute respect and submission in nearly everyone''s senses.

    Even Darcel, Ani, and Masami were affected by this tremendous aura. Their eyes instantly lit up, recognizing this powerful aura belongs to a Grand Sage cultivator!

    Darcel and Ani specifically felt their blood boil a bit, wanting to instinctively challenge someone so powerful.

    For so long, every fight they have been a part of had been too easy for them. They needed some sort of challenge, and this Grand Sage actually got their bloodlines roaring.

    However, Darcel and Ani still retained their rational minds.

    They quelled their battle-hungry instincts, quickly returning to their calm state.

    Darcel briefly peered his eyes over to the numerous Mercenary squadron groups. All in their eyes, there was the utmost respect for the Grand Sage descending down towards them.

    Looking back up, Darcel saw a sight that matched the unfathomable aura covering them.

    It was a handsome man descending from the skies who carried a noble allure. The man wore elegantly designed bright blue robes, had a face that emitted a charming radiance, and long jet ink-ck hair.

    As this handsome man got close, Darcel had quietly hum. "Hmm, so this is one of the City Lords here.not too bad."

    After getting over their initial shock, neither he, Ani, nor Masami were too terribly impressed. Even Be kept a causal, rxed smile while in the graceful presence of the Grand Sage City Lord.

    When the City Lord was a few miles above the whole City, he stopped and began addressing every Mercenary group squadron.

    "Greeting Mercenaries. Seems like, for this year, everyone''s even more pumped up to fight. Well then, we all waited long enough. It''s time for the Mercenary Exchange Event to begin!"

    His voice loudly echoed throughout the whole New Branch City, booming out for thousands of miles. And when the City Lord finished talking, a ck robe Mage appeared right beside the City Lord.

    All Mercenary group squadrons remained silent. Their fists were clenched as they knew the true fights would start in just mere seconds.

    The ck robe Mage, when appearing, immediately pointed his Magic Staff towards the edge of the City.

    ''Chi!''

    A Magical blue beam soared out of the tip of his Magic Staff, striking towards seemingly nothing.

    But when the Magical blue beam reached the City''s borders,

    ''Ka-Cha!!''

    It was like there was an invisible wall as the sound of ss shattering loudly echoed in everyone''s ears.

    Blue sparks tore through the air and quite literally ripped open space here. It took all of a few seconds for severalrge blue teleportations wormholes to magically appear out of thin air!

    Tensions and nerves explosively increase for every Mercenary group squadron. Their eyes intensely focused on the teleportations wormholes, never taking their gazes off it for even a split second.

    The air became heavily thick, and the silence was suffocating.

    A light smirk curved up the City Lord''s lip. "Begin!!"

    Immediately when the City Lord gave the signal, everyone Mercenary group squadron sted off towards the teleportation portals.

    In just a couple of seconds, nearly all group squadrons had rushed in these portals, disappearing from sight.

    Masami smirked while reaching out towards Darcel and Ani''s hands. "Alright, let''s get this party started!"

    "Indeed." Darcel and Ani simultaneously grabbed on to Masami''s hands.

    "I''ll be right behind you, for now, Master," Be said as she began stretching her arms.

    At the same time, they had flown up with the bottom of people, dashing right in the teleoperations portals as well.

 Chapter 222: Prelude

    Chapter 222: Prelude

    As all Mercenary group squadrons filled in the teleportation portals, the City Lord and the ck robe Mage stayed rooted in their spots.

    The ck robe Mage looked on indifferently down at New Branch City.

    But the City Lord''s eyes appeared to be specifically searching for something in the dwindling crowds of people.

    After only several seconds, the City Lord and the ck robe Mage were soon left alone.

    The City Lord still had his gaze lingering on the ground.

    As he didn''t specifically find what he was looking for, several questions began entering the City Lord''s mind. He turned his gaze over to the ck robe Mage, asking him,

    "Try as I might, I oddly couldn''t sense any of those Ice Nine Tail sect youths. Have you had any luck sensing them?"

    The ck robe Mage indifferent eyes had finally perked up. Though it appeared as he wasn''t looking, he had his Magical Sense locked on the Mercenaries squadron groups the entire time.

    However, he had ended shaking his head, having the same amount of luck as the City Lord. "No luck on my side. But it''s odd.we most certainly sense their ne arrival in the City. And yet, in just a few odd days, I''m having all sorts of trouble sending them again. As if they just.disappeared."

    A sight frown dawned the City Lord''s face. The Ice Nine Tail sect was a true wild card that neither could urately predict against or control.

    Them not being able to sense those youths anymore only draw an ominous feeling within the City Lord and the ck robe Mage.

    The City Lord shook his head, trying to rid himself of such worrying thoughts. "Perhaps what Kian said really is true. Maybe the Sect gave them more advanced masking items. Either way.let''s just hope this ominousness is only a fleeting feeling."

    The ck robe Mage grunted in agreement. "Hm. Don''t get so downtrodden no-"

    Abruptly, his mouth froze mid-sentence, not speaking a single word after.

    An overwhelming sensation suddenly took hold of his entire body, soul, and mind!

    The ck robe Mage''s pupils heavily dted; an uncontroble shiver wracked his body as the pool of cold sweats drenched his face in mere seconds.

    The sudden sensation taking hold of him was pure, utter fear!

    At the same time, the City Lord was also undergoing equal overwhelming fear sensations. He felt as if his body was tightly trapped, unable to move even a single inch anymore.

    Simultaneously, their own Spirit and Magical Senses were crazily erupting. Both of their senses were filled with an imminent threat of death!

    With just any wrong move on their parts, the City Lord and the ck robe Mage truly believed they would die. They who stood at the summit of the whole New Branch City were instantly thrown to their wit''s end.

    Without any movement on their parts, the City Lord and the ck robe Mage felt an abrupt shift in space.

    It was as if something or someone had just ripped the spatial space open around them just to appear here.

    And it was then it appeared right in front of them.

    The City Lord and the ck robe Mage only felt the chaos explosively increase in their minds. Whoever had appeared right in front of them was akin to death door appearing to reap their souls.

    The figure in front of them popped in from thin air like she was an actual ghost.

    The City Lord and the ck robe Mage were utterly stunned by this figure''s appearance. And this stunning look only inspired fear within anyone that had dared to gaze upon it.

    This person was a towering tall woman whose heights even managed to topple over both the City Lord and the ck robe Mage.

    Her face was immensely frightening, full of decrypted ancient horrid scars. Fresh blood stained her face as well, which only multiplied the haunting image she naturally emits.

    A long dirt grain white shirt ran down the woman''s body, falling all the way down to her ankles. Her shirt as well was brightly coated with fresh blood and dried up bloodstains.

    However, there was one main attraction this woman had that topped all of her terrifying aspects.

    It was two beating yellow eyes that gleamed out of her face.

    With just one nce at those bright yellow eyes, the City Lord and the ck robe Mage felt as if their souls were on disy. Those piercing yellow eyes felt gave a feeling their souls were getting tightly grasped, locking them in a tight cage.

    The terrifying yellow-eyed woman has finally made her appearance!

    And her gaze didn''t even bother with the City Lord or the ck robe Mage. Her eyes immediately directed down towards a specific spot in the City, utterly ignoring the mighty warriors beside her like they were thin air.

    The City Lord and the ck robe Mage indeed couldn''t pierce any power or aura radiating from her. Yet, their Spirit and Magical Sense were frantically going off, alerting them that death was truly near them.

    Their bodies as well instinctively wanted to run from this tremendous danger. Yet they both remained rooted to their spots, unwilling to try anything rash.

    Even though this haunting, yellow-eyed woman seemingly has no powers. Both the City Lord and the ck robe Mage weren''t fools.

    Though they reached a legendary boundary in their own prowess, they both weren''t overconfident or arrogant enough to ignore the tant danger senses.

    When only two seconds of a tense-filled deathly silence passed, the City Lord eyes suddenly glowed up.

    ''This-this sensation.ahh!! It''s exactly the same as that time! Only now. it''s far more ferocious!'' The City Lord came upon an even more frightening realization.

    Those brief moments days ago when his City was drowned by a soul-wracking fear sensation, that sensation is exactly the same as he is experiencing now!

    Just only, like he had identified, the sensation explosively multiplied to the point where it was nearly unrecognizable.

    The City Lord wasn''t sure if the ck robe Mage also came to this realization. But he obviously had no time to check.

    The City Lord''s lips began to quiver as he steeled every single nerve in his body, attempting to speak. "Who-who are-"

    The City Lord had immediately shut up when the yellow-eyed woman took one look at him.

    Gazing directly into that chilling face pulled the City Lord into sudden mental hell.

    "This!! Arhhh!!!"

    The City Lord felt a head-splitting headache nearly shattered his mind in an instance! His hand instantly clutched his head, drawing blood from the center of his skull from his sheer force.

    However, the pain from tightly gripping his skull was absolutely nothing to the mind-shattering headache brought on to him.

    The ck robe Mage felt suffocated even though he wasn''t even targeted.

    With just one look, a mighty Grand Sage was forced to a state of absolute hellish pain. If there were any residual doubts left in the ck robe Mage mind, it instantly vanished away after that disy of sheer disparity.

    The yellow-eyed woman indifferently turned her eyes away from the City Lord as if she had just stared at a mere bug on the side of the road.

    Her gaze had then quickly crossed over to the Magic staff still in the ck robe Mage hands.

    Her yellow eyes gained a slight twinkle within them, looking the Magic Staff up and down. For a brief second, her gaze crossed over to the ck robe Mage.

    "Ah-ah-AHH!!''" And just like the City Lord, the ck robe Mage immediately clutched his head. A tremendous head-splitting headache wracked his entire head, throwing him into mental torture.

    With the ck robe Mage wallowing in pain, the yellow-eyed woman''s gaze turned back on his Magic Staff.

    "They are very near.and the more I sense from those two, the more foulness and mistakes I sense from them. This thing.it will take me to them." The yellow-eyed woman carelessly thought out loud, not bothered by who could potentially hear her.

    She had then casually swiped her hands towards the Magic Staff.

    Such a rxed movement actually caused a tremendous suction force to swallow the City Lord and the ck robe Mage whole!

    "AHHH!!"

    They both loudly shrieked as the suction force was far too powerful. Their bodies were getting painfully twisted, and the energy inside their bodies got instantly decimated by her suction force.

    The pain nearly made them both pass out as they felt like their souls were getting sucked out of their bodies.

    However, this excruciating agonysted for only a mere split second.

    When the suction force abruptly vanished, the City Lord and the ck robe Mage were still left shaking.

    That mere split second felt like several hours!

    And when their eyes blinked over to the yellow-eyed woman, they weren''t really surprised by what they saw.

    The Magic Staff was firmly grasped in her scar hands.

    While the City Lord and the ck robe Mage were bewildered by that extreme power, neither attempted anything. They couldn''t do anything, nor did they want to do anything.

    The yellow-eyed woman''s gaze focused on the numerous teleportation portals. She pointed the Magic Staff towards them and in that instance,

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A yellow beam burst out of the tip of the Magic Staff!

    The Magical yellow beam roared towards the teleportation portals, destroying the air currents and spatial space in its general area as it flew out.

    In a second, the Magical yellow beam shed against one of the teleportation portals.

    <em>''BANG!!'' </em>

    A loud impact reverberated throughout the entire New Branch City, shaking the several thousand miles City to its root!

    "Ahhh!?!"

    "What''s going on?!"

    "This isn''t a part of the event, right?!"

    The original residents of New Branch City were all wracked with confusion as they experienced the tremendous earthquake. There were even some powerful Heavenly King residents in the City, yet not even they could keep their bnce with this massive earthquake.

    The City Lord and the ck robe Mage were in the same position, experiencing their whole worlds violently quake.

    After a few seconds of intense tumblings, the shaking abruptly stopped.

    The City Lord and the ck robe Mage snapped their eyes over to the teleportation portals while feeling their mind-splitting headache worsen.

    But they still got surprised by what they witnessed.

    All other teleportation portals had disappeared, leaving only one left. And thisst teleportation portal was a strange mix of yellow and blue.

    "Tch. If only I had more control. No matter. That realm should be changed enough." The yellow-eyed woman had remarked to himself.

    She didn''t bother turning back to the City Lord and the ck robe Mage and instantly vanished from their sights.

    The City Lord and the ck robe Mage quickly shifted their eyes back on the single teleportation portal. But they were only able to catch a yellow whiff of the yellow-eyed woman before she disappeared into the portal.

    "Haaaah.shit." The City Lord let a tremendous breath he didn''t even know he was holding.

    While the ck robe Mage was violently clenching his palm to the point where blood was drawn.

    Their headaches were still roaring on, but it at least became just a bit better after the yellow-eyed woman disappeared.

    The City Lord forcefully collected his bearings and told the ck robe Mage, "We need to get back and prepare now. I have no idea what''s going to happen to them in that realm. But something abyssal will strike us all."

 Chapter 223: Yellow Omen

    Chapter 223: Yellow Omen

    Inside the spatial teleportation portals was a seemingly endless snowy in that stretched across for hundreds of thousands of miles.

    No Heavenly King would be able to traverse this massive length of snowy ins even if they were given months of time.

    On the snowy in, expanding all across it, was a beautiful snowy forest.

    The trees all varied in height, some being so close to the ground while others were miles deep into the skies. There were numerous caves andrge pit holes inhabiting all over this snowy forest.

    This snowy forest had a particr design as it was constructed to be a confusing maze with endless twists and turns and dead ends.

    Residents of the Plunged Tundra know this Land as one of Plunged Tundra''s forbiddennds.

    These perilousnds aren''t easily essible to any general or even expert cultivator.

    Normally, not even the New Branch City City Lords should have ess to this forbidden Land. However, because of the Ice Nine Tail Sect''s overwhelming resources and power, they had limited ess to it.

    In this dangerous Land, there was an endless count of monstrously powerful Spirit Monster roaming all over the ce.

    If any Heavenly King were to go unprepared here even if they were at the tenth level, the very peak of the Heavenly Transformation realm. They would still get brutally torn by the dangers lurking within here.

    Although where there''s massive danger, there are always excellent lucky chances and Heavenly ss treasures.

    But, there was one monumental change that had suddenly urred within this independent realm that shook all Mercenary squadron groups here.

    The sky, which should always be a sky blue color, had drastically changed.

    Now a sickly yellow had mixed into the sky, reaching across the whole independent realm!

    Nobody was even sure how''d it happen.

    The only thing the Mercenary squadron group felt was a slight shake from the ground. And the next thing they knew, the sky had shifted to a pale yellow color in the snap of a split second.

    As cultivators and Mages alike stared up in the now sickly yellow sky, there wasn''t a single one that didn''t feel a sudden slight dread fill their veins.

    Whatever caused the sky to shift was most obviously a looming omen.

    However, this didn''t stop any Mercenary squadron group. They all continued about the Mercenary Exchange Event, believing that the scenery changed just for some odd reason that won''t matter in the long run.

    When the sky had so suddenly changed, the Mercenary Exchange Event was only beginning.

    All Mercenary squadron groups had just left their teleportation portals, none encountering any Spirit Monster where theynded.

    And very, very soon, they all were about to experience a hell they could''ve never expected.

    .

    At one particr spot in the massive snowy forest, a squadron group of six were cautiously approaching a striking sight.

    This squadron made sure to keep their Heavenly auras as suppressed as much as possible. At the same time, they quietly shuffled through trees and snowy bushes.

    This particr Mercenary squadron group hails from Kilri Circle Mercenary group.

    They were about hundreds of feet away from the target they had their sights on. But with their Heavenly eyes, it was effortless for them to see up to that distance.

    The sight was a colossal Spirit Monster boar-type creature.

    This vicious towers over twenty feet in height and sported far more intimidating features than the Spirit Monsters outside of this independent realm.

    Even from a long distance away, the Kilri Circle squadron group could still perceive this Spirit Monster aura.

    It was firmly at the eighth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    And at the top of this vast Spirit Monster head was a long single branch extending far out like a horn.

    At the tip of the branch was a round blue color fruit with small spikes extending out of it. The spikes had covered the whole fruit, giving it a peculiar exotic design.

    When seeing this exotic fruit, the Kilri Circle squadron members'' eyes all began to lit up with greed.

    "What luck! Not even a few meters in, and we already found a Heavenly treasure! This Qi root fruit will benefit all of us greatly." The only seventh level Heavenly King of their squadron had spoken out loud.

    This seventh level Heavenly King was the leader of this squadron, and his greedy sentiments were shared by the other members.

    The other members were all sixth-level Heavenly Kings. Their squadron formation was a typical standard among all Mercenaries groups.

    Even if there weren''t multiple seventh-level Heavenly Kings on the same squadron, they all exuded stable confidence.

    It didn''t matter that they were about to face an eighth-level Heavenly King to get the Qi Root fruit. Everyone in the squadron was adequately prepared with numerous talisman and Spirit Artifacts that can majorly change the tide of battle.

    Although, this didn''t mean there wasn''t any risk in trying to get this Heavenly ss treasure. One careless mistake could end up in a disastrous result for them all.

    But the Kilri Circle squadron members all determined the risk was worth it.

    The Qi Root fruit significantly helps speed up cultivation for most tier of cultivators. This treasure fruit will majorly enhance the amount of Qi one can absorb andprehend, allowing for a chance for someone to achieve a bottleneck breakthrough.

    And as they were all experienced Mercenaries cultivators, the Kilri Circle squadron members didn''t let their greed make them act rashly.

    They slowed their traveling speed and were just about to prepare a course of action.

    Every squadron member had their eyes focused on the Spirit Monster, just in case anything surprising were to ur. But, even though the sky may have oddly changed, none of the squadron members believed it would change the environment or Spirit Monsters.

    "Alright, you lot listen up." The seventh level Heavenly King quietly called out, keeping his voice just high enough for the other members to hear.

    "First, we''re-wha?"

    The seventh level Heavenly King abruptly stopped talking.

    None of the other members question why he stopped as their minds were also caught in surprise.

    From up ahead, the Spirit Monster boar creature that had its eyes peacefully closed during this short span of time had suddenly flung open its eyes!

    The Kilri Circle squadron didn''t expect this at all. From their years of experience, they all precisely know these Spirit Monsters won''t react at all when sleeping unless they get close to them.

    And at the speed they traveled, and the noise they made, the Kilri Circle squadron were a hundred percent sure the Spirit Monster would stay asleep.

    Yet, against all expectations, the Spirit Monster had magically awakened.

    More confusion swirled in the Kilri Circle squadron member''s eyes as the Spirit Monsters'' eyes weren''t anything they''ve seen before.

    Though they encountered numerous Spirit Monsters, none of them had this unique quality like what this vicious beast had. Deep within the Spirit Monster''s eyes, a deep yellow hue was nestling within it.

    And in the immediate instance, the Spirit Monster awoke, and the Kilri Circle squadron noticed the beast''s strange yellow hue eyes, the beast instantly reacted!

    Its eyes explosively burst with a savage, feral glow as if it lost all sanity upon awakening!

    The colossal Spirit Monster suddenly stood right up on its hind leg and then,

    "KWAAA!!"

    A tremendous roar sted from the Spirit Monster''s mouth!

    The Spirit Monster''s mighty shout caused a chaotic whirlwind, ripping the air currents to shreds, violently quake the ground, and even topple down several massive trees.

    "AH!! Damn!!" All of the Kilri Circle squadron members shrieked as they felt their eardrums painfully burst!

    Everything happened so sudden and abrupt they didn''t even get a chance to think about escaping before the Spirit Monster unleashed that ear-splitting roar.

    The Kilri Circle squadron had to frantically erupt their Heavenly Qi just to form a powerful barrier around their ears.

    When they made the Heavenly Qi barrier, the Kilri Circle squadron member felt some of the pain in their ears alleviate.

    But right then, all of them suddenly felt the ground quake once again.

    <em>''Rumble~!!'' </em>

    The Kilri Circle squadron members looked on ahead to see the Spirit Monster boar creature frantically thrashing about. It was as if it was undergoing its own mental hell, wildly iling about with an increasingly insane look in its eyes.

    <em>"RWAAA!!!" </em>

    <em>"SKWAA!!!"</em>

    <em>"CRAAA!!!"</em>

    As the Kilri Circle squadron members watch the raging Spirit Monster boar, they suddenly hear numerous other roars re out at the same time.

    Like the Spirit Monster boar, these roaring shouts all had the same insane feral tone and intense destructive force about them.

    "Nnng!! Just what the hell is going! Something like this never happened before!" One of the Kilri Circle squadron members shouted in absolute confusion.

    They all stood rooted to their spots since if they were to stop surging Heavenly Qi to their ears, they would surely lose their hearing to these roars.

    The seventh level Heavenly King wanted to regain his bearings, but it was proving to be strikingly difficult with each passing second.

    With these powerful shots going off, even the seventh level Heavenly King was beginning to feel his consciousness be a bit dazed. The other squadron members were quickly losing consciousness faster than the seventh-level Heavenly King.

    And right when they all were nearing the borders ofing to passing out, the booming roars had finally quieted down.

    In just a second, all loud and roaring Spirit Monsters abruptly went silent, turning everything back to an eerie silence.

    "Eh??"

    All of the Kilri Circle squadron members were puzzled. With how abrupt the noise went away, it almost felt like whish to them.

    "Shit, I don''t know what''s going on, but we ne-" The seventh level Heavenly King couldn''t finish his sentence. Not when an immense aura suddenly sted right towards him, tightly suppressing his body!

    "Shit!!"

    The seventh level Heavenly King and the other squadron members all loudly cursed as their bodies were locked by this aura.

    They all identified this power. It came precisely from the eighth level Heavenly King Spirit Monster hundreds of feet away from them.

    And when the Kilri Circle squadron members tossed their eyes back on the Spirit Monster boar, their eyes widened.

    A suffocating dread of imminent death burst within their minds.

 Chapter 224: Peak Level Squadron

    Chapter 224: Peak Level Squadron

    The colossal Spirit Monster boar snapped open its tremendous mouth, revealing a mass swirl of energy quickly forming within. The pure power of an eighth-level Heavenly King exploded from the Spirit Monster mouth as its destructive Heavenly aura tore through the snowy forest maze.

    The Kilir Circle squadron members'' bodies shivered, and their eyes were quivering in absolute fear.

    They could only watch a disgusting swirl of ck energy ball burst within the beast''s mouth.

    More than anything, the Kilir Circle squadron members wanted to scurry away from here. However, the energy from the Spirit Monster boar was far beyond an average eighth-level Heavenly King!

    Though there were hundreds of feet away, all of the Kilir Circle squadron members had their movements tightly sealed by the Spirit Monster boar mighty energy.

    The only course of n the Kilir Circle squadron members had now was to bring out their powerful special talisman just to escape.

    But right when they were about to bring out the talisman, the Spirit Monster boar was instantly done charging its attack.

    Not even a full second passed, and the ck ball of energy in the Spirit Monster formed, pulsating with immense power.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    The Spirit Monster boar spared no expense and sted the ck ball of energy right towards the Kilir Circle squadron members.

    The whole snowy environment got utterly ruined as the ck ball energy tore through the area, rapidly crossing tens of feet of distance in a single second.

    "Barrier!!" The seventh level Heavenly King leader roared out.

    He, along with the other squadron members, furiously surged their Heavenly Qi, making their spatial rings glowed with an intense shine. Their spatial rings began cracking a bit as the Kilir Circle squadron members overloaded them with Heavenly Qi.

    But the Kilir Circle squadron members all couldn''t think clearly in a desperate life or death situation.

    Right before the Spirit Monster boar''s ck energy ball reached them, numerous blue lighting arcs arose from the Kilir Circle squadron members'' bodies.

    <em>''Zzzt!!'' </em>

    Chaotic lightning arcs stormed the area, crazily sting out in the air.

    Immediately the lightning energy formed into a lightning barrier that attempted to cover all of the Kilir Circle squadron members.

    Thebined power of seventh level Heavenly King and numerous sixth level Heavenly Kings intensely swirled together and directly shed against the Spirit Monster boar''s aura.

    However, theirbined energy meant little to mighty eighth-level Heavenly King prowess.

    The Spirit Monster boar''s ck energy ball utterly destroyed any wild lighting arcs bursting from the lighting barrier and had then ferociously crashed right on the lighting barrier!

    <em>''BOOOM~!!'' </em>

    The ck energy ball exploded on the lighting barrier,pletely destroying it as if it was fragile ss.

    "Ahhh!!"

    The loud shrieks of anguish from the Kilir Circle squadron members echoed out in the area.

    Their bodies were thrown around the area like broken, bloodied ragdolls.

    Just before none of them could even resist the Spirit Monster boar tremendous eighth level Heavenly King aura. So, of course, none of them could withstand a direct attack from the beast even as they were using a powerful talisman.

    The seventh level Heavenly King had violently crashed right into a particrly huge tree, immediately splitting it in half, causing it to copse on him.

    The seventh level Heavenly King felt its body was in a nearlyplete ruined state. Numerous of his bones were cracked beyond repair, most of his organs ruptured, and he had no Heavenly aura to sustain these injuries.

    As the seventh level Heavenly Kingy face-down in the snowy ground, his consciousness quickly fading. He only had one thought. ''Just.just what the hell is going. We''re.we''re all going to be destroyed.''

    .

    At another section of the snowy forest maze, three masked figures were staring wistfully into the increasingly sickly yellow sky. None of them could genuinely take their eyes off from the sky, their minds in slight wonder.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami just couldn''t stop the familiar sensation from rising in their bodies and souls.

    Darcel and Ani were admittedly feeling a slight swirl of anticipation, knowing precisely what this omen meant.

    However, Masami was bing increasingly wracked with dread, no matter how much her Darkness soul link attempted to calm her down.

    The sensation that permeated the whole independent realm now was precisely the same they felt several days ago when they were approaching New Branch City.

    But now, this sensation was far more clear and powerful, significantly surpassing everything they felt that day.

    One thing was for sure, the trio wasn''t expecting this to happen as soon as they got to this independent realm.

    "The yellow sky.this sensation.do you two know what this means?" Ani started to talk with a clear, eager tone in her voice. Darcel and Masami gazed over to her, prompting Ani to continue her talk.

    "No doubt in my mind now! We are going to meet the yellow-eyed woman very soon!"

    Ani didn''t feel any danger over believing they were about to have an inevitable meeting. As per usual, the sensation she felt from the yellow-eyed woman didn''t fill her with any dread.

    Masami, though, she clenched her fist at this thought.

    For a lot of things, Masami would readily agree with either Ani or Darcel. But if she did disagree with something, she would never be afraid to speak her mind.

    And for this yellow-eyed woman, no calming sensation from her Darkness soul link can quell the dread Masmi had from her.

    "Ani.I''m really, really not sure if we should actively pursue this meeting. Or, really, get anywhere close to that woman. My Darkness Soul link is trying to persuade me to say yes, but.I feel a looming danger for all three of us!" Masami had a passionate, firm edge in her voice when talking.

    While she couldn''t see Masami''s eyes, Ani could still feel the fire burning in her eyes. Instead of trying to argue for her point of the yellow-eyed woman being good, Ani did feel a bit swayed by Masami''s tone.

    Really, all Masami had was genuine caution for all three of them. And no matter how assured Ani felt, she couldn''t say she knew how exactly their meeting with the yellow-eyed woman would go down.

    "Sami.look jus-"

    "Back up!"

    Darcel cut off Ani''s words as he felt his Spirit Senses pricked with actual danger!

    A powerful being was rapidly falling towards them from a mile above them, reaching speeds that even shocked Darcel.

    Ani and Masami sense the same dangerous being too, which had also given them the same sense of danger.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami sted off backward, jumping over thirty feet in a single step.

    Before they even touched the snowy grounds, Darcel saw and was covered by a colossal shadow shooting towards the ground.

    <em>''BANG~!!'' </em>

    A ferocious impact red out as that vast being crashed on the ground.

    A slight rumble shook this area, andrge cracks split open the snowy ground for several meters.

    "Hmm? The hell is a hawk doing at that size?" Masami remarked as she, Darcel, and Ani gazed over at what fell.

    It was an enormous Spirit Monster hawk wholly colored in a snow blue shade. On some spots of its snow blue fur, there was a slight charred color.

    The Spirit Monster hawk had its eyes temporarily closed, but its lifeforce was vibrantly abundant.

    "An actual peak level Heavenly King for our first encounter, huh?" Darcel thought out loud, feeling little fear over fighting a beast like this.

    He felt a bit of excitement over actually going up against something that can give him a sense of danger.

    Ani and Masami felt a simr sentiment of battle-hungry excitement. As roaring young geniuses with a quite high battle prowess, they too wanted a challenging battle where they could go all out.

    But suddenly, Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t keep their attention on the Spirit Monster hawk for long.

    Their eyes snapped towards the sky as they sensed three equally powerful presences were quickly descending towards them.

    While they gazed at three figures quickly approaching down, the trio picked up on them talking.

    "Tch. Just what the hell got into these damned beasts. First, that ninth level beast was so damn troublesome, and now this damn hawk."

    "Maybe whatever happening is really rted to the yellow sky. This certainly is a surprise to all of us."

    As these three figures got close, Darcel''s group finally got a clear look at them.

    It was three men wearing bright orange robes and supporting shiny golden hair.

    On their orange robes, these men had the design of the God Beast Golden Crown inscribed on it. Each of their aura is immensely powerful that the general air around them sizzled from their intense heat.

    These were all tenth-level Heavenly Kings! The absolute peak of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    And, of course, these three hailed from the Golden Crow Circle mercenary group.

    Unlike all other squadron groups, these three essentially had invincible formations among all Heavenly Kings. They all were Leaders, and they had the title Crow Theo, Crow Apollo, and Crow Joe, respectively.

    Such a powerful lineup of absolute Leaders may seem overpowered. But for this independent realm, it only gave them a better chance of surviving at best.

    The Crow Leaders didn''t pay attention to Darcel''s group at all as they descended towards the Spirit Monster hawk.

    They kept their attention entirely focused on the beast, and when they observed it unmoving for several seconds already, the Crow Leaders gained a smirk.

    Crow Theo started to say, "Alright, at least it''s down now. Let''s fi-"

    But before he could even finish his sentence, the Spirit Monster hawk snapped open its eyes.

    Its eyes had a pure bright yellow hue glowing within them.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Radiant yellow rays of light burst from its eyes and tore straight into the skies.

    "Nnng! This power!" Crow Theo eximed as he, Crow Apollo, and Joe all had to surge a mass amount of Heavenly Qi to stay afloat.

    As the yellow rays of light streamed from the Spirit Monster hawk, its aura had also explosively increased to unfathomable levels!

    All three Crow Leaders felt an actual tremendous pressure crash against their bodies and would''ve knocked them from the skies.

    "Wow! They weren''t kidding about this realm!"

    Ani also eximed in surprise as she, Darcel, and Masami all had to erupt their bloodline transformation to not get flung by the Spirit Monster hawk''s immense power surge.

    And as everyone was in slight surprise over the Spirit Monster hawk sudden power surge, its eyes instantly regained back rity.

    With its rity back, the Spirit Monster hawk dangerously narrowed its eyes on the Crow Leaders.

 Chapter 225: Feral Surge

    Chapter 225: Feral Surge

    As the Spirit Monster Hawk''s aura increasingly surged, the small space around it started to be a bit distorted.

    Its pure raw energy belonging to the tenth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm only grew with each passing nanosecond.

    The Spirit Monster Hawk wasn''t just a peak Heavenly King; it had a rising prowess that was quickly growing to surpass any mere ordinary tenth level Heavenly King.

    The three Crow Leaders and Darcel''s group were increasingly taken by surprise with this surge of power.

    However, besides erupting their bloodline powers just to gain bnce, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami had any drive to help the Crow Leaders. They only curiously watched the battle happen.

    And As the yellow hue in the beasts intensified, it snapped open its colossal mouth.

    <em>"SKWAA!!" </em>

    An ear-piercing screech sted from the Spirit Monster hawk, discharging its immense raw power!

    Numerous snowy trees fell over, the ground quaked a bit, and minor distortion of spatial space around the Spirit Monster Hawk was ripped open.

    "Tch! Damn!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all had to legitimately cover their ears with Qi barriers as they brazenly cursed the Spirit Monster.

    That beast screech and power actually made them all experience a sharp ringing in their ears.

    Up in the sky, the Crow Leaders didn''t have such an easy time defending their ears like Darcel''s group. The Crow Leaders underwent the painful process of their eardrums bursting open, causing their ears to bleed a bit.

    "Ahh! Fuck!!"

    The Crow Leaders violently cursed as they wearily put their hands to their bloody ears.

    Just their battle before, the Spirit Monster Hawk didn''t erupt with this kind of tremendous power. This prowess wasn''t anything a mere Spirit Monster should ever cultivate to!

    It took all three Crow Leaders off guard, and the beast tenth level Heavenly King aura had cleanly shredded right through their own Heavenly King auras.

    As the three Crow Leaders held their ears, they felt their visions be a bit fuzzy.

    That screech did more than just pop their ears as the three Crow Leaders felt a bit of daze wrap up their consciousness.

    While the Crow Leaders tried to deal with Spirit Monster Hawk''s surprising surging power, the beast had already stood up on itsrge talon.

    Without giving the Crow Leaders a chance to react, the Spirit Monster hawk took one p of its mighty snow blue wings.

    Immense power flowed through the Spirit Monster hawk''s snow blue wing, making it glow an intense blue shine.

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    In the instance, the Spirit Monster hawk took one p of its wing, two giant tornadoes made from Wind Qi sted right up at the three Crow Leaders!

    "Wh-wha?!" The Crow Leaders all quickly snapped back to reality.

    A considerable pressure weighed down their bodies as the Wind Qi tornadoes stormed straight at them. The three Crow Leaders only had a second to form a golden Fire Qi barrier that shrouded around all three of them.

    The three Crow Leadersbined powers red down at the Wind Qi tornadoes, attempting to halt their movement.

    However, the Crow Leaders had shockingly underestimated the Spirit Monster hawk again.

    The two Wind Qi tornadoes utterly shredded through the Crow Leaders Heavenly aura field bursting from their golden Fire Qi barrier! And in the next split second, the two Wind Qi tornadoes swallowed up the three Crow Leaders.

    "Shit! We need to keep on increasing your power!"

    Crow Theo shouted to his fellow Leaders as his and their hands were ignited in a brilliant golden light.

    While they were wrapped up in the Wind Qi tornadoes, they still managed to keep up their golden Fire Qi barrier.

    Safely inside the golden Fire Qi barrier, they could avoid any potential damage the Wind Qi tornadoes could''ve seriously dealt to them. Yet, at the same time, their movement was locked in by the Wind Qi tornadoes.

    Unless they could thoroughly and utterly overpower the Spirit Monster Hawk''s prowess, they would need some time to escape the tornado entrapment.

    The Wind Qi tornadoes sent the three Crow Leaders several miles higher in the skies, getting them temporarily out of the area.

    With them gone, the Spirit Monster hawk gave another p of its vast, mighty wings and rose several feet into the air in one fluid movement.

    Its attention had now fully turned on Darcel''s group.

    A great wildly feral look burst within in its yellow hue eyes, staring specifically at the trio.

    "Oh? Get ready, guys!"

    Ani called out while still rubbing her ears. She quickly sobered up a split second, bing nearly instantly ready for battle.

    Darcel and Masami instantly sobered up as well, tensing themselves for a great fight ahead. With how their ears still had some residual ringing after all this time already, the trio knows this will be a worthy fight for them.

    They were even a bit impressed on how this beast could entrap three other tenth-level Heavenly Kings with nothing but pure power.

    As the trio crossed their gazes with the Spirit Monster hawk, the beast''s tremendous aura ferociously crashed down on them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their eyes widened just a smidge.

    It was only tenth-level Heavenly King prowess, yet this specific beast prowess was no joke.

    Immediately Darcel''s bloodline arm Darkness glow intensified. Ani''s bloodline arm began to increase its white Light shine, and one of Masam''s fox tails started to explode in a harsher blue brilliance.

    But before any one of them could unleash any kind of attack, the Spirit Monster Hawk was even faster!

    The Spirit Monster Hawk''s wings gained an instantaneous powerful blue glow as its Heavenly Qi chaotically stormed all over the area.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    In the very instance, its wings glowed, the beast shot out dozens ofrge blue feathers straight at the trio.

    The vast blue feathers effortlessly tore through the area''s space, crossing nearly thirty feet in just a span of a second!

    "Tch!" Darcel, Ani, and Masami clicked their teeth as they were forced to switch up their attacks.

    At the same time, they erupted with their bloodline states full power!

    Each of them instantly formed a Qi barrier right before the Spirit Monster hawk''s vast blue feathers pierced through their bodies.

    <em>''Ka-Cha!''</em>

    All of the Spirit Monster hawk''srge blue feathers exploded on impact, shing against Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Qi barriers. And in return, Darcel, Ani, and Masmai''s Qi barriers were shattered into a million pieces.

    Unlike the three Crow Leaders, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami had the means to set up a protective Heavenly aura field around themselves. Meaning they had to take on the Spirit Monster hawk''s attacks all head-on.

    Seeing their Qi barriers so easily shattered didn''t dissuade the trio but only fueled their raging fighting spirits!

    Right when their Qi barriers were destroyed, Darcel, Ani, and Masmai simultaneously shot off towards the Spirit Monster Hawk.

    The Spirit Monster Hawk narrowed its eyes, pped its wing, and crossed over forty feet backward. However, Darcel, Ani, and Masami speeds were equal to the Spirit Monster Hawk.

    Though the beast crossed a considerable distance back, the trio was right on its tail.

    At the same time, Darcel and Ani took a massive leap up towards the Spirit Monster hawk while Masami began to fly right at it.

    As Ani rapidly closed the distance between her and the beast, her bloodline arm began to lit up in a radiant white shine once again.

    "-"

    Ani was just about to release her soul stunning shbang when a burst of blue covered her whole vision.

    From the Spirit Monster hawk''s eyes, it sted out a blue Wind Qi de towards Ani as it sensed a tremendous amount of danger rising from her.

    This Wind Qi de didn''t have the beast full overwhelming prowess, but it had made up for it in instantaneous speed.

    It had surpassed even Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s speed!

    Only because her dangers senses screamed at her, Ani instinctively used the energy rising in her bloodline arm to try to form a Light barrier in front of her.

    Her Light barrier could only get halfwaypleted before the Spirit Monster hawk''s Wind Qi de crashed right into her.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Nearly all of Ani''s Light barrier got destroyed as the Wind Qi de sent her shooting back towards the ground.

    While quickly shooting towards the ground, Ani had to grit her teeth as she felt a stinging sensation travel through her body.

    It was the sensation of actual pain! The Spirit Monster Hawk''s powerful energy storms through her body in an attempt to break her from the inside out.

    However, Ani''s bloodline powers quickly destroyed the Spirit Monster hawk''s energy inside her body, using quite the sum of Qi energy to do so.

    A bit of blood dripped from Ani''s mouth as her bloodstreams were getting increasingly pumped. ''Now this is a fight!''

    At the same time, Ani was sailing towards the ground, Darcel strutted his bloodline arm forward. Though he felt an immense surge of rage seeing Ani get thrown back, he had to focus on this crazily powerful beast first.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Numerous Darkness tendrils shot out of Darcel''s hand, shooting right towards the Spirit Monster hawk at immense speeds.

    This time, the Spirit Monster hawk couldn''t counterattack as it had just shot out that Wind Qi de towards Ani.

    Darcel''s Darkness tendrils cut right through the Spirit Monster hawk''s Heavenly aura, wrapped up its colossal body, and swiftly interjected his lustful Darkness energy within it.

    The Spirit Monster hawk felt its Heavenly Qi be heavily disrupted as an overflow of lustful energy invaded its bloodstreams.

    However, instead of getting quickly weakened, the beast''s eyes turned even more feral!

    <em>"Scree!!" </em>

    The Spirit Monster hawk''s body intensely struggled within Darcel''s Darkness tendrils. It was about to fly up with Darcel still attached to it.

    But before something significant could happen, Masami was already ten feet away from the Spirit Monster hawk.

    Her blue firefox cloak w brightly shines as an immense influx of power surged out of her.

    "Fox w!"

    Masami erupted a vast blue firefox w from her palms and blitz it straight towards the Spirit Monster hawk.

    Since its protective Heavenly aura got destroyed by Darcel''s Darkness tendrils. Masami''s firefox w met no resistance as it violently struck the Spirit Monster hawk!

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    Blood pooled from the Spirit Monster hawk''s vast chest as it got sent further up into the skies. And even as Masami''s Martial skill struck it, Darcel''s Darkness tendrils remained on its body.

    But as it sailed up, Darcel had immediately cut off his connection towards his Darkness tendrils.

    When it seemed like theynded a direct hit on the beast, the Spirit Monster hawk went against all expectations again.

    Before either Darcel or Masmai had the chance to think again, the Spirit Monster hawk forcefully stopped itself, pushing past the immense searing pain, and locked its feral eyes on Masami.

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    The Spirit Monster hawk''s wings burst with an intense blue light once again as it unleashed a Wind Qi razor whirlwind specifically at Masami.

    Masami''s Spirit Sense exploded with immediate danger.

    Her three foxtails instinctively covered her head as the Wind Qi razor whirlwind furiously crushed down on her.

    "Nnng!"

    Masami grunted while experiencing the full brunt of the Spirit Monster hawk''s colossal power.

    The Spirit Monster hawk''s Wind Qi razor whirlwind swept up Masami, shooting her straight towards a huge tree and causing her to violently crash right in it.

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    "Damn!" Masami shouted while blood spit from her mouth.

    She for sure felt something crack from her back as she got smacked hard in this random tree, forming cracks all over the tree.

    And just like Ani, the Spirit Monster hawk''s powerful energy attempted to invade and make a further mess of her internal body. But in a simr manner as well, Masami''s bloodline powers quickly destroyed the invading energy.

    Though she had just experienced an actual injury, Masami couldn''t stop her excitement from growing. She missed the intense feeling of battle like this.

    But right then, Masami and Ani from below felt their Darkness Soul link violently pulsate.

    "You! Enough of this!" With Ani and now Masami getting hurt right in front of his face, Darcel felt his rage near a boiling point.

    Even though he knows they would be excited in a fight like this, Darcel couldn''t help but feel his rage surge over seeing his girls actually get hurt.

    In a surprising turn of events, Darcel manages to remain floating in midair. Though he was still only in the True Soul Core realm, Darcel''s rage-filled bloodline power allowed him to stay afloat just for a little bit.

    And as he remained in the sky, Darcel''s matched his rage-filled gaze with the Spirit Monster hawk''s insane feral gaze.

 Chapter 226: Rage-Filled Limits

    Chapter 226: Rage-Filled Limits

    It was like time itself stopped as Darcel and the Spirit Monster Hawk glowered at each other.

    Neither was moving but for entirely different reasons to each other.

    Right now, the Spirit Monster Hawk was legitimately gauging Darcel''s prowess.

    Though it''s in a maddening feral state where it wanted nothing more than to rip him to shreds. It also couldn''t go against its body and Heavenly Spirit Senses exploding with a sense of immense danger.

    When Darcel had directed that rage-filled shout towards it, the danger the Spirit Monster Hawk felt from him explosively increased to an unfathomable level.

    Not even when that long white hair preyed burst with her own danger sense did it feel as intense as it did with Darcel.

    All the while the Spirit Monster Hawk was having a fierce battle against its instinct, Darcel was quickly gathering the full limits of his bloodline transform state.

    The small ck feathers on his arm began to intensely wriggle more and more as his rage increasingly gathered. No matter how powerful this Spirit Monster Hawk is, Darcel was now immensely determined to put it six feet below ground.

    And in just a mere second after Darcel and the Spirit Monster Hawk red at each other, a frightening change urred around Darcel.

    For about six feet in front of Darcel, a profound Darkness glow began to discharge from his body. The Darkness glow was acting like some kind of extended aura to Darcel.

    Seeing it grow even gave the Spirit Monster Hawk a genuine chilling feeling.

    And even more chilling was the fact even among the abyss-like Darkness glow, Darcel''s figure somehow shined brightly within it.

    Darcel cared little in how the Spirit Monster Hawk was gauging his prowess. Once Darcel felt his bloodline powers climb to its peak, his eyes dangerously narrowed.

    A burst of crazed killing intent exploded from his body, dropping the air to an ice-cold sensation for miles around them.

    "Darcy/Darcel."

    Ani and Masami were genuinely caught by surprise at Darcel''s sudden mood shift. That excitement from battle turned into cold hard killing intent they never really felt before from him.

    Ani had already stood upon the ground while Masami floated a meter away from the tree.

    Though the whole area was falling cold to Darcel''s killing intent, Ani and Masami felt surprisingly warm. Before they would join in again, they would see how Darcel would dish out his next attack.

    Darcel, of course, was unaware of Ani and Masami''s stares. As soon as the Darkness glow emitted from his body, he was ready to attack.

    Darcel didn''t go with his Martial Skills and decided to take the most direct approach with attacking. Before the Spirit Monster Hawk could even think about awakening from its stupor to attack Darcel, Darcel himself sted right towards the beast!

    Darcel blitz through the air, temporarily going against allws and rules for just a couple of seconds. His bloodline state limit powers allowed him to blitz right through the air as if he could genuinely fly!

    "Scree!!" Seeing Darcel sail straight at it caused the Spirit Monster Hawk to awake from its slight stupor.

    It gave an ear-piercing screech, pped its vast wings, and shot right towards Darcel, matching his maddening rush.

    The Spirit Monster Hawk and Darcel had equal immense speed, crossing over to each other in just a matter of seconds.

    Even before they shed, the Spirit Monster Hawk was pushing out its full power.

    The maximum aura of the Spirit Monster Hawk''s aura and Darcel''s rage-filled bloodline state chaotically sh against each other, causing a distorted mess in the spatial space around them!

    The air currents around them were utterly vaporized, and small tears in spatial space could be seen if one had a keen eye.

    From behind, Ani and Masami even felt their awe increase to a different level.

    For nearly all of their fights, Ani and Masami were consistently impressed by Darcel''s prowess. But this time, they witnessed a level that the girls could tell was legitimately above their own prowess!

    Even before Darcel and the Spirit Monster physically sh, their massive sh of auras already caused considerable pressure on both Ani and Masami.

    After all this time, only now that Ani and Masami realize that Darcel may be a bit more special than them.

    As Ani and Masami came upon a bit of a shocking revtion, Darcel and the Spirit Monster Hawk had already closed in on each other.

    The Spirit Monster Hawk''s beak burst with a blinding blue glow and Darcel''s fist got entirely coated with an intense Darkness glow as he strutted it forward.

    Without any special abilities, tricks, or showcase of skills, they both went for the most barbaric sh of powers.

    <em>''BANG~!!'' </em>

    An ear-splitting impact burst out as Darcel''s Darkness fist and the Spirit Monster Hawk''s blue, glowing beak ferociously shed!

    Their immense and energy chaotically mixed with each other, spraying everywhere in the area.

    "Nng!!" Both Ani and Masami had to shield their bodies with a great Qi barrier just to stay afloat.

    They felt as if the whole world was splitting apart!

    Numerous vast trees were split into pieces,rge cracks broke the ground open, and the minor distortion in spatial space became even greater.

    This all urred from just one sh of Darcel and the Spirit Monster hawk''s tremendous powers. Both of them were ring out powers that no ordinary tenth-level Heavenly King could ever hope to possibly match.

    For a split second, neither Darcel nor the Spirit Monster Hawk moved.

    Darcel was gritting his teeth as immense pain traveled right through his arm. A pool of blood gushed out of his fist as his skin was ripped off from the sh, exposing his bare grisly flesh.

    Darcel for sure felt some bones crack in his knuckles, and his whole arm nearly felt utterly numb from the sh.

    And it wasn''t like the Spirit Monster Hawk''s came out this sh unharmed.

    Nearly half of itsrge beak was broken off, and a tremendous pain wrapped around its head. In the instance, the beast shed with Darcel, its consciousness became incredibly dazed, nearly on the verge of passing out.

    It stubbornly persisted, however, and the pain coursing through its skull majorly helped with that.

    Against all expectations, Darcel actually felt his battle excitemente back to him.

    The immense pain of having his bare flesh ripped into almost made Darcel forgot about his surging rage of protecting the girls. He almost wanted to unleash even more power against the Spirit Monster Hawk.

    However, no matter the excitement he felt, Darcel''s killing intent couldn''t be stopped.

    In the split second they stayed still after shing, the small ck feathers on Darcel''s bloodline arm begin to wriggle about again.

    His Darkness glow intensified, and in that instance, numerous Darkness tendrils shot from Darcel''s bloodline arm!

    Darcel''s Darkness tendrils gave the Spirit Monster Hawk zero time to react as it instantly wrapped up its vast body.

    The Spirit Monster Hawk felt all of its bones painfully squeezed together. And its pupils heavily dted.

    "Skwaa!!"

    An anguish shriek roared from its mouth while it felt Darcels'' Darkness energy set its vast body aze.

    Its bloodstreams were getting overwhelmed with lustful Darkness energy, and this time the beast prowess was truly getting weakened.

    But immediately when the Spirit Monster Hawk felt a slight drain on its energy, its eyes burst with an explosive yellow hue once again!

    The Spirit Monster Hawk experienced another surge of power and began pressing its huge weight down on Darcel.

    ''Tch! Just how many times it can bust?!'' Darcel violently cursed in his mind. It was like this beast had an endless supply of surging power!

    However, instead of getting overwhelmed by this new power surged, Darcel stubbornly pressed on. He gnashed his teeth as he used his other hand to mp down on the Spirit Monster Hawk''s beak like an iron w.

    The feral glow in the Spirit Monster Hawk''s only continued to explode, and it didn''t stop trying to crush its whole weight onto Darcel.

    Slowly, the beast and Darcel began to descend towards the ground.

    Realizing there was no other option, Darcel let himself get dragged down by the beast, causing them both to quickly crash towards the ground now.

    In a mere second, they were already near the ground.

    But instead of letting the beast drill him deep in the ground, Darcel held his footing and managed to nt his feet a few inches in the ground. It allowed Darcel to still keep his iron w grip on the Spirit Monster Hawk while the beast was making him skid across the ground.

    Darcel''s feet were like iron as they tore right through the ground, never stopping to fall over for even a split second.

    Just when Darcel thought he would need toe up with something to stop the Spirit Monster Hawk from making him continuously skid through the ground, he heard then,

    "FLASH!!"

    In the loudest voice Darcel ever heard from her, Ani shrieked as a blinding white glow covered the whole area!

    <em>''Chi!''</em>

    Ani''s soul stunning shbang blended perfectly into Darcel''s Darkness glow. She had red out the total limits of her own bloodline state and crushed it down all on the Spirit Monster Hawk.

    The Spirit Monster Hawk had finally stopped moving entirely. Inside its soulscape space, a radiant white glow covered every inch of it.

    Darcel let out a small breath as he finally came to a stop. He peered his eyes up, and his gaze got filled with slight awe.

    Appearing from the midst of the Darkness and Light glow, Ani was descending down towards the Spirit Monster Hawk.

    Both of her hands were coated in Light energy while there were several enormous trees all coated in the same Light energy floating right behind her.

    Ani swung her hands down, causing the enormous white glowing trees to crash right down to the Spirit Monster Hawk.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    The Light energy trees violently smashed on the Spirit Monster Hawk, burying it within. And in an excellent show of control, none of the Light energy trees got near to Darcel.

    He did have to take his grip off from the Spirit Monster Hawk, cut off his connection to his Darkness tendrils, and jump several feet away from it.

    Before Darcel had a chance to think about what to do next, he heard Masami''s voice re up next.

    "Kitsune Tail!"

    From twenty feet behind the Spirit Monster Hawk, Masami was crouched down on all fours. One of her foxtails had brightly lit up, discharging the highest amount of power Masmai could possibly gather up.

    And in the instance she shouted, that same foxtail shot forth towards the trapped Spirit Monster Hawk. Her foxtail blitz through the air, reaching the beast in a single second, and pierced right through the Light energy trees.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Blood squirted up through the trees like a geyser as Masami''s foxtail tore right through the Spirit Monster Hawk''s back.

    "SK-SKA!!"

    The Spirit Monster Hawk''s anguish squeals burst out into the area.

    Ani''s soul stunning shbang had vanished from its soul, and the first thing the Spirit Monster Hawk felt was immense pain like no other.

    Before the Spirit Monster Hawk could potentially experience another explosive power surge, Darcel was about to put an end to the beast''s life.

    However, before anything could be done, he, Ani, Masami, and even the Spirit Monster Hawk froze.

    Abruptly three immensely powerful auras had crushed down on them all.

    Darcel narrowed his eyes as this wasn''t just thebined powers of three tenth-level Heavenly King. It was those Crow Leadersbining their powers to unleash a powerful Martial Skill!

    Even as the Crow Leaders couldn''t hope to match Darcel or even Ani and Masami''s full prowess. They could still erupt with immense power that topples them all with a Heavenly Rank Martial Skill.

    And luckily for the Crow Leaders, they actually had all the time in the world from being entrapped and forgotten.

    Darcel, Ani, Masami, and the Spirit Monster Hawk were crushed with immense pressure that tightly suppressed their bodies.

    And as Darcel, Ani and Masami shot their gazes up to the skies, their pupils shrunk to needle sizes.

 Chapter 227: Reverse Positions

    Chapter 227: Reverse Positions

    A blindingly bright orange glow covered most of Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s vision. There was a hint of wonder bursting into their eyes as they witnessed the Golden Crow Leadersbined Martial skill.

    Up a couple of miles in the air was a vast golden sun intensely pulsating.

    Golden sun rays of light streaked across the sky and had even covered up the sight of the sickly yellow sky for Darcel''s group.

    For several dozens of miles, the whole snowy forest maze was burned to an unfathomable degree. Most of the snow instantly melted under the tremendous heat of the Crow Leader''s golden sun.

    Even Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt the immense heat genuinely affect them. It was all the more surprising for them since, in their souls, they all have a great affinity to the Element of Fire.

    In the second, the trio all notice the tremendous Golden Sun; their minds began to rapidly turn for any way to counter-attack.

    They all wanted to move their bodies but found an immediate problem when doing so.

    The immense prowess from the Crow Leaders Heavenly Rank Martial skill was far more than they could ever expect!

    The massive pressure wracking their bodies was actually making it hard for Darcel, Ani, and Masami to gather up their bloodline powers.

    Inside their Martial Veins, their souls did try and to destroy the suppression weighing down on them. But every time the suppression in their Martial Veins were cleared up, the pressure from the Crow Leader''s Martial Skill would immediately fall again.

    It created a never-ending loop of pressure and suppression as the Golden Crow Leadersbined Martial Skills were just that powerful.

    Ani and Masami didn''t get at first on just how these mere tenth-level Heavenly Kings were emitting so much power even as they''re joining together.

    But Darcel''s eyes widened as he knew exactly why this Heavenly Rank Martial skill was so powerful.

    Those Crow Leaders had actually achieved the Perfection Stage!

    Just like how he has reached the Perfection Stage with his Martial Skill, the Crow Leaders could feasibly exude a prowess far beyond what''s originally intended of their Martial Skill.

    "Tch!" Darcel, Ani, and Masami all clicked their teeth as they started to frantically surge as much bloodline power they could.

    Admittedly, this was incredibly unusual for them.

    They would usually always be in a position where their foes could barely move under their powerful auras.

    However, not even a full ten minutes aftering to the Mercenary Exchange Event, they already fought with some crazed Spirit Monster that had equally matched all three of them.

    And now, they were experiencing an immense suppression that was legitimately making it hard for them to move.

    This kind of unbnce situation only fueled an intense drive in the trio to be back on their usual dominating side!

    However, in the very next second, the trio tried to break free of the Crow Leader''s Martial Skill pressure; they heard all theirbined booming voices shout out loud,

    "First Order Sun!!"

    Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe''s voices carried an unfathomable majestic power that shook the ground for several miles!

    Their prowess had climbed beyond their absolute peak, and small ripples in spatial space became distorted.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    The massive Golden Sun shot down at Darcel''s group and the Spirit Monster Hawk at speeds surpassing the rate of actual Lightning!

    Previously, even though the Crow Leaders were entrapped by the Spirit Monster Hawk Wind Qi tornadoes. They all could sense that unfathomable battle urring from under them.

    And in all honesty, they felt a genuine fear from both Darcel''s group and that Spirit Monster Hawk. They felt the most threaten by Darcel specifically.

    The prowess both sides had exuded was enough for the Crow Leaders to decide to eliminate both of them right now!

    The Crow Leaders didn''t question where the hell Darcel''s group came from or their actual cultivation realm.

    All they focused on now was eliminating any and all potential threats just so they secure their victories in this year''s Mercenary Exchange Event. Being this cruel and decisive were how those in the Golden Crow Circle all operate.

    Their eyes watched on with zing killing intent as their First Order Sun attack nearly instantly reached the ground.

    In just a mere split second, the vast Golden Sun already crossed a couple miles of distance!

    And even before touching down on the ground, numerous enormous trees were lit to a zing fire and were immediately burned to ashes.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt as if everything slowed down for them just before the massive Golden Sun swallowed them whole.

    If they were to fully take this Martial Skill without any preparation or defense. None of them were sure they could escape without taking at least one serious injury.

    And in this far more harsh environment, that was a risk none of them would dare to take.

    In the second, the massive Golden Sun was about to crash down on them. Darcel, Ani, and Masami had overdrawn on their souls, granting them an overabundance of power so they could move their arms.

    Simultaneously, their arms reached into their pockets, violently clenching down on something.

    And right then, the vast Golden Sun crashed onto the ground!

    <em>''BOOOM~!!!'' </em>

    A violent golden Fire explosion burst out like a mini Fire nuke!

    The whole ground ferociously quaked as if the entire world were getting shredded into pieces. The spatial space fell into a slightly greater distortion as the Crow Leaders powers touched upon a higher level than mere tenth level Heavenly King prowess for a brief split second.

    Far up in the sky, the three Crow Leaders indifferent watched their zing destruction.

    They couldn''t believe that they would need to unleash a power like this after only a short time ofing to this independent realm.

    But for the greater good of their Mercenary group, it was worth it. And this was also a potential threat to their lives, making this attack a necessity.

    After a few seconds, their golden Fire explosion had finally died down.

    The Crow Leaders already sensed the aftermath, but their eyes still observed the after destruction.

    For miles, there was absolutely nothing. All bushes, trees, and snow were vaporized to ashes. And there were several long fissures splitting the ground open.

    The only thing visible in this area was, surprisingly enough, was the charred bone corpse of the Spirit Monster Hawk.

    Even after a massive Fire explosion like that, the Spirit Monster Hawk''s body didn''t even get turned to dust.

    The Crow Leaders only felt more assured of their ideas of unleashing that attack while staring at that beast charred bone corpse. If given a chance, who knows how strong that beast could feasibly be.

    Crow Theo shook his head at such a potential chilling thought. His mind had then shifted to another topic of interest.

    Without taking his eyes off the Fire destruction scene, he asked his fellow Crow Leaders, "Those three Masked people.just what was that power?"

    Crow Apollo and Joe didn''t take their eyes off the Fire destruction scene. But their minds did divulge in wondering just what the hell kind of freaks in cultivation were those masked people.

    None of them could even sense their original cultivation realm, only their unfathomable aura. But for sure, the Crow Leaders didn''t sense any Heavenly auraing from the three Masked people.

    "Could they possibly be from a Mercenary group or this independent realm?" Crow Apollo threw out a question. Though he quickly shook his head afterward.

    "No.it''s impossible for any of us Mercenary groups toe with that kind of power. And there is this strange change in the sky."

    Crow Joe just shook his head at all of this. He started to say, "No matter what, they''re all dead now. So let''s-"

    Whatever he was about to say couldn''t make it through as Crow Joe abruptly snapped his attention right above him.

    Crow Apollo and Theo had to snap their attention above them as well.

    Completely out of nowhere, an immense aura erupted onto them! The Crow Leaders all felt their minds explode in shock.

    The aura crushing down on them is precisely the same as the three Masked people they believed they already killed. And when snapping their attention above them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami had magically appeared!

    It was like they were actual ghostsing back from the dead!

    Though Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s current appearance had shown that they somehow got through the Crow Leaders immensely powerful Martial Skill.

    All of Darcel''s right sleeves had been entirely burnt off, revealing his slightly charred arm. His mask as well got partially sizzled, showcasing just a part of his true face.

    However, none of his injuries or appearance mattered to Darcel now.

    A ferocious killing intent discharged from Darcel as his bloodline arm was covered in an entirely profound Darkness glow.

    Ani was above Crow Theo, being in the same state of injury as Darcel.

    With one of her sleeves burnt off, part of her mask vaporized to dust, and her bloodline arm was glowing up in a blinding white light radiance.

    This state of injury holds true for Masami as she was above Crow Joe. Although for her, both of her sleeves were burnt off, and more of her mask had gotten burnt to a crisp. And on her right arm, an intense shade of blue Fire was burning on there.

    "Tch!"

    The Crow Leaders only clicked their teeth at Darcel''s group''s apparent survival. They as well erupted with all of their strength, pushing their Heavenly aura to its fullest!

    However, not even that could relieve the immense pressure of Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bloodline aura.

    The Crow Leaders had the threat of imminent death wrack their minds. But, they didn''t stop from that fear and formed a golden Fire shield in front of them before Darcel Ani and Masami attacked them.

    Yet, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami cared for the Crow Leaders'' attempt at defense.

    At the same time, they crashed their bloodline arms right on the Crow Leaders golden Fire shields!

    <em>''Ka-Cha!''</em>

    The Crow Leaders Fire shields instantly shattered, bursting into tiny specks golden Fire wisps!

    "Wha?!" The Crow Leaders felt their arms violently tremble as Darcel, Ani, and Masami powers shredded their protective Heavenly aura.

    Without giving them a chance to react, Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t slow down their attacks and savagely struck their fists onto the Crow Leaders'' chest.

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    The Crow Leaders got sent flying back like a missile as they felt tremendous pain from having multiple bones in their chest brutally cracked.

    Blood spewed from their mouths, and the Crow Leaders couldn''t stop their quick descent towards the ground.

    Although as they shot towards the ground, the Crow Leaders forced past the immense pain, raised a single finger, and surged a small golden Fireball at the tip of their fingers.

    Instantly when it had formed, the small golden Fireball vanished.

    And the three Crow Leaders violently crashed into the ground, skidding along it for dozens of feet without stopping.

    At the same time, up in the air, Darcel''s group didn''t have the chance to rx either. Their eyes dangerously narrowed as their Spirit Sense frantically went off.

    Without looking up, Darcel, Ani, and Masami formed an instant Qi barrier as an incredible surge of power immediately appeared above them.

    <em>''BANG!'' </em>

    A more minor golden Fire explosion erupted from right above the trio, releasing wild storms of golden Fire into the wind.

    "Nng!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami grunted as they took the full brunt of that surprise attack. The sheer force behind the golden Fire explosion sted them straight towards the ground like a speedy rocket.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had to grit their teeth while their feet tore through the ground as they crashed into it.

    Unlike the Crow Leaders, the trio was at least able to negate most of the force behind that golden Fire explosion before hitting the ground, allowing them to stand up straight.

    "Fuuu." They all had to let out a small breath, though, as their legs felt wobbly after an intense crash like that.

    Suddenly, Darcel, Ani, and Masami forced their attention forward.

    They had sensed the Crow Leaders auras frantically surged, reaching explosive new heights.

 Chapter 228: Fighting The Crow Leaders

    Chapter 228: Fighting The Crow Leaders

    "You little shits!"

    Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe''s furious voices sted out in the air, stretching far into the area for miles. Never before in their lives have they felt such a furious rage towards any specific person.

    But Darcel, Ani, and Masami had finally spark that fiery rage seeded deep within them. Though they may slightly fear their prowess, they still couldn''t ept that some masked nobodies could match their powers.

    Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe don''t consider themselves nobodies. They all hail from the Golden Crow Circle!

    The strongest Mercenary group in the whole Plunged Tundra!

    Furthermore, they all were the strongest Leaders of their whole massive group. There simply no way they should be getting this intensely pressure by mere Spirit Monsters and masked nobodies!

    "Hmmm.looks like somebody mad because reality is hard to ept." Ani joked between Darce and Masami. Though that Spirit Monster Hawk was surprising, against these tenth-level Heavenly Kings, she didn''t feel a great sense of danger.

    Both Darcel and Masami had a slight smirk towards Ani''sment. ''

    Honestly, she wasn''t wrong at all. There was a genuine rage truly emanating from those Crow Leaders.

    But Darcel, Ani, and Masami could also tell another emotion in them.

    The emotion of hidden fear. It wasn''t like they could just perceive the Crow Leaders'' hidden emotions. But they could just tell it from each of their surging Heavenly auras.

    Even before the trio saw the Crow Leaders, they were sensing the Crow Leaders auras all go frantically wild. And while their Heavenly aura is slowly increasing in power. There simply wasn''t any refined control in them.

    In just a second after Ani''sment, the trio saw the Crow Leaders.

    Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe stood just a hundred feet away from them. Pools of blood were leaking out of their mouth as an immense pain was still wracking their bodies.

    It was only one punch from Darcel, Ani, and Masami, yet the Crow Leaders felt as if their entire chest got caved in.

    Even for all the intense fights they had participated in, they were never injured so heavily like this.

    For a single tense, silent second, Darcel''s group and the Crow Leaders matched gazes with each other.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had a calm stature in the face of three tenth-level Heavenly Kings.

    But their auras were deathly chilling. Killing Intent was continuously spewing out of them as their minds kept on recalling the two surprise attacks of these Crow Leaders. That powerful Martial Skill they unleashed stuck a noticeable cord in their minds.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s mind became rock-solid firm on making these Crow Leaders suffer before dying.

    All the while, Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe kept ferocious gazes as their eyes bore holes into Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s mask.

    Their statures weren''t anywhere near as calm as Darcel''s group. Even as they kept on relying on their rage, the imminent fear they had over Darcel''s group prowess couldn''t be ignored.

    But, there was no way they would simply back down from a fight!

    And if that Spirit Monster Hawk could match all three of them, the Crow Leaders had the assurance to kill Darcel''s group.

    After all, they know they don''t rely on some beastly instincts of suddenly increasing their powers. They have a talisman and the most dangerous Spirit Artifacts to clear any enemy!

    As the Crow Leaders'' thoughts became more confident because of this, their eyes began to spew out cold rays of Killing Intent.

    In the very next second, the Crow Leaders'' spatial ring ignited, and they each had brought long straight swords. On their long straight swords were a bright orange glow. The orange glows were luminous like rays of sunlight.

    When the Crow Leaders brought these swords out, their Heavenly aura increased even more in power!

    The weapons they were using were all high-ranking Royal Spirit Weapons!

    Every Royal Spirit rank weapon contains a massive yet wild sum of energy that only Heavenly Transformation cultivators and above can control.

    When sensing those Royal Spirit rank weapons Darcel and Ani felt a bit of intrigue.

    The energy emanating from those weapons reminded them of their old Earthen Spirit rank saber weapons. Only those orange glowing swords were a whole different level.

    At that moment, Darcel and Ani realized they should find higher quality weapons than the ones lying around the Snow Angel group.

    But before their thoughts could divulge any further on that subject, the Crow Leaders began to move. In the same instance the Crow Leaders brought out their weapons, they shot right towards Darcel''s group.

    The Crow Leader speeds were amazingly swift, crossing over thirty feet in just a single step.

    However, before they could take another step forward, Darcel''s eyes burst into a profound Darkness glow.

    Darkness energy crazily spewed from Darcel''s eyes as he narrowed his gaze on the three Crow Leaders.

    The Crow Leaders felt an icy sensation shiver down their spines from Darcel''s Darkness glow eyes. His stare was like peering into cold pits of a nightmarish abyss.

    But before they could process anything else, they all suddenly felt their bodies get tightly constrained!

    <em>''Chi! </em>

    "Wha?!" The three Crow Leaders all bellowed their surprise as numerous Darkness tendrils had wrapped up their bodies!

    The Crow Leaders were nothing short but utterly shocked. While they felt that icy sensation from Darcel''s eyes, they didn''t sense any power surging around them. There wasn''t even a shift in the wind.

    This attack was truly instantaneous!

    "Tch." Although for Darcel, it wasn''t as peachy as it seemed. A burning sting was rising in his eyes from constraining these Crow Leaders.

    Darcel wasn''t sure what it was, but it was like these Crow Leaders bodies had actual Fire Qi deeply infused in them. Still, the stinging pain wasn''t enough to break Darcel''s concentration as he kept a solid hold over the Crow Leaders.

    Right when Darcel''s unleashed her Darkness tendrils, Ani''s bloodline arm began sparking up in an intense white Light. At the same time, one of Masami''s foxtails started to burst in a harsher blue fire glowpared to the rest of her Firefox cloak.

    Ani was quite literally in the process of opening her mouth to unleash her soul stunning shbang.

    But right then, an immensely blinding golden ray of light exploded from the Crow Leaders'' eyes, covering up Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s vision!

    For a half-second, the trio was legitimately caught off guard, causing Ani to stall her attack for a half of a second.

    Inside Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe''s bodies, Darcel''s Darkness lustful energy was causing chaos there. Their bloodstreams were getting burned, and their Heavenly Qi got heavily disrupted.

    However, the Crow Leaders'' prowess wasn''t bing weaker. On their hands, they all had a golden ring that was brightly surging a radiant golden glow.

    This Ring Spirit Artifact was the reason the Crow Leaders had experienced a sudden power surge and caused their eyes to spew that blinding golden ray of light.

    In the half-second Ani was stalled in their attacks; the Crow Leaders didn''t hesitate and gathered all of their Ring Spirit Artifact energy.

    Their eyes burst with an even higher golden glow, and two golden fire beams sted out from each of their eyes!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    The six golden fire beams shredded through the air, nearly reaching Darcel, Ani, and Masami, all in a span of a split second!

    Right before the six golden fire beams reached them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami still managed to react.

    They all had to cut off their current attacks, and they swiftly gathered their respective Fire energy sources.

    Darcel and Ani''s hands burst with ck mes. While Masami''s hands emitted an intenser shade of blue fire.

    When the six golden fire beams were just a foot away from Darcel''s group, they all raised their hands simultaneously. A vast ck and blue firewall quickly rose from their feet, shielding them against the Crow Leader''s attacks.

    <em>''BANG~!'' </em>

    A tremendous Fire explosion sted out for several feet as the six golden Fire beams crashed on Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s mixed firewall.

    Blue, ck and golden mes swirled out in the already ruined destruction field, drilling even more holes into the ground.

    "Ng! Finally!" The three Crow Leaders all felt a bit of relief as the Darkness tendrils disappeared from their bodies.

    As the Crow Leaders touch the ground, they had to take a moment to catch their breaths.

    Remnants of Darcel''s Darkness lustful energy was still affecting their bloodstreams and continuously decreasing their Heavenly Qi. The Crow Leaders took a moment to stay still and attempt to purge this chaotic energy in their bodies.

    None of them were sensing Darcel, Ani, and Masami close to them at this moment, so they believed that attack had indeed stalled them.

    But right then, Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe froze in fear.

    Their entire beings got tremendously suppressed as three immense power surges exploded right in front of their faces! The Crow Leaders'' pupils shrunk to needle sizes.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were mere inches away from their faces.

    Only now, they all had a drastically different appearance. Each of their masks was now entirely burnt of revealing their beautiful faces.

    "Wha-" The Crow Leaders didn''t have a chance to react or gather any defense. Their movements became tremendously sluggish as Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s current aura was briefly overpowering them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had frantically overdrawn on their souls, allowing them to reach immense speeds to appear right in front of the Crow Leader''s faces.

    "Fiery Slice/Fox w!"

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami unleashed their Martial Skills to thepletely unprepared Crow Leaders.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Two thin streams of ck fire and a blue firefox w sted the Crow Leaders away, quickly shooting them through the ruined field.

    "AHHH!!" The Crow Leaders were shrieking in pain as Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Martial Skills were overpowering them.

    But before the Crow Leaders got fully vaporized by the trio''s Martial Skills, a brilliant golden light burst from Crow Theo''s chest!

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    An unfathomable power burst from Crow Theo''s chest!

    In that instance, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Martial Skills were utterly vaporized by this surge of power.

    Crow Apollo and Joe fell to their knees, just barely hanging on to life. While Crow Theo remained standing. His gaze was ferociously wild as he red at Darcel''s group.

    Seeing their powerful Martial Skill get instantly vaporize shocked Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    Admittedly, they started to feel dread as the power discharging from Crow Theo was explosively growing at an insane rate, nearing a whole other level of prowess.

 Chapter 229: Phantom Golden Spirit (1)

    Chapter 229: Phantom Golden Spirit (1)

    The brilliant golden glow emanating from Crow Theo''s chest was almost blinding to gaze upon.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami squinted their eyes as the golden glow made them feel a noticeable sting. Their dread began to slowly increase as a considerable pressure began weighing down their bodies.

    As this sudden power frantically increases from Crow Theo''s chest, the golden light only intensifies. Suddenly, the golden light shot towards the skies, bing a radiant golden pir of light.

    Minor cracks in spatial space from within inches of Crow Theo''s body began appearing. Small spots in the air was torn open, revealing abyss-like darkness.

    And from the center of it all, Crow Theo''s expression was turning increasingly cruel and vicious. His Killing Intent had reached an all-time high!

    There hasn''t been a single person in his life that he wants to kill more than Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    Out of everything Crow Theo could''ve expected when participating in this year''s Mercenary Exchange Event, getting pressure to the point of near-death was not one of them.

    He really didn''t want to use this Spirit Artifact. However, the situation demanded it, or else his life and Crow''s Apollo and Joe would be forfeited.

    "You three.I don''t know what or who you are. But know this, your deaths will not be a slow one!" Crow Theo arrogantly boasted as the golden light power increasingly surged with each passing split second.

    His confidence hit an all-time high, and he was fervently eager to reverse the shame brought upon him by these unknown brats.

    "Tch.this power." Darcel was muttering to himself as he was reinforcing his body with a mass sum of bloodline power just to stay bnced.

    Ani and Masami were doing the same as him while clicking their teeth with equally frustrated expressions.

    The smart move would be to cut off Crow Theo''s Spirit Artifact surging power. However, the increasing aura of that Spirit Artifact tightly locked down Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies.

    If they wanted to break free and attack, they would need at least a couple of seconds to do so.

    Darcel''s bloodline arm darkens its Darkness glow. Ani''s bloodline arm intensified her white Light energy. And Masami''s blue firefox cloak was bing brighter.

    They thought they could equal out of the Spirit Artifact Power in just another second.

    But right then, their bodies abruptly froze.

    The feeling of immense dread in their minds explosively increased to the point where Darcel, Ani, and Masami could feel cold sweat instantly form on their brows.

    Their pupils became tiny dots as Crow Theo''s Spirit Artifact power explosively changed!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    The pir of golden light burst into numerous rays of golden lights as a whole new level of power exploded into the area. The golden rays of light sailed right towards Crow Theo''s chest, tearing right into his clothes.

    "What.wait-this power!" Darcel loudly eximed while an incredible pressure suppressed his entire being.

    "The power of a Grand Sage!" Masami finished Darcel''s sentence as she violently clenched her hands under such mighty pressure.

    "I didn''t think it woulde this soon!" Ani also eximed her surprise as she rooted her feet to the ground against this incredible pressure.

    "Oh? So can you recognize what''s going to be your executioner?" Crow Theo savagely mocked.

    All of his power was zapped away from him, and he could barely stay standing. But sacrificing all of his power and a sum of his lifeforce was worth it to unleash their ultimate Spirit Artifact!

    "Heh. Can''t believe it''s happening now." Crow Apollo spoke in a weak tone of voice.

    He and Crow Joe were still on their knees, both of their bodies still bloodied and battered. But cold smirks were lifting up their lips even with all the pain wracking their bodies.

    Without wasting a second, Crow Theo reached into his chest pocket after the numerous golden rays of light entered in there. His hand violently clenched down on something, and he tore it straight out of his clothes.

    What was in Crow Theo''s hand was a small amulet in the shape of the God Beast Golden Crow!

    As soon as the Golden Crow amulet appeared, it burst with a blinding golden shine that forced Darcel, Ani, and Masami to shut their eyes.

    When that prowess of a Heavenly Sage burst in the area, it severely limited their movements even more. Essentially, as soon as their Martial Skills were utterly destroyed, Darcel, Ani, and Masami lost all of their chances to potentially escape.

    Now, they have to face whatever wasing up head-on.

    Before the aura of the Heavenly Sage Spirit Artifact could thoroughly crush the trio, they had once again overdrawn on their souls, fueling their bodies with a burst of speed.

    "Nnng!''

    This time though, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were feeling a considerable strain on their souls.

    Back to back, repeated use of overdrawing soul powers nearly put the trio in an instant exhaustion state.

    But Darcel, Ani, and Masami gritted their teeth and pushed through the soul strain. The power of an unfathomable Heavenly Sage powerhouse was indeed immense. It gave the trio the greatest suppression they ever felt while on their journey.

    However, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could just barely match this power bybing their bloodline powers and soul powers. Their soul''s core was frantically pulsating as it significantly boosted Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s maximum prowess.

    They broke the Heavenly Sage pressure and shed over seventy feet backward.

    While they did so, the golden light from the Golden Crow amulet was quickly morphing into a shape.

    The blinding golden light almost immediately died down as a massive phantom image started to solidify.

    In just a second, the golden light cleared up entirely and what was left was a sight that would leave anybody in utter awe.

    The phantom image was a humongous vast beast that covered over fifty feet of space in the sky. A radiant golden glow covered every inch of this massive beast, and it exuded a majestic natural presence that most would feel the need to bow to.

    The tremendous phantom beast had taken the shape of the Legendary God Beast Golden Crow!

    "Holy hell." Darcel, Ani, and Masami muttered at the same time. They felt legitimate awe staring at a majestic beast like this.

    Its wingspan had gone far beyond anything they had ever seen before. Whenparing it to the vast Spirit Monster Hawk they previously fought, it was even slightly shorter than this majestic beast.

    Everything went to a pin drop silence once the phantom Golden Crow Spirit appeared.

    The power of the Heavenly Sage realm continuously discharged from the beast, causing small ripples in the area and for the air to get visibly sizzled.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami matched their eyes with the phantom Golden Crow Spirit''s golden fiery eyes.

    The phantom Golden Crow Spirit dangerously narrowed its golden fiery eyes on the trio. Not even a split second passed, and the phantom Golden Crow Spirit can sense a major threat from these three youths.

    "Skwa!!"

    With one mighty battle shout, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit pped its vast golden wings and unleashed a massive wave of golden fire towards Darcel''s group!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s pupils dted.

    Their minds had instantly recalled the time they fought that Heavenly Sage Spirit Monster down in the cave where that silverish-blue crystal orb was.

    They could vividly recall the powerful danger sensation they felt from the Spirit Monster.

    But whenpared to this.this phantom Golden Crow Spirit was on a whole other level!

    Even though it was causing an increasing strain on them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami had no other options but to stay using overdrawn soul powers.

    Simultaneously when they continue using their soul''s powers, their Darkness soul link begins to slowly writhe.

    The pressure of the phantom Golden Crow Spirit couldn''t majorly affect their movements in their full power bloodline state and soul''s power state.

    <em>''Hua!''</em>

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami took a tremendous leap into the skies, just narrowly avoiding the wave of golden mes. Immediately while in mid-air, Darcel, Ani, and Masami surged their Martial Skills.

    Their mes burst upon their hands as Darcel, Ani and Masami strut their arms towards the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    "Fiery Slice/Fox w!"

    As the trio unleashed their mighty battle cry, streams of ck mes exploded from Darcel and Ani''s hands, heading straight to the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    And a vast blue firefox w spewed from Masami''s palm, sting towards the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    "Scree!!"

    The phantom Golden Crow Spirit wasn''t slow at all and immediately screeched out a vast golden fire beam towards the trio''s Martial Skills.

    <em>''BANG!!'' </em>

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Martial Skills exploded on impact against the vast golden fire beam. The mere sh of their tremendous prowess utterly copsed the spatial space around it and tore the ground open wide for several miles.

    The phantom Golden Crow Spirit gave the trio no time to breathe as it pped its massive wings and instantly appeared above the trio in one step!

    "Shit!" Darcel, Ani, and Masami snapped their heads up in genuine surprise.

    That speed wasn''t anything like they saw before; that was actual instantaneous speeds!

    The trio couldn''t appropriately react as the phantom Golden Crow Spirit took another p of its vast wings.

    A bright golden glow sparked on its wings as it unleashed a chaotic Wind Qi gale storm down at Darcel, Ani and Masami.

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami tried to resist the Wind Qi gale storm, but the power behind it was far greater than they could ever expect.

    "Nng!" Despite their resistance, it all ended up futile.

    The power of a Grand Sage was nothing like a Heavenly King. The phantom Golden Crow Spirit Sage aura shredded through Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bloodline power and soul''s power!

    The Wind Qi gale storm sted the trio straight towards the ground while parts of their clothes got shredded by the razor-sharp winds.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami crashed deep into the ground, each of them forming massive craters underneath them.

    "Geh!" Simultaneously, the trio coughed uprge botches of blood.

    In just one attack, multiple bones in their back and their organs violently churned. Ani and Masami were left entirely dazed for a second.

    But for Darcel, an instant surge of intense rage fueled him once again! He was instantly back on his feet; his eyes exploded with wild savage Killing Intent as his bloodline powers began to overflow.

 Chapter 230: Phantom Golden Spirit (2)

    Chapter 230: Phantom Golden Spirit (2)

    A deep Darkness glow was bursting out of Darcel''s eyes like a sea of Darkness. His bloodline powers and soul''s core was in a high state of pulsating with a significant surge of energy.

    Darcel''s eyebrows knitted together as the strain from his soul''s core got increasingly strenuous. But the budding rage inside him made him ignore the severe pain and only focus on gathering the most power he can.

    Darcel wasn''t exactly sure what was going on during these rage-filled moments.

    There had been numerous times in his past that he felt a surge of anger boil over whenever Ani got hurt. But during those times, he always had a degree of control over the situation.

    Even when recalling the ck Labyrinth Dungeon events, that creature was relentlessly pursuing him, and Ani failed every time to kill them.

    And afterward, they both experienced a tremendous amount of growth where that horrid creature became nothing but an ant to them.

    Ever since then, Darcel really couldn''t think of a time where his life was in a perilous situation.

    However, in this situation with the phantom Golden Crow Spirit, Darcel honestly couldn''t say he can maintain decent control over the situation.

    He didn''t know the sky would change; he didn''t expect that Spirit Monster Hawk to be so strong and he never expected to encounter an actual Heavenly Sage power.

    All of this,bined with the fact that this phantom Golden Crow Spirit is even slightly overpowering them, fueled an unknown rage Darcel didn''t think he had.

    This rage had briefly appeared with the Spirit Monster Hawk and now was making a return against this phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    The Darkness glow on Darcel''s bloodline arm quickly turns intense. The small feathers on his arm began to furiously wriggle about as if they wanted to st out of Darcel''s arm.

    In the instance Darcel had got back on his feet, he raised his bloodline arm straight at the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    Before the phantom beast could react, a mass swirl of Darkness energy burst at the center of Darcel''s palm. And from the mass swirl of Darkness energy, Darcel sted a vast Darkness energy w!

    Compared to all other attacks of his, this form of Darcel''s Darkness w had a noticeable appearance change. There was now small ck feathers sprouting from his Darkness w, giving it a more unique look,

    There were very tiny cracks in the air from Darcel''s rage-filled power as his Darkness w soared towards the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    These cracks were actually minor distortions in spatial space caused all by Darcel''s own prowess.

    The phantom Golden Crow Spirit eyes narrowed as it sensed a legitimate threat from this attack.

    "Skwa!!"

    Its fiery eyes spurted small golden rays of light as its Heavenly Sage aura frantically increased.

    With a p of its mighty wings, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit dived straight down at Darcel''s Darkness w, intending to shred right through it.

    Its Sage aura red down at Darcel''s Darkness w in an attempt to stall the attack.

    However, against the phantom Golden Crow Spirit expectation, Darcel''s Darkness w traveled through its Sage aura!

    His prowess wasn''t enough to shred the phantom beast''s Sage aurapletely, but it was enough to directly strike its body.

    The phantom Golden Crow Spirit, though surprised, didn''t stop its charge towards the Darkness w.

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    Darcel''s Darkness w exploded on the first contact with the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    But instead of the phantom beast continuing its charge from seemingly exploding Darcel''s attack, the air began to freeze around it.

    The remnants of Darkness'' essence energy from Darcel''s attack didn''t disappear. Instead the Darkness''s essence energy quickly wrapped onto the phantom Golden Crow Spirit body.

    The phantom beast genuinely couldn''t move for a second. When shing with Darcel''s Darkness w attack, it was hit with a sudden powerful wave of Darkness essence lustful energy.

    When the powerful wave of Darkness essence lustful energy drilled into its beak, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit got temporarily fazed.

    Although it doesn''t have an actual body, Darcel''s Darkness lustful energy had still shed with the power keeping it alive.

    And once it was fazed, the remaining remnants of Darcel''s Darkness essence energy acted as if it had a mind on its own. It had taken the chance to wholly cover up the vast phantom beast.

    Waves and waves of Darcel''s Darkness essence energy continuously smashed against the phantom Golden Crow Spirit''s Heavenly Sage energy.

    For a fiery beast like itself, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit was actually feeling an intense heat spread throughout its body.

    The phantom Golden Spirit couldn''t continue on to Darcel now. It had to stop and take the time to quickly purge this Darkness essence energy from its body.

    And in the instance it started the purge, a blinding white light began surging from the ground.

    Ani had already shot up to her feet after her couple of seconds of being entirely dazed. A chilling cold gaze epassed her face as that gale wind attack was a severe blow to her mind and body.

    "Hm. sh!!"

    Her bloodline arm burst with her soul stunning shbang, shooting it up towards the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    Unlike Darcel, Ani wasn''t receiving any rage-filled boost to her prowess. But it didn''t lessen her Killing Intent towards the phantom beast.

    Though Ani never really liked to show it as much as Darcel or Masami, she had a certain pride in her own prowess.

    And getting so easily knocked down and bing dazedly fazed wasn''t something Ani could so easily sallow. Especially considering this isn''t even a genuine Heavenly Sage cultivator that they''re fighting.

    It''s just a mere Spirit Artifact that she and her partners took down several times before.

    And today, Ani knows it will be no different!

    Up in the sky, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit stopped moving entirely.

    For a highly ranked Spirit Artifact like itself, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit actually has a phantom soul. The phantom soul is what allows it to act independently and have no need to rely on the Crow Leaders lifeforce to stay thriving.

    Although the cost for bringing out this powerful phantom beast was a tremendous decrease to the Crow Leader''s lifespan, the results were obviously worth it.

    But never in their wildest dreams could they expect that the phantom Golden Crow Spirit was actually having its soul messed with.

    Inside the phantom Golden Crow Spirit''s phantom soul space, a bright glow covered every inch of it. Even though its phantom soul also had the prowess of the Heavenly Sage realm, it couldn''t resist Ani''s bloodline soul stunning shbang.

    Back on the ground, Masami was the one to make the next move. She simrly had a terrifying enraged expression from getting smacked around so easily.

    But instead of charging her own attack, she grabbed Darcel''s hand.

    Right as Ani unleashed her soul stunning shbang, Masami had shared a look with Darcel. Even among the blinding white light, she could still spot Darcel''s profound Darkness glowing eyes.

    And with only a single look, Darcel had directed his eyes up, signaling Masami on what to do.

    No words were needed at all as Masami understood what he wanted her to do. The soul bond they had was that firm that Masami can feel out the vague intention on what Darcel wanted from her.

    And with Darcel in her grasp, Masami clenched down on his palm and immediately shot up into the skies.

    She was a blue ming blur tearing through the air, crossing miles high up. But despite how fast Masami was going, she stopped on a dime once she was high enough above the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    Darcel was already prepared once they had reached this altitude. At the tip of one of his fingers was a small swirl of gray energy.

    This miniature gray energy exuded an unfathomable power that could suffocate peak level Heavenly Kings by just being in its general vicinity.

    The power Darcel is gathering is the mysterious Chaotic Energy!

    This is his ultimate trump card, and the current situation desperately called for it.

    Usually, Darcel would be able to gather a bit more Chaotic Energy than this. But with the repeated, intense fights and a massive strain on his soul, this was the best Darcel could muster up.

    Still, with what Darcel could scrap up now, he hoped it was enough.

    "Now."

    Was all Darcel said before Masami clenched down on his palm and swiftly flung Darcel towards the phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    Masami''s swung glid Darcel through the air like a missile, quickly reaching the phantom beat in mere seconds.

    Right before Darcel crashed onto the phantom Golden Crow Spirit, the phantom beast actually began to struggle against Ani''s soul stunning energy.

    The golden beast can just feel an immense danger to its life, quickly rushing at it.

    However, no matter how hard it struggled, Darcel''s speed made it impossible for the phantom beast to break free.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Darcel''s Chaotic Energy fingertip crashed right onto the phantom Golden Crow Spirit''s back.

    The Darkness essence energy on its body vanished along with Ani''s Light energy when Chaotic Energy began ramping inside its body.

    Darcel grunted as he felt like his whole body was on fire while being basically on top of the phantom beast. And he felt his finger getting painfully roasted by the beast''s fiery back.

    All the while, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit nearly lost the light in its eyes from Darcel''s Chaotic Energy.

    Immense pain rampaged its body as it and Darcel began careening towards the ground.

    In the midst of crashing towards the ground, the golden beast suddenly heard a voice echoed in its mind.

    ''Shit! What''s with this kid?! Fine! I''ll give you nearly all of my vitality!''

    Crow Theo''s maddening shout red in the golden beast''s mind as they were Spiritually linked. And as he said so, a tremendous surge of power immediately raised in the phantom Golden Crow Spirit!

    "Skwa!!"

    The golden beast unleashed a mighty roar as its new rise of power counteracted the rampaging Chaotic energy in its body.

    With the light back in its eyes, the phantom beast stretched out its talons and forcefully crashed onto its feet, sinking several meters into the ground.

    "Wha?!" Darcel was utterly astounded as an immense wave of power nearly threw him off the golden beast. He just couldn''t believe it.

    He thought Chaotic Energy would instantly clear any of his foes.

    Even as he could use so little of it, Darcel didn''t expect the golden beast to explode with another power surge. Now, Darcel felt his whole right arm was excruciatingly burning, and the intense heat spread to his entire body.

    Before Darcel could even try to move off the golden beast, its rising surge of energy tightly suppressed his movement.

    And without even looking back, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit gave another loud screech and flung off Darcel from its back with a p of its massive wings.

    "Ah!"

    Masami loudly shouted as Darcel got sent soaring up through the sky like a broken ragdoll. She quickly flew over to Darcel, obviously wanting to catch him.

    But when she did catch him,

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    Masami was sent darting into the sky like a jet while holding on to Darcel. The force behind that phantom Golden Crow new power surge tore through both of their bodies.

    On the ground, the phantom Golden Crow Spirit felt its power rapidly drain after flinging Darcel off. Though it got rid of nearly all of the Chaotic Energy inside its body, it costed a massive sum to do so.

    But right then, another tremendous threat of danger burst in the golden beast''s senses. It wanted to react, but it was toote.

    Ani''s speed was swift as she jumped towards the golden beast and smashed her own Chaotic Energy fist right onto its chest!

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    The phantom Golden Crow was sent sailing again. But before it shot off too far, arge golden feather sted from its wings and sailed straight at Ani.

    A sense of deja vu struck Ani as she quickly put up a Light energy barrier.

    Within only a split second of doing so, therge golden feather struck Ani''s Light energy barrier. It had then exploded in a massive golden fire explosion!

    Golden fire crazily discharged everywhere in the ruin field, causing even wider fiery destruction here.

    "Nnng." Ani held in her moans of pain as the Golden Fire explosion destroyed her Light energy barrier and sent her sting backward. The golden beast''s immense power wreaked utter havoc in her body.

    Before she sailed far, Ani felt a familiar warm body catch her. Looking back, she saw that Darcel had her in his arms while Masami still had him in her arms.

    Pools of blood were leaking down both of their mouths as they were heavily panting.

    Although they were together again, none of them felt any relief.

    As Ani turned her attention back forward, their Spirit Senses could still sense that damn phantom Golden Crow Spirit!

    "Dammit! How long can this fucking birdst?!" Masami violently cursed, her sentiments of rage shared equally by Darcel and Ani.

 Chapter 231: Desperation

    Chapter 231: Desperation

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s chests heavily heaved as bile continuously ran up their throats.

    Every time it happened, the trio forced down the rising bile. Their bloodline powers frantically worked to get rid of the Heavenly Sage power running amok in their bodies.

    This fight was quite an eye-opening shock for the trio.

    Previously, they believed, at their current prowess, they could take on genuine Heavenly Sage. Their confidence came from the fact no other ninth-level Heavenly Kings could match them.

    But that perception was forcefully changed throughout this battle.

    That phantom Golden Crow Spirit was a powerful Heavenly Sage monster with far boosted prowess because it''s a Spirit Artifact being.

    They''re genuinely having problems just to keep up the phantom Golden Crow Spirit speeds and defending against its powerful attack.

    As of now, the trio wasn''t in an entirely critical injury state. But they were in danger if they wanted to continue exploring the rest of this independent realm.

    Their energy reserves was rapidly dropping, and some injuries will make it hard for them to properly fight if they don''t take the time to recuperate.

    What was the absolute worst about this situation was the fact that the phantom Golden Crow Spirit still wasn''t out of energy yet. The most surprising thing was that the golden beast could somehow take two Chaotic Energy attacks.

    Darcel began to quickly analyze what they should do now.

    The only silver lining they had was that the phantom Golden Crow Spirit power isn''t as nearly as high now.

    Although, the power that was still generating from the golden beast caused considerable pressure on all three of them.

    Darcel''s eyes trailed down at Ani, and he sensed she was essentially in the same state as him. They both used a tiny bit of Chaotic Energy in their dantian, leaving them now with only their bloodline powers.

    And Darcel knew even if he and Ani were tobine their Martial Skills, they wouldn''t be able to make the phantom Golden Crow Spirit disappear.

    Right then, Darcel snapped his eyes back to Masami. He realizes that she could still use her Chaotic Energy!

    The only problem with that is finding the prime opportunity for Masami to get in close and strike the golden beast.

    "Haah.haah. What''s the n, Darcy? No matter how it survives, we need to kill that beast." While Darcel was quickly formting a n, Ani was already relying on whatever he has in mind.

    Though it felt a little frustrating, Ani knows she isn''t the best nnerpared to Darcel. She held high faith that Darcel woulde up with something.

    Simultaneously, inside her mind, Ani felt small desires in learning to sharpen her strategic mind after this to be even more helpful for her team.

    Masami as well kept quiet, entirely relying on Darcel to make ns.

    More so than Ani, Masami was never really the one toe up with strategic ns. It was one of the traits she inherited from her parents that actually suited her fiery personality.

    Although Masami did feel that she should begin practicing her strategic mind as well for perilous situations like this.

    Darcel had tightly knitted his eyebrows together. From about a hundred feet ahead of them, the signature golden glow of the Golden Crow Spirit was starting to rise up.

    Darcel can tell after this exchange of attacks, it will be thest on either side. With a semi-decent n in mind, Darcel was just about to tell it to the girls.

    But right then, the whole sky suddenly gained a Darkness hue.

    The sickly yellow sky that was covering their ruined battlefield was now covered in a ck glow as if night had abruptly fallen upon the ce.

    "The hell?" Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously muttered their confusion.

    Their eyes quickly snapped up to the skies, and it was then their pupils heavily dted. For several miles around them, there was a colossal Darkness dome that was shrouding this specific area.

    And as the trio stared into the sky with shock filling their bones, a tremendous pressure crushed down on their bodies.

    The aura sting down on them was unfathomably powerful. With just one sense of it, the trio could tell this aura was slightly more powerful than the three Crow Leaders!

    If Darcel, Ani, and Masami were at their full power and not in an injured state, they would actually feel a significant threatening suppression from this.

    But now, Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t stop the dread from bursting into their minds. There was a chilling sensation that was crawling up their very spines.

    It was a haunting feeling that Darcel and Anieal only had experienced a few times in their lives.

    The terrifying sensation of approaching death!

    Up several miles in the skies, when the Darkness dome had appeared, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes caught three figures popping into existence from mere thin air.

    The three figures were all three ck robes-wearing people. All of them had a chilling appearance befitting of their Darkness powers.

    It was two men and one woman who all were emitting three unfathomable auras. Just their mere base aura alone was causing the air to freeze around them for several feet.

    And terrifyingly enough, these three ck robes people weren''t even using some form of attack to have the Darkness dome up.

    The Darkness dome was spewing out just from their base auras.

    As their appearance became more visible to the eyes, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could clearly sense the three ck robes people auras are indeed above the Crow Leaders.

    Squinting his eyes, Darcel was able to make out the design on their ck robes.

    ''Ah.of course it''s them.'' Darcel had instantly recognized where these guys came from and that only increased the dread in his mind.

    On their ck robes, these people had the intricate design of a vast, majestic ck Raven.

    They were obviously from the Raven Mage Order group!

    However, these three weren''t just some regr members of the group. They all held a simr status in their groups akin to the Crow Leaders status in their own group.

    The three of them were the most powerful in their whole Mercenary group and hold the title of being their Leaders!

    For their Leaders titles, the two men were named Arch Raven Kai and Arch Raven Noah. While the woman was named Arch Raven Lydia.

    All three Arch Raven Mages surveyed the whole ruin battlefield.

    As their eyes searched throughout the battlefield, a cruel smirk began dancing on the Arch Raven Mage''s lips. A slight rise of cold Killing Intent leaked from their bodies when seeing the Crow Leaders and Darcel''s group''s pathetic state.

    "So, the cultivators'' dogs are already fighting. And it seems like the three of us had juste in at the most opportunist time."

    Arch Raven Kai spoke first, and his voice wasced with arrogance and a budding Killing Intent.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were violently clenching their hands. Cold sweats began to pour down their faces as their danger senses went frantically wild.

    But before they could even think of what to do next, the Crow Leaders'' furious shouts red into the area.

    "Dammit!! Of all the shitty luck, why the hell did theye?!" Crow Theo''s desperate cries were shared with Crow Apollo and Joe.

    Crow Theo had then clenched down on his Golden Crow amulet, causing it to briefly sh and making the phantom Golden Crow Spirit hover over them.

    If they all were at their full powers, the Crow Leaders wouldn''t even think of using the phantom Golden Crow Spirit Artifact to deal with the Arch Raven Mages. However, in their current position, Crow Theo was sweating if they could even survive this.

    Thanks to Darcel, Ani, and Masami, their phantom Golden Crow Spirit now has less than half of its energy. And if the golden beast makes one more powerful attack or blocks an equally powerful attack, then it''s done for!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were in an equal position of not being able to put up a good fight.

    Darcel considered this as the most significant situation he''s getting this much threatened by.

    At this point, only one option sprang into Darcel''s mind.

    "You know, we''ve actually caught a glimpse of your fight before." Arch Raven Noah suddenly started talking, uncaring of how slowly they were dragging this out.

    When seeing both Darcel''s group and the Crow Leaders tense up and their faces be wracked with nerves, it gave all three of Arch Raven Mages a tremendous sense of superiority.

    Arch Raven Noah continued to speak as his arrogance increased. "If this was normal circumstances, we also would''ve enjoyed tearing both of you apart at full power. But s, your miserable lives end now."

    Arch Raven Noah''s voice became incredibly chilling at the end of his sentence as Killing Intent began wildly bursting out from all three Arch Raven Mages.

    Arch Raven Kai and Lydia immediately pointed their ck Magic Staff towards Darcel''s group, their ck crystals already pulsating with a frantic rush of power.

    Out of the whole group, the Arch Raven Mages still felt the most legitimate threat from Darcel''s group.

    They couldn''t perceive their cultivation realms, but they know they need to pour more power into getting rid of them specifically.

    Arch Raven Noah pointed his ck Magic staff towards the Crow Leaders, his ck Magic crystal already pulsating with power as well.

    Before either side could think to react, the Arch Raven Mage''s Magic Staff all ignited in a profound Darkness glow.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    The Arch Raven Mages shot vast ck Raven birds straight at Darcel''s group and the Crow Leaders from each of their Magic Staff.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami fiercely gritted their teeth. They had no other options but to defend!

    Gathering the rest of their bloodline powers and soul powers, the trio unleashed their best defense, creating a multiyer Qi barrier that covered all three of their bodies.

    At the same time, Crow Theo was forced to also give his best defense.

    He clenched down on his amulet again, and the phantom Golden Crow Spirit''s eyes spewed with golden rays of light.

    It nearly formed a golden fire dome around the Crow Leaders, but the ck Raven bird already neared them before the golden Fire dome was fullypleted.

    <em>''BOOOM~!!'' </em>

    Darkness Magical energy sprayed everywhere as the ck Raven birds exploded on Darcel''s group Qi barrier and the phantom Golden Crow Spirit''s golden Fire dome!

    "Ahhh!!"

    The sorrowful cries of the Crow Leaders red in the wind as Crow Theo had to cut off the phantom Golden Crow Spirit and tank the rest of the attack.

    If Crow Theo didn''t cut off the phantom Golden Crow Spirit, it would''ve gotten permanently destroyed from tanking all of the Arch Raven Mage power.

    And though the phantom Golden Crow Spirit took most of the attack. The Crow Leaders were still sent shooting out into ruin area like speeding bullets as blood frantically spurted out of them.

    Arch Raven Kai, Lydia, and Noah remained impassive as they waited for the dust of their Darkness explosion to die down.

 Chapter 232: Escape

    Chapter 232: Escape

    The Arc Raven Mages waited only several seconds for their Darkness explosion aftermath to clear up. On Arch Raven Noah and Lydia''s faces, they were cruelly smiling as they observed the utter wreck from below.

    However, Arch Raven Kai''s gaze was still locked on Darcel''s group''s previous spot. He was knitting his eyebrows together as he ran his Magical Sense over and over again on that specific spot.

    "Well, would you look at this?" Arch Raven Noah began speaking in a jeering tone while he observed the Crow Leaders'' current state.

    "All battered, bloody, and injured. I see no fiery will burning in any of them now."

    On the destroyed ground, Crow Theo, Apollo, and Joe were all kneeling as blood pooled out of every pore of their bodies. All three of them were on the verge of passing out. The only reason they''re still up is just their own stubborn determination at this point.

    The Crow Leaders know if they were to pass out now, then they will simply die. Although what was equally as depressing was that the Crow Leaders knew their death was inevitable either way.

    Their chances of escaping were so slim that it was basically negligible.

    The Arc Raven Mages''sst attack wasn''t even that powerful. Yet, their Magical Powers were currently wreaking havoc in all three Crow Leaders'' bodies.

    Crow Theo struggled to lift his head up to at least stare at his impending execution. When looking at the Arch Raven Mages, slight confusion swirled in his mind.

    For some reason, the Arch Raven Mages had took their sights off from them and on to another scene.

    Up in the skies, Arch Raven Kai, Noah, and Lydia were all narrowing their eyes at Darcel''s group''s previous spot.

    Their eyes and Magical Senses searched all around, and yet.nothing wasing up for them.

    "This is too mysterious. Not even a trace of them is around here. It''s like their presences had just up and disappeared." Arch Raven Kai muttered out loud.

    Darcel''s group''s disappearance did cause a slight sense of worry in his mind.

    Arch Raven Lydia didn''t feel as much worry. Besides thinking that the trio magically disappeared, she went with the most obvious conclusion. "You know, maybe they''re just dead? Their bodies probably exploded or are buried underground."

    Arch Raven Noah was in agreement as he nodded towards Lydia''s assessment.

    However, Arch Raven Kai still shook his head. "That''s not possible at all. They managed to force those Crow dogs to use that Heavenly Grand Sage Spirit Artifact. And even their weakened aura when we had first arrived here gave all of us a small bit of pressure."

    Arch Raven Noah furrowed his eyebrows. He quickly expanded his Magical Sense out for several miles, tracing every detail on the ground and air.

    But besides a strange scent filling his senses, he picked up on nothing. "Well, I can''t sense them anywhere near us. Or see them anywhere around here. Perhaps they''re using some kind of special talisman."

    Arch Raven Kai, Lydia, and Noah began to briefly contemte this odd disappearance.

    It certainly wasn''t out of the realm of possibility those three had used a talisman that made thempletely undetectable. Plus if it wasn''t a talisman, whatever item they''re using was sure to have a time limit.

    From the Arch Raven Mages'' expansive knowledge, they know that there wasn''t anything that can be entirely undetectable for Spirit or Magical Senses for long.

    And the Arch Raven Mages didn''t bother with the possibility that Darcel''s group could willingly erase their presence.

    Such a feat wasn''t even possible for the Leader of the whole Raven Mage Order group outside of New Branch City.

    Arch Raven Kai had to shrug on this subject after a few seconds and told the other Arch Raven Leaders, "No matter what they''re using to escape, they can''t hide from us for long. And their battered state, I doubt they could even run away that far. Now then."

    Arch Raven Kai, Noah, and Lydia turned their attentions back on the Crow Leaders.

    The Crow Leaders all began to violently shiver. They fear their death may be upon them.

    .

    A couple of miles away in some random direction from the ruin and destruction of Darcel''s team''s previous battle. The trees of the snowy forest maze were still protruding in this area, and there was a slight change of scenery in this specific area.

    At this random section of the snowy forest maze was actually a considerablyrge cave.

    No other Spirit Monster or humans were roaming around this general area.

    And inside the cave, three figures could be seen.

    These three figures had seen better days. Although the blood and dirt covering their faces couldn''t stop their natural beauty from flowing through.

    These three figures are Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    Just narrowly did they manage to escape from the Arch Raven Mage''s clutches. They had used nearly all of their remaining bloodline powers and soul powers tank their ck Raven bird attack.

    Thankfully, the Arch Raven Mages still managed to underestimate how much power they needed to entirely kill them off even as two of them joined together.

    And under the guise of the Darkness explosion, they immediately masked their presence and ran away.

    Although they couldn''t go beyond a couple of miles before their bodies injuries forced them to find a resting ce to recuperate.

    Thankfully, they happened to chance upon this random cave, which was the only bout of good luck they received sinceing to this independent realm.

    The trio is currently sitting against the cave''s wall, slowly breathing in and out. They had plenty of healing pills from the Snow Angel Order group so they could make a haste recovery.

    The injuries on the inside of their bodies were gradually healing up, though their appearance still remained battered.

    Their clothes were ripped at numerous ces and at each ripped spot, a sum of blood had pooled out of them.

    From healing their injuries, their bleeding had stopped, but the scars of battle still remained. As their energy reserves also gradually came back to them, Masami was the one who started talking first.

    "Haaah.to think, not even a full half an hour passed, and we''re already reduced to such a state. Tch! If we were to fight any one of those groups alone, we would most definitelye out on top!"

    A rising surge of frustration swells in Masami''s chest. Not being able to kill either the Crow Leaders or the Arch Raven Mages was a real blow to her mental state.

    And in all honesty, it wasn''t as if Masami was wrong in her assessment.

    On their own, they would''ve killed that Spirit Monster Hawk. Masami also had high assurance that they would''ve been able topletely eliminate the phantom Golden Crow Spirit and kill off the Crow Leaders.

    Furthermore, if they would''ve fought the Arch Raven Mages at full power, Masami knew they could win against them as well. The fact it was repeated fight after fight was the only reason in Masami''s mind that they lost.

    She even felt a small surge of just going back to those Arch Raven Mages and killing them now that she is in a better state. But, Masami quickly calmed herself, knowing that will do them more harm than good.

    In addition to calming down, Masami felt the warmth of Ani''s hand slowly pat her shoulder.

    Ani was wearing a small smile, feeling most of her high from battle already pass over.

    She began to say in a softer, soothing tone, "Well, we can''t expect everything to go our way. I have a lot of pride, but it''s also good to take a bit of loss sometimes and know just why we lose."

    Truthfully, Ani also wasn''t taking the nasty sting of losing all too well.

    But she also wasn''t the one to focus on negative feelings for an extended amount of time. All Ani focused on now was improving from this event and taking a bit of revenge against those lucky Arch Raven Mages.

    "Hm..well, I guess you''re kind of right. In any case, once we''re back to full power, we''ll rip those Mages to shred!" Masami spoke in a determined tone while her two foxtails puffed up to entuate her point.

    She still had a fiery fighting spirit to take on those Mages in the near future and show them who are the actual dogs in battle.

    Ani was feeling the same fighting spirit, but she believed they shouldn''t focus on fighting as of now.

    So she began telling Masami, "The Mages will get what''sing to them soon. For now, let''s take our minds off them. Our servants did exin to us that there is a good deal of treasure quite literally anywhere in this independent realm. Maybe this cave has one!"

    "I''m d you can always retain that optimism, Ani." Darcel, who''s been silent this entire time, suddenly spoke up while nodding.

    His mind was continually analyzing their previous battle the entire time.

    Darcel felt like; honestly, that was the best they could do there. The main thing that tripped them up and severely affected theirbat prowess for the Crow Leaders was that Spirit Monster Hawk.

    However, it wasn''t like they could''ve predicted the whole sky would''ve suddenly turned a sickly yellow and for that to provide an insane boost to the Spirit Monsters. Just from the yellow hue nestling in that Spirit Monster Hawk''s eyes, Darcel could tell there was a connection.

    The only other thing that was mysterious about that whole battle was his own bloodline.

    Even now, Darcel wasn''t sure where those rage-filled boosts from his bloodline wasing from, considering that never happened to him before.

    He couldn''t draw any conclusions about that as of now, so Darcel focused his attention on the girls.

    And when he had finally spoken up, Ani''s smile turned beautifully wide from getting praised while Masami simply huffed in obvious slight envy.

    Darcel wryly smiled from Masami''s attitude and quickly followed up with, "And of course, you''re raging fighting spirit is also good to raise our spirits, Masami."

    Darcel stopped for a second to smirk as Masami couldn''t stop smiling from getting praised.

    "Hm." Masami now huffed up happily instead of being envious.

    Slightly shaking her head at her attitude, Darcel continued on. "Like Ani was saying, I''m feeling a good premonition about this ce as well. My injuries healed the fastest, so I''ll scout this ce a little bit with my Spirit Sense."

    "Sounds good, Darcy. But don''t push yourself too far now." Ani readily agreed while also cautiously reminding Darcel.

    "Alright then. Heh, we did find this cave out here, so maybe our luck will turn around for the better again." Masami also readily agreed with a slight rise of eagerness in her voice.

    Because they were healing their injuries before, the trio only inspected the beginning area of the cave to make sure it''s safe. In the state they were at that time, even using their Spirit Sense caused a heavy strain in their heads.

    But feeling far better now, Darcel was inspired with some vigor to see if they could scout out a hidden treasure in this lucky cave.

 Chapter 233: Within The Caves Depths

    Chapter 233: Within The Cave''s Depths

    Getting a bitfortable while leaning against the wall, Darcel began spreading his Spirit Sense out in the cave. Since he was recuperating his injuries before, Darcel didn''t pay attention to the general atmosphere of this cave.

    But when he had finally spread his Spirit Sense out, Darcel creased his eyebrows a bit.

    Immediately he was assaulted by an ice-cold sensation that ran through his entire body. He even felt slight shivers trail up his spine from this cold.

    Although he wasn''t in his most prime state, Darcel knows it would take some extremely powerful cold energy for it to ever noticeably affect his body.

    Yet, the cold energy permeating the cave could drill into his body while he''s at sixty percent of his energy reserve.

    The most mind-boggling aspect of this was how this cold energy only affects him while expanding his Spirit Sense. There wasn''t any of this when he, Ani, and Masami were simply healing their injuries.

    For a brief second, Darcel contemted on whether or not he should continue on. Though he said he felt a good premonition about this ce, it was mainly to alleviate his girl''s concerns and boost their spirits.

    But, it wasn''t to say he felt an overwhelming bad omen from this cave. It was more so curiosity of how this ice-cold energy seemingly works.

    ncing over to Ani and Masami, Darcel sensed their injuries were healing rtively fast.

    If worst reallyes to worst, Darcel was assured the three of them could defeat anything equal to a ninth-level Heavenly Transformation being in their current state.

    And if not, they could simply retreat once again.

    After a second of thinking, Darcel made up his mind. He continued expanding his Spirit Sense, albeit with some caution.

    With his speed, Darcel''s Spirit Sense traversed twenty feet deep in the cave in just a couple of seconds.

    Reaching this distance, a sudden curious glow flickered into Darcel''s eyes. The ice-cold energy was quickly gaining a more special attribute as Darcel''s Spirit Sense expanded deeper in the cave.

    This variant of ice-cold energy honestly reminded Darcel of any Spirit Artifact treasure energy. More shivers crawled up Darcel''s spine as the ice-cold energy turned even colder.

    Tensing his body up for any sign of danger, Darcel continued plunging his Spirit Sense deeper.

    A few more feet into the cave, a magnificent Qi energy had now permeated his Spirit Sense. Darcel''s eyes widen just a smidge over the quality of this Qi energy.

    It was vibrantly pure. Even more slightly purer than the Qi energy from the Snow Angel''s group Qi Haven ce!

    "Ani, Masami, I think I already found something worthy of notice here," Darcel spoke up to inform the girl of his discovery.

    Ani''s eyes began to twinkle while a curious smile spread on her face. "Already? Not even twenty seconds pass. I''m feeling pretty good too, so I''ll check it out also." She had then begun to cautiously spread out her Spirit Sense several meters into the cave.

    "Hm! So our luck really is turning around. Let''s see what we got." Masami also joined in spreading her Spirit Sense out while having a toothy smirk on her face.

    Neither Darcel, Ani, and Masami were sensing anything dangerous inside or outside. So they truly believed nothing disastrous would happen to them.

    And when sensing the vibrant pure Qi energy, that assurance only increased.

    It wasn''t until the trio reached about fifty deep into the cave did they finally sensed something slightly odd.

    When they tried to travel their Spirit Sense deeper, all of them had suddenly slowed down. It was like their Spirit Senses was getting dragged down by an invisible force, rapidly decreasing their speeds.

    The first thought that came into the trio''s mind; this could possibly be a formation of some sort!

    Ani was the first to ask out loud, "Should we feel out this formation? I''m feeling confident enough to run on my feet if anything were to happen. So just a small bit of Qi shouldn''t hurt, right?"

    Since that battle with the Spirit Monster Hawk, the Crow Leaders, and the Arch Raven Mages, Ani was true to her words in wanting to sharpen her critical analyzing mind.

    With a sharp sense of herself, Darcel, and Masami''s bodies, she quickly reached a conclusion simr to what Darcel thought of.

    Though feeling the same in wanting to sharpen her mind, Masami couldn''t let go of the battle-ready side of her. She began gripping her fist for any sign of danger while saying,

    "We don''t need to be so overly cautious, you know. Experiencing death-defying fights is a way to always keep us on our toes."

    Ani knew that was a saying she simrly stated numerous times in the past. A slight wry smile curved her lips, but she didn''t respond to Masami. She, of course, waited for Darcel''s opinion as she generally always goes along with what Darcel''s say.

    Masami was the same as she let a brief silence hang between them, waiting for Darcel to speak up.

    Darcel thought about it for a second and had then nodded his head. He said to them, "We''ll just feel it out a bit. And at any first feel of danger, be ready."

    Ani and Masami readily nodded. And then, at the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami leaked a bit of Qi from their Spirit Sense to test out what they thought was a formation slowing them down.

    The three of them weren''t expecting much toe out of this, but when they spread only a speck of Qi out, Darcel, Ani, and Masami abruptly froze.

    A tremendous sense of incredible danger burst into their Spirit Sense!

    From just the tiny bit of Qi they leaked, a tremendous surge of power began to rapidly rise up from deep within the cave. The power was quickly rising to a point where it would surpass any eighth level Heavenly King!

    Ani felt a small surge of threat from this increasing power, but also a level of curiosity. She quickly stood up as her eyes peered deeper into the cave. "This just has to be the treasure! At least.it''s something incredible."

    "Yea, most likely incredibly dangerous and wants to fight us." Masami slightly joked while she stood up as well, her two foxtails puffing up over the slight threatening power.

    Darcel began to stand up also. He kept his Spirit Sense locked on this rising surge of power. Right when he was about to talk, his mood suddenly dramatically shifted.

    In just a mere split second, the power that was gradually rising up had just abruptly explosively arisen!

    Some tiny beads of sweat instantly poured down on Darcel''s face as he felt a genuine sense of danger from this explosive power.

    "We need to leave now!"

    Darcel''s shout awakened Ani and Masami out of their slight stupor as they both were taken aback by the explosive power increase. They didn''t need to be told twice to leave this danger; they weren''t fearlessly stupid.

    And then, at the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami swiftly dashed out of the cave in just two small steps.

    They didn''t stop sprinting until they made it at least fifteen feet from the cave. At a considerably safe distance, the trio snapped right back around to the cave.

    "Nng?!"

    Instantly when turning around, the trio heavily grunted as their eyes were unprepared for the site ahead.

    On instinct, Darcel, Ani, and Masami shielded their eyes as a blinding blue glow had burst into their visions. As they covered their eyes, that explosive surge of power deep within the cave suddenly sted out to them!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt a small bit of pressure drill into their bodies, forcing them to gather up their energy to resist the pressure.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    In just a second after the trio dashed out of the cave, tremendous waves of power stormed out of it like a turbulent tsunami.

    The whole cave was instantly covered in a blue glow, and from the roof of it, a vast blue pir of light shot out, piercing all the way up into the sickly yellow skies.

    With each passing second the blue pir of light remained splitting the skies; its power wildly surged out everywhere.

    "This power-it''s above the Heavenly Transformation realm!" Darcel eximed as he slowly took his hand from his eyes.

    The blue pir of light power indeed quickly surpassed peak Heavenly King and directly shot right up to half-step Heavenly Sage power!

    And the blue pir of light power didn''t just cover Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s general area. In just a split second, it released an immense aura that surged all over the whole snowy forest maze! Its aura reached thousands of miles deep in the whole independent realm.

    "Shit! Seriously?! How can our luck be so bad?!" Masami brazenly cursed as they all felt the blue pir of light aura spread out even farther than what their Spirit Sense could cover.

    The trio was clearly aware of the risk previously, but none of them could''ve possibly expected this to happen. Not even they could spread out their aura to reach thousands of miles wide.

    Masami, Ani, and Darcel were all sure there wasn''t any sign of threat or danger when they were initially covering that cave. Moreover, they all know from experience that nearly all formations needs far more power to activate than the little specks of Qi they leaked out.

    "Really, we gotta learn how to expect the unexpected!" Ani was shaking her head while her mind was trying to quickly sort out what to do.

    As the blue glow spreading out in the area had slightly dimmed, the trio could now open their eyes to stare at thisrge blue pir of light.

    And while the girls were thinking upon their next move, Darcel''s expression turned a bit strange. His Spirit Sense was continuously spread out, ready for any slightest trace of anybody toe.

    However, there still wasn''t anybody around here that Darcel could sense.

    But, for some peculiar reason, Darcel was feeling a constant yet tiny tingling sensation from his bloodstream. He wasn''t trying to surge his bloodline, but, for some reason, it was reacting on its own.

    Darcel wanted to focus more on this tingling sensation, but he had to forcefully push this subject to the back of his and focus on the current situation.

    Although, that didn''t stop a slight sense of trepidation from rising in the back of his mind.

 Chapter 234: Unexpected

    Chapter 234: Unexpected

    Ani and Masami stayed rooted to their spots as their minds went through rapid situations on what to do. With each passing second that slips by of them thinking, it only makes targets for potential danger.

    A half-step Heavenly Sage aura is for sure to capture any squadron group interest and for them toe over and check this area out.

    Moreover, there was also the unknown danger of just what was causing this half-step Heavenly Sage aura.

    Masami wasn''t all too keen on immediately running. There was the potential of gaining something tremendous here that will boost them for the short term. Plus, she was sure they also had other trump cards to rely on if it got seriously bad.

    Ani was split on whether to run or stay and go back into the cave.

    Her more rational side truly believes running will let them keep their lives. But there''s also the dangling fruit of a tremendous treasure not even she wanted to pass upon.

    Darcel wasn''t split at all on the decision they should make. He had already decided in his mind to run off too.

    No matter what other abilities or trump cards they had, it wouldn''tpare to genuine half-step Heavenly Sage power. Fighting that Heavenly Sage phantom Golden Crow Spirit open Darcel''s eyes to the dividers of strength between cultivation realms.

    The only reason they even manage to get somewhere in hurting that golden beast was because of their Chaotic Energy.

    And carelessly using that kind of powerful energy wouldn''t be all that smart going by what this independent realm is throwing at them.

    With his mind made up, Darcel was about to the girls that they all should leave.

    Even if they had some desires to stay, Darcel knew they would ultimately follow his choice. But, right when Darcel opened his mouth to speak, he had abruptly frozen up.

    He, Ani, and Masami all went utterly rigid as a considerable pressure washed down on their bodies.

    In just the mere seconds they took to think, three powerful auras had suddenly red out in their whole area!

    This powerful aura crushing down on the trio didn''t even surprise them as much as the fact they couldn''t even sense when they had appeared!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all have their Spirit Senses expanded for several miles, and they could pick up on even the tiniest of lifeforce.

    But these three auras were like they were ghosts!

    They simply appeared right over them from seemingly thin air. Some nerves began to tense Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies as they immediately identified who these auras belonged to.

    They felt a mix of rage and trepidation, at the same time wanting to fight but also wanting to run far away. In the instance these three powerful auras appeared, Darcel, Ani, and Masmai''s vision heavily darkened.

    The Darkness had mixed in with the blue glow from the blue pir of light, creating a slight chilling scene.

    Dread kept on filling Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s veins. Simultaneously they all shot their eyes up to the skies, and their pupils promptly became tiny needle sizes.

    A pure sea of Darkness was hovering a couple of miles above their heads, and within the center of the darkness sea were three ck robe figures.

    "Shit! How the hell I couldn''t sense them? And how did they get over here so quickly?!" Darcel unleashed a barrage of curses that was rather unlike him.

    Ani and Masami couldn''t me him as they had the exact same surge of frustration.

    High up in the skies, those three damn Arch Raven Mages were imposingly floating above them.

    Just like how they first appeared during the time they fought with the Crow Leaders, each of them was spouting undisguised arrogant expressions as they quite literally looked down on Darcel''s group.

    In their gazes, it was like staring at three stray dogs.

    Before the trio could make any movement, they heard one of the Arch Raven Mages talk down to them.

    "So that''s where that scent wasing from. How unfortunate for you three. Whatever you use to mask your presence may have helped you escape, but it couldn''t make you invisible to our Darkness dome."

    Arch Raven Noah spoke in a condescending tone as if he was exining basic fundamentals to a bunch of fools. As he jeered, he, Arch Raven Kai, and Lydia slowly descended towards the trio.

    All Darcel, Anilea, and Masami could do now was prepare themselves for another grueling battle. Even if they wanted to escape now, it wouldn''t work since the Arch Raven Mages have their sights locked right on them.

    Moreover, because of whatever they did to stay invisible from their Spirit Senses, these Mages manage to get the drop on them.

    Although, as the Arch Raven Mages were slowly lowering themselves to the trio, several thoughts were running through their minds in direct contrast to their arrogant expressions.

    Their eyes only briefly looked at the blue pir of light before entirely focusing on Darcel''s group.

    They would never say it out loud, but they did feel profound shock and slight trepidation over everything Darcel, Ani, and Masami managed to achieve.

    Somehow these cultivation dogs could actually call forth an item of some sort that allows them to escape from their Magical Senses! And the Arch Raven Mages pride themselves on having far better senses than cultivator''s Spirit Senses.

    Furthermore, there was also their whole battle with the Crow Leaders and that phantom Golden Crow Spirit.

    All three of them legitimately had the prowess to contend with and even slightly overpower peak level Heavenly Kings!

    And sensing the trio''s state now, the Arch Raven Mages consider them a genuine threat. They didn''t want to imagine if they had actually found Darcel''s group with no injuries and right back at full power.

    "This time, there won''t be any more lucky chances. The three of you will die today." Arch Raven Kai spoke as if he wasn''t the judgment of death.

    Not only did all three Arch Raven Mages simply hold tremendous prejudices towards all cultivators, which borders on heavy killing intent.

    They also won''t let genuine threats like Darcel''s group ever go, so no unforeseen idents happen in the future.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    The darkness glow in the skies had darkened even more as the Arch Raven Mages red their full power right on to Darcel, Ani and Masami.

    "Tch."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami only clicked their teeth as the pressure on their bodies turned significant, causing a suppression that made all three of them sweat a bit.

    The trio clenched their hands and had no choice but to activate their bloodline transformation states.

    Bloodline powers ran through their entire bodies, allowing the trio to resist most of the Arch Raven Mages auras. But there still was a considerable sum of pressure weighing down their whole beings.

    Darcel, Ani wasn''t entirely assured what would happen during the course of the battle. Their injuries may be mostly healed, but their energy reserves are running low.

    Only Darcel could safely say he has sixty percent of his energy back.

    But even then, neither he, Ani, nor Masami could draw out the full power of their bloodline transformation state.

    The only saving grace they had was the fact that the Arch Raven Mages seems to be intending to purposely drag this out.

    They were taking several seconds to lower themselves to the ground, knowing full well that Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t run away this time.

    The Arch Raven Mages consider them as genuine threats, but they also wanted to take the time to enjoy putting cultivating dogs down.

    Suddenly then, a great idea burst into Darcel and Ani''s minds.

    They snapped their heads over to Masami, and both simultaneously said, "Your Chaotic Energy!"

    Both of their expressions seemed more hopeful now.

    Currently, Darcel and Ani need to wait for their minuscule amount of Chaotic Energy in their dantian space to regenerate.

    But Masami, though she has lower energy reserves, could still fire off Chaotic Energy independently from it!

    Masami''s eyes gained a vicious twinkle as a battle-hungry smirk quickly stered on her face. She nodded and began gathering Chaotic Energy right towards her palm.

    From up above, the Arch Raven Mages who was treating this a bit causally suddenly went rigid. Their eyes shoot towards Masami and sense tremendous danger bubbling up inside her.

    "Kill them now!"

    Arch Raven Kai''s whole demeanor shifted as he began surging his Magical Power, causing the ck Magic Crystal orb on his staff to violently pulsate.

    Arch Raven Noah and Lydia promptly followed in Kai''s step and began erupting with their Magical Powers.

    But before they could form any attacks, a blinding white light burst from below them, piercing into their eyes.

    "sh!!"

    Ani unleashed a mighty shriek as she discharged her soul stunning shbang!

    The Arch Raven Mages'' soul''s scape space was entirely covered in a radiant white glow, causing them all topletely freeze up.

    Immediately after, Darcel sted several Darkness tendrils from his palm and quickly wrapped the frozen Arch Raven Mages in chaotic Darkness lustful energy.

    The Arch Raven Mages'' bloodstreams naturally couldn''t resist the Darkness lustful energy in their frozen state, causing their bodies to rapidly weaken.

    And without wasting a single breath, Masami had already finished gathering her Chaotic Energy.

    A gray-like substance wrapped around her palm as slight tears in spatial space began appearing around her palm. With her killing intent rising, Masami struts her arm up and immediately fires off a small stream of Chaotic Energy!

    The small gray-like substance stream soared with swift speeds towards the Arch Raven Mages while also causing several small tears in spatial space to open up wherever it traveled.

    The Arch Raven Mages were seemingly entirely helpless.

    But, at the split second before Masami''s small Chaotic Energy stream tore through the Arch Raven Mages, each of their ck Magic Crystal suddenly burst!

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    Powerful Magical Darkness Energy only covered Arch Raven Kai and Lydia''s bodies, slowing down everything in their general area. Just narrowly, they shed twenty feet away from Masami''s Chaotic Energy.

    Arch Raven Noah, however, was entirely locked by Masam''s Chaotic Energy. Even when his ck Magic Crystal burst, it couldn''t resist the power of Chaotic Energy!

    ''Chi!''

    Masami''s tiny stream of Chaotic Energy tore through Arch Raven Noah''s bodies and immediately vaporized his entire existence! His whole body and soul simply couldn''t withstand the overwhelming might of Chaotic Energy.

    "Fuuu." Masami nearly fell to her knees as Chaotic Energy disappeared from her palm.

    She had to make the split-second decision to only focus on Arch Raven Noah since she didn''t have the control to split off her Chaotic Energy.

    "Ah!! Noah! Bleh!!"

    Arch Raven Kai and Lydia vomited blotches of dark blood as their ck Magic crystals shattering wreaked immense havoc in their bodies and souls.

    Despite the havoc running in their bodies and souls, Arch Raven Kai and Lydia snapped their sights on Darcel and Ani as their Killing Intent began to overflow.

    With the Darkness energy wrapping around their bodies, Arch Raven and Lydia pushed their palms forwards. They had then sted out two vast ck Raven birds straight towards Darcel and Ani.

    An immense pressure crushed onto Darcel and Ani.

    Even though they appeared significantly injured, those Arch Raven Mages was exploding with an unfathomable aura that was slightly more powerful than the three Crow Leaders!

    Not wanting to be outdone, Darcel and Ani surged all of the energy they could possibly muster from their bloodline state. Tremendous power flowed through their veins, causing their arms to erupt in brilliant ck mes!

    "Fiery Slice!!" They both roared at the same time and shot forth two small streams of ck mes towards the vast ck Raven birds.

    Wide-open tears in spatial space open, as powers slightly above peak level Heavenly Kings destroyed the wind currents.

    <em>''BANG~!!''</em>

    Numerousrge snowy trees toppled over, the ground shook and cracked open for miles as Darcel, Ani, and the Arch Raven Mages attacks shed and wildly spread all over the area.

    "Nng!!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were sent tumbling on the ground from the aftershocks of the explosion. Their recovering injuries only worsen, and their energy reserves rapidly drained.

    While Arch Raven Kai and Lydia shot up several more feet in the air as blood continually spurted from their bodies like a fountain.

    And going unnoticed by both sides, the blue pir of light was now violently quivering over their mighty sh of power.

 Chapter 235: Right On The Boarders

    Chapter 235: Right On The Boarders

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami forcefully dragged their hands through the snowy grounds, slowly stopping their violent momentum. Blood was pooling out of their hands as they gradually came to a screeching stop.

    "Haah.."

    Deep heavy breaths leaked from the trio''s mouths while a mix of crimson blood dripped down their chins. Disgusting bile kept on rising in their mouths, and their chests were continually heaving.

    "To think.getting the drop on us would be this terrible for us." Masami mirth with a slight smirk curving her lips even as she was experiencing tremendous pain. She was kneeling on the ground, trying her very best to keep up her bloodline state.

    "Haaah. I''ll give Mages this; the more I see from them, the more unpredictable they are." Darcel spoke with genuine respect filling his tone.

    Out of all the foes they fought, these Arch Raven Mages caused them serious injuries twice. Even when they shed with phantom Golden Crow Spirit, they didn''t get as injured as they are now.

    Darcel violently clenched his right palm, desperately trying to keep his bloodline state up as well.

    "I''m questioning if this may be our greatest challenge here." Ani wonders out loud, being in the same kneeling position as Darcel and Ani.

    Given that they already fought with the strongest Mercenary group and Mages whose powers even slightly topple than the Crow Leaders, Ani legitimately thought nothing else could top this,

    Since they began kneeling on the snowy ground, only a mere two second pass.

    Yet, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could only half keep up their bloodline state now. Their bloodline auras was flickering in and out of existence, threatening to vanish from their bodies.

    They tried as hard as they could to keep it up, but that explosion was far too powerful.

    With their powers rapidly slipping away, Darcel, Ani, and Masami realize they need to end this now. Their Spirit Sense spread to their air, and their eyes shot up to the skies.

    Some satisfaction filled their bodies from what their senses picked and what their eyes saw.

    Arch Raven Kai and Lydia were wobbling while hovering in their air as a constant pool of blood drained out of their bodies.

    Their gazes were directly locked onto Darcel''s group even from a mile high in the skies. Immense Killing Intent flickered in their eyes, but they didn''t take any brazen action yet.

    At this point, the Arch Raven Mages were hanging on by a thread.

    The immense pain filling both Arch Raven Kai and Lydia''s bodies served as a continuous brutal reminder that they kind of brought themselves in this position.

    Because the Arch Raven Mages believed the trio couldn''t escape, they didn''t take the perfect opportunity they had to wipe them from existence.

    And because of it, Arch Raven Noah died without even a corpse to be left behind. His death will be a tremendous blow to the whole Raven Mage Order group and something that will take years to rece.

    Moreover, Arch Raven Kai and Lydian weren''t even sure they would survive after this.

    Their ck Magic crystal exploding fried nearly all of their Magical Veins. And Darcel and Ani''sbined Martial Skills only hasten their injuries.

    Arch Raven Kai and Lydia predicted that just in several minutes or so, they might entirely lose consciousness. And the reason for their death would be because of those three unknown yet powerful youths.

    "Lydia.those three still have enough energy to kill us in our current state." Suddenly Arch Raven Kai began to talk.

    With each word he spat out, there was a heavyce of hatred filling his voice.

    Arch Raven Lydia didn''t take her eyes from Darcel''s group, but she felt the same amount of overflowing hatred. To have their lives end at the hands of cultivation dogs is the greatest shame to any Mages!

    Arch Raven Kai continued to talk after taking a short moment of breath, knowing precisely what Lydia was thinking. "So if we''re going to die. let''s drag them down to hell with us!!"

    "If we''re dying, then those dogs will die with us!" Arch Lydia instantly agreed without a second thought.

    At the same time, their Killing Intent climbed to their peaks as they also began burning whatever left of their blood essence!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Arch Raven Kai and Lydia''s aura suddenly exploded out for miles from thembusting their blood essence!

    Immediately the Darkness glow that was shrouding their bodies formed right back around them, drowning them in a sea of Darkness once again.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami went rigid as Arch Raven Kai and Lydia''s blood essence aura crushed down on them.

    "Shit! They actually want to drag us all underground!" Masami violently cursed. The pressure smashing on to her was giving her a genuine sense of imminent death.

    Darcel and Ani were struggling under the same deadly pressure, their minds trying toe up with any way to escape.

    Their bodies were tightly locked by Arch Raven Kai and Lydia''s blood essence aura, essentially making it nearly impossible to dodge whatever attack they had brewing up.

    The only option Darcel, Ani, and Masami could think of was following the footsteps of the Arch Raven Mages andbust their own blood essence.

    But the consequences of doing so will affect their lives for a long time.

    In the split second the trio was about toe to a decision and throw all caution into the wind; Arch Raven Kai and Lydia''s blood essence aura reached its peak!

    They both strut their palms forward, and a massive swirl of Darkness Magical energy swiftly formed there. After this attack, they both will surely die.

    But the Arch Raven Mages didn''t care in the slightest.

    "DI-"

    <em>''Hua!!'' </em>

    But before either Arch Raven Mages could even finish their battle cry, an unfathomable aura sted in the whole area!

    The Arch Raven Mages and Darcel''s group all utterly froze.

    Neither side couldn''t move at all as this sudden powerful aura suppressed their entire being; immense dread filled everyone''s mind.

    The power that was suppressing them, Darcel, Ani, Masami, and the Arch Raven Mages, all identified what exactly it was.

    It was the genuine power of a Heavenly Sage monster!

    And this Heavenly Sage monster was thousands of times stronger than the phantom Golden Crow Spirit. Darcel was sure even if he and the girls were at full power, they would die within seconds to this beast.

    Right then, everyone heard a booming, powerful voice drill into the ears.

    "Humans!!"

    <em>''BANG!!'' </em>

    The blue glowing cave that was forgotten had suddenly burst open, unleashing that tremendous Heavenly Sage aura!

    The whole snowy maze forest violently quaked for thousands of miles, causing several feet wide fissures to split open the ground. Numerous tears in spatial space appeared around the general area from the overwhelming might of a Heavenly Sage powerhouse.

    Darcel, Ani, Masami, and the Arch Raven Mages could only move their eyes far above them to see who was radiating this unfathomable power.

    And all of them were shot with awe by what had appeared.

    This beast was at least over sixty feet wide, covering a vast part of the sky and being even wider than the phantom Golden Crow Spirit. A more profound majestic aura and noble grace exuded from this beast. It was better than what the phantom Golden Crow Spirit could ever achieve.

    There also is a profound chilling ice blue glow that wraps around the beast''s entire body, entuating its majestic presence.

    What had appeared before them was a vast Ice Qilin Beast!

    The Grand Sage Ice Qilin Beast immediately peered its gaze down at the Arch Raven Mages. Its eyes narrowed as it sensed them holding the greatest power among the humans here.

    Arch Raven Kai and Lydia couldn''t stop fear from shaking their mind. By their Magical Senses, they perceived the Ice Qilin Beast to actually be at the fourth level of the Heavenly Sage Realm!

    Even if Arch Raven Noah here and they all were at full power, the Arch Raven Mages know that wouldn''t make the slightest bit of difference.

    Though both Arch Raven Kai and Lydia were prepared to die, facing a being that could kill them in a snap was frightening no matter the state they are in.

    "El-Elder Grand Sa-" Arch Raven Kai couldn''t finish his sentence when on the Ice Qilin Beast''s massive horn, a bright blue glow red at the tip.

    In the same instance the brilliant blue glow appeared, two ice beams shot from the tip of the horn, which instantly tore right through Arch Raven Kai and Lydia''s hearts!

    Arch Raven Kai and Lydia immediately died on the spot, their expressions still contorted from fear even after death.

    With those pitiful humans dead, the Ice Qilin Beast turned its sight on Darcel''s group.

    For a split second, a strange light entered its eyes. Compared to the ck robe humans, the Ice Qilin Beast sensed something odd about Darcel''s group.

    But no matter how peculiar Darcel''s group was, it didn''t change the Ice Qilin Beast''s mind on killing them. The same bright blue glow began to appear at the tip of its vast horn once again.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s pupils all heavily dted. They all were absolutely helpless against the power of a fourth-level Heavenly Sage powerhouse.

    Numerous emotions and feelings exploded in their minds all at once. Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t describe what they were feeling. All they could realize is that they really will die here without even a chance to resist.

    Everything in their life that led them to this moment was about to end in the most swiftest and pitiful way.

    But right then, in the very split second the Ice Qilin Beast was about to fire its ice beam and kill Darcel, Ani, and Masami; the beast had utterly froze.

    The bright blue glow at the tip of its vast horn immediately vanished along with its Heavenly Sage aura.

    "....The hell??" Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously spoke as they wearily stood up.

    And right then, the Ice Qilin Beast''s eyes turned into aplete chilling yellow hue.

 Chapter 236: Reunion

    Chapter 236: Reunion

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all froze up as their eyes became increasingly wide-eyed while staring at the Ice Qilin Beast''s eyes. They all were feeling a multitude of emotions storm through their mind as several intense sensations shiver their spines.

    When the trio was fighting the Spirit Monster Hawk, they noticed the slight yellow hue permeating in its eyes. But besides connecting its power surges to the change in the skies, the trio didn''t think much of it.

    Nothing in their bodies was alerting to a dangerous sensation at that time.

    But now, Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t stop their legs from slightly trembling.

    When that profound yellow hue swirled in the Ice Qilin Beast''s eyes, it caused a chain reaction in the trio''s bodies.

    The vague tingling sensation Darcel felt in his bloodstream from before has now multiplied by a hundredfold!

    Ani had the same intense tingling in her bloodstream, but it wasn''t as fiercepared to what Darcel felt.

    Masami didn''t have such a turbulent sensation rumbling in her bloodstream. But her soul was frantically pulsating in an attempt to soothe her mental state.

    Warm feelings flowed into her Martial Veins, genuinely giving her a sense offort. However, that couldn''t help the immense dread bubbling up from within her chest.

    What made this situation all the more terrifying was that Darcel, Ani, and Masami could identify what was causing this horrifying sensation.

    "That woman!"

    The trio simultaneously eximed as they reached the only conclusion. This terrifying sensation was precisely the same as what they felt mere several days ago when they were outside New Branch City.

    Darcel could even go further beyond in knowing this was the yellow-eyed woman since he was all too familiar with the suffocating presence that woman just naturally exudes.

    Once realizing who it was, Darcel, Ani, and Masami all had varied reactions.

    Ani still stays in her firm belief that the yellow-eyed woman won''t do them any harm. She solidly resolute herself for the uing meeting.

    Masami was in theplete opposite direction. She wanted to get the hell out of here and never turn back to this ce. Having a far more close experience with the yellow-eyed woman was causing the dread inside her to overflow.

    And Masami isn''t someone who would so casually feel dread to anyone.

    Even when she dealt with her parents or her rival factions Elders and Grand Elders, not a single one of them could install dread in her.

    And all who she interacted with were mighty Grand Sages that could look down on their entire Province.

    Yet, none of that daring or courage appeared with the yellow-eyed woman.

    Her Darkness Soul link was trying to say it''s alright. But her gut was screaming at her to run as far away as possible.

    And then there was Darcel. Unlike Ani and Masami, who had their minds made up on what to feel, he simply couldn''t describe what he was feeling or how they should proceed.

    Earlier, he was mostly in agreement with Ani that they should meet the yellow-eyed woman. However, now, the tingling in her bloodline, the sensations trickling down his spines, everything was making him feel utterly mixed.

    The only thing Darcel can say for sure is that things are about to violently change.

    Because the Ice Qilin Beast Heavenly Sage aura vanished all at once, the once-powerful beast was nothing of concern to the trio. At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were about to blurt what they each think they should do.

    But right then, the Ice Qilin Beast''s vast body began to violently tremble nonstop.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s attention stalled as that enormous beast hadn''t moved for several seconds now. And what happened next utterly bewildered the trio to their very cores.

    <em>''PUFF~!!'' </em>

    The enormous Ice Qilin Beast whose prowesspletely trumped all three of them, had suddenlybusted into a horrifying yellow blood mist!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their ears painfully ring just from the ferocious explosion noise.

    And almost immediately after the Ice Qilin Beastbusted, all of its giant yellow blood droplets vanished into nothingness. There was nothing left behind of the behemoth of a Heavenly Sage powerhouse.

    The fact that the Ice Qilin Beast was immediately killed without any resistance didn''t really make the trio bewildered. The actual reason for their shock was how there wasn''t any semnce of power running through the air!

    To be able to kill a cultivator without any trace of existence wasn''t even possible with the trio''s current power level. They could only achieve this with Chaotic Energy, but they also know Chaotic Energy is a higher ne of power far beyond their understanding.

    If there were any small doubts Darcel, Ani and Masami had about the yellow-eyed woman''s prowess, it all was utterly squashed at that show of power.

    Despite how incredible that prowess was, Darcel, Ani and Masami couldn''t focus on it for long.

    Each of their eyes pupils heavily dted to tiny needle sizes as a figure had suddenly appeared out of thin air. The figure hovered right where the Ice Qilin Beast had brutallybusted into nothingness.

    "Ah-Ah.you-" Darcel and Ani tried to speak to this figure, but they went utterly rigid mid-sentence.

    "Ah-Ah!!"

    At the same time, Darcel and Ani crashed to their knees while violently clutching their heads.

    Inside of their bloodstreams, a furiously rumbling sensation is wreaking havoc all across their bodies. But it wasn''t as if they were in pain from their bloodlines rumbling on their own.

    It was more like they both were entirely suppressed by the figure''s unfathomable aura.

    For the first time in their lives, Darcel and Ani genuinely felt as if they were in the presence of someone far superior to them. And really, Darcel and Ani already met numerous figures that were superior to them.

    To their cryptic dreams of ethereal figures, the mysterious spirit Sariel and those Chaotic figures down in their hellish trials.

    All of them were vastly superior to the duo.

    And yet.none of them could make Darcel and Ani feel like they were inferior.

    But just within seconds of being in this figure''s presence, they immediately crashed to their knees, unable to lift their heads up.

    All the while, Masami, surprisingly enough, could still stand on her feet.

    Although, the sensation she''s experiencing wasn''t anywhere inferior to what Darcel and Ani are experiencing. She froze in genuine fear as her spine couldn''t stop shivering. Her Darkness Soul link was rumbling, but it couldn''t soothe her mind this time.

    Her Darkness Soul link was bing chaotic, disrupting all sensation in her body. She tried to talk, but no words came out of her mouth. There really wasn''t anything she could say at this moment.

    The figure ominously floating in the air was exponentially more terrifying than the Ice Qilin Beast. They had a bloody scarred face, a long dirty blood white shirt, and eyes that could stare into anyone''s souls.

    The yellow-eyed woman had finally appeared!

    The long-awaited reunion that was continually disturbing the trio for weeks now had finallye.

    And yet, none of them could even stare at the yellow-eyed woman''s face.

    Darcel and Ani couldn''t lift their heads up from that unfathomable bloodline suppression. While Masami was locked in absolute fear.

    For a few suffocating silent seconds, the yellow-eyed woman didn''t move at all.

    But, she did keep her gaze locked right on to Darcel and Ani. The yellow-eyed woman didn''t even register Masami''s presence yet. Face to face with the ones she was seeking all this time, the yellow-eyed woman could only feel one thing.

    After seconds of staying still, she suddenly began to slowly shake her head.

    "Foul.so foul. That organization.itpletely ruined both of you." Her voice was like a burst of cold air flowing into the trio''s ears.

    Masami didn''t know what any of that meant. On instinct, she blinked her eyes for a split second, trying toprehend the yellow-eyed woman''s words.

    And in the instance she re-open her eyes, the yellow-eyed woman had suddenly disappeared.

    More cold sweat drizzles down Masami''s head. She didn''t even need to turn her head to know that the yellow-eyed woman was right next to her. The fear wracking her body was more than enough to tell.

    Truthfully, Masami wasn''t suppressed at all. She could still move around however she pleased, but Masami didn''t dare to take an oundish risk like that.

    No matter how battle-hungry and fearlessly she was, Masami knows the yellow-eyed woman could erase her just like with the Ice Qilin Beast.

    Whilepletely ignoring Masami, the yellow-eyed woman imposingly stood in front of Darcel and Ani. Their shiverings only got intenser as the terrifying woman was so close to them.

    But against all expectations, the yellow-eyed woman didn''t do any brazen action. She had actually gingerly touched Darcel and Ani''s heads and slowly raised them to their feet.

    When they had arisen to a standing position, Darcel and Ani could now stare right into her soul stunning yellow eyes. Two shing sensations mixed in Darcel and Ani''s bodies.

    On one hand, they both were in absolute awe of the woman''s piercing yellow eyes. It was like staring into an endless abyss of a chilling yellow sea.

    But on an entirely different hand, Darcel and Ani were feeling warm.

    The yellow-eyed woman''s hands genuinely felt so warm to be under, like they were sunbathing in the glow of a zing sun.

    These two shing sensations only further confused Darcel and Ani''s impression of the yellow-eyed woman.

    Ani actually wanted to open her mouth to talk, but no words woulde up. She didn''t know what to say to her as her mind was so muddled.

    Suddenly then, the yellow-eyed woman poked a single finger on Darcel and Ani''s forehead.

    More soothing warmth washed over Darcel and Ani from the more direct contact. Darcel and Ani thought while this reunion may have gotten on the wrong foot at first, it was just that the yellow-eyed woman has a strange personality.

    The way she''s not attacking them but actually providing them warmth causes Darcel and Ani''s minds to slightly rx.

    But after only a couple of seconds, the yellow-eyed woman began to disappointedly shake her head.

    "I''m almost getting sick from your foulness. It''s all wrong. You two had no idea the absolute tragedy that would''ve befallen in a year''s time from this path."

    Darcel and Ani had no idea what she was talking about. But they had no time to ponder her cryptic meaning.

    <em>''Pu-Chi~!!''</em> Blood sprayed out like a terrifying fountain.

    The yellow-eyed woman''s hands moved at lightning speeds and savagely tore right in Darcel and Ani''s chest, plunging deep into their hearts.

 Chapter 237: Nightmare

    Chapter 237: Nightmare

    It was like time stopped for a second.

    Everyone was utterly frozen in their ce. Darcel and Ani''s eyes were nearly bulged out of their sockets, their mouths were fearfully quivering, and their arms were spasming.

    Their brains entirelygged, being inplete shock over the brutality of what had just transpired.

    Masami was in the same state of shock. Her body wasn''t pierced into, but pain like no other was washing over her.

    She stood motionless, gazing with bewildered eyes over the horrifying scene. Her two foxtails weren''t rhythmically swirling like it usually does, being entirely still like Masami as if their strings got cut off.

    The fears that would always be Masami''s worst nightmare had abruptlye true right in front of her eyes. And she didn''t even know how to react. It was like her brain shut down altogether for this moment.

    All the while disbelief hanged between the trio, the yellow-eyed woman remained indifferent and still.

    The two people she had her mind on day in and out were now being savagely pierced by her cold hands. Moreover, the yellow-eyed woman wasn''t affected at all by her own brutality. She didn''t even put much thought intoing to this decision.

    The yellow-eyed woman was absolutely assured in every step she took, no matter how cruel it may appear.

    After that mind-boggling silent second, Darcel and Ani had finally felt an unbearable pain! Every part of their bodies began uncontrobly spasming as an excruciating agony course throughout their entire being.

    Staring into the yellow-eyed woman''s face was like staring into the depths of a yellow-eyed demon.

    Darcel and Ani experienced numerous tremendous pain in their journey. But there wasn''t a single moment that canpare to this. Not even when they fought in the grueling hell trials did they undergo pain like this.

    Although the yellow-eyed woman is simply piercing their hearts, she was actually bringing upon a pain even worse than that.

    Overwhelming energy rushed out of the yellow-eyed woman and wreaked utter havoc in Darcel and Ani''s bodies. Their Qi, soul energy, and bloodline powers simply couldn''tpare to the yellow-eyed woman''s immeasurable power.

    Her immense power tore through every defense Darcel and Ani''s had in their bodies.

    And it didn''t just stop at tearing their defenses.

    The yellow-eyed woman''s unfathomable energy had then torn right into their Martial Veins and directly invaded their soulscape spaces.

    In Darcel''s soulscape space, his Darkness essence and ck ming essence got utterly overshadowed by the yellow-eyed woman''s energy. The same process happened in Ani''s soulscape space, and both her and Darcel''s soul''s core were revealed to the yellow-eyed woman.

    And when seeing their soul''s cores, the yellow-eyed woman paused.

    She has a direct link to her energy which allows her to see all around the duo''s soulscape space in her mind.

    Whening to their soulscape space, there were numerous things the yellow-eyed woman was expecting. The foulness she sensed from them already gave her ideas on what to consider.

    But she wasn''t prepared at all for Darcel and Ani''s current soul''s core appearance.

    They both had their inborn essence forming significant parts of their soul''s core. However, there was one striking aspect that caused even the yellow-eyed woman to pause in slight shock.

    Permanently nestled in Darcel and Ani''s soul''s core was the profound green hue from the Chaotic Shards!

    Compared to how fearless the yellow-eyed woman was acting before, she had aplete one-eighty when encountering their Chaotic Shards.

    Her senses were immeasurable more powerful than anyone on this Mortal, and she could immediately tell those Chaotic Shards isn''t something to be treated lightly.

    The yellow-eyed woman merely sensed the Chaotic Shard energy from afar, attempting to connect the dots on what it truly was.

    ''Could this be? A treasure from the God Realms? But why would a level like this show up on a Mortal.no matter. Since they have it, it will help them survive in the future.''

    The yellow-eyed woman didn''t particrly have all day to identify the Chaotic Shard energy in her position. Shifting this topic in her mind forter, the yellow-eyed woman guided her energy to Darcel and Ani''s soul''s core, making sure to avoid their Chaotic Shards parts.

    Inside Darcel''s soul''s core, the yellow-eyed woman''s energy plunged deep inside until it reached a certain point. She had eventuallye upon a single ck feather that had numerous Darkness strings attached to it.

    ''....I expected no less.'' The yellow-eyed remarked to herself before sending over her energy to overwhelm the ck feather.

    This ck feather was actually Darcel''s Darkness Soul link! It holds all of the numerous soul connections he formed throughout his journey.

    And almost immediately, the yellow-eyed woman''s energy began to heavily affect nearly all of his Darkness strings. After only a couple of seconds, most of the Darkness strings got ruined to a point where they were almost torn off from the ck Feather.

    Out of all the Darkness strings, only three remained firm against the yellow-eyed woman''s powerful energy.

    Despite the immeasurable power she wields, the yellow-eyed woman notices she couldn''t so casually ruin these three Darkness strings.

    And if she stubbornly persisted in doing so, she knows the exact consequences that woulde.

    ''It''s her.and her. But.the third? Could she be around here? Hm, to think you could aplish that, Darcel.''

    If Darcel could actually hear the yellow-eyed woman''s voice, he would be absolutely shocked at the praising tone she had.

    The yellow-eyed woman was displeased with many things about Darcel''s current state, but his Darkness Soul link actually made a small amount of respect rise within her.

    At the same time, in Ani''s soulscape space, she had no significantments. Although, the yellow-eyed woman did remark seeing the same firm Darkness string in her soul''s core.

    Just like in Darcel''s soul core, Ani''s Darkness string stayed firm even against the yellow-eyed woman''s overwhelming energy.

    While all the chaos was urring in the duo''s souls, a few concentrated drops of yellow blood had flowed in their Martial Veins and bloodstream.

    Several seconds had already passed since the yellow-eyed woman started this whole process. But Darcel and Ani felt like hours slowly slipped by as the pain only increased with each passing nanosecond.

    They could safely say this is what actual hell is like. Both of them so desperately wanted to shriek bloodcurdling roars. And yet, no sounds coulde from their mouths.

    Darcel and Ani thought this torture couldn''t possibly get any worse.

    But right then, the duo felt something far more nightmarish than any amount of pain they were experiencing.

    Their powerful bloodlines that they so heavily rely on, something they thought could never be affected. Darcel and Ani were feeling their bloodlines bing gradually weaker!

    The duo couldn''t urately say how it was bing weaker. Still, they could just feel their bloodlines bing less potent as the seconds trickled by.

    Their fundamental standard of strength was getting slowly changed. And the only thing Darcel and Ani could do was helplessly watch the yellow-eyed woman do it.

    Immense unwillingness birthed inside Darcel and Ani''s souls.

    No matter what, they can''t just let the power they so desperately need get ruin! Even if it''s a small change, it will majorly impact all future decisions they would need to make.

    Although it was futile, Darcel and Ani began to struggle to gather any scrape of energy to stop this.

    Their desires to refuse to roll over and let the yellow-eyed woman have their way with them started to make their Chaotic Shard react a bit.

    The green hue infused in their soul''s core suddenly started to slowly pulsate in response to Darcel and Ani''s desperate pleas.

    ''Hm? Is this anotheryer of protection? Thankfully, I already purged nearly all that needed to be purged. Just a couple more seconds.''

    The yellow-eyed woman immediately sensed their Chaotic Shards beginning to pulsate. She already calcted how long she needed and wasn''t worried about their Chaotic Shards reacting quick enough to interfere.

    And after only a few more seconds, the yellow-eyed woman swiftly tore her hand out of Darcel and Ani''s hearts.

    Blood wildly gushed everyone like a horrifying blood rain dance, dying her and Masami''s bodies in it.

    Immediately when the yellow-eyed woman tore her hand out of them, Darcel and Ani lost consciousness. Their eyes snapped shut, and their bodies copsed backward as if they were dead.

    But the asional frightening twitch from their bodies still showed there was some sign of life in them. Even if there was a terrifyinglyrge hole on where their hearts should be.

    "Ah-ah-"

    A weak-sounding voice stole the yellow-eyed woman''s attention. For the first time sinceing here, she had finally turned her gaze over to the grief-ridden Masami.

    A look of absolute horror was firmly stered on Masami''s face.

    Her mind was thrown into the depths of despair as she helplessly gazed upon Darcel and Ani''s bloody twitching bodies. The two people she grew close to in such a short amount of timey before her in a horrific position.

    The only reason she hasn''tpletely broken down was because her Spirit Sense could still sense a bit of lifeforce in them. Still, this didn''t lessen the immense grief and rising overflowing rage from bubbling within her.

    Before Masami met the duo, she could only really say she loves her grandmother with all of her heart.

    And though she gradually got ustomed to a lonely life since childhood, she still held a strong desire to just be liked or loved by anyone else.

    Even for the lowest of talents in her sect, they still had some sort of family or close rtionships to fall back on.

    And despite initially only having a slightly worse talent than them, Masami only had her grandmother to rely on. Yet, it wasn''t like Masami could consult her grandmother all of the time because of how busy she always is.

    However, all of this bleak loneliness changed when she met Darcel and Ani.

    Even on their first meeting, it was like an instant connection form between them, and it was inevitable for their love to blossom. Theughs, the joys, the hardships, the passion they share, it all was the best time of her life.

    And when Darcel and Ani so boldly im they will take on her entire sect just for her, Masami knew they would stay a team forever.

    But now, Masami felt like her perfect reality had just violently shattered into a million pieces.

    Deep inside her, she felt like something powerful, something very dark, was trying to break free from her body. The tremendous rage of her seeing her precious lovers slowly die was about topletely break out of her.

    But before anything could happen.

    <em>''Pu-Chi!'' </em>

    Blood spurted out of her Masami''s chest as the yellow-eyed woman tore her hand right into her heart. Any rise of rage and power quickly bubbling inside her had vanished against the yellow-eyed woman''s energy.

    The yellow-eyed woman indifferently looked down on Masami, and a slight twinkle swirled in her eyes about her.

 Chapter 238: Failures

    Chapter 238: Failures

    The yellow-eyed woman was as indifferent as ever while tearing her hand right into Masami''s heart.

    Initially, she really didn''t think much of Masami. Besides her bloodline and her connection to Darcel, there wasn''t much to care about her. But, getting a far better feel of what''s lurking inside her did cause a slightly bigger interest to rise in the yellow-eyed woman''s mind.

    "So she even has that? Hm. I suppose saving you would actually be worth it. And besides, you are forever connected to Darcel." The yellow-eyed woman spoke out loud though she was sure Masami didn''t even understand what she was saying.

    Admittedly, from all the hell and loneliness she''s been through, talking to herself quickly became a strange norm for her.

    And like she expected, Masami truly couldn''t hear anything of what the yellow-eyed woman was saying. Not when there was a tremendous pain coursing through her body and soul!

    Just like Darcel and Ani, Masami realized this was what actual hell is.

    Nothing she experienced in the Chaotic hell trials couldpare to this unfathomable pain. She wanted to unleash blood-curdling screams from the unbearable pain, yet no sound came from her mouth.

    Inside her body, the yellow-eyed woman''s overwhelming energy drilled into her Martial Veins.

    Specifically, inside Masami''s Martial Veins, there were batches of Darkness Essence. And the yellow-eyed woman''s energy mixed in with her Darkness Essence.

    Inside of Masami''s soulscape space, the yellow-eyed woman wasn''t surprised to see the Chaotic Shard in her soul''s core. She had immediately sensed it right upon the first contact into Masami''s chest.

    And like Darcel and Ani, the yellow-eyed woman took the precaution to avoid the Chaotic Shard part of her soul''s core. Also inside Masami''s soul core was the Darkness String of Darcel''s Darkness Soul link.

    After a few seconds, the yellow-eyed woman savagely tore her hand from Masami''s chest, letting her blood spray all over her.

    Masami''s eyes closed shut as her body copsed to the ground as she was a doll without string. The yellow-eyed woman indifferently looked on to Masami''s slightly twitching body, knowing that she would survive this.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami allid in the pool their own blood, dying the snow in a chilling crimson color.

    There wasn''t the slightest look of care or remorse in the yellow-eyed woman''s gaze over the brutal scene. She only looked back at Darcel and Ani while saying,

    "Your family.they certainly are cruel. But one day, you all will be back and stronger than anyone had ever seen. Now then."

    The yellow-eyed woman snapped her hand and affected the spatial space for a few miles. Around this whole area, the yellow-eyed woman created an invisible barrier that would prevent anyone froming here until Darcel, Ani, and Masami fully awoke.

    Nobody on this Mortal would be able to identify the power the yellow-eyed woman use. It would genuinely be invisible to them.

    With her work done, the yellow-eyed woman took onest deep look at Darcel. "I wonder how long it will be until our next meeting."

    After saying her final piece, the yellow-eyed woman vanished from sight, disappearing into the far unknown.

    .

    "Ahh!!"

    Darcel and Ani shrieked as their eyes burst wide open. Fear was frantically hammering their chest, and their mind was all chaotically scrambled.

    They both started to heavily hyperventte as their eyes were unfocused in their surroundings.

    Immediately upon their consciousness returning to them, the duo had vividly recalled that yellow-eyed woman''s hands plunging into their hearts.

    And theirst sight before anything went dark was her cold, indifferent face.

    That one moment left a deep scar inside Darcel and Ani''s minds that wouldn''t be leaving them anytime soon.

    Suddenly then, Darcel and Ani went rigid. They were beginning to realize something. If they''re dead, then surely they shouldn''t even have a conscience.

    And if they were back in the snowy forest maze, they should be experiencing that hellish pain of having their hearts pierced into.

    But as Darcel and Ani became more aware of their current state, they realized they weren''t experiencing any pain. On instinct, they reached towards their chest and didn''t feel any blood or hole.

    Their eyes quickly gazed down their bodies and didn''t see any spot of injuries. In fact, even their previous wounds were magically healed up.

    And then, at the exact same time, Darcel and Ani looked towards each other.

    "Ahh!!"

    Ani didn''t even say Darcel''s name as she flung herself into his chest. Her arms tightly wrapped around Darcel''s chest as she pushed her whole weight into his body as if she was afraid he would disappear.

    Tears were threatening to pool from her eyes as an immense wave of relief passed through her entire being.

    "Ohhh, Darcy! I thought we were dead for sure! I thought we would never wake up again! I thou-"

    "Don''t worry. None of those nightmare thoughts you had aren''t going to be true." Darcel warmly interrupted Ani and began lovingly stroking her long white hair. Immense relief washed over Darcel as well.

    Although they just went through hell, Darcel and Ani couldn''t be happier. The thought of never being able to see each other again would be a pain even greater than death.

    For as long as they could remember, they''ve been so close-knit together and always got through any deadly situation. No matter how close they were to death, they always managed to get out of that situation.

    But after meeting the yellow-eyed woman, it put a lot of things into perspective for the duo. Changes were rapidly happening in their minds without them even realizing it.

    But more than anything, they were simply happy to see each other again.

    And at the same time, Darcel and Ani immediately recalled another significant lover in their lives. Ani snapped up in Darcel''sp as her eyes frantically searched her surroundings.

    "Ahh!! Where''s Sami.ah? Wait, where are we?"

    As Ani became fully aware of their environment, questions started to gue her mind.

    Darcel as well became puzzled when taking in their surroundings.

    They no longer were in the snowy forest maze. Right now, they are in a strange mixed color space. Darkness, white Light, and sickly yellow colors all shed against each other in this space.

    The feeling they got from this odd ce was very peculiar. It was a mix of sensations they couldn''t precisely identify.

    But before the duo could think further on where they are, two otherworldly voices boomed into their ears.

    "Well, would you look at this? That mixed spawn really did help us out. It was a bit unnecessary as I''m sure we would''ve figured something out. But the gesture is there."

    "Mixed spawn? A bit of a harsh term. But I suppose it isn''t wrong. And her help did far more than you''re giving credit for."

    There has never been a time in Darcel and Ani''s lives where they were so in awe by somebody''s voice. But whoever was talking, they both sounded iparably ethereal and divine.

    Before these whole traumatic events, Darcel and Ani had too much pride to bow to anyone. However, those divine voices would''ve nearly made them want to prostrate on the spot.

    That would all hold true for versions of Darcel and Ani that haven''t met the yellow-eyed woman face to face.

    Now, Darcel and Ani really didn''t have that overwhelming pride to back up their stubborn mindset. They both readily identified the figures speaking to them are at a level that they''re nowhere close to achieving.

    Experiencing what it''s like to truly die and having your loved ones painfully stripped away from you caused a tremendous impact on Darcel and Ani''s mental state.

    As they were going through various mental changes, Darcel realized that the first voice that spoke sounded incredibly familiar to him. His mind instantly recalled his most profound dreams, and his head snapped up.

    At the same time, Ani also snapped her eyes forward as she felt an unexinable sensation wash over her. It was like being in the presence of the divine.

    The ones that had appeared before the duo were two hooded robe figures.

    Neither Darcel nor Ani could see their actual appearance, but they had distinct features otherwise. The hooded robe figure on the left wore ck clothing and had the longest ck hair they had ever seen before.

    The hooded robe figure on the right wore all white clothes and simrly had the longest white color hair that far surpassed Ani''s hair length.

    Both hooded robe figures floated several feet in the air, yet both of their hairs fell all the way to the ground.

    Despite their hairs being so long, it was stunning to gaze upon. Darcel and Ani felt like they were watching starry ck and white ocean pool out of the figure''s hoodies.

    While Darcel and Ani remained still in sudden awe, the ck robe figure''s gaze trailed the duo up and down.

    After scoping them out, the ck robe figure had said then, "The mixed spawn also was right about your foulness. That organization warped you far too much, leading you two to be absolute failures as angels. I would''ve given it a year before webusted."

    Darcel and Ani went rigid at the ck robe figure''s words. Ani clutched on Darcel''s slightly tattered clothes harder while Darcel attempted to process what they had just said.

    Neither Darcel nor Ani knows what the ck robe figure means by them being angels. They always had some guesses about their bloodlines but never thought too deeply about it since it always got the job done for them.

    But the possibility of one daybusting in the future certainly made Darcel and Ani worry. They wanted to ask what the ck robe figure meant, but right then, the white robe figure started talking.

    "They may be too ruined to be pure Angels. But the yellow one unintentionally helped out in another department. As they are now, they can be Neutral Angels."

    Immediately after the white robe figure talked, both long hair figures blurred and appeared right in front of Darcel and Ani''s faces.

    The ck robe figure was in front of Darcel, while the white robe figure stood in front of Ani. Without giving the duo any time to process anything, both hooded figures touched their foreheads with a single finger.

    Darcel and Ani blinked their eyes as a slew of warm energy flowed through their heads. But after a split second, that warm energy vanished.

    The hooded robe figures took their fingers away, leaving Darcel and Ani utterly confused.

    The ck robe figure added to their confusion by saying, "Boy, that mixed spawn ruined our Darkness Soul link a bit. Until you either grasp Magical Power or increase your Cultivation, I will advise you to not use it. Now then, away with the both of you."

    Darcel and Ani didn''t want to leave as they still had a truckload of more questions. And this may be their only opportunity for a while to learn anything more about their origins.

    But as the ck robe figure ordered it, the duo couldn''t stop their consciousness from fading away.

 Chapter 239: Loss

    Chapter 239: Loss

    "Ahh!!"

    For the second time in a row, Darcel and Ani awoke with a startling fright shrieking from their voice. Their throats quickly became horse as they lost their voice only a couple of seconds in screaming.

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes burst wide open as they frantically looked around where they are. Their visions quickly came to them, and they both promptly calmed down in a familiar environment.

    This time, Darcel and Ani weren''t in an immense state of panic. A soothing sensation was wrapping behind their bodies, helping them both gain a stable sense of mind.

    Their hands had instantly gone to their chests, confirming there wasn''t any bloody hole, and their hearts were still beating.

    As their senses quickly came to them, Darcel and Ani realized that weird color mixed space wasn''t a dream at all. Once confirming their bodies, they had then turned their sights to the snowy forest maze around them.

    They felt the slight shiver of cold snow coiling under their legs, indicating to them their bodies had changed in some way.

    While they wereing to their senses, Darcel and Ani leaned more into the supple sensation behind them. It was incredibly warm and fluffy, like they were leaning against a soft cloud from the skies.

    In an instant, Darcel and Ani recognized this specific texture of fluffiness. And Darcel felt a chaotic wave of emotions burst from his left side.

    Before either Darcel and Ani could turn around, they heard a voice that they truly longed to hear.

    "Ahh!! Thank god you two are ok!!"

    Masami''s voice was loud as it carried a heavy mix of emotions. It was fraught with abination of distraught and relief as it soothed into Darcel and Ani''s ears.

    From behind their backs, Darcel and Ani felt her two fox tails curl even tighter around them.

    Just from the distress of her voice, Darcel and Ani already felt like a heavy hammer struck their hearts. And when they peered over to Masami''s face, their hearts lurched even more.

    Masami''s beautiful face had streams of dried tears washed up on her face, and her eyes looked slightly puffy. Anybody would feel a tremendous sense of sympathy from Masami''s current appearance as she looked akin to a broken-hearted maiden.

    But when Masami''s eyes saw Darcel and Ani awake and looking at her, a massively broad smile instantly formed her lips.

    There hadn''t been a moment in her life where she felt so much relief that someone was ok until today.

    Every depressive and destructive thought she had before was slowly going away. Although, there was still some underlying grief buried deep in her mind.

    Previously, Masami had awoken a little bit before the duo. She didn''t experience any mystical divine dream during her unconsciousness. It only felt like she was drifting between the borders of life and death.

    That chilling dream-like statested for what seemed like hours for Masami.

    And after a seemingly unknown amount of time, Masami didn''t know how it happened, but she felt an intense pull toe back to reality. Immediately upon awakening, Masami had taken all three of them to lean against some random tree that wasn''t knocked over.

    She had then wrapped her fluffy fox tails around Darcel and Ani''s bodies like she was a mother fox protecting her cubs.

    Admittedly, Masami did sense Darcel and Ani''s lifeforce slowly recovering before. But with how slow it was going, it didn''t help lessen the tremendous worry in her mind.

    The only saving grace was how there weren''t bloody holes in either of them. Still, Masami had that slight fear that Darcel and Ani wouldn''t wake up again.

    If she were to lose them, Masami honestly didn''t know what would happen to her mental state. She did think about using the Healing Pills she has inside her spatial ring. But she had feared that the yellow-eyed woman might''ve done something to render Healing items useless.

    Masami wouldn''t pass her to do that, considering her power is far beyond their understanding, and she''s indifferently cruel.

    Thankfully, Masami didn''t have to contemte making that decision as the duo had finally woken up.

    And seeing Masami in such a mixed chaotic state, Darcel didn''t need any to think on what to do next. He quickly pulled Masami and Ani into his arms, holding them tight so they wouldn''t disappear from his embrace.

    "Haaah~....Darcel." Both girls quietly hum while snuggling tightly in Darcel''s chest.

    All three of them felt a rxing warmth soothed through their entire body and souls. No matter what had happened before, all of their hearts were quelling into a calming, tranquil state.

    Darcel peered his eyes to the skies as he got even morefortable in his position. When gazing into the skies now, Darcel noticed there was a slight change.

    Now the sickly yellow color permeating the whole sky had turned into a lighter shade.

    Darcel didn''t need to think hard about the change. He instantly connected it to the yellow-eyed woman presumably leaving this independent realm. Thinking about the yellow-eyed woman, his eyes began to wrinkle a bit.

    He couldn''t be happier seeing Ani and Masami again. But staring up into the yellow sky was a hard smack of reality. Even without using his Spirit Sense to inspect his body, Darcel just felt far weaker than before.

    The fact that the cold from the snow could affect his body to a considerable degree spoke a bit of volume to him.

    Still, Darcel tried to push down any ominous feelings and began speaking to the girls,

    "I''m d we came through this alive. But."

    As Darcel trailed off, his expression started to gradually darken. Ani and Masami clutched tighter on Darcel''s chest as they felt the exact same sensation of looming dread creep into their minds.

    "But we can''t stay here for long. That yellow-eyed woman, whatever she did to us, was a disaster in more ways than one." Darcel had continued on as he tightened his hold around Ani and Masami''s waist.

    Ani and Masami didn''t move nor respond for a moment.

    In Ani''s eyes, a dark glow loomed. She was sensing her current body state and wasn''t all too pleased with what she was inspecting.

    "Yea.that yellow-eyed woman, she made all of us just significantly weaker. I can just sense it in my bloodstreams; it''s nowhere near as potent."

    Ani''s usual chipper tone was having trouble making it into her voice now. She would always be brimming with some sort of optimism for any given situation.

    But now?

    After feeling like she had something so vital to her be massively weakened, it put a huge damper in her whole mind.

    Moreover, there were also the deep scars of getting so savagely torn in by the yellow-eyed woman and being put in a state of death. It was especially shocking to Ani, considering she was the one that continued advocating for the yellow-eyed woman.

    And now, she had so coldly thrown all three of them into a disastrous position.

    Masami had the same crushing pressure in her mind as she began to say, "I.I knew she was a bad omen. With only just a quick sense, I can already tell my prowess isn''t shitpared to what it was before. We.we truly got weaker."

    There was great despair filling Masmai''s voice. The hand she held on to Darcel''s shirt was slightly quivering as dread couldn''t stop from filling her mind.

    Ani as well couldn''t stop her dread from increasing.

    Up to this point of their journey Darcel, Ani and Masami pretty much always relied on their overwhelming prowess to st through any situation. None of them ever even considered for a second what it would be like were they to suddenly lose all of that overwhelming prowess.

    It was the basis of what gave them so much utmost assurance. Admittedly, they really didn''t have to take things that seriously since their powers let them cruise through their journey.

    But with all of that savagely stipped away from them, what should they do now?

    It was an immense worrying thought guing Ani and Masmai''s minds. Now, there was a massive genuine sense of death from just being in this independent realm.

    Everything was shaping up to be depressingly bleak from here on out. However, for Darcel, a faint twinkle started to spark in his eyes.

    Even if they''re weaker, Darcel didn''t give up hope. He knows all of their ns will have to significantly change to amodate their current situation.

    But as long as they stick together, Darcel at least had the assurance they can pull through alive.

    Feeling his small swirl of hope inspire him, Darcel began telling the girls, "No matter what happens to us, this won''t stop our movement. Don''t forget girls; this ce is supposedly filled with great treasure. Our prowess may behave rupture, but we will just focus holey on our cultivation."

    Darcel put on the best inspiring, hopeful tone he could muster up at this point. Although deep inside his mind, there were plenty of seeds of doubts. However, he couldn''t let that show to the girls.

    If even he was wracked with despair, how can they ever expect to pull through this sudden situation?

    And Darcel''s efforts were slightly rewarded. Ani and Masami stared into Darcel''s determined face and at least felt security from confining with him.

    "Right.at least we have the treasures." Masami''s tone sounded a bit more hopeful than before, but her doubts couldn''t wash awaypletely.

    "Mnh.can we at least rest here for a bit before continuing on?" Ani asked in a slight pleading tone to Darcel.

    She at least wanted a few more moments for her mind to fully process everything that happened. And she wanted to gain back her energetic chipperness rather than being slumped with depression.

    Darcel slowly nodded his head and began slowly stroking the girl''s head. Ani and Masami''s eyes turned half-lidded as they felt calmer toprehend their next moves from Darcel''s intimate strokes.

    "We can stay here for a bit longer. But it will be very short. Our vignce has to be on a whole other level we didn''t have before." Darcel carefully exined, and the girls slowly nodded their heads without responding.

    A dreading silence hung over between the three of them.

    Darcel trailed his eyes back to the yellow sky, and all he could feel was that their lives will get exponentially moreplicated from here on out.

 Chapter 240: Abrupt Change

    Chapter 240: Abrupt Change

    It was at another section of the snowy forest maze.

    Although most of the independent realm was covered by an endless sea of trees, there some spots where there was mostly open ins of vast snowynds.

    At one of these spots, there was a group of divinely beautiful white robe women slowly traversing the limited tree snowy ins.

    A dignified aura exuded from each one of the angelic-looking women; nobody would be able to take their eyes away if their gazes were lucky enough tond on them.

    Of course, out of every Mercenary group in the whole New Branch City, the only squadron that can possibly exude such majestic auras was the Snow Angel group.

    For this specific squadron, it was the usual six other Mercenary Squadrons groups had formed.

    Though for their Squadron group, they were an extrayer of specialpared to the norm.

    At the front helm of the group, the always calm Zara was leading them.

    During regr times in the whole Snow Angel group, she would just be deemed as an Angel Captain. But for the Mercenary Exchange Event, she was temporarily promoted to head Captain and had absolute control over her group.

    But even with a bit of an extra status, Zara carried her usual serene stride and ispetently leading her squadron to the various treasures within this realm.

    Right beside Zara was another seventh-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    She was Captain Kaile, the second inmand here. And essentially, she would have to follow any orders Zara gives. But really, Captain Kaile didn''t mind being subservient to Zara. She has quite a formidable reputation around their whole group.

    Behind them were four sixth-level Heavenly Kings, forming their whole squadron. Given that they had two seventh-level Heavenly Kings on their squadron, this was a decently strong lineup for the Event.

    Just a few minutes before, their whole squadron had undergone a peculiar event.

    For them, it''s been five minutes since that dazzling blue pir of light had torn through the yellow sky. And from the Snow Angel''s squadron position, they all had caught sight of it.

    But even if they didn''t catch sight of it, they all sensed that unfathomable aura belonging to a mighty titled Grand Sage powerhouse.

    Initially, they all wanted to test a bit of their luck and go around to the general area of the blue pir of light.

    Even as they all knew there would be numerous other squadron groups there, Zara had reassured her whole group that they coulde out safely.

    Captain Kaile and the others weren''t quite sure what was making Zara more confident than usual. But it wasn''t like they could guess why since Zara didn''t exin her assurance in detail and her face remained impassive as ever.

    Theck of reasoning was a bit odd for them, but they still had reasonable faith in their head captain.

    With a n in mind, they started to set off to that blue pir of light, feeling slight eagerness over the potential treasures there.

    However, in the midst of tracking that Grand Sage aura, the blue pir of light had suddenly vanished. It was just so abruptly that it caught every Zara''s squadron entirely by surprise.

    Without the means to track that Grand Sage aura, Zara''s squadron, and numerous other Mercenary squadron groups had no other options but to look for another treasure.

    Luckily for them, Zara had picked up on another decent treasure, and they were now making their way over it.

    However, it wasn''t all smooth sailing for them. Zara and her squadron had experienced the boosted powerful Spirit Monsters this independent realm had suddenly gained.

    It certainly slowed their speed down but wasn''t enough to cause a huge damper in their group.

    They had already traversed a mile to the next treasure, and the several berserk crazy Spirit Monsters they encountered were all swiftly dealt with. Because of their efficient teamwork and various powerful items, they managed to pull through rtively unharmed.

    What also helped was the Spirit Monster''s base cultivation realms not being too terribly high, so their berserk powers weren''t that much.

    Everything all seemed good and well for Zara''s squadron.

    Soon, they all thought they were finally about toe up with something worthy of their troubles. But right then, after traversing several feet from the one-mile mark, Zara abruptly stopped walking.

    Without any warning, or rhyme, or reason, Zara stood utterly motionless.

    Captain Kaile and the other members nearly tripped over at how sudden that was. Their eyes locked on Zara while all of their Spirit Senses expanded even further than before.

    Captain Kaile and the other members all instantly dawned on serious expressions, expecting another fight.

    But, after a couple of seconds of inspecting around the area, Captain Kaile and the other member''s expressions morphed into slight confusion.

    No matter where they searched, none of them sensed any Spirit Monster or even any hostile intentions towards them. It made them confused as to why Zara would so rigidly stop if there''s no danger.

    The only thing peculiar they all felt was a strange, chilling air slowly gathering around them.

    Captain Kaile and the other members didn''t pay much attention to the strange, chilling air and just wrote it off as the environment changed.

    And since Zara still wasn''t talking, Captain Kaile had to ask her, "Captain Zara? Is something the matter? Perhaps you sensed something we couldn''t?"

    Even after getting directly called out, Zara didn''t respond.

    She was like an empty stature that was utterly oblivious to the outside world. On her face, her expression was entirely nk so were her eyes. She was wholly unreadable and a bit creepy at this point.

    Right then, Captain Kaile and the other members felt some slight dread enter their bodies. They know more than anybody else that Zara would never do something to intentionally mess with them.

    She simply wasn''t that kind of person. And at the same time, she would always give out reports to the slightest bit of danger so they all could be at attention.

    However, now, it was like Zara suddenly became a different person.

    Though Zara didn''t respond the first time, Captain Kaile had no choice but to try again. She began reaching her hand over to Zara''s shoulder while saying,

    "Captain Zara? Are you."

    Captain Kaile''s hand hovered right above her shoulder.

    And right as she was about to touch her, Captain Kaile went entirely rigid. At the same time, the other members behind her froze up as well.

    Inside of their bodies, they felt their gut instincts roar at them to back the hell up from Zara! And simultaneously, Captain Kaile and the other members jumped over twenty feet backward.

    But right then, as they soared through the air, Captain Kaile and the other members'' pupils shrunk to pebble sizes. All of their bodies were forcefully crushed to the ground as immense dread began to wrack their nerves.

    Captain Kaile and the other members all struggled to stay on their feet while feeling almost entirely suffocated.

    Completely out of nowhere, Zara''s aura had explosively increased! It wildly spread throughout the whole area without care for anyone''s safety.

    This sudden increase in power from Zara made Captain Kaile and the other members feel a surge of fear.

    Whenever Zara fights, her aura is naturally the most powerful among them. But this explosive increase in power trump''s whatever aura she gathered before!

    Captain Kaile and the other members felt a legitimate sense of death permeating the air around them.

    And it all wasing from Zara.

    Captain Kaile and the other members were too shaken to even move at that moment. As they were frozen in fear, Zara had suddenly begun to move again.

    "Nn.nng!!"

    Painful groans leaked from Zara''s mouth as she began violently clutching her head in seeming pain. Her fingernails dug deep into her scalp, drawing a bit of blood from her head.

    While she was going through this sudden, painful state, her aura only turned increasingly chaotic.

    The other snow angels members were absolutely bewildered at this moment. For as long they know Zara, they barely see their calm Captain overreact to anything.

    Even when she deals with people who annoy her or she in out dislike, Zara''s calm facade never fades.

    But now, all the other squadron members could do was watch in shock as their Captain was undergoing immense stress. If they were to try to help, they all know they will only get flung away from Zara''s chaotic aura.

    While she was enduring this searing pain, Zara''s eyes suddenly gained an intense Darkness glow. She began gritting her teeth as she forced herself to say,

    "I.I-I am no.Servant!!"

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Right then, a pure sea of Darkness burst from Zara''s eyes! Her aura turned even more turbulent, causing a mass wide of destruction around her.

    Snow began to swirl in a violent storm, enormous cracks started to tear through the ground, and the air currents became incredibly heavy.

    "Fall back!!"

    Captain Kaile immediately order as gathered a massive sum of her Heavenly Qi. At the same time, she and the other members all exploded with their own Heavenly aura and shed over fifty feet backward.

    Zara''s power was still only at the seventh level of the Heavenly Transformation realm. But its chaotic nature was causing tremendous pressure on Captain Kaile and the other members.

    If they were to stay rooted in their previous spots, they all were sure they would''ve actually stuffed some injuries.

    Captain Kaile noted she would''ve been able toe out with menial injuries. But she did sense the other members would suffer something potentially critical or, at worse, fatal.

    This chaotic explosion of power of Zara, while mind-boggling, didn''tst long at all.

    After only a couple of seconds, her chaotic aura vanished, returning back to her standard power in a snap.

    Inside Zara''s eyes, the sea of Darkness glow vanished as well.

    When everything had settled down, Zara was left standing still, her back remaining turned to Captain Kaile and the other members.

    Seeing everything is seemingly back to normal, Captain Kaile narrowed her eyes a bit. No matter how strange that moment was, Zara was still the leader of their squadron.

    So even if she was still fearing, it was up to Captain Kaile to see if she was ok.

 Chapter 241: Cruelty

    Chapter 241: Cruelty

    The only sounds echoing out in the silent snowy forest maze was Captain Kaile''s feet slowly marching towards Zara. It was like a loud boom in the other snow angel member''s ears with each step she took.

    Thatst moment Zara had didn''t reallyst more than a few seconds.

    And yet, it left a massive impact on all of their minds. Truly, they felt a small surge of fear for Zara potentially acting up like that again.

    Under most circumstances, these snow angels members wouldn''t feel any fear or nerve concerning most situations. But, having someone so close to them suddenly lose control like that is a worrying thought they rather not entertain.

    However, like with Captain Kaile, they all know they have to approach their head captain. No matter what, she is the lead in charge here. Plus, she still is the strongest person in their squadron.

    With far more nerves filling their bones than Captain Kaile, the other member began to take more slow and slight shaking steps behind her.

    With each step they all took towards Zara, the only more deafening the silence got.

    No matter how close they were approaching Zara, she still wouldn''t even turn around to look at them. In fact, she still hasn''t made any movement sinceing down from her sudden chaotic aura.

    When Captain Kaile made it within seven feet from Zara, she decided to take a chance. Though it seemed like a bad idea, she decided to call out to Zara.

    Captain Kaile tried to make her voice as even as possible to not indicate any nerves she was currently following.

    "Captain Zara.are you ok? Just.what was that? Your aura, it was iparably dark and chaotic. I never really seen anything like it. Are you practicing some hidden cultivation technique that the Leaders decided to entrust to you?"

    Captain Kaile threw out any reasons in an attempt to rationalize what happened.

    And for a second, it appeared like Zara was going to ignore him. But before Captain Kaile can feel the eeriness of getting ignored again, Zara had finally moved.

    Zara began to slowly turn around as if she was some kind of machine.

    Captain Kaile and the other members all stopped in slight fear. They honestly didn''t know what to expect as she was turning around.

    However, when Zara finally turned around all the way, Captain Kaile and the other members felt some slight relief. Zara stood calmly with the same indifferent expression that would usually be stered on her face.

    The only change they could spot within Zara was a rare gleam she had in the depth of her eyes.

    "I am fine. Your guess would be on point Captain Kaile. That was a hidden technique I was practicing"

    Zara had finally spoken her first words in a while. And her tone was also the same calm one that showed no hint of emotion within.

    "Oh.I see." Captain Kaile slowly said.

    Although she said it, on her and the other members'' faces, none of them looked entirely convinced. Zara''s previous aura was just so chaotic, dark, and dangerous that they were sure they wouldn''t ever be able to forget about it.

    However, Zara didn''t give anyone any more time to process that moment as she suddenly said, "Now then, we''re close to that treasure. Let''s get going."

    Immediately when she told them, Zara turned around and began walking off as if everything was normal.

    The other snow angels members shared a look with each other. No matter the doubts and confusion they had swirling in their minds, they had no other options but to follow their head captain.

    Afterward, Zara''s squadron began walking off in silence.

    They traversed for a few minutes, making it deeper in the open snowy ins. While they walked, there was a strange, tense silence hanging in the air between them.

    As they got closer to their treasure spot, the more Captain Kaile and the other members wanted to question just what the hell happened.

    But before anyone could try and question anything again, everyone in the squadron felt their Spirit Senses frantically go off.

    From very close to them, several hostile presences were closing in on them.

    Everyone in the squadron stopped walking. The sixth level Heavenly Kings were all clenching their fists in slight tension.

    While Captain Kaile dangerously narrowed her eyes as she quickly identified who wasing. She has learned how to identify specific squadron group auras for as long as she has beenpeting in these Mercenary Exchange Events.

    Her eyebrows began to wrinkle as she slowly said out loud, "The lion order group.just our luck."

    Tension began to quickly fill Captain Kaile and the other members'' veins.

    The ones who wereing to there weren''t some average squadron group. There were three incredibly powerful presences in that group that actually outnumbered the power they have!

    Before the Snow Angel squadron even saw the Lion Order squadron, a powerful voice had boomed out in the area.

    "Well, well. If it isn''t the pure and cold snow angels."

    The man who spoke to them had a tone of overwhelming arrogance.

    It instantly got everyone ready for a potentially grueling fighting up.

    The only one who didn''t have any change in emotion or stature was Zara. She stayed still as her eyes impassively looked ahead at rapidly approaching figures.

    And after only two seconds, they heard that man''s arrogant voice, the Lion Order squadron group, had appeared before their sights.

    They stood about sixty feet ahead of them and had directly intercepted the Snow Angel''s route they were walking on. Even if they didn''t sense the Lion Order squadron group, anybody would be able to recognize their appearance from a mile away.

    Everyone in that squadron group wore exotic fur orange coats that had creative lion design patterns running along it. It was two fierce-looking women and four intimidating-looking men thatpromised their squadron group.

    And at the front helm of their squadron were three men that held the strongest auras that sent troubled down Captain Kaile and the other members'' minds.

    These three men were all seventh-level Heavenly Kings!

    Even though it was just one more seventh-level Heavenly King than them, it still majorly unbnced the odds.

    Zara, however, finally showed a change of expression when the Lion Order squadron group fully appeared.

    Her expression turned iparably cold and her chilling gaze pierced right through the seventh level Heavenly Kings on the Lion Order squadron group.

    Out of everyone there, the seventh level Heavenly Kings on the Lion Order squadron group did feel a legitimate shiver crawl up their spines from only Zara''s sharp gaze.

    But it didn''t stop their overwhelming confidence in the slightest.

    The middle seventh level Heavenly King, who held a simr status to Zara, glowered down on her body. His name was Captain Leon, and his eyes roamed with undisguised lust on Zara''s bombastic figure.

    Captain Leon began to talk again and started to say, "Would you lookie here? Is there reason to already be so tense around us? We only-"

    Whatever he was about to say couldn''t be finished as the whole area suddenly gained a darker shade.

    Completely out of nowhere, it was like night had suddenly befallen them.

    The Lion Order and the Snow Angels members all shot their eyes to the skies. And with the exception of Zara, everyone else pupils dted to needle sizes.

    Immediately when they all had turned their eyes to the skies, a tremendously powerful aura sted down to them as a lone figure had silently appeared in the air.

    This person held a long silver sword that was coated bright chilling fresh crimson blood. Flickers of Darkness energy spewed out of her body, drowning the whole area to a darker shade.

    The flicker of Darkness radiating from this figure gave them a legitimate terrifying presence barring the blood dripping down from their sword.

    The Snow Angels members instantly recognized who this was.

    "Leader Kyrha!!" All of them loudly exim in mild surprise.

    Out of everyone, they didn''t expect to have their Leader luckily encounter them. Although, as they stared into her face, Captain Kaile and the other members felt questions pop into her mind.

    "Why does she look so frustrated?" Was the main question they all had in their minds.

    Indeed on Leader Kyrha''s beautiful face was an expression that was heavily contorted into a mass surge of rage.

    And everyone in the Lion Order Squadron group was trembling in fear.

    Kyrha''s unfathomable ninth-level Heavenly aura focused directly on them and crushed every fiber of their beings.

    And Kyrha''s aura wasn''t anything like they experienced before from other ninth-level Heavenly Kings. They all felt drowned in a freezing cold sensation as if they were staring up at a death god ready to im their lives in mere seconds.

    Before anyone could say anything or react, Kyrha''s cold voice boomed down to them all. Her eyes dangerously narrowed on the Lion Order squadron group as she said,

    "You want to pige? Then die."

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    A massive gust of wind sted by everyone''s bodies as Kyrha''s figure had suddenly blurred.

    Captain Leon felt immensely suffocated at that moment. He felt imminent death rapidly approaching him. With his nerves exploding from his body, Captain Leon erupted with all of his Heavenly Qi and erected a Heavenly barrier from in front of him.

    But that didn''t matter at all to Kyrha as she appeared right in front of Captain Leon, shocking the whole Lion Order squadron group.

    Without saying anything, Kyhra thrust her silver sword towards Captain Leon''s head. A tsunami of her tremendous power suppressed Captain Leon, making him unable to move at all.

    In a mere split second, Kyrha''s silver sword shredded through Captain Leon''s Heavenly aura and shattered his Heavenly Qi barrier like it was ss.

    And without stopping, her silver sword brutally plunged right in the center of Captain Leon''s forehead, tearing through his brain and out the other end of his skull!

    <em>''Chi!''</em>

    Blood squirted out like a horrifying crismon rain and sprayed all over the other seventh-level Heavenly King Captains.

    Captain Leon''s eyes were wide open in utter disbelief. Kyrha''s overwhelming power swiftly destroyed his body and immediately vaporized every inch of his lifeforce.

    The other seventh-level Heavenly Kings Captains were utterly bewildered. They had no way to react to Kyrha''s lightning speeds, and the power she used to kill Captain Leon had utterly suppressed them as well.

    Before they could even process their head Captain death, the other two seventh level Heavenly King felt a painful, searing sensation at their necks.

    <em>''Chi! </em>

    Blood gushed out like a geyser once again as the two seventh-level Heavenly Kings decapitated heads were flung high into the skies.

    Nobody there even saw how Kyrha moved her sword!

    The rest of the Lion Order squadron members were violently trembling. They always knew Leaders from other rivaling Mercenaries groups were cruel.

    But this was a whole other level of cruelty!

    Kyra didn''t even give a chance for any of them to talk, and on a snap decision, she savagely murdered their leaders in cold blood.

    And it was then the other Lion Order squadron members realized that they''re next! Thest remaining three members started to whimper, begging for their lives to be spared.

    "Please-Please, Snow Ange-"

    "Hmph."

    Kyhra''s cold snort interrupted their groveling and sent the three Lion Order squadron members further to the depths of hell.

    She casually flicked her wrist and shot out four gray sword Qi beams that pierced right through the other three members'' skulls, turning their brains to mush and instantly killed them all.

    Blood pooled out of their skulls as their corpses slumped to the ground in a collective thud.

    The whole area fell to a chilling silence.

    Captain Kaile and the other members stared unblinkingly at Kyhra''s figure that exuded a terrifying aura of death.

 Chapter 242: Slowly Traversing

    Chapter 242: Slowly Traversing

    Captain Kaile and the other snow angels members honestly didn''t know what to say or do. Their eyes shook a bit as they gazed upon Kyhra''s cold, indifferent face that had slight patches of blood on it.

    It wasn''t like any of them weren''t cruel in their own rights. And they constantly experienced cold killings all of the time.

    But there was just something different in how Kyhra quickly killed the Lion Order squadron off.

    For Captain Kaile and the other snow angels, they actually found those kills as a bit cruel. Kyhra had juste in and really killed them on a whim of her thoughts.

    Although they all know the Lion Order squadron had no good intentions, they were ughtered like they were mere bugs.

    That kind of ruthless killing was like Kyhra didn''t even see them as fellow humans. It was more like they were akin to small insects she could step on if she so pleases.

    Furthermore, there also was this change of aura in Kyhra.

    Previously, Kyhra always had an aura that exudes indomitable pride and proudness. She had a presence that would make anyone dare not tomit the slightest disrespect against her.

    However, now, it was like her aura was.tainted.

    Captain Kaile and the other members felt iparably cold just staring at Kyhra''s lone figure. What also helped entuate her new, terrifying image was the flicker of Darkness energy from her body.

    She wasn''t even using any power as of now. Yet, Darkness''s energy continued to sizzle out of her body like wisps of mes.

    Zara, however, was the only one unaffected by this sudden chilling change in Khyra.

    She and Khyra locked gazes for a couple of seconds.

    As both of their cold faces zeroed in on each other, it was like time stopped around them.

    Captain Kaile and the other members didn''t move. Or rather, it was they couldn''t move. They felt suffocated as if with just one wrong move, some sort of disaster would befall them.

    All they could do was stare silently at their head Captain and Leader seemingly locking gazes with each other.

    After those strange, tense seconds, Khyra had finally talked. "We will talkter. Continue to lead them for now. I will check on the others."

    And without waiting for Zara''s response, Kyhra''s figure blurred, and she vanished from everyone''s sight.

    Zara didn''t have any questioning look on her face.

    Despite being told some vague instructions and everything else that happened, Zara had zero reaction to everything. It was like she expected or at least could tell this would''ve happened.

    Zara''s reaction spawned even more confusing questions in Captain Kaile and the other members'' heads. However, before they could even process what to say, Zara swiftly turned around to them and began telling them,

    "The way is clear. Let''s continue on; we''re nearly there."

    And as she has done repeatedly throughout thesest moments, Zara turned back forward and began walking off without waiting for a reply.

    Captain Kaile and the other members felt like they were just thrown into a rollercoaster of events. Nothing made any sense, and yet, they all were expected to just shut up about it and not question anything.

    Their Leader Khyra flew off without even a word to them. And Zara was keeping her stride in not revealing any secrets.

    But even if they had so many doubts, they had few other options. All they could was cautiously followed behind Zara, unsure of how this Mercenary Exchange Event will end.

    .

    Miles deep inside the snowy forest maze, there was a heavy amount of trees here at one particr section. Compared to other regions of this independent realm, this areacked the presence of dangerous Spirit Monsters.

    Although, that wasn''t to say there weren''t any lurking Spirit Monsters efficiently hiding, waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike their prey.

    And currently traversing this more quiet side of the forest were three beautiful youths wearing slightly tattered clothes.

    There weren''t any more dried-up blood on them, but their clothing state couldn''t be salvaged.

    Of course, this was Darcel, Ani, and Masami. And the way they carried themselves now was a far cry to their previous selves. The trio huddled up close together as their eyes were on the continuous lookout.

    Their Spirit Sense picked up on the hidden lurking Spirit Monsters around them, but thankfully, none hade out to attack. This was attributed to them taking routes that let them hide behind giant trees.

    With everything that transpired to them, the trio was genuinely treating safety as their utmost importance.

    Although, Darcel was still slightly ahead of the girls, being ready to face any first sign of danger. Now he felt a far more substantial reason to stand protective in front of the girls.

    At any moment, it could be a strike to their lives, and though Darcel doesn''t want to admit it, he had some deep-rooted fears of losing his precious girls.

    That wasn''t to say Ani and Masami weren''t also battle-ready. They were still right beside Darcel''s side, ready to spring into action at a moment''s notice.

    Although now, they felt more secure over Darcel being ahead of them. The slight hopeful tone Darcel showed before subconsciously got Ani and Masami to rely on him more than they already do.

    As their footsteps quietly crushed through the snow, there was a stinging feeling that wouldn''t leave Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s minds.

    It was an immense sensation of utter helplessness.

    The more they reyed the previous events in their minds, the more they realized there honestly wasn''t anything they could do about it.

    The yellow-eyed woman''s power was something they had never seen before. It was so insanely high that Darcel, Ani, and Masami fathom she could be the literal ruler of this whole Mortal if she so desired.

    And as for them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were simply too weak to do anything.

    Immediately when the yellow-eyed woman appeared before them, they were essentially dolls for her to do whatever she wants with them.

    It was a tremendous blow to their mental state that had only added from the events even before they met the yellow-eyed woman. They went from getting matched by the Spirit Monster Hawk, getting thrown around by the Golden Crow Spirit, and finally, those Arc Raven Mages nearly killing them.

    All of those events couldn''t leave the trio''s mind no matter how hard they try to not think about it. In just a span of half an hour, their world views were massively changed.

    And the absolute turning point for them was being put in a death-like state and experiencing the terrors of potentially never being able to wake up again.

    It was at this time Darcel, Ani, and Masami realized there truly is always a higher mountain than them. Plus, not everything can go their way, and their whole lives can change on a dime in their brutal world.

    Before meeting Darcel and Ani, Masami had understood these rules. But afterward, with the immense power she had wielded, it destroyed all previous lessons her Grandmother had taught to her.

    With that immense power now stripped away from her, Masami felt herself reverting to a more meek side that she never thought would return to again.

    The more she thought about it, the more frustrations began to pile on her beautiful face.

    After a few minutes of quietly traversing, Masami had suddenly spoken up to Darcel and Ani. "Out of everything I expected from this event, I can''t believe we got reduced to sneaking around trees like mice. Haaah.at least there are no squadrons around us."

    Ani''s face remained a bit calmer as she thought more about previous events. She felt various negative thoughts build-up, but she wanted to keep them down.

    Ani wanted to return to how she was before the yellow-eyed woman, a young woman that always shimmers with bright optimism.

    Although actually doing that was easier said than done with how traumatic those events were.

    Still, Ani at least put on a slight smile as she said, "Indeed. I dread to think about fighting even Mid ranks Heavenly Kings now. We need to seriously focus on our cultivation."

    "Hm." Darcel leaked a small grunt as his mind never stopped going over possible ns to do.

    He was trying to consider all of their options with their current abilities. But as he thought more about it, he depressingly realized they barely have any options to turn to.

    With at least one option in mind, Darcel told the girls, "If we get lucky, we''ll try to find some treasures. But we won''t be pushing our luck too far. At the first opportunity, we need to leave this independent realm and leave the city altogether. I can already tell, our Darkness Servants won''t take too kindly to our presence anymore. You girls agree, right?"

    Ani and Masami traded nces at each other. And when looking in both of their eyes, they could see neither of them had any bright confidence.

    Though they don''t want to be cowardly and run at every sign of danger. They also know they have more apparent limits that can''t be broken as of now.

    Masami could clench her hands as her foxtails whipped up in slight annoyance. "Tch. Yea, I get it. Whatever that yellow demoness did to us, she most for sure affected those servants. I wouldn''t be surprised if they try to kill us on sight."

    Seeing all of their moods turn increasingly sour, Ani began racking her brain on how to lift them all up.

    And almost immediately, one idea streaked across her mind. This thought did get a legitimate twinkle to faintly spark in her eyes.

    "Hey, hey. You know, this may not all be bleak. What if.we be Mages! We will still focus on raising cultivation, but I''m positive that being Mages could be huge for us."

    Darcel and Masami perked up at that thought.

    For other cultivators and Mages, there would be an underlying disdain each of them has for each other. Cultivators never want to be Mages, and a Mage never wants to be a cultivator.

    However, for Darcel, Masami, and Ani, none of them standards exist within their minds. They were already at their lowest states and the prospect of gaining any sort of power to better themselves sound immensely enticing.

    "Mages huh.I think they''re pretty annoying. But I deny their tricks and powers. Yea.after this, we can visit a Mage guild! I''m not sure how we can be one, but maybe those godly shards in our souls can help. Not even that yellow demoness wanted to mess with them."

    Masami''s voice became more hopeful as she continued on talking. She may be grasping at straws, but it was the only straws she could grasp.

    Darcel thought it over and readily nodded his head. He began saying, "It could work.but we''ll need to-"

    Darcel didn''t finish what he was saying. As right then, he went utterly rigid. Ani and Masmai also froze up in dread at the exact same time.

    Cold sweat began dripping down their heads as their Spirit Senses went frantic.

 Chapter 243: Hiding

    Chapter 243: Hiding

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami clenched their fists as adrenaline began pumping their veins from the sense of dread. Almost immediately did their Spirit Sense brazenly go off to alert them to significant threats to their lives.

    The presences specificallying to them were a squadron of seven. And though they all were far weaker, their Spirit Senses could still identify the power level slowly walking towards them.

    ''Seventh level Heavenly Kings!'' Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously thought out loud in their minds.

    If this was still before the Mercenary Exchange Event, the trio would disdainfully scoff at this kind of power.

    However, now, the trio felt incredibly strange. No longer can they casually y around with groups that have only average prowess. They all felt honest to god fear.

    This kind of fear had varying levels of impact on the trio''s mental state.

    Darcel had always prided himself on making any foe significantly weaker for a time and making powerful women is Darkness servants. Ani had always taken absolute joy in making her enemies freeze as if time had stopped for them.

    And Masami would be pleased with burning her foe to unbearable degrees with her mes that surpassed even Darcel and Ani''s mes.

    But, now, their bloodlines no longer had the ability to do any of that. At least, not to an absurd degree like before.

    It was a hard-hitting realization the trio had experienced while traversing the more tree-dense area. Furthermore, the trio also wasn''t naive enough to believe this squadron group would simply leave them alone.

    Even as their cultivation realms are pitifully low, Ani and Masami had divine appearances any men would want to covet for themselves.

    While it''s true Masami may be the daughter of one of the strongest men in the whole Icy Cloud Province. It is also true her fame is remarkably less known because of her lower talent.

    And the trio didn''t have to be insane geniuses to know what would happen if Ani and Masami gained the attention of a vicious Mercenary member.

    In the instance their Spirit Senses went frantic, Darcel immediately grabbed both Ani and Masami''s hands. Without waiting for their reaction, he quickly shuffled behind enormous trees, making sure they were out of sight from that squadron group route.

    Shuffling so close together would always be a warm moment for the trio.

    But this time, all three were feeling their breathings get increasingly hitched. Darcel kept his eyes on the lookout. And without taking his attention off from his surrounding, he began telling the girls,

    "Remember, we do it exactly the same atst time. We can''t make any mistakes now."

    Ani and Masami nodded with solemn expressions morphing onto their faces. There weren''t any casualness or humor in their tone now when facing off against Heavenly Kings.

    And then, within Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s soulscape space, their Darkness soul link stared to writhe.

    The same Darkness essence energy ran through their bodies as they all became perfectly connected at the same time. And almost instantly, by the power of their Darkness soul link, Darcel, Ani and Masami masked their presence.

    It had happened nearly instantly when the trio had only gone only several feet from the spot the yellow-eyed woman stripped them of their powers.

    At that moment, the trio had found out the hard way that they couldn''t so easily mask their presence perfectly on their own. When they were just nearing this foresty area, a random Heavenly King Spirit Monster had ferociously lunged at them!

    The trio was nearly taken all off guard because they all had believed that they perfectly masked their presence!

    However, that Heavenly King Spirit Monster quickly proved them wrong.

    They didn''t even bother trying to fight that beast. Even before it got close, the three of them were tremendously pressured by its Heavenly Aura.

    Not even when they activated their bloodline powers'' extremely limited state did it help alleviate the immense pressure.

    Their only options then were to simply run as fast as they could.

    And when they had believed they ran far enough, Darcel made them all huddled up together. As they stopped moving, Darcel assumed their Darkness soul link had responded to their desires.

    On its own, Darkness''s essence energy filled their entire bodies at that moment, and the Heavenly King Spirit Monster had lost track of them.

    It was then Darcel realized, though the yellow-eyed woman ruined them inside and out, not even she could heavily mess with their souls.

    Although getting chased and being threatened by such a lowly beast they would''ve been able to kill so easily before only left more sour tastes in the trio''s mouths.

    Focusing on the present, Darcel was at least grateful enough that he could stillpletely mask their presence. Though not being able to move and they have to be so close together was a significant downgrade.

    Ani and Masami clutched on Darcel''s tattered shirt as flickers of Darkness energy began spewing from their eyes. In Darcel''s pupils, his abyss-like ck eyes gained a noticeably darker hue.

    Luckily for them, the time they needed to erase their presence wasn''t long at all. They got it done in a mere couple of seconds.

    Like this, the trio stayed utterly still and silent for a few seconds.

    They all were in each other''s warm embrace, and yet, nerves continued to fill their veins. And right as the trio wondered what squadron they were about to see, an arrogant man''s voice slew into their ears.

    "Hm? Hey.what the? I could''ve sworn I sensed something here. I mean, they weren''t particrly strong presences, but there was something faint.you all sensed it too, right?"

    Being extremely careful in his movement, Darcel peered his head around the tree just enough so the squadron wouldn''t notice them. His eyes narrowed with a dangerous light at who he saw.

    It was seven frightening-looking men, all wearing obnoxiously bright white armor that stood out like a sore thumb.

    It was a White Demon Mercenary squadron!

    Out of all Mercenary groups, Darcel had a particr disdain for this group.

    Just their general arrogant vibes and gross lustful nature never sit well for him. Though the more he thinks about it, the more Darcel realizes that he had a simr arrogant vibe just like these White Demon members.

    Always assured of themselves, never believing anything could go wrong for them until it explodes right in front of their face. Shaking his head at that thought, Darcel focused on listening to their conversation.

    "Hmmm.well, this year''s Event certainly is strange. These beasts all have these odd tricks making them difficult to kill them. Most likely, what we sensed is some beast with remarkable hiding abilities. Or it could be these dams trees ying mind tricks on us."

    The one talking was the seventh level Heavenly King head Captain there. As he exined his reasoning, the other White Demon members were nodding their heads in agreement.

    And one of the other seventh level Heavenly King Captain had said, "Heh, well, you can''t really say these beasts are all that troublesome now. I don''t know what happened, but I''m d something is making these wild beasts weaker. They probably have enough self-preservation instincts to hide like the rats they are."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami silently blinked their eyes at the news.

    They immediately equated that Event to the yellow-eyed woman leaving the independent realm for good. Although, when they heard that Captain said the beasts somehow got weaker, that was another blow to their mental state.

    "Well, now what? My treasure charm was picking up on whatever was special was over here. But now, when those presences gone cold, so has the charm." The third seventh level Heavenly King Captain asked.

    Darcel couldn''t urately spot what he was holding, but it appeared to be some kind of dim ne that had lost all of its lusters.

    "Eh. Whatever the treasure was over here must''ve gotten picked up by the same beat. Either way, they both aren''t worthy enough for extra attention. Let''s just continue on walking; the charm will act up again soon.''

    The head Captain gave the order, and everyone nodded their heads.

    Soon, Darcel, Ani, and Masami heard the crushing of snow again. The White Demon squadron continued walking right past the trio. Nobody in that squadron took a single nce in the trio''s direction.

    As the White Demon squadron passed them, the trio didn''t dare make any sudden moves. They patiently waited for several minutes for the White Demon squadron to go as far as away from them.

    Once the White Demon squadron went a little bit past a mile of their Spirit Sense radius, the trio felt relief wash over them.

    "Fuuu." At the same time, they all released a huge breath they had sucked in for some time now.

    "Sheesh! That was far too intense for my liking. Our top priority now is finding whatever treasure to boost our cultivation!" Masami actually had to wipe some sweat off her burrows while talking.

    Ani had put her hand to her chin and a pondering expression stered on her face. "Well, those Demons aren''t wrong. Surely, there could be a treasure around here."

    Feeling it was a bit safer now, the trio slowly walked out of their hiding spot. Darcel''s eyes were quickly roaming all over the forest, looking for anything odd.

    And after only a couple of seconds of searching, Darcel''s eyes stopped.

    Fifty feet to his left, his eyebrows raised in curiosity at a strange sight that he somehow didn''t spot when the White Demon squadron was walking through here.

 Chapter 244: In Plain Sight

    Chapter 244: In in Sight

    Darcel felt his curiosity and confusion rise as his eyes stared over at a white haze that was hard to miss. It was only fifty feet away from him, and really anybody should be able to spot this sight.

    Especially for the level of power Darcel holds and other Heavenly Kings naturally wielded.

    And yet.only just now he was noticing this? Not even that White Demon squadron paid any attention to this!

    What was causing Darcel so much confusion was a hazy white mist quite literally shrouding the snowy forest directly to his left.

    Staring into this hazy white mist was quite the sight to behold. There was a certain mysterious quality about it that Darcel found it hard to take his eyes away from.

    And right then, his eyes quickly shed over to Ani and Masami. His expression only became more confused as the girls were seemingly oblivious to the hazy white mist.

    Two thoughts sprang into Darcel''s mind. Was this hazy white mist just always there, and everyone''s attention just slipped by it? Or did the hazy white mist suddenly appear without any energy flowing through the air or noise?

    Darcel honestly didn''t know which thought could be true. Before he could make up his mind on anything, he first began to expand his Spirit Sense over to the mist.

    His eyebrows began to wrinkle as he looked for even the slightest detection of energy.

    After the events in that seemingly treasure cave, Darcel didn''t dare underestimate any type of energy in this independent realm.

    If just the slightest sliver of power from him, Ani and Masami could cause a Grand Sage beast to appear. Then who knows what other vicious tricks this independent realm holds.

    And Darcel sure as hell wasn''t going to risk his girl''s or his own life for that.

    While Ani and Masami searched their eyes around, making the asionalment to each other, Darcel remained rooting in sensing the mist.

    He stayed like this for two seconds until something finally happened.

    The odd thing Darcel found out was that there wasn''t a speck of energy or any life-threatening thing over at the mist.

    But, the strangest thing was that Darcel found out his Spirit Sense can''t venture deep in the hazy white mist.

    After the events with the yellow-eyed woman, Darcel did notice his Spirit Sense range had considerably lessened.

    It was a far cry to what he could do before this Event. And even when activating his bloodline powers, it didn''t help his Spirit Sense range that much.

    But even with all these heavy nerfs, Darcel could still expand his Spirit Sense for several miles.

    However, this hazy white mist prohibited Darcel from even going twenty feet inside it. Moreover, it wasn''t like there was any energy blocking his way. It was like he met an invisible solid force that wouldn''t budge no matter what.

    Darcel put it akin to being blocked by a metal wall that was impossible to break or go over. Still, he didn''t sense any danger from what he could feel out in the mist.

    Beforeing to a decision, Darcel took a deep breath to contemte this.

    He had just reminded himself before to be extra careful in order to not awaken something that could instantly end their lives in a snap. However, Darcel couldn''tpletely squash his unwillingness to take risks.

    To just avoid every sign of danger and only go for the absolute safest option won''t allow him or the girls to grow. And in their position, they needed more power more than ever.

    Suddenly then, Darcel felt his mind jolt as he recalled something that could help them take this risk. He reached his hand in his pocket and immediately felt his spatial ring inside it.

    Beforeing to the Mercenary Exchange Event, healing items weren''t the only thing they had stocked up.

    Darcel also recalled they had various talisman and strong Royal Rank Spirit Weapons that can help with a tight situation.

    It was how he and the girls avoided the three Crow Leaders powerfulbined Martial Skill attacks by just the skin of their teeth.

    The Snow Angel group is truly well equipped with a plethora of life-saving items.

    And when thinking about the Snow Angel group, Darcel felt mixed about them. Previously, he never put much thought into making those women his Darkness Servants. Because it significantly helped his girls and him, Darcel never once cared about the implications.

    But now, Darcel felt frustrated as he had lost several excellent subordinates.

    And he also felt a pang of.sorrowful regret?

    He could understand his frustrations as losing his Darkness Servants will majorly set them back.

    Plus, when recalling that ck-haired figure words, they had also mentioned for him to not use his Darkness Soul link on anybody new. Understandably, this very powerful near-broken ability was a significant yer in Darcel''s ns.

    But now, it was cruelly stripped away from him.

    So with all of those frustrations, Darcel couldn''t understand this sorrowful regret feeling. It was almost like his consciousness wanted him to feel guilty about essentially taking those women''s free will away.

    Since it was for his girls, Darcel would never backtrack on his action and regret them. But there was clearly something within his mind that wanted him to feel sorrow on a more personal level.

    "Tch." Darcel audibly clicked his teeth. He shook his head, trying to clear away these confusing thoughts. ''Just don''t think about it; I don''t regret doing that. Plus, at this point, they all would want to kill us. There''s no such thing as extra kindness in this world.''

    While Darcel had a slight battle with his jumbled-up thoughts, Ani and Masami had already turned their attention on him when he had clicked his teeth.

    They both donned a slightly worrying expression as Darcel''s expression was ominously downcasted.

    "Darcy? Is something wrong?" Though there were a lot of things wrong with their situation, Ani recognized there was something more obviously bothering him.

    "Just tell us what''s going on in that big dome of yours." Masami decided to add some light humor to her voice. Although it couldn''tpletely cover up her increasing worry.

    When hearing his girl''s concern, Darcel immediately snapped out of his trance. He pushed those emotions to the far regions of his mind, though he knows they will one day inevitably resurface.

    Darcel had then focused his sights on the girls. And as he focused back on their current situation, he realized that still Ani and Masami hadn''t noticed the hazy white mist!

    Darcel knitted his eyebrows together and had then asked the girls, "I''m fine but confused. Look, just follow my hand very carefully, alright?"

    As Darcel slowly raised his hand, Ani and Masami nodded. They were a bit puzzled about what he was going to show them as they haven''t picked up on anything for a while now.

    With both girls'' attention entirely on him, Darcel had then pointed his arm straight at the hazy white mist. At the same time, Ani and Masami followed their gazes to where his hand was pointing.

    "Ehh?? Was that always there?!"

    Ani couldn''t contain her shock. Her eyes widened as there was this hazy white mist just fifty feet to their left! And throughout this time, she couldn''t detect it at all?!

    "The hell.great. Now it seems like we gotta deal with sudden happenings in this damn realm."

    Masami felt the same amount of shock as Ani did, but her mind had already jumped to a conclusion.

    Because she, Ani, Darcel, or those Heavenly Kings couldn''t detect it at first, then most obviously, it suddenly appeared here.

    Masami didn''t see how it was possible in any other way. That greedy squadron group would''ve been more than happy to sink their attention to this for a potential treasure.

    "Yea, I know, it''s incredibly odd. Even I only just noticed that mist. And I had also spread out my Spirit Sense in there. Couldn''t get far because of some invisible force that doesn''t have any energy. But I also didn''t detect any danger. What do you girls say about going? There could be a treasure in there, and we are prepared in our spatial rings."

    Darcel slowly exined. He patiently waited as the girls sucked in the information he told them like a sponge.

    Ani began rubbing her chin as her mind went through several possible scenarios. Though she felt nervous about something dangerous unexpectedly happening, Darcel was right in that they had their Spatial rings.

    Plus, risks are needed to grow powerful. So Ani reached a swift conclusion and nodded her head, saying,

    "Something so suspicious like this.I would be legitimately surprised if this doesn''t hold a treasure. Plus, we have the means to instantly pull out danger, so I say full speed ahead!"

    It was only slightly, but some of Ani''s old energetics gradually returned to her. When she had brought up the prospect of bing Mages, it continued to fuel her mind with bright ideas than depressingly bleak ones.

    And now, she had somewhat of assurance of treading danger to gain power.

    Masami was nodding her head, but her eyebrows became tightly knitted the more she inspected that mist with her Spirit Sense. "Alright, but we''ll have to stick close to each other; that mist can probably separate us."

    Both Darcel and Ani readily nodded.

    "Let''s go." Darcel led the call and took the lead walking towards the hazy white mist. Ani and Masami, of course, followed closely behind.

    And as they got close, the more they felt their surprise rise. When they were only twenty feet away, a sudden vibrant Qi energy assaulted their Spirit Sense.

    At ten feet away, the vibrant Qi energy got slightly stronger

    And at mere inches away, the trio could feel there was something good inside here. Darcel, Ani, and Masami took onest look at each other before they walked through the hazy white mist.

 Chapter 245: Fox Flames

    Chapter 245: Fox mes

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami immediately stopped once they took one step into the hazy white mist. The incredible Qi energy they felt on the outside tremendously increased in its vibrant richness!

    Throughout their bodies, the trio felt like they were getting washed under a warm waterfall just from the aura of this treasure energy.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masam just had to take a big whiff of the fragrance scent on instinct.

    "Haaah.to think something would smell this good in a y like this. No doubts about it now; a great treasure lies before us!" Ani had sparkles in her eyes as she felt warm shivers from just inhaling the rich scent here.

    Masami''s foxtails were swishing around in excitement on their own. Her body was showing she was eager, though her eyes narrowed around the scenery they were in. She began to scratch one of her fox ears as it twitches in slight confusion.

    "Yea, this energy is great and all but, where the hell are we supposed to go? This damn mist is too thick even for my eyes."

    As she brought their attention to it, Ani and Darcel focused on their surroundings.

    Their eyes narrowed in slight confusion, trying to peer through the hazy white mist but to no major sess like Masami.

    Darcel began rubbing his chin, saying, "Well, from what I can just barely make out, the environment hasn''t changed. But I have no clue what path we should take. And I''m betting any careless move would just separate us."

    Ani and Masami could only agree with Darcel''s assessment as they stayed rooted to his side. Although they all have greatly enhanced visual perception, none of them could see more than ten meters ahead in this hazy mist.

    The trio tried to expand their Spirit Senses further out now that they were in the mist, but they were met with failure there. There was still some invisible force blocking their Spirit Senses paths, forcing them toe up with a new n.

    As they were in the mist, the trio thought some kind of energy would be leaking out in here. But, just like with that invisible force, there still wasn''t any spek of hostile or dangerous power.

    There was only that incredible Qi energy here. The trio stood still for a few seconds, quietly essing the situation. They had a mind in trying to track the Qi energy and followed it towards the source.

    But, it was like the Qi energy was everywhere at once. In this area, that Qi energy was seemingly infused in the air, making it impossible for it to be traced back.

    And even then, it wasn''t like the trio could rely on their Spirit Sense to trace the Qi energy that far away.

    After a few seconds of zero progress, Masami began to knit her eyebrows in apparent slight frustrations. She raised her hand as a sudden idea streaked into her mind, and she decided to do it on a snap decision.

    Innate Qi began to gather in her palms as the temperature quickly raised around her. "Ah? What are you doing, Sami?" Ani questioned her as she and Darcel''s attention gathered on her.

    They didn''t believe she was going to just randomly fire off attack as there wasn''t any foe here, nor was she foolish like that. A genuine sense of curiosity swelled within them as they both believed that maybe she had a sudden epiphany.

    Before answering, Masami''s whole right palm ignited into a zing blue ming aura. The bright glow of her brilliant surging mes was actually making it a bit easier to see in the hazy white mist.

    A slight satisfied smirk curved up Masami''s lips as her eyes could make out more of the scenery. Without looking at Darcel and Ani, she told them,

    "I don''t think I''ve ever told you guys before. But my fox mes hold various niche abilities because of my bloodline. And one of those is clearing out any smog or fog to make it easier to see. I never found a reason to seriously practice on these abilities....but I guess it''s useful now."

    Darcel and Ani felt mildly surprised over that. They raised their eyebrows and wondered if their own ck mes could do the same.

    Although when Masami mentions it being bloodline specific, they let her handle it. Moreover, she proved herself correct as they could see the trees more clearly in the hazy white mist.

    It was such a peculiar ability, Darcel had to ask, "Out of everything you told us about your family, I wouldn''t guess they would use Fire for more supportive uses."

    At that point, Masami had finally looked back over at Darcel and Ani. There was a slight disdainful smirk morphing her lips as several negative memories surged within her.

    "Heh.yea well, even those guys are deviously crafty when they need to be. There are actually a variety of other effects these fox mes can achieve in order to counteract the schemes we develop against each other. Really, I have only scratched the surface in this department."

    Now Darcel and Ani''s curiosity was alleviated to an even higher level. Basically, Masami''s Sect would actually have a massive load of niche, crafty abilities since they existed for thousands of years at the very least.

    And if she could learn and practice even more of those abilities, it could help their overall situation.

    Although, as Darcel and Ani were considering the prospect of her fox mes abilities, they didn''t ignore that disdainful smirk she had on her lips.

    Ani gave Masami a big cherry smile, hoping to bring her mood to the negative side of her family as she said, "You just surprise me more and more by the day, Sami. I mean, really, in terms of Fire abilities, Darcy and I are still leagues behind you."

    Darcel didn''tment but had nodded to Ani''s honest praise. And her words weren''t fluffing at all. Whenever they had spar in the Qi Haven space, Darcel and Ani legitimately couldn''t best Masami in pure Fire abilities alone.

    Even as their ck mes were upgraded a long time ago when they were under that tomb in the Necrotic Woods. It still was nowhere near the level of quality and purity Masami''s fox mes can achieve.

    Hearing her honest words of praise did get Masami''s mood to slightly improve. She quickly shook her thoughts from her family and focused back on the hazy white mist.

    "Alright, I''ll raise her hand up and increase the fire glow. If you two see something, just shout it out."

    While she spoke, Masami had already three her ming palm up and increased its power. The luminous blue mes shined even brighter, allowing for clearer sights in the hazy white mist.

    Darcel and Ani only nodded towards Masami and began searching their eyes again through the area.

    However, though it was easier to see, it didn''t mean it was easier to know where to go. Still, the scenery was nearly precisely the same before they had entered the mist.

    Neither of them could spot any correct defining path they should take.

    Now, Darcel and Ani felt their own frustrations swirl. It would be unwise to just take off in some random direction without knowing what could potentially happen to them.

    Yet, at the same time, it was shaping up they had no other options but to just do that and pray for good luck.

    Their options were looking limited until Masami had narrowed her eyes on one particr sight. Her eyes lit up in a brilliant glow as she had finally spotted something different in this god-forsaken forest!

    On a tree just a mere fifteen meters to their right, it had a single branch with one bright white leaf.

    Under ordinary circumstances, a leaf on a tree wouldn''t be anything strange. But now, Masami found this as a dead giveaway on where to go next.

    Though there were numerous things, Masami would curse her family day and night for. She could at least attest they are highlypetent in their Fire abilities. Without these fox mes, she would''ve never seen that white leaf as it perfectly blended into the hazy white mist.

    Feeling a small surge of eagerness to continue on, Masami had quickly pulled Darcel and Ani''s attention over to her. "Darcel, Ani, looks like we don''t have to keep up this annoying search anymore. Look over to where I''m pointing."

    "Oh?"

    Inpliance with Masami''s request, Darcel and Ani shifted their gaze to where she was pointing. Their eyes widened a bit as thanks to Masami''s fox mes, they too could spot that single white leaf.

    Masami smirked at their reaction and began telling them, "Yea, it''s bizarre, right? As far we could see, no other tree has a leaf besides this one. It''s our only clue, so there should be no harm in following it. I feel like this whole area is one giant puzzle to get to that treasure."

    "Hmmm.alright. Like you said, we got nowhere else to go. And our mes can''t light up the ways like yours. So what do you say, Darcy?"

    As Ani asked, both she and Masami turned their attention solely on him, waiting for his decision.

    The girls weren''t entirely sure why but after everything that happened, they felt more security in confining with Darcel''s final say. Even when they have clear, correct answers, there was something about his words alone that inspired them with hope.

    Darcel couldn''t spot any difference in their actions since this would par for the norm. Although he did raise his eyebrows a bit since it was most obvious they should go and don''t really need his input.

    Still, Darcel nodded his head, telling the girls, "Lead the way, Masami."

    "Hm! With pleasure." With a prideful snort, Masami began carefully treading over to that white leaf with Darcel and Ani following her closely behind.

    They went to a slow ce, not wanting to brazenly rush into any potential life-threatening danger. It took them a few seconds, but even as they got under the branch that held the white leaf, nothing happened.

    The trio paused for a moment before looking at each other and nodding again.

    Masami continued to lead the way past the white leaf, and once they walked only five meters away from the leaf, a sudden change erupted!

    "Get ready!"

    Darcel gave a warning shout as he, Ani, and Masami ready their bodies for any battle.

    Immediately when they had passed five meters from the white leaf, the hazy mist abruptly intensified. The hazy white mist quickly became so thick to a point where not even Masami''s fox mes can fully light up the way!

    Just when they thought something would jump out of them, the ground began to quiver ever so slightly.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami squinted their eyes. Though they could barely see in this sudden thick mist, they could make out vague outlines of shapes.

    And from what they could see, it was like these vague shapes were moving on their own.

 Chapter 246: Traversing The Mist

    Chapter 246: Traversing The Mist

    With their minds entirely prepared for battle, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were prepared for those vague, shadowy figures to jump out at them. They waited for a whole two seconds for any sign of action.

    But it was when two seconds passed that Darcel, Ani, and Masami noticed there really wasn''t any overflow of energy.

    Besides that slight shift of energy and slight quivering on the ground, nothing was screaming in their Spirit Senses about imminent danger.

    It really was like they weren''t any danger in this hazy mist and was only relying on little tricks to confuse people.

    Something like this should be weing news for the trio since this should mean there wouldn''t be any life-threatening danger.

    And yet, Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t help but be more worried.

    Theck of action in this area only meant in their minds that something will happen in the near future. After their previous intense fights in this realm, none of them doubted for a second that something would try to w their way to them to try and kill them.

    Especially when considering the yellow-eyed woman''s influence on the whole independent realm, the trio was thinking it was only a matter of time.

    As they stood rooted in their spots, the thick mist started to gradually clear up a bit.

    The mist slowly turned back to the state of when the trio first arrived here. And as they came to their surroundings, Masami immediately raised her fox mes palm and intensified her shining glow.

    When seeing their current scenery, the trio blinked their eyes.

    Since they saw movements before, they all expected some sort of change. But really, besides some trees looking a bit different from their previous location, nothing at all changed!

    "Tch.you know, I wonder if that was even a right call following that leaf. I hope this puzzle isn''t so overlyplicated." Masami cursed out some of her frustrations.

    Her eyes were searching through the trees, already feeling annoyed that it was like they made no progress.

    Ani had more optimism on her face as she carefully peered her sights on the trees she could see, thanks to Masami''s fox mes. She took particr notice to spot every single changing detail, no matter how minuscule it was.

    Though it appeared as everything the same, this wasn''t the case as there were genuine but missable different details in the scenery.

    Ani felt inscribed with a sense of progress, and she began telling Masami, "Don''t get too down in the dumps, Sami. There are some changes here, just barely noticeable. And I think.this was on purpose. To get whoeveres here confused at their seemingck of progress."

    Ani''s eyes brightly lit up as she reached a conclusion in the midst of her own sentence. Darcel was also inclined to agree with her as he too could spot the tiny detail changes in the scenery.

    Although, Masami had only rolled her eyes a bit, saying, "Haah.well, at least this could be considered good eyesight training for us. Honestly, I don''t remember or even recall using my eyesight in strenuous stuff."

    "You say that, but you were the first to notice that white leaf before us. I''m sure if you put your mind into it, you can actually do better than us."

    Darcelmented, praising Masami as he was genuinely impressed she could scout out that white leaf first. Even as they have a general idea of what to look for now, it didn''t get any easier for him to spot another white leaf.

    Masami felt a bit giddy inside from Darcel''s praise. Her foxtails began to swish around, and she huffed up a bit happily.

    Searching around their current spot, Masami still didn''t catch any white leaves. And with more assurance running through her body from Darcel''s words, she had then confidently told the duo,

    "Hmph. Alright, since you''re putting so much trust into my eyes, let''s slowly walk up a bit. Around here, I can''t spot any white leaves."

    Darcel and Ani nced over at each other. Just from their slight wistful eyes, they could tell neither of them was having any sess in trying to find that single damn leaf.

    "Once again, you can lead the way, Sami." Ani readily agreed.

    "Before we continue on. Just how much energy is it taking you to keep those mes up?" Darcel curiously asked.

    Since their heavy nerfs, Darcel could sense within himself that his endurance is a far cry from before. Even when he activates his weaker bloodline state, he feels a considerable drain on his body.

    It was enough to leave him a little bit winded, and Darcel knew there was no longer a seemingly indefinite endurance on his transformation state.

    This is why he was a bit concerned, as though Masami was just in her normal state; she could very well get winder quicker because of their nerfs.

    Ani also was concerned over Masami''s endurance as she was their only current guide in here.

    Although both Darcel and Ani''s concerns weren''t actually that big of a deal for Masami.

    She had given the duo a slight smirk, telling them, "Don''t worry. I have to give it up to my family again. They are actually impressive enough to a point where they have a method to have our fox mes barely use any of our Qi energy. Just this amount is minuscule to me."

    Darcel and Ani blinked their eyes, feeling even more impressed at her family''s abilities.

    "I see." Both of them said and wondered just how profound Masami''s family really is.

    Darcel even briefly thought about what it would be like to face off against the Ice Nine Tail sect if they still had their original prowess.

    Masami had never really looked overly concerned during those times, but Darcel guessed it wouldn''t have been so easy.

    But with how they are now, facing the Ice Nine Tail sect only seemed like a distant wondering dream. Darcel was pulled from his thoughts as Masami suddenly said,

    "Stick close to me, guys. And let''s keep our eyes peeled."

    She had then slowly walked forward, and Ani was right behind her, giggling a bit at her new leadership attitude.

    Darcel also felt a bit of amusement and still kept his pace behind her as his eyes continually peered around the hazy white mist.

    For several seconds, the trio strolled slowly and carefully. They could only see ten meters in front of them, so even the slightest of mistakes could lead them to miss something important.

    Although, still, Darcel and Ani couldn''t find any white leaves. And if there was one, they wouldn''t be able to tell as everything just blended seamlessly with the mist.

    For a moment, Darcel and Ani could only fathom how Masami was able to spot that white leaf the first time. Even when Masami pointed it out to them, they both could only see a vague outlining trace of it.

    And just when Darcel and Ani guessed they wouldn''t have any luck here, Masami''s whole body perked up.

    She had abruptly stopped as her body leaned forward, and her eyes squinted. shes of fox mes surged within her pupils, and after a second, a bright twinkle sparked within her!

    "Ah-ha! Looks, guys, I spotted another one! Guess you really are right about me, Darcel." As she spoke, Masami pointed to another tree branch to their right.

    This time, the tree branch went a little out of Masami''s fox mes range. Yet, she could still make out a single bright white leaf sprouting from the branch.

    When Darcel and Ani squint their eyes, they could barely make out anything. That white leaf just blended too well in the hazy mist.

    "Seriously.you''re going to need to give us pointers with our own mes, Sami," Ani spoke as she and Darcel followed behind Masami to that white leaf.

    Truthfully, Darcel and Ani could''ve always ask Masami for tips inprehending their Fire abilities.

    But with howpetitive they are, the duo wanted to achieve Masami''s high boundary all on their own. Thatpetitiveness isn''t really prevalent anymore after their previous traumatic events. Now, they both were willing to honestly learn anything from her.

    Without looking back at them, Masami spoke with a sense of pride in her tone, "And I will be d to help. I told you two to let me help before, but I guess betterte than never."

    Darcel and Ani shrugged their shoulders as they chuckled a bit, knowing Masami wasn''t wrong in her words.

    And soon enough, when they hade within three meters apart from the branch Masami pointed at, Darcel and Ani could now spot that white leaf.

    ''Even up close, it''s still hard to see.'' Darcel remarked in his mind. He shook his head a bit afterward since all that matters is that they found it.

    And just like before, the trio walked past the white leaf without any interruptions.

    More simrities began to pop up as Darcel, Ani and Masami stopped again, once making it five meters from the white leaf.

    A small surge of energy shifted the air, the white mist became so thick it was nearly impossible to see, and the ground quiver ever so slightly once again.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami still tensed their bodies, ready for any action.

    But this time, none of them could even spot any vague shadows shifting around in this mist. The nearly impossible to see thick miststed for a couple of seconds, and nothing dangerous lunged at the trio.

    In the same motion once again, Masami raised her palm up and ignited her fox mes in a harsher blue glow.

    As her fox mes clear up a bit of their vision, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt mildly surprised at their new scenery.

    Now, there simply weren''t any trees from what they could see. On the ground, there were only numerous white leaves, all spaced in seemingly random order.

    There wasn''t any rhyme or reason to where the leaves were ced, almost as if they were dropped from the skies.

    With their curiosity rising, Masami led Darcel and Ani to one of these random white leaves.

    Masami''s eyes zeroed in on the leaf, trying to spot any noticeable changes. She shook her head only a couple of secondster, saying, "Huh. Well, despite being more of them, they''re not any different from the previous ones on the trees."

    Darcel narrowed his eyes on the leaf, trying to spot any difference but was just as sessful as Masami. "Don''t see anything different either." He spoke while shaking his head.

    Only Ani remained quiet as a faint shimmering white light began to slowly swirl within her eyes.

    Masami was only about an inch from this fallen leaf. Since they could be just potentially missing something, she had crouched down and was going to pick up the seemingly harmless leaf.

    But right as her hands was only a few centimeters away from the leaf, Masami, Darcel, and Ani felt their Spirit Senses buzz with danger!

 Chapter 247: Putrid Leaves

    Chapter 247: Putrid Leaves

    A prickling, dangerous sensation seeped down Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies. Their Spirit Senses went frantic, trying to find any source of energy that exuded this immense feeling of death.

    However, there still wasn''t any energy trickling in the atmosphere besides that treasure Qi energy.

    On instinct, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes stared intently at the seemingly harmless leaf. Before they could even question if this was the case, the leaf had suddenly writhed like it was a living being!

    Without any words needed, Darcel, Ani, and Masami shed back over ten feet at swift speeds. A burst of cold sweat poured down their brows as they legitimately felt as if death had almost reaped their bodies.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A bursting noise boomed into their ears as they had touched the ground.

    From up ahead, that seemingly harmless leaf exploded into putrid white liquidity fluids. The horrid liquids expanded for about two meters far and would''ve caught the trio if they didn''t jump.

    With no targets in its grasp, the putrid white fluids simply sizzled right through the ground. And the whole of the fluids made wasn''t shallow at all. The fluids easily tore through the earth like hot butter, reaching farther down than what Darcel, Ani, and Masami can possibly sense.

    As they stared at the putrid white fluids, the trio had taken a quick whiff of the air. And almost immediately, Ani and Masami scrunched up their faces in apparent disgust.

    "Peh!!" Ani spat out a bit of bile as a horrendously foul stench assaulted her nostrils.

    "I never felt something so-so disgusting! Not even blood or guts smell as bad as tha!" Ani had to pinch the bridge of noise just to lessen that horrible foul stench.

    And it wasn''t like Ani was a soft person who can''t handle a bad smell. Like she said, she could indifferently smell a scene filled with death, blood, and guts.

    But those white fluids were on a boundary of stench she never thought was possible.

    Masami was in heavy agreement with Ani as one of her foxtails covered her nose. "Ech.seriously. This ce only gets weirder with every second. I nearly hurled just from that stench."

    It was boggling Masami''s mind that she was even heavily affected by a stench like this. Being in the Innate Core realm transforms her senses to an unfathomable high degree. No mere ordinary putrid stench could ever make her feel sick.

    But whatever that white fluid has somehow achieved that feat.

    All the while the girls showed their evident disgust, Darcel more so focused on the sizable holes in the ground.

    His face was also warped with disgust over the stench, but he was entirely focused on the abilities of that fluid. If they were just a second slower, then their bodies would''ve been burned like they were hit with acid.

    Just from the sense of death, they all felt before, Darcel knew they wouldn''t be able to so casually tank an attack like that.

    And even if they were to use their bloodline state, Darcel doubted they could even resist it then.

    Darcel had then trailed his eyes around his general area. He still couldn''t see much, but because of Masami''s fox mes, he did spot numerous leaves just nearby them.

    And going by what happened with the first leaf, he wasn''t so eager to do any more exploring around.

    Darcel began to furrow his eyebrows, trying toe up with a suitable n. While he did so, he grasped Ani and Masami''s shoulders, telling them,

    "I don''t think this needs to be said, but still, let''s not get close to any of those leaves. Less we want something permanently gone from our body."

    Masami raised her fox ming hand in the air again as slight frustrations morphed onto her face.

    "Tch! Since we can''t get close, now what? Even if we wanted to go back, I''m not sure what path we took to get here because of this damn mist. And I don''t want to identally step close to another damn leaf."

    Darcel narrowed his eyes as his mind went to rapid overdrive. He was about toe up with some sort of half-decent n, but right then, he, Ani, and Masami felt danger spike from all around them!

    <em>''Pa~!'' </em>

    Sounds of things popping like they were balloons red into the trio''s ears.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami quickly looked around their area, and their pupils dted a bit. Completely out of nowhere, the random white leaves on the ground were allbusting into that same putrid white liquidity fluid!

    The ground began to sizzle like acid as the leaves'' white fluids easily tore through the dirt, just like with the first leaf.

    Now, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their situation got ten times worse.

    Where they stood, there wasn''t any leaf close to them. But with how many leaves they heardbusting into white fluids, the trio knew it won''t be long until those fluids spill over to their spot!

    Moreover, the stench was getting increasingly unbearable. Even Darcel, who was the least affected by the foul smell, was feeling nauseated. He, Ani, and Masami''s chest began to slowly heave as this area smelled like literal hell.

    While still covering her nose with her fox tail, Masami whipped around to Darcel and Ani and swiftly told them, "At worst, I can just pick us up and hover above the ground. Though.something telling me that won''t help us escape these disgusting fluids.

    Darcel blinked his eyes, and a half idea spawned into his mind. He didn''t think it was the best one, but it was the only one he could think of in their situation.

    But, before Darcel could say it, Ani, who was surprisingly quiet, suddenly shouted.

    "Ah! I got it!"

    Her shout made both Darcel and Masami curiously look over to her.

    Ani didn''t even notice their stares as her eyes brightly shimmered in a radiant white light. Her expression was as if she had just solved aplex puzzle.

    After she had shouted, Ani had then strut her right palm forward and instantly coated it in her Light energy. She had then shut her eyes tight, immediately falling into a deep concentration.

    Darcel and Masami briefly looked over at each other in slight puzzlement.

    "Ok.any idea on what she''s doing? No matter what, I still can''t figure out every little quirk of her." Masami asked as she scratched her twitching fox ears.

    Darcel wanted to say he was sure, but he couldn''t precisely predict this action. Only one idea came into his mind as he said, "Notpletely sure.but I fathom she''s probably using her telekinesis ability."

    "Oh.oh! I always forget she has that ability." Masami''s eyes shed in realization before a curious expression dawned on her face next. "But.why no-well, let''s just wait and see what she does."

    Darcel was in agreement though he was ready to act on a moment''s notice if Ani was too slow.

    However, Darcel and Masami didn''t have to wait long at all.

    Ani made no movement for three seconds. And right when three seconds passed, her eyes flung right back open. A harsher white glow swirled in both of her eyes as her lips were curving up into a smirk.

    "There!"

    Ani excitedly shouted as she clenched her Light energy-coated hand.

    Darcel and Masami actually didn''t feel much of Ani''s power leaking out from her. But right then, a shimmering white glow from within the hazy mist caught their attention.

    Both of their eyes snapped towards the white glow, being surprised they could even see it within the mist.

    Whatever that white glow extended past the range of Masami''s fox mes and should''ve been impossible for any of them to notice. But apparently, in some way, Ani achieved picking whatever object this was up.

    With that mysterious object within her grasp, Ani made a grasping motion with her Light energy hand. Immediately that white glow soared through the air and entered within Darcel and Masami''s sights.

    "Ah?"

    Both Darcel and Masami couldn''t contain their surprise grunts from what they saw.

    The mysterious white glowing object was actually one of the white leaves!

    On instinct, Darce and Masami felt it in their guts to get as far away from the white leaf.

    However, they both had then promptly remembered this is Ani''s doing, and she wouldn''t do anything to hurt either of them. It''s why their reactions were pretty mild since they had absolute faith in Ani''s action.

    Right as Darcel and Masami spotted the white leaf, it quickly flew into Ani''s palm like metal pulled by a ma. And like Darcel and Masami expected, that white leaf didn''tbust into any putrid white fluids.

    Ani held the leaf out for Darcel and Masami to upon while telling them, "You see? This is the right leaf out of them all!"

    Neither Darcel and Masami could possibly guess what she even means.

    When they stared into the leaf, it lookedpletely the same as all the other leaves they saw. But right then, the putrid stench that was causing their stomachs to churn suddenly vanished in a snap.

    "Eh?" Darcel and Masami nearly tripped over themselves as it was so abrupt and instantaneous.

    Ani was smirking at their reactions, but before she could talk, the hazy white mist suddenly became blindingly thick.

    Darcel, Masami, and Ani once again prepared themselves for an ambush attack. Though, at this point, they were beginning to doubt anything will happen when the mist bes so thick like this.

    The trio blinked their eyes, and in just a mere second, their whole scenery changed. Compared to other times, the thick mist didn''tst long at all.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were curiously gazing at their new scenery, noticing it was much easier to see now.

    The hazy white mist became incredibly light in this new area, allowing them to see far ahead of them. This would''ve been a relief for the trio.

    But as they gazed around their new scenery, worry began to fill their minds.

    All around them were a massive plethora of trees. The trees themselves didn''t raise a huge g for the trio. But, it was the fact on every side they looked, everything was blocked by a tree.

    No matter where they looked, all paths they could''ve potentially taken were blocked by a tree, essentially trapping all three of them.

 Chapter 248: Entrapment

    Chapter 248: Entrapment

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t try to make any sudden movement in their entrapment of trees.

    Now, if they still wanted to leave this mist, it was quite literally impossible. At this point, the trio fathoms they were probably teleported to some random location.

    For a brief moment, their eyes nced up to the skies. They haven''t done so in the hazy white mist since it would''ve just been useless. But, even as the mist was barely prevalent here, it still was nearly impossible to see above them.

    Numerous enormous trees were splitting all the way into the skies, and their overlyrge wide branches covered up nearly all of the scenery.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami could silently click their teeth as flight wasn''t an option now.

    Turning their attention back to the ground, the trio all began to wonder just what on earth they''re going to do now.

    If it was when they first entered this hazy white mist, then Darcel, Ani, and Masami would''ve considered thatck of dangerous energy in the area as a good omen.

    But, after thosebusting white leaves, the trio wasn''t so keen on believing they''re safe from sudden danger.

    Darcel put his deep thoughts on trying to figure what to do next.

    But as Masami thought more about these white leaves, her eyes suddenly snapped towards Ani.

    Masami stared intently into Ani''s face, and the white-haired girl wasn''t even perturbed by her stare. The way Ani had so easily solved that mystery with the white leaf still reyed in Masami''s head.

    She pointed a finger straight at Ani, asking her, "Alright. Before we deal with whatever this tree mess is, how the hell did you spot that leaf out from that impossible to see mist and all those identical-looking leaves?"

    Though Masami appeared to being off with a bit of hostile envy, she was actually genuinely curious about Ani''s process. Her Nine Tail fox bloodline is heavily associated with illusions and anything of the trickery art.

    Yet, she couldn''t sense any illusion or fakeness while in the hazy white mist.

    Ani gave a simple smile at Masami''s intent gaze. She calmly told her, "Hehe~, it''s not that much of aplicated process for me. My Light energy.it had sensed that leaf had, well, a different energy source from all other leaves."

    Now both Darcel and Masami cast an intent, curious gaze at her. Neither of them knew that Ani was keeping this ability all locked up.

    Masami felt even more inquisitive on just how her Light energy could achieve that, but her bloodline had remained silent.

    While Darcel had initially thought she was just using telekinesis and relied on that beastly intuition she used several times in the past. Though, as he thought more about it, there hasn''t been any time in recent memory that Ani used that great intuition again.

    His attention was taken out of his thoughts when Masami started to say,

    "Your Light energy can sense out a different energy source.well, actually." Her tiny brows scrunched in confusion. "I don''t think I''ve heard of cultivators using Light energy that much.if at all. Well, anyway, the point is, can you teach me how to do that? Or is it specifically rted to your soul source? My bloodline allows me to be highly proficient with illusions arts."

    Ani rubbed her chin a bit, pondering over her question. Though she had a natural instinctive reaction to using her Light Energy. She did have to adjust her mind so she could perform that trick with her Light Energy.

    And thinking more of it, Ani reckoned she could give Masami pointers on how she should focus her mind.

    "Weell.I guess I could show you how you should adjust your mind. But! You have to be seriously focused, no distraction at all!"

    "Heh." Masami loudly snorted, almost like she was offended. "Even I can focus for that long."

    Darcel smirked a bit at their light interaction. He had then walked between the girls and began lightly petting both girls'' soft, lushes hair.

    His hands gently ran through long, smooth hair, causing a slight shiver of pleasure to course down both girls'' spines.

    He had then told them in a praising tone, "Either way, good job on both of your parts. I was essentially useless throughout that entire section, and you two carried me."

    Though it wasn''t apparently prevalent now, Darcel still knows each of their mental states is still deep in the slums. But this wouldn''t stop him from showing affection and possibly even raise the girls'' downtrodden spirits more.

    "Hmm~, you do enough, Darcy." Ani warmly cooed under his touch, feeling a bit more hopeful like Darcel wanted.

    "Hmph~." Masami tried to hold in how much she was enjoying as she wanted to appear with a braver mindset. Though, the small hums of enjoyment still leaked from her mouth.

    While Masami''s foxtails and fox ears instinctively twitched in enjoyment, she began to gaze her eyes around their endless tree entrapment.

    With an increasingly curious look, she asked out loud, "So what now? I don''t see any pathway out of here. And judging by what we experienced just before, this is undoubtedly some ridiculous puzzle.

    Darcel had taken his hands off both girls'' heads as all three of them turned serious.

    Almost instantly, Darcel fell into a slight trance. His mind cut off any distraction, trying to find any small fakeness in the area.

    Without Darcel being aware, Masami and Ani began to slowly trail off on their own together. They were discussing their predicament among themselves but still kept close to Darcel''s general range.

    As Darcel was in his trance, his eyes locked on one of the endless trees.

    He slowly trailed up to that tree, expecting any slightest sense of danger. But even when he got within an inch from the tree, no dangerous sensation pricked on his body.

    Feeling a bit of caution, Darcel carefully ced his hand on the trunk of the tree. Upon immediate contact, his eyebrows wrinkled. There was something strange about the tree that promptly jumped out to him.

    Darcel lifted his head up and turned his attention towards the girls. A slight glint shimmered within his pupils, seeing that both of them didn''t dare to recklessly get close to any tree.

    It was reasonable safety measures, but Darcel knows it''s unwarranted.

    "Ani, Masami. Go up and feel one of these trees too. Don''t worry, nothing dangerous will jump out at us."

    "Eh?" Ani and Masami stopped, raising mildly surprised squeals.

    They turned their gaze over to Darcel, and their eyes widened a bit, seeing that he was literally touching a tree. His expression was severe and didn''t leave much room for discussion.

    Ani and Masami matched each other''s gazes before simply shrugging. Since it''s already a failed proof, they saw no reason to refuse.

    Still, Ani and Masami were cautious whenplying with Darcel''s request. At the same time, they both slowly touched random tree trunks, unsure what they were going to feel.

    And when their hands fell on the tree trunks, both Ani and Masami wrinkled their eyebrows.

    "This.this is just soo odd. How could this be? It''spletely hollow on the inside despite being so enormouslyrge!" Ani spoke in slight awe.

    As the trio was high enough up in cultivation realms, when they now touch anything rted to nature, they could feel the lifeforce exuding from it.

    When Darcel and Ani had first entered the True Soul Core realm, they had gained this ability fromprehending the richness of Spirit Qi.

    And as Masami was already at the peak of the Innate Core realm, it also became a natural ability for her.

    This is why feeling these trees felt so incredibly strange. There simply wasn''t any lifeforce in these trees! It was almost like they were just mere thuds made by someone.

    But, the texture, the quality of these trees felt one to one with any other genuine tree. Without them feeling out the lifeforce, the trio simply would''ve believed these all were real trees.

    Darcel thinks more about it and decides to test something. Spirit Qi began to form around his fist, causing a slight swirl in the air around it.

    He had then struck his Spirit Qi coated fist towards the hollow tree, violently striking against it.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    What Darcel was expecting was for the hollow tree to simply snap in half from his mighty fist.

    But instead, he felt like he struck against some powerful magic metal!

    His eyes narrowed on the tree trunk, and there wasn''t even a single scratch on it.

    ''Hmmm.'' Even more questions spawned in Darcel''s mind. Though he''s in an incredibly weakened state, his base Spirit Qi fist could smashrge boulders to powder with extreme ease.

    Darcel already knew it would be useless to try and attack the tree with some greater attack since the results would most likely be the same.

    ''So if I can''t even scratch them.then.hm.'' Darcel thought to himself and knows that there isn''t anything nondestroyable in their world. As long you have enough power, anything could be destroyed.

    Moreover, Darcel could quickly tell this just had to be some kind of trick. Besides theck of lifeforce, there wasn''t any form of energy or power seeping through these trees.

    And right then, an idea streaked into his mind.

    At this point, Ani would''ve just sensed with her Light energy if any of these trees had some sort of energy source or if they were an illusion.

    It was then Darcel thought, what if the mist adapted to that?

    Because of Masami''s fox mes, they had eventually encountered white leaves that could instantly burn a part of their bodies like acid. And Ani so easily sensed through the illusion.

    So Darcel thought, what if all of this was just a different kind of illusion they simply can''t sense at all.

 Chapter 249: Walking Right Through

    Chapter 249: Walking Right Through

    Darcel had one thought in mind he believed just might work. It was a bit crazy sounding on his part, but he believed that if he treated these trees as if they didn''t exist, they simply wouldn''t stop him.

    It wasn''t the most sane-sounding logic, but it wasn''t like Darcel had a plethora of other choices.

    With a n in action in his mind, Darcel didn''t even nce towards the tree anymore.

    His face was indifferent as he simply pushed his hand forward as if he didn''t expect to meet any resistance. And when he had shoved his hand forward for a few meters, he truly didn''t meet any resistance.

    His hand simply passed through the air.

    A smirk curved up Darcel''s face as had then trailed his eyes over towards the tree. Like he was expecting, half of his arm was going through the seemingly hollow tree.

    ''Hm.so this has to be the secret.'' Darcel could never possibly guess the sheer power of the person who managed to create these trees.

    But these trees were really a matter of an illusion on the mind. Darcel was assured that these trees don''t exist at all.

    While his hand was through the tree, Darcel began to briefly contemte just what kind of powerful person can do an illusion trick like this.

    Though Masami says her bloodline can achieve simr feats, he didn''t think it could extend to this point. Otherwise, she too wouldn''t be so confuddled at this tree illusion.

    So Darcel''s only other guess was those mysterious Mages. Just from what he saw and experienced from Magical Power, Darcel didn''t put it out of the realm of possibility.

    Although, the person who had the power to create a whole independent realm that expanded for countless miles would probably consider a trick like this as child''s y

    It was a curious thought, but one for another time.

    Darcel had then taken his arm out from the ''illusion'' trees and turned his gaze back over to Ani and Masami. His eyebrows quirked, seeing how they were attempting to solve this puzzle.

    Ani had both of her palms coated in Light energy and had ced them upon the hollows trees. Her expression was inquisitive as she was feeling out every inch of the tree trunk.

    "I can''t believe it.still nothing. Someone sure was crafty." She quietly uttered under her breath.

    Though her Light energy practically saved all of them before, it was absolutely useless here.

    No matter where she felt, Ani couldn''t trace any energy source in the tree she was touching. And even when she had spread her energy sense to other trees, she still felt no other energies source inside them.

    While Ani was attempting to trace to little avail, Darcel had then turned his sights on Masami. He felt a little bit more amused at her actions.

    Some frustration had stered on Masami''s face as she had coated her palms in fox mes and ced them on the tree.

    But, contrary to her expectations, her mighty powerful mes couldn''t even leave a scratch on these hollow trees. "Tch.don''t tell me whoever made this ce also had immunity against fire. Or maybe.haah."

    Realizing all of her efforts would be futile, Masami leaked a sigh filled withplex emotions. She never took her eyes off the tree as if doing so, the tree would suddenly change in a snap of a second.

    Darcel didn''t doubt that the girls could eventually find the answer on their own. But he rather had things done sooner as he wouldn''t want anything dangerously unexpected to happen.

    Darcel called out to the girls, telling them, "Ani, Masami. Hold off on what you''re doing. I had just found out the secret to this ce."

    Ani and Masami didn''t dy at all towards Darcel''s call, immediately whipping their attention over to him.

    They both raised a curious brow as they didn''t see anything different about Darcel''s state. Ani and Masami had sense and heard him using Spirit Qi, but they had just assumed it ended up in failure like they were doing.

    Still, Ani always had immense faith in whatever Darcel does and showed it as she simply said, "Oh? So quickly, Darcy? What did youe up with then?"

    Masami had a slight smirk as she said in a joking tone, "That wondrous brain of yours never slows down, huh?"

    Masami''s faith in Darcel was nearly as high as Ani. Especially after experiencing those traumatic events, her faith in him increased even more.

    Darcel didn''t give a verbal response. He only smiled at the girl''s curious gazes and had then repeated the same process as before. Treating the tree as if it simply didn''t exist, Darcel strutted his hand right through the tree like it was entirely intangible.

    "Eh?? How??"

    Both Ani and Masami immediately raised questions as their eyes blinked in mild shock. Unless Darcel had suddenly gained the ability to go invisible, this shouldn''t be possible!

    Darcel felt even more bemused at the girl''s actions. It was quite cute seeing their beautiful faces morph into shock. He inly told the girls,

    "It''s simple.really simple, actually. Just firmly believe these trees aren''t here, and you will phase right through them."

    Ani and Masami gave a slight ludicrous look at each other and then at those hollow trees.

    Just believing hard enough is the answer?

    Out of everything they experienced, the girls didn''t expect it would be so brain-dead simple like that. However, Darcel''s demonstration was undeniable proof.

    With no other options, Ani and Masami sealed the small doubts in their minds, tossing away any denials about their situation.

    They had then focused up their minds on one thought. These hollow trees aren''t real. Every single one of them must be.no, they are all illusions!

    With their mindset rock solidly firm, Ani and Masami didn''t nce at the trees as they strut their hands towards it.

    And almost immediately, their eyes widened while doing so. Like Darcel said, they simply weren''t touching against anything! Snapping their heads back on the trees, Ani and Masami was only a bit surprised to see their hands going through it.

    Ani had taken her hand out of the tree and immediately shoved it right back inside. Once again, her hand phased through the tree without any obstruction.

    "Ok.this is kind of cool. But also, kind of freaky. It''s like we''re ghosts or something." Ani spoke with a strange expression epassing her face.

    "Huh." Masami grunted a bit and took her hand out of the tree. She looked down at her palm, clenching it in slight disbelief. "Well.I guess we got our ticket out of here. But.now what? We still don''t know an exact pathway to go on."

    As Masami raised that issue up, Darcel tossed his gaze around the trees.

    Now that his perception of them changed, the trees had also taken a slight change in appearance. There were specific details on them that he didn''t notice before.

    And on one particr tree, its detail was more noticeable than the rest.

    He narrowed his eyes as this tree was in a far lighter shade than the other ones.

    "This tree is far lighter than the others. Since following white or light things seemed to be the answer, let''s go to this tree." Darcel pointed at the lighter shade tree for the girls and exined his reasoning.

    Ani and Masami held no agreement and nodded towards him.

    The trio began to slowly walk up to the lighter shade tree. Of course, they knew better than just to rush in blindly and were still ever vignt of their surroundings.

    As they walked up to the lighter shade tree, Darcel, Ani and Masami didn''t need to worry about getting blocked by the other trees. Just like with their arms, their whole bodies simply phased through the trees.

    It admittedly was a strange experience to just go through seemingly solid objects. But the more they walked through the trees, the more natural it came to them.

    And eventually, the trio made it within a few feet from the lighter shaded tree.

    Nothing dangerous jumped out of them so far. And it seemed like things would go all smoothly for them. But, when they had taken only a single step again, they froze inplete dread.

    They all had abruptly sensed something more dangerous than even when the white leafbusted in front of their faces!

    In an instant, Darcel, Ani, and Masami jumped back, intending to go far away.

    But, when they had reached five feet back, the light shaded tree burst in a radiant white Light glow!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Immense energy exploded from the tree, wildly spraying its power to a wide range.

    The tree''s explosion had even caught up to Darcel, Ani, and Masami, slightly surpassing their speeds.

    "Tch!" At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami erupted with their bloodline powers as they forcefully tanked the powerful st.

    The three of them got sent flying like a bullet while powerful energy travels through their bodies. Before they shot off far, Darcel, Ani, and Masami forcefully stopped their momentum by dragging their hands through the ground, splitting deep lines within the dirt.

    The trio had only stopped once they skidded at least thirty feet back.

    "Haaah."

    The trio sighed as the energy attempting to shred their bodies got destroyed by their bloodline powers.

    Though they all could still feel their arms shaking from the aftershock of the explosion. If they were just a second slower, then their injuries would''ve been far heavier than the light ones they received.

    Masami huffed a bit as she slowly stood up, "Well damn! Now we have to carefully pick and choose." As her eyes looked around the scenery now, she noticed after the explosion, numerous other trees had vanished because of it.

    Darcel and Ani as well stood up, their eyes gazing all around the other trees that were caught in the explosion.

    There wasn''t any other noticeable difference that had just jumped out to Darcel. Although, his eyes squinted a bit as he had noticed some trees had a darker shade in direct contrast to the lighter shaded trees.

 Chapter 250: Harmful Illusions

    Chapter 250: Harmful Illusions

    Just seeing the dark-shaded parts on the tree wouldn''t be a particr detail for Darcel to notice before that first tree exploded. But now, it was like something had slowly clicked in his mind the more he stared at the dark-shaded spots.

    Anything that happens in this hazy white mist, Darcel didn''t consider it a coincidence at all. His mind clicked back to Ani using Light energy to find the difference in the white leaves.

    Previously, Ani did im her Light energy senses didn''t pick up on anything. However, since they now have a different perception of the trees, Darcel believed it could change.

    He had then turned to ask her, "Ani.you also see the dark shaded parts of the trees, right?"

    "Eh?"

    Ani perked up as Darcel called out to her. Because he had pointed it out, she too had quickly noticed the dark-shaded parts of the tree.

    Masami as well notices it but stays silent, assuming that Darcel has an idea.

    "Yea .it''s a particr detail, but what do you want me." Before Ani even finished her sentence, she began to trail off. She stared at Darcel with a gaze that appeared to being to some sort of realization.

    And Darcel gave Ani a small knowing smile and told her, "I see you''re getting it. Maybe with our perception of the trees now changed, your Light energy can now sense something different. These should still be illusions to our minds. Well, illusions that can apparently hurt us."

    Ani furrowed her eyebrows for a moment. But almost instantaneously, her eyes lit up as she got the idea. "Ah! I should''ve thought of that first. And this time, I''ll make it shine even brighter."

    Because they could see now, Ani decided to go higher in her white Light glow. It wasn''t like they were blinded by the mist, and they needed to take particr notice of every little detail.

    Right then, Ani raised her palm high in the air and ignited it in radiant Light energy, spewing out brilliant white rays of light beams.

    The whole area lit up like a bright light bulb.

    "At least now, I can see better.oh? Do you guys see that too?" Masami spoke while her gazed intently locked on the surrounding trees.

    Immediately when Ani lit up the whole area, all three of them noticed immediate changes. Now almost every tree had a brighter light shaded part to them. But the dark-shaded parts on most of the trees had vanished.

    Only a few still had that dark-shaded parts, but there was something specific about their design.

    Ani had squinted her eyes as she zeroed on the changing dark-shaded parts. It almost looked like a form of energy to her. "Hmmm.Darcy.do you think your Darkness essence can show a difference?"

    Darcel already raised a curious eyebrow while staring at the dark-shaded parts of the trees. It was like Ani''s Light energy revealed its true nature.

    Without saying anything, Darcel raised his hand and coated it in his profound Darkness essence energy.

    His Darkness energy spewed a deep ck glow that seamlessly blended in with Ani''s Light energy.

    Masami blinked her eyes as she stared at the magicalbination of Darkness and Light. For the amount of time she''s been with the duo, she never had a chance to witness their Darkness and Light energy blending in together.

    If it ever did happen, they would be in the heat in the battle, and she wouldn''t be able to notice.

    "That''s.beautiful." Masami quietly uttered under breath.

    Even though she saw many magical sights in her life, there was something so hypnotic about Darcel and Ani''s Light and Darknessbination. As her eyes were pulled around the Darkness and Light imagery, her sights fell on one particr tree. And her eyes immediately twinkle.

    "Ah! It''s that one!" She pointed her finger over to that tree, pulling Darcel and Ani''s attention on it.

    Both of them didn''t notice this specific tree yet, but their eyes also gained a glint when gazing upon it.

    Thebination of Light and Darkness made the dark shades on the trees more pronounced, and this specific tree was a perfectly blended mix of Light and Darkness.

    "If a Light shaded tree exploded in our face, then I''ll just assume a darker-shaded one will do the same. So let''s go straight for the middle man!" Masami spoke in a confident tone.

    Darcel and Ani traded a brief nce. Looking around the other trees, nothing was like this specific blended mix one. So they both nodded in agreement, and Darcel had said then,

    "Alright, let''s go."

    On Darcel''smand, the trio began treading over to the blended mix tree very carefully. They made sure to avoid getting close to any other shaded tree.

    Thankfully, when the first tree hadbusted, it took out many of the other trees, allowing for a wider breadth to walk.

    Once they had made it within a couple of feet from the tree, the trio felt a bit of nerve. They finally realized that it will always be sudden and unexpected when dangeres for them in this area.

    But this time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami passed through the blended mix tree without any sudden danger popping up.

    On the other side of the tree, the trio blinked their eyes as they sensed swift energy run through the whole area.

    When they blinked their eyes open, the energy vanished, and the scenery had changed once again. Darcel and Ani still had their Light and Darkness energy up, causing the new sets of trees to light up under it.

    Although,pared to the first area, the trees shaded parts here were a bit challenging to tell. The Light and Dark shades became less pronounced, bing vaguer in their appearance.

    Before Darce and Ani can start trying to make out the next blended mix tree, they suddenly hear Masami speak up.

    "Yea, it''s that one right there!"

    Darcel and Ani looked over to where she was pointing and saw another perfectly blended mix tree.

    Now Darcel and Ani got curious about how she spotted the tree before them. At first, they thought she just got lucky. But with how vague the Light and Dark shades suddenly became, they guessed something had to be up.

    They had then trailed their eyes over to her face and was a bit surprised to see literal blue fox mes swirling within her vertical slit pupils.

    "Sami.can your eyes be enhanced with your fox mes?" Ani asked in genuine curiosity.

    Masami huffed up proudly and told her, "Of course! It''s a bit stinging to do it, but nothing I can''t handle. Honestly though? It sort of just happened on its own while I was staring into you guys Light and Darkness."

    Darcel got an even bigger interest in the abilities of fox mes, noting it in his mind to learn even more from Masami. Focusing on the present, he told the girls,

    "We''ll be relying on your eyes then, Masami."

    With more assured steps, the trio started walking towards the blended mix tree. But when they had reached ten feet from the tree, the trio''s Spirit Senses frantically went off.

    This time, they felt sudden danger on all sides of them!

    In an instant, Darcel, Ani, and Masami gathered a massive surge of power in their legs and began dashing towards the tree. As they shot off, they heard trees noisily rustling and felt the air whipped by behind them.

    Neither Darcel, Ani, and Masami looked back. But if they did, they would''ve seen numerous tree branches piercing their previous spots.

    The trio was intently focused, bing a blur in the wind as they tried to get close to the blended mix tree.

    However, they quickly noticed something odd. No matter how fast they were going, it was like that tree was only bing farther away from them.

    Before either Darcel, Ani, and Masami could question why, they immediately sensed dangering from in front of them.

    Numerous tree branches were now shooting right towards their faces and were exuding an energy that gave them a tremendous sense of death.

    In that instance, Darcel, Ani, and Masami erupted their bloodline powers, and each of them erected a Qi barrier.

    Right as the trio put their Qi barriers, the tree branches crashed right onto them!

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Both the trio''s Qi barriers and the tree branches shattered to bits and pieces on first contact.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had taken a firm footing on the ground as they felt their blood churns and arms quiver from that violent sh. Even in their most powerful state, the force those trees exuded were quite deadly.

    And if they took more attacks like that, it could quickly get worse for them.

    Almost immediately then, Darcel realized something strange. If they could phase through trees before, then why are they getting hit now?

    Unless.right then, Darcel''s eyes lit up. "Girls, stop resisting! Our minds had just got duped."

    Ani perked up with the same realizing glint in her eyes. "Right! Clever trick, but we won''t get fooled now!"

    "Heh! That was a pretty vicious trick. I''ll have to give props to whoever made this area." Masami spoke with scornful praise.

    At the same time, the trio took a deep breath, letting their mind quickly calm down.

    They had then stood straight up, deactivated their bloodline powers, and began to calmly walk forward. As they walked without any hurried pace, the blended mix tree wasn''t magically going farther away.

    Once again, their Spirit Senses began to frantically go off with danger as they walked.

    But Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t react at all. Their eyes saw tree branchesing at them at all sides, but they simply ignored it.

    And as they expected, every single tree branch had phased right through them. Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s lips curved up to a smirk as this was another trouble done.

    Under their calm, rxed pace, the trio reached the blended mix tree with no danger to their lives.

    After going through all of this trouble, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could only hope whates next would finally be at least close to the end of this long, drawn-out area.

 Chapter 251: The Final Stretch

    Chapter 251: The Final Stretch

    Before entering the blended mix tree, Darcel, Ani, and Masami did onest sweep over with their Spirit Sense. And to their expectations, there still wasn''t any dangerous energy flowing in the air that they should take note of.

    However, as they were mere inches away from the tree, the trio sensed that the treasure Qi energy was near them.

    Previously it was always like the treasure Qi energy had just existed everywhere in the air. It was impossible to precisely track the source on where it wasing from.

    But now, the trio could pick up that just beyond this tree, the treasure should be close, or simply on the other side.

    A new invigorated feeling permeated between Darcel, Ani, and Masami as they could now tell they have to be close to the end.

    Masami felt her anticipation rise, but there was still small voices in the back of her mind telling her to be highly worried for anything up ahead.

    She had then spoken out her concerns to Darcel and Ani, telling them, "Ok, here it is, just one more step. But I bet all of our asses that something deadly will just pop out of nowhere to ambush us. So, should we have our bloodline state active?"

    Ani''s expression turned severe as she deeply contemted her question. She came up with several possibilities in just a few short moments; nothing was concrete for her.

    Her eyes fell on Darcel, who had an equally pondering look, and she asked him, "I''m too flip-floppy for this question. Do you have an idea, Darcy?"

    Darcel blinked his eyes a few times before quicklying down to a decision. Though they appeared to be safe here, he didn''t want to stay rooted in one spot for even just a few minutes.

    He told the girls then, "We will hold off and wait to see what the other side has to offer. If we already have our powers active, it might trigger something just from our powers surging about."

    Ani and Masami thought over Darcel''s response. And from what they had already experienced, they both could say he wasn''t wrong.

    Whenever they made even the slightest step of achievement, this area would immediately change to catch them off guard. It was legitimately a bit chilling on how quickly it could do that.

    But since they had already survived so much, Ani and Masami could push down any slight nerves nestling within their bodies.

    "Got it." Ani and Masami agreed at the same time and refocused their attention on the blended mix tree.

    With everything in ce, Darcel took the slight lead and walked first through the tree. Ani and Masami didn''t protest and swiftly followed Darcel in after him.

    When the three of them phased through the tree, it was like something made the trio want to instinctively blink their eyes.

    They sensed a small surge of energy covering the whole area before immediately vanishing, escaping their Spirit Senses once again.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami blinked their eyes open after that split-second energy surge, and they were on the other side of the tree.

    The trio didn''t know what to honestly expect whening here, but they at least hoped they could see the treasure since they sensed it was close by.

    However, when the trio took only one foot on the other side, they all immediately went entirely rigid.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all froze up in utter fear as their eyesnded on a terrifying sight. Their Spirit Senses had even stalled as an unfathomable aura drilled into them.

    Lying just twenty feet away from them, not surrounded by any trees, was an enormous three-headed python snake Spirit Monster.

    It had pure white skin, seamlessly blending into the snow, and was at least over thirty feet long.

    However, its appearance wasn''t what truly terrified the trio.

    This Spirit Monster aura was at a level that they had once intensely shed with before.

    The beast is at the tenth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm! A genuine peak Heavenly King was right before their eyes!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami almost felt this situation was surreal.

    Hours ago, they held boundless confidence in taking on peak Heavenly Kings and winning without much of a sweat. Their words at that time weren''t even wholly groundless. They did manage to dominate three powerful peak Heavenly Kings right as the Mercenary Exchange Event started.

    But in their present situation, Darcel Ani and Masami were reallying around to see how their high prowess really inted their egos.

    With the prowess they have now, the Spirit Monster python can squash them like ants without it even moving from its spot.

    Their only saving grace was the fact that Spirit Monster python''s back was turned on them, presumably in deep slumber.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami also felt a bit of relief that they didn''t have their bloodline powers active. If they did, then that powerful monster would''ve possibly awoken from its slumber.

    After a few seconds, Darcel, Ani, and Masami forced down the fear gripping at their hearts.

    No matter the past or the future, the trio realized they need to adapt to any sudden situation. Their once burning fighting Wills switched over to the firm desire of wanting to survive and grow stronger.

    As they quelled a few of their nerves, the trio still didn''t dare move from their spots. They didn''t even leak out a breath or tried to foolishly talk to each other. Even as their auras alone couldn''t wake the beast, they were most sure sounds would be able to.

    After observing the beast for a few more seconds and realizing it truly won''t move, Darcel, Ani, and Masami began thinking up ways to get past here.

    Though there was a terrifyingly strong Spirit Monster here, there was another vital aspect to this area.

    Just beyond the Spirit Monster python, the trio could sense the source of the treasure Qi energy! They were now partially so close to the treasure, they could almost taste it.

    But first, they needed to cross this deadly trap.

    Ani and Masami quickly drowned themselves deep in thought, attempting to develop the most borate way to sneak by. It truly was regrettable they could no longer mask their presence while walking.

    But that loss did serve as some fuel to fire the girls up on using a craftier method to get past here.

    Darcel, however, wasn''ting up with such borate or deep thoughts. There was only one thing on his mind, to be as quick as possible while also being as quiet as possible.

    Because they couldn''t rely on their own prowess, it made Darcel think about what other possible resources they had. And his eyes quickly lit up once he recalls the various talismans in his spatial ring.

    ''Yes.this could work. But it''ll be at risk. Really, I have to start adjusting my mind to rely on other means.''

    After some brief contemtion of the pros and cons of this n, Darcel nodded to himself and decided to go through with it.

    When he peered over to Ani and Masami, neither of them looked like they were close to figuring out an efficient enough solution. And Darcel didn''t want to take the chance that Spirit Monster python might just wake up on its own.

    Right then, Darcel reached into his pocket, pulled out an azure color talisman, and tapped Ani and Masami''s shoulders.

    The girls silently gave Darcel their undivided attention, and their eyes were instantly drawn to his talisman.

    Seeing their eyes already drawn towards it, Darcel had then signaled for girls to take out the same talisman. No words were needed between them as Ani and Masami understood Darcel''s wordless instruction.

    They had taken out the same azure coloring talisman and looked back at Darcel with an expectant gaze. In the back of their minds, Ani and Masami were even a bit relieved that Darcel seemingly had a n.

    They were about to grow frustrated as any n they thought up in their minds just wouldn''t work the more they thought about it.

    Under Ani and Masami''s gazes, Darcel had then signaled with his hands of their following course of action. It was to get as close to the treasure as possible, and immediately when they sensed the beast waking up, they would crush their talisman.

    It was quite a lot to show with just his mere hands. But, Ani and Masami naturally understood everything he had singled to them.

    Their soul bonds were just that profound where they could have a bit of wordless understanding between each other.

    With a n in action in mind, the trio began to carefully tread over to where the treasure energy source wasing from.

    Though Darcel, Ani, and Masami were expecting it, it was still unnerving that the route they walked on led them so close to the Spirit Monster python.

    And when they were a mere six feet away from the Spirit monster python, the beast still didn''t react.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami never felt so tense in their lives. Cold sweat began running down their brows as they know with one wrong move, everything will be over.

    Very slowly and carefully, Darcel, Ani, and Masami tiptoe through the snow. On their tiptoes, they managed to eliminate even the slightest of noise their regr steps could possibly cause.

    Just to get another six feet away from the beast took the trio a whole ten seconds. But, no matter how long they took, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were satisfied that they could make it across with no trouble.

    Their guards didn''t rx, but they felt more assurance in making it across.

    But right then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami instantly sensed an immense sense of death!

    The three-headed python had abruptly opened all of its eyes!

    In the very instance the trio felt their Spirit Sense go off, they immediately crushed their azure talismans. A bright azure light wrapped around their bodies, and the trio blitz towards the treasure source, bing blurs in the wind.

    And at the exact same time the trio shot off into the wind, the python beast whipped its enormous tail straight at them.

    The beast''s speed was immense, and its tail managed to catch up to the trio almost instantaneously!

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami sprayed out a sea of blood from their mouths as the python''s huge tail managed to urately strike their backs.

    A tremendous force rummaged through their entire bodies, and they all shot off like missiles towards the treasure source.

    The Spirit Monster python didn''t even bother to give chase. Once, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were out of its Spirit Sense range, its eyes shut right back closed.

 Chapter 252: Hanging By A Thread

    Chapter 252: Hanging By A Thread

    Everything became a dazy blur for Darcel, Ani, and Masami. They didn''t know how fast or far they were flying. The only thing they could focus on was tremendous pain making an absolute mess of their bodies.

    Even as the Spirit Monster Python barely used any power when striking the trio, it still was an attack containing the energy of a peak level Heavenly King!

    And it was something neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami could causally defend against.

    Their bloodline powers were rapidly working to clear away the Spirit Monster Python''s powers, but it was proving to be challenging. With their bloodlines severely weakened, it would be aborious process to destroy the Python''s energy.

    As they soared through the air, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were on the very edge of falling unconscious. They may have experienced numerous hellish pain in their lives, but their bodies wouldn''t be able to catch up.

    No matter how hard the trio wanted to persist staying up, their bodies simplycked the tenacity to keep up with their burning Wills.

    The mere fact that their bodies could even tank a peak level Heavenly King attack and not burst into a crimson blood mist already spoke volumes on how long their bodies canst.

    Before the events with the yellow-eyed woman, a process was urring in their bodies that the trio wasn''t even aware of. Their potent bloodlines at that time was slowly strengthening their bodies.

    Because the trio rarely ever used physical attacks, they wouldn''t be able to tell, but the changes was happening.

    However, no matter how impressive their bodily defense is now, their limits were clearly defined.

    In just another second, the trio would unwillingly pass out. And the three of them had a significant fear that when they passed out, they wouldn''t be able to wake up again.

    Out in the middle of this hostile area, anything could happen to their unconscious bodies.

    But right then, as Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes were gradually closing, a change had urred deep within their soul''s cores.

    The prominent green hue within their soul''s cores had abruptly shined an intense, bright glow, radiating as brilliant as a zing sun.

    On the absolute verge of potential near death, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Chaotic Shards had finally reacted!

    Only a sliver of Chaotic energy rushed out of their soulscape space. But this mere tiny sliver of Chaotic energy instantly traveled all throughout the trio''s bodies and utterly destroyed the Spirit Monster Python''s energy!

    No matter if the energy belongs to a tenth level Heavenly Transformation powerhouse. Under the invincible might of Chaotic energy, that kind of power isn''t worthy of being mentioned at all.

    When the Spirit Monster Python''s energy vanished away, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes flung wide open.

    Immense pain was still wracking their bodies, but they could now hold on to their consciousness. Moreover, they could let their bloodlines rest as they all felt they were nearly out of their energy.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami did feel some movement from their soul during that process. Yet, they couldn''t identify what that power was.

    Immediately when the Spirit Monster Python''s energy vanished, so did their sliver strand of Chaotic energy.

    Before they could try and make out just what had truly happened, an enormous shadow crossed the trio''s vision. Darcel, Ani, and Masami squinted their eyes forward, attempting to perceive their surroundings even at the insane speed they were moving.

    And right then, the trio could make out the object rapidly approaching them. Instead of being curious about what it was, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s pupils dted as a sudden dread filled their veins.

    At the speeds they were soaring, the trio realized they couldn''t stop! All they could do is brace themselves for crashing into this enormous tree.

    ''This is going to hurt.'' Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously thought to themselves.

    With no other option, the trio simply clenched down on their teeth and prayed for the best.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Arge impact red into the wind as Darcel, Ani and Masami smacked hard into the colossal tree.

    The trio leaked a collective groan of anguish while they were nted on the truck of the tree. Before the pain could fully register to them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami slumped backward and crashed right onto the snowy ground.

    "Geh!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were all simultaneously puking up blood. Nearly everything in their bodies, to their ruptured organs and cracked bones, all was in a critical state.

    Before they did anything, the trio ignited their Spatial rings, bringing out a bright green color pill. They had then violently gnashed their teeth as they slowly brought their arms to their mouth.

    Though they had powerful bodies, trying to lift a nearly shattered arm was simply grueling.

    However, the trio managed to force past the mind-shattering pain and stuffed the bright green pill into their mouths.

    They had then swiftly swallowed their healing pill, causing a burst of healing energy to immediately spread in their bodies.

    At this point, Darcel, Ani, and Masami knew they are pretty much enemies to the Snow Angel group. But the trio couldn''t help but feel a bit of gratitude towards that group in this situation.

    Without these healing pills, Darcel, Ani, and Masami dreaded to think about how they would need to recover on their own.

    None of them had regenerative abilities despite their bloodlines used to be quite powerful. Even though Masami had a bloodline from a legendary God Beast, it barely provided her anything in the regeneration department.

    In just a mere two seconds, Darcel, Ani, and Masami already felt far better than before.

    The mysterious magical power of healing energy showed the trio just why it''s sorgely coveted across the entire Nine Provinces.

    As their ruptured organs and bones continued to heal, Darcel, Ani, and Masami started coughing up the excess bile in their mouths.

    Foul-smelling fluids flew from their mouths, turning the air around them into a putrid stench. Right then, the trio began to slowly sit up. While they gradually rose to a sitting position, Masami was the first one to speak up, saying,

    "Ack! Damn!! That really fucking hurt! I can''t tell if we got really lucky or unlucky." A more vulgarnguage slipped out of Masami''s mouth.

    Though she was the most abrasive with her words between their group, the stress of all these events was slowly getting to her.

    Ever since the yellow-eyed woman, Masami felt like it was just constant hiding and pain. Even more frustrating was that she alsocked the power to significantly change their situation.

    In direct contrast to Masami''s growing frustration, Ani had a calmer reaction. She formed a strained, small smile as she attempted to say in a soothing tone,

    "It''s not all bad, Sami. At least that beast didn''t give chase to us. If it did, we simply would be dead. So there''s luck in that."

    Even if it was just a little bit, Ani felt her optimism gradually return to her. The more deadly obstacles they faced and survived, the more she felt like they could possibly pull through this despairing situation.

    Darcel was also going to offer his own words, but right then, his Spirit Sense picked up on something incredible.

    On instinct, he had spread his Spirit Sense out while his body continued to heal just in case of an emergency situation.

    Because they were so warped with pain before, there was no way Darcel could notice the incredible energy spewing in this area.

    But now, he snapped his eyes up and forward. A bright twinkle shimmered within his pupils as he gazed upon the reward they were tracking ever since they set foot in this area.

    "Ani, Masami, look above you." Darcel called out to girls while never taking his eyes off from in front of him.

    Ani and Masami instinctively followed Darcel''s call, gazing their eyes up and forward. And immediately, the same bright twinkle burst with Ani and Masami''s eyes.

    "Ah! Finally! The treasure we took so long to look for!" Ani eximed in eager excitement.

    Right in front of the trio was an enormous tree that went thirty feet high into the skies. The odd thing about this tree was that it had only one branch and hanging off the edge of this branch was a single spikey-looking grapefruit.

    That spiky grapefruit is the source of that incredible treasure Qi energy!

    Masami''s eyes squinted in eager anticipation as her Spirit Sense inspected every inch of the fruit. Now that she is so close to the treasure, she could get a more urate read of its Qi energy.

    And after only a few short moments, her eyes shed in realization. Her foxtails began to excitedly swish around as Masami knew they scored big this time.

    "Darcel, Ani! This fruit isn''t just some ordinary treasure. It''s one of those Qi Root fruits! My Grandma told me all about this treasure, and I know for sure that its potent Qi energy can level up all of our cultivation!"

    Darcel and Ani took their eyes off the Qi Root fruit and peered over to Masami.

    Darcel had an inquisitive expression, not surprised that Masami''s Grandmother would know this but had pondered over their own cultivation.

    He began to acquire more information from Masami, asking her, "A really good item then. But, would our results get affected by ourprehension abilities?"

    With how weak they got, Darcel couldn''t help but wonder if theirprehension abilities were affected as well.

    Because the yellow-eyed woman can fundamentally change their bloodline and soul, who''s to say couldn''t mess with their minds. In fact, she already did so by throwing each of their mental states into a pessimistic route and causing trauma on them.

    Since they awoke, Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t try cultivating. They simply didn''t have any secure ce to try and see the changes.

    But Darcel did make it a note in his mind to do so when they first get the chance. Before that, though, he wanted to see if there was any specific requirement for this Qi Root Fruit.

    And to his slight joy, Masami shook her head. She told him, "Nope. This treasure is made for any cultivator to experience rapid short permanent boosts in power."

    "Ooh? Now that made this treasure even more worth it to go through all of those deadly tricks." Ani spoke in slight relief. She also had the same worrying thoughts about their cultivation, just like Darcel.

    With no more question in his mind, Darcel turned his attention back on the Qi Root Fruit and raised his hand.

 Chapter 253: Right Back To Action

    Chapter 253: Right Back To Action

    Darcel made a grasping motion with his hand, sending out pure Spirit Qi towards the Qi Root Fruit. Initially, he was admittedly a little bit concerned that something would suddenly jump out to bite their heads off.

    But thankfully, it seemed like this area threw the trio a bone.

    Nothing dangerous jumped out at Darcel, and he was able to smoothly pull in the Qi Root fruit into his palm.

    With the spikey fruit in hand, Darcel caressed its texture for a brief moment. Though it didn''t have a design that looked like it would be pleasant to touch, Darcel was legitimately surprised when it felt so soft.

    Darcel almost felt like he was squishing into a soft pillow or when he would caress either Ani or Masami''s breast. He felt a warm sensation course through his palm and traveled throughout his entire body just from touching.

    And then there was the Qi Root fantastic fragrance. It was like he was inhaling the most natural and richest garden on this.

    Darcel didn''t regreting here before, but now he felt even more d about braving through those challenges for this treasure.

    After he got a good feel, Darcel shed the Qi Root fruit into his spatial ring. Upon doing so, an immediate change urred within their surroundings.

    It was the return of the hazy white mist!

    And this time, the mist became immensely thick blinding, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s vision.

    "Goddammit! Really, again?!" Masami loudly cursed out her annoyance.

    Even Darcel and Ani couldn''t help but click their teeth as they also felt their annoyance rise.

    They all were thinking, haven''t they''ve been through enough?! Moreover, none of them weren''t yet fully healed by their Healing Pills.

    Darcel Spirit Sense scanned over each of them. And he sensed himself to be at sixty percent of his maximum capacity. Ani was around half of her, and Masami was nearing his energy reserve level.

    Because of their soul bonds, Darcel could actually see into the girl''s energy reserves, though he doesn''t use it often.

    Primarily because previously, they rarely would get injured from their battles. Although now, Darcel just knew he would be using this ability a lot more often.

    Focusing on the present, Darcel still tenses his body for any sign of action. Even as Ani and Masami were frustrated, they also prepared their bodies for battle, though they were still feeling residual pain.

    However, no matter their preparation, the trio quickly found it was simply unneeded.

    The impossible to see white mist onlysted for a mere second.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt an instinctive reaction to blink. The next moment they opened their eyes, their whole surroundings changed!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami began to rapidly blink their eyes now, feeling a small amount of disbelief that they actually made it out of the area. They were now currently in an open snowfield that had sparse trees littered all over the ce.

    Masami began scratching her fluffy fox ears as they twitched in slight puzzlement. "Huh.well.I won''t lie; I was expecting another devious trap. Not to be plopped right back into the action so suddenly."

    "Hmmm." Ani closed her eyes for a moment, expanding her Spirit Sense for a few miles. She flung it back open a split second after and told the others, "At least we''re not in the middle of some squadron."

    As she said so, Darcel and Masami were also spreading their Spirit Senses, searching out for any little detail. But like Ani, they picked up on nothing.

    Feeling a little bit of relief, Darcel, Ani, and Masami slowly rose to their feet. As they stood up, each of them felt and heard some of their bones crack out its kinks from getting repaired by the Healing Pills.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami scrunched up their faces as it felt a bit ufortable from it. But, with each second passing, the trio was feeling their health quicklye back to them.

    With what Darcel sensed now, he fathoms they could at least adequately fight without much hassle.

    Masami began searching her eyes throughout the entire area, squinting her gaze on whatever she found a bit suspicious. She asked while looking around,

    "Soo.what now? Should we just find a ce to go and hide to absorb the treasure?"

    Darcel searched his gaze around, but really, everything was blending in together in this area. He didn''t sense anything of interest to go after, and there was no clear suspicion that they should avoid.

    With a shrug of his shoulder, Darcel said, "Might as well. Let''s go." In the middle of his talk, he oddly trailed off.

    Ani and Masami peered their gazes onto him, curiosity filling both of their faces.

    Darcel didn''t have any expression like they were in danger. But he did stare into Ani''s beautiful face with slight questioning eyes.

    Ani inquisitively tilted her head, and Darcel asked her, "You know; actually, I was thinking about it previously. Back then, I was mildly shocked that you two didn''t actually see the mist until I pointed it out. And I recalled then, Ani, didn''t you have a killer intuition that pointed us in the right direction several times before?"

    "Eh? She really had something like that?"

    Masami reacted before Ani could even question. During her time with her, she couldn''t recall at any moment Ani using her intuition to lead them to somece.

    Ani tilted her head more, and her eyes twinkled a bit. Her expression started to brighten as she said, "Oooh.ooh! That''s right! I do remember doing that! But."

    In the middle of her sentence, the twinkle in her eyes vanished, and her expression turned dimmer. "I think that was just great luck, Darcy. For a while now, I haven''t had any striking intuition. And I fear that yellow-eyed woman probably took away that ability for good. If that was even an ability."

    Ani sighed with a little bit of emotion. But before either Darcel or Masami could say anything, her expression returned back to a serene small smile.

    "Still! Leaving things to random luck can only get us so far. Let''s just keep on walking; we found one cave before. I''m sure we can find one again!"

    The way Ani changed her expression to an optimistic one on the snap of a dime did remind Darcel and Masami she was always like this.

    Honestly, they thought Ani would need a bit more time before she returned back to this state. And even if it was only a short burst, the fact she was starting to do it again was a good start.

    Darcel and Masami were even affected by her sudden upbeat tone, and they felt their own expression brighten a bit.

    Darcel had then pointed to a random direction towards his left and began saying, "Since we''re in agreement, let''s walk down this way. Though, remember to always be ready."

    "Right." Ani and Masami nodded as a small me of determination ignited within their eyes.

    With Darcel in the lead, the trio started to walk off in the direction he pointed in. They all were expecting danger toe at them, but they felt slight assurance it wouldn''t immediatelye at them.

    But after they only took a few steps, the trio abruptly stopped.

    Darcel tightly knitted his eyebrows as several powerful presences suddenly appeared in his Spirit Senses. Whoever was above them was a mile above, and it was like they were ghosts!

    With his downgraded Spirit Sense, Darcel had absolutely no way to track what technique they used to hide. Trepidation began to fill Darcel''s mind as he genuinely can''t catch a long enough break.

    Then again, this was the high-intensity Mercenary Exchange Event.

    Darcel knows sudden encounters like these should be par for the course. Though, it didn''t make them any less frustrating when it did happen.

    "Haaah.seems like we''re destined to have the most deplorable luck now." Darcel quietly muttered under his breath.

    At the exact same time, Ani and Masami also froze with dread, sensing the same presence and feeling the same frustration.

    Ani shot her gaze to the sky with a sour expression. While Masami''s foxtails were twitching around in annoyance as she said, "Just.what could it possibly be this time."

    Right then, a booming voice echoed from the skies.

    "Oh? What''s a bunch of kids doing out here with that treasure on them? Tch, can''t believe we were nearly worried for a moment."

    The voice was a man speaking. Darcel, Ani, and Masami could practically feel the overwhelming confidence oozing from his voice.

    As they heard the man, the trio had then seen five figures appear in the skies.

    It appeared to be five men wearing overly long and suspicious clothes. The trio could only guess they were all men since their appearance was difficult to tell.

    Each person was wearing an overly long ck coat with the hoodie up.

    Besides the man that talked, there simply wasn''t any well to precisely tell the difference apart from each other. The only thing they could make out was the slight facial feature sticking out from their hoodies.

    Already, the trio felt some nerves about this squadron group. Usually, these Mercenaries groups always have shy, distinct designs that set them apart from one another.

    But this squadron looked like they''re proficient in being sneaky.

    Right then, the man in front of the group, the one who spoke before, suddenly said, "Well then. No need for us to be so careful, guys."

    After he gave that causal order, Darcel, Ani and Masami narrowed their eyes.

    A considerable pressure crushed onto their bodies as this squadron group decided to release their Heavenly Aura. Even more dread stilled into Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s veins.

    Four of the men''s prowess was at the fifth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    And for the one that continued to talk was at the sixth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    A lineup that Darcel, Ani, and Masami would''veughed at some time ago now gave them a tremendous sense of danger.

 Chapter 254: Perilous

    Chapter 254: Perilous

    To say that Darcel, Ani, and Masami were surprised to sense hostile intentions in the five ck coat men would be a lie.

    Essentially, if you''re not a part of a squadron group, you might as well be a Spirit Monster to these Mercenaries.

    A fight was nearing, and neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami knew if they could even face this battle. Even if they all were at one hundred percent of their capacities, they knew their bloodline powers could not match up to numerous fifth level Heavenly Kings and one powerful sixth level.

    Although, before these men evennded before them, a sh of information streaked into Darcel''s mind. He blinked his eyes a few times as he suddenly recalled just who this squadron group belongs to.

    ''Their.the Shadow Rouge group!'' Recognizing this group didn''t put any ease on Darcel''s mind.

    Before the event started, Ani and Masami did take a bit of time to go through the Mercenaries groupspeting.

    At that time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami admittedly didn''t have a considerable interest in learning in-depth detail about them. They only gazed over the surface-level facts as they didn''t feel threatened by any of what they saw.

    Even though Darcel couldn''t predict the yellow-eyed woman affecting their prowess, he still felt regret over not learning more about these groups.

    All he knows about the Shadow Rogue group is that they''re not a particrly strong one. But they are proficient in the mysterious art of Shadow energy which looked simr to Darkness energy but holdspletely different properties.

    No matter what arts they used, anything they have isrgely threatening to Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    "Be ready." Darcel quietly uttered to the girls without taking his gaze off from the skies. Ani and Masami gave only a slight nod, their eyes also never leaving the Shadow Rouge group.

    Up in the skies, each Shadow Rouge member felt a bit creased as the trio didn''t answer them back. Their squadron leader lightly snorted and dived towards the ground, prompting the others to follow in his lead.

    In a second, the five of them crossed a mile towards the ground andnded just a mere fifteen feet away from the trio.

    Even when they hadnded, the Shadow Rouge members still didn''t hear any peep from Darcel''s group.

    Each of them gave the trio a thorough look over. Admittedly they were mildly surprised at their appearances.

    Each Shadow Rogue member all had seen numerous handsome and beautiful youths in their long time of living.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Masami held a distinct charm that already set them apart from most people they had encountered. Moreover, despite their pitifully low realms, none of these youths appeared to be worried that their facing powerful Heavenly Kings.

    The Captain of the squadron group couldn''t stop his curiosity from growing over this strange, chance encounter. With no hurried tone in his voice, he began speaking to the trio.

    "How suspicious.two True Soul core brats and one Innate Core brat. None of you even look like you hail from any particr group. So I''ll ask again, what brings you three in this dangerous domain."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt horrid goosebumps just from this man''s voice. It was unbearably condescending as if he was inplete control over this situation.

    What made the trio garner even more bitterness was the fact that the Shadow Rouge squadron indeed did have the advantage over them.

    But, even at seemingly impossible odds, Darcel, Ani and Masami weren''t willing to submit. They all appeared calm while frantically thinking of ways to escape.

    And Darcel believed he may have on solid yet risk n.

    Facing against several Heavenly Kings, Darcel kept his face indifferent as he finally spoke up to them. "We''re simply looking for treasure just like everyone else in here. And I''m amusing.you all must''ve sensed a recent treasure of ours and must want it, right?"

    As he finished talking, Darcel spotted the Captain of their squadron turns his body stance even more casual. He began treating the situation as if it was simply an amusing game.

    But nheless, he nodded towards Darcel. "That indeed is true. Thankfully for you all sake, you understood your position immediately. So, just give us your Spatial Ring, and we''ll be on our way."

    The Captain''s tone somehow turned even more grossly condescending.

    The only reason the Shadow Rouge squadron didn''t simply just forcefully take what they wanted was that they were genuinely curious about the trio.

    From the countless years they participated in these Mercenary Exchange Event, never had they encountered anyone below the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    The only possibility roaming around the Shadow Rogue squadron member''s minds was that these youths must''ve sneaked in one of the teleportation portals.

    They guessed these youths were either incredibly daring or foolishly naive. Either way, the Shadow Rouge squadron members firmly believed they wouldn''t be able to get away.

    Darcel only kept his indifferent face while his mind sorted out his n. He shoved his hand into his pocket, taking out his spatial Ring, and began walking up to the Shadow Rouge squadron.

    As Darcel walked, Ani and Masami remained rooted to their spots, but their palms were silently clenching.

    Right as they were about to stress over how to stop Darcel from going up, his calming voice had suddenly popped into their mind. Their calm expressions nearly broke as they heard,

    ''Be prepared. Ani, your shbang. Masami the escaping talisman.''

    Ani and Masami started to blink their eyes multiple times in an attempt to cover their surprise. Deep within their souls, they both felt their Darkness Soul link violently pulsate, shooting out warming sensations in the girl''s Martial Veins.

    Ani and Masami had no idea that Darcel could do this!

    They always had a feeling he could more easily read their emotions, but this was essentially a telepathic connection!

    Ani had never read anything about cultivators having telepathic connections, nor did Masami even learn of someone using this ability.

    However, despite how shocking this was, the girls quickly pushed down their surprise.

    Doing as Darcel instructed them, Ani began clutching on her bloodline arm. At the same time, Masami shoved her hand into her pocket, clutching down on something.

    While the girls prepared, Darcel already made it within six feet from the Shadow Rouge squadron.

    Understandably, none of the Shadow Rouge members were worried about Darcel attempting to do anything suspicious. And if he did try to, the Shadow Rouge members were actually a bit curious to see what tricks a mere True Soul Core youth has.

    No matter what he tries, though, it would never be able to match up to the unfathomable power of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    Darcel simply raised his arm and was about to hand over his Spatial Ring.

    Right then, with Darcel''s sleeve raised, a talisman had actually fallen out of his sleeve.

    The Shadow Rouge squadron noticed the talisman, but in that split second, the talisman had suddenly activated on its own!

    A colossal sum of Heavenly Power abruptly surged out the talisman as it twinkled in a bright blue glow.

    At the same time, Darcel''s body was covered in the same blue glow, and he was immediately sent fifteen feet back as if he just got teleported.

    Simultaneously when Darcel had escaped, the Shadow Rogue squadron were all caught off guard! The talisman only needed less than a nanosecond to activate, and before it did surge with power, none of them even sensed any energying from it.

    In addition to being caught off guard, they also feltrgely pressured by the talisman Heavenly Qi power!

    ''Chi!''

    Before the Shadow Rouge members could react, a tremendous sum of Ice Qi wrapped around their bodies.

    Their protective Heavenly Auras got instantly suppressed, effectively bypassing any natural defenses they had. And in just a mere second, the Shadow Rouge members were all frozen in a solid block of ice.

    The temperature snapped down to sub-zero level in just a manner of seconds, freezing everything in a six-foot radius.

    "Fuuu." Darcel leaked a huge breath as sweat poured down his brows.

    If there''s one thing he was immensely thankful for, it was that none of those Heavenly Kings could sense his soul energy. While he had walked up, he poured a stream of his Darkness essence energy in the talisman that would release on hismand.

    In order for the n to work, the Heavenly Kings had to be absolutely unaware of any spek of soul energy. If they were, they would''ve immediately put a stop to Darcel''s n.

    But even then, Darcel wasn''t even sure if the talisman would have enough energy to be active. It was a tremendous risk to take; but, Darcel felt some assurance because of his Chaotic Shard deep within his Soul''s core.

    Previously, it did help with clearing away even peak Heavenly King power easily, so activating a talisman should''ve been equally as easy.

    Because it was attached to his Soul, Darcel assumed the Chaotic energy would naturally flow with his Darkness essence energy.

    And thankfully, his huge gamble had paid off.

    After taking only a split second to catch his breath, Darcel immediately whipped his head around to see Ani and Masami state.

    Ani was clenching her teeth, tightly clutching her bloodline arm, desperately gathering a massive sum of her bloodline powers. Her face was drenched as she needed to have far more focus when charging her bloodline attacks now.

    No longer can Ani release attacks on a snap of a dime which severely limited her fighting potential even more.

    Masami was also intently focused. She was clutching down on a green talisman, pouring a tremendous sum of bloodline power into it.

    Green lightning arcs spewed out of the talisman as it got close to finishing its charge. This talisman was explicitly crafted to need an enormous sum of power to activate and took a bit of time to charge. And with Masami''s weakened prowess, it only added to the time required to finish.

    But the results would be worth it as it would allow the trio to escape this desperate situation.

    The talisman Darcel used wasn''t that strong but, it had a decently powerful effect in freezing anybody. Darcel thought it would provide them with enough time for a course of action.

    But right then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt a frightening chill run through their entire body, causing them to shiver. Their pupils began to dte to mere dots size as they sensed the immense power of a sixth level Heavenly King burst throughout the area!

    Ani was in disbelief as she eximed, "Ah?? That talisman is supposed to hold on! I-I''m not done yet!"

    There was only a faint white glow flickering around Anieal''s bloodline arm, indicating her soul shbang was on the verge of finishing its charge.

    Masami gritted her teeth; frustration covered her voice as she said, "Damn it! The talisman isn''t done yet!"

    Masami''s firefox cloak had wrapped around her arm as she explosively increased her power output. Yet, the talisman wasn''t finished charging.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    The sound of ice shattering boomed into the trio''s ears. Darcel whipped his head back up front, and his eyes widened in looming dread.

 Chapter 255: Narrow Escape

    Chapter 255: Narrow Escape

    "You little shits!!"

    The whole ground shook like several violent earthquakes were striking all at once as an enraged voice loudly echoed out. Tiny shards of ice sprayed into the air at lightning speed, disappearing far into the horizon.

    Over at the Shadow Rogue Squadron, the Captain floated several feet in the air,pletely free from his previous ice prison. Frostbite was all around his face and,bined with his current enraged expression, gave him a frightening appearance.

    Even as he had escaped the ice prison, the Shadow Rouge Captain body was still continually shaking.

    Because he was entirely unprepared, he had to use over half of his Heavenly Qi reserve just to break out of that Ice Qi.

    But no matter how quickly he had broken out, the Ice Qi had already caused severe damage to him. Inside his Martial Veins Ice Qi rampage about, heavily weakening his full prowess.

    Furthermore, the ice-cold energy had also prated deep within his body, putting his body in a continuous state of never-ending cold.

    Since even a sixth-level Heavenly King had trouble breaking out of that Ice talisman, of course, the other fifth-level Heavenly King were all still trapped.

    The others indeed weren''t dead, but all of theirbat prowess would be severely limited until they could recover.

    And to think, the cause of all of this pain was because of one dirty trick from a weak youth.

    Even as it was apse of judgment on all of their parts, the Captain absolutely couldn''t ept being put in such a desperate situation because of a mere True Soul Core youth!

    In that instance, the Captain''s Killing Intent exploded into an aura that surged and crushed down on Darcel, Ani, and Masami. The resentment in the Captain''s heart wouldn''t be resolved until he personally sliced these youths apart.

    "Shit! Just keep on charging!"

    Darcel roared to the girls as his own bloodline arm surged a Darkness glow around it.

    Ani and Masami didn''t respond as they continued to frantically charge up their respective attacks. On both girls'' faces, their expressions were the most severe than it ever was.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies were warped by indomitable pressure, and they had to pour every single drop of power they had to keep on moving.

    At this point, Darcel could only hope his defense can at least somewhat hold out against the Captain''s ensuring attack.

    And like Darcel expected, the Shadow Rouge Captina strut his palm forward, surging it with an immense wave of Heavenly Qi power.

    Just the mere shockwaves of the Captain''s power caused even more pressure upon Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies. At this point, their Soul''s Cores began instinctively pumping them full of soul energy just so they can stay on their feet.

    Seeing the trio somehow still standing up even after he burst forth a wave of Heavenly Qi power did cause the Captain to crease his brows.

    He did sense the trio''s unleashing their bloodline state, but the prowess they exuded was simply nothingpared to the might of his sixth level Heavenly King prowess.

    Still, the fact they could stand ignited even more feral Killing Intent within the Captain. In an instant, his palm got coated in Shadow Essence energy which took on the appearance of a Darkness glow.

    For a six feet radius around the Captain, everything was shrouded in a chilling Darkness aura. And in a nanosecond, the Captain sted out three Shadow Essence energy chains from his palm!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami nearly went rigid inplete terror.

    Terrifying dread exploded in their minds as they sensed the immense power radiating from the Captain''s three Shadow Essence energy chains.

    This was an attack none of them could easily tank even if they were at full power. And Darcel had only managed to gain back seventy percent of his own energy reserves.

    The only lucky thing they had going was the fact that Captain Heavenly Aura and Heavenly Qi weren''t immobilizing their bodies.

    Even though they were fifteen feet apart, the Captain''s Shadow energy chains reached the trio in just a mere second.

    Right before each Shadow energy chain pierced into their bodies, Darcel erected arge Darkness Essence wall right in front of them.

    The Shadow energy chains were but a foot away from reaching his Darkness Essence wall, and Darcel could feel the chills of death crawling up his spines.

    Even though he poured his heart into this attack, he could just sense this will do very little in actually defending.

    And Darcel''s hopeless thoughts came true, much to his dismay.

    <em>''Ka-Cha!'' </em>

    The Shadow energy chains easily shattered Darcel''s Darkness Essence wall into tiny wisps of energy.

    And without stopping, the Shadow energy chains brutally tore right into Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s shoulders and came right out the other end.

    "Damn!!" Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t stop shrieking in anguish as their blood and guts flew out their pierced shoulder.

    The Shadow energy chains ruthlessly tore apart their flesh and sturdy bones like it was made of paper mache. Tremendous pain wracked the trio''s bodies, nearly putting them on the verge of unconsciousness.

    And inside their bodies, the Captain''s Heavenly Qi energy attempted to destroy everything inside.

    But, instantaneously, a small stream of green energy tore apart the Captain''s energy like it was nothing.

    On a protective instinct, a faint green glow shrouded Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s entire bodies even while the Shadow energy chains were still in their shoulders.

    Immediately when the faint green glow covered their bodies, the Shadow energy chains had suddenly erupted!

    <em>''BANG!'' </em>

    A tremendous st of Heavenly Qi exploded from right within Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s shoulders! This should''ve decimated their bodies to mere dust.

    However, while they were in the Heavenly Qi st, the trio''s faint green glow shrouding their bodies turned into a harsher, darker light.

    An indescribable amount of power shrouded Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies which protected them from getting blown to smithereens.

    "Geeh!!"

    Although, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were still sent flying back like broken leaves in the wind because of the Heavenly Qi st tremendous knockback.

    Blood sprayed from their mouths like a geyser, and their bodies tumbled along the snowy ground for over fifteen feet.

    "....How? The hell?" Even though the Shadow Rouge Captain was in an absolute superior position, he couldn''t understand what just happened.

    In fact, his mental state was in absolute bewilderment!

    No matter what tricks, talisman, or Spirit Artifact they could possibly have, there''s just no way anything could save their bodies from tanking a powerful attack from him.

    After all, he''s at the sixth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    Masami was merely a peak Innate Core brat. While Darcel and Ani were even worse, being mere True Soul Core brats!

    Never in the Shadow Rogue Captain''s life did he feel so much shock over seemingly winning an easy battle.

    For a brief moment, the Captain contemted on what he should do with these youths. His Spirit Sense could still pick up on their tenacious lifeforce, though it was dwindling by the second.

    Right then, a cold glint sparked within the Captain''s eyes as he decided his next course of action. Since their bodies are so tough, he''ll simply kill the trio off for good and inspect whatever treasure they have on them.

    A chilling smirk curved the Captain''s face, and he raised his palm, preparing to end this charade once and for all.

    However, whatever attack he was getting ready to unleash wouldn''t be able toe out.

    Not when Ani''s voice had suddenly shrieked out into the wind.

    "sh!!"

    A radiant white glow burst out from where Aniid in the snow and quickly covered everything in a one-hundred-foot radius!

    In a surprising twist of an event, she had managed to finally unleash her soul stunning shbang. What primally helped achieve this was a familiar energy coursing out from her soulscape space.

    The Shadow Rouge Captain was caught entirely off guard once again. Just likest time, he didn''t even sense the attack before it went off.

    But the Captain found something else even more shocking. It was the facet he had immensely trouble moving his body! Inside his soulscape space, the Captain also felt a powerful force invade all around there.

    If Ani still had her original prowess, then the Shadow Rouge Captain simply wouldn''t be able to move at all, and his entire body would be leftpletely defenseless.

    However, now, the Captain could still move his body, just every so slightly. And he could still gather up his energy. Albeit, his speed in gathering energy was immensely slowed down.

    Plus, he had to pour all of his energy into destroying the invading force in his soulscape space.

    It was taking the Shadow Rouge Captain a whole few seconds to get close to breaking free from Ani''s soul shbang.

    And those few seconds were all that the trio needed.

    Even as sheid face down on the ground, Masami still tightly held on to the escaping talisman, never stopping for a single second of pouring her power into it. Though her body was in tremendous pain, an familiar energy from within her soulscape space kept her consciousness afloat.

    And right then, Masami sensed the talisman was finished charging.

    Almost instinctively, Masami crushed the escaping talisman, causing a green lightning glow to instantly wrap around her, Darcel, and Ani''s bodies.

    In that instance, the trio shot off far into the distant skies, bing a faint green blur in the far-off horizon.

    Just as the trio had escaped, the Shadow Rouge Captain broke through Ani''s soul shbang.

    The radiant white glow had disappeared, and the Captain whipped his eyes towards the sky. He was only able to catch the faint afterimage of the trio''s trail.

    In just a couple of seconds, the trio was long gone, going even beyond the Shadow Rogue Captain''s Spirit Sense range.

    "Tch! Dammit! Just how did they survive my attack!"

    The Shadow Rouge Captain was still fervent disbelief. His eyes still lingered in the sky as a ruthless thought swirled in his mind. The next time he meets those youths, they won''t even know how they will die!

 Chapter 256: Recovery & Changes

    Chapter 256: Recovery & Changes

    The light-shaded yellow sky still permeated all throughout the independent realm. Even with the seeming disappearance of the yellow-eyed woman, the change in the sky was permanent.

    The permanent sky changed also reflects how different the Mereray Exchange Event was and how shocking it will beter on. After a couple hours, the Event had shifted gears to high intensity.

    All throughout the realm, numerous fights tore the snowy forest maze unsundered.

    Squadron groups and boosted Spirit Monsters alike all engaged in fiercebat with each other, causing numerous casualties on both sides.

    And for one particr Squadron group, words were spreading of their explicit cruelty. When Mercenaries members heard about the cruelty of this specific group, many were surprised.

    Out of all Mercenaries groups, the cruelest would always range from the White Demon group, the Golden Crow Circle, or the Raven Mage order group.

    However, none of those groups were even making anyrge waves in this year''s Event. It was especially unusual for the Golden Crow Circle and the Raven Mage Order group.

    It was like these two groups wentrgely silent just a few minutes after starting the Mercenary Exchange Event.

    No, the group showing their overt cruelty is, shockingly, the Snow Angel Order group!

    This was the one Mercenary group that many always thought was too aloof, proud, and arrogant to dirty their hands with vicious killings.

    But as intel got spread out from the lucky survivors that managed to encounter a Snow Angel squadron, they all would note one specific Captain that would be entirely ruthless in her action.

    This year''s Mercenary Exchange has undoubtedly been a significant change for everyone. And after it''s all over, the whole New Branch City would be warped with various tremendous news of several monumental figures.

    .

    Thousands of miles deep within the snowy forest maze, this area was a particrly secluded one. Only under one enormous tree where there three figures huddled up together, leaning against its vast trunk.

    These figures were all youths who were in a worse for wear state. Their clothes were in a heavily battered state, looking like they had just got off several tremendous battles.

    These damaged-looking youths were Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    By just the skin of their teeth, they had survived that grueling attack from the Shadow Rogue Captain. The lightning escaping talisman had no clear direction, but it at least took them as far as away as possible.

    Although, there were severalplicated matters Darcel had to solve when they had crashnded in this area.

    Though they all had barely survived, Darcel was the only one still conscious when they stumbled onto this ce.

    Even with their incredibly tough bodies, Ani and Masami''s vitality simply weren''t enough to keep them afloat.

    When they were struck by the Spirit Monster Python, barely any of its power invaded their bodies before their Chaotic Shards destroyed it.

    But with the Shadow Rogue Captain, his energy fully poured into them, which caused severe damage to them before their Chaotic Shards could react.

    Still, when their Chaotic Shards finally spewed in their bodies, it destroyed the Shadow Rogue Captain''s power in a manner of seconds.

    This let them all keep their lives, but for an unexined reason, Darcel was the only remaining conscience.

    Darcel, quite honestly, wasn''t entirely sure why he was the only one kept up. He thought it was something pertaining to his cultivation realm. But Ani was only one level behind him, and Masami had the highest realm between them.

    Moreover, it wasn''t like Darcel had an advantage in his bloodline. That was the one thing he truly couldn''t rely on in this scenario.

    No matter how it happened, Darcel couldn''t focus on that train of thought as another intense sensation was warping his mind at that time.

    The excruciatingly unbearable pain legitimately made Darcel want to go unconscious. He may have high pain tolerance, but the feeling of having nearly all of your bones cracked open and almost every organ rupture wasn''t something a merely determined mind can handle.

    However, Darcel absolutely refused to fall unconscious.

    Every time he would teeter on the verge, his mind would snap over to Ani and Masami''s unconscious states. If he were to let himself fall, he definitely knew it would be over for the three of them.

    For a while now, nothing has been going their way. It''s all just been bad luck and impossible to win fights.

    But Darcel was quickly learning that no matter what happens, he needs to remain persistent and keep pushing forward.

    Even as he was forced to hide, run and defend, Darcel learned to simply ept that was as much he could really do in their situation. His arrogance, pride, and ego, all from before, mellowed out as he took care of Ani and Masami''s unconscious form.

    Darcel couldn''t say for sure what it exactly felt like. But he certainly did feel a specific shift urring in his mental state. In order to survive with his two lovers, he realized he needed to change and grow to be better in every aspect.

    Darcel knew he''ll need to refine everything for the better, from his cultivation, mental state, and even personality.

    Darcel would always consider what the yellow-eyed woman had done to them as a nightmarish disaster. But, he could at least admit that without doing what she did, his mindset probably wouldn''t grow in any short amount of time.

    With thoughts like this swirling in his mind at that time, Darcel gritted his teeth and took Ani and Masami bodies under that enormously vast tree.

    He had then fed the girls and himself several Healing Pills, uncaring on how much he had to use.

    Because they used to have essentially full ess to the whole Snow Angel group, the trio did take the time to stock up on healing resources.

    Even though that was the time they all had their incredible confidence and egos, they still knew that something unexpected could possibly happen to them.

    Although, even with the abundance of healing resources, it took quite a while for them to make a nearlyplete recovery.

    The time they took to recover should''ve been hazardous; at any moment, a Squadron or feral Spirit Monster could''ve got the jump on them.

    But by some shining luck that Darcel was eternally grateful, they were able to go intoplete seclusion for thirty minutes!

    Around the ten-minute mark of their recovery, Ani and Masam had finally awoken. Darcel, who was initially happy to see them awake, noticed an immediate change in them.

    He had felt some slight worrying concerns when staring into the girl''s eyes. For some reason, they both had an odd, far-away look in their eyes. Almost as if while they were unconscious, they were profoundly contemting something.

    Darcel had to put that line of questioning on hold as he swiftly told them to refine the Healing Pills in their bodies.

    And making his concern go up a notch higher, Ani and Masami had wordlesslyplied with his directions.

    It was a bit of a surreal moment for Darcel. Both girls, in their own unique way, would always have some sort ofment to make.

    Masami, for sure, would be the first one to talk as she was ustomed to venting out her frustrations. And Ani would always be there to follow up with a more soothingment.

    But the way they acted then was almost like they both were twopletely different people.

    Darcel could only push those thoughts forter and had continued to refine the healing energy in his body.

    And after another ten minutes, Darcel found his worries were for nothing. He was awoken from his healing process when Ani and Masami rapidly shook his arms in genuine excitement.

    Darcel had opened his eyes to see Ani''s face gaining back her usual enigmatic optimism. While Masami had her typical excited expression.

    At the same time, they both shouted to him in an overwhelming amount of passion, "Let''s take that treasure!!"

    The girls didn''t even yet know they were lucky enough to have no one around them. They were truly so heated up that they wanted to breakthrough no matter the consequences.

    And Darcel could fathom why they were both overly excited. In his Darkness Soul link, he sensed both of their emotions to be in a chaotic, jumbled mix.

    Though Darcel essentially had to grit himself to change to a more calm and focused mindset.

    The girls aren''t like him at all. Their attachment to life and survival shot through the roof, and they both had reached one swift conclusion.

    To survive together, they needed power! Without power, neither Ani nor Masami knew just how much their luck couldst. The need for power shouldn''t be anything new for the girls. But they were feeling the thrive for it more than ever.

    Darcel could tell that this near-death experience weighed another shackle on the girl''s minds, heavily changing it towards a new point.

    He really couldn''t me them since he too, was also tremendously affected by this near-death experience. Moreover, his thoughts also align with the girls since it was true that numerous troubles would be more easily solved if they had more power.

    And all of this had led to their current situation.

    Taking an immense daring risk, Darcel had split up the Qi Root Fruit three ways, and they were currently refining its potent Qi energy.

    A full thirty minutes did pass with no disruption from Squadron groups or Spirit monsters.

    But, who''s to say that wouldst?

    It wasn''t like the trio had some talisman or Spirit Artifact that could set up a formation to keep them safe. Furthermore, when cultivating, they would be at their most vulnerable state.

    Despite these numerous insane risks, the trio still had to take this route. If not, their prowess would only stay stagnant for the remainder of this Event.

    Although, when Darcel had actually started cultivating, he took notice of several immediate tremendous changes. It was such profound changes that he was nearly taken aback, almost in utter disbelief.

 Chapter 257: Breakthroughs

    Chapter 257: Breakthroughs

    In all honesty, Darcel didn''t know what to expect when cultivating again.

    Even though Masami did say the Qi Root Fruit would nullify anyone having to have a highprehension for breakthroughs, the yellow-eyed woman couldn''t leave his mind.

    To Darcel, the yellow-eyed woman was essentially this frightening god that can change anything on her very whims. With the power she wields, Darcel had briefly wondered how the hell was she ever caught by the Parasol Organization.

    But barring that, Darcel was expecting some disastrous change that would affect him even absorbing the Qi Root Fruit.

    However, to his surprise, his cultivation abilities experienced massive changes, all for the better.

    Like Masami exined to him, he could absorb the Qi Root Fruit very seamlessly. In just a few minutes of cultivating, Darcel already felt that he was approaching the borders of the half-step Innate Core realm.

    From what Darcel had studied about this realm, this would be where one needs to reach profound enlightenment about cultivation as a whole.

    This could be achieved throughprehending high-ranking cultivation manuals, experiencing numerous life-or-death fights, or even seeing insights into one bloodline if they have a powerful one.

    There were even more methods where one can use external means to achieve an enlightenment breakthrough state.

    All of this was for one to craft an Innate Spirit Sense.

    With an Innate Spirit Sense, one would remold their minds, elevating it to a higher boundary they had never experienced before.

    And though the Qi Root Fruit quickly alleviated Darcel to reach the half-step Innate Core border. He would still need to rely on his ownprehension abilities to achieve some sort of enlightenment.

    Even for his previous self, Darcel would''ve needed to concentrate on achieving an enlightened state. Moreover, that could''ve taken days or even weeks. And with how he is now, Darcel expected to be stumped at this mental roadblock.

    However.all Darcel felt was a bizarre sensation.

    There was no tremendous mental roadblock or a need to gain enlightenment. Darcel simply felt like if he just took a slight push forward, he could easily form his Innate Core Spirit Sense.

    No profound enlightenment or contemtion was needed at all. Even for everything Darcel experienced so far in his journey, this was very peculiar.

    If he were to go around and tell how he could simply breakthrough to an Innate Core Spirit Sense with just a slight push, countless cultivators would spit out blood like a geyser.

    Before the meeting with the yellow-eyed woman, it wasn''t like Darcel had a particrly tough time with cultivation.

    All he reallycked was the potent Qi energy to feed his dantian space.

    And now, after having his heart brutally pierced into, not only was hisprehension not ruined, it was also elevated to a tremendously high boundary.

    Darcel briefly wondered if Ani and Masami were experiencing the same thing. The yellow-eyed woman was quite ruthless, so maybe she inadvertently gave them a disastrous gift as well.

    For now, Darcel pushed these thoughts aside to find outter and focused on breaking through.

    In the simplest moment he ever had with cultivation, Darcel pushed his Spirit Sense forward, crashing against the invisible wall that separated him from an Innate Core Spirit Sense.

    With no mental block and barely effort at all on Darcel''s part, his Spirit Sense drilled right into the Innate Core boundary.

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    Darcel felt a ss barrier shattered into a million pieces in his mind, bringing his entire being to an elevated boundary. His body suddenly went rigid as his Spirit Sense began to swiftly evolve.

    Currently, Darcel was undergoing a process that was fundamental in every cultivator''s life.

    That is forming his Innate Spirit Sense!

    In just a manner of seconds, Darcel felt his mind massively expand beyond anything he ever felt before.

    Everything in his mind and Spirit Sense became clearer, letting Darcel see intoplex topics that muddled his head before. He felt far more focused as if he could now easily fall in and out of a meditative state at will.

    Now when Darcel connected to his Spirit Sense, everything felt so vibrant. There wasn''t any murky energy or air that could confuddle his Spirit Sense, making it easier for him to tell precise details in the environment.

    Darcel could sense the tiniest grain in the snow, every speck of life from the trees, and the different air qualities that was meshed together.

    Under this incredible new state, Darcel expanded his Spirit Sense far out. In only just a second, he was already shocked by his upgraded Spirit Sense.

    Nearly instantaneously, he reached far beyond the limits of his previous Spirit Sense range. Plus, he could now pick up on a new type of Qi energy continually flowing through the air.

    ''So this is an Innate Spirit Sense, huh.'' Still, Darcel was in a little bit of disbelief. It was honestly a mixed bag on how he achieved this power.

    Leading up to getting the Qi Root fruit was hell upon hell.

    Several times he nearly lost life and only got by the skin of his teeth because of his Chaotic Shard within his soul. With a severely weakened prowess, it limited what Darcel could in all of his battles except for running and hiding.

    However, now that he finally managed to get to a secluded area to breakthrough, everything was almost too simple.

    Somehow, hisprehension abilities evolved to a point where he could just step into an entire great new realm in a snap.

    Darcel wondered if this would also hold true when he would breakthrough to the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    At least now, their grim situation was turning slightly hopeful. All that''s left now to do was to fullyplete his transition into the Innate Core realm.

    Darcel had then focused on the new type of energy flowing through the air. This energy was far more powerful than Spirit Qi in every way. It held more profound,plex properties that no average cultivator would be able toprehend in a day.

    When most first start out sensing Innate Qi energy, they would need to spend weeks, months even to grasp a tiny bit of Innate Qi''s mysterious properties.

    This was the form of energy that would change one''s body and soul. The steps it took to achieve just the first rank of the Innate Core realm would beplicated for even extraordinary Geniuses.

    Yet, Darcel simply had no problems. He performed a little experiment, wanting to see just how easy this would be.

    In a simr manner he does to casually pull Spirit Qi into his body, Darcel began to greedily suck all Innate Qi towards him. And as he expected, there simply wasn''t any resistance when he brought Innate Qi towards him.

    Even when Darcel first made it to the True Soul Core realm, he felt some resistance when attempting to cultivate Spirit Qi.

    It didn''t take long for him to actually breakthrough the True Soul Core mental blocks, but there was time he needed to spend on it.

    But now, Darcel essentially became like a vacuum. Innate Qi swiftly flowed into his head,bining into his Spirit Sense. Before Darcel had even spread the energy throughout his body, he was already feeling incredible power!

    The mysterious properties of Innate Qi was like a book for Darcel to read. He had no problem understanding how Innate Qi flows and the power that is emitted from it.

    The only thing concerning Darcel had quickly found out was the potency of this Innate Qi energy.

    For as powerful as it was, Darcel sensed this type of Innate Qi energy was almost tainted with foul qualities.

    Absorbing this Innate Qi energy wouldn''t harm his body, far from it.

    But Darcel knew cultivating in this independent realm would only be a slow,borious process. Even as he has insaneprehension abilities, he still needs the proper potent energy to make his cultivation go faster.

    And for his specific dantian, Darcel needs far more energy to breakthrough any other average genius.

    Just to breakthrough the True Soul Core realm nearly cost all of the Qi Root Fruit energy.

    Though Darcel wouldn''t be able to make rapid breakthroughs, he still refined thest of the Qi Root Fruit energy, which smoothlybined with the new source of Innate Qi.

    Innate Qi quickly flowed all throughout Darcel''s body, strengthening him to an unfathomable degree! Even before fully entering the Innate Core realm, Darcel already felt far more powerful than his previous state.

    Innate Qi had then drilled into Darcel''s dantian space and flowed directly towards his dantian''s core.

    When peering into his dantain space now, Darcel notices changes he hasn''t had the time to check before.

    The seed of Chaotic Energy had grown a few inchesrger and spewed a slightlyrger amount of energy in this space. As for his dantian''s core, it was still his Darkness Essence, but now there a pronounced green hue glow mixed within it.

    Darcel still couldn''t understand much about his Chaotic Energy. But it at least seemed like it was slightly growing in power, even though he hadn''t really tried to cultivate it.

    Darcel made some attempts in the past; however, the properties of Chaotic Energy were far beyond hisprehension.

    Although, with how hisprehension looks now, Darcel reckons he could possibly get somewhere.

    Pushing that thought aside, Darcel focused on Innate Qi following inside his dantain''s core. In just a few seconds, Innate Qi swiftly transformed his dantain''s core into an Innate Core!

    The process was but a simple snap for Darcel. He didn''t feel any mental block on transforming his dantain''s core; he only felt a barrier shattering in his mind.

    The power of Innate Qi quickly transformed Darcel''s entire being, and finally, after a few seconds, arge crack of Innate Qi formed on his Innate Core!

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Darkness burst out of Darcel; light energy flowed from Ani, and blue mes discharged from Masami''s body!

    The air whipped up into chaotic tornadoes as Darcel, Ani, and Masami all reached their breakthroughs at the same time.

    Darcel''s power rapidly grew as his body greedily sucked up Innate Qi without stopping.

    And in another few seconds, a second enormous crack of Innate Qi formed on his Innate Core! In just one step, Darcel already reached the second rank of the Innate Core realm!

    Ani was a simr process as Darcel, but in her dantian space, she could form one crack of Innate Qi on her Innate Core.

    All the while, Masami had reached the half-step Heavenly Transformation boundary. Her Spirit Sense could now perceive Heavenly Qi and absorb it into her body, but she couldn''t yet cross the full barrier to the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    She had run out of her Qi Root Fruit energy before it could happen.

    Innate Qi and Heavenly Qi mixed in the air, spraying an immense torrent of energy that destroyed the air currents.

    After a few more seconds, the area returned to a calming state as Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s aura receded into their bodies.

    Right then, the trio flung open their eyes, feeling overwhelming sensations of power course within their bodies.

 Chapter 258: Heading Out

    Chapter 258: Heading Out

    Darcel and Ani''s eyes were on their fists as they repeatedly clenched it over and over again. With each clench they force on their palms, they both felt a pop of power burst within them.

    At every inch of their bodies, it all was now enhanced with Innate Qi!

    All of their physical capabilities were tremendously upgraded to a point Darcel and Ani weren''t even fully aware of. This was the physical power of having an Innate Core body. Their already surprisingly tough bodily defense was now taken to a whole other level.

    Masami was equally excited awe as her two foxtails fervently swished around. Inside her dantian space, she had finished constructing a Heavenly Qi seed deep within her dantian''s core.

    This puts her in the half-step Heavenly Transformation realm, and she could now use the overwhelming power of Heavenly Qi!

    Before doing anything further, Darcel, Ani, and Masami took a deep breather, taking a moment to quickly adjust to their new bodily states.

    Though their powers may have taken a giant leap, it got engraved into their hearts to never get ahead of themselves.

    A small breath leaked from Ani''s lips, and she had then curved it up into a small smile. She spoke up first, telling the others, "Like this, we have just taken a huge step forward. And now, we have many more to go."

    Masami was all smirks as she had much more assurance of their survivalpared to before. Her mind began to recall just how easy it was to break through, even beyond the effects of the Qi Root fruit.

    An inquisitive expression stered on Masami''s face as she suddenly asked Darcel and Ani, "By the way, did you two notice how easy it is to cultivate? When I was working on breaking through to the Heavenly Transformation realm, literally, I felt nothing, zero resistance. And not even the Qi Root Fruit could negate the effects of a great realm mental block. All Ick now is, well, some good Qi energy."

    Darcel and Ani shed a gaze at each other, both having understanding swirling within their eyes. Their minds recalled their own cultivation, and everything Masami had said was entirely urate.

    Both Ani and Masami''s response had also confirmed one question Darcel had nestling around in his head.

    Darcel and Ani had then nodded at the same time, and Darcel had told them, "I''m not sure how, but amazingly enough, a blessing must''vee for us. Ourprehension abilities.they''re what even high-rank geniuses would envy."

    Even as Ani was pleased with her newfoundprehension abilities, her brows still furrowed in an inquisitive expression. From all that she knows aboutprehension abilities, it''s nowhere near easy to so casually increase it.

    Out of all things cultivators can rely on externally to increase their cultivation realm,prehension abilities were the one thing that evaded their grasps.

    Not even Mages cane up with ways to increase one''sprehension.

    And when thinking about themselves, Ani also realized they should''ve fallen in the same camp. Theirprehension abilities were always high but never so instantaneous.

    Moreover, while Masami''s talent had improved throughout their time together, she always had the lowestprehension abilities between them.

    With her doubts rising, she had to ask, "This is all good and fine. But.can we really trust this? What if this is just some cruel ruse from the."

    Ani almost flinched when saying this name. "The yellow-eyed woman."

    All thought Ani had about that terrifying demon of a woman was now wholly negative, full of undying resentment. Even after things passed, she still couldn''t get over how she held so much faith in that woman.

    A simr chill crept up Darcel and Masami''s spine when directly speaking about the yellow-eyed woman.

    However, Masami actually didn''t lose her eager stride. She forced past the cold sensations she had about the yellow-eyed woman and said,

    "Sure, we can''t deny that this could bite our ass in the long run. But before that timees, let''s just take full advantage of this ability. Plus, if that demoness really wanted us gone or to suffer more, she would''ve just done it when her hand was piercing our hearts."

    Masami''s blunt words resonated around Ani''s head. Really, there wasn''t anything she could refute her on. The doubts will remain imprinted in her subconsciousness.

    Still, Ani knew it was best to follow Masami''s thoughts and focus on the positive aspects.

    While Darcel rummaged on Masami''s words, a sudden memory streaked through his mind. He had briefly recalled bits and pieces from a dream painted in yellow after his meeting with the yellow-eyed woman.

    Darcel couldn''t remember much of those ethereal figure''s words, but he can recount them telling him that the ''mixed spawn'' saved them in a way.

    Perhaps whatever savior thing the yellow-eyed woman did also rted to their upgradedprehension.

    Since Darcel couldn''t remember much of the dream as of now, he shook his head at that thought and began telling the girls, "I suppose you are right on this front, Masami. Now then, just to make sure, you girls don''t feel any more injuries, right?"

    Masami shook her head and began cracking out her knuckles just to show fine she was. "Nope. Allpletely healed over here."

    Ani simrly nodded her head, feeling more filled with life than she has been for the past few hours.

    "Completely healed as well. Sooo.where should he head next? I''m not countering on our luck to continue on keeping us from meeting with anybody." Ani said while scanning her eyes at their current environment.

    Because they needed to heal and cultivate, Ani didn''t get a good look at just where they ended up. But, not much to her shock, they were still in an area that looked just the same as the rest of the snowy forest maze.

    The only slight variation was fewer trees clouding around this area, allowing for a wider breadth of walking space than previous areas.

    Darcel wrinkled his eyebrow and began stretching out his improved Innate Spirit Sense. He quickly covered miles of distance while also being incredibly meticulous in his search.

    But even after scanning quite far, Darcel still didn''t pick up on any other life signature. Furthermore, there also wasn''t any potent treasure energy that could point them in the right direction.

    A slightly odd feeling crept into Darcel''s mind since, reasonably, there should''ve been some sort of Spirit Monster roaming around these parks.

    Darcel did fathom that the Spirit Monster could possibly be hiding. But, with his Innate Spirit Sense, it shouldn''t be able to escape his scope.

    Either way, Darcel still spoke in a cautious tone, even if there was an immediateck of danger. He pointed his finger in a random direction, telling the girls,

    "Let''s just go this way. It is almost like a ghost town in this area. At least, the farther we walk, there more likely it is for us to encounter something random."

    Ani and Masami readily agree, having no concrete ns themselves.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had then taken their first steps up after a long seclusion. Their joints literally crackled with power as their bodies emitted a far stronger aura now.

    Masami was incredibly fired up; determination was filling her voice as she said, "Even if we have to scourge around like digging moles, let''s not rest until we find that next treasure!"

    "Hehe~." A melodic giggle leaked from Ani''s mouth, being the first time she let a genuine chuckle in a while. "I''m d your spirits are improving, Sami. But I say it''s more of us tactically scouting out our options than bing moles."

    Darcel began to lightly smile as he heard Masami immediately fire off another bantering remark.

    With so much trauma thrust upon them at once, Darcel felt relief that the girls were gradually returning to their usual selves.

    .

    A few minutester.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were back on track traversing the snowy forest maze. However, there was a change in how they crossed through the forest now.

    Masami was the only one walking as Darcel and Ani were hovering a few feet off the ground right by her!

    Both of them were currently learning a process that every Innate Core Cultivator is supposed to learnter on in this realm.

    That is, learning to fly!

    Darcel and Ani were manipting their Innate Core in their dantian to lift themselves off the ground. From their breakthrough, they already have a massive reserve of Innate Qi energy, which allowed them to get some stable practice.

    Masami had an expectant expression as she carefully observed Darcel and Ani''s hovering. Really, besides just giving some slight, general pointers, the duo picked up hovering nearly instantaneously!

    Moreover, Masami could sense these two were holding back from going into a full-blown sprint through the air.

    Even though this feat should''ve been shocking to her, Masami simply recalled that they all have insaneprehension abilities now. Learning how to grasp flying at their levels really wouldn''t be all too notable for Darce and Ani.

    After a few more minutes of hovering while going forward, Darcel and Ani calmlynded on their feet.

    Both of them had an increasingly eager expression, and Ani had even said, "So this is how it feels to defy gravity, huh Sami? I already like this ability!"

    When Darcel and Ani could fully master flying, theirbat potential would soar. No longer would they be chained to the grounds, and their synergy would improve even more.

    Little by little, the trio felt their hope increase with every useful ability they could grasp.

 Chapter 259: Pushing Forward

    Chapter 259: Pushing Forward

    "Fufu~ expected no less from you two. Picking up flying as easy as walking. Sometimes, we really do put other cultivators to shame." Masami giggly boasted with an incredibly smug tone. Though, there indeed wasn''t any inted lie in her words.

    Even when Masamipared themselves to the disciples in her sect, not even the average or genius ones master flying at the early rank of the Innate Core realm.

    As giddy as she felt, Masami did feel a slight feeling of loss mixed in with her joyous feeling.

    Taking Darcel and Ani''s hands to fly was quite fun and also a bit of a bonding experience since they heldplete faith in her to take them through the air.

    Still, the fact that she can fly with the people she loves would be an incredible bonding experience as well.

    Darcel didn''t need to sense it from his Darkness Soul link to feel the excitement radiating off from Ani and Masami.

    His Innate Spirit Sense was spread out far, picking up on any little detail that he could possibly pick up. Despite traversing this far, there still wasn''t any dangerous presence or squadron group close to them.

    Since they were apparently still all alone, a more fun thought streaked into Darcel''s mind. Not only would this be a fun time for the girls, but this would also majorly help them in having a higher vantage point to locate anything suspicious.

    Right then, Darcel was about to speak up about his idea.

    But a bright twinkle appeared in Ani''s eyes first. She tossed her eager gaze up to the slightly yellow shaded sky, her feelings bing slightly mixed as that color tint brought up unpleasant memories.

    But forcing past those ufortable feelings, Ani beat Darcel to the punch as she spoke in a jovial tone that was befitting for her.

    "Saaay.there''s still no one around us. Let''s go past hovering just a mere few feet and go up higher as a trio! This will be even a better practice!"

    "Took the words right out of my head, Ani. You up for it, Masami?" Darcel asked, already feeling his anticipation building.

    Previously, just in case they could get seen or struck down by some flying Spirit Monster, he told Ani to only just practice with hovering.

    Now that they have a solid grasp over flying with Innate Qi and with still no one around, this would be the appropriate time to soar to the skies.

    And Masami didn''t disappoint, matching Darcel and Ani''s anticipation with a broad smile of her own. "Do you even need to ask? Let''s get up!"

    With Masami''s words of confirmation, she, Darcel, and Ani stopped walking. In that instance, Darcel and Ani began to manipte their Innate Qi again, while Masami began surging a tiny bit of her Heavenly Qi seed.

    Even though she could just simply use her preexisting Innate Qi inside her Innate Core to fly. Masami wanted to test if there would be any difference between the two Qi energies.

    And it came to a minimal shock for Masami when she felt it was tremendously easier to fly with Heavenly Qi. Though she never had a problem with flying before, Heavenly Qi made it like she was a weightless feather.

    An exhrating rush flowed through Masami as this would also be a new practice for her.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami gradually rise up in the air, doing it so seamlessly like it was their second nature.

    In just a few seconds, the trio quickens their pace, going a hundred feet high in the air. Once reaching this altitude, the three of them stopped simultaneously. A fresh breeze of air brushes past their skin, inscribing the trio with a surprising sense of warmth.

    Even though it''s still freezing cold in this realm, flying side by side to each other felt incredibly warm.

    Masami shed a smirk over to Darcel and Ani, enjoying their looks of serene bliss. Feeling her own serene bliss swell up inside her chest, she asked them,

    "So? How''s it like fully rising in the air?"

    "Mnn~" Ani gave a melodic hum that was sweet-sounding on Darcel and Masami''s ears. "Certainly a wonderful new experience. I can''t help but wonder just how fast we can reach while flying." She spoke in an inquisitive tone.

    With their high cultivation realms now, it had dawned on the trio that using Spirit Monster mounts wasn''t really all that valuable to them now.

    While just keeping a steady float high in the air, Darcel, Ani, and Masami barely sensed any of their Qi reserves getting drained.

    For most Innate Core cultivators and even Heavenly Kings, they would still value beast mounts since it takes them a substantial amount of reserves to cover great distances.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt that even if they were to go breakneck speeds for hours, their Qi reserves wouldn''t go down in the slightest.

    It was most certainly an intriguing thought that swam around in their minds.

    However, Darcel pushed down that idea, reserving for a time when they could fully rx and enjoy their time together. Although, with how things are turning out, it may be an overly long time before they could reach that moment.

    Still, Darcel shook his head of any negative thoughts and focused on the girls. He began to speak in a cautious tone as his Spirit Sense continually roamed around their general area.

    "We can test our max flying speeds another time. For now, let''s not go too high in the air, maintain this altitude, and traverse while flying rather than walking. Ani and I could use any extra practice, and it feels more soothing to fly than walk."

    Ani and Masami crossed their gazes to each other, their eyes lighting up in the same eager twinkle.

    "Alright/Sounds good to me." Ani and Masami spoke at the same time, having almost a harmonizing mixed voice.

    Darcel searched his eyes through the snowy forest area and settled in some random direction. He inclined his head towards the random direction and began to steadily fly that way.

    Ani and Masami followed close behind him, letting Darcel take the slight lead once again.

    And steadily, just like this, the trio flew towards this random direction, all hoping for some unexpected and potentially lucky encounter.

    As they flew, Ani and Masami were engaged in their usual jovial conversations. They were discussing the sensations of flying, how the environment looks from up and above, and the potential routes they could take if they found nothing on this one.

    From the way they talked, it almost seemed like they were back to their original chipper selves. Their original personality were there was nothing that could really worry them, and they had high energy towards getting through the day.

    But, Darcel could feel they both were suppressing imprinted negative thoughts. Really, no matter how tough their mental fortitude was, even they couldn''t get over intense trauma so quickly.

    Even for other experience, veteran ancient cultivators who all had thousands of years of experience. They, too, wouldn''t be able to forget the severe traumas they faced in this unrelenting world, which forged them all to be peerless experts.

    Still, even though this unresolved trauma issue won''t be solved anytime soon, Darcel had respected the efforts the girls were making to keep on pushing forward.

    Most other youths in their position would have their mental copse over an experience that was genuinely akin to death and having their prowess brutally stripped away from them.

    Although Darcel partially knew the reason why they could do so well in pushing forward was because of himself. He would never underestimate his girl''s strength and mind, but he could catch the different look in their eyes when staring at him.

    There was almost a blinding hope in their eyes as if Darcel was the firmest anchor in their lives.

    When they both were at their most depressive state after awakening from the yellow-eyed woman meeting, Darcel was the only one that had a resolute hope and firmness in his voice.

    And the other moment that left a deep, profound impact on them was Darcel forcefully staying awake from the Shadow Rogue Captain''s attack and taking care of both of their unconscious bodies.

    It was then they fully realized, no matter how grueling it would get, Darcel would be up and firm to have a way out.

    And Ani and Masami obviously didn''t want to burden Darcel or drag him down. After taking the Qi Root Fruit, their minds had also sharply determined to get past their bleak situation and survive together!

    Darcel could vaguely feel all of their conflicting emotions through their Darkness Soul link. At least this way, they were making gradual progress in changing their mindset, which was good enough for him.

    Focusing back on the present, Darcel still diligently searched around for his Spirit Sense.

    At this point, Darcel really didn''t expect to pick up anything in this area. But right then, after what seemed like endless seclusion, a shift happened in Darcel''s Spirit Sense.

    Darcel immediately wrinkled his eyebrows; finally, after what felt like hours, he sensed five other presences! It was, of course, a squadron of powerful Heavenly Kings that should''ve given him a tremendous sense of danger.

    The appropriate reaction should''ve been to promptly grab the girls, flow behind an enormous tree, and masked their presence.

    However.Darcel didn''t do any of that.

    His eyes were rapidly blinking as a hard-hitting realization struck his mind. Out of the five presences, the strongest one of them all felt immensely familiar towards Darcel!

 Chapter 260: Total Upgrade

    Chapter 260: Total Upgrade

    It felt a touch bit queer for Darcel to actually have someone familiar pop into his Spirit Sense. The Mercenary Exchange Event had just been ongoing trials, pain, and suffering. His and the girls tedprehension abilities were the only positive thing sinceing here.

    But, this familiar presence didn''t give Darcel any sense of danger. In fact, he almost felt a bit of security with this presence, as if he could safely confine with whoever this person was.

    Darcel snapped his eyes shut for a brief second, his mind quickly shuffling out on who this presence could possibly be. Since honestly, besides Ani and Masami, he couldn''t recall who else that he closely knows.

    Several events that seemed far a long go shed in Darcel''s mind all at once just because of that familiar presence.

    And with his sharp, analyzing mind, Darcel didn''t take long at all to figure out who this presence was.

    A glint shimmered within his eyes; this person could actually help them greatly!

    At this point, Darcel stopped flying and was about to address the girls. But, when he had finally stopped, he immediately picked up on theck of conversation behind him.

    Darcel whipped his head around towards the girls, wondering what suddenly got into them. They both spouted inquisitive expressions, staring off in the same random direction as if they had just reached a swift conclusion.

    There was already a smirk forming on Darcel''s lips from watching the girl''s intent faces. To little shock to him, both of them seemed like they had also sensed that familiar presence and recognized it.

    "You feel our.old acquaintance too, right?" Darcel didn''t beat around the bush, asking the most direct question.

    Ani put her finger to her chin, her curious expression never leaving her face. "Weeell.I do sense someone familiarly close to us. But.I just.I can''t seem to put my finger on just who this is."

    Whenever Ani tried to focus her mind on a past memory, she felt only a jumbled mix of sensations. It was like her past memories were all over the ce, unable to give her a coherent answer.

    Masami began scratching her twitching fox ears as her mind tried to assort her memories as well. She was having the luck as Ani, although she was able to make out one thing about this familiar presence.

    "From what I''m sensing. I''m getting reminded of our time back at Mawold Town. But just who was."

    "To save the confusion, it''s Fruna. She has a certain sense on her."

    Darcel decided to throw the girls a bone, less they stay stuck on this topic for longer than necessary.

    And though Ani and Masami felt a little bit indignant since they wanted to solve this case on their own, they became more interested in recalling Fruna.

    Their minds clicked back to all events in Mawold Town. From their first meeting to joining the Nobe''s Fang group and meeting with Fruna several times.

    A slight sense of nostalgia filled within Ani and Masami''s minds. All those moments were at a more straightforward time of their lives, one where they had unshakeable confidence and strength. Forcing past those feelings, the girls vividly recalled Fruna''s sense only.

    And in no time at all, Ani and Masami''s eyes lit up in realization. However, there still were questions stering their faces.

    "Wait.how on earth could this be, Fruna? Thest time we spoke, she was only around the Innate Core realm. And it hasn''t been that long since we saw her."

    True to Darcel''s words, the strongest one out of that squadron did indeed carry a presence precisely the same as Fruna.

    However, that presence was a fifth-level Heavenly King!

    This was the mid-rank of the Heavenly Transformation realm; it''s not easy at all for any decently talented cultivator to attain that level.

    Depending on their environment and resources, breaking through to the mid ranks of the Heavenly Transformation realms takes months, years even.

    Realistically, there shouldn''t be anyways for Fruna to increase her cultivation realm so much, even if she used an abundance of pills.

    Masami couldn''t help but make a little joke, simrly disbelieving that powerful fifth-level Heavenly King could be Fruna. "Don''t tell me she''s some sort of hidden genius that only awoke after we left. That would be too odd, even for us!"

    "Well then, no matter if it''s her or not. The fact of the matter is someone has an extremely familiar aura to her. And this has to mean the Nobe''s Fang group is with them. At least, let''s scope that area out. We have the means to escape with our current prowess if it gets too much."

    Darcel exined to the girls while shrugging. While this n wasn''tpletely full proof, a Spirit Sense couldn''t lie. Moreover, there wasn''t any chilling prickly feeling trying to drill into his body like what happens if he senses other Heavenly Kings.

    Darcel had then set his sights on that familiar presence and began slowly drifting towards it.

    Ani and Masami didn''t really have a good counterargument. Undoubtedly, everything they sense matched up to Fruna.

    Still, both girls just found it too strange that someone who appeared aspletely normal could be this extraordinary genius.

    Nevertheless, the girls believed Darcel''s words that they could simply escape from too much danger. By this point, none of them consider running from fights a disgraceful act. Now it''s an act that''s essentially their lifesaver in this independent realm.

    Ani and Masami shrugged their shoulders simultaneously and followed close behind Darcel.

    As they slowly traversed through the air, Darcel and Ani vividly recall one profound memory from Fruna.

    The fact that on their very first meeting, she stood up to her more powerful teammates just for them was a worthy note of character.

    And when they had met up with Masami, the three of them started to recall how helpful Fruna was during their times at Nobe''s Fang group.

    If this really is Fruna, the trio was hopeful that they''ll have an ally on their sides.

    .

    At another section of the snowy forest maze, this area was sparsely secluded, barring a mismatch-looking squadron group.

    In this peculiar squadron group, there were three men who wore the same matching armor.

    The three of them all wore bright silver color armor that meshed well with the snowy ground. Even if one was hundreds of feet away from them, these men''s silver armor could be easily spotted.

    In contrast to many Mercenary groups, these men wore these armor as if they wanted the whole world to know about them.

    Although, the stature of these men was highly subdued. They quietly walked along with the other three next to them, not even the slightest bit rude or unbing.

    Next to these silver armor men were two women and one other man.

    Compared to the loud colors of the silver armor men, these three wore simple brown leather armor outfits. Their outfits were more fit to blending seamlessly into the background as if they were all unimportant people.

    This peculiar mismatch of people was the Silver Bloody Hammer group and the Nobe''s Fang group!

    And leading this squadron was a cute woman that Darcel''s group would recognize rather quickly.

    It was Nobe''s Fang group Fruna! Since thest time, Darcel''s group saw her, she had experienced a massive upgrade in appearance.

    Her previous brown hair became longer and silkier, glowing with its own enigmatic shine. Though her bodily figure stayed the same slight petite size, her face became far more attractive. She radiated a kind, weing aura that would make it where you wanted to talk to her.

    However, the most significant change on Fruna was how, on her right breastte, there was now a shiny tinum badge. Compared to her fellow Nobe''s Fang grouppanions, they only had gold badges.

    Because of her overwhelming prowess now, Fruna achieved an unshakable position in her group that was well respected among many.

    Nobody dared to question her prowess or status, for as Fruna is now a fifth-level Heavenly King!

    Back in Mawold Town, she was essentially the one true ruler there. Ever since Darcel''s group left the tone, not only had Fruna''s prowess explosively increased, so did her personality.

    She actually kept true to her words and could now manage a mismatched squadron group. Her squadron consisted of three third-level Heavenly Kings on the Silver Bloody Hammer group side.

    And on her side, the other male was a third-level Heavenly King, while the other woman, who is her Vice-Captain, is also a third-level Heavenly King.

    Despite being both groups being mortal enemies in the past, Fruna was a walking example of why high prowess matter so much in their world.

    Any minor conflict would be subdued by her, plus Ninu''s smooth cooperation led to disputes bing more gradually resolved.

    The ones Fruna chose from the Silver Bloody Hammer group had the more calm, reserved personality out of their group. It had led to their corporations being incredibly smooth with barely any serious problems rising up.

    Currently, they have walked in this random direction for a while now.

    Everyone in Fruna''s squadron had their attention to its max vignce. But, they were mainly waiting for something to tell them that they are close to happening upon another great treasure.

    After walking for a lengthy period of time with no response, Fruna was about to call it quits on this area and head off in another direction.

    But right then, her Vice-Captain had suddenly reached into her pocket. She quickly pulled out a special-lookingpass that now had a vague blue aura shimmering around it.

    Excitement began to fill the Vice Captain''s eyes. After their dull walk thatsted for quite a wall, it had finally paid off; they were now close to special treasure!

 Chapter 261: Attempted Ambush

    Chapter 261: Attempted Ambush

    The Vice-Captain swiftly poured her Spirit Sense into the specialpass, feeling out where the broad range of this treasure is. She had only sensed the treasure aura for a second, but an ted expression crossed her face in an instant.

    The treasure that specialpass picked up on had potent Qi energy of the likes she never felt before!

    Even when shepared it to the previous treasures they found in this independent realm, it couldn''t match up to this one.

    The Vice-Captain could barely contain her excitement; they had genuinely stumbled upon a goldmine. Especially since their mercenary groups are on the far weaker spectrum of power, any boost to their realms is like a godsend.

    Without letting Fruna wander aimlessly any longer, the Vice-Captain reached over and tapped her shoulders.

    When she did so, not only did Fruna stop, the other squadron members stopped as well.

    Previously, they all were upied with scoping out the area, not even paying attention to the Vice-Captain specialpass. But now when she had gotten their attention, their eyes all lit up and anticipating bubbles inside their chests.

    The Vice-Captain had noticed Fruna''s apparent eagerness, and she couldn''t stop her own smirk from forming. She told her then,

    "Captain Fruna. Thepass has stopped in this general area. And from what I sensed, our luck may not have run out yet."

    "Oh? A highly potent Qi treasure, I presume?" One of the silver bloody hammer group members asked, his eyes never leaving off from the specialpass.

    Even as he could only just vaguely sense into thepass, he certainly felt a refreshing wave of Qi energy wash over him.

    The Vice-Captain nodded and, without taking her eyes from Fruna, told them all, "Indeed. What I''m sensing actually extends far beyond what we found before."

    More eagerness swirled in the other squadron member''s veins. Now they simply wanted to sprint off towards this treasure!

    With how much their Heavenly Spirit Sense can cover, the other squadron members still aren''t picking up on any dangerous trails. And with no one seemingly around them but themselves, they all thought this treasure was easy picking.

    However, there was one person in their squadron that didn''t share this increasing eagerness.

    When hearing the Vice-Captain description, Fruna began to suspiciously narrow her eyes. Theck of Spirit Monsters and squadrons groups over here only felt like a slight chilling omen to her.

    And now there apparently was some great Qi energy treasure over here?

    Fruna just felt it in her gut that something was highly suspicious. Her other squadron had quickly picked on Fruna''s abrupt mood shift.

    They almost immediately became more serious and focused, seeing their Captain already having weary thoughts about this treasure.

    Fruna held an appreciative expression seeing her squadron members so quickly go along with her thinking.

    Indeed, efficient cooperation and trust are essential for things to flow naturally. And for this situation, Fruna can tell their cooperation will be crucial less they want to fall prey to another strange trap.

    "Alright. Before we all get too exci-"

    Fruna abruptly stopped talking, her pupils dted, and her palm violently clenched down on itself.

    The other squadron members were puzzled only for a moment.

    As only a split second after, they all felt a powerful Heavenly Aura rushed down to them, washing over each of their bodies. Immense shock warped the other squadron member''s minds; none of them didn''t even know how to appropriately react.

    This Heavenly Aura had appeared out of literally thin air. Somehow it got past theirbined Heavenly Spirit Sense!

    It was shocking, to be sure, even for Fruna, seeing as she''s the strongest one there.

    But, Fruna wasn''t too pressured by this sudden Heavenly Aura. It was right around her level, meaning this would only take a bit for her.

    Fruna''s expression was calm, her Heavenly Qi gathered in her hand instantaneously.

    Immediately when she sensed the sudden Heavenly Aura, Fruna tossed her hand to the skies, and a brilliant blue Ice Qi glow covered her palm. All in the same motion, she erected an Ice Qi barrier around all of them.

    The other squadron members already tensed their bodies for battle. But their pupils dted as a colossal shadow suddenly appeared from right above them!

    "Ahh?!"

    They raised shock squeals as they felt the pressure on them considerably increase! The sudden Heavenly Aura grew in its power right when the colossal shadow had formed from above.

    Only a split second before whatever was going to hit them, Fruna and the other squadron members spotted a mix of white and blue crashing down right to them.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    A massive snow-white furry ape foot violently stomped on Fruna''s Ice Qi barrier, releasing a cascade of its Heavenly Aura all throughout the area.

    Trees toppled over, snow flew everywhere, and even cracks began to spread all over Fruna''s Ice Qi barrier.

    "Nnng!!"

    The Silver Bloody Hammer group members and the remaining Nobe''s Fang group members all leaked painful grunts, nearly tumbling over just from the shockwave.

    If it wasn''t for Fruna''s Ice Qi barrier, then that ape foot would''ve squashed them into meat paste!

    "Hmph." A small snort leaked from Fruna''s mouth, barely even feeling the impact of the attack.

    Her eyes could catch a good glimpse of the monstrous ape beast now.

    It had a staggering height, being at least over fifteen feet tall, pure snow-white fur covered its massive body, and both of its eyes shimmered in a chilling azure glow.

    This Spirit Monster ape''s appearance was a bit haunting, yet Fruna wasn''t intimidated at all.

    With just a snap of her fingers, Fruna surged a vast sum of Heavenly Qi into her Ice Qi barrier and made itbust into a thousand tiny piercing ice shards!

    The monstrous snow ape felt its body sore to the sky, entirely unprepared for Fruna''s counterattack.

    Its realm was only equal to Fruna''s fifth-level Heavenly Transformation prowess, and without the element of surprise, there wasn''t much it could do to overpower her.

    A giant white blur shot through the skies, and following closely behind was thousands of tiny ice shards. Danger drilled into the Spirit Monster ape senses as the Ice shards rapidly approach him.

    In a split second, the monstrous snow ape surged forth Heavenly Qi throughout its entire body, causing its massive figure to be suspended in mid-air.

    Immediately after, the beast wrapped its vast body in a Heavenly Qi barrier, defending against Fruna''s relentless Ice shards.

    Only a couple seconds passed when the monstrous snow ape wasunched high into the skies. And Fruna wasn''t going to let this prime opportunity slip from her fingers.

    Her expression turned severe as her spatial ring ignited in a flickering blue glow. Immediately, a beautiful long silver sword appeared in her hand, which caused her Heavenly Aura to immensely spike!

    The other squadron members had barely recovered when Fruna''s aura turned immensely more powerful. Their eyes lit up, realizing that Fruna already brought her Royal Spirit rank sword!

    Before they could even see her carrying the sword, Fruna promptly took to the skies the first moment she took out the silver sword.

    Her speed was extremely swift, bing a sharp blur in between her thousands of Ice Shards.

    In a split second, Fruna crossed fifty feet in the air and appeared right over the monstrous snow-white ape. When she popped right above the beast, the sound of her Ice shards crashing into the beast''s barrier already boomed into her ears.

    None of these Ice shards holds a great power that could evere close to genuinely hurting the beast. But it was just that powerful enough to distract the monstrous snow-white ape.

    Without hesitating for even a second, Fruna red her full power right onto the monstrous beast.

    Her Royal Spirit rank silver sword shimmered in a brilliant blue Ice Qi glow, causing the atmosphere around her to drop drastically.

    The Spirit Monster ape sensed frantic danger from right above it. A considerable pressure locked onto its body, nearly making its movements sluggish.

    At this point, all the monstrous ape could do was inject all of its Heavenly Qi into its barrier, simrly releasing its own full power.

    Fruna''s and the beast Heavenly Aura shed before they even struck each other, causing the air currents around them to get utterly destroyed.

    However, the beast''s full power was nothing to thebined might of Fruna''s own power and her Royal Spirit rank silver sword.

    Fruna had then swiped her silver sword down at lightning speeds, cutting through the beast''s Heavenly Aura and Heavenly Qi barrier in one attack!

    The monstrous snow-white ape''s eyes burst open as it felt immensely suffocated. A vast force trembled its arms, and its eyes could only watch as Fruna''s silver sword soared straight at its head.

    Though they had the same cultivation level, Fruna''s Royal Spirit rank sword gave her that extra edge to outspeed the beast!

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Blood gushed out of the monstrous snow-white ape''s arms like a sprinkler, as right before Fruna''s sword pierced through its skull, it raised its massive arms in defense.

    Flesh, blood, and fur sprayed all around Fruna as there were now massive gashes left on the monstrous snow-white ape arms.

    The Spirit Monster ape also couldn''t stop from leaking a low grunt of pain as Fruna''s sword swiped sent it sting towards the ground.

    Its tremendous body shot off like a missile, nearly reaching the ground in just a second. Before the beast crashed to the ground, it flipped its massive body around, skidded along the snowy surface, causing tremors in the earth.

    At the same time, Frunanded back down in front of her squadron members. Before Fruna could process her next attack, the Spirit Monster ape stopped its momentum, and a wild power exploded from its body!

    "RWAA!!"

    The colossal beast stood straight up, unleashing an earth-shattering roar as a yellow glow burst from within the depths of its eyes.

 Chapter 262: Reunion

    Chapter 262: Reunion

    Immense tension like never before filled Fruna and her other squadron member''s bodies. They all felt an increasing lump in their throats; an indescribable aura sprayed wildly in the air and was now crushing down on them.

    Fruna was gripping her palms, feeling a bit of sweat form in them. Her eyes narrowed as her pupils dted a bit. She stared right into the Spirit Monster Ape''s now yellow glowing eyes and was in slight horrifying awe.

    When that yellow glow appeared within its pupils, the beast''s dramatically shot up to even slightly above Fruna''sbined might!

    This battle that was almost entirely handled by Fruna now got thousands of times moreplicated.

    Yet, amazingly enough, neither Fruna, the Silver Bloody Hammer group members, or the other Nobe''s Fang group members were that surprised.

    Previously, they had encountered Spirit Monsters that reacted just like this one. A yellow glow would always swirl within their pupils whenever any of them were pushed to the extreme edge.

    The significant difference now is how this monstrous snow-white ape was a legitimate threat to all of them.

    Fruna didn''t have any more ns to blindly rush in now. Her mind began to rapidly turn gears, trying to figure out any course of action to take. However, this was time that would not be given to her by the Spirit Monster snow-white ape.

    "RWAA!!"

    Another feral roar sted from the monstrous snow-white ape massive moths as its powers quickly reached beyond its limits in only two seconds!

    Cold rays of yellow light burst from the beast''s eyes, its feral Killing Intent surged to an unfathomable degree.

    "Get ready!" Fruna roared to her other squadron members, realizing they had no other options but to face this feral Spirit Monster head-on.

    At the same time Fruna shouted, the monstrous snow white ape was about to take its mad dash forward.

    But right then, unbeknown to everyone, a small shadowy figure soared at breakneck speeds towards the snow-white ape''s left side. The small shadowy figure swiftly made it within six feet from the beast, appearing right into the view when the beast raised its massive leg up.

    Out in the open, the small shadowy figure was a talisman!

    Yet, nobody did or even could notice it. Because, immediately when the talisman got within six feet from monstrous snow-white ape, it erupted a frantic cascade of Heavenly Qi power!

    A tremendous sense of danger abruptly took over the snow-white ape mind, temporarily stopping all movements. Heavenly Qi was spraying wildly in the area, making it impossible for the beast to not notice it.

    However, the monstrous snow-white ape''s reaction was simply too slow.

    A brilliant blue glow shimmered from the talisman as its power wrapped around the Spirit Monster ape''s massive body.

    The already freezing temperature dropped even more, affecting everything beyond the six feet radius.

    Fruna and her squadron members all shivered on instinct at the piercing cold while their expressions widened in shock.

    ''Chi!''

    The talismanbusted within a nanosecond, unleashing a raging tsunami of Heavenly Qi power that covered the entirety of the monstrous snow-white ape!

    For the full six-foot radius, everything, including the snow-white ape, was encased in a nket of solid Ice Qi.

    The Silver Bloody Hammer group members and the other Nobe''s Fang group members stared in utter disbelief, rapidly blinking their eyes as if the scenery would suddenly change.

    But to their bewilderment, the Ice prison remained covering the snow-white ape.

    The main shock came from that none of them had even sensed what caused this until thest second!

    And a more terrifying thought burst within their minds then. If they couldn''t sense just who the hell threw that talisman, then they could potentially have a dangerous enemy on their hands.

    Even though whoever threw the talisman seemed like they were seemingly helping them, nothing was ever cut and dry in their ruthless words.

    A chill, far greater than the freezing cold, crept up each of their spines.

    The only one who remained calm was, of course, Fruna. She had only merely quirked her eyebrows seeing the snow-white ape frozen. Dozens of questions ran through her mind, but she quickly connected in only a second that this is her opportunity!

    Fruna didn''t know who, what or why someone decided to throw them a bone, but she wasn''t going to let their opportunity down.

    In the exact second she came upon her realization, Fruna didn''t dy any longer.

    Her full power sprayed out of her like a rushing storm as she pushed prowess to the absolute max! The air turned absolutely chaotic, causing an utter mess of the environment and almost knocked her other squadron members off their feet.

    In just a split second, Fruna shed towards the beast, appearing within three feet from it. The forty feet of distance they had apart from each other meant absolutely nothing to Fruna.

    When Fruna appeared right in front of the monstrous snow-white ape, she could spot its massive body continually spasming within its Ice Qi prison.

    A cold breath leaked from Fruna''s mouth, nearly unable to resist this freezing temperature herself.

    Wanting to end things in an instant, Fruna poured all of her power into her Royal Spirit Rank sword, causing a radiant blue shine to encase the entire de.

    Fruna''s Heavenly Aura was intense, akin to a raging hurricane that snow-white ape could even feel from within its Ice Qi prison.

    The beast''s colossal body began to intensely spasm, even more, wanting to escape the looming death crisis its Spirit Sense was frantically going off from.

    However, whatever talisman that was used, it was too powerful for the snow-white ape to break through in just a second.

    And a second was all Fruna needed.

    In the simplest manner possible, she swiped her glowing silver sword towards the beast''s massive neck, bing a silverish blue glow in the wind.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Fruna''s Royal Spirit Rank sword tore through the Ice Qi like it was fragile ss and savagely sliced right through the Spirit Monster ape''s neck!

    Torrents of blood and putrid fluids sprayed all around as the monstrous snow-white ape''s head flew high into the skies.

    While its giant head soared in the skies, the beast''s colossal ice-encased body crashed towards the ground with a loud solid thump.

    A more sickening wet thump reached Fruna''s ears when the monstrous snow ape''s beheaded head simrly crashed onto the snowy grounds.

    Fruna lowered her silver sword that was coated in a bit of the beast''s blood, her eyes never leaving its corpse. A mixing swirl of emotions ran through her mind, causing her to get increasingly worried by the second.

    A kill like this shouldn''te so easy for her. Especially considering just moments ago, this Spirit Monster ape slightly surpassed her.

    But, whatever that talisman was sealed off any avenue for the beast to escape or defend. Even more weird was the fact that the Spirit Monster ape had trouble breaking the Ice Qi from within, yet Fruna smoothly cut through it like it was tofu.

    Whoever made these talismans has to be either very powerful themselves or keep powerful talismans like this on them.

    And the most chilling thought was that she couldn''t even sense who threw the talisman or the talisman itself until thest second!

    Fruna didn''t rx her body at all after the snow-white ape''s death. She tensed her body even more, expecting to face someone far more terrifying than this monster.

    But right then, a sweet, captivating voice soothed into her ears.

    "Ah.really. Of all ces to have a reunion, this is quite the strange one. Wouldn''t you agree, Fruna?"

    Fruna went utterly rigid; that voice immediately brought back so many vivid, profound memories. Memories that changed her life forever and led her down this road of high-ss prowess and leadership.

    For quite a while, she hasn''t heard this voice. And Fruna genuinely thought it would be years before she ever sees them again.

    However, that voice of an angel had instantly clicked in Fruna''s mind on who this was. Eagerness, anticipation, and joy swelled in her chest like several firecrackers.

    A broad grin epassed Fruna''s face as she whipped her head around to the source of this voice. When she had turned around, her Spirit Sense could now pick up on three presences approaching her.

    For a brief moment, slight puzzlement swirled around in Fruna''s mind.

    If this is the people she''s talking about, then why are their auras so.weak? Even when they weren''t fighting, their auras would always be unfathomable, nearly impossible to sense at all.

    But now, she clearly just senses them like they were some average cultivators.

    All those brief thoughts left as quickly as they came when Fruna''s sight caught three beautiful youths walking up to her.

    These youths'' clothing state was slightly battered, and there were slight subtle appearance changes about them. But, there wasn''t any way Fruna could mistake these young people.

    "Darcel! Ani! Ya-Yasami??"

    For sure, Fruna recognized Darcel and Ani at first nce. However, she initially couldn''t recognize this beautiful young fox maiden.

    After all, previously, Masami would always have her whole appearance and her fox traits covered.

    But, in just a second, it instantly clicked in Fruna''s mind that this fox girl had to be no other than Yasami. From not even going off her appearance, this fox girl still had the same aura as Yasami.

    Even as it is far weaker now.

    "Hm? Surprised to see us?" Masami spoke in an even tone as they walked up towards the shock-looking Fruna.

    On the outside, she, Darcel, and Ani looked calm. But internally, they all were absolutely bewildered!

    It really was true.Fruna''s prowess had explosively grown to unimaginable heights! Her cultivation growth wasparable to even high-ranking extraordinary geniuses!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were genuinely impressed, no, more than impressed actually. They were now even more assured that this uing partnership will benefit them all immensely.

    Right then, the trio got within six feet from Fruna, feeling honestly thatfortable to get so close to her.

    Fruna didn''t pay much attention to noticeable changes in the trio''s auras. She was happy to see them again and was about to reply to Masami.

    Before Fruna could, however, she and Darcel''s group sensed multiple other presences are rapidly approaching their location.

 Chapter 263: Special Compass

    Chapter 263: Special Compass

    "Captain Fruna! Just who are-ah??"

    Fruna''s Vice Captain''s initially frantic sounding voice came from their left, but towards the end of her sentence, she sounded far more shocked.

    Fruna and Darcel''s group whipped their heads over to the sound of her only to see several bewildered people cautiously walking up to them. These people had inscribed some sense of nostalgia within Darcel, Ani and Masami.

    It was the three Silver Bloody Hammer group members and the other two Nobe''s Fang group members.

    These two Mercenaries groups may not be the strongest in the Province, but they held some high significance in the trio''s mind.

    "To think.these guys were the reason we became a team." Masami whispered lowly enough so only Darcel and Ani could hear. From her words, all three of them started to have a small smile.

    Though it instantly vanished a split second after.

    Thinking about those times was wonderful and painful. Even if they wanted to focus only on the joyous times, their minds couldn''t help butpare themselves to the prowess they held back then.

    That was the time they haven''t even gone down to the Chaotic, hellish trials yet. But already before then, their prowess was insanely high.

    Even though it was the time Masami had first met Darcel and Ani, when she was included in Darcel''s Darkness Soul link, herbat prowess quickly grew.

    Furthermore, barring their prowess, their personalities were also more lighthearted and assured of themselves more than anything in the world.

    Comparatively to now, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt like those times happened long ago.

    While the trio was rummaging in their own thoughts, the Silver Bloody Hammer group members and the Nobe''s Fang members were all experiencing a multitude of emotions.

    As their gazes crossed with Darcel''s group, they all abruptly went rigid, staying rooted to their spots in slight fearful awe.

    "Ah.It''s-it''s them." They all spoke simultaneously, barely able to utter their words.

    Even though none of them had ever met Darcel, Ani or Masami face to face, they for sure will never forget the overwhelming prowess they all had shown.

    All in just a span of a day, they killed the strongest Leaders in the Silver Bloody Hammer group and even got Silver Leader Ninu under their control!

    Moreover, they all were also entirely ruthless in their actions. In front of everyone, they had mercilessly in weaker Heavenly Kings as if they weremon bugs on the side of the road.

    Nobody in their entire Town could forget that event. Although it was a bit mysterious that Darcel, Ani, and Masami haven''t shown up since then, nobody was foolish enough to go on an investigation mission for them.

    All of those profound vivid memories burst within the squadron member''s minds like a wild hurricane.

    What made this moment even more horrifyingly shocking was how each of their cultivation realms has immensely increased! This would only mean their terrifying prowess had already grown to degrees they probably can''t understand.

    Their previous fearful impressions had a tight hold on the squadron members for sure.

    However, there still was something.off about Darcel''s group that they all couldn''t help but notice.

    Firstly, their appearance seemed very battered and worn down. Just from a nce, it was inly obvious to tell they''ve been in several serious battles.

    Plus, there was also the fact that apparently there was this new beautiful fox maiden with them. Or it was simply the hooded robe girl that was with them back then.

    Barring their appearances, the most significant change they took note of was their auras.

    Darcel and Ani were now in the Innate Core realm. While Masami was at the half-step Heavenly Transformation realm. Their cultivation speed was terrifyingly fast, but they all were expecting something more.grand.

    Genuinely, the other squadron members thought they would be feeling suppressed by just their general aura.

    But really, neither the Silver Bloody Hammer group members nor the Nobe''s Fang members could sense anything special about them.

    Before their thoughts could divulge further on this, Fruna had suddenly called out to them in an attempt to cate them.

    "All of you, calm down. While you may have some profound memories of them. None of them are the terrifying people you think they are. You have my word on this."

    The Silver Bloody Hammer members and the Nobe''s Fang members felt a small portion of their worries relieved. But, their bodies couldn''t rx all of their tension even if they genuinely believed Fruna''s words.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s image in their heads were too warped to simply be forgotten in a few words.

    The Silver Bloody Hammer members especially couldn''t so readily ept this, considering it was them that essentially changed how their whole group functioned.

    Still, no matter their own varying opinions, since Fruna told them to stand down, there was little they could do. They tried their best to give the trio calm gazes, though they all were ready at a moment''s notice for any action.

    The atmosphere between everyone started to get a bit tense.

    Fruna noticed how her squadron couldn''t just fully calm down and was about to speak again.

    But right then, Ani''s angelic giggles cut in the tense atmosphere. "Hehe~. It seems like our influence couldn''t be washed away. And looks like you''ve been putting a good word in for us, eh Fruna?"

    Ani''s bright smooth tone most certainly made everything calmer between them.

    Even though Darcel, Ani, and Masami themselves weren''t showing it, they were hit with slight tension. After all, Fruna and her squadron are still a potential threat to them.

    But Ani''s jovial tone helped settle the mood a bit.

    Fruna had even given a small smile, remembering why she always liked that magical charismatic energy Ani naturally exudes.

    Masami perfectly followed up after Ani, also saying to Fruna, "Seriously though? We would''ve never expected you guys toe over here. I mean.this ce is pretty damn vicious, down to the beasts and people. Then again, Fruna, your cultivation did take a tremendous leap."

    Masami didn''t bother trying to correct Fruna over her name. Something like that would be too troublesome to exin and would be a bitplicated if she did recognize her name.

    "Fufu~." Fruna gave a lighthearted chuckle, matching the girl''s positive energy. "Even we have our own aspirations. And let''s just say, I had hit a growth spurt. I would say more, but our current circumstances really don''t allow for easy talk."

    Right then, an opportunity suddenly streaked into Darcel''s mind. His eyes began to twinkle, thinking this could be their chance to have more smooth travels.

    Darcel put on a more soothing tone as he had then proposed to Fruna, "Hey, I have an idea that will make catching up with each other easier. How about we travel together? You see, we''re in a bit of a.troubling situation, and your cooperation would be beneficial."

    "For the ones that put my group at the top of the town, this is but a simple request." Fruna didn''t hesitate to agree, giving Darcel a broad kind smile.

    In her mind, she still believes the trio has their insanely highbat prowess. Even though their aura is oddly less potent, she assumed they were doing some sort of training.

    Plus, they did throw that powerful talisman at the snow-white ape, so they are bound to have more powerful tricks up their sleeves.

    Without waiting, Fruna had then ignited her spatial ring and brought out a unique-lookingpass.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s attention were immediately taken by it as they never saw apass design like this one.

    Fruna''spass had strange exotic markings carved on its edges that nobody there could ever recognize. And at the center of thepass, there are tiny luminous crystal gems sparsely ced around there.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami thought back to the treasurepasses the Snow Angel group has lying around, which were quite in abundance. Yet, despite their plethoras of treasurepasses, none of them had an exotic design like this one.

    When Fruna had brought out the specialpass, her other squadron members gave her a slight inquisitive gaze. They all looked like they wanted to say something about cooperation and giving away thepass.

    But, when their eyes trailed back to Darcel''s group, they immediately put a tight lid on their mouths. Though they still fear the trio a bit, they also know cooperation with them would make fighting easier.

    Unaware of her other squadron members'' varying thoughts, Fruna casually tossed the specialpass towards Darcel.

    As Darcel promptly caught the specialpass, Fruna began to exin,

    "This is the treasurepass we''ve been using to guide us through here. And with all of your special powers, maybe you can make it react more towards its surroundings."

    "Hmmm.it certainly is special looking." Animented, her eyes scanning over every little detail the specialpass has. Alongside Masam, both girls had a curious gaze on it.

    And under their growing curiosity, Darcel surged only a tiny portion of his bloodline powers into the specialpass.

    Darcel thought it was worth it to give it a shot; his bloodline, no matter how less potent it is, is still extraordinarypared to others.

    With only just a tiny portion of his bloodline energy, the specialpass immediately lit up in a Darkness glow. And only after a second of waiting, Darcel''s eye gained a profound twinkle.

    Already in his Spirit Sense, he can feel a potent Qi treasure a few miles away from them!

    "Really good thing here. After having no luck ourselves for some time, I now can directly pinpoint a treasure somewhat close to us."

    "Oh??"

    Both Ani and Masami felt their anticipation rise. Their lips began to curve upwards, realizing Darcel indeed have his own good intuition abouting over to see Fruna.

    It didn''t evene as a great shock to Fruna and the other squadron members that Darcel could almost instantly do this, given everything else they saw from him.

    Fruna was all smiles as she had then said, "I''m d this will be better in your hands. And guess what? I''ve actually gotten thispass from Ninu. She already gave us one but saved this other one just in case if we ever were to meet you three again."

    At this, Darcel, Ani, and Masami pause for a moment.

    The mention of Ninu began to bring up more troubling ideas that they would need to face at some point.

 Chapter 264: Horrible Luck

    Chapter 264: Horrible Luck

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were hit with a sudden sense of mncholy. Their careless, assured actions that they would''ve never thought woulde to bite them in the neck were nowing to haunt them.

    Ninu was their first Darkness Servant, someone who was the most submissive of them all. She was immensely helpful during their times in Mawold Town, allowing them to have a safe, peaceful rest under so many prying eyes.

    But now, she was forcefully taken away from them and most likely wants to kill them. Given that they did indeed take her free will away while also changing her whole personality, the trio thought it would only be natural.

    Ani and Masami mainly felt more pressure about having another potential great enemy targeting their backs. They had assumed Fruna must''ve left before their meeting with the yellow-eyed woman, meaning Ninu wouldn''t hate them at that time.

    Now, Ani and Masami dreaded to think what would happen if Fruna brought Ninu up to them now.

    Darcel also felt the pressure of another enemy. However, there was also another emotion that made a resurgence within his mind.

    It was the exact same feeling he felt the first time when recalling his now broken-off Darkness Servantsthe peculiar sensation of remorse and sympathy.

    Once again, it was like something deep inside Darcel was pulling him to feel remorse over forcefully making those women his Darkness Servants.

    Darcel, for sure, doesn''t regret doing any ruthless action to protect his girls. But a pulling force that felt like it wasing straight from his bloodstreams wanted him to reflect on his actions.

    Andpared to all his other Darkness Servants, the pulling feeling of remorse felt greater with Ninu.

    The first time Darcel experienced these feelings, he immediately pushed them down, deeming that it would negatively impact his mind. However, now, after experiencing another near-death situation, Darcel felt as if he was more open to seriously contemting these feelings.

    But now wasn''t the time to go into deep contemtion overplex issues.

    At a moment''s notice, Darcel, Ani, and Masami expertly hid their jumbled feelings by simply raising a curious eyebrow.

    Darcel spoke in an even tone as he said, "So Ninu is still thinking about us, huh? I guess one day, we''ll need to show our appreciation."

    Fruna suddenly had a slightly mischievous glint in her eyes. She expressly set her sights on Darcel the more she thought about Ninu. Deciding to do some harmless teasing, she began telling him,

    "Oh, I''m sure Ninu would be very d to hear from you again, Darcel. Seriously, she''s acting quite differently these days. Especially since you''ve been gone for quite some time."

    "Oh? Just how differently she''s acting nowadays?" Instead of Darcel asking, Ani was the one to probe around.

    Masami was also naturally curious about this subject, considering they both recalled that Ninu was more affectionate around Darcel than them.

    "Well, let''s see.actually, it''s been a bit of time since I''ve he-"

    Fruna couldn''t continue her good jest as a massive lump in her throat prevented her from speaking. All at once, she sensed tremendous danger explode within her Spirit Sense!

    It wasn''t only Fruna''s body that went rigid in fear; her other squadron members had also frozen up in utter terror. None of them could even pinpoint where this dangerous, powerful threat wasing from.

    All around them, it was like danger was ever-present throughout the air, being everywhere at once.

    And, of course, Fruna''s squadron wasn''t the only one experiencing this sense of danger.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami also went rigid in utter dread, feeling a mix of exasperation and peril. Out of the blue, yet another powerful Heavenly King aura had crushed upon them without them being able to sense it beforehand.

    And this Heavenly King''s aura significantly outsses the ones they faced during their encounter with the Shadow Rogue squadron group.

    Whoever this was, is at the seventh level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    "Haaah.just our luck." Darcel and Ani muttered under their breaths simultaneously.

    Really, it hasn''t even been that long since they faced the Shadow Rogue squadron group. Yet, it seemed like they were fated to have deplorable luck within this independent realm.

    Genuine frustration bubbles within Darcel and Ani''s minds; they just can''t catch a damn break here!

    All because of the yellow-eyed woman, everything just continued to go downhill. At this point, Darcel and Ani just had to force down their growing frustration and focus entirely on how to narrowly survive once again.

    But, while Darcel and Ani simply thought this was just another squadron member they have to face. Masami''s eyes lit up as her face fell into a horrifying realization.

    A chaotic rumbling sensation course within her bloodstreams, indicating to her that someone closely rted to her bloodline is nearby!

    It instantly clicks for Masami on the one person closely rted to her bloodline and explicitly seeking them out.

    "Shit!! Darcel, Ani! It''s Kassidy! Damn our luck!"

    Masami couldn''t help but curse out her frustrations, already feeling like this meeting will be far more disastrous than she initially thought.

    At the same time, Darcel and Ani''s expression also fell to terrifying dread. A seventh-level Heavenly King was terrible enough. But someone who most for sure would want to take revenge on them?

    None of them couldn''t see how this wouldn''t be an utter disaster!

    Fruna and her squadron felt even more worried at Darcel''s group reaction. Initially, while they found this powerful Heavenly King aura a bit daunting, they had felt assured being with Darcel''s group.

    They believed surely with their extraordinary prowess,te ranks Heavenly Transformation cultivators shouldn''t be a significant issue.

    After all, they all vividly recall Darcel one-shotting a third-level Heavenly King with just a stomp when he was just at the True Soul Core realm.

    However, from the cold sweat, apparent dread, and Masami''s cursing words, it was like none of them had the power to deal with this situation.

    Fearing the worst may happen to them, Fruna was going to ask what was going on. But right as she opened her mouth, a tremendous suppression warped her and her other squadron member''s bodies!

    Fruna and the other squadron members could barely move anymore. Right then, the air turned into scorching heat to the point they all felt heated sweat dripped down their brows.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt immense pressure, but their bodies weren''t suppressed. Their eyes snapped above them, sensing a vast sum of energy quickly crushing down specifically to them.

    A bright blue glow covered everyone''s vision, nearly making it impossible to clearly see. Fruna and her squadron members certainly couldn''t spot anything.

    But Darcel, Ani, and Masami were able to spot the source of that vast sum of energy.

    Forty feet above them and quickly descending towards them was an enormous zing blue Firefox w! The power behind this Firefox w gave everyone a genuine feeling that death was upon them.

    "Ah! Ge-get back!!"

    Fruna frantically shouted to her squadron members and tried to move her own body. However, neither Fruna nor her squadron members could fully move their bodies under this immense suppression.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s pupils shrunk to tiny needle sizes. If there''s anybody they didn''t want to meet, it would be their former Darkness Servants!

    In an instant, the three of them erupted their bloodline powers to their very limit. A Darkness glow shrouded Darcel''s bloodline arm, Light energy covered Ani''s bloodline arm, and Masami spawned her Firefox cloak.

    After their breakthroughs, the trio did feel marginally stronger than before when transforming.

    But it was nowhere near enough to break through this immense pressure of Kassidy''s overwhelming power. Still, because their movements couldn''t be suppressed, Darcel, Ani, and Masami knew they had only one option.

    Gathering all the energy they can, Darcel, Ani and Masami quickly jumped over forty feet back in just a single step.

    Their speeds had naturally increased, and they could''ve gone back for more than this distance. However, Kassidy''s Firefox w was locked right on them, and its speed was no less than the trio.

    In just a couple of seconds, the Firefox w would easily outspeed them and ruthlessly crash right into them.

    Right before that could happen, Darcel reached into his pocket, pulled out a gray color talisman, and instantly activated it. When Kassidy''s Firefox w was only ten feet from them, Darcel flung the surging gray talisman right at it.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Tremendous Heavenly Qi power wildly sprayed everywhere, knocking Darcel, Ani and Masami back like they were pebbles in the wind.

    Gray Sword Qi and blue Fire Qi mixed with each other as Kassidy''s Firefox w and the Sword Qi talisman canceled each other.

    Mild shocks of pain ran through Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies just from being so close to the aftershocks of the mighty sh.

    But with their powerful bodies, the trio could quickly force down the pain.

    After reaching over thirty feet back, Darcel, Ani, and Masami tightly clenched down on their palms and flipped themselves in midair, almostnding perfectly on their feet.

    When they had touched the ground, they nearly stumbled over as a jolt of pain shock through their entire body. Still, Darcel, Ani, and Masami persisted, forcing down any rising bile in their throats.

    Right then, their eyes narrowed as a figure had suddenly appeared between them and Fruna''s squadron group.

    A beautiful young woman had shown up; this person at one time would''ve been no issue to Darcel''s group. But now, their minds were thrown into a jumbled mix under this woman''s overwhelming power.

    Of course, the beautiful young woman who could cause even Darcel''s group fear was Kassidy Kitsui!

    Andpared to thest time they saw her, Kassidy underwent a slight change to her appearance. Continually flickering out of her body were small spurts of familiar Darkness energy.

    Each flicker of Darkness energy that ran out of Kassidy gave her a slight haunting appearance as it perfectlybined with the fierce expression epassing her face.

    "So this is where you all were hiding, huh?"

    Kassidy''s voice wasced with heavy Killing Intent; the more she stared at Darcel''s group, the more mixed her emotional state became.

    And even for all that Darcel, Ani, and Masami experience, they felt an honest to god freezing chill crawl up their spines from Kassidy''s intense gaze and ice-cold voice.

 Chapter 265: Intensity

    Chapter 265: Intensity

    "Haah.what a pressure." Darcel, Ani and Masami simultaneously leaked a heavy breath.

    All three of them are certainly no stranger to high Killing Intent; despite their young ages, they''re all are quite used to it.

    Darcel and Ani spent most of their years growing up in an inhumane organization where life was treated as essentially nothing but little experiments. While Masami dealt with the constant overbearing pressure of her whole Sect.

    But, when stacking up against Kassidy''s swirl of emotions, Darcel, Ani and Masami felt a clutching lump in their throat. Without even sensing her state, the trio could just feel her intense emotions crash down on them.

    Furthermore, their Darkness Soul links were all increasingly surging, which tremendously amplified Kassidy''s intense emotions on to them.

    The only thing that was confusing to the trio was Kassidy''s slightly odd gaze that contradicts her intense emotions.

    "Tch." Kassidy, for her part, couldn''t help but continually click her teeth.

    Her gaze towards the trio was all a surprising mix of chaotic sensations. She would typically be a calm, tranquil youth, barely reacting intensely to any kind of situation.

    When she was under Darcel''smand, her personality shifted to a more sweet and caring young woman who retained firm calmness.

    And now, after all that time, facing Darcel''s group again, Kassidy mainly felt negative emotions. Within her eyes, there was a swirling frantic mix of hatred, resentment, and of course, cold Killing Intent.

    Not only did Masami crushed on her pride,pletely humiliating her like she was an ant. But she was also forcefully made into a Darkness Servant for the three of them! She was literally forced to their biddings, treating a proud genius like her as if she was nothing special.

    Though Kassidy doesn''t have overflowing arrogance like her genuine peers within the Ice Nine Tail Sect, she does have bottom lines that absolutely can''t be crossed.

    When her eyes pierced into Masami''s severe gaze, she felt a small spike of genuine Killing Intent for her but had quickly pushed that feeling down. No matter the hatred she held towards her, killing Masami was impossible.

    However, when Kassidy''s sights were set on Ani, her Killing Intent didn''t stop surging. Though she actually had never touched her, she was still an aplice to this whole scenario, plus she was forced to call her Mistress while taking her orders.

    And finally, the only person left, Darcel. The sole reason why she had fallen into that hopeless situation.

    For all intents and purposes, Kassidy''s gaze should''ve held the highest amount of hatred towards him. He had gone even further beyond Ani and Masami by invading her soulscape space and essentially coercing her soul''s core.

    The very essence that made up Kassidy''s thoughts and feelings, Darcel forcefully changed all of that.

    At least, that''s what Kassidy kept repeating to herself in her mind.

    However, when her gaze hadnded on Darcel, the hatred, the resentment, everything all turned into a stormy mix.

    Kassidy''s gaze naturally fell longer on Darcel, and he had actually taken slight notice of this. Within all of her negative feelings, another sensation was trying to bubble up from within Kassidy''s very soul.

    As she looked into Darcel''s profound, abyss-like ck eyes, a rush of memories attempted to wrack her mind. Memories that weren''t unpleasant at all. Along with these memories, the bubbling sensation was only getting stronger.

    This sensation was providing Kassidy with a sense of familiar warmth that genuinely felt amazing to bask in. For a moment, Kassidy nearly lost her focus because of this warm sensation.

    But almost immediately, Kassidy forced herself to remember why she held so much hatred.

    "No.no more distractions!"

    Her ice-cold voice boomed from her voice as her Heavenly Aura suddenly became even stronger!

    Powerful Heavenly Qi wildly sprayed, causing fierce winds to rush past their area, kicking up snow everywhere and even slicing into tree branches.

    The calm aura Kassidy would previously have was nowhere to be seen at this moment.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami sensed the danger only explosively rise, inscribing them with even more dread. Their nails began to dig into their palms as they tried toe up with an escape n.

    However, the longer they stayed under Kassidy''s overwhelming power, the more they''re starting to realize that there may be no roads to escape to.

    "Nng! Just who the hell is this terrifying woman?!" Fruna couldn''t hold in her shocking exim as she formed a Heavenly Qi barrier around herself and her squadron members.

    All of them were fiercely gritting their teeth, reinforcing their bodies with Heavenly Qi just to not get blown away by the aftershocks of Kassidy''s chaotic aura.

    The only reason they all could just barely hold on was because of Fruna''s Heavenly Qi barrier.

    "I don''t get it! What''s with those three?!" One of the Silver Bloody Hammer group members roared out his frustration.

    Frustration that was shared by his squadron members and even a bit with Fruna. However, Fruna was more upset with her ownck of prowess than the trio''s prowess.

    She was more confused on why Darcel''s group prowess is so.weak!

    From her Spirit Sense, she picked up on each of them using that familiar power she felt numerous times when they were to fight. This familiar power would always insanely enhance their strength to unimaginable degrees!

    But in front of Kassidy, such power was absolutely nothing to her.

    Fruna couldn''t help but wonder just what the hell happened to Darcel''s group that made them so weak.

    Furthermore, she also had the desire to help Darcel''s group since it appeared as this new fox maiden holds deep grudges with them. Despite having the desire to help, all Fruna could do was grit her teeth.

    In front of a seventh-level Heavenly King, there wasn''t much she could feasibly do.

    As Kassidy''s Heavenly Aura chaotically increased, the flickers of Darkness energy from her body also increased.

    Initially, the flickers of Darkness energy were a bit difficult to notice. But now they were more prominent; Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt legitimate shock creep into their veins.

    That Darkness energy.could it be from her Darkness Soul link? This was the only possible exnation that made sense to the trio.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t focus on this tidbit at all since they needed to keep their minds focused on searching for a way out.

    But before the trio could speak or think upon their next moves, Kassidy''s icy voice spoke again. Now, there wasn''t any apparent confusion mixed within her gaze, and her tone was unwaveringly filled with hatred.

    "I don''t understand it. What is the matter? I am your Darkness Servant, right? Yet, here I am, suppressing you three without much effort on my part. I wonder.where''s all that overwhelming prowess from before?"

    The evident mocking in her words only caused Darcel and Ani to knit their eyebrows. They were far more used to being looked down and jeered upon, so whatever Kassidy said couldn''t affect them.

    "You."

    Although for Masami, her rage suddenly spiked! Her two foxtails puffed up in extreme enragement as her once severe gaze now turned into a hostile re.

    Even though Masami knows she should be calm while in this situation, the fact that Kassidy, someone from her Sect, is mocking her once again struck a deep sore spot within her.

    She practically spat out to Kassidy, "Don''t get so damn cocky, Kassidy. Honestly, do you really think we still don''t have the means to beat someone like you?"

    Kassidy slowly ran her eyes over Masami''s increasingly enraged face. As she did so, her mind began to vividly recall that brutal beatdown she gave her without even a hint of remorse.

    A certain dark feeling of wanting to pay back all of that pain rose to the surface of Kassidy''s mind.

    "Is that so, Masami? Alright then.let''s see it. Do you really have the means to survive this?"

    Suddenly then a faint blue ming glow wrapped around Kassidy''s entire body, and her Heavenly Aura tremendously grew! Her Heavenly Aura was utterly chaotic, creating an unbearable suffocation for everyone there.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes dangerously narrowed, only feeling more sluggish than anything. No matter how much Kassidy increased her power, it still couldn''t suppress their bodies.

    Kassidy wasn''t perturbed at all seeing the trio still standing within her chaotic Heavenly Aura. A vicious light burst within her eyes as she swiftly gathered Heavenly Qi within three of her foxtails.

    And then, without any warnings, Kassidy soared these three Heavenly Qi-filled foxtails straight at Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s chests!

    The trio couldn''t urately spot the speed of Kassidy''s foxtails at all. All they could do was clenched their fists and prepare to tank yet another powerful Heavenly King attack that will surely destroy them.

    But, right before Kassidy''s three foxtails made it within six feet from Darcel''s group, a figure had suddenly appeared.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Instead of the sound of flesh being ripped into, there was only the tremendous impact of metal-like sound crashing out. There wasn''t any force of Heavenly Qi being sprayed out, as if something had negated Kassidy''s attack.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami blinked their eyes as the figure that came were far too fast for their eyes to spot at first.

    Looking ahead again, their sights came upon a three Ice Qi barrier only just three feet in front of each of them. These Ice Qi barriers were the reason why Kassidy''s foxtails weren''t tearing a hole within them.

    Beyond these Ice Qi barries, the trio sightsnded on the tall back of a woman that looked extremely familiar.

    Before they could identify who this was, this woman began to speak.

    "Now, now. I know we have some differences to settle, but wasn''t that attack just a bit too cruel?"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami went utterly rigid. Thatzy tone, causal words.they could recognize who this was from a mile away.

    Out of everyone that coulde and save them, thatzy beauty Be hade to their critical aid!

 Chapter 266: A Lazy Savior

    Chapter 266: A Lazy Savior

    Standing just a mere ten feet in front of Darcel, Ani and Masami was a captain from the Snow Angel group. The beautiful yetzy stature woman Be, one of the strongest seventh-level Heavenly Kings in their group!

    And not only strongest, one of, if not the most talented and could really achieve more than what she already has if not for her causal mindset.

    Someone like this was actually protecting Darcel, Ani, and Masami!

    Genuinely, the trio couldn''t stop their eyes from widening in overwhelming disbelief.

    Sure, they all know Be was the least serious-minded out of their previous Darkness Servants. But Kassidy as well, was a serene woman that appeared like barely anything could majorly affect her.

    Yet, Kassidy stood before them with overwhelming hatred and true Killing Intent.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami expected the Killing Intent toe from their once Darkness Servants. After all, even they could understand that if they had their free wills taken away and was able to gain it back, they would want to murder the one previously controlling.

    So just why.why was Be protecting them?

    "Could this be some sort of sick trick?" Masami quietly whispered so only Darcel and Ani could hear it. Though she was protected, her guard didn''t rx for a moment.

    "I.I don''t know. I could honestly never get a read on this woman."

    Ani responded back in kind, her gaze never leaving off from Be''s back. Like Masami, she prepared herself for any first sign of betrayal.

    Only Darcel could feel a bit more in-depth towards Be''s emotional state. While Kassidy inly burst out her intense negative emotion, Be was actually cleverly hiding hers.

    Darcel realized it''s why Ani and Masami were confused about her intentions. But within his Darkness Soul link, he could sense from Be that her mental state was clearer than Kassidy though still a bit jumbled up.

    Nevertheless, one emotion Darcel could clearly sense from her was the sensation of relief. There was no negative intention mixed in with her relief as if she was genuinely d to make it just on time to the trio.

    "Girls.let''s just wait and obverse. Be is.well things might go a bit differently." Darcel whispered to the girls, feeling more assured in Be than them.

    Ani and Masami briefly snapped their eyes to him, a little mix of doubt shed on their faces.

    However, no matter the small doubts they held, neither Ani nor Masami would go against Darcel''s words. They silentlypiled while also gradually gathering more of their bloodline powers.

    At the same time the trio discussed among themselves, Be was staring into Kassidy''s shocked face with an even expression. Her seventh level Heavenly Aura swirled out of her body, directly shing against Kassidy''s own Heavenly Aura.

    For a brief moment, the air between Kassidy and Be turned suffocatingly heavy.

    No matter how much Kassidy tried to push her Heavenly Aura forth, it simply couldn''t overpower Be at all. Her once shock expression morphed into one of slight frustrations.

    Be matching her Heavenly Aura was no simple feat at all. There was no other seventh-level Heavenly King among her generation that could properly match her inbat.

    Even when she faced off against more experienced, peak seventh-level Heavenly King, none of them also could match Kassidy''s talented prowess.

    Within Kassidy''s arsenal, she has her Nine Tail Bloodline and her extremely highprehension to give herbat prowess a tremendous edge in all of her fights.

    However, despite all of her feats and aplishments, Be was inly equal to Kassidy, whether she wants to believe it or not.

    ''What is this.she''s just from a mere Mercenary group, and yet, she''s far stronger than any other geniuses on our level.''

    "Tch."

    Kassidy audibly clicked her teeth and restrained her Heavenly Aura just a bit. She knows if she were to fight here, she would not be able to quickly get rid of Be. In fact, she doubted it would even be easy to defeat her.

    Still, Kassidy''s eyes bore a hole into Be''s serene face. Seeing flickers of Darkness energy radiate from Be''s body only served to ignite Kassidy''s already surging rage.

    Despite having the same damn Darkness energy inside her, why the hell was Be''s Heavenly Aura is much less chaotic than her! With her tone utterly mixed with a bundle of emotions, Kassidy spat out to Be,

    "You!....Are you seriously going to protect them? Really? One of the first things you do when you have control is going back to serving them? Do you not feel any humiliation over being made into their little servants?"

    Those ice-cold words, that icy tone of voice sent freezing shivers down Fruna''s squadron and Darcel''s group spines. They weren''t even being targeted now, and yet, Kassidy''s voice was just that impactful.

    However, no matter how chilling her voice was, it could not affect Be at all.

    Thatzy yet graceful small smile of hers never left Be''s face. She calmly matched Kassidy''s intense gaze, never faltering under those eyes filled with hatred.

    In direct contrast to Kassidy''s haunting tone, Be began to speak in a slow, soothing manner. "Ah, humiliation, pride. And that''s the problem with many of us cultivators. Hey, instead of answering that question, let me ask this. Besides calling them Master and Mistress, did we honestly act like servants under them?"

    Kassidy wanted to hotly respond right back to Be. But as she opened her mouth, shepletely paused. Despite not wanting to think about it, Be''s words had unwillingly caused past memories to surge in her mind.

    Memories that had led up to the Mercenary Exchange Event, which made him vividly recall her meeting with Darcel''s group.

    And, barring the time Masami utterly dominated her, she really wasn''t harmed at all by either Darcel or Ani.

    In fact, that day Darcel invaded her soulscape space, he was rather calm and gentle with her. Furthermore, she would never admit this out loud, but Be was right.

    No matter what memory she recalled, she couldn''t recount any moment where she was forced to act like a genuine servant. The only things Darcel made her do was hide Zhaun and Cui in her Inn room.

    And afterward, Darcel had even opened a door for her to be an expert at masking her presence. Besides how they were addressed, Darcel really didn''t make them do any ungraceful servant-like behavior.

    At that moment, there was that return of the slight warm sensation Kassidy felt when first staring at Darcel. Right then, her mind had nearly started to slowly change how she thought about Darcel specifically.

    But almost immediately, Kassidy forcefully rpses her mind.

    Her gaze got rid of any confusion and hesitation; in her mind, she already affirmed to never forgive Darcel! With her tone still spilling over with zing Killing Intent, Kassidy told Be,

    "No matter the actions they wanted us to take. They had still briefly permanently infected our minds,pletely taking away our free will. Can you really let go of an action like that?"

    Contrary to the provoking reaction Kassidy wanted, Be didn''t cooperate at all. She felt a separation frustration bubble inside her as Be never changed that smallzy smile of hers.

    Even with all the facts inlyid out for her, Be simply shrugged her shoulders. Her mental state couldn''t be messed with, she calmly answered Kassidy, telling her,

    "Ah.oh well. Seems like I really will be the only one to admit it felt blissful to be under Darcel''s control. About my free will.well, that''s a moreplicated issue that I''m willing to talk it over."

    "Talk it over?"

    Kassidy''s expression immediately morphed into disgusted disdain. The confidence Be has made it seem like she could easily deal with her!

    "Let''s see if you can talk it over once I get rid of you, Ani and Darcel."

    Be''s eyebrows curled a bit, sensing Kassidy''s Heavenly Aura increasing back in power. Instead of responding in kind to her, she had ignited her spatial ring and brought out a pearl ne.

    Keeping a smile at Kassidy''s inquisitive expression, Be said to her, "Hmmm.you know what? How about we all settle our debts another time?"

    "Like I''ll let you leave!"

    In an instant, Kassidy''s Heavenly Aura quickly soared to its absolute peak!

    Flickers of Darkness energy burst out of her body as her pressure turned dominatingly chaotic.

    But, before Kassidy could make any move, a tremendous sum of Heavenly Qi instantly exploded out of Be''s pearl ne, causing the Spirit Artifact to lit up in a chilling blue glow.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    The blue glow sprayed out of the pearl ne, encasing everything in a forty feet radius.

    Fruna''s squadron and Kassidy could not move anymore. Under this Spirit Artifact power, it was like they were frozen in time.

    Only Be and Darcel''s group could move now. Streams of sweat poured down Be''s face as she leaked a huge breath. Throughout the entire time they talked, she was continually pouring her Heavenly Qi inside that Spirit Artifact.

    Kassidy, however, didn''t notice it because Be used her residual Darkness Soul link energy to mascarade her power.

    Still, despite unleashing a potent Spirit Artifact like this, Be had very little energy to actually form an attack to cleanly harm Kassidy.

    Not only she needed a colossal sum of her Heavenly Qi energy reserve to even activate the Spirit Artifact, but she also needed to split her energy to protect Darcel''s group.

    Under a regr fight, Be was assured she would not lose to Kassidy. But because she was so hell-bent on killing Darcel''s group, Be knew it was better to simply get them out of here.

    Right then, Be fished out a talisman from her spatial ring and shed in between Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    "You!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all instinctively tensed their bodies, letting out exmations of shock.

    But before they could try anything, Be gave them a simple smile and told them, "Let''s get out of here, hm?"

    Without waiting for their reaction, Be crushed the talisman, causing a gray Sword Qi aura to cover all four of them.

    No matter how shocked Darcel, Ani, and Masami were, they simply couldn''t resist at this point. All in a second, the gray aura wrapped the four of them up and shot them towards the skies, soaring far away from Kassidy.

    After two seconds, the Spirit Artifact power vanished, and the blue glow disappeared.

    Kassidy could finally move again, but she wasn''t happy at all. Her eyes narrowed to the skies, trying to pinpoint the exact location Be escaped to.

    However, after only two seconds, Be and Darcel''s group were far out of her Heavenly Spirit Sense range.

    Kassidy''s gaze never left the skies. She didn''t take even one passing nce back at Fruna''s squadron as she had then flew straight into the skies.

    "....The hell was that about?"

    The Silver Bloody Hammer group and the other Nobe''s Fang group members were still bewildered by everything that happened. Everything had just urred in an instant, allowing no time to process anything.

    Fruna, though, kept her gaze locked on to the skies. Disappointment bubbled throughout her chest, unsatisfied that her reunion with Darcel''s group was cut so short.

    Moreover, with the state they were in, it seemed their help was crucial.

    Right then, determination rose inside Fruna as she became dead set on seeking out Darcel''s group again.

 Chapter 267: Reasons

    Chapter 267: Reasons

    At this point, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were questioning if this independent realm was just an endless snowy forest.

    When escaping from the Shadow Rouge Captain group, their talisman shot them several thousands of miles deep into this realm.

    For all Heavenly Transformation cultivators, even for Early Ranks ones, their Heavenly Spirit Senses can expand up to several hundred miles in just mere seconds.

    And forter levels of the Heavenly Transformation realms, cultivators can even reach thousands of miles at the maximum boundary of their Heavenly Spirit Sense.

    It''s why Darcel, Ani, and Masami needed such an outrageous distance to get away from any squadron groups.

    And this held true for their current situation.

    The talisman Be had used far surpassed the one Darcel used. Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t tell how far they traveled, but it was definitely up in the tens of thousands of miles.

    They were shooting so far in this independent realm that the trio believed they would''ve at least some significant change in scenery. However, even after soaring so far off, everything was still an endless in of snow and trees.

    Quite honestly, to make an independent realm this overly expansive would require a prowess that feasibly should stand on top of the summit of the Nine Provinces.

    And such power wouldn''t be wasted on just the fourth rank Province.

    It was suspicious, to be sure, Darcel, Ani, and Masami regarded it in the back of their minds forter.

    The reason they couldn''t put their entire focus on the seemingly never-ending environment was because they were currently engaged in a tense meeting.

    Be and Darcel''s group stood ten feet apart, their gazes evenly matching each other. Immediately when they had randomly crashed over here, Darcel, Ani, and Masami put a cautious distance between them.

    Their current environment was filled with even more trees than the previous area but still looked overall the same. Barring the scenery, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes narrowed tightly on Be, immense suspicion inly stered on each of their faces.

    In stark contrast, Be''s casual, rxed smile never left her face. No matter how hard the trio was scrutinizing her, Be took it all in with a serene stride.

    "Tch.this woman and her damn smile." Masami had quietly muttered under her breath, only for Darcel and Ani to hear her.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t say anything, but with their knitting eyebrows, they were in agreement over Masami''s wariness.

    Even though Be went out of her way to save them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t remain calm at all. The act of saving their lives should be a reason for them to have considerable trust in Be.

    However, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s minds couldn''t so readily ept that.

    Perhaps it was because of what the yellow-eyed woman did to them. Ani and Masami couldn''t say for sure, but they simply couldn''t ce their utmost trust in Be.

    They both were essentially still ants under Be''s prowess even as she is majorly tried now. In just a second, if she wanted to, Be could wipe their lives off, and they wouldn''t even know how it happened.

    A situation like this couldn''t quell Ani and Masami''s nerves at all; they were already expecting the worst.

    While with Darcel, he may have more insight into Be''s emotions because of his own Darkness Soul Link. But, it was like something deep in his psyche was preventing him as well from fully trusting Be.

    Darcel had the clearer mental state of the girls, and he could more readily identify this as an irrational fear.

    However, irrational or not, Darcel''s mind kept focusing on what if Be were to turn rogue and kill the girls. After already experiencing what it likes to think he lost Ani and Masami forever, he had his guard firmly up no matter what.

    Even when Darcel met up with Fruna''s squadron, he was tense for any sign that she would possibly betray them.

    ''Seems like I''m more affected than I thought.'' Darcel grimly thought to himself, realizing he still has his own trauma running deep.

    Be, however, wasn''t aware at all of Darcel''s group thoughts. She simply took in the apparent tension on their bodies with a gracefulzy smile. After a few seconds of suffocating silence that didn''t really affect her, Be finally decided to talk.

    Her tone was light and jovial as she said, "So tense and cautious, huh? Well, I guess I can understand. By that fox girl''s disy, and from what I saw before that, you three really are the number one enemy to numerous people. It''s actually quite an achievement to get my prude group, so riled up, I must say."

    Despite Be''s tone being obviously light-hearted, trying to ease the tension a bit between them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami only ended up getting tenser.

    Ani furrowed her eyebrows as her mind recalled those strong-willed Snow Angel leaders.

    "Three eighth level and one-ninth level.we really can''t catch a break.Ah!"

    Ani''s sudden exmation stole everyone''s attention then. A more horrifying light swirled within her eyes as her mind recalled one specific woman among their Darkness Servants.

    "That Raven Mage! I nearly forgot she was also under our control. Darcy, Sami, we most certainly have to avoid her in the future!"

    Right then, a significant surge of dread bubbled within Masami''s chest. Her body went a bit rigid, her palms tightly clenched while a tiny bit of cold sweat formed around her forehead.

    Her expression was unwilling as she began to say, "Dammit.I don''t want to dread another person. But after seeing those three Raven Mages at full power, she could actually make us suffer in more ways than one."

    Even with both girls'' newfound determination in getting stronger, they couldn''t help but have over caution to anything highly life-threatening to them.

    At this point, they put the survival of their lives at a high value. And Be''s words just reminded that a potentially greater enemy, more threatening than even the Snow Leader Angel Kyrha, would want to kill them.

    Despite how massive this independent realm is, Ani and Masami were seriously considering just finding a way to leave altogether.

    The same surge of dread was also apparent in Darcel as his expression also turned slightly grim.

    Hell, Darcel could tell their situation indeed was rough when even Be''s expression fell a bit from thinking about a potentially powerful Mage enemy.

    Although, this slight change of expression got Darcel to focus all of his attention on her. Still, he couldn''t get the reason behind her actions, so he probed at her, saying,

    "Like you said, we do have several powerful enemies inside here. And you know Be, don''t think we don''t count you as a potential enemy as well."

    From behind him, Ani and Masami stopped worrying about the future enemies and leveled an even re towards Be.

    However, no matter their suspicions, Be''s expression returned back to normal, giving the trio her usual rxed smile. "Well, I guess you three have some walls up now. But, I really was true to my words, you know? It genuinely felt so good to be a Darkness Servant. In my powerful yet prudish group, I finally felt some value in being there."

    "Heh!"

    Masami loudly scoffed at Be''s promation. Her expression just said she didn''t believe any wordsing from her mouth.

    "Is that right? I''ll give you this, among the people I''ve met, your personality is undoubtedly weirder than average. But don''t try to fool us into thinking you feel no anger towards us."

    Instead of a hot reply back, true to her personality, Be dawned a brief inquisitive expression. Her eyes closed for a second, recalling the pleasant memories she had under Darcel''s group.

    A secondter, Be flung her eyes open and gave a casual shrug.

    "I guess I can say I am a bit embarrassed for getting taken down so easily. I mean, I still have some pride in my own prowess. And it is rather odd to have my free will taken away. But I don''t know."

    Be stared directly into Darcel''s abyss-like ck eyes, her expression suddenly turning serious. "When you got into my soul, it wasn''t like you were a domineering force at all. You gave me pleasure and were very gentle to me."

    "Hoh? And is that really all it takes? Just Darcy''s gentleness to ease up Killing Intent?" Ani curled her eyebrows and immediately asked without missing a beat.

    Right then, it was like a lightbulb went off in Be''s mind. Her eyes widened in sudden realization, and unexpectedly she fervently nodded at the trio.

    "Yes.yes.that''s it!"

    This sudden eager change even got Darcel, Ani, and Masami to all put on odd expressions.

    But, before any one of them could question her, Be spoke first.

    "I get it now. True, your methods were forceful, but Darcel.he genuinely spoke to me, all of us soul desires! Moreover, he also kept true to his words and granted us an ability to help with masking our presence. You see, just think about it, that little fox girl was so hell-bent on killing at least two of you. Yet, with her prowess that greatly surpasses all three of you, she was still hesitant on attacking."

    Darcel began to recall his coercion process, lining it up with Be''s thoughts. And truthfully, he really couldn''t find any fault in her words. Though he was using power to heavily sway each woman, in the end, they all did willingly ept his Darkness Soul link.

    Moreover, he did it by letting them experience what it would be like they were to one day achieve their hidden desires.

    Still, while Be saw this as a positive, Darcel already knows the others won''t. No matter if Kassidy was hesitating, the Killing Intent within her was genuine.

    "Look, no matter what reasoning we cane up with. Your Leaders and all of our other Darkness Servants won''t agree at all." Darcel reasoned to Be.

    However, the hope in Be''s eyes didn''t die out at all. In a casual tone as if it was the easiest thing in the world, she told the trio,

    "Well, why not just be Mages and fix this whole issue."

    Instead of immediately firing back this time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami paused, their expressions turning genuinely inquisitive as they seriously contemted Be''s words.

 Chapter 268: A Way Out

    Chapter 268: A Way Out

    The mysterious entity of Magical Power always had greatly interested Darcel and Ani. Ever since their first exposure to it in Necrotic City, they both had ideas of one day learning more about it.

    Their interest only amplifies in their current position where it seems Magical Power would be the only way they could im back a stable footing of prowess.

    Darcel and Ani couldn''t say for sure how that would happen, but they at least had the hope of Magical Power changing something for them.

    While with Masami, she had only gained recent interest in Magical Power after traveling with Darcel and Ani. Her whole horizons were widely broadened by both of them, and she had gotten rid of her install cultivator prejudice.

    After experiencing two near-death experiences, it was inevitable for her whole mind to change.

    Still, despite how tempting that option was, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were confused about what Be exactly meant.

    Darcel focus his eyes on Be, asking her, "Just how us bing Mages would resolve our current situation?"

    Compared to the pessimist and cautious look the trio had before, Be much rather preferred this slight shimmer of hope within her eyes. With causal smile going strong, she simply told them,

    "I''m sure I don''t need to exin the mysterious stuff of Magical Powers. And you know, I''ve heard and read around that Mages have some sort of means to create bond links through the soul. Simr to what you did, Darcel.though this one requires all Free will."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t immediately react to Be''s suggestion. At this point, the three of them were questioning whether or not her information would genuinely be liable.

    The sense of distrust was just too great for them to so readily believe Be''s words at face value.

    Masami was the one to snappily point her finger straight at Be and sharply spoke in an using tone. "Well now, isn''t that a little too convenient, hm? You say you''ve heard and read about this, but you''re a cultivator. So tell me.how could you possibly know they hold an ability like that? Last time I checked, your group isn''t so buddy, buddy with the Raven Mage Order group."

    Even barring their distrust in Be, Masami''s doubts weren''t anything unreasonable.

    Sure, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s opinions of Mages vary heavily from the norm. But Be was someone firmly within traditional cultivators. No matter how standoffish the Snow Angel group was, they too held immense prejudice against all Mages.

    This prejudice wouldn''t allow them to get close to any Mages without it turning into a tense meeting. Furthermore, no Mage would be willing to give out information on their abilities to cultivators.

    Recalling more about this issue, Darcel and Ani could only remember one time where Mages and cultivators worked somewhat together.

    Back in the first-ever City they''ve been to, Necrotic City, the Mages there did own the Teleportation business.

    And in their business, not only ordinary mortals go there, but also numerous cultivators. Though there was a subtle tension in the air when Darcel and Ani had first visited the Teleportation ce, nobody had acted out of line.

    But out here in the fourth-ranked Province, things were far more intense and brutal.

    Besides only business transactions including various cultivation resources, herbs, or medicine, Mages strictly kept to themselves.

    Moreover, Mage''s belief that they were superior to all cultivators seemed to run even more rampant in the Icy Cloud Province.

    All of this contradicting informations just made Be even more suspicious that she could just casually know a or really any Mage abilities.

    In fact, Be had even expected this kind of suspicion to get thrown at her. This is why herzy smiling expression didn''t falter at all. Under Darcel''s group increasingly scrutinizing gazes, she lightly chuckled.

    "Fufu~. Seems like you all forgot to not lump me in with the general norm as well. As proudlyzy as I am, I still have a hobby of reading whatever I can. Plus, when we were under your control, I did reach out to that Mage woman. No matter her previous disposition towards cultivators, she readily answers my questions during those blissful times~."

    "Nnng.hmph. She keeps yammering about blissful times."

    Out of everything Be had told them, Ani''s mind focused precisely on her saying blissful times.

    Her suspicious gaze started to slowly turn into a slight re that would be rare for her to have. Masami also felt a pang of annoyance, and she gave a more overt re than Ani''s subtle one.

    If Be were to just say blissful times and nothing more, it wouldn''t have affected Ani and Masami that much.

    But Be made the mistake of leveling an affectionate gaze only towards Darcel, inly showing a touch of intimacy within her eyes.

    On his end, Darcel had to hold back a sigh. At this moment, he felt a strong mix of emotions swirling around in his Darkness Soul link. To Ani and Masami''s sudden jealousy, to Be''s increasingly warm feelings.

    In fact, ever since Be had first arrived to save them, Darcel sensed her emotions towards him turned gentler by the second.

    Darcel truly was a bit confused. In the past, Ani and Masami did show bouts of jealousy. Still, it was only when his Darkness Servants got overly affectionate.

    Like how Lauren and Abby ran up to give him a hug, but Ani and Masami nearly made them pass out.

    Just Be showing a slight affectionate gaze shouldn''t really affect them much.

    And then there was Be, who all intents and purposes should be hating him. Not warming up to him by the second.

    It was all such sudden, particr issues that Darcel wondered how Ani and Masami focused on such a small thing.

    Still, that was an issue forter. For now, Darcel focused on the essential bits of what Be told them.

    And at least for the Darkness Servant part, it would be true. No matter their previous rtionship with each other, they all would cooperate with each other under his Darkness Soul link.

    Darcel wasn''t precisely sure how that worked, but he could confirm there wasn''t any lie in Be''s words. However, though she wasn''t lying, there still were other concerns Darcel decided to bring up.

    "Alright, look. Say we give you the benefit of the doubt, how would us bing Mages even matter now? We''re trapped in the realm, and we have too many enemies that we could just unluckily stumble upon."

    "Oh, this? Isn''t this a simple solution as well? I mean.all I need to do is get you three out of here then so you can work to resolve this issue, right?" Be spoke in such a casual, rxed tone as if this was the easiest task in the world.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Masami only heard impossible-sounding wordsing out from her mouth. Their eyes squinted on Be, remembering all that they know about this independent realm.

    Granted, Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t read much on this independent realm. Because of their previous overwhelming prowess and confidence, they simply didn''t have a considerable interest in how this realm worked.

    At that time, they all were more concerned with working on their own strength and mastering several abilities.

    Despite theirck of interest, the trio at least knows this realm was essentially a one-way trip.

    Without that Mage who had made the portals to travel to this realm, the trio had read they would be trapped until it was time to leave.

    Masami''s already displeased expression fell even more as she asked, "There you go again. Using that rxed tone as if you already cracked this case. What possibly hidden means could you even have to escape from here."

    Be was a powerful Heavenly King, but she wasn''t near the top rankings of the Heavenly Transformation realm. Darcel, Ani, and Masami just saw no way how she could be some miracle worker.

    In response to Masami''s harsh tone, Be''szy smile turned into a slight smirk.

    Without saying anything, she reached into her robe pocket and a bright purple glow shes from within.

    Darcel''s group attention gathered on Be''s pocket, and under their curious eyes, she began pulling out a profound Darkness glow.

    Soon enough, Be had pulled out a ck Magical Crystal Orb! "

    Th-that''s?!"

    Immediately, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were utterly bewildered.

    Appearance-wise, they instantly recognized this orb as they experienced the Raven Mages using it against them. And in their Innate Spirit Senses, they all could clearly detect Magical Power coursing from within that ck crystal orb.

    "Ho-where did you get that?? Even as Raven Sako was under my control, she would absolutely not be willing to part with a Crystal Orb!" Darcel quickly asked while Ani and Masami reeled in their surprise.

    Be was gently caressing the ck Magical Crystal Orb as she answered Darcel. "You see, our Snow Angel group has been around for years. And we always prepare for the worst-case scenario. It was a little bit troublesome to get this, but I had a feeling this woulde in handy."

    "Ah! I see.I suppose it would be inevitable for your group to steal at least something from those Mages. But.how will this help us?"

    Ani asked after calming down her mental state.

    No matter her thoughts on Be, she and Masami had no choice but to concede. A Magical Crystal Orb would for sure be protected within the Snow Angel group, and yet, Be got her hands on this one.

    "Apparently, with this, I would be able to feel out where one of the hidden teleportation portals in this realm. Not sure why those portals exist, but it does confirm to lead out of here." Be patiently exined.

    "Feel out a portal?? Just how urate is that thing?" Masami immediately pointed out a concerning thought.

    Be thought it over for a moment before answering with, "It''s.mostly urate. But, there won''t be any instant results. In fact, this may take a while."

    Right then, a sh of an idea streaked within Darcel''s head. He spoke in a cordial tone, asking Be,

    "Let me see that crystal. Before we met you, an old friend of ours lent us a specialpass that can detect treasure. With my abilities, I was able to make it instantly activate. Perhaps it could do the same here."

    "Sure. Here you go."

    Be readily agreed and tossed the ck Magical Crystal Orb towards Darcel without a second thought.

    Darcel swiftly caught the orb, though he, Ani, and Masami felt a bit weird.

    Though Be wouldn''t be able to properly use this thing, it still was a valuable object many cultivators would want their hands on. Yet, she gave it to them like it was just some ordinary object.

    For a brief moment, Darcel felt that sense of distrust gradually go down. However, he quickly pushed down whatever change of feeling running through his mind and focused on the Magical Crystal Orb.

    With his other hand, Darcel brought out the specialpass Fruna gave him, and he brought it near the Magical Crystal Orb.

    Even before trying this out, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt a small rise of anticipation and hope swell in their chest.

 Chapter 269: Unlikely Team

    Chapter 269: Unlikely Team

    Darcel wasn''t entirely sure this n would work out. After all, he never used Magical Power before, nor did he ever heard ofbining cultivation powers with Magical Power.

    Still, Darcel knows his bloodline is some kind of rare bread. He fathoms it was something rted to Angels, given that vivid dream he had after meeting the yellow-eyed woman. But those ethereal figures were incredibly vague, and he had nobody else to confirm this with.

    Either way, his bloodline most undoubtedly has abilities that are beyond ordinaryprehension.

    In just an instant, he made Fruna''spass pick up on a treasure nearby that her squadron couldn''t do before. This only served as one among many other examples of his bloodline performing feats never before seen in the cultivation world.

    With that thought in mind, Darcel once again poured his bloodline powers into the specialpass.

    The specialpass immediately gained a Darkness glow, and Darcel could already pick up on a potent Qi treasure not that far from them. A vibrant flow of rich Qi energy swirled inside his Spirit Sense, nearly taking Darcel''s full attention.

    That Qi treasure was tempting, but Darcel knows all too well of the danger in this realm. He quickly focused on his current task.

    Ani and Masami stayed silent, their eyes intently focused on the Darkness glow specialpass, hoping for some kind of result.

    Right then, Darcel slowly brought the specialpass towards the ck Magical Crystal orb.

    When his hand hovered an inch near the Magic Crystal orb, Darcel could already sense slight sensations of mysterious energy he never felt before.

    Already his eyes began to shimmer with confidence.

    That slight response told Darcel everything he needed. Without any further dy, he pushed the specialpass towards the ck Magical Crystal orb, so they were meshing against each other.

    Ani, Masami, and Be all felt their breathings get a little bit hitched. They all didn''t know what to expect from this experiment. Cultivation energy and Magical Power mixing together was essentially unheard of.

    But, none of them were given even half a second to think what would happen.

    Instantly when Asher meshed the specialpass and ck Magic Crystal orb together, a profound Darkness glow wrapped over both objects, drowning them in a sea of Darkness.

    Darcel went rigid; an overwhelming rush of that same mysterious energy covered his entire Innate Spirit Sense!

    Darcel would always be proud of his insaneprehension, but at this moment, hisprehension abilities couldn''t help him at all.

    Whatever this strange energy was, Darcel couldn''t understand it at all!

    Admittedly, this rush of mysterious energy started to give him a slight headache.

    The minor pain he was experiencing.it felt familiar to Darcel.

    Almost like it was.no, it was precisely Magical Power!

    Right then, a slight sense of enlightenment struck into Darcel''s mind. This unfathomable, mysterious energy was the highlyplex properties of Magical Power!

    Initially, Darcel had no way of understanding this. However, after only experiencing it for about a few seconds, he could gradually understand a tiny portion of Magical Power.

    As he came upon this realization, within his soul''s core, the prominent green hue part of it began to shine brighter.

    Darcel couldn''t know about it now, but his Chaotic Shard was adequately responding to the Magical Power coursing within his Spirit Sense, helping him toprehend it.

    "Darcy?" Ani called out to him, her tone having slight concern.

    For several seconds now, Darcel wasn''t moving at all, bing akin to a perfect stature. Ani was started to get a bit worried, but even as she called out to him, Darcel remained still.

    "This."

    Masami began poking Darcel''s shoulder, sharing an equal amount of concern with Ani. Though, even as she made direct contact, Darcel didn''t budge an inch.

    "Do you think he''s going through some kind of trance? I mean.we''ve seen those eyes before." Masami suggested to Ani while she peered into Darcel''s unfocused eyes.

    "Hmmm." Ani put a finger to her chin, trying to gauge Darcel''s current state. But before she could answer Masami, Be decided to boldly chime in with her own opinions.

    "It certainly could be possible. Just look how much that orb is pulsating."

    Ani and Masami were half tempted to ignore Be, given their already surging dislike of her. But, since she pointed it out, Ani and Masami felt their eyes subconsciously peer over to the ck Magic Crystal Orb.

    "This."

    Both girls squint their eyes on the orb, nearly unwilling to believe what they''re seeing. Like how Be pointed it out, the Magic Crystal Orb was violently pulsating within the sea of Darcel''s Darkness glow.

    Although, the strange part was that neither Ani, Masami, nor Be could sense Magical Power exuding from it.

    While none of them can properly identify Magical energy, they could at least sense it was different from Qi energy.

    And yet, despite looking like it was going to burst open, there seemingly wasn''t powering from the Magical Crystal Orb.

    It was odd for sure, but before the girls could think deeply about it, Darcel finally started to move.

    His eyes blinked rapidly, quicklying back to his surroundings. He still didn''t remove the specialpass from the ck Magical Crystal orb, but his Darkness glow had decreased in its intensity.

    When Darcel came out of his trance, his sights first caught Ani and Masami''s expecting faces. Peering into their beautiful faces already quelled his slightly jumbled-up minds, and he was about to speak out to them.

    But before he could, Masami eagerly spoke up first. "Well?? How''d it go? For a little bit, you were stuck in some weird trance. Did you get Magic on the brain?"

    "Magic on the brain?"

    Though Masami''s word choices were odd, it did get Darcel to thoroughly think over what just happened. His lips curled into a small smile as he began telling the girls,

    "In the way you put it, I had Magic on the brain for a bit. But it was far too confusing for me toprehend as of now. But, more importantly, I managed to find our ticket out of this ce."

    "Ahh! Great!"

    Both Ani and Masami instantly reacted, feeling an overwhelming rush of relief. The hell they had experienced here simply wasn''t worth it for the random dangerous treasures that could also take their lives.

    "Just how did you do it? Is our way out close to us?" Ani asked two rapid-fire questions in session.

    Darcel briefly closed his eyes for a moment, processing all that he had sensed. He flung them back open a split second after, and there was a clear fire burning within the depths of his pupils.

    "How''d I do it? I''m not so sure; it''s all thanks to my bloodline abilities. What I''m sensing is energy so incredibly profound that I couldn''tprehend it at allpared to Magical Powers. I think this has something to do with Spatial abilities. In any case, the portal is actually a bit far from us."

    "Is that so? Well then, I''ll protect you three until we arrive at that spot."

    Before Ani and Masami could even react, Be swiftly spoke without missing a beat. She stared directly into Darcel''s eyes, and her tone was like she would not take no for an answer.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami shared a look between each other.

    Darcel''s expression was the least tense, while Ani and Masami''s were furrowing their eyebrows.

    "Tch.should we really ept her help? I.just feel too weird about her." Masami voiced her concerns.

    "Haaah.I know how you feel, Sami. Buuut, I already know you will ept her help, right, Darcy? Your expression just gives it away." Ani had put on a slightly wry smile, deeply masking any show of negative feelings.

    Although, from within his Darkness Soul link, Darcel could sense the mix of distrust and begrudge in both Ani and Masami. To cate the girls, Darcel spoke in the calmest tone possible.

    "Look. With her help, we won''t have to worry that much about running into a squadron group. Furthermore, I can sense the portal isn''t that far away. The sooner we get this done, the faster we can escape this ce."

    "Fuuu.yea, yea, I know you''re right. Just, to get protected by her, what a cruel twist." Masami grumbled out her frustrations, but she held no intentions to reject anymore.

    "Now, now. Like Darcy said, the faster we get there, the faster we''ll be free!" Ani''s tone gained a hint of brightness as she madeforting pats on Masami''s shoulder.

    Darcel just had to shake his head at the girl''s antics. Sometime down the line, he''ll really need to seriously address their mental state.

    Still, Darcel could at least admit that being protected certainly was an odd feeling.

    Pushing down those thoughts, Darcel turned his sights back on Be, who, throughout this entire time, patiently waited with a rxed smile.

    "Well, it''s decided. Everyone, stick close to me. I''ll need some concentration to take us there, so don''t stray far from me." Darcel exined to the girls.

    "Right." Ani, Masami, and Be simultaneously nodded at him.

    Without dying any longer, Darcel pinpointed in his Innate Spirit Sense where that teleportation portal was and shot off towards the skies.

    Despite it being only his second time flying, Darcel moved through the air like he''s been flying for all of his life.

    From right behind him, Ani and Masami flew at Darcel''s exact speed. And just like Darcel, even though it''s only her second time flying, Ani could soar at high speeds like an inborn natural.

    Tailing just ten feet behind them was Be, who could easily match with Darcel''s group speed.

    As Be flew, she stimted the Darkness energy within her soul and quickly masked her presence.

    Like this, they all soared at top speeds, ripping right through the airwaves, heading directly to a hidden teleportation portal.

 Chapter 270: Trying For Gold

    Chapter 270: Trying For Gold

    It was at another location within the endlessly vast snowy forest maze.

    The Mercenary Exchange Event had now shifted into a continuous state of high tension and high action. Hours passed, and numerous squadron groups were throwing all caution into the wind.

    During the period where all Spirit Monsters had gained a strange immense boost in power, there were numerous causalities and destruction all across the independent realm.

    Now that the Spirit Monsters roaming in this realm had all got subtly weaker, all squadron groups were going on a relentless attack.

    This year''s event had already surprised everyone participating, and the Mercenaries didn''t know if something unexpected could happen again.

    And within one random section of the snowy forest maze, one particrly strong squadron group had their eyes set on an incredible treasure.

    This squadron group consisted of the usual six people, which made for solidly tight formation. At this point in the event, it wouldn''t be umon for a close-knit squadron like this one to be brazenly rushing towards their treasure.

    Yet, this squadron group wasn''t being overly rash and was carefully traversing to their uing treasure.

    Though this squadron group has the average number of members, their overall prowess was nothing to scoff at. For as within their formation, there were two seventh-level Heavenly Kings!

    Furthermore, each squadron member here carried an overbearing appearance that could strongly intimidate weaker groups and even groups on a simr level.

    Each squadron member carried long broad weapons that weighed hundreds of pounds right over their shoulders. It was like weight didn''t matter for any of them as they held their massive weapons like it was sacks of potatoes.

    Additionally, each squadron member was wearing pristine white color armor that perfectly fitted their bodies, allowing for perfect movements.

    This squadron group was one of several belonging to the White Demon Mercenary group.

    And as true to their infamous reputation, each of them was spouting immensely confident expressions as they slowly traversed to their treasure.

    Just five hundred feet away from the White Demon squadron was a colossal, slumbering pr bear-type monster.

    Among all monstrous bear beasts, this specific pr bear stood frighteningly tall. Its heights at least ranged over twenty feet tall, and though it was lying down, it was upying a massive amount of space.

    Furthermore, this monstrous bear''s white fur coat seemed radiantly shining, almost like it took a dip in luminous gloss.

    Even while it was sleeping, the monstrous pr bear Heavenly Aura still naturally exuded from its resting body. And the beast was a peak seventh level Heavenly King!

    No matter if a squadron group were highly prepared and cautious, most of them wouldn''t dare to a peak seventh level Heavenly King Spirit Monster lightly.

    Even when outnumbered, Spirit Monsters at this level tend to have insane vitality that makes it immensely hard to kill them in general. Moreover, with these Spirit Monsters'' sudden berserk powers upon near death, most squadron groups would take at least a few minutes for a n before brazenly rushing in.

    However, for this White Demon squadron, none of them were taking such risk into ount. In their minds, a vast sum of greed worked over any nerves they had about their safety.

    Within one of the seventh level Heavenly King''s hands, he held a violently pulsatingpass that was wrapped in a bluish glow. And the closer they got to the slumbering Spirit Monster, the harsher thepass''s bluish light became.

    Furthermore, the seventh level Heavenly King could sense a massive sum of incredibly rich Qi energy swirl around in his Spirit Sense. He was the Vice-Captain of their squadron group, so he naturally reported to the head Captain, telling him,

    "Now that we''re much closer to the beast, I can pinpoint a more urate sense of the treasure. And it must be at least a high Heavenly Rank!"

    Even more greed swirled in each squadron member''s eyes.

    Like many other squadrons, they weren''t having the best times here. In fact, they had quite a few unfortunate encounters that were a legitimate danger to all of their lives.

    Only recently, where the Spirit Monsters are seemingly growing weaker, the White Demon squadrons are finding their luck is changing.

    Beforeing here, they had already dug several other potent Qi treasures. And the Spirit Monsters guarding those treasures were all swiftly dealt with them.

    This is why they have a certain confidence in their actions; they already believe that whatever they have on them can deal with this Powerful Spirit Monster bear.

    Right then, the head Captain stopped walking, causing his other squadron members to stop moving as well.

    The head Captain squinted his eyes on the slumbering monstrous bear, and the beast still hadn''t taken notice of their presence.

    "Captain, should we go with the usual n? This type of monster tends to have a more troublesome vitality than most other beasts." The Vice-Captain had suddenly made a suggestion.

    The other squadron members knew their ces and listened intently to whatever course of actions their Captains would decide.

    For a brief moment, the head Captain closed his eyes, contemting the Vice-Captain''s words.

    Soon enough, after rummaging on it for several seconds, the head Captain flung his eye back open. He believed he had juste up with the perfect idea as there was a chilling gleam in his eyes while he stared at the slumbering Spirit Monster.

    The head Captain had then started to say, "Ok. Here''s the n-"

    Whatever n the head Captain had was doomed to never be known.

    Completely out of nowhere, the head Captain felt a tightening lump clutch in his throat, preventing him from speaking further.

    And it wasn''t just him; his other squadron members all went rigid as a tremendous sense of danger exploded within their Spirit Sense.

    From where the slumbering Spirit Monsterid, the White Demon squadron had suddenly sensed a tremendous sum of powerful Heavenly Qi!

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    Before anyone could see what was happening, a bright blue light burst throughout the whole area, covering everything in a radiant ice glow for hundreds of feet!

    At the same time, that sum of powerful Heavenly Qi exploded into a colossal attack!

    The White Demon squadron felt considerable pressure just from the aftershocks of whatever Heavenly Qi st that was.

    "Fuuu."

    A second after the Heavenly Qi st, everyone in the White Demon squadron exhaled a cold breath. Their bodies began to instinctively shiver as the temperature had suddenly plummeted to freezing levels.

    "Wh-what the hell is-Ah?"

    The head Captain raised a cry of surprise as his eyesnded back on the slumbering Spirit Monster. His other squadron members had also raised cries of shock when their gazes were back on the monstrous bear.

    That massive, powerful yet slumbering Spirit Monster bear was now encased in a vast block of Ice Qi!

    The Ice Qi had covered a wide thirty-foot radius and froze everything it came in contact with.

    Every member of the White Demon squadron simply stared unblinkingly at the frozen Spirit Monster. Their minds were entirelygging at the moment, unable toprehend just how the hell this happened.

    Everything urred in just an instant snap. Neither the White Demon squadron nor the slumbering Spirit Monster bear could have ever prepared for that massive st of Heavenly Qi power.

    The thought they also could''ve beenpletely caught off guard snapped the White Demon squadron back to reality. An even greater chill than the freezing temperature swept through their entire bodies.

    None of them could sense what had caused the Heavenly Qi st, and even now, they still didn''t sense anyone near them!

    Genuine fear began to creep in each White Demon squadron member''s mind. They for sure could tell whoever had just attacked woulde for them next!

    The head Captain started to surge his Heavenly Qi and attempted to say,

    "Everyone-?!"

    However, his words were caught short once again as he suddenly sensed tremendous danger right by them!

    Once again, in an entirely abrupt manner, a colossal sum of Heavenly Qi appeared out of thin air. But this sum of Heavenly Qi was far stronger than the one used on the Spirit Monster bear.

    "Shit!!" Everyone in the White Demon squadron fiercely cursed as they desperately tried to gather their Heavenly Qi and Heavenly Aura.

    However, in the split second they raised their powers, they all immediately stopped.

    It wasn''t that they stopped on their own, but the storm of Heavenly Qi power right by them was utterly suppressing their entire bodies!

    A freezing cold that went even below absolute zero drilled right into each White Demon squadron member''s bodies.

    In just an instant, frostbite was covering each White Demon squadron member''s faces. And before the White Demon squadron could even tell what was going on, a blinding blue glow covered their visions.

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    In a simr manner to the slumbering Spirit Monster bear, the immense sum of Heavenly Qi exploded, causing Ice Qi to cover each White Demon squadron member.

    Without even a chance to resist, the whole White Demon squadron was encased in solid blocks of ice Qi.

    And right then, from ten feet behind the White Demon squadron, the person closely following them leaked a small breath.

    If the White Demon squadron members weren''tpletely frozen, they would all be utterly terrified.

    The person behind them was a Captain of the Snow Angel group, Captain Be!

    Throughout this entire time, Be had trailed right behind the White Demon squadron, going entirely undetected by them.

    "Now to finish this," Be said with a smallzy smile.

    She had then fished out a Royal Spirit Sword from her spatial ring, covered the whole de with Gray sword Qi and had then made a full swipe with her sword.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A wave of sword Qi unleashed from Be''s Royal Spirit Sword. The wave of sword Qi was an unstoppable force as it effortlessly sliced through the Ice Qi and cleanly torn through each White Demon squadron member''s necks.

    Every White Demon squadron member''s head flew up into their air, yet no gory fountain of blood sprayed out of them.

    The beheaded frozen heads crashed right back into the snowy ground, and on each face, there was a look of horrifying disbelief.

    In an instant, a powerful Mercenary squadron group was killed without them even having a chance to resist. And more terrifying was that the White Demon squadron couldn''t even sense who was their inevitable executioner.

 Chapter 271: A Sense Of Trust

    Chapter 271: A Sense Of Trust

    Be''s eyes roamed up and down the frozen headless corpses of the White Demon squadron. Her expression turned inquisitive as she was searching for something specific within their Ice Qi prison.

    Soon enough, her eyes quickly fell on their spatial rings. For a moment, a twinkle sparkled within Be''s eyes, but it had immediately disappeared, not even a second afterward.

    ''Hmmm.with that talisman.yea, those rings are destroyed.'' Be slightlymented the overwhelming effects of her Heavenly talisman.

    Sure, it had the powerful effect of freezing even seventh-level Heavenly Kings, but it also means everything on their corpses is forever ruined.

    Compared to the body of a Heavenly King cultivator, the items they have on them, such as a spatial ring, wouldn''t be nearly as tough. The prating Ice Qi renders those ringspletely useless now.

    And it wasn''t like Be was some greedy person. Far from it, but she did want to help Darcel''s group in any way she could.

    Even though Ani and Masami probably won''t get over their overwhelming dislike for her as of now, she still wanted them to vehemently support them.

    When Be made her promations straight at Darcel''s face, it wasn''t any words of fluff at all.

    Still, since nothing could be done about the White Demon squadron''s useless frozen corpses, Be turned her attention towards that frozen Spirit Monster pr bear.

    Right then, she casually raised her Royal Spirit sword again, coated the whole de entirely in Gray Sword Qi, and swiped her sword at the frozen beast.

    Likest time, Be unleashed a wave of Gray Sword Qi that soared with lightning speeds straight at the monstrous bear.

    Be''s wave of Gray Sword Qi crossed hundreds of feet of distance in mere seconds, tore right through the Ice Qi, and drilled into the monstrous pr bear''s skull.

    Immediately, Be''s wave of gray Sword Qi sliced the beast''s brain into thousands of pieces, killing it in one strike.

    Throughout this entire time, the Spirit Monster bear had never opened its eyes once.

    With everything dead and taken care of, Be shed her Royal Spirit back inside her spatial ring, and a wave of tension left her body.

    "Fuuu."

    Be leaked arge breath, feeling some beads of sweat roll down her face.

    "This is why I prefer to sleep in all day. Still.that ability really is showing off its usefulness." Be remarked to herself. All of this was only possible because of her masked presence abilities.

    While masking her presence doesn''t make her invisible, it does make her essentially impossible to detect if one doesn''t see her first. The White Demon squadron was too focused on their greed to ever think someone was trailing right behind them.

    Moreover, Be had even managed to erase any potential noise she could possibly make, allowing her to score an easy ambush.

    And since Be had already precharged her Heavenly talisman, it was ready to fire in a mere instant.

    This was only the surface of the terrifying abilities of Darcel''s specific masking presence abilities.

    A battle that Be would have an immensely troublesome time to do if she were to face them head-on was cleared with no damage suffered to her.

    Suddenly then, while Be was lost in how incredible her masking presence ability was, she sensed three other presences appearing by the now-dead Spirit Monster bear.

    Be quickly shed over to those three presences, and she soon heard Masami''s energetic voice.

    "I wonder when we can go back to being loud and shy? Oh well.I guess it''s better for this to be over in an instant than dragged out."

    As Masami spoke, she, Darcel, and Ani had appeared about twenty feet to the left of the monstrous bear. Simr to Be, they too were hiding their presence, allowing them to y a significant part in the ambush.

    Though none of them could get close to their enemies like Be could, standing still together still let them go invisible within anyone''s Spirit Senses.

    And now, after reaching the Innate Core realm, Darcel and Ani felt theirbined masking presence abilities had improved.

    Darcel had an indifferent expression, while Masami and Ani had slight wistfulness swirling in their eyes.

    Ani had followed up right after Masami and said, "Still, you''re right, Sami. I, too, can''t help but miss the days where we can fight freely."

    Though none of them were battle nuts, the art of fighting did genuinely excite Darcel, Ani, and Masami. However, now, they could no longer engage in their earth-shattering fights from before.

    With their current prowess, Darcel had fathomed that they could probably barely match very early rank Heavenly Kings.

    Considering their current realms, that kind ofbat prowess was still incredible. But Darcel could understand that there was a certain discontent of not being able to haveplete free reign anymore.

    Although, Darcel did reckon that when they get out of this independent realm, they could adequately fix their mental state.

    He realized that they don''t need to go out and face all immensely powerfulte-rank Heavenly Kings. As long as they could simply face cultivators at their current level of prowess, Darcel was assured they could sharpen their minds better than before.

    While Darcel was musing to himself, Be had already gotten close to them. Her presence made the trio snap their attention over to her, and Be began to speak, having the same rxed smile on her face.

    "From what I''m seeing, your problem now is ack of cultivation, right? Well then, I think I sensed something that can be useful now."

    Before Darcel, Ani and Masami could question her, Be turned her attention to the frozen beast corpse. She raised her finger, and at the tip of it, a small ball of Heavenly Qi energy formed.

    Be had then flicked the small ball of Heavenly Qi energy towards the frozen beast corpse. Just with a tiny portion of her power, her energy ball destroyed the whole frozen beast corpse into tiny little pieces.

    With the humongous beast corpse no more, Be had then made a grasping motion with her hand.

    ''Hua!''

    Right then, a glowing green object burst from the ground and flowed right into Be''s hands.

    Be felt a rich sum of Qi energy pulsate within her hand, and she peered her eyes down at the treasure that made the White Demon squadron get risky.

    Mild surprise ran through Be''s as she saw a star-shaped green crystal that was now in her hands.

    "Th-this energy!"

    At the same time Be pulled the green crystal star from the ground, Darcel, Ani, and Masami nearly went wide-eyed.

    The Qi energy treasure Be had just dug up was even more potent than the Qi Root fruit they had previously absorbed!

    That kind of energy would tremendously help them out now. However, the only problem was that Be held it in her hands.

    More specifically, Ani and Masami found it an issue seeing as they couldn''t get over their distrust over Be.

    But Darcel wasn''t worried at all. And Be proved why he shouldn''t be concerned as she simply said, "Fu~. Now, this is a nice treasure. No wonder those guys were throwing caution into the wind."

    After giving her general appraisal, Be turned around to the trio and tossed the green star crystal straight at Darcel.

    With a small smile of his own, Darcel promptly caught the green star crystal. There was a sense of gratitude surging within his eyes when looking at Be now.

    Without her, they for sure wouldn''t be able to kill either the White Demon squadron or that Spirit Monster pr bear. And despite her really have no real reason to do it, she quickly tossed over a great treasure without any questions.

    Even as Darcel was a lot more cautious now, he couldn''t help but feel more trust inside Be''s earnest actions.

    Ani and Masami as well couldn''t simply look past her actions anymore. More begrudging birth in their hearts as they had no choice but to ept that Be wants to genuinely help

    But before Darcel, Ani, and Masami could say any sort of thanks, Be spoke first again.

    "Now then, since we''re here, do you sense the portal around here?"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami blinked their eyes, a bit taken aback at first. But they almost instantly realized Be''s subtle gesture.

    Darcel gained a slight smirk as he had then shed the green star crystal in his spatial ring. He had then brought out the specialpass and the ck Magical Crystal orb from the same spatial ring.

    After closing his eyes for a moment to feel out the portal, Darcel felt a rise of anticipation. Opening his eyes back, he told the girls, "The portal.it''s actually right by us."

    "Perfect!"

    Both Ani and Masami felt their excitement shot through the roof. Finally, they could be back on safends!

    Since Darcel said it was here, Ani and Masami began to scan their eyes over the area. A rise of confusion started to mix in with their excitement as they couldn''t spot any spot where a hidden teleportation portal could possibly lie.

    "Uhm.but where exactly is it, Darcy?" Ani raised the question that was on her and Masami''s minds.

    Darcel didn''t immediately respond. Under the girl''s question gazes, he began to walk forward just a few feet. He had then raised the ck Magical Crystal orb a bit and abruptly stopped.

    Right then, the Magical Crystal orb violently pulsated, spewing out a strong wave of Magical energy.

    Before Ani, Masami or Be could even question what was happening, several ck Magical tendrils discharged from the Magical Crystal orb.

    The ck Magical tendrils tore right through the ground, drilling thousands of miles deep in just mere seconds!

    <em>''Rumble~!!'' </em>

    Suddenly then, the ground beneath Darcel''s group started to violently tremble. A few feet from Darcel, numerous spider web cracks started to split through the snowy soil.

    And soon enough, a ck-yellowish glow bubbled up from the center of the spider web cracks.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Snow flew everywhere as the ground burst wide open!

    And like it was rising from the depths of the abyss, a ck-yellow color mixed teleportation spatial portal arose from the broken ground.

    A strange form of energy that neither Darcel, Ani, Masami, or Be could understand began to flow through the air.

    Nobody made any sudden moves then. Everyone stared unblinkingly at the teleportation spatial portal, nearly getting lost in its enchanting glow.

    For some reason, this hidden teleportation spatial portal looked thousands of times more profound than the ones the City Lord Mage managed to create.

 Chapter 272: Conflicting Thoughts

    Chapter 272: Conflicting Thoughts

    Although nobody could understand the mysterious Magical energy running through the air, Darcel, Ani, Masami, and Be had still gone in a slight trance. Them staring into the hidden teleportation portal went beyond its enchanting appearance.

    It was like they were gazing into a profound mystery that they could potentially solve if they had all the time in the world.

    However, that was time nobody had.

    Be was the first to snap out of her slight trance. She blinked several times, feeling genuinely impressed.

    For most things in her life, she rarely would feel any type of awe unless it came from Darcel. But, whatever this teleportation spatial portal was, it certainly left a deep impression on her.

    Be was even half-attempted to go back to that previous hypnotic trance. But she quickly realized first that Darcel, Ani, and Masami need to leave now.

    Though, when she peered her eyes over to them, she witnessed a deep green hue swirling within their eyes. Her curiosity was piqued a bit, but Be pushed it back and in a loud, clear voice, she shouted to the trio.

    "Hey! Your exit ticket is here. Don''t tell me you all prefer to just stare at it?"

    "Hu-huh??"

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami jumped a bit. The green hue swirling within their eyes vanished as they came back to reality.

    "That was.odd."

    Masami remarked, unsure on what to make of what just happened. She didn''t know what kind of trance she was ced upon, and when trying to recall it now, her mind felt fuzzy.

    "Yea.but, Be''s right! Darcy, Sami. Let''s get out of this ce!" Ani suddenly spoke in an eager tone, her eyes fully back to reality.

    While there was the same mysterious fuzz coursing around in Ani''s head, she had quickly forced it down.

    Darcel squinted his eyes a bit. Compared to Ani and Masami, he felt the least amount of fuzz when recalling that trance. And during that time, he could sense that their Chaotic Shard had mysteriously activated.

    When ites to this form of energy, Darcel was anything but assured about it. That mysterious yet overwhelming power was still tooplex for him to understand. Although, he could vaguely understand that their Chaotic Shards are reacting to Magical energy.

    Darcel pushed down this thought forter as he knew this would be significantly helping them soon enough.

    For now, Darcel shed both the ck Magical Crystal and the specialpass inside his Spatial Ring. While he did so, he told the girls,

    "Yes. Let''s not dy any longer."

    "Ah! Before you go, remember what I said about Azog Ice Town. Over there, the Siren Blood Mage group is truly your best bet at bing Mages."

    Before the trio jumped out in the portal, Be had called out to them.

    Be felt a mix of sorrow wash over her entire body just from the fact that she couldn''t go with them.

    However, she tried to understand that this was for the best. Be may be able to protect them from other Mercenaries squadrons, but if they were to encounter her own Snow Angel group, they all would be in a tight situation.

    "Right.well, bye, for now. I think." Ani said while turning halfway around to Be. She had a strange-looking smile as she wasn''t sure how to act around her.

    One part of her was more than d she was leaving her presence. But now, another part of her felt as if they were about to lose a tremendous helpful force.

    "Yea,ter, I guess." Masami also awkwardly spoke, being the same as Ani, not knowing how to properly face Be at all.

    She mainly couldn''t get over the fact that what should be a hated enemy of theirs so graciously helped them out all the way until the end.

    Darcel was the only one to look Be square in the eyes. And even without his Darkness Soul link, he could see grief swirling within Be''s eyes.

    Right then, Darcel felt Be''s desire in wanting to just abandon the Snow Angel group ande with them.

    That was a tempting thought for sure, but Darcel knew that would cause them all severe problems more than anything. Still, he began to speak in a calming tone towards Be.

    "Goodbye, Be, and thanks for the help. We needed it. And don''t worry.I am sure we will see each other again. Besides, your presence still in the Snow Angel group would be the most helpful for us."

    "Haaah.yea, I know." Be grumbled in a low voice, spouting an expression that Darcel found surprisingly cute.

    Admittedly Be was quite the beauty, so seeing an adorable pouty expression on her was enticing.

    However, Darcel made sure he didn''t react as that would only stir up Ani and Masami to a troublesome point.

    Giving onest nce at Be, Darcel had then turned around to Ani and Masami. He nodded at the girls, signaling to them it was time to leave.

    Without sharing any more words, Darcel, Ani, and Masami jumped straight into the teleportation spatial portal, immediately disappearing from sight.

    Be stayed behind to watch them entirely disappear from this independent realm. And after only a couple of seconds, the teleportation spatial portal burst into tiny wisps of Magical energy.

    Left all alone now, Be sighed with heavy emotions. She probably won''t see Darcel''s group for quite some time now, and that made her a bit deted. Compared to her prudish group, she much rather enjoyed being with the trio.

    And Be could tell that there was something heavily bothering all three of them, which would exin their sudden mood shifts.

    The thought of abandoning the Snow Angel group just to go with the trio had suddenly popped into her mind.

    But before that thought could tempt her, Be vividly recalled Darcel''s words.

    No matter what, she is one of the strongest Snow Angel Captains within their group. And if she were to go missing, the Snow Angel group would only restlessly pursue them all.

    ''I really do hope they can be Mages.'' Be had one final thought as her eyes linger on where the teleportation spatial portal used to lie.

    After a moment, Be took her eyes off the area and was about to fly off.

    However, when her Spirit Sense picked up on someone extremely familiar rapidly approaching her, Be suddenly stopped.

    ''What''s she doing here?'' Be quickly identified the one approaching her was one of her Snow Angel Leaders, Leader Melea!

    And soon enough, she heard Melea''s voice speak out to her.

    "Captain Be! Just, what are you doing over here? Just before, I was sensing some kind of strange energying from right here."

    Be peered up to the skies only to see Melea swiftly dive down towards her.

    In seconds, Melea touched down on the ground, and her eyes began scanning the whole area. "I don''t know what I was sensing from here. It felt so familiar and so unfathomable-Ah?? What on earth happened here?!"

    Melea interrupted herself as her gazended on the utter destruction left behind by the teleportation spatial portal. That wide crater that looked down it was going to the depths of the abyss caught her attention the most.

    Be''s expression had already turned back to herzy smile when Melea hadnded. She masked any other previous emotions and began telling her,

    "Perhaps we had just missed out on whatever was over here. I have just arrived here too."

    Melea set her gaze on Be again. From that typically rxed smile of her, it was essentially impossible to tell if she was feeling different.

    However, Melea could just feel there was something off about her. So she decided to ask then, "I see.Captain Be, answer me honestly. We''ve been in this realm for quite some time, yet I haven''t sensed a trace from them. Tell me, have you yet to encounter Darcel, Ani, and Masami?"

    Be didn''t have any change of expression at all. In fact, out of all Snow Angels Leaders, she expected Melea to have a reaction that seemed the most mixed.

    During their time under Darcel, she observed there was a particr passion that had ignited inside Melea.

    And it was inly obvious to see that, as of now, that previous burning passion had vanished from Melea.

    Right then, as Be was going to answer her, an idea streaked into her mind. She changed a bit of what she''s going to say and had then said,

    "Nope. I haven''t seen them at all. Although, excuse me for asking Leader Melea, but I''m a bit confused why you want to know about them? I mean.I saw Leader Zih''s reaction, and she''s so full of hatred that the mere mention of their names gets her Killing Intent roaring. But Leader Melea.I don''t sense it from you?"

    "Wh-what?"

    Melea was caught entirely off guard for Be''s long spiel. For as long as she knew her for, that had to be the longest time she had ever spoken!

    Still, what Be had said rummaged in her mind. A jumbled mix of emotions started to swell, but Melea quickly pushed it down as soon as it came.

    Her expression briefly appeared muddle for a moment, but the next second after, her face turned severe. "Obviously, I hold.K-Killing Intent. But that doesn''t matter now! Look, just report to me, and only me if you ever were to spot Darcel, Ani, and Masami."

    Melea''s tone went through a rollercoaster of emotions as she tried suppressing her feelings.

    And Melea didn''t give Be any time to react to her changing mental state. Immediately when she finished talking, she turned around and swiftly sted off up to the skies, going far in the horizon in just mere seconds.

    Be curled her eyebrows at Melea''s more than apparent suspicious response. Her lips curved into a slight smirk, feeling less uncertain about the future now.

    "If it''s her, then.heh. Things won''t be so overlyplicated in the future."

 Chapter 273: Free At Last

    Chapter 273: Free At Last

    While the Mercenary Exchange Event was in a continuous state of high tension, back on the outside of that independent realm, New Branch City is in a constant state of unrest.

    Hours passed since the event had started, yet neither the original residents nor remaining Mercarnies inside New Branch City had their minds entirely focused on the event.

    Even as of now, nearly all residents were still thinking about that violent earthquake that struck their City.

    Absolutely nobody knew what could''ve caused such an unfathomable power quake. And it wasn''t like this was a natural urrence in the environment. Despite being on a smaller scale of size, New Branch City still expands at least over thousands of miles.

    No, everyone had sensed it was some form of boundless power that had affected their entire City.

    However, after that brief violent earthquake, whatever that unfathomable power was didn''t appear again.

    Residents wanted answers from the City Lords, worrying that they would potentially get attacked by the same dangerous enemy in the future.

    But, stranger than the violent earthquake was the fact that the City Lords didn''t make any official statement. The most residents got was just a simple announcement that everything was just a false rm.

    Other than that, no residents had seen any movemente out of the City Lords manors. Everything was all too suspicious, but residents could only wait until somebody came out of the City Lord Manor.

    At the same time, the residents were suspicious; inside the City Lord manor, a mass preparation was undergoing.

    Within the massive manor, City Lord Yi Feng and Mage Mao had spread life-threatening news around. These two were the ones that experienced firsthand the yellow-eyed woman''s overwhelming power.

    Even now, neither understood why that demoness of a woman had let them go. But they were sure she had no good intentions towards anything.

    In fact, when the yellow-eyed woman forcefully changed the independent realm before their very eyes, both City Lord Yi Feng and Mage Mao believed all Mercenaries squadrons in there were already dead.

    Unknown to the whole City, the City Lords were desperately trying toe up with any kind of countermeasure for an enemy that seemed like an invincible God.

    But, this was an enemy nobody there would ever see again.

    .

    A few miles from New Branch City, within the Wild Snow Lands, everything was the usual eerie silence.

    Despite the changes happening within New Branch City and the Mercenary Exchange Event, the outside world had stayed the same. Down to light gray color snow, the asional Spirit Monster roaming about, and freezing temperature, nothing was out of ce.

    But right then, unknown to everyone within New Branch City, a ck spatial tear had appeared, splitting apart the air itself.

    For a five hundred foot radius, everything had frozen when that ck spatial tear appeared. A mysterious form of energy, unknown to any current cultivator or Mages, had suddenly burst within this limited area, covering everything in a profound ck sh!

    The blinding ck shsted for a brief moment before vanishing almost immediately along with that profound form of energy.

    Out from the ck sh, three young youths had appeared.

    The three of them were all kneeling on the snowy grounds, eyes still closed over getting teleported from a different realm altogether.

    Of course, these youths were Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    After jumping into that teleportation spatial portal, their entire beings had got covered by that mysterious form of energy. And in a blink of an eye, they were teleported to this random spot within the Wild Snow Land.

    The trio took a few moments to allow their minds to process getting suddenly teleported.

    It was a strange experience, but nothing Darcel, Ani, or Masami wasn''t used to it. In no time at all, the trio felt their minds properly adjust back to reality.

    Right then, they simultaneously flung their eyes wide open.

    Upon seeing the familiar scenery of the Wild Snow Land, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their bodies be incredibly light.

    "Haaah."

    They all exhaled a massive breath that was filled with utter relief.

    "Finallynd." The trio all muttered to themselves repeatedly as they could feel their umted stress heavily decrease.

    Out of everything they experienced so far, they were simply thrilled to be out of that independent realm.

    Even though at this point, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could be considered as rtively experienced cultivators, being under a continuous threat of death can wear anyone''s mental state out.

    Moreover, the yellow-eyed woman had also left a severe trauma on them that just made their situation seem that much worse.

    Subconsciously, Ani and Masami reached and firmly grasped Darcel''s hands while they rested.

    Both Ani and Masami let out a slight hum of content, feeling Darcel''s warmth course throughout their entire bodies. Darcel also felt calmer from both girl''s subconscious reliance on him.

    Though he, of course, wanted them to have a robust mental fortitude on their own, Darcel was readily willing to be their support anchor until they both felt better.

    Like this, the trio sat for a couple of minutes, simply letting their minds breathe.

    Afterward, a sudden me ignited within Ani''s eyes. A bright smile filled with her once typical vibrant energy graced her lips as she grasped Darcel''s hand tighter.

    "That was a nice breather! Alright! Let''s get toofortable; we need to get to actual safety."

    Darcel and Masami perked up from Ani''s words, fueling themselves with the same kind of burning energy she has.

    At the same time, the trio slowly rose to their feet. While going to stand up, they all had experienced some locked-up joints crack out, causing their bodies to feel even lighter than before.

    Masami began to stretch out her arms and suddenly recalled Be''s words. "Tch..thatzy woman. Where did she say to go? Azog Ice Town, right?"

    Darcel nodded at Masami and had then begun telling the girls, "Yes, she ims the Siren Blood Mage group is there. And girls."

    Before he finished his sentence, Darcel ced his hands on both Ani and Masami''s shoulders, causing them to calm down a bit.

    Gently gripping on their shoulders, Darcel spoke in a clear, determined tone.

    "Don''t over worry about the future. I''m not sure if our bloodlines can help us be Mages. But for sure, our Chaotic Shards can guarantee us a path on this road."

    Right then, both Ani and Masami started to suddenly recall when they stared into that teleportation spatial portal.

    There was still a confuddled fuzziness coursing through their head recalling that memory, but now, both girls could vaguely tell that their Chaotic Shards did react!

    Ani and Masami weren''t like Darcel, where they could immediately identify the aspects of Chaotic energy.

    But they could at least identify what separates Chaotic energy from all other types of energies. Both Qi energy and Magical energy were vastly different from their Chaotic shards.

    And it clicked with the girls that their Chaotic shards were reacting to Magical energy.

    "Yea.yea, of course! Didn''t those shards or something say this was a God ability? We can totally be Mages!" Masami spoke with an increasingly confident tone.

    With Darcel and Ani on her side, she was getting inscribed with the hope that they can make it through this. At this moment, her mind was focused entirely on the positive rather than anything negative.

    Feeling an equal amount of confidence, Ani was about to talk again. But right then, she suddenly recalled one other thing about them. Her eyes quickly trailed down her own body, noting that she still had this battered state of her clothes.

    Ani had then peered her sights over to Darcel and Masami, only to see their simr battered state of clothes.

    A wry smile curved up Ani''s lips; they had one crucial task to do first before anything.

    "Darcy, Sami. Before we go on a grand adventure to be Mages, we first need to change our clothes! I mean, we just look too shabby right now."

    Since Ani brought it to their attention, Darcel and Masami had also noticed the battered state of their clothes.

    When Masami noticed it, her reaction was almost subdued. She simply shrugged her shoulders, not really feeling any different about whether she had decent-looking clothes.

    Despiteing from an all-powerful sect and being the daughter of royalty, Masami genuinely couldn''t care much about how she dressed. She just never saw any real reasons to, much preferring to do things rted to cultivation.

    Darcel, though realized the importance of wearing decent enough clothing. Especially now since their prowess isn''t high, looking well dressed enough would at least give off a better first impression.

    Darcel was suddenly reminded of his first time at Zakira Academy. He and Ani had shabby-looking clothes initially, which already gave people a wrong impression of them.

    Realizing one other important aspect, Darcel told the girls, "While we''re at it, we also need some new masks. Our clothes may not be the best looking, but we could still get some unwanted attention. Let''s make a quick stop at some random town first."

    For a brief moment, a slight shudder courses down Ani and Masami''s spines. They dread to think what would happen if they got the attention of another man because of their looks.

    "Alright!" Both Ani and Masami eagerly responded.

    Although, a slightly confusing light swirled in Masami''s eyes afterward. "Uhh.but where should we go from here?"

    Darcel didn''t miss a beat and told the girls, "Just follow behind me. I have a vivid description of this general area from that map we brought back in the City."

    Without any further dy, Darcel flew into the skies, with Ani and Masami following right behind him.

    Despite Darcel and Ani only being in the Innate Core realm while Masami is at the half-step Heavenly Transformation realm, their speeds were no less than any other early rank Heavenly King powerhouses.

 Chapter 274: Next Destination

    Chapter 274: Next Destination

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t waste a moment when traveling towards their next town. They''ve swiftly sailed through the wind, bing blurs to anyone that would gaze up in the skies.

    Now that they could travel by flying, the trio found this remarkably easier, faster, and more efficient than taking some kind of beast mount.

    Darcel and Ani had even imed if they knew about the greatness of flying sooner, they would''ve pushed hard to break through to the Innate Core realm anyway they can.

    In the skies, the trio very rarely encountered any bird-type Spirit Monster. And the ones they did weren''t powerful at all. Most of them range from the mere Innate Core realm to the first level of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    These kinds of prowess were honestly nothing to the trio.

    Their own prowess may have received a massive down groundpared to their previous. However, it still could achieve amazing feats that would shock any average cultivator.

    Just Darcel and Ani alone can defeat peak Innate Core in their bloodline state while also causally matching first-level Heavenly Transformation beasts.

    Then there was Masami, who could quickly kill any peak Innate Core beast and make fighting any first-level Heavenly King much easier.

    Other than the asional Spirit Monster, the trio had also sensed other fellow cultivators soaring through the air. But because of their low realms, nobody paid any genuine attention to them.

    The ones who mainly flew through the skies were all Heavenly Transformation cultivators; they, of course, won''t spare even a single interest to mere Innate Cores youths.

    Moreover, with the speeds everyone went, it was essentially impossible to tell anyone''s appearance, meaning Ani and Masami were safe from unwanted attention.

    With surprisingly extreme ease, Darcel guided the girls to their next town. It took only a few hours until they have traversed over thousands of miles!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami may not have overwhelming speed. But they made up for it by only needing a minuscule amount of Qi energy to fly with, allowing them to maintain a consistent travel speed.

    Under this speed, the trio had soon enough arrived at a rtively smaller scale town named Spire town.

    When making it here, the trio identified it as a smaller town, though in reality, it still was considerably expansive, reaching out for several hundreds of miles.

    Immediately upon arriving, Darcel, Ani, and Masami got down to work. They had swiftly shuffled through the town, purchasing everything they needed before heading over to a random inn.

    Once purchasing a room for one night, the trio are currently hunched over a desk in their room, gazing at arge sheet of paper.

    After having the same clothes for so long, Darcel, Ani, and Masami had finally made a wardrobe change.

    They were currently dressed in a in, leather outfit which is supposed to help them deal with the constant freezing temperatures. Resting on each of their waists were ck and white masks that would help make traveling around smoother and less tense.

    And the trio just didn''t buy clothes from their shopping trip.

    The sheet of paper they had brought and are currently looking at was a map with a detailed overview of the whole Icy Cloud Province.

    Darcel, Ani, and even Masami were taking in every little detail, noting anything that looked suspicious or noteworthy.

    Just a little bit before this, Darcel and Ani questioned Masami, asking her, shouldn''t she already know about the Icy Cloud Province geography?

    When they arrive at Spire Town, neither Darcel nor Ani wonder about it at first. But when staring at the map, that thought had suddenly streaked into their minds.

    After all, they both recall Masami telling them that her Grandmother brought her out to explore and asionally give her lessons.

    Masami''s answer, however, nearly made both Darcel and Ani falter to the ground. With a shrug of her shoulder, she told them,

    "Ah, well, I do remember my Grandmother giving this lesson. But.you see.I sort of just never really paid attention to it?"

    It was initially highly strange to Darcel and Ani that Masami could have such low attention to this subject. Considering that, from what they see of herprehension abilities, she''s no slouch in paying attention.

    However, the more Darcel and Ani thought about it, they could kind of see why Masami barely paid attention to the geography.

    She was and still is the daughter of one of the strongest men in the entire Province. Moreover, her Ice Nine Tail Sect is one of the strongest and wealthiest Sects throughout the Icy Cloud Province.

    Before she ran away from home because of all the pressure, Masami never thought she would be traveling far from her Sect without anybody to protect her.

    Afterward, even when running away from home, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision aided by her Grandmother. She wouldn''t have any time to study geography at that moment.

    Thinking about Masami''s situation only caused a greater me to lit up Darcel and Ani''s motivation.

    Ani more so wanted Masami to stay with them, so she could never experience suchplicated troubles again.

    While Darcel still had his mindset on that previous n of his. Even though he hasn''t brought it up to Ani and Masami again, he would make sure that well-served revenge would be dished out to Masami''s family no matter what.

    This is why the three of them were all so attentive when peering down at the Icy Cloud map.

    After only a few minutes of silence as they studied the map, Ani had suddenly pointed her finger at a specific part.

    "So this is the ce we must get to. Azog Ice Town. For a town, this ce looks like it''s the biggest! Over thousands of miles long! Although.considering our current ce, this distance seems rather far."

    Ani exined while tracing her finger over the portrait of Azog Ice Town.

    Darcel trailed his eyes over to Ani''s finger and began to analyze what was surrounding this area.

    "Hmmm.with our speed, this distance won''t be that tedious to travel at all. We could take a few pit stops if you girls really want to. But I suggest it would be better for us to rush there as soon as possible."

    Ani contemted Darcel''s words for a moment, already thinking it was a good idea on a subconscious level. She was about to talk again, but right then, Masami, who''s been silently staring at this portion of the map, suddenly felt her pupils dte.

    "Ah!! It''s close to New Moon City?!"

    Upon this terrifying realization, Masami''s foxtails immediately puffed right up as if she had just encountered her natural enemy.

    "Eh??"

    Both Darcel and Ani jumped up with a slight fright in their step. Besides when they were making love, they never heard Masami be this loud!

    Their expressions quickly turn concerning and serious as Darcel asked her, "What is it? Is there something dangerous about that City?"

    "Fuuu."

    Masami didn''t jump to reply at first, opting to take one giant breath. She quickly quelled her sudden surge of emotions, letting both her fox ears and foxtails limply go down.

    Her gaze tore off from the map, looked Darcel and Ani straight in the eyes, and she told them, "New Moon City.this is where my family resides. This is the central location of the damn Ice Nine Tail Sect."

    "That''s." Darcel and Ani nearly froze up after hearing that.

    Gone was that overwhelming confidence in thinking they could take on a behemoth of a sect like this. With what they have now, Darce and Ani know any Mid-level genius could take them down, forget taking on the whole Sect.

    As Darcel thought about it more, he also realized a peculiarity in these names.

    "New Moon City.New Branch City. Is Branch City also connected to your Sect in some way?" Darcel inquisitively asked.

    "Yea.kind off. Well, as far as I know, my Sect is the one that funds that big Mercenary event. It''s also why Kassidy''s gang came down here. All just so they can gain real-life battle experience."

    Masami exined to them, spouting an increasingly grave expression while talking.

    Ani was the one to speak next and asked, "Then don''t tell me.does your family influence even expands over the Ice town?"

    Any bright optimism or energy within Ani''s tone was gone. After everything she''s been through in that independent realm, she began to realistically and logically look at their situations.

    And anything involving Masami''s family is like a bucket of cold water that can ruin everything for them.

    Squinting her eyes, Masami started to quickly remember all that she knew about Azog Ice Town. Her expression rxed just a bit as she told them,

    "Maybe my reaction was too knee-jerk.they actually don''t have much influence over that town. At most, they will send the asional Elder over there for some kind of business deal."

    "I see."

    Despite exining it better, Darcel could sense this didn''t help to alleviate Ani and Masami''s worries.

    Without any warning, Darcel had then gently grasped Ani and Masami''s shoulders, causing the girls to stare directly into his face.

    "Let''s all just take it easy. As long as we keep on covering ourselves and quickly make it over to that Mage group, we should be able to limit our problems. We''re a team. We can get through this." Darcel told the girls in his most calming voice.

    "Yea." Ani and Masami, however, didn''t look too convinced. Their expressions were still fraught with worry.

    Knowing the very root of their worries and doubts, Darcel decided to go down a different route to help quell their nerves.

    "Mnh~!"

    Both Ani and Masami raised cute squeals as Darcel had suddenly pulled them into a threeway kiss!

    "Ah-Ahn~"

    The girls were only surprised for a moment before they immediately surrendered themselves to the kiss, leaking out small moans of pleasure.

    Warm energy spread all throughout Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies as their Darkness Soul Link started to slowly pulsate. This warm energy gave the trio an indescribable feeling of security.

    Instead of this being a kiss of just lust or love, this had served to calm Ani and Masami''s mental state. And though Darcel was the most stable between the three, he couldn''t deny that he was also feeling calmer from this threeway kiss.

    After a few seconds, Darcel slowly pulled back from the kiss, wanting the girls to catch their breath and minds.

    But, immediately when he backed away,

    "Ok!! Now I feel some confidence!" Ani had burst with this sudden bright energy as if she had just gotten incredibly recharge.

    "Hmph. I guess I, too, feel much better about going to this ce. Let''s see what these prideful Mages have to offer us."

    Masami''s voice was now more assured sounding, and she spouted a familiar slight smirk as she crossed her arms.

    ''I guess this could work.'' Darcel thought to himself with a small smile.

    Since it is like this, Darcel felt a touch more confident about handling Ani and Masami''s mental state. The yellow-eyed woman may have mostly ruined his Darkness Soul link, but it could still manage situations like this.

    Now, Darcel had higher hopes they could pull through these troubling times.

 Chapter 275: Two Days

    Chapter 275: Two Days

    A couple of days flew by in the blink of an eye since Darcel, Ani and Masami started their trek towards Azog Ice Town. The trio didn''t want to rest for an extended period of time; each of them held overly worried paranoia.

    Even though they were out of the independent realm, Darcel, Ani, and Masami knew they should not getcent at any moment.

    During their rest at Azog Ice Town, a frightening thought surged its way into the trio''s mind.

    What sent a chilling shiver down their spines was the fact that Kassidy knows about them and holds a tremendous amount of hatred towards them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had no doubt in their mind that Kassidy would immediately try to pursue them the first moment when she gets out of the independent realm.

    Furthermore, there''s also the very high possibility of Kassidy calling to her Sect and informing Masami''s grandmother that Masami is alive.

    This caused an indomitable pressure on the trio, causing them to be intenser in their travels.

    With such high stress continually affecting their mental state, allowing for their speed to be quicker than before, Darcel also realized he had to make sure they don''t break from such stress.

    It''s why during their stay at Azog Ice Town, he engaged in several passionate rounds of lovemaking with Ani and Masami. And both girls were quite eager to let out their pent-up stress.

    Not only was sex an act that helps to alleviate high tension, but when doing it with people they genuinely love, it felt all the better for the trio.

    Afterward, the trio had immediately taken flight to the skies. And their steady pace would leave even Heavenly King cultivators in awe.

    If this was any other group of Heavenly King cultivators, they would need to take numerous rests if they wanted to travel thousands of miles of distance.

    Most of the time, Heavenly King cultivators would end up purchasing flying beast mounts for incredibly long distances like this.

    But, Darcel, Ani, and Masami energy reserves showed their specialty here. For nearly a whole day, each of them could soar for several hundreds of miles and barely be drained at all.

    In all honesty, Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t pinpoint why flying barely cost them energy.

    Masami found it especially strange considering before meeting the yellow-eyed woman, she would feel a standard drain on her Qi energy reserve for flying a long time.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami certainly wanted to get to the bottom of this change. But they pushed it for ater time when they didn''t have tremendous worries pressuring their minds.

    Then, after traveling day and night for two days straight with barely any rest, all the while having the speed of early-ranks Heavenly King, the trio had finally arrived near their destination.

    As of now, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were normally walking on the Ice Path that leads to a town. Just up ahead from them, the trio could spot a massive town that appeared to have no end in sight.

    Even though flying is faster, the trio knows that it would be unwise to fly over any town or City.

    Masami was the one to teach Darcel and Ani this, informing them that the City Lords see it as a sign of disrespect.

    Unless one is a powerful titled Grand Sage cultivator, everyone would need to simply walk through the Gates. If not, they would need to deal with the attention of the City or Town Lords inhabiting these ces.

    It was a minor inconvenience, but Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t mind it much.

    While they walked, they all had their masks on, so there wasn''t any other cultivator that would spare even a passing nce at them.

    Without needing to fight or quickly flying over to the Town, Darcel, Ani and Masami took the time to collect their minds. They took a few minutes to silently walk, allowing for them to adjust their mental state to its best capacity.

    Even though they would inevitably be heading into a high tension-filled area, Darcel, Ani, and Masami found this kind of silenceforting. Mainly because they were close to each other''s presence which would constantly remind them that they are not alone.

    Finally, then, the one who broke the contemting silence was Ani. Her eyes squinted on Azog Ice Town, and she started to say,

    "Ok. Before we get inside, let''s go over our full-proof n. One. Buy some intel. Two. Get an Inn Room. And three. Go to the Siren Blood Mage group."

    "Saying it like that.our n is more simplified than I thought." Masami spoke with a mix of exasperation and tension in her tone.

    This was the n that they spent days and nights on, yet Masami couldn''t help but wonder about the things that could go wrong.

    With somebody from her Sect having a high probability of roaming through this town, Masami couldn''t push down these negative thoughts.

    And though she sighed at how simple Ani put their ns, Masami had continued to say, "We also must not forget the number one rule for this mission. Avoid fox people at all costs!"

    Ani rapidly nodded her head in fervent agreement. "Right, right! We basically can never take these masks off anywhere in this town."

    While the girls talked, Darcel was continually spreading out his Innate Spirit Sense to Azog Ice Town and the surrounding area. And he felt legitimately impressed by the general aura here.

    Even before they had arrived on this icy road to town, Darcel was already sensing the cultivator''s auras changing the farther they left Spire Town.

    Now that they were close to Azog Ice Town, Darcel assumed this must be the high-ss area of the Icy Cloud Province.

    "We not only have to be mindful of fox cultivators but cultivators over here in general. I can already pick out numerous seventh and eighth-level Heavenly Kings before we even walk in the Town gates. We can''t afford to carelessly provoke someone now."

    "Fuuu.of course!"

    Ani and Masami tried to reply to Darcel with some abundant vigor in their tones. Although, the tension slowly surging within their bodies could not stop at all.

    There was so much danger and unknown situations up ahead of them and yet.Darcel, Ani, and Masami never once had the thought to run away.

    The three, for sure, weren''t overwhelmingly confident; in fact, they even felt a slight bit shaky.

    However, despite running away seeming like the easier route, Darcel, Ani, and Masami knew and didn''t want to run away.

    The trio would escape from impossible to win fights or run to find some great treasure. But, for an overall problem like Masami''s Sect, the trio had no choice but to face this.

    And to even gain a small shot at facing the behemoth of a problem, they needed a change in their prowess. A change they desperately hope that the mysterious property of Magical Power has.

    Simultaneously, Darcel, Ani, and Masami focus their minds. Their road to Mage hood starts right now.

    .

    Several thousand miles away from Darcel''s group tracing all the way back to New Branch City, a few profound changes had urred just here within a couple of days.

    The main change on everyone''s mind was the Mercenary Exchange Event finallying to a close.

    With the strange happenings that had previously taken ce within the City, residents alike were curious about what this year''s result would be.

    However, for this year specifically, there was no grand rewarding show.

    Immediately when the Mercenaries were kicked from the independent realm, they all swiftly headed back to their base of operations.

    The City Lords hadn''t even bothered toe out to wee the Mercenaries back, much less gifting any rewards. For ordinary residents, nobody could understand at all what was going on.

    But for nearly all Mercenaries groups, they were delivered grave news that would severely impact them for years toe.

    At the Snow Angels district, they held a different atmospherepared to everyone else.

    Instead of being fraught with shock, despair, or even rage, they all managed to keep that trademark indifference they''re known for. Unlike all other Mercenaries groups, they appeared to haven''t suffered any losses, minor or major.

    In fact, the regr and senior members were even graciously gifted with several treasure rewards that would surely quickly grow their strength in the near future.

    Everything seemed rtively standard for the Snow Angel group.

    But, within the top floor of their organization, a tense meeting was taking ce.

    The strongest Snow Angel Leader Khyra, Snow Angel Leader Melea, and Captain Be were all meeting in one room.

    Though this was a meeting, none of them were talking. Instead, they were currently huddled around a desk, staring into an azure color Crystal orb.

    Khyra was clutching on the Crystal orb, causing it to only slowly pulsate with a faint energy signature.

    Between the three of them, there was an apparent sh of expressions. While Khyra clutched on the Crystal orb, her expression was deathly ice cold.

    Within her pupils, there was a heavyyer of thick Killing Intent that could plunge someone to the depths of hell with just her mere gaze.

    Melea''s expression wasn''t anywhere near as intense as Khyra''s. She was intently focused on the slowly pulsating Crystal orb, but there wasn''t much Killing Intent in her eyes.

    In fact, there was almost a slightly pleading look within her eyes, as if she was hoping something else woulde out of that Crystal orb.

    All the while, Be was the only one wholly rxed. She held a slightly rxed smile as if she wasn''t concerned about the Crystal Orb results at all.

    It almost really was like Be already knew how this event would end.

    Several minutes had already passed since Khyra first touched the Crystal Orb. And no matter how hard she tried, she could not make the Crystal Orb react in the way she wanted it.

    Realizing that any more effort on her part would be for naught, Khyra sighed and let go of the Crystal Orb.

    Without looking back, she told Melea and Be, "It appears to be of no use. Their traces.it just vanishespletely. Just how could they achieve this?"

 Chapter 276: Unable To Forget

    Chapter 276: Unable To Forget

    There was an overt amount of frustration mixed in from Khyra''s tone. Even before she attempted to use this Crystal Orb, she actually didn''t have high hopes.

    Unless they had actual blood samples or some form of DNA, the Crystal Orb wouldn''t give the best result.

    Khyra knew this, knew that failure was essentially ny percent possible. And yet, she couldn''t stop this searing, unending rage from growing.

    From dealing with numerous obnoxious or in-out disgusting Mercenaries, none of them could genuinely sway Khyra''s emotions.

    The high level of strength she achieved allowed her to be so coldly indifferent to mostly everything and everyone.

    However, now, all of that calm and stability were destroyed. And it was utterly vaporized by just three mere youths!

    The fact that Darcel, Ani, and Masami utterly crushed her like she was nothing but an ant left a deep shadow that was carved deep into her heart.

    Additionally, the fact that she was made into a Darkness Servant gave her the drive to feel genuine hatred towards a person.

    Considering that Darcel''s group had so easily beaten her once, Khyra herself knows she shouldn''t be so hasty for revenge. But, because she sensed Darcel''s energy grew weaker inside her, shetched on to the small hope that the trio all got majorly weaker.

    It was a risk for sure to meet them again, but Khyra couldn''t lock down the ferocious Killing Intent in her heart.

    Above all, there was one sensation that continually dreaded Khyra if she didn''ttch on to this relentless Killing Intent. If her mind isn''t focused on pure hatred for Darcel''s group, then.she would feel immensely strange.

    So strange that her mind would be in a jumble disarray, and she wouldn''t be able to think of anything coherently.

    This is why no matter how much her hatred seems exaggerated to anyone else, she didn''t want to think of anything else.

    In direct contrast to Khyra''s forceful mental state, Melea nearly leaked a sigh as obvious tension cleared from her face.

    Melea couldn''t ce her finger on why, but the fact that Darcel''s group couldn''t be traced made her feel a specific type of why.

    It almost made her.d?

    ''Why.no-no! I can''t think like that! They''re enemies.enemies.'' Melea quickly peered her eyes over to Be and Khyra, making sure they didn''t spot her shift in expression.

    When seeing Be just had that usual annoying smile of hers and Khyra still staring into the Crystal Orb, Melea found it was the best time to talk up now. At least talking would help her mind be distracted.

    "Leader Khyra, you shouldn''t worry about this. I mean.all three of them had a way topletely erase their presence. So it''s to be expected that trying to find them now is equivalent to a needle in a haystack."

    Nothing was wrong with what Melea said. Although there was a slight edge to her tone, Melea was grateful that neither Khyra nor Be picked up.

    At least, Melea thought Be didn''t pick up on it.

    Compared to the swirling emotions of Melea and Khyra, Be was the calmest she ever was. With a slight shrug of her shoulders, she told her Snow Angel Leaders, "Say.not to be that one. But, aren''t we putting a bit too much into finding them?"

    "Hoh?"

    Immediately, Khyra whipped her head around to Be, giving her a spine-chilling look. She gawked right into the depths of her eyes, hoping to see a change of tune from her.

    s, not even the ice-cold gaze Khyra had could break Be''s calm stride. Realizing this, Khyra spoke in a sharp tone.

    "Is there something you would like to say, Captain Be?"

    Be still carried that samezy smile as she put her hand up in a nonhostile manner. "Oh, nothing, nothing. I just mean.well, you should know this is a considerable risk, right? What if their prowess stayed the same, and we somehow managed to find them. Then what happens?"

    "Of course, I took into ount their overbearing prowess. And I can sense it. Something major happened to them that could give us a fighting chance. In any case, barring personal revenge, those three simply knows far too much."

    Khyra firmly exined, using an adamant tone that left no room for further discussion.

    "Hmmm~."

    Be, in response, only started to casually hum as if there was nothing wrong at all. Without waiting, she began walking towards the door to leave the meeting early, knowing it would only be a waste to go on further.

    "Captain Bel-"

    "Don''t bother. Obviously, I thought she would be useful here.but never mind it."

    When Melea tried to reason out Be, Khyra had hurriedly interrupted her. That damn calm attitude Be had, acting like what happened to them wasn''t really much, frustrated Khyra to no end.

    And right as Be was about to leave, she stopped by the door handle and halfway turned her head around. She spoke one final piece to both Snow Angel leaders, telling them,

    "Even though you gave some solid reasons. I''m sure this is more personal. But you know.can you really say it was that bad? I for sure recalled it feeling good."

    And without waiting for either Melea or Khyra''s responses, Be swiftly scurried out of the room.

    Left alone with each other, Melea and Khyra linger their gazes on the open door for a moment. Unwillingly, memories of that time started to surge in both of their minds.

    Even though Khyra always wanted to desperately suppress it, the fact that Be mentioning it felt good caused a strange sensation to swell within her chest.

    Melea was more visibly impacted as she began to subconsciously clench her hands, feeling an absolutely mixed sensation course through her mind, body, and soul.

    No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts about Darcel''s group could never be clear.

    Especially when she thought about Darcel in particr. Even though her free will was taken away and she was made into their servant, Melea just couldn''t understand it.

    Why can''t she feel genuine hatred towards him?

    Suddenly, Melea was broken out of her conflicting thoughts when Khyra whipped her around to peer right into her face.

    Khyra''s expression appeared to be the utmost calm, as if she wasn''t affected by Be''s words at all.

    Without anyone knowing, Khyra forced down any memories or strange sensations as she began telling Melea, "Ignore whatever she said. Since ites down to this, we still have that Raven Mage as an option. I am sure she holds an equal amount of hatred. And we have items that can sufficiently entice her."

    "Ahh-ah! That''s great!"

    Melea appeared to be seemingly upbeat, casting away any of her previous confusion. Though there was an apparent slight edge to her tone.

    Khyra slightly raised her eyebrow since she didn''t have this upbeat energy all throughout the meeting. But before she could speak again, Melea continued to talk.

    "For this.will we use the things in the treasure vault? It should be enough for a Mage like her."

    "Indeed we will. And Leader Melea, don''t mind what Captain Be said too much. What I im wasn''t hot air at all; I can genuinely sense something happened to their prowess. We won''t stop until those three are dead."

    Khyra proposed such an ominous promise while spouting a terrifying crazed look within her eyes.

    Melea didn''tment further and simply kept her seemingly energetic smile. Although, she was starting to feel a strain the more she kept up this act.

    .

    With the Mercenary Exchange Event over, the Mercenaries who made a long trek here had no reason to stay any longer.

    Nobody especially wanted to stay with all the darkening mood that had befallen New Branch City.

    Mercenary groups such as the ck Raven Mage or the Golden Crow Circle seem dangerously close to exploding with whatever news they got delivered.

    Not wanting to get mixed up in the crossfire, numerous traveling Mercenary groups were already miles away from the City.

    And one of these traveling Mercenary groups was Fruna''s squadron. Compared to other traveling Mercenary groups and the Mercenaries in New Branch City, there was a more jovial mood between them.

    "Ahh, we really got a long haul!" One of the Silver Bloody Hammer members joyously remarked.

    He and nearly all of his other teammates felt like they were on cloud nine with what they managed to score.

    The only one who wasn''t sharing in their joyous mood was Fruna. She stood at the back of them, keeping her head down as her mind rummaged on several thoughts.

    Thoughts that she knows will severely impact her own future.

 Chapter 277: Following Out

    Chapter 277: Following Out

    "I suppose, even with an unfortunate start, luck could still shine brightly for us." The other Nobe''s Fang member within Fruna''s squadron had also joyously remarked on the excellent load they have.

    When she had mentioned an unfortunate start, everyone else in the squadron recalled when they had first met up with Darcel''s group. Even until now, none of them could ever possibly understand what happened.

    And nearly all of them didn''t want to know what was going on.

    The Silver Bloody hammer members and the other Nobe''s Fang members were simply happy they escaped with their lives.

    That young fox maiden wielded the most extraordinary prowess they ever seen in their lives! And that hatred spewing from her body was enough to make even them feel an iparably cold shiver crawl down their spines.

    But after that terrifying first meeting, their luck had surprisingly wholly changed!

    For them, it was just continuous treasure find after treasure find. Adding on to their luck was the fact they barely met any other squadron groups, and the ones they did meet barely gave them trouble.

    Plus, there wasn''t a single Spirit Monster they couldn''t handle with their formations. So, all in all, they counted as probably the most sessful year they ever had from the Competition year.

    None of them were even thinking about Darcel''s group at this point. None of them except for Fruna.

    Since Darcel''s group left, she reasonably should just focus on her own group. Unfortunately, the prowess of that fox maiden already showed to her this was an issue outside her capabilities.

    But, even knowing that, Fruna could not forget about Darcel''s group. She felt a tremendous debt to them that simply couldn''t push away.

    And after traveling out for a few miles, Fruna had finallye to her decision. She had suddenly stopped walking, prompting her squadron members to immediately gaze over at her.

    Even though they were seemingly ignoring Fruna for a while now, they all were aware of this odd darkening mood from her. However, none of them dared toment on it in fear of needlessly provoking her.

    Still, they were highly curious about what was possibly bothering her. And now that she had stopped, the Silver Bloody Hammer and the Nobe''s Fang members believed they would receive an answer.

    However, the answer Fruna gave them was entirely out of their expectations.

    Fruna''s expression morphed from slightly confused to determined in just a snap. "You four.we will split here. Go on without me. I need to figure something out."

    "Wha-what?"

    The Silver Bloody Hammer and Nobe''s Fang members honestly couldn''t believe what they heard at first. But before anyone could properlyprehend what she said, Fruna turned her gaze towards the Vice-Captain.

    "Qian, you are in charge here. I trust your leadership skills will be enough to safely guide everyone back to town."

    Fruna ordered in a firm tone that left zero room for any argument or discussion.

    This sudden decision just seemed out of the blue, but after taking a moment to think over Fruna''s reasons for wanting to leave on her own, realization struck everyone''s mind then.

    Vice-Captain Qian''s expression quickly morphed into worry as she cautiously warned Fruna. "Captain.this is about them, right? You can''t actually be serious about them! The level of enemies they have now is far beyond ourprehension."

    "Agree. We will only end up getting in their way and losing our own lives at the cost." One of the Silver Bloody Hammer immediately followed up in the hopes of also convincing Fruna.

    However, none of what they said or can be said will ever convince Fruna. The other members still hold an impressionable fear towards Darcel''s group; Fruna doesn''t feel any of that at all.

    With a simple shake of her head, Fruna exined to them, "None of you simply understand how much debts I owe that trio. But don''t fret. I will still stay in contact with you all, and our route going back home is the safest. Now then."

    At this point, Fruna knew her words and her actions wouldn''t be understood by her members. So without waiting for their reactions, she swiftly turned around and gazed up to the skies.

    A familiar sensation filled Fruna''s entire body as she squinted her eyes at one specific part in the skies.

    And promptly then, Fruna took off into the skies, sting off at swift speeds, going far into the horizon in just mere seconds.

    The other squadron members were simply left alone, feeling utterly confused. Just what kind of debts run so deep that would make the normally calm Fruna make such a rash decision like this one?

    "Sh-should we follow her?"

    The only other Nobe''s Fang member warily asked. Although, this was more for formality''s sake as neither she nor the Silver Bloody Hammer members wanted to actually follow.

    And their Vice Captain Qian seemed to be in agreement as she let a low sigh while shaking her head. "Captain can reasonably handle herself. And anything involving that trio is out of ourprehension."

    "....Do you all think we should inform Leader Ninu about this?" One of the Silver Bloody Hammer members asked this time.

    It was a bit strange, but out of everything they could distinctly recall about their terrifying Silver Leader Ninu, it is the fact she has a slight obsession with the trio.

    Captain Qian ponders it for a moment before readily nodding her head.

    "I suppose we should. She seemed pretty hopeful to Fruna about the aspect of finding them. And perhaps she could actually help with this plicated situation."

    .

    At the same time, on another Icy road just a few miles away from New Branch City, three hooded robe figures were slowly traveling together. These hooded figures were all extraordinary people that can cause waves wherever they go.

    They are, Zhaun, Cui, and Kassidy, the high-ranking geniuses from the Ice NIne Tail Sect. Although, as of now, there was a subtle shift that had urred between the three of them.

    None of them held their heads up high anymore. Compared to when they first arrived in New Branch City, that air of elegance and pride was stripped away from them.

    Kassidy couldn''t suppress her actual appearance anymore, yet it barely weighed on Zhaun and Cui''s mind.

    Both of them were far too caught up in thinking about their meeting with Masami and how they managed to miss the whole Mercenary Exchange Event because of her and her group!

    No matter how heavy depression struck Zhaun and Cui, Kassidy didn''t care at all. Instead, she was entirely focused on cradling the fox amulet in her hand.

    This item led to her Masami when first arriving in the City. But, ever since the change happened within that independent realm, it was absolutely useless now.

    Kassidy could barely rely on the fox amulet for her second meeting with Masami. Instead, she mainly went off the sensation of her bloodline that urred whenever she felt close to someone of simr bloodline quality.

    And now, on the outside, nothing has changed. Besides some vague sensation, Kassidy couldn''t sense anything useful from the fox amulet.

    And thisck of progress was causing her hatred to slowly fester even more than what it already is.

    Finally, after walking for a while already, Zhaun couldn''t stop his interest from growing any more. Even in his absolutely crushed state, he found it highly strange that Kassidy was radiating such intense emotions.

    So he halfway turned around to Kassidy, asking her, "What''s wrong? That fox amulet wasn''t working for all of this time. You know it probably won''t achieve anythingter, right?"

    Zhaun''s words were like thest confirmation Kassidy needed. She knew how worthless this fox amulet is now, but she had no other leads on Masami other than this.

    But at that moment, Kassidy did recall one idea she could try that would hopefully work. She stopped walking, causing Zhaun and Cui to peer over to her.

    Kassidy swiftly turned around immediately when their gazesnded on her and said without looking at them,

    "You''re actually right. From here on out, go on without me. I have unfinished business to take care of."

    Kassidy had then shot off into the skies, quickly disappearing from both Zhaun and Cui''s sights.

    "She.well, she couldn''t make it more obvious who she''s going after. I can''t believe she still wants to do this." Zhaun spoke while his gaze never left off where Kassidy had disappeared to.

    Finally then, Cui spoke for the first time since they began traveling to go home. "Let me guess.you''re thinking about following her, right?"

    "....Yea, I am."

    Zhaun started to violently clench his fist as hard-hitting memories struck his mind. "I mean, why the hell would she still chase after them after everything she did to us? No matter her pride, this decision is far too foolish and highly suspicious."

    "Is that right? Then, let''s follow her."

    In a surprising mannering from her, Cui readily agreed without a second thought.

    "Huh? You-ah?" Zhaun had immediately turned his attention over to her, nearly disbelieving what he just heard.

    But Cui had already taken off to the skies, following right behind Kassidy''s trail. Not wanting to be left out, Zhaun didn''t dy any further and flew off to follow right behind Cui.

 Chapter 278: Siren Blood Mages

    Chapter 278: Siren Blood Mages

    Within the massively expansive region Azog Ice Town takes up, its structural design varied quite differently from numerous other towns. Despite being named a town, people all alike found it more appropriate to say this was a pseudo-City.

    This pseudo City statuses from the fact that Azog Ice Town has several massive districts making up its whole region. And every district has numerous powerful forces that are in control.

    These powerful forces are what alleviates Azog Ice Town over other major towns and give it its pseudo-City status.

    Most districts were in control either by the usual Mercenary group or cultivation Sect. Some other districts were in control by even powerful Families or long-running ns.

    But, out of all districts, there were a few major ones that stood absolutely above all others.

    One of and the most prominent districts out of the whole town is the Mayor district. As one would expect from the name, this district is essentially the main force that controls Azog Ice Town as a whole.

    No matter how powerful the other Sects, Families or ns are, none of them would dare to go against the Mayor district.

    However, there was one Major Power inhabiting a district that governs respect from even the Mayor''s Forces.

    This particr district was all the way to the eastern part of town, secluding themselves from most other residents. And as a result, there wasn''t a high volume of residents strolling around this districtpared to others.

    This secluded district even had fewer stores and other types of buildings. Moreover, most ces had a particr ruby red design that gave this area a faint ominous vibe.

    This district is what everyone knows as the Siren Blood Mage district. Here lies primarily the mysterious yet powerful Mages.

    Because it is a prominent Mage area, it would be rare to see cultivators strolling around here. Unless it was absolutely needed from them, cultivators themselves wouldn''t bother showing their faces around here.

    However, three masked figures slowly traversed this district without a single care for the expected norms.

    Many gazes would fall on this particr trio, and none held particrly kind eyes to them. Of course, since this masked trio all had cultivation auras, their kind would not be graciously weed here.

    But, no matter the nasty gaze that fell on them, the masked trio never lost their strides.

    "So this is the ce, huh? I''m starting to see a tradition within these Mages." The masked person in the center of the trio spoke out loud, and of course, this masked person was Darcel.

    "Tsk, they''re all just birds of a flock, aren''t they?"

    Masami''s crude voice sounded out from Darcel''s left side while Ani was curiously tilting her head on the other side.

    Ignoring all looks on them, the trio had their sights set expressly on the colossal building within this district.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t get aplete look over this ce. Still, they remarked it has to expand at least thousands of meters wide. Even for Mercenary group standards, this was quite wide.

    Along with its colossal structure, the building design was coated in shimmering crimson paint. The crimson color nearly looks identical to actual blood, causing the whole building to exude an almost ominous aura.

    "At least we would never have a chance to miss something so obvious like this. But their design.they''re certainly the strangest of Mages." Ani added her own opinions.

    This massively Crismon design building the trio were walking to was the very Siren Blood Mage group. The Mage group that Darcel, Ani, and Masami were putting all their bets on.

    During their escape from that independent realm, Be informed them that the Siren Blood Mage group was one of the very rare ones that actually epts any cultivators wanting to be a Mage.

    She had told them that this Mage group is even willing to ept Heavenly King cultivators!

    No matter how much a Mage prowess varies from the Heavenly Transformation realm, even they couldn''t take them lightly.

    Yet, despite the dangers Heavenly Kings proposes to the Mage, they were apparently still willing to ept them.

    Although when Be exined to them the process of attempting to be Mages, it started to make sense why they would ept such powerhouses.

    This information was not known to the general popce of cultivators, but Be was informed that it is very well possible for any cultivator to awaken a Magical Core, bing Mages.

    However, the chances of that happening is highly slim, next to zero percent chance.

    From what Be told them, at most, there''s been a select few cultivators who could form the weakest of Magical Cores. But those cultivators usually end up being the lowest of low among Mage''s kinds.

    They would essentially be the servants inside any Mage''s group that would even ept cultivators.

    Initially, Darcel, Ani, and Masami question Be, wondering why cultivators who could at least form a weak Magical Core aren''t massive phenomena. Furthermore, they were curious as to hell Be even caught wind of that news.

    But all Be exined to them was that Mages somehow could hugely suppress news of cultivators bing Mages among the whole Nine Provinces. And she could only catch wind of this news from supposedly spying on the Raven Mages.

    Even with her exnations, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were still chock-full of questions. However, at that time, they barely had any opportunities for prolonged discussions.

    And while Be''s knowledge about the Mage''s subject was impressively good, she didn''t have all the answers.

    The only option Darcel, Ani, and Masami had was to simply see it for themselves.

    Truly, the trio did have some confidence in themselves to be Mages. Their reaction inside their Chaotic Shards was enough to give them this amount of confidence. That ability just seems to run off its own logic.

    But, even for the rising confidence Darcel, Ani and Masami had, they found it impossible topletely ignore the disdainful looks cast upon them.

    And as they got closer to the Siren Blood Mage organization, the looks of scorn stayed prominent.

    With so many nasty gazes on them, memories, particrly nasty ones, began to resurface within Masami''s mind. From behind her mask, her already annoyed expression quickly turned sour with each step she took.

    In a low voice so only Darcel and Ani could hear, she said, "Watch, just watch. We''re going to have to get used to these damn gazes until we finally show who''s a true Mage around here. Dammit.their looks .it''s really ticking me off."

    "Hey, hey! Just rx, Sami. Ignore them and just focus on us and what we can do with all those new powers from bing Mages!" Ani''s tone had a genuine bubbly quality about it.

    She wasn''t faking or trying at all, feeling genuinely pumped about over bing Mages.

    Following up with Ani, Darcel said, "Like Ani said, these guys don''t matter. Only us, so let''s keep straight on the task."

    At this point, Darcel genuinely only cared about keeping Ani and Masami''s safety. He couldn''t care less about the disdain he''s getting now and will receive in the future.

    In fact, even during his vebor days in the Parasol Organization, he couldn''t be assed to care about the Doctors and Scientists'' disdain for him as well.

    "Fuu~. Yea, yea, you two are right. I just can''t stand those kinds of looks. But like you said, Darcel, they don''t matter. So let''s get this done!" Masami''s voice took on a more energetic pumped tone towards the end.

    Throughout their entire conversation, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami stopped walking. And right when Masami finished her sentence, the trio was near the entrance of the Siren Blood Mage organization.

    Like any other Mercenary group, the Siren Blood Mage group entrance was a simple tavern door, allowing anybody to stroll right in.

    ''Thankfully, nobody wanted trouble.'' Darcel lightly mused to himself.

    Truthfully, if anyone of those wandering Mages attempted toe up with them to start trouble, Darcel knew things would turn ugly in a snap.

    Darcel knew he would have to rely on his wit if that situation were to ur. But it appeared as the Mages here were content with throwing openly nasty gazes at them.

    Taking a small breath to quell his slight nerves, Darcel had then nced over to both Ani and Masami.

    Upon trading nces, both girls readily nodded, showcasing no hesitation within their bodynguage.

    Turning back forward, Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t dy anymore and walked right into the Siren Blood Mage organization.

    .

    ''They have an obsession.''

    These were Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s first thoughts upon stepping one foot in the Siren Blood Mage group.

    Their main hall was luxuriously wide, holding numerous corridors, staircases, and doors leading to other areas. The design here was very simr to the outside; everything had a pattern of crimson paint, exuding the same eerie vibe from the outside.

    In fact, the ominous feeling was amplified inside since there were more intricate markings that looked utterly alien to the trio and all of it was in a crimson blood design.

    However, the design isn''t what made the most profound impact on the trio.

    An overflow of Magical Energy flowed through the entirety of the Siren Blood Mage organization. And the trio could only just vaguely perceive this mysterious form of power.

    Even Darcel, who seemingly had the most time sensing Magical Energy, could barely perceive anything from it now.

    "Tch.herees more of them."

    "Wonder how quick these people will fail this time...."

    Suddenly, the low but not so subtle murmurs of the surrounding Mages awoke the trio from their stupor.

    Gazing around the Main Hall, the trio obverse the Mages and were made immediately curious about their current outfits.

    Matching the crimson design of the ce, each Mage member wore bright crimson Magical Robes. Some Mages have shiny crimson star designs inscribed on their robes, while others had exotic patterns that lined up to the design on the walls.

    Their outfits were genuinely offputting and matching their peculiar looks were the Mage''s slightly oppressive Magic Auras. Compared to other Mages the trio encounter, these Mages exuded a significant prominent aura of death.

    The looks these Siren Blood Mages gave them were, of course, filled with overt disdain as if they were gazing at mere servants.

    Although, their looks onlysted before returning back to their own devices.

    "Huee~. Seems like Be''s words are truthful." A low whisper leaked from Ani''s mouth.

    The mere fact that these Mage didn''t immediately try to run them out of ce just goes to show they certainly are a rare breed.

    And since there wouldn''t be any trouble, Darcel, Ani and Masami locked their eyes on the main desk.

 Chapter 279: Magic Test

    Chapter 279: Magic Test

    No matter how much disdainful nces were thrown their way, neither Darcel, Ani nor Masami visibly reacted. They were keenly aware of the consequences of unwittingly starting trouble they can''t resolve.

    Their best option was to simply ignore the ominous atmosphere surrounding themselves.

    Internally Darcel remained calm, and Ani felt slight frustration gradually bubbled inside her.

    But Masami had the most intense reaction. She could feel her irritation shooting up by the seconds but still had enough rationality to hold herself back. In fact, she knew that they were lucky enough the Mages weren''t outright shooing them away.

    Being the unofficial leader of their group Darcel walked first towards the main desk. Ani and Masami stuck close to his back, and their eyes began roaming more over the Siren Blood Mage main hall.

    As creepy as their constant Crismon design is, Ani and Masami couldn''t deny there was a certain maic charm to this ce.

    Once the trio got a couple feet away from the desk, Ani and Masami snapped their attention forward.

    Behind the main desk sat a beautiful woman who naturally exuded a refined, calming aura. Just one look, and anybody could tell she has a higher status among the Mages here.

    Compared to the other Siren Blood Mages members, this woman had several bright Crimson Stars stered on her robe.

    When the trio approached her, Darcel didn''t even have to say anything. The Siren Blood Mage immediately snapped her attention to them, showcasing a in indifference within her eyes.

    But, though she looked the most indifferent to their presence, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could still sense the air of superiority oozing out of her natural aura.

    The Siren Blood Mage didn''t give Darcel a chance to introduce themselves as she immediately said, "Are you three here for a transaction or to be Mages?"

    Even before answering, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could practically feel several nasty stares directed back on them.

    Ignoring those looks, Darcel spoke in a calm, unwavering tone.

    "We are here to be Mages."

    Immediately when saying so, Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t think it was possible, but somehow the atmosphere turned even tenser. Most obviously, these Siren Blood Mages still aren''t so keen on cultivators attempting to be Mages.

    Darcel simply didn''t care for their increasingly dampening reputation.

    But Masami and even Ani were half tempted to retort those stares. Their annoyance rose as they thought, didn''t you all give the option for cultivators to be Mages?!

    s, Ani and Masami kept their retorts to themselves. Though, from behind their masks, both of their expressions were scrunched up in immense displeasure.

    Compared to all other Mage''s reactions, the Mage behind the counter only had a subtle shift in expressions.

    She merely blinked her eyes before reaching under her desk and telling Darcel''s group, "Wait. Siren de will be with you shortly."

    Compiling with her words, Darcel, Ani, and Masami watched as the Siren Mage took out a crimson color contact ring

    The Siren Mage lightly clenched the ring, pouring a small stream of Magical Energy into it. A brief bright red sh lit up the ring and immediately dispersed the next second.

    Darcel could admit it was a bit awkward waiting in silence with the girls. These Siren Mages truly wanted to make sure they don''t forget that they''re not particrly wee around here.

    Thankfully for them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami only needed to wait several seconds until another presence showed up.

    The trio didn''t notice it initially, but there was a deep corridor right beside this main desk.

    Anding out of this corridor was another Siren Blood Mage.

    This Siren Blood Mage had aparable status to the woman behind the desk, donning several bright crimson stars on his robe.

    "Siren de, it''s three this time." The Mage behind the desk exined immediately upon Siren de''s arrival.

    Siren de only took one brief nce at the desk Mage before peering over at Darcel''s group. His expression was utterly indifferent as he roamed his eyes up and down on Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    On very first impression, Siren de''s opinions of the trio were already low. Even barring past the fact they are cultivators, he didn''t detect any noteworthy aura from them.

    Though he just met them, Siren de already wanted this meeting to be quickly done with.

    And while his expression was indifferent, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could sense the apparent disdain Siren de had towards them.

    ''Tch-tch. I don''t like this guy. Not one bit. Even more so than the other annoyances here.'' Suddenly then, Darcel heard Masami''s annoyed voice echo out in his mind.

    Before he could even process her statement, Darcel immediately heard next,

    ''This guy.so shady. We need to keep an eye on him.'' This time it was Ani''s more cautious voice ring in Darcel''s mind.

    Despite hearing their voices in his mind, Darcel remained entirely calm. He made no sudden movement as if he''s used to this happening.

    But though he appeared calm, Darcel was mildly surprised. Because he has the most control over his Darkness Soul link, Darcel could easily transfer his thoughts to Ani and Masami.

    Although for the girls they have no such luck.

    Only when their emotional state gets heavily affected or intense can they unknowingly transfer their thoughts to him.

    By now, Darcel was still unsure of how he should help the girls cultivate this ability. Undoubtedly, if they all could perfectlymunicate with each other telepathically, they could have even better teamwork in battle.

    s, Darcel simply had no proper guidance on how he should work his Darkness Soul link now. Plus, he wasn''t all that willing to use it much after the encounter with the yellow-eyed woman.

    ''Just rx. We''re here to focus on only one goal.'' Darcel''s soothing voice flowed into both Ani and Masami''s minds.

    Without even looking back, Darcel could sense Ani and Masami ease a bit of their tension.

    "Come with me."

    After a second of silence, Siren de had finally spoken. His tone was unemotional, sounding a bit ominous to listen to.

    Then, without waiting for their response, Siren de turned on his heels, walking back into the corridor.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t dy, following right behind Siren de''s back. Strolling through this corridor, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami see or sense any other Siren Blood Mages around here.

    The only sounds echoing out in the corridor were Darcel''s group and Siren de''s soft footsteps.

    Eventually, after a couple of minutes of a slightly awkward walk, Siren de stopped in front of a crimson-colored door.

    Wordlessly Siren de opened the door and stepped inside. Darcel, Ani, and Masami were, of course, a step behind, entering the room right after Siren de.

    "Oh? This is quite pretty." Ani leaked her honest thoughts upon the first step in this room.

    They ended up with a considerablerge room filled to the brim with an assortment of multicolor crystals.

    Each crystal had a certain luminous shine about them and their colors seemingly harmonized with one another. Although, as it''s tradition for this group, the color of Crismon was the most prominent hue here.

    "Hmph. Not only does it look nice, but the energy here is also so.so.good." Masami told her honest thoughts next.

    Indeed, she, Ani, and Darcel could all sense a more concentrated amount of Magical Energy running through the atmosphere here.

    It nearly reminded the trio of the Qi Haven Space since there was a colossal abundance of Magical Energy within this room.

    Darcel didn''t have anything noteworthy to say. Instead, his attention mainly focused on three star-shaped crystals orbs floating midair.

    And as if he could sense his thoughts, Siren de began to exin, "These Magical Crystals will awaken anytent Magical Potential you possibly have slumbering within your soul. Simply touch these crystals and don''t resist any energy that will flow through you."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami readily nodded. It all sounded simple enough, and the trio was confident they had something rted to Magical Energy deep within their souls.

    The sensations they felt from the Magic Crystal Be found was more than enough to prove they certainly have a connection.

    Calmly walking up to the star-shaped Magical Crystals, the trio sensed the Magical Energy running through the atmosphere turned denser near these Crystals.

    With confidence surging within their veins, Darcel, Ani and Masami had then ced their palms upon the Magical Crystals simultaneously.

    ''Oh?!''

    Almost immediately, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt an overflow of Magical Energy run through their entire body.

    Their eyes lit up as none of them felt any natural rejection towards Magical Energy. In fact, the Magical Energy was incredibly warm to the trio.

    As they calmly took in Magical Energy, Darcel, Ani, and Masami began to fall into a slightly enlightened trance unknowingly.

    "Hm? This is.?"

    On the outside, Siren de narrowed his eyes on the Magical Crystals. Only several seconds passed, and already a faint red Magical glow covered each Magical Crystals.

    This faint red Magical glow indicated Darcel, Ani, and Masami might have a dormant Magical potential lying within their souls.

    Usually, this really wouldn''t cause any reaction within Siren de. However, the speed that the trio used to cause the faint red Magical glow to appear was undoubtedly curious.

    Out of the years he''s repeatedly done this, Siren de could say this was one of the fastest reactions.

    Still, Siren de didn''t have much expectations out of the trio.

    After all, he firmly believed it certainly wasn''t possible for a trio of average cultivators to achieve any significant amount of Magical results.

 Chapter 280: Failure?

    Chapter 280: Failure?

    Around ten seconds passed since Darcel, Ani and Masami started their Magic test. Their Magic Crystals still only shimmered in a dimly lit red glow, and Siren de still looked as unimpressed as ever.

    At that moment, Siren de believed nothing impressive woulde out of these masked youths. It was only par for the course, after all.

    Siren de was fully aware that their Magical Systems differs heavily from cultivation. No matter how talented a mere cultivator may be, they should never be able to cross over that high Magical boundary to be Mages.

    However, right at this time, an unfathomable change was urring within Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s soul''s space and dantian.

    In both ces, a sudden swirl of Magical Power started to develop. This Magical Power didn''te from an outside source, but rather it leaked out of Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies!

    And when their Magical Power began swirling around, it started to take the shape of a vague, phantom image. The phantom image started to quickly form itself, morphing into a small, gray color Magical Core!

    And as the phantom Magical Core appeared to form, Darcel, Ani and Masami could feel the Magical Power running through their bodies be violently intense.

    Their Spirit Senses overflowed with an entirely new sensation.

    This wasn''t Qi energy or their bloodline powers. This was pure Magical Energy! And for the briefest of moments, Darcel, Ani, and Masami genuinely felt like they could grasp Magical Energy.

    Within their Spirit Sense, they only felt the faintest trace of resistance, meaning theirprehension of Magical Power is already seemingly high.

    Then, after only a couple of seconds of this process, a massive change began to ur within the Magical Crystals.

    The once dimly red glow started to sh through various colors in a blink of an eye.

    "Wha-what? No.this?!"

    Siren de''s calm facade finally dropped. His eyes practically popped out of his skull as he intently stared at the trio''s Magical Crystal.

    It didn''t matter if it was Darcel, Ani, or Masami; their Magical Crystals were all rapidly illuminating in a variety of brilliant colors.

    As his mind reeled in utter horror from their results, one thought struck into Siren de''s head.

    "R-r-rainbow talent?!" Siren de couldn''t contain his utter bewilderment, identally blurting out his first thoughts.

    Even if Siren de wanted to believe these results were fabricated, it was impossible for the Magical Crystals to be wrong.

    These specific Magical Crystals were crafted by highly powerful Mages who are equal to the strongest cultivators in their Province. And unless Darcel, Ani, and Masami were stronger than those Mages, it was impossible to gain a fake result.

    All this means that somehow, this masked trio has slumbering, dormant Magical Prowess that is equal to the strongest of Mages in their entire Prvonice, no, continent!

    The Rainbow color radiating from the Magical Crystals tells just how pure their dormant Magical Powers are.

    Typically, for even natural-born Mages, the highest color they can achieve is purple Spirit Color. Purple Spirit Color would indicate that Mage would have the talent to be Spirit Mages in the far future.

    Comparing this to Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s results, their talent would be equal to Royal Mages or even Emperor Mages.

    Royal Mages would be the equivalent of Emperor Origin cultivating experts. While Emperor Mages are the equivalent to Great Emperor Origin Realm powerhouses. To hold that kind of power would only be an unfathomable legend on their continent, one that was never seen before.

    This is why Siren de''s reaction wasn''t over-exaggerated at all.

    And just when Siren de was about toe down from his shock to properly process their results, another striking change happened right then.

    The beautifully rainbow glow shimmering from the Magical Crystals had suddenly dispersed without any warning.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami awoke from their trace as the Magical Power overflowed their bodies and Spirit Sense had disappeared. And within their soul''s space and dantian, their phantom Magical Core was only halfpleted.

    When Darcel, Ani, and Masami came back to reality, they curiously stared at their Magical Crystals.

    Because their Magical Powers were suddenly caught off, the trio believed the Magical Crystals simply ran out of energy. Although they did have a slightly bad feeling that something could''ve potentially messed up, the trio quickly pushed it down.

    After all, if it was aplete failure, then they wouldn''t have felt Magical Power at all, right?

    "Fuu~. So? How did we do?"

    Masami released a slight breath and turned over to Siren de, asking her question first. She, Darcel, and Ani were quite eager to hear how well they did.

    However, Siren de''s following words were like an ocean of freezing cold water getting dumped onto their heads.

    "You all failed. If you had passed, the Magical Crystals would stay indefinitely ignited until you took your hands off from it."

    Siren de''s expression and tone were utterly indifferent. There wasn''t any hint of his previous surprise crossing on his face.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t immediately respond at first. Their bodiespletely stilted as their minds reeled in disbelief.

    They actually failed?

    How could they.no.that was utterly impossible!

    At the same time, a tremendous rush of disbelief rocketed to the surface of Ani and Masami''s mind like an erupting volcanic.

    "That''s not right!" Both Ani and Masami simultaneously shouted.

    Ani was the first to continue the train of disbelief as she firmly said, "We and you clearly saw these crystals shimmer with color. And we also precisely sensed Magical Power in full detail. So how could this possibly mean we failed?"

    "Yea! Don''t tell me this is your bullshit prejudice against cultivators?" Masami was far more abrasive in her words, quickly falling back into her more aggressive reaction style.

    Ani and Masami''s intense reactions weren''t shared at all with Darcel. He was the only one calm in this situation after pushing past his initial shock.

    This was mainly due to the fact that Siren de''s eyes was still boring an intent hole into them despite his expression being indifferent.

    Before anything violent could happen, Darcel firmly mped down on Ani and Masami''s shoulders. Almost immediately, both girls calmed down under Darcel''s warm touch. Though, they still kept up their intense res.

    Then, in a calm tone, Darcel said, "We may have failed, but you have more to say, right?"

    "Tch." Siren de audibly clicked his teeth. His expression finally changed as their previous results shed in his mind.

    Siren de was genuinely reluctant to say this, but after a few silent, tense moments, he finally said, "I don''t ever do this for any cultivator or even Mages normally. But.while you may have failed, I cannot deny that you three have immense Magic potential dormant inside you. You all have the potential to be the strongest of Mages in our Province."

    Immediately, the previous dissatisfied feelings swirling inside Darcel, Ani, and Masami cleared up. They intently focused on Siren de''s words, and Masami asked,

    "Just what do you want to exactly say, huh?"

    Instead of responding, Siren de dug into his pocket, and a faint purple glow sparkled from within it. A moment after, he took out a map and tossed it towards Darcel.

    As Darcel caught the map, Siren de began to exin to the trio, "Follow the direction on this map, and it will lead you to the Frozen Prison Domain. Once there, use whatever Magical finding item you can get your hands on to find an item called the Royal Mage Orb. This Orb will cause your slumbering Magical Powers to fully awaken."

    "Slumbering Magical Powers? Since you''re so sure we have this, howe we can''t awaken it here? Furthermore, just how are we supposed to find the Orb? We don''t know what it looks like or what items to get that can potentially scout out pure Magical treasures."

    Ani raised numerous questions almost immediately. If they were to go off purely from such little information, she worried they could fall into some life-threatening danger from exploring this new area.

    In response to her multiple questions, Siren de calmly shook his head and told the trio, "The process to awaken one''s slumbering Magic Powers is far moreplex than you can ever realize. Unfortunately, our organization has nothing of the sort to achieve this. As for the Orb, it will be in pure rainbow color, and all you need to do is touch it to activate it. Also, there should be several shops inside our city that have magical finding treasures. Now then, I gave you a path; it''s up to you whether or not you would go there."

    Ani and Masami scrunched their faces in displeasure over such a bare-bones answer. But before either of them could start anything, Darcel spoke first, calmly asking,

    "Can you at least tell us about the potential danger we could face at that domain?"

    "Hmm.I personally haven''t been there in years. And very rarely would a situation like this ur. But, from what I can the beasts and other creatures there won''t get aggressive unless you willingly provoke them. So as long you find an urate magic treasure finder and keep your head down, you won''t encounter much danger."

    "Tsk, so helpful." Masami muttered under her breath while Ani scrunched up brows even further.

    Darcel still retained his calm stature and said, "I see. We will take some time to n this out and take our leave now."

    With a shrug of his shoulders, Siren de wordlessly turned around, opened the door, and walked out of the room.

    Before he could walk out, Darcel felt two tugs on both of his sleeves.

    "Hey, are you sure this is a good idea?" Masami cautiously asked first.

    "Yea.that guy, he seems pretty unreliable for us." Ani perfectly followed up next.

    Both girls didn''t think they are being paranoid. They just didn''t have a good gut feeling at all about Siren de; his reactions seemed too mysterious.

    Darcel first looked down at the map and several ideas already formed in his mind. He then told the girls after only a moment of silence, "Well, we have no other options but this, right? Besides, we will properly discuss once we get back to the room."

    "Haaah, alright then." Ani and Masami lightly sighed.

    Darcel turned his attention back forward, and the trio quickly left the room.

 Chapter 281: Mythical Frost Demon

    Chapter 281: Mythical Frost Demon

    Inside one of Azog Ice Town inns, Darcel, Ani and Masami were now recuperating in their room. The trio huddled around the map Siren de gave them, their eyes analyzing every single detail.

    Some time has passed since the trio left the Siren Blood Mage group. And during this time, they had been gathering the necessary materials for another long-haul trip.

    Even though neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami had ever gone out of their ways to make money, their wealth from their foes'' previous Spatial Rings more than make up for it.

    As of now, silence permeated between the trio. Each of them was stewing on their own thoughts while studying Siren de''s map.

    After a short while of contemtion, Ani''s calm expression slightly changed. She scrunched her eyebrows and broke the contemting silence, saying out loud,

    "This Frozen Prison Domain.it''s quite far away from this town. And it''s on the borders to New Moon City. But we shouldn''t encounter anyone from there. Plus, with our flight speed, we should be able to cross it in a day or two."

    At this point, Ani and the others were entirely sure they had little need for a flying beast mount or any kind of flying tool.

    All three of them had something critical that other cultivators in the Heavenly Transformation don''t have.

    That is near-endless flying stamina. If they wanted to, Ani fathoms the three of them could probably travel through the entire Province at their leisure and enter a new Province.

    Of course, they couldn''t realistically achieve this because of the wild Spirit Monsters and people expanding across each Province.

    But it goes to show how special the trio''s flying abilities are.

    "You know, I never even heard of this ce before. And that mage barely gave us any information. And this damn town was barely more helpful than him." Masami took the chance to speak up next.

    Her two fox tails puffed in frustration over remembering how much of a hassle it was just to get basic information.

    Since they were in the Mage district part of Azog Ice Town, the people''s attitude here was incredibly off-putting. And it didn''t take the trio to be a genius to guess why.

    Still, looking past people''s standoffish attitudes, Darcel could say they found decent enough information on the Frozen Prison Domain. Admittedly, this ce has an interesting history he would be willing to explore if he had the time.

    The Frozen Prison Domain is one of the few special areas outside the massively expansive Plunged Tundra. It''s regarded as unique since it has a long-running history spanning at least hundreds of years.

    Way before Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s time, the Icy Cloud Province was under terror from a mythical, powerful creature.

    This creature was officially named the Frost Demon.

    From various descriptions and arts, this Frost Demon apparently was a tall creature that almost resembled a human but also had beastly traits.

    Furthermore, the Frost Demon also patches of crystal ice donning its body and supposedly had ayer of Frost air continually surrounding it. Frost air was just one of the demon''s many strange abilities that cultivators and Mages alike couldn''t understand.

    It was said that any Heavenly Transformation cultivator or Spirit Mage that were toe in slight contact with that Frost Air would be poison by a stream of freezing Ice Energy.

    From inside their bodies, ayer of ice would freeze all of their organs, essentially killing them in just one move.

    The Frost Demon not only held this terrifying power but also other powerful Ice abilities that could kill Heavenly Sages, Grand Mages, or even Emperor Origin cultivators!

    With that kind of power within its body, the Frost Demon carried on with its own agenda. It didn''t matter where it would go within the Icy Cloud Province; the demon would destroy any major City or town for their treasures.

    The treasure it stole didn''t even make the Frost Demon stronger. The creature simply stole what it ever could and ced what it has in special storage pouches it also stole.

    Of course, with this kind of wild behavior, the Frost Demon earned the ire of numerous powerful organizations.

    It had even devolved to a point where these powerful organizations banded together to finish off this treasure stealing Frost Demon for good. Against so many powerful cultivators and Mages, it was impossible for the terrifying Frost Demon to continue its reign.

    In thest moment of its life, the Frost Demon fled the pursuit of these powerful organizations, escaping towards a once infamous area in the Plunged Tundra.

    The Frost Demon fled right towards an ancient Temple that was known as absolutely impossible to enter into.

    Nobody was really sure of this ancient Temple''s origin, but it didn''t stop them from trying to explore it. However, it was quickly known that it was simply impossible to get into this ancient Temple.

    Many powerful cultivators and Mages attempted to break into the Temple. But, not even Emperor Origin Realm powerhouses had the ability to do so.

    And yet, somehow, the mysteriously powerful Frost Demon managed to forcefully break right into this seemingly imprable Temple.

    And when the powerful cultivators and Mages chased the Frost Demon into the Temple, they all were bewildered by the content inside.

    Unimaginable treasures that arose even Emperor Origin cultivators'' interest were littered inside the mysterious Temple. At that time, everyone wanted to fully explore the Temple after finishing off the Frost Demon.

    However, the Frost Demon decided to spend thest moments of its life taking everyone else down with it.

    It was said the Frost Demon had one more special ability that allowed its spirit to connect with the massive Temple and caused it to release a powerfully catastrophic explosion!

    That explosion managed to kill all Heavenly Transformations, numerous Heavenly Sages, and even a few Emperor Origin cultivators.

    The lucky ones who managed to survive soon died afterward from a mysterious illness that couldn''t be cured.

    The only ones who survived for a substantial amount of time to pass down this mythical history were several Grand Mages and Royal Mages.

    Although the losses of such powerful people was a tragic event, something fantastic dide out of it.

    Because the Frost Demon imploded itself and the Temple, the creature had also let loose all of its treasure that it stole and Temple''s treasures. Somehow, that powerful explosion that killed even Emperor Origin cultivators couldn''t get rid of Heavenly Treasures.

    Furthermore, that explosion also rearranged thatndscape''s area for thousands of miles, turning it into a colossal ruined ice Temple.

    Initially, everyone was excited to uncover these incredible Heavenly Treasures. But, only a short time after, people almost immediately discover several troubling problems with this area.

    Cultivators and Mages alike were sure the haunting remnant spirit of the Frost Demon still permeated in that area! It was their only exnation for the strange, inexplicable events urring over there.

    There is an endless supply of strange-looking creatures all over that area. These creatures aren''t that powerful, but they are tough to kill and could respawn indefinitely.

    Along with infinitely respawning creatures, the Heavenly Treasures in that area would never stay in one spot. Furthermore, the structure of the ruined Temple became confusing to navigate after the Frost Demon''s explosion.

    Among all of this, it was also said that staying within this ruined ice Temple area for a prolonged period of time would affect anyone with a troubling disease.

    Out of the other tales, the troubling disease was more of a rumor than a proven fact. Since it seemed like in this day and age, nobody has gotten sick from staying long in the ruined ice Temple.

    At some point in time, people had eventually decided to call this ruined ice Temple area the Frozen Prison Domain because of the Frost Demon haunting, lingering spirit.

    This information is mainly known throughout the Icy Cloud Province. As for higher Provinces, they were aware but stopped paying full attention after a while.

    To this day, nobody knows how the Frost Demon came about, nobody really knows how that once imprable Temple was built, nor did anybody know how to get rid of the Frost Demon lingering spirit.

    But one thing is for sure when exploring the Frozen Prison Domain, one must have an incredible treasure-finding tool. Or else, they would only end up lost in that confusing ruined temple area.

    Despite how special this area seemed to be, Darcel''s group was able to find out all of this knowledge from the local information center within this Mage district.

    Rummaging on everything he learned, Darcel decided to ask the girls, "Ani, Masami. You two are feeling fine with this option now, right? If you have any worries, you should say it now since there''s no turning back after this."

    Only a slight look of contemtion crossed Ani and Masami''s face.

    Both girls only needed a few moments to stew over their feelings before eventually sighing, shaking their heads as if they had no disagreement.

    "No.we''re fine with this option. After all, like you said, we have no other options left, right?"

    Ani had a soft smile in eptance, though Darcel could still see the trace of worries in her and Masami''s eyes.

    Wanting to further ease their worries, Darcel told the girls, "Yea, this is a risk but a risk we need to take. From what we see and experience, Magic is assuredly powerful and holds so manyplex abilities that would majorly help us. This will also give us a stable foothold to safely cultivate."

    "Haaah, yea, yea, you''re always right, Darcel."

    Masami lightly sighed before her expression quickly morphed into pure determination. "Alright! No matter the dangers, we''ll plunge right ahead. So, before we leave, let''s get our souls to their best state. I could just feel we may have to use it."

    Darcel and Ani wryly smile at just how quickly Masami turns her expression on a dime. Still, they both nodded in agreement since their Darkness Soul link can provide them with a much-needed extra boost of power if they''re in a pinch.

    They also have their Chaotic Shards nestling inside their Soul''s space, but Darcel wasn''t entirely sure if it would be a good idea to use without massively improving their base cultivation.

    Although, if they do get caught up in an irreversible situation, Darcel won''t hesitate to use the Chaotic Shard.

    "We''ll go at it for a few hours, then we''ll leave, ok?" Darcel was already adjusting his seat on the floor for their soul cultivation.

    "Mnh." Ani and Masami nodded in agreement, quickly joining him on the floor.

    And in just a few short moments, Darcel, Ani, and Masami had their eyes closed, beginning the process to adjust their Darkness Soul link to its best condition.

 Chapter 282: Frozen Prison Domain

    Chapter 282: Frozen Prison Domain

    High in the slightly gray-colored skies of the Icy Cloud Province, three masked figures were flying with great haste.

    No other creature or being was around these figures as they had chosen a secluded route to take for their destination.

    These masked figures were Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    Since leaving Azog Ice Town, a day has passed. And for all this time, the trio didn''t take any breaks while flying towards the Frozen Prison Domain.

    With everything already prepared, they had zero reasons to dy their journey any further. They wanted to be Mages as soon as possible; wasting any time for pit stops or further nning would be useless.

    And because of their fierce determination, the trio crossed thousands of miles in a mere day.

    For a while now, the scenery mainly stayed the same while flying towards the Frozen Prison Domain.

    But when they were finally a few dozen miles from the Frozen Prison Domain, the trio witnessed several changes in scenery and the atmosphere.

    "Fuu.this ce is always cold. But here? It''s like a bone-piercing freeze!" Ani loudly eximed, feeling an icy shiver rattling her whole body.

    Considering she is in the Innate Core realm, her physical body should have far better protection against environmental hazards. Additionally, she also has the ck me essence in her soul, which helps provide continuous warmth.

    As of now, any previous freezing area in the Plunged Tundra would be a simple breeze.

    However, once finally near the Frozen Prison Domain, Ani couldn''t ignore this freezing chill. For the first time in a long while, she had to stimte her ck ming essence to heat up her body.

    "Not only a bone piercing freeze but also.I mean, just what is this? I know there''s Ice all over the Province, but this is like the beginning to a frozen wondend."

    Masami spoke her remarks next while also heating up her body with her fox mes. And as shemented, the scenery was slowly morphing into an endless d.

    While in the skies, the trio could spot Ice particles flowing into the wind, appearing simr to drops of snow. There were also clouds made entirely out of Ice. Releasing from the Ice clouds were streams of Ice particles as well.

    And tossing their gazes to the ground, there was barely any sign of snow.

    Nearly the whole ground transformed into a shiny blue crystal Ice. And there wasn''t any split on this Ice, making everything appear as one long Icy road.

    Darcel was the only one who had the most subdued reaction. He calmly gazed around the scenery, attempting to note anything particrly out of ce.

    Because of the legends surrounding this area, Darcel wanted to ensure they wouldn''t get taken off guard by anything.

    Even as his Spirit Sense can detect most things, it wasn''t invincible. For a mythical demon spirit that is supposedly haunting this area, it wouldn''t be surprising if there were things that can hide from his Spirit Sense.

    However, despite his precautions, Darcel still didn''t sense or see anything worthy of concern. He, just like the girls, only needed to stimte his ck ming essence for protection against the cold.

    And at that moment, he was just about to speak his own remarks. But right then, an ominous chill, colder than temperature, swept through him, Ani and Masami.

    "This!"

    In that instance, Ani and Masami quickly shed right next to Darcel. Their minds were on high alert as they darted their eyes all around the skies.

    Without slowing their flying speeds, Ani asked first, "That sensation.no mistake there. It''s the haunting spirit!"

    "It just has to be. No way in hell we should just ignore a chill like that! Something is around here." Masami readily agreed with Ani, her eyes moving around like a hawk.

    If it was just any foreboding feeling, Ani and Masami''s reactions could be seen as exaggerated.

    But Darcel could understand why they''re acting this way. Thest haunting feeling they experienced led them down a cruel road. Even as there were probably zero chances of escaping that road, the fact still stands none of them treated that ominous feeling seriously.

    And even before the yellow-eyed woman, there was that Parasol Organization scientist who nearly ended up killing them.

    However, there was a critical difference between those ominous feelings and this apparent dreadful sensation.

    In the brief moment that ominous chill swept through them, Darcel felt as if it came from the environment itself. This feeling wasn''t anything instinctual but rather something that came from a source.

    Darcel couldn''t deny he was feeling the same amount of worry as the girls. However, he still kept calm and focus. To ease the girl''s tension a bit, Darcel said,

    "It most likely is that spirit. But going off from recent info, nothing will outright attack us. Just make sure to keep a tight vignce."

    "Right." Ani and Masami simultaneously nodded their heads.

    With their attention more sharper than ever, the trio increased their speed towards the Frozen Prison Domain.

    The trio split the air apart, reaching the final stretch of miles within just a few minutes.

    Then, soon enough, a magnificent sight was revealed to the trio. Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes briefly lit up, taking in the d below them.

    "Hue~, this Ice has such a beautiful crystal shine! Better than anything I''ve seen from this Province." Ani praised as her eyes brightly sparkled.

    Just a few miles below them was what could only be called endless Ice ruin temples.

    For what seemed like hundreds of miles was countless amounts of parts of ruined temples or temples that were surprisingly still intact. And throughout this whole area, everything was coated in a beautiful crystal shine.

    Despite everything being remnants of tattered destruction, the crystal shine transformed it all into a sight for the ages.

    As the trio scanned around the area, Darcel was attempting to find any sign of life.

    However, everything still seemed like aplete ghost town.

    Recalling what he knows about this ce, it was said that there would be the asional adventure group trying to test their luck here.

    Seeing nobody was here now, Darcel felt like they were slightly lucky to be alone. At least this way, they won''t have any distractions.

    But right when Darcel believed they would have a decent start, a sudden sense of crisis struck him.

    "Hm?!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami stopped flying, snapping their gazes right up in front of them. Their Spirit Senses detected an incredibly dangerous aura shooting right at them.

    At the moment the trio sensed the dangerous aura, the wind immediately whipped up into chaotic furry.

    The air pressure rapidly increased to a point where the trio was starting to find it difficult to breathe.

    Without any hesitation, Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously released nearly all of their base state energy. As a result, their powers surged, causing the air pressure to lessen.

    However, the danger they perceived from the aura didn''t lessen at all.

    "To the ground now!"

    Darcel didn''t want to bother with pointless fights, directing the girls to dodge as well. And, of course, Ani and Masami held no disagreement, already feeling on edge from the ominous chill from before.

    In just a second, Darcel, Ani and Masami turned into streaks of light as they shot off towards the ground.

    As they rapidly drew close to the ground, a massive shadow covered over the trio.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami immediately tensed up. They didn''t stop flying, but we''re waiting for any sudden attack. However, nothing came sting towards them.

    Within just a few seconds, the trio touched down on the ground. Uponnding, they promptly threw their gazes to the skies.

    Their eyes narrowed as they witnessed one of the most massive Spirit Monsters they ever saw in their lives.

    It was an enormous snow-white eagle that elegantly flowed through the skies. But, more important than its appearance, the trio took primary notice of its aura.

    "Fifth level Heavenly King!" They all subconsciously muttered.

    The first being they met in quite a while, and it''s already something they wouldn''t be able to face in a head-on collision.

    Thankfully, the beast seemed to not have paid any attention to the trio. It continued to fly right over them, quickly disappearing into crystal Ice clouds.

    "Tch! Hopefully, this isn''t telling for what''s toe in this haunted domain." Masami remarked while never taking her eyes off the enormous snow-white eagle.

    "Well, at least it seemed less hostile than all the other wild beasts we encountered. Moreover." Ani began ncing her eyes around where theynded.

    They were actually on the outskirts of the Frozen Prison Domain. And still, she didn''t see anyone around.

    Feeling a little bit of tension leave her body, Ani continued to say, "We really chose a great day toe! Nobody here? We can just swiftlye in and out of here."

    "Indeed. Nowe on, let''s just walk from here on out. Just in case any other beastes from the skies."

    Darcel spoke next. He was about to continue into the Frozen Prison Domain when Masami had suddenly tugged on his sleeve.

    Her expression was questioning as she asked, "So how should we use Fruna''spass? I know you said you would just take the lead but, I feel like my Chaotic Energy could get this whatever mage orb too."

    "The Royal Orb Sami. And Darcy, I''m sure my Chaotic Energy could do it. It''s been some time since I took the lead!"

    Ani immediately spoke up, feeling a slightlypetitive spirit rise up within her.

    In response, Masami red and snorted at her, saying, "It''s always either you two leading! Well, mostly Darcel, but still! I want to-"

    "Next time Masami, you can take the lead. But for now, I want this to be done fast, and I have the most experience with sensing Magic out of all of us."

    Darcel interrupted Masami while taking out Fruna''spass.

    Ani and Masami wanted to argue further, but against Darcel, they naturally felt weak to his words.

    In an attempt to keep face, Masami crossed her arms, acting like she doesn''t care, saying, "Hmph. At least I will be next then."

    For a brief moment, a mischievous light crossed Ani''s eyes when seeing the slight victorious smirk on Masami''s.

    But she quickly remembers their situation and suppressed herself. Although she couldn''t stop herself from saying, "Hmmm~ ok~. Little Sami does need her attention."

    "Tch! Like you''re any different from me. You just like to keep up that calm facade to entice him!"

    "Hue~? Do I? I''m just using my natural charms like always, though?"

    As the girls fell into their banter, Darcel wryly smiled before focusing on Fruna''spass. Then, with a thought, he began revolving his Chaotic Energy, directing it towards Fruna''spass.

 Chapter 283: Somethings Watching

    Chapter 283: Something''s Watching

    Darcel was full of confidence as he started to stimte the Chaotic Energy within his soul space.

    Beforeing to the Frozen Prison Domain, he and the girls performed some tests with Chaotic Energy. And upon repeated experiments, the trio realized they could actually gather their Chaotic Energy at a far faster rate than ever.

    Ever since they left the independent Mercenary realm, the trio didn''t have a chance to have a proper fight again.

    So as far in terms of theirbat prowess, they could only make vague guesses. In terms of using their Qi energy and bloodline powers, things did get slower. Although, as they cultivate every day, it was slowly improving back to its once instantaneous rate.

    But, it wasn''t until now that the trio decided to see how well they could use Chaotic Energy now.

    And to their surprise, using Chaotic Energy felt far smoother.

    Specifically, within his soul''s space, Darcel could feel the Chaotic Shard inside his soul''s core activate whenever he wants to pull out Chaotic Energy.

    Now granted, Darcel wasn''t entirely sure how much he could use in a proper fight. Nor did he know how powerful one attack from Chaotic Energy will be now.

    But he did find out he canbine Fruna''spass with Chaotic Energy.

    Precisely like the time he used it while in the Mercenary''s independent realm, Darcel could easily detect treasures by his Chaotic Energy.

    From both cultivation resources and Magical Energy treasures, Darcel could perceive it all. In fact, while practicing within Azog Ice Town, he detected countless powerful treasures just within the Mage''s District.

    Darcel took a mental note of those treasures, keeping it in his mind forter when he and the girls be actual Mages.

    And in no time at all, Darcel smoothlybined a speck of Chaotic Energy with Fruna''spass.

    A gray aura quickly covered thepass, prompting Ani and Masami to cease their bickering and turned their attention over to him. They strolled right next to Darcel''s side, eagerly anticipating the results.

    Within only seconds, Darcel could perceive numerous powerful treasures all around the Frozen Prison Domain.

    Just from the general feel, it felt like there were even more treasures here than Azog Ice Town!

    Darcel found it quite shocking since they were basically at the start of the Frozen Prison Domain.

    For a moment, Darcel considered if they should go out and take these powerful treasures. But at the exact moment he got the idea, he quickly pushed it down.

    With their current strength, there were simply too many unknown variables that can ur when attempting to seize a treasure.

    Even though Darcel knows risks must be taken to grow powerful, he didn''t want to get in over his head. When he, Ani, and Masami grow more powerful, Darcel would feel far more assured wandering around here.

    So, for now, Darcel focused on perceiving the Royal Mage Orb.

    Since he already had previous experience in Azog Ice Town, Darcel could actually sort out what was a Magical or cultivation treasure.

    And upon doing the same process here, Darcel wrinkled his eyebrows.

    Out of all the treasure energy he perceived, there was only one of the Magical kind. And this Magical treasure had a very faint trance.

    If he follows this trail, Darcel is sure he will find the Magical treasure. The only concerning thought was theck of any other Magical treasure energies.

    Considering this area''s long history, Darcel couldn''t help but find this suspicious.

    Still, besides this Magical trail, he literally had no other options. Pushing down his cautions, for now, Darcel reopened his eyes and told the girls,

    "I have a trace. But.it''s only a singr Magical trace. Since Siren de confirmed it before, this just has to be the orb. I have some concerns, but this is only our lead. Let''s go and stick close together."

    "Ehhh? Only one Magical treasure here? This is.more than suspicious. I''m sure that....no, actually, we all read that Mages had also experienced some sess with treasures here?" Ani promptly raised her concerns.

    "Meh, well, don''t forget, those were all tales from years ago. Nobody really recorded anything recently. Or actually, those people just have no damn care to make recent updates. Either way, we have our lead; let''s go!"

    Masami simply focused on starting the journey rather than the suspicious. After all, even she realized nothing can be done unless they take the steps forward.

    Darcel and Ani took a nce at the aggressively confident-looking fox girl before eventually nodding. They both understood her views quite well.

    Then, without any more words, the trio began their trek in the Frozen Prison Domain.

    Although, after walking only several meters in endless Ice ruins temples, Darcel, Ani, and Masami all felt an even colder air shiver their bodies.

    In that instance, ck mes and blue mes danced within Ani and Masami''s eyes as they stimted even more of their ming essences.

    A slight look of surprise was forming on Ani''s face as she muttered, "Seriously! It''s like entering a whole new world! First, that ominous haunting spirit chill. And now, it''s like we enter the depths of a frozen hell!"

    "Tch, whatever. Let''s just sack it up and keep going." Masami had both of her warm and fuzzy fox tails wrapped around her waist as she spoke.

    Taking a look back at the girls, Darcel nodded his head once seeing them adjust to the sudden below zero freezing temperature.

    As for Darcel, he simrly had to use an abundance of his ming essence to deal with the cold. Additionally, Darcel forced past any remnants of cold air shivering his body, focusing entirely on the faint Magical treasure energy.

    Without any further dys, Darcel began leading the girls on a specific trail.

    The trio cautiously walked through the Frozen Prison Domain, their eyes taking in every inch of their surroundings.

    Now that they were up close, they could get a better image of the broken temples and buildings here. And as they expected, basically everything here appeared to be abandon for hundreds of years.

    The crystal ice shine coating the buildings could only do so much to cover the deprecated remnants scattered around.

    When the trio narrowed their sights on some specific buildings, they could even see signs of fierce battles. Considering that numerous adventure groupse here to test their luck, it wasn''t surprising to see leftover signs of collisions.

    Every footstep the trio took loudly reverberated in their general area. Things were eerily quiet in the Frozen Prison Domain.

    Trekking through seemingly eerie quiet areas wasn''t anything new for Darcel, Ani, and Masami. However, something about this ce set its haunting vibe different from any other ce the trio experienced.

    All throughout their walks, the trio couldn''t shake this nagging feeling that someone or something was watching.

    In response to this feeling, the trio vehemently expanded their Spirit Sense to their very limits.

    However, nothing was detected by them. There wasn''t even any flying beast soaring through the skies like that snow-white eagle.

    The longer they walked, the more assured the trio felt that it was the supposed haunting demon spirit watching them.

    Truthfully, for hundreds of years, there hasn''t really been any clear and concise evidence that factually proves the haunting demon spirit exists. After all, it''s difficult to prove someone exists if they are already dead.

    But fake or not, Darcel, Ani, and Masami believed something was out there, and they needed to be at their utmost focus for anything.

    .

    An hour soon passed.

    During this time, the trio just slightly picked up their pace. They already reached a few miles deep into the Frozen Prison Domain.

    And now, Darcel could more clearly perceive the Magical Energy treasure. At this rate, it won''t be long before they end up finding it.

    For a while now, Darcel had the thought to fly the rest of the way. There still hasn''t been any sign of more flying beasts traveling in the air. Truly, it seemed like that snow-white eagle was just a chance encounter.

    However, before Darcel could raise this question to the girls, he, Ani, and Masami abruptly stopped.

    Once they finally reached a few miles in, the trio''s Spirit Sense alerted them.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami snapped their gazes to the right, locking on to a specific ruined Ice temple.

    "Stop hiding already! Did you really think we wouldn''t be able to detect you?" Masami loudly spoke without a hint of caution or fear. She actually felt rtively confident about the presence she''s sensing.

    The confidence was shared with Darcel and Ani. Compared to the enormous snow-white eagle, whoever this person was, gave only a slight sense of danger.

    This person wasn''t anywhere near as powerful as the snow-white eagle.

    But besides their power, what really caught the trio''s attention was the fact this person didn''t have any Qi energy or Qi aura.

    Instead, they radiated a special kind of energy the trio could identify as Magical Power! This was a Mage!

    After experiencing that little test within the Siren Blood Mage group, Darcel, Ani and Masami could at least clearly perceive the presence of Magical energy.

    The trio wasn''t aware of it, but within their dantians and soul''s space, their half-formed Magical Cores gave them the ability to do so.

    "Ahhh.so it seems I''ve been found out already."

    And like they were expecting, a man''s voice sounded out, and a blue robe man came walking out of the ruined Ice temple. His hands were up in a non-aggression manner, and he had a small friendly smile gracing his lips.

    With this kind of look, this man already seemed to mean no harm. However, this didn''t mean anything for the trio.

    In an instant, Darcel, Ani, and Masami tensed their bodies, ready for the slightest sign of aggression.

    With a calm gaze, the trio sized up this blue robe man. He looked ordinary in the face, but his blue robes had a unique design. It was obviously made out of high-quality materials, and streams of lightning bolts art ran down the robes.

    Before either Darcel, Ani, or Masami could ask another question, the blue robe man spoke again,

    "Been some time since a batch of cultivators came down this trail. But.aren''t you three a little bit too weak?"

 Chapter 284: Rushing Right On Ahead

    Chapter 284: Rushing Right On Ahead

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t immediately respond to the man. Instead, they intently watched as he made it within 100 feet of them.

    Once he had reached a hundred feet, the blue robe man stopped. He calmly stared at the trio, scrutinizing them with the same critical gaze.

    Seeing that he wasn''t going to move anymore, Ani tilted her head and spoke in a sharp tone, "Whether or not we have the appropriate strength isn''t any of your concerns. And I''m sure you aren''t here as a good samaritan. So, what exactly do you want from us?"

    Sometime in the past, Ani would be the most weing to any type of new stranger. It perfectly apanied her Light powers, being able to attract gazes on her and create an enigmatic charm.

    However, after the yellow-eyed woman incident, all Ani could feel now was doubt and suspicions.

    She never wants a repeat of that incident again, no matter how harmless any stranger seems. It was like that yellow-eyed woman instilled a permanent sense of distrust within her.

    Although, Darcel and Masami''s reactions weren''t any better. Behind her mask, Masami looked like she was ready to pounce on a moment''s notice.

    "Hey now, I''m just giving a fair warning."

    Against Darcel''s group intent gazes, the blue robe Mage nonchntly shrugged his shoulders.

    He kept calm and cool as he continued to say, "Honestly speaking, if you''re here to be Mages, the chances are pretty low. All cultivators look hopeful whening here but always leave disappointed."

    Before responding, Darcel took a moment to think how odd this situation was. For miles they traveled in the Frozen Prison Domain without any sign of other life.

    And now, they suddenly encounter a Mage who''s been around here several times?

    It seemed highly suspicious to him.

    The cherry on top was the fact that this Mage was also trying to hide from their senses. If it wasn''t for the fact his and the girl''s Spirit Sense is especially keen, they might have ended up missing him.

    Still, Darcel didn''t disregard everything the blue robe man said. When recalling the history of cultivators trying to be Mages, it''smonly known that it''s immensely difficult to do so.

    Very rarely can one actually seed. And even if they do seed, their Magical Potential is among the worst.

    Considering all of this, this Mage had some believability on this front.

    Although, Darcel still kept his tone entirely even when speaking up next. "Is that right? Well then, no matter other people''s failures, we still need to try. Besides, you''re not exactly in a trustworthy position."

    "That may be so. But what if I tell you I actually have a direct path that will lead you to the Royal Mage orb much faster. It''ll significantly shorten your time here and let the inevitablee sooner."

    The blue robe Mage exined with a thin lining smirk.

    "Heh! The inevitable, huh? Yea sure. Just get to the point; what the hell could you possibly want from us in exchange for your help?"

    Masami didn''t waste any time getting into the meat of their meeting. Truthfully, the more she spoke to the blue robe Mage, the more agitated she was bing.

    There was something about that thin lining smirk that was testing the limits of her shorter patience.

    And right as the blue robe Mage was about to answer, Darcel suddenly cut him off, asking first, "Before you answer that, let me ask this first. Is flying in the sky dangerous here? Since it seems like you''re experienced here, you should be able to judge it."

    The blue robe man took a moment to think. He quirked his eyebrows, tossing his gaze towards the skies before lowering back on the trio. "It''s very rare to actually see a sky Spirit Monster around here. The only urrence would be a snow-white eagle. And those beats won''t really attack unless you directly attack them. Some say those eagles are bound by the demon spirit around here. Still, if you want the minimal risk of danger, it''s better to travel on foot less you know exactly where you''re going."

    "I see." Was all Darcel said as an idea quickly formed into his mind.

    "As for the other question-"

    The blue robe Mage couldn''t finish his sentence. Not when his Magical Sense suddenly went off like a frantic rm.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami also felt their Spirit Sense alerted them to several presences. The trio furrowed their brows; slight worry began to fill their minds over the power these presences possess.

    ''1st level Heavenly Kings!'' Even this level of power caused Darcel, Ani, and Masami to be a bit worry.

    They and the blue robe Mage snapped their attention to their right side, tracing exactly where the presences wereing from.

    And over 800 feet to their right, they all spotted what appeared to be seven human beings rushing at them.

    Although Darcel, Ani, and Masami think they''re humans, each of them vastly differs from any other humans they saw.

    Just from the way they move, anyone could tell something very odd was wrong with them. They all moved too stiff and unnaturally. It was more like they were puppets running along the ice.

    And not only were their movements weird, but their appearances were also concerning. Each of these supposed humans had a permanent blue color dying their entire skins. Their blueness almost had a unique shine about it, as if they were the same as the crystal ice.

    However, the most creepy aspect that sets these beings apart from anything else were their eyes. Their eyes were all dead. None of them had any pupils, appearing precisely as dug-up corpses.

    "This.what is this? These guys look like true monsters."

    Ani was calmly assessing the situation. These beings were creepy for sure, but they held minimal impact on her mind.

    "Not even monsters.they''re like.ice corpses who suddenly sprang up to life!" Masami remarked while tensing her body for battle. She for sure thought a battle would be inevitable.

    In response to hearing Ani and Masami''sments, the blue robe Mage slightly shook his head. "Those aren''t corpses or any ordinary monsters. They''re undead. And we''re unlucky enough to encounter them. Be careful with these things. They''re not too powerful but are tough to permanently kill off."

    As the blue robe Mage exined, Darcel was analyzing their potential to win. In all honesty, if they stayed and fought, he believed they could win while experiencing only slight troubles.

    And observing the undead creatures, each of their speeds was swift. They were akin to blue trails of lights, rapidly approaching Darcel''s group within just seconds.

    If he was under better circumstances, Darcel would be inclined to fight and test out the limit of hisbat prowess.

    However, as of now, he had entirely different ns. To be Mages, he won''t even let a moment like this slow them down.

    "This does look interesting, but sorry. We''re on a tight schedule. We have no time to waste on matters like this." Darcel spared only a nce towards the blue robe Mage as he spoke.

    Then, without bothering to see his reaction, Darcel exchanged looks with Ani and Masami, telling them,

    "Let''s go."

    "Ok." Ani and Masami promptly nodded.

    Truthfully, Ani didn''t have much of a desire to fight, only being an intrigue about how such a creature could exist. While Masami did have the desire to fight. But, even she could see it would be more beneficial to simply leave at this time.

    "Huh? Wait, you ca-"

    ''Hua!''

    And right as the blue robe man turned over to them, his expression morphing into shock, Darcel, Ani, and Masami already took off into the skies.

    In a single instant, they explosively burst their speeds, going beyond that of a first-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator. Then, without stopping, the trio turned into trails of lights, flying off into the far distant horizon.

    "Tch!"

    Watching Darcel, Ani and Masami disappear into the skies, the blue robe Mage clicked his teeth. Instead of giving chase, he snapped his attention back towards the rushing undead creatures.

    His Magical powers instantly erupted, causing blue lightning energy to wrap over his hands. Crackling and popping sounds echoed out in the area from the abundance of lightning.

    Then, all in the same motion, the blue robe Mage snapped his lightning-covered fingers.

    ''Zzzt!''

    Blue lightning chains burst out of the ground from in front of the Mage upon snapping his fingers.

    The lightning chains had then soared at immense speeds and wrapped up each undead creature near instantaneously.

    Once the creatures were chained up, the blue robe Mage turned his sights back towards where the trio flew off.

    His eyebrows furrowed as a strange light crossed his eyes. "Unbelievable that I was really pointed in their direction. Hmmm.it seems like they will be kind of worth it."

    .

    In the crystal ice skies of the Frozen Prison Domain, three figures flying through at top speeds.

    Darcel stayed slightly ahead of Ani and Masami as he led them towards the Magical treasure.

    After leaving the blue robe Mage, Darcel gained confidence in freely leading them through the air. Because, just as the blue robe Mage described, barely any flying Spirit Monsters were in the air.

    And whenever they would encounter the rare snow-white eagle, the trio simply avoided it.

    Like this, Darcel smoothly traveled through the skies, taking many sharp twists and turns.

    Then, after an hour of flying, Darcel stopped, prompting Ani and Masami to stop. Settling his eyes down below on a specific sight, Darcel told the girls,

    "Got here faster than I expected. This is where the Magical treasure is."

    "Ehh? This is it?" Ani and Masami simultaneously spoke in a slightly puzzled tone.

    Since everything seems so convoluted in the Frozen Prison Domain, the girls expected any difference that would hint that a treasure is nearby.

    However, what they hovered over was just another simple ruined Ice temple that gued this whole area.

 Chapter 285: Icy Undead

    Chapter 285: Icy Undead

    "Darcel.not to question your senses but are you sure this is it? I mean, really, even if somebody does have this great treasure finder, they would probably nce over this."

    Masami couldn''t help but question. If it''s something concerning this mysterious Frozen Prison Domain, she was expecting the unexpected.

    Ani felt the same way, curiously tilting her head while trying to find something odd-looking.

    In response to the girl''s suspicions, Darcel simply shrugged. He, too, felt slightly ludicrous about the treasure spot. But his Chaotic Senses couldn''t lie to him.

    Fruna''spass was frantically going off here, so they had no other choice but to try here.

    Keeping his gaze focused on the in ruined Ice temple, Darcel told the girls, "Appearances can be perfectly deceiving in any ce. If you really think about it, somece that''spletely ordinary would make a good hiding spot. In any case, let''s go get this orb."

    Ani and Masami could only relent to Darcel''s reasoning even though they still had some reasonable slight suspicions.

    Beforending, the trio did a quick scan over this area.

    As they expected, nothing came up in their Spirit Sense. The only thing they could perceive was the slight dreadful chill continually permeating throughout the whole Frozen Prison Domain.

    With things seeming as safe as they can get, Darcel, Ani, and Masami quickly flew towards the ground.

    In an instant, the trionded just several feet away from the ruined Ice temple entrance.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had then decided to cautiously walk into the ruined Ice temple rather than brazenly charging in. They wanted to be ready for any possible unexpected surprise attack.

    "Hmm? Well, this ce certainly fits the abandoned aesthetic. Justplete ruins everywhere."

    Animented as she curiously gazed around the interior of the Ice temple. Like she said, everything here was iplete shatters.

    Chunks of walls were destroyed, numerousrge and small holes painted the ground, and there were even shards of metals and scattered bones.

    The scattered bones led Darcel, Ani, and Masami to believe that there must''ve been some unlucky cultivators who failed in the worst way in trying to be Mages.

    A slight rise of worry did try to bubble up within their chest when seeing the scattered bones. But the trio quickly squashed it down. They have alreadye this far; they can''t let any kind of fear affect them now.

    "Sooo? Where should that whatever orb be?"

    Masami was already curiously walking around the Ice ruined temple. She was checking out the nooks and crannies of the ce, not letting any small detail escape her sights.

    "I guess we have to leave no stones unturn." Ani quickly joined in with her in searching every minute detail.

    Darcel, on the other hand, didn''t bother with gazing around the temple. Instead, he stared specifically at Fruna''spass without moving.

    His eyes soon closed as he sensed a pulse of Magical Energy leading towards a specific spot. After only a few moments, Darcel located precisely where this pulse of Magical Energy is.

    He lifted one foot up and urately ced it upon a very specific tile in the icy floor. And when his footnded, it had actually sunken a few inches into the ground!

    Immediately, Darcel''s eyes widened in surprise.

    A surplus of Magical Energy suddenly released out of the floor, swirling around the whole Ice ruined temple!

    "Eh-eh?! What''s going on??"

    Ani and Masami simultaneously stopped what they were doing.

    Their bodies promptly went into fight mode as they sensed the Magical Energy. Although, when looking around the temple, the girls became slightly confused.

    Despite the clear presence of Magical Energy, nothing wasing out to them.

    In that instance, Ani and Masami tossed their gazes on Darcel. They both became innately curious seeing his foot slightly sunken into the ground.

    And in the very next moment, they both began to be panic-stricken, thinking Darcel identally stepped on a trap!

    However, before the girls could react, Darcel calmly raised his hand. He quickly exined to them, "Don''t get agitated. Thepass was pointing me to step here. I think I got-"

    ''Rumble~!''

    In the middle of Darcel''s sentence, an intense rumbling interrupted him.

    The rumbling shook the entire ruined Ice temple and even surprised the trio with its high intensity.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami even had to use Qi just to stabilize themselves during the intense rumbling.

    And right then, at the far back end of the ruined Ice temple, the ground started to crack like a widening spider web.

    After only several seconds, the cracks burst open with a tremendous bang!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami watched with widening eyes as something massive rose up from the ground.

    Like it was rising from the depths of the abyss, an fifteen feet tall undead creature stood in front of the trio! Andpared to the other undead, this creature had a more distinct appearance.

    Donning this creature''s entire body was glistening crystal ice armor. The Ice armor looked nearly identical to the Ice permeating the entire Frozen Prison Domain.

    "Huh.tch, talk about a grand entrance. So.now what?" Masami asked, staying rooted to her spot while her gaze never left the undead creature.

    "Weell.I guess we should go up, right, Darcy? I don''t think we have any other options. Unless thatpass is telling you something else?" Ani turned her gaze over to Darcel and asked.

    Before responding, Darcel took a moment to see if his Spirit Sense would tell him another path. But, Fruna''spass was leading him towards this giant ice armor undead creature.

    Putting Fruna''spass away, Darcel told the girls in a firm tone, "No, everything points to this creature. Ok, just stick close to me and make no sudden movements."

    Ani and Masami got serious at this moment. They quietly nodded towards Darcel while nking both his right and left side.

    With everyone in line, Darcel began cautiously strolling up to the ice armor undead creature.

    Step by step, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s footsteps loudly sounded out to their ears. Tension began to increasingly fill their bodies with each step they took.

    But nothing instantaneous happened to them.

    It wasn''t until the trio reached thirty feet from the ice armor undead creature that a change finally urred. The very instant they reached thirty feet, the undead creature suddenly twitched alive!

    A faint blue glow swirled in its dead eyes as its head looked down to stare at Darcel''s group.

    "Jump back!" Darcel quickly ordered out.

    Immediately after saying so, he, Ani, and Masami shed backward in a trail of light.

    However, as they shed backward, confusion began to run through Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s minds.

    "Hey! Is this a joke or something! This creature is barely stronger than a Qi Foundation cultivator!" Masami spoke right when her foot touched the ground.

    Ani tilted her head, thinking out loud, "This shouldn''t be right at all. Ah! Maybe it''s some sort of trick."

    "Not possible. Thepass pointed me specifically to this creature. The orb is undoubtedly in there."

    Darcel quickly corrected. Though, he was also feeling queer about this situation. The oddest part was how the undead creature still isn''t moving. It''s simply just standing there, gazing at them with its creepy dead eyes.

    "So since it''s in it, might as well get this over with." Masami nonchntly shrugged her shoulders.

    Since they apparently have an easy way out, she wasn''t going to let this opportunity waste away.

    Raising a single finger, Masami spawned a small blue fireball at the tip and casually tossed it right towards the undead creature.

    In an instant, the undead creature was engulfed in raging blue mes.

    At that moment, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were expecting the undead to simply melt away. Masami had even precisely controlled her power for as to not damage the Royal Orb within it.

    However, instead of melting away, the blue mes stayed engulfing the undead creature.

    And at the same, its cultivation began to dramatically soar!

    "This! Qi Sea in a second?!" Both Ani and Masami raised shocked cries.

    They have never seen anything like this! It was like the creature was absorbing the power from Masami''s fireball.

    Right then, while Ani and Masamigged in shock, a cold light spewed from Darcel''s eyes. He instantly released Innate Qi, bringing his energy to full power!

    As his aura swept around like a hurricane, Darcel sted right towards the undead creature.

    Ani and Masami only had the time to blink their eyes, and in the next instance they reopened; Darcel had already turned into a ck trail of light!

    ck mes covered Darcel''s fist as he struck out at lightning speed at the still unmoving undead creature.

    ''Bang!''

    Without seemingly any resistance, Darcel''s ming fist sted the undead creature straight towards the ice wall.

    A massive impact sounded out as the tall creature was embedded into the ice walls, causing spider web cracks to form behind it.

    In that attack, Darcel seemingly had the advantage. However, he wasn''t pleased at all. Even as he directly struck it, Darcel could still sense its cultivation was massively increasing.

    And after his attack, the undead creature cultivation instantly soared to the peak of the Innate Core realm!

    Right then, an unfathomable powerful aura burst out the undead creature.

    Its energy crazily spread around the whole Ice temple, creating a whirlwind of chaotic air and unleashing a powerful pressure upon Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    ''Tch seems like a fight is inevitable.''

    Initially, Darcel believed Masami didn''t use a powerful enough attack to wipe off the creature. But it seemed like its power was destined to increase whether or not he continued to attack.

    Although he couldn''t get the jump on the creature, Darcel, Ani and Masami didn''t dy when facing off against the undead creature''s aura.

    In that instant, the trio spared no expense, fully releasing their bloodline powers like a stormy tidal wave!

    ''Hua!''

    Darkness energy wrapped around Darcel, a Light aura covered Ani''s body, and a blue ming firefox cloak engulfed Masami''s entire being.

    At the same time, the trio had also fished out half-step Royal Spirit Swords!

    These Royal Spirit Swords were just on the borders of reaching Heavenly Transformation power but not fullypleted. Typically, only half-step Heavenly Transformations cultivators can properly wield these weapons.

    Masami met the requirements with her cultivation level, but Darcel and Ani were still under.

    However, because of their special bloodline powers, they could easily cross this barrier.

    And with these Royal Spirit Swords in hand, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s powers explosively increased, soaring to even greater heights.

 Chapter 286: Teamwork

    Chapter 286: Teamwork

    The instant Darcel, Ani, and Masami took out their half-step Royal Spirit Sword, they all sprang forward in an immense burst of speed!

    Ice blew everywhere as the triopletely ruptured the icy ground beneath them.

    ck mes swirled around Darcel and Ani''s Royal Spirit Sword like a fiery storm. They poured a tremendous amount of energy into their swords, causing tiny sparks of ck mes to spew out like droplets.

    Simultaneously, Masami shrouded her sword in brilliant blue fox mes. Her now three fox tails radiated an intense blue shine as she crazily poured an overflow of energy into her sword.

    At their speed, the trio reached the undead creature in an instant. Without stopping, they tore their Royal Spirit Swords straight at its massive chest!

    But right when Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Royal Spirit Sword neared just a foot away, a harsh blue light shimmered out of the undead creature''s dead eyes.

    In a fraction of a second, the undead creature moved on instinct, throwing up its massive arms towards its chest.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Blue and ck mes sted out in a frenzied whirlwind.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all grunted as their Royal Spirit Swords violently coiled with the undead creature''s enormous arms.

    Although they couldn''t split its arms off, they all did leave deep burning holes in its ice armor.

    Seeing how they could only make deep holes in the creature''s Ice armor, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt slightly shocked. Although they''re in their bloodline states, they half expected this fight to be a bit troublesome.

    The undead creature''s peak Innate Core aura wasn''t as powerful as any other peak Innate Core cultivator.

    Other cultivators would be using various cultivation Manuals or skills at this stage which would give them a tremendous boost to theirbat prowess.

    However, this undead creature was mainly relying on just its formless aura to match Darcel, Ani, and Masami. The only reason it could tank such a powerfulbined attack was because of its crystal Ice armor.

    At that moment, the trio wanted to slightly retreat back to regain their bearings.

    But before they could, the undead creature swung both of its arms out, forcefully knocking away Darcel, Ani and Masami.

    This didn''t serve to hurt the trio. Rather it served to knock them off bnce. And seizing this split-second opportunity, the undead creature closed in on them.

    It swung one of its mighty fists straight at Darcel while the other one soared towards Ani and Masami.

    "Hm!" Darcel, Ani and Masami codly grunted.

    The undead creature was fast but not enough to catch them off guard. Instead of shing head-on with the undead, the trio stopped themselves in midair and immediately shed right towards the ground.

    The trio easily dodged the undead''s massive arm and then pointed their Royal Spirit Swords straight up.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    A mixed blue and ck me explosion released from Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s swords, sting the undead creature meters into the air.

    "Distract for a second."

    Ani calmly said while therge white feathers on her bloodline arm began to writhe. Her white Light aura began to turn harsher, almost too blinding to gaze upon.

    Even though Ani could no longer instantly unleash her soul shbang, she was making great strides to reim that speed.

    In just an instant, her attack was already forty percent charged. She only needed a few seconds more.

    Darcel and Masami quickly exchanged a look between each other. An unspoken signal crossed in their eyes.

    Then, while the undead creature was just beginning to reorient itself, Darcel flew straight up. He thrust his other palms forward, quickly generating pools of Darkness essence energy within it.

    Without a single second of dy, Darcel immediately unleashed several Darkness tendrils towards the undead creature.

    Compared to Ani or Masami, Darcel was now the fastest in being able to charge and release his attacks. He attributed this to the fact that he had a more stable mental state than the girls, allowing him to wholeheartedly pour his all into cultivation.

    That wasn''t to say Ani or Masami''s wasn''t seriously cultivating.

    But at this point, Darcel had more focus in his mind, giving him the calmness needed to rework all of his techniques.

    And as Darcel unleashed his Darkness tendrils, the undead creature was simply too slow to react. Its dead eyes could only watch as the Darkness tendrils quickly wrapped around and bound its massive body.

    Darcel didn''t waste time trying to pump chaotic pleasure into the undead creature, assuming it has zero simr functions to a normal human body.

    He instead clenched down on his Darkness tendrils and violently swung his palm down!

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    The whole Ice temple shook with intense rumble. The ice creature nearly caused the icy floor to crack open as Darcel brutally mmed the creature in it.

    "sh Fire!"

    In perfect tandem with Darcel''s attack, Masami swiftly rushed towards the undead creature. She roared a mighty battle cry as the blue firefox mes on her sword shone in a luminous glow.

    Her power grew as she unleashed one of her weaker Martial Skills.

    But right as Masami''s glowing sword reached its massive head, three icy beams sted out one of the undead creature''s dead eyes.

    And at that time, Masami''s glowing sword crashed upon the undead''s head.

    An ear-splitting collision sounded out; ripples of energy shockwaves tore apart the air as blue mes spread out like a storm.

    The undead creature was sent sting away, shredding out of Darcel''s Darkness tendrils and crashing into another icy wall. Large chunks of its ice armor were getting melted by Masami''s blue mes, indicating shended a direct hit.

    However, Masami didn''t have the time to take the overwhelming advantage. Not when she sensed a dangerously powerful energy rushing right at her!

    An almost blinding light refracted into her eyes.

    In that split moment, Masami could only reinforce her defenses, taking the powerful energy head-on.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    Three blood stters blew into the air. Not only was Masami struck, Darcel and Ani also had their shoulders pierced through by the undead creature''s eye ice beams.

    Pain red up within both Darcel and Ani. They felt a bone-chilling energy attempting to freeze their bodies from the inside out. This energy was surprisingly powerful, enough to actually severely harm any half-step Heavenly Transformation cultivation.

    Considering the undead creature''s slightly weak Innate aura, they didn''t think it could erupt with this kind of energy.

    However, their bloodline powers forcefully suppressed the freezing energy and quickly began dispersing it.

    Darcel gritted his teeth, ignored the freezing pain, and began surging an overflow of energy once again.

    And at the same time, Ani''s soul shbang was finally charged! Her white Light aura became blinding to look at and massively increased in size.

    The whole Ice ruined temple became covered in her blinding glow.

    "Soul sh!"

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    As Ani roared, a blinding white sh sparked within the ruined Ice temple.

    Masami forcefully shut her eyes while suppressing the freezing energy coursing within her body. While Darcel kept his eyes open,pletely ignoring the sh and keeping his gaze on the undead creature the whole time.

    The undead creature was just in the process of getting up from the ice wall when Ani unleashed her Soul sh.

    Even though this creature wasn''t human or any kind of conventual being, it still had a soul that gave it consciousness.

    And, of course, against Ani''s Soul sh, the undead creature''s soul''s core couldn''t resist at all. A radiant white glow engulfed its soul''s core, causing the undead creature topletely freeze up.

    Then, without even a split second of dy, Darcel''s powers climbed to its peak! He perfectly timed the matching of Ani''s Soul sh, charging his Martial Skill right on time.

    "Fiery Slice!"

    The air burned with ferocious intensity around Darcel, and very slight cracks in the spatial zone appeared.

    These slight cracks were small ck lines in the air and showcased that Darcel''s prowess is in the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    Only at the Heavenly Transformation realm could one start affecting the spatial zones that govern the space around them.

    While slight spatial cracks emerged, a thin stream of ck mes flew out of the tip of Darcel''s Royal Spirit Sword.

    Darcel''s Fiery Slice skill traveled at unparalleled speeds, crashing on the undead creature near instantaneously. The stream of ck mes burst open its Ice armor, and the undead was once again sent screening into the Ice walls.

    Now, with its Ice armor in tattered ruins, the undead creature''s glistening blue skin was revealed to Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    "Finish it!" Darcel immediately called out.

    And after saying so, he, Ani, and Masami''s promptly shed forward, bing bright trails of multi-color lights.

    They seized the opportunity and plunged their Royal Spirit Swords deep into the undead creature.

    A strange liquid began to pool out of the undead, but it didn''t raise any cries of pain or anguish. Darcel, Ani, and Masami ignored the oddity, focusing on killing the creature for good.

    With their swords plunged into the undead, it couldn''t move at all.

    Making perfect use of this opportunity, Darcel, Ani and Masami poured all of their energies through their Royal Spirit Sword and straight into the undead creature!

    <em>''Bang!''</em>

    Overloaded by Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s incredible energies, the undead inted like a balloon. Against the trio perfected teamwork, it simply couldn''t resist, exploding into a mist of a strange blue liquidy substance.

    In the middle of the blue liquid substance, a rainbow color light sparked up.

    The trio looked up to see a small rainbow color orb slowly floating down to them. Time seemed to slow down as the rainbow color orb settled right in front of Darcel specifically.

    While gazing at the orb, Darcel, Ani, and Masami instantly connected the dots.

    In their surprise, they blurted out, "The Mage Orb!"

 Chapter 287: Nearing The Magical Boarder

    Chapter 287: Nearing The Magical Boarder

    A brief period of silence fell between Darcel, Ani, and Masami. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder as they gazed upon the rainbow-colored Royal Orb.

    The beauty of the orb nearly reminded the trio of other rainbow color treasures they discovered in the past.

    Although, this Royal Orb definitely stood distinctly above anything they saw before. The crystalyer that covered the whole orb had an iparably beautiful shine.

    It sparkled better than shine refracting off from the crystal Ice in the Frozen Prison Domain.

    Furthermore, the Royal Orb simply exuded an unforgettable, maic aura. The trio couldn''t, nor did they want to pull their gazes away.

    It was like just merely looking at the Royal Orb was putting them under a trance. Then, after a few moments of silently staring, Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously blinked their eyes.

    They seemingly awoke from their trance, a bit surprised they got so enraptured with its appearance and aura.

    As they reorient themselves, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami had any freezing energy invading their bodies. Because of their own bodies, special regenerative abilities from their bloodline, the wound on their shoulder was already closing up.

    The only thing affecting them was a drain of their Qi energy and bloodline powers reserves.

    After only a moment, Darcel and Ani quickly refocused themselves on what they needed to do next.

    While Masami loudly pped her hands, gaining Darcel and Ani''s attention, and blurted out, "Ok! Now that we finally have this orb, I hope all of this shit will be worth it. So, we just gotta touch it, right?"

    "Yea.that''s what Siren de said. I don''t sense anything else around here, so I guess it''s safe enough to do. Let''s get this over with."

    Darcel mentally prepared himself. This moment will be the defining choice of his life.

    To cross over a seemingly impossible boundary and achieve a legend barely anyone in the Nine Provinces had ever heard of, Darcel was ready to achieve it. But above all, he wanted to gain this power to finally deal with Masami''s Family.

    Ani and Masami also felt simr determination bubbled up within them. Although, they were more determined to simply gain power for the protection of their team.

    The girls weren''t even fully considering Masami''s Family. They were just too worried about the numerous threats to their lives. And Mage Power would undoubtedly help lessen these constant threats.

    After taking a moment to calm themselves, Darcel, Ani, and Masami crouched down around the Royal Orb.

    Right before touching it, they studied the sleek, colorful design of the Royal Orb. At that moment, each of them felt a maic pull towards the orb.

    Then, without them even realizing it, Darcel, Ani, and Masami reached out their hands, touching the Royal Orb.

    In the very instance, the trio made slight contact with the Royal Orb; they all immediately went rigid. Their once focused eyes quickly turned unclear, falling into a magical trance.

    Within Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies, several massive changes were urring.

    In each of their Soul''s core, their Chaotic Shard quickly pulsated a harsher green light. A sliver of Chaotic energy leaked out of their Soul''s core, heading directly towards their half-formed Magical Seeds.

    The exact same process was also urring within their Dantian. The small portion of Chaotic Energy in their Dantian was quickly stimting the half-formed Magical Seeds there.

    A whole two seconds passed.

    And immediate changes began to ur in the outside world. First, the Royal Orb began to intensely shine, spewing out blinding rainbow color light rays.

    Nearly instantly, the whole ruined Ice temple was engulfed in the Royal Orb''s blinding shine.

    Even outside the ruined Ice temple, anybody would be able to see the rainbow color shine from miles away.

    At the same time the Royal Orb was glowing up, the air around Darcel, Ani, and Masami changed.

    A form of energy, entirely different from any Qi energy, started to pool into the trio.

    This form of energy was known only as Magical Energy!

    Within Darcel, Ani and Masami, their half-formed Magical Seeds was bing a maic attraction for Magical Energy.

    As Magical Energy streamed into the trio, each of them was experiencing its profound sensation. In their tranced state, they focused entirely onprehending this Magical Energy.

    The trio felt like it was slowly unraveling a puzzle that was once so confusing to them.

    Then, as the seconds quickly trickled by, the Magical Energy around the trio started to increase.

    At speeds that would leave all Mages utterly bewildered, Darcel, Ani and Masami were rapidly increasing their rate of absorbing Magical Energy.

    The longer they experienced the sensations of Magical Energy, the stronger and quicker theirprehension of it developed.

    Seconds began to turn into minutes.

    And Dracel, Ani, and Masami were nearing the very borders of achieving a monumental breakthrough.

    But right as they got close, Darcel, Ani, and Masami suddenly felt a tremendous mental block! It was like they ran at a steel wall at full speed, awakening each of them from their Magical Trance.

    Immediately, their unfocused eyes cleared up, and the Royal Orb pulsated with immense power.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    "Ahh!!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were taken entirely off guard, getting flung away like leaves when the Royal Orb suddenly pulsated.

    Before they rolled far away, the trio quickly stopped themselves, promptly standing right back up. Their gazes narrowed on the Royal Orb for a brief moment.

    They couldn''t focus on it for even a secondter when they all felt a stinging pain from their palms.

    Tossing their eyes down towards their hands, the trio became even more surprised when seeing a long charred mark at the center of their palms.

    "Fuck! What the hell was that?! If it wasn''t for whatever that was, I for sure felt like I was going to breakthrough!" Masami was cursing out her rage without any filter.

    Her frustration could be understood, though. It was like a hard-earned reward she was working towards got ruthlessly pulled out from her all in a span of a split moment.

    Compared to Masami''s frustration, Ani had an expression filled with shock. Her eyes couldn''t leave her palm as she was subconsciously muttering out,

    "A mental block! That really was one. This.this has to be the first time I''ve experienced that."

    ''So this has to be why so few cultivators can be Mages. That mental block is something else. Plus, that Royal Orb had such a visceral reaction.'' Darcel was quickly connecting the dots in his head.

    In terms ofprehension of talent, Darcel didn''t think he was being boastful in thinking he and the girls are most likely among the best in the entire Continent.

    As of now, each of them couldprehend Innate Qi as easily as sleeping.

    And Innate Qi wasn''t simple at all toprehend.

    Most genius cultivators would usually rely onprehending a cultivation manual to help with understanding Innate Qi.

    A cultivation manual would give any cultivator profound insight into cultivation as a whole. This would allow them to, in turn,prehend bits and pieces of theplex properties of Innate Qi.

    This is also why it''s not umon or even bad at all if someone spends dozens of years in the Innate Core realm.

    Surmounting each level and forming a crack in one''s dantian core requires a level ofprehension far beyond any average cultivator.

    However, none of these rules apply to either Darcel, Ani, or Masami. With a simple thought, they couldprehend Innate Qi. They all have absolute ease, not needing any type of cultivation manual to get through this realm.

    The only reason they can''t repeatedly breakthrough is because of the amount of Innate Qi energy they require for each level.

    Compared to even the highest of geniuses, the amount of Innate Qi energy the trio needs would utterly astound anyone in the Continent.

    With all this in mind, Darcel knows theirprehension needs to be absolutely perfect. Even though they quicklyprehend Magical Energy, they still needed a more significant push to fully be Mages.

    "Hmph! No matter if we fail this time, we''ll just try again! I know you''re thinking that ourprehension skills are already insane enough, Darcel. So let''s just jump right back to it!"

    Masami already regained her confidence,pletely ignoring the pain stinging her hand.

    "Yea, you''re absolutely right, Darcy! Ourprehension is at a great boundary. There''s no way we can fail this." Ani simrly regained her confidence.

    Even though both girls didn''t hear anything from Darcel, they could still feel his general thoughts from his Darkness Soul link.

    Darcel wasn''t too surprised the girls could achieve this. The closer and stronger their soul bonds are, the more they could understand each other''s base thoughts.

    Although for heavier issues that require going deep within their mental psyche, none of them could achieve that yet.

    Focusing his mind off from that, Darcel nodded towards the girls and told them, "Alright. Just keep focus this time and push through no matter what. We can be Mages, but it will be a bit tricky to do so."

    Then, once again, Darcel, Ani, and Masami strolled up to the Royal Orb, crouched down, and touched it.

    Because they already experienced the whole sensation in full, the trio didn''t take long at all before reaching the borders of a Magical breakthrough.

    This time, they didn''t allow themselves to fall into a Magical Trance.

    They intently focused their minds, thoroughly feeling out even the slightest sensation of Magical Energy. Then, in only several seconds, Darcel, Ani, and Masami once again felt that immovable Mental Block.

    Prepared this time, the trio attempted to force right on through the Mental Block.

    However, this method soon proved to be far moreplicated than they thought. The trio felt it was like trying to force their way through powerful quicksand, very slow and arduous.

    But before this process could even continue a second longer, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Chaotic Shards reacted.

    A small stream of Chaotic Energy streamed right towards their minds causing them to immediately feel like their horizons have tremendously expanded!

    All at once, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt theirprehension crazily hasten to speeds they never thought was possible before.

    However, right as the trio was about to push directly through this mental block, the Royal Orb once again pulsated with power.

    And this time, its Magical Power massively increased, bing a colossal tidal wave that once again took the trio for a shocking surprise.

    <em>''Chi!'' </em>

    "Ahh!!''

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were practically sted away from the Royal Orb pulsate of power.

    While sailing in midair, the trio promptly caught themselves and flipped back onto their feet. Their gazes intently focused on the Royal Orb, each of them experiencing a different set of emotions.

 Chapter 288: Chaotic Mages

    Chapter 288: Chaotic Mages

    A rising sense of frustration bubbled within Masami; caution began to scrunch up on Ani''s face while Darcel became intently focused.

    Among the trio, Darcel had instantly realized what they actually needed to do. He for sure knows this will allow them to breakthrough to Mages. But it certainly will be painful, challenging, and even quite risky.

    As he thought of this, he also quickly work his mind to quell the girl''s frustration since he felt it rising up within them.

    "Ah! Enough! We can''t fail here! One more push and at full power!"

    Masami apparently had enough. She was beginning to release her bloodline powers, thinking this should be the solution.

    But right as she was about to let her rage boil over, Ani suddenly grasped her shoulders. A sliver of Light Energy formed on her palm as she touched Masami''s shoulder.

    Then a small stream of Light Energy smoothly coursed through Masami''s body, causing her rage to simmer down.

    Ani had then matched her gaze with Masami, who was giving her a slightly confused furrowed brow look.

    Keeping her same cautious expression, Ani began telling her, "I don''t think our bloodline will be the best method for this. Who knows how well Magic and cultivation mixed together. Rather, I''m starting to believe it''s our Chaotic Shards that should do the work. And this worries me."

    "Worries you?" Masami''s expression only became more puzzled. "Why should it? I mean.from everything we experience by this power, it can break the rules and logic to its whims. It''s not like this will destroy our bodies, right?"

    "The thing is, Masami, we never really use an abundance of Chaotic Energy before. It''s always either for instinctive protection or just for an attack boost." Darcel suddenly decided to join in the conversation at this time.

    Immediately Ani and Masami snapped their attention over to him. Even before Darcel thoroughly exined it, Ani saw where this was going while Masami remained a bit skeptical.

    Although, neither girl spoke up, intending to let Darcel continue his exnation.

    "I''ve realized it after this recent failure. No matter if we keep trying a thousand times, we will never fully reach Mage hood. We need to stimte Chaotic Energy on our own and to a higher degree than we ever used before. I''m positively assured that''s why our Chaotic Energy keeps reacting on its own to Magical Energy."

    Darcelid out his whole thinking.

    The skepticism on Masami''s face continued to grow as she then asked, "I guess you''re right. But.isn''t this also a bit contradictory? I mean, what about the cultivators who can be Mages? They obviously didn''t have Chaotic Energy. If they did, I''m sure they would''ve ruled this whole continent already."

    "Hmmm.I think something strange is up with those Mages. They possibly have certain stiptions with them before bing Mages. Plus, it was said all cultivator''s Mages just have this horrid Magical Talent."

    Ani said as she recalled the very little information there is about Mage cultivators.

    Both Ani and Masami''s words rummaged within Darcel''s mind for a moment.

    He could see it was certainly strange that they needed the boost of Chaotic Energy to breakthrough. Especially considering the fact that theirprehension abilities shouldn''t lose out to anyone.

    However, no matter how odd this situation was, it was their only option.

    Pushing down any suspicions or questions he had, Darcel told the girls, "We can save the questions forter. For now, we must push through with Chaotic Energy. I see no other way, and it''s a quick route. Above all, I''m sure we can be extremely powerful Mages from this method."

    Ani and Masami took a moment to think over Darcel''s words before responding. Although, they didn''t need to think for long. For as everything Darcel had just said wasn''t wrong at all.

    Everything they needed was in their Chaotic Shards and the Royal Orb. No matter others'' strange circumstances, all that matters right now is them.

    Moreover, Ani and Masami could admit that they felt it would be exhrating to be powerful mages.

    To see those outrageously arrogant Mages be humbled by a lot would be quite pleasing in their eyes.

    "Understood, Darcy/Let''s just go already." Ani and Masami''s voices ovepped with each other.

    With their determination at its peak, Darcel finally turned back over to the Royal Orb.

    Throughout their entire discussion, that rainbow color orb made no trace of pulsating with any Magical Energy.

    Right then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami swiftly made it back over to the Royal Orb. They crouched down and reached out their hands, nearly touching it.

    But right before they made contact, the trio simultaneously stimted their Chaotic Shards.

    Immediately, an incredible stream of energy, far more powerful than their bloodline powers, coursed throughout their entire bodies. This feeling of power made the trio feel like they were on top of the whole world!

    However, after only a second passing, the trio felt the heavy wave of exhaustion rapidly nearing them.

    Without any hesitation, Darcel, Ani, and Masami hurriedly smacked their palms upon the Royal Orb.

    This time, the Royal Orb immediately radiated in a bright rainbow glow.

    And at the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt their Chaotic Shards pulsate even more. Then, in just merely five seconds, the trio felt the Mental Block to be Mages resurface.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t hesitate, attempting to push through with the Chaotic Energy coursing in their bodies.

    On natural instinct, the trio directed streams of Chaotic Energy specifically towards their brains.

    All at once, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''sprehension abilities reached a level never seen before. And with a thought, they tried pushing right through the Magical Mental Block!

    But, despite Chaotic Energy tremendously boosting their abilities, the trio still couldn''t shatter this Magical Barrier.

    They felt they were only a fine line away from obtaining an overflow of a new incredible power but needed just one big push.

    At this moment, Darcel steeled his mind.

    ''Use even more Chaotic Energy!'' He suddenly called out in both Ani and Masami''s minds.

    Both Ani and Masami didn''t be surprised, heeding Darcel''s words like it was an instinctive reaction.

    Right then, at the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami pulled even more Chaotic Energy from their Soul''s Core. As a result, within each of their Soul''s spaces, a bright green shine engulfed the entire space.

    Because the Royal Orb was actively stimting their Chaotic Shards, the trio, in turn, could pull out even more Chaotic Energy than what they could normally achieve.

    "Nnng!"

    At that moment, neither Darcel, Ani, nor Masami could suppress a groan from the sudden influx of tremendous pain!

    They felt as if their whole bodies were getting split open, piece by piece, with a rusted sword. Long gray cracks started to break Darcel, Ani, and Masam''s skins.

    From the gray cracks, a strange gray substance could be seen bubbling within.

    Under this extreme state, Darcel, Ani, and Masami felt like hours passed. Each of them felt delirious, on the verge of passing out.

    However, out of sheer determination and their powerful Wills, Darcel, Ani, and Masami stubbornly persisted.

    In actuality, only five seconds passed since this process started. But, right as only a single second passed, Darcel, Ani, and Masami finally heard it.

    <em>''Ka-Cha!'' </em>

    It was like several explosions went off in their minds all at once.

    At that moment, the imprable Magical Mental Block preventing Darcel, Ani, and Masami from breakingthrough shattered into millions of pieces!

    From this breakthrough, it was like a dam burst around them.

    Massive streams of Magical Energy soared straight into Darcel, Ani, and Masami like moths to a me.

    Within each of their Soul and Dantian''s spaces, their once half-formed Magical Seeds quickly morphed into a fully formed small gray seed!

    Then, after only a second, their Magical Seeds burst open, releasing an unending stream of Magical Energy within the trio. And upon their Magical Seeds bursting open, the small gray seed quickly morphed into a new form.

    In just a few short moments, the once tiny gray seed shifted into the shape of a small gray insect.

    This small gray insect is Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Magical Insect Cores!

    With their Magical Insect Cores fully formed, this signifies that Darcel, Ani, and Masami finally broke through and became Mages!

    Although, as monumental this achievement was, the trio couldn''t properly bask in it. Not when upon breakingthrough, each of them suddenly gained this head-splitting headache.

    Chaotic Energy immediately dispersed from their brains, causing the trio to deal with the after-effects of using too much of that energy.

    While the trio was forced to deal with this tremendous headache, a massive crack split across the center of the Royal Orb.

    Then, in just a second, the Royal Orb pulsated with the highest amount of power it could possibly achieve!

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    In a beautiful rainbow color light show, the Royal Orb exploded in pure Magical Energy. And the Royal Orb''s Magical Energy split into three different streams and drilled into Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies.

    The Royal Orb''s Magical Energy not only quickly cleared up their headache but had also soared straight into their Magical Insect Cores, strengthening it to unprecedented levels.

    After several seconds, the rainbow glow dispersed from the Ice Temple. The frantic streams of Magical Energy halted, causing the area to fall back to calm silence.

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami copsed to their knees.

    Each of them was huffing and panting, obviously nearly out of their bodily stamina.

    But none of them showcased any fatigue expressions. On the contrary, each of them looked insanely ted.

    They all could sense it, a new powerful form of energy permanently nestling within their Soul and Dantian''s spaces.

    This was pure Magical Energy!

    And right then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously flung their eyes open, not even realizing they had closed it before.

    For a brief moment, within each of their eyes, a blinding bright rainbow color light spewed out like dazzling sun rays.

 Chapter 289: Trying To Leave

    Chapter 289: Trying To Leave

    As they kneeled on the ground with their eyes lighting up in a rainbow radiance, Darcel, Ani and Masami were basking in the sensation of Magical Energy for a brief moment.

    When they opened their eyes, it was like the Magical Energy within them suddenly decided to pulsate with incredible power.

    Each of their Insect Magical Seeds was releasing waves and waves of pure Magical Energy.

    These waves of Magical Energy felt nearly simr to getting bathed in a rxing spring pool.

    At that moment, the trio all had the same thought.

    So this is Magical Energy? It indeed was incredible!

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all wanted to stay in their position, basking in the sensations of Magical Energy, and beganprehending even more of it.

    But before they could do so, the three of them all suddenly went utterly rigid.

    Their bodies began to violently quiver as if they were experiencing an intense frill chill. Their eyes became slightly unfocused, and a small stream of blood pooled out from their masks.

    All at once, the trio was assaulted with a heavy sensation of immense pain!

    "Bleh!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously puked out slightly grey blood, staining their clothes and the icy ground.

    "Ak! Ah! It feels like both my head and body are going to split open!" Masami described what they all were experiencing at this moment.

    Even though the breakthrough to Magical Energy did help clear some of Chaotic Energy''s after-effects, it couldn''t heal everything.

    At most, it was simply suppressing the inevitable. And now, the pain was hitting the trio all at once.

    Luckily for them, because of the aid of Magical Energy, the trio didn''t end up passing out from an overload of pain. Although, what they were undergoing now was obviously less than desirable.

    Darcel and Ani didn''t even speak out. Instead, they both simply shed their spatial ring to Masami, causing her eyes to light up in realization.

    Then, without any more words needing to be shared, the trio swiftly took out several earth-rank healing pills.

    Stuffing the healing pills into their mouths, Darcel, Ani and Masami swiftly sat upright to properly circte the abundance of healing energy.

    In just a few seconds, their previously cracked skins and internal injuries rapidly healed up.

    Even though the after-effects of Chaotic Energy was potent, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could also rely on their powerful physical bodies for quicker regeneration.

    Furthermore, Earth Rank pills are famously known for treating any and all severe injuries in a matter of seconds. These were the kind of resources only held byte rank Heavenly Kings or even titled Grand Sages.

    Compared to Mortal Rank Pills, Earth Rank pills can more easily heal the damage done to one''s body made by Qi attacks.

    And the Earth Rank pills the trio had taken were all of very high quality, courtesy of the Snow Angel mercenary group.

    As they heal back up to near 100%, the tiro could feel the presence of Magical Energy much better within their bodies.

    Simr to their Qi energy, Magical Energy smoothly flowed throughout their entire being like a calm stream of water.

    Then, after a full minute passing, Darcel, Ani, and Masami healed nearly all of their injuries. At this moment, the previous insufferable pain had finally cleared up. As of now, the trio only had very slight minor injuries that won''t affect them at all.

    Upon healing up, Ani flung her eyes back open, her expression full of smiles. She stretched her arms in the air and spoke in a genuinely excited tone.

    "Ahhh~. Alright! Now that''s everything finally done with, let''s test our newfound Magical Prowess, shall we?"

    At her words, Darcel and Masami simrly felt a rise of anticipation.

    Right then, each of them held one palm close to their faces and began to stimte their Insect Magical Cores.

    Gathering and revolving Magical Energy from their cores was as seamlessly easy as using their Qi energy. With a thought, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could feel Magical Power amplify within their bodies.

    In the exact same manner for when they want to send Qi out of their bodies, the trio directed the Magical Energy towards a single point within their palms.

    Then, at the same time, white, blue, and ck lights mixed around the ruined Ice temple.

    Upon Ani''s palm was a bright white color Magical energy ball, Masami''s palm gathered a radiant blue color Magical energy ball while Darcel had an abyss-like dark color Magical energy ball swirling at the center of his palm.

    In that instance, Darcel, Ani, and Masami had their gazes intently focused on their own Magical energy ball.

    "Seeing Magic up close and performing it all on our own. This.it''s quite something. Compared to Qi, this truly looked more fantastical."

    Ani spoke her thoughts out loud. Truly it was hard for her to describe it in words. But the Magical energy ball had a distinctly different appearance than any other Qi attack she previously used.

    Whereas Qi''s energy looked sharped and emitted a dangerous aura. Magic appeared more whimsical and fascinating to simply gaze upon.

    Darcel and Masami had simr sentiments as Ani. Hell, Masami, who would usuallyment something more snarky, was left a bit speechless while staring into her Magical energy ball.

    And the more each of them stared into the Magical energy ball, the trio was beginning to fall into aprehension trance.

    Mysteries about Magical Energy were unraveling to them at varying paces. Ani and Masami''s understanding wasing slower, while Darcel felt like he was improving at a rapid pace.

    But before they could fall into aplete trance, Darcel suddenly jolted himself up. He quickly snapped away his Magical energy ball, focusing back on the present.

    As tempting as it was to fall into that trance, Darcel wanted it to happen at a safer ce.

    Who knows if while in this Ice ruined temple, someone or something mighte out and get the drop on them.

    With all this in mind, Darcel called out to Ani and Masami, telling them, "Ani, Masami, let''s not fall into a trance here. It''s too unsafe."

    "H-uh??"

    Both Ani and Masami legitimately jumped in a slight startle. Darcel''s words caused them to be pulled back into reality.

    Ani''s lips curved up as she dispersed her Magical energy ball. She felt so much anticipation for the future that she could feel her bloodline boiling in excitement. Gripping both her hands together, she said out loud,

    "With this.with this! We no longer will have to keep our heads down. We can start a legend nobody has ever seen before!"

    "Heh! Oh man! I can''t wait to see the shit-eating looks on those damn Mages'' faces when wee back more powerful than ever!"

    Masami''s excitement was also inly evident. Her now two foxtails were frantically swishing around as if she was just gifted the greatest treat in the whole world.

    "Alright, alright. Let''s not get too ahead of ourselves. We sti-"

    Before Darcel could finish his sentence, he detected several Magical presencesing rapidly close to their ruined Ice temple.

    After breaking through to Magehood, Darcel''s Magical Sense had, of course, developed and evolved. Now, he could clearly sense the raw power of Magical Energy that slumbers inside all Mages.

    Naturally, Ani and Masami had also detected the Mages from their evolved Magical Senses.

    Slight frustrations crossed Masami''s face as she said, "Tch! After all this time now, some uninvited guests decide to show up? And since they''re all Mages.I''m willing to bet it''s somehow rted to that blue robe guy we saw a while ago."

    "Let''s see.if things were toe to a fight, I don''t think we''ll lose out in a fight if there''s not too many of them. But with this line-up, we may have to quickly escape." Aniid out her thinking almost immediately.

    Her indifferently even tone showcased she had zero qualms about needing to escape if things quickly go south.

    One thing Ani knows how to be more than anything is cautious. Even if her overly cautiousness nature may be unnecessary, she didn''t even want the slightest of trouble to befall her team.

    When Ani told her thinking, Masami crossed her arms, her expression slightly souring.

    However, she didn''t bother to raise any disagreement. No matter how ill-tempered she is, she couldn''t forget the lessons forcefully inscribed into her by a certain demoness of a woman.

    In contrast to the girl''s cautiousness, Darcel was already standing up and looking towards the entrance of the ruined Ice temple. He had a calm, soothing tone as he told the girls,

    "From what I''m sensing, the ones who came here don''t really have any hostile intentions. And since they''re already here, let''s just get this over with. If we can take all of them on, we''ll fight. If we can''t, we''ll leave. You girls, ready?"

    Seeing how quick Darcel was ready to jump into action did cause different mixed reactions within Ani and Masami.

    "I suppose we are already in the mix/Alright! Let''s get it done." Ani and Masami''s voices mixed in with each other.

    Ani was relenting while Masami noticeably pumped up excitedly from Darcel''s decisive reaction.

    Then, without anymore hesitation, Darcel, Ani, and Masami flew right out of the ruined Ice temple, quickly soaring straight into the skies.

    Since they knew several people wereing, Darcel didn''t bother with trying to stay ignorant of the situation. Those Mage presences had an obvious specific keen intent on them, and none of them were even attempting to hide their aura.

    And as they flew several hundred feet into the skies, just for a split moment, Darcel, Ani, and Msaami thought they could safely make it out.

    But before they made it to any father, their Magical Senses detected several presences right behind them.

    "Hey. You three are newly Mage cultivators, right? Wait up for a second."

    A man''s voice spoke out to the trio. A sliver of Magical energy leaked into his tone, causing his words to seem impossible to ignore.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously stopped. They all traded nces with each other, and Darcel mouthed to them, "Just stay calm."

    Ani and Masami took a quiet breath and slightly nodded.

    At the same time then, Darcel, Ani, and Masami tossed their gazes back around them, only to see several familiar sights.

 Chapter 290: Calling Card

    Chapter 290: Calling Card

    Lined up behind them fifty feet away from Darcel, Ani and Masami were six blue robe men.

    Each of their robes had the same lightning bolts design running down their luxurious made clothes, showcasing they all came from the same Mage group.

    The Mages here were all male, and nearly all of them looked unimpressive.

    The only ones who actually caught more of the trio''s attention was the blue robe Mage they saw before.

    He was standing next to the only other distinct-looking man in the group.

    This man appeared taller than the rest, having a more solid physique that carried a powerful aura around him. With just a look, most people would be disinclined to mess with this man.

    Adding on to his distinct appearance was a blue lightning symbol inscribed at the center of his forehead.

    Gazing into this unique-looking symbol, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could just feel the Magical Power emitting from it.

    From only a brief look over, the trio could easily identify this man was the leader within this small group.

    At this moment, several thoughts ran through Darcel''s mind.

    Going off his Magical Senses, he can perceive that all of these blue robe Mages are exceptionally powerful. Especially the Mage with the blue lightning symbol inscribed on his forehead.

    Weighing his options, Darcel made a rough estimate on their assurance of winning and escaping.

    As he did so, he let no change show in his body posture. He kept himself calm and even, speaking in an unhurried voice.

    "Yes, we are the Mages. Is there something you need from us?"

    As he spoke, Darcel was finding it increasingly suspicious that these guys knew they would specifically be in this spot.

    Of course, he could gather that the Mage they''ve seen before had yed a part in locating them.

    But Darcel waspletely sure that nobody had followed them when making it to this ruined Ice temple.

    The only exnation Darcel could think of was that either his and the girl''s Magehood breakthrough was so powerful that it essentially made them a signal beam.

    Or, these Mages simply identally stumbled upon them and sensed their cultivation and Magical aura.

    Either way, Darcel already had his guard raised up before any one of the blue robe Mages spoke.

    Seeing how calm yet tightly guarded Darcel, Ani, and Masami were, the lightning tattoo Mage let loose a small amicable smile.

    He began to speak in a seemingly more friendly tone as he then said, "Ah, honestly, we didn''te for any harm. You see, we''re from the Lightning Mage group, and all of our interests were captured by you three. After all, you three surely know that your Magehood breakthrough would leave most, if not all, utterly shocked, right?"

    "Hmm, yes. That may very well be so. But, what is specifically your business with us."

    Ani sharply got to the point. Even though these people were trying to appear as non-hostile, she found that the most suspicious. After all, in their violently cruel world, it''s quite easy to hide one''s true intentions by putting on a smiling face.

    Moreover, Ani simply didn''t want to waste any more words than needed with these suspicious-looking Mages.

    "Wanting to get straight down to business? Alright then."

    The lightning tattoo Mage, the leader of his squadron, suddenly got a bit more serious. His expression became calmer as he inlyid out his thinking to the trio.

    "Quite honestly, we''ve never seen Mage cultivators like you three. The Magical Aura emitting from you is shocking, to say the least. It has moretent potential than even natural-born Mages. And for this, many other non-conforming Mages would definitely either try to enve or kill you. So why don''t you threee with us? I''m assuming you all don''t have much information about Mages as a whole."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami silently took in the leader''s words. They all didn''t respond for a few moments as various thoughts ran through their minds.

    Although, Darcel didn''t need to take a moment longer to think. His guess already got reaffirmed within his mind after this brief exchange.

    He then decided to telepathicallymunicate his thoughts, informing Ani and Masami, ''From my rough estimate, they''re all not too powerful. At most, each of them should be equal to either first or second-level Heavenly Kings. That tattoo man, he might be more powerful, though. We''ll just leave; no point in fighting.''

    Darcel didn''t need to look back to know what Ani and Masami were thinking.

    Within his Darkness Soul link, he could perceive Ani''s calmness over his decision, obviously preferring to not take any useless risks.

    While with Masami, he could detect some slight unwillingness. With the new power flowing throughout her, she evidently wanted to test how far she could go. Plus, she, in general, never really liked the action of escaping.

    But nevertheless, both girls agreed to this decision.

    Darcel could feel two pulsates of their energies within his Darkness Soul link, indicating that they both agreed.

    Their entire exchange had really onlysted a few seconds.

    During these few seconds of silence, the Lightning Mages all believed the trio was going to ept. In their eyes, it made the most sense.

    The Lightning Mages assumed that Darcel''s group was led here astray by other deceiving Mages. No other cultivators woulde on this specific route without the intention of bing Mages.

    From this, the Lightning Mages believed they could easily coax these seemingly naive cultivators and pick up extremely powerful talents.

    The leader of their squadron wasn''t boasting at all.

    All of them genuinely sensed something special about the Magical Energy slumbering deep within Darcel''s group.

    Right then, the leader was about to speak more convincing words to persuade the trio.

    However, the following words he heard from Darcel''s group left him and his other members just a bit stunned.

    "We appreciate the offer, but we already have a Mage group to go back to. Not sure if you''ve heard of it, but they''re called the Siren Blood Mage group. And in fact, one of their high-ranking members specifically told us toe here. His name is Siren de, and he performed a test that allowed him to see into our slumbering Magical Talent, and he knows that we''re here. So, if you''ll excuse us, we''ll be taking our leave."

    Darcel told in a firmly confident tone. He spoke so naturally that it truly didn''t seem like he was lying about any part.

    Truthfully, Darcel already made his mind up about leaving no matter what.

    At this point, he just wanted to cover all of their tracks just in case these Lightning Mages tried to start something or follow.

    With how information gathering works, Darcel leaned on the assumption that these Lightning Mages would know about the Siren Blood Mages.

    After all, despite the fact they were far away from them and were a cultivation group, the Snow Angels still had intel on various Mage''s groups, including Siren de''s.

    And even if they don''t believe him, Darcel was positively confident about escaping unscathed anyways.

    "Oh? I see.so it''s the Siren Blood Mages, huh? Alright then. Here, at least take this with you."

    The leader didn''t hesitate as he pulled out a blue badge and tossed it towards Darcel. As he did so, his other members all gazed at him with expressions filled with shock.

    Each of them looked like they wanted to say something but had somehow managed to hold their tongues.

    Catching the blue-colored badge, Darcel, Ani and Masami immediately set their gazes on it.

    It didn''t look like anything overly special. But there was a lightning bolt design running along the center of the badge, looking nearly identical to the art on the Lightning Mages'' robes and the leader''s forehead.

    As they briefly inspected the badge, the leader exined to them, "Just interject some Magical Energy into that badge, and you can call our Lightning Mage group. Consider this as our calling card. Just in case you''re ever in need of a second option."

    Darcel shed the Lightning badge into his spatial ring and then gave a seemingly appreciative nod towards the leader.

    Afterward, Darcel whipped his attention back around to Ani and Masami.

    Both girls gave a simrly calm nod though Darcel could feel that they were both eager to get out of here already.

    Then, without any more words, Darcel, Ani, and Masami took off back into the skies. Without the need for any violence or action, the trio safely made their leave, soaring into the far horizon in just a few seconds.

    Left with only themselves, everyone in the Lightning Mage squadron directed their gazes on their leader again.

    The only one who spoke up was the Lightning Mage Darcel''s group had previously encountered. His expression was a bit incredulous as he asked,

    "Are we just going to let them leave like that? Wouldn''t it just be better to save the future hassle?"

    In contrast to his other members'' intently curious looks, the leader had a calm smile gracing his lips. He never took his eyes off from where Darcel''s group left as said to the others,

    "Even looking past their innately talented Magical Auras, those three aren''t weak in their cultivation at all. I even felt a bit of danger from them, mostly the only guy in their group. If we tried to force, I have no doubts they would be able to escape."

    After he finished talking, the leader turned his sights back on his group. As he saw each of them contemte his words, he continued on to speak.

    "Furthermore, what if what they said about the Siren Blood Mage group is true? If they were to escape and inform that group about us and our actions, things wouldn''t be pretty for any of us. So for now, we''ll just slowly foster them before swallowing them to our side."

    Hearing that their leader obviously didn''t intend to simply let this matter go caused the other Lightning Mage''s eyes to light up.

    If they''re going to y the waiting game, then that''s fine too. None of them had any doubts they would lose out this way.

    The only Lightning Mage with slightly different thoughts was the man who first met with Darcel''s group.

    He was as confident as everyone else about ying the long game. But, for some reason, he had a strange feeling about the trio. It was like those three were far more special than what they showed.

    He had obviously felt when he had first scouted them out through a treasure. But even without the treasure now, he could still feel something distinct about them.

    The Lightning Mage shuffled this to the back of his mind, intending to discuss this more privately with his squad leader.

 Chapter 291: Great Return

    Chapter 291: Great Return

    In just a span of a few minutes, Darcel, Ani and Masami were already a couple miles away from the Frozen Prison Domain.

    Upon leaving, the trio was surprised by several things.

    Firstly, it was far easier to leave the Frozen Prison Domain than to explore it.

    While in the Domain, the trio always felt like they were going in circles with the repeated scenery. And sometimes, they could swear they were actually revisiting the same ces.

    Darcel fathoms the only reason they found the Royal Orb so quickly was because of the groundbreaking abilities his Chaotic Energy holds.

    Compared to this, leaving was just a simple breeze.

    By simply flying far away from the Frozen Prison Domain as a whole, they quickly left the area.

    There wasn''t any need to doplicated twists or turns. Plus, they didn''t even encounter any more massive snow-white eagles.

    However, the strangest aspect that had urred was a loss of a distinct sensation. It was like when they were far enough, a chill that the trio didn''t even realize was in their bodies suddenly left them.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all assumed that it was rted to that haunting Demon spirit.

    But none of them were inclined to go back and check; they had much more critical tasks on their tes.

    And as they traveled out far enough to where it seemedpletely safe, Ani and Masami suddenly dashed ahead of Darcel.

    They both promptly flew in front of him, causing him to curiously stop. For a while now, he could already tell something was bothering them, but he chose to wait until they were securely alone.

    Then, like they were in sync, both girls crossed their arms under their varying size busts, and Masami spoke first, her tone being surprisingly serious.

    "Darcel, no way should keep those damn shady Mages badges! I think we have trouble brewing right under us."

    "Indeed. I can''t say I know everything about what they intend to do with us, but all of their actions just show how suspicious they are. Their first red g came as soon as they somehow managed to find us among all the other ruined Ice temples." Ani calmly spoke out her reasoning.

    Under this context, it indeed seemed like the girls were correct in their doubts.

    When recalling the Lightning Mages'' actions, Darcel could admit they all were highly suspicious. Hell, he already deemed them suspicious during their brief exchange.

    With all this in mind, the logical move should be to immediately discard the Lightning badge.

    However, Darcel was genuinely hesitant to do so.

    There was one thing that the Lightning Mages said that had undoubtedly piqued his interest. That is something about his and the girl''stent Magical Aura potential.

    As they talked, Darcel could see it in each of those Lightning Mage''s eyes. They all couldn''t conceal the glint of greed, as if they all had just encountered great treasures.

    And since they all apparently thought this way, Darcel believed they could milk this for everything it''s worth.

    Darcel took a few moments to organize his thoughts in a straightforward manner before telling the girls,

    "Right, I know how suspicious those guys were. And most likely, they have some kind of treacherous ns for us. But I''m sure you two also spotted that greed within their eyes. For sure, they really value our Magical potential and probably want to use it for their own means. Meaning, we can take it for everything it''s worth."

    Ani and Masami paused for a moment, their previous firm momentum leaving them.

    Of course, they had also noticed the strange glint within the Lightning Mage''s eyes. It''s what further pushed them both to raise this badge issue.

    And then, when Darcel brought this point to life, both Ani and Masami could understand his reasoning.

    Mainly what they need right now is an abundance of high-quality resources if they ever want to make any kind of significant progress in their cultivation. And now that they are Mages, they would also need resources for their Magical progress.

    Having ess to two Mage group''s resources seemed like an excellent way to gain a big start on this.

    Although, Ani and Masami weren''t entirely convinced. Despite how good it sounds, their lingering doubts couldn''t be quickly cleared away.

    "That all sounds good, Darcy but.I''m still not so sure it can work so smoothly for us. Anything could go haywire." Ani spoke out her doubts.

    "Yea! I mean, those guys might even see through us trying to y a fool out of them." Masami perfectly followed up with her own doubts.

    Heeding the girl''s lingering suspicion, Darcel thought it over for a moment.

    Almost immediately, a somewhat suitable idea popped into his mind, and he told the girls, "Alright then. How about this? We won''t go to that group until we''re far stronger than we are now. Once we''re so powerful that they can''t really touch us, we could also attempt to enlist that whole group under ourmand. Either way, they''re not going toe after us now. And if they do, we''ll be protected by the Siren Mages."

    "Hmmm."

    Both Ani and Masami grumbled a bit as they contemted Darcel''s reasoning. They stayed like this for a few seconds before Ani relented first.

    With a quiet sigh, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I rarely ever see you make a wrong judgment call Darcy. I guess we can temporarily keep this badge for now."

    "But! At the first sign of danger, destroy that thing immediately!" Masami simrly relented but still pressed on her caution.

    Giving onest nod of assurance, Darcel took back the lead in front of the girls.

    Now that they were on the same page of agreement, Darcel, Ani, and Masami continued flying back towards Azog Ice Town with greater speed.

    .

    At Azog Ice Town; the Siren Blood Mage Organization.

    As per usual, within the Siren Blood Mage group, all Mages were performing their daily tasks.

    From the first moment Darcel, Ani, and Masami left their group, nearly all Siren Mages forgot about them entirely.

    After all, those masked youths left their buildings seemingly as much of a failure as any other foolish cultivator.

    There were only a few Mages that were bored enough with what they''re currently doing that recalled Darcel''s group as a meandering talking point.

    Within the main lobby of their organization, one such group of Mages had Darcel''s group as their meandering discussion.

    "Really, you should''ve seen it to believe it. Those three brats were practically oozing this hot gas of confidence. And you know what happened? They all had to walk out of here in utter shame."

    One of the Siren Mages said in a disdainfully mocking tone. Laughter began to erupt between his other four teammates.

    "Haha! Seriously, when will these cultivators ever learn? They''re simply too lowbrow to ever understand our powers."

    "Heh! In all honesty, I still don''t see why we need to enlist all kinds of trashy help. Ever since the Mercenary Exchange Event, both the Kilri Circle and the Trithua Rouge group have been cooped up into their ces like cowardly hermits. Most obviously, they''re bing weaker while we only grow stronger."

    As one of the few Mercenary groups that didn''t participate in the event, mostly everyone in the Siren Blood Mage group felt as if they lucked out.

    With the losses of numerous powerful figures, Mercenary groups that were once all-powerful are now brought back to a contentious level.

    At this rate, nearly all Siren Mages were inscribed with the hope that they could finally rise to the very peak of all Mercenary groups. They believed it was only a matter of time now.

    And soon enough, at least the regr Siren Mages members wereing to believe their rise in power has no ce for any cultivators.

    Right then, as that specific set of Siren Mages was about to continue their meandering talks, a loud bang was heard at the front door.

    Nearly everyone in the lobby got suddenly distracted, immediately directing their attention straight at the entrance. And when they saw who had barged in, their curious gazes promptly turned disdainful.

    Three familiar-looking masked youths stood tall and confidently at their entrance. Then, without any hesitation, the trio boldly strolled up to the lobby''s main desk.

    "Tch? This shit again? Are these three too brain-damaged to know it''s useless?"

    One of the Siren Mages who were previously talking down on Darcel''s group before spoke in a not-so-subtle tone of voice.

    From hisment, it was like a dam of jeers erupted throughout the Siren Mages.

    Despite leaving for a few days, this cultivation trio returned to their Mage group almost entirely the same?

    When inspecting the trio with their Magical Senses, none of the regr Siren Mages could detect even a trace of Magical Power. At this point, this cultivation trio would just waste their time!

    As other Mage''s annoyances continued to rise, the only one who had a different reaction was the high-level Siren Mage behind the main desk.

    And her reaction wasn''t anything subtle.

    She outright stared at Darcel''s group with immensely shocked eyes. It was like she was just fed mind-shattering news that violently shook her very soul.

    However, because Darcel, Ani, and Masami were taking all of the attention, nobody had noticed her reaction.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were seemingly indifferent to the rising jeers and mockingments until they abruptly stopped.

    Then, before any one of the Siren Mages could react, Masami''s aggressively loud voice boomed throughout the entire lobby.

    "So much bullshit without any knowledge."

    <em>''Hua!'' </em>

    At that moment, Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t give any of the Siren Mages time to breathe, immediately unleashing theirtent Magical Aura!

    In an instance, Magical Energy soared out Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies and whipped around the entire lobby like a spiraling hurricane.

    Now, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami''s Magical Energy were particrly powerful. In fact, in terms of realms, the trio was still at the starting realm of Magical Energy.

    However, this didn''t matter at all to the Siren Mages. At that moment,plete and utter silence engulfed the entire lobby.

    Some Mages had their eyes protruding from their sockets; others even rigidly stood upright, utterly forgetting about what they were previously doing.

    Nobody wanted or could believe it. But, it was impossible to fabricate Magical Energy and Aura in any capacity.

    A multitude of intense emotions ran through everyone in the lobby. Darcel, Ani, and Masami''stent Magical Aura weren''t merely better than other weak Mage cultivators.

    It was immensely pure and dense, almost like the trio were suns of Magical Energy.

    The final mind-shattering point was howpared to the Siren Mages who are far into the realm of Magical Energy, they all felt inferior to Darcel, Ani, and Masami''stent Magical Aura!

 Chapter 292: Biological Impossibility

    Chapter 292: Biological Impossibility

    "Ju-just what the hell is going on?! Ho-how can they?!"

    One of the Siren Mages couldn''t hold it in anymore. He had even pointed his shaking finger towards the trio, treating them as if they were some kind of freaks.

    And from his shouts, a cmity of other cries was raised.

    "This just has to be impossible! Three at the same time, and they have simrtent auras?!"

    "They''re cultivators.just merely cultivators.just how."

    In a single instance, Darcel, Ani, and Masami managed to shake every Siren Mage to their very cores.

    Compared to the Lightning Mages, the Siren Mages were having an extremely difficult time epting this. These Mages shaped their fundamental beliefs that it''s utterly impossible for any cultivator to have strong Magical Talent.

    This belief didn''t juste from prejudice but also facts supported by what''s definitely known from Qi and Magical Energy.

    People who were born with an affinity for Qi will have an entirely different bodily structure. Their bodies will evolve to hold a dantian space and to absorb at least the weakest form of Qi energy.

    As for Magical Energy, these people were born with a Magical Space within the lower part of their stomachs.

    Inside their Magical Space is where one''s Magical Core would develop. This will allow for these people to eventually perceive Magical Energy,prehend it, and then absorb it.

    Simr to Qi Energy, these people''s bodies will also ordingly evolve to intake stronger Magical Energy.

    All of this would show it''s biologically highly unlikely for cultivators and Mages to mix in together.

    They both have their own path to power thatpletely differs from each other.

    With all this in mind, it''s no wonder why the Lightning Mages and the Siren Mages had such intense reactions towards Darcel''s group.

    These three were quite literally achieving something that logically should be impossible!

    At the same time the Siren Mages was fraught and bustling with overwhelming shock. Darcel, Ani, and Masami were basking in the limelight.

    Truthfully, this was actually Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s first time unleashing their Magical Energy at a high capacity.

    Beforeing here, Masami actually had the mischievous n to suppress their Magical Aura to create a grand, shocking reveal. And of course, Ani was quick to agree, feeling the same amount of mischievous as her.

    This n would serve for their own self-satisfaction and as a way to knock these high-brow Mages off their peg.

    Darcel, while finding their n amusing, agreed to do this for more practical reasons.

    He found that suppressing their Magical Aura was an addedyer of good practice for controlling their Insect Magical cores. They found the process simr to suppressing their cultivation aura but had some distinct differences in circting their Magical Energy.

    Furthermore, Darcel fathoms that this would be a clear way to gain a quick starting foothold in this organization.

    By going off what Be told them, these Siren Mages take any help they can get. And showcasing they can prove to be extremely useful would undoubtedly help to elevate his and the girl''s position.

    At that moment, Darcel''s lips were curving up in slight amusement. Going by everyone''s bewildered reaction, he could say this move was a step in the right direction.

    Darcel wasn''t sure how long it had been since he and the girls were under a bright spotlight. But this feeling of tion felt more than just good; it felt absolutely pleasurable.

    After a few more seconds of basking in the limelight, Darcel was about to continue their stroll up to the main deck.

    However, right then, he heard Masami speak in a low whisper voice that only he and Ani could listen to because of the high bustling noise.

    "Look at them so riled up cause they can''t handle the truth. Say, why should we stop now? Let''s see how many buttons we can push. I mean, they wouldn''t throw great talent like us out, right?"

    All at once, Masami''s previous grievances were slumbering to the surface. She was relishing in the feeling of absolute superiority after losing it for so long.

    From the various fights she previously lost, she wanted to vent some of her frustrations right here.

    Darcel could understand her plight, especially considering how prideful she used to be.

    But now wasn''t the time for that.

    In the same low, whispering tone, Darcel told her, "Just hold off for that right now, Masami. At least, when we be strong enough to contend with them, we can start pushing buttons."

    Hearing this, Masami wasn''t so satisfied with that response. She was about to argue back until Ani put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

    Even though she was quiet all this time, Ani''s thoughts more so lined up with Masami. However, she could also understand Darcel''s more sound reasoning.

    With all this in mind, she cut into the conversation, telling Masami, "Darcy is just being cautious, Sami. As much I want to vent, too, we''re not really in a position for that. But soon, we can bring these arrogant people to their knees."

    "Haaah~. Well, if you put it that way, that does sound more satisfying than just using our words. Alright then, let''s get whatever process they have done with already." Masami already rechanged her focus after a little convincing.

    Although Darcel could just tell that the first moment she gets on to their level, Masami would have another rise of her mischievous nature.

    Wryly smiling to himself, Darcel put this thought down forter.

    Then, he, Ani, and Masami continued strolling up to the main deck. Under numerous still shocked gazes, Darcel confidently spoke to the high-level Siren Mage.

    "I''m sure this goes without saying, but we would like to join your group. With what we show, I trust there aren''t any more issues, right?"

    The high-level Siren Mage couldn''t properly respond at first. Her eyes blinked a few times before her mind quickly processed what was going on.

    It was then she forced herself to regain her calm. No matter how shocked she was over this situation, it wasn''t her job to ask questions.

    If somebodyes in here with decent enough Magical Power, it would be her job to enlist them here.

    "In-indeed. There aren''t any more issues. Wait right here; you all now need to undergo a process that will help consolidate your Magical Cores. Even if your Magical Cores are already perfectly consolidated, all new members must undergo this process."

    Although the high-level Siren Mage didn''t want to show it, she couldn''t stop a distinct change within her tone.

    Now, instead of the utter indifference she had on her first meeting with the trio, there was only gradual respect filling her voice.

    Immediately when she finished talking, the Siren Mage pulled out a contact ring from under her disk. A faint purple glow sparked the contact ring as the Siren Mage injected her energy within it.

    A few seconds passed, and the Siren Mage put the contact ring back under her desk.

    After doing so, the Siren Mage didn''t dare to look back up to the trio.

    She tossed her gaze back onto her desk, apparently now intently focused on whatever was upon there. In order to keep her mind from going ballistic, she needed to distract herself with something else.

    Seeing that reaction only served to fuel Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s egos. Truly, it was like the days when they all had their outrageousbat prowess. In awe and respected by all.

    Although, Darcel could tell they haven''t reached the level of full genuine respect. He thought to himself, ''After they get over their initial shock, they all will most likely be entirely unconvinced of our true power. We''ll need to actually greatly increase our strength before any real trouble arises then.''

    As he rummaged to himself, a sharp glint swirled within Darcel''s eyes.

    No matter where they go, he can predict trouble will always follow. And there won''t be any way he''ll let the girls or himself be blindsided by this.

    Since the high-level Mage called on her contact ring, only a few seconds passed.

    During these short moments, the other Siren Mages forced themselves to go back to what they were during, though many still took nces towards the trio.

    All the while, Ani and Masami were about to start a conversation among themselves.

    But right then, a familiar figure exited out of the hall right next to the lobby''s main desk.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami snapped their attention to this person and smirked from behind their masks.

    Of course, the person who came to collect them was Siren de.

    And exactly like everyone else, Siren de froze when sensing Darcel, Ani, and Masami''stent Magical Aura. His expression morphed between shock, disbelief before returning back to calm.

    Compared to the others, he was able to take in this news much easier. After all, he was the one that had peered into the trio''s true Magical Talent for a split moment.

    The only shocking thing to him was the fact that these masked youths found the Royal Orb so quickly!

    Not even a whole week has gone by, yet these three made more progress than any veteran adventure group.

    Getting rid of any unnecessary thoughts, Siren de nodded and told them, "Come with me. This process shouldn''t take long."

    And without another word, Siren de turned around and began slowly walking right back into the same hall he walked out of.

    Feeling entirely calm, Darcel, Ani, and Masami promptly followed behind him. Each of them could still feel so many eyes on them even as they walked out of sight.

    As much Darcel, Ani, and Masami found those reactions entertaining, they soon tossed those people out of their minds.

    They all quickly focused on whatever mysterious process they needed to undergo now.

    No words were shared between any of them as Siren de led Darcel''s group further down the quiet halls.

 Chapter 293: Breakthroughs (1)

    Chapter 293: Breakthroughs (1)

    After a few minutes of silently walking, Siren de eventually led Darcel, Ani, and Masami towards the ritual room.

    Whening down to this room, it already piqued the trio''s interest.

    For whatever reason these Mages had, the room was located to the far end of the hall, absolutely isted from anyone else.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami had even tried seeking somebody else here with their two variant Senses.

    However, besides them and Siren de, they couldn''t detect a single other souls. Naturally, with something so far out and isted, the trio had their expectations raised.

    And when they finally enter the room, Darcel, Ani and Masami weren''t disappointed.

    "Hm. Certainly, if you want to go all mystical and mysterious, this is an over job. Just what are those markings?"

    After not speaking for a while now, Masami was the one to promptly speak up once entering the room.

    Although her curiosity couldn''t be med. Both Darcel and Ani had simr rising questions as they stared directly at the center of the room.

    Covering and expanding nearly the whole floor was uniquely designed markings inscribed on the floor.

    The trio didn''t even pay attention to anything else, setting their focus squarely on these markings. The pattern almost reminded them of some rare exotic beast that was never seen before.

    Additionally, the pure crimson color gave the markings a distinct maic feel. If it was anyone else first time seeing these markings, they too would have their attention immediately stolen by it.

    While Darcel, Ani, and Masami stared intently at the floor, Siren de was crossing his gazes between the trio and the floor.

    After only a few moments, he curled his eyebrows. A certain glint sparked within his eyes for only a brief moment, going entirely unnoticed by the trio.

    Then, in an indifferent tone, Siren de told the trio, "These markings are called Magical Marks. These are used for a variety of things, such as Formations, Deployment spells or various rituals."

    Hearing new information piqued Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s interest even further. Since they are on the Magehood path now, they do need all the information they can get.

    Turning his gaze off from the floor first, Darcel focuses his sights on Siren de, further inquiring, "I''m assuming there''s nothing of this sort on the cultivation side of things, right? And can just anyone create these Magical Marks?"

    "You are correct on the first part. Magical Marks are exclusive to only us. No matter how high a cultivator realm is or the powerful Laws theyprehend, they don''t have anything equivalent to this. As for your second question, no, these can''t be done by just anyone. It takes only immensely high talented Mages with superbprehension abilities to form Magical Marks." Siren de continued to exin.

    At that point, Ani and Masami finally perked up their sights. The girls tossed their gazes at Siren de simultaneously, and Masami asked,

    "So this probably something for us to studyter, eh? Alright then, enough about pre-information. How will this process work exactly?"

    Not minding Masami''s sudden abruptness, Siren de pointed precisely towards the center of the floor.

    "Simply stand there and circte just a bit of yourtent Magical Aura. Once you do so, don''t resist any energy flowing into you."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami traded nces with each other. Then, before Darcel and Masami could even take a moment to ponder, Ani was quick to tell them,

    "The order should be Sami, me then you Darcy. Well, the order doesn''t exactly matter, but either way, we''ll get to see the distinct differences in our talent."

    Masami and Darcel only took a moment to think it over before almost immediately agreeing.

    "So I will be up first! Let''s see if this process will be up to snuff." Masami promptly strolled to the center of the room in a confident stride.

    As she stood directly in the center of the Magical Marks, Darcel, Ani, and Siren de all watched on in intent curiosity.

    Inside Siren de''s mind, he was quickly processing his next move after this. If things go a certain way that he''s expecting, something significant will affect his entire organization.

    While Darcel and Ani wanted to see how distinctly their Magical Talents differ from each other.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami know by now, there are some apparent differences within their cultivation talent. Even if it''s only slightly within their current realm, those differences could possibly grow in the future.

    And now, they could get a vague grasp on how much of a line is separating their Magical Talents.

    By studying this, the trio knows they could get a firm grasp on their teamwork abilities, having a border understanding of how they should strategize theirbat and organize their cultivation time.

    Right then, only an anticipating silence engulfed the entire room.

    Masami calmed herself a bit, closing her eyes to achieveplete focus. She then stimted her Inset Magical Core, gushing forth hertent Magical Aura.

    Waves of Magica Energy started to stream from Masami''s body like a waterfall. At the same time, the Magical Marks began to shimmer a harsh crimson glow.

    Masami''stent Magical Aura quickly interjected into Magical Marks at a vacuum-like pace.

    ''I should be expecting this but still, so fast?'' Siren de''s eyes couldn''t help but light up.

    The response Masami caused the Magical Marks was, of course, near-instantaneous. But no matter if he was expecting it, this was still quite a shock to see.

    Whenparing it to himself, Siren de knows that he would need to wait at least thirty minutes to make even a faint dim light glow from the Magical Marks.

    And Siren de''s Magical Talent wasn''t low at all. On the contrary, he''s known to have high hopes to reach the Grand Mage realm, which is already higher than ny percent of the regr Siren Mages!

    Ny percent wasn''t just for show at all. As there are at least tens of thousands of regr Siren Mages in this organization.

    Despite this achievement, Siren de couldn''t suppress this bubbling feeling of inadequacy.

    And Siren de wouldn''t even get a chance to try to fight against this feeling.

    For as only a few seconds after Masami began the ritual, the Magical Marks entirely transformed!

    In just a sh, every Magical Mark within the room radiated a blinding crimson glow!

    Magical Energy and a powerful Qi energy started to gush out from Masami like a chaotic tidal wave.

    ''What is this?!''

    Darcel, Ani, and Siren de all had simr thoughts. Each of them forcefully shut their enhanced, powerful eyes, unable to resist the sh growing from the Magical Marks.

    At the same time,plete surprise warped Masami''s whole expression.

    Without her even prompting it, Magical and Qi Energy was rapidly soaring into her dantian and soul''s space, inscribing her with an overflow of power!

    In that instance, Masami''s bloodline rumbled and erupted like a wild volcano. As if it had a mind on its own, her blue ming fox aura engulfed her entire body.

    Then a stunning change that would make her entire Ice Nine Tail sect quiver with utter shock urred.

    Typically when Masami releases her bloodline powers, a foxtail made up entirely out of mes appears. While this fake foxtail wasn''t permanent, it did significantly enhance herbat prowess.

    The thing was, this fake foxtail would be vastly weaker than if Masami simply had a natural third foxtail.

    A third foxtail would indicate that Masami''s bloodline was undergoing another never before seen evolution.

    An evolution that is only known as a myth in her Sect.

    And as of now, that myth was once againing to life in the form of Masami. In just a few seconds, three natural-born foxtails whipped right out of Masami''s waist!

    "Ahh!!"

    Masami couldn''t contain her squeal. When the third foxtail formed, she felt her powers explosively increased to dramatic levels!

    And the increase in strength didn''t just end here.

    After her third foxtail sprouted, a rush of Heavenly Qi and powerful Magical Energy drilled into Masami''s dantian and soul''s space.

    Previously, the Energy flowing into Masami was simply natural air energies that weren''t particrly powerful.

    But now, the Heavenly Qi and powerful Magical Energy soaring into Masami''s body was directly changing her!

    Within her dantian space, her nine cracks on her Innate Core was instantly overloaded with Heavenly Qi. Her Innate Core writhed with power until-

    <em>''Ka-Cha!'' </em>

    Masami''s Innate Corepletely exploded! And from the explosion, colossal streams of Heavenly Qi stormed through her body and soul.

    At the same time, Masami''s Insect Magical Core was growing bigger and stronger. This change wasn''t as dramatic as her Innate Core. However, it was still a clear sign that Masami''s Magical Energy was rapidly reaching a breakthrough point.

    This moment was the most critical step in any cultivator''s life. Shattering their Innate Core and reaching the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    Typically, this breakthrough would require any cultivator to be in a room suitable for cultivation andplete quiet. Reaching this point would have a cultivator spend a long time circting their Innate Qi until they reach aprehension breakthrough.

    Failure during this moment could result in a tremendous loss of cultivation which is why the utmost focus is hugely required.

    However, all of these troubles and circumstances matter not to Masami.

    She only felt a weak invisible barrier within her Spirit Sense that was separating her from a Heavenly Spirit Sense.

    And without stopping her momentum, Masami brazenly pushed right through, surging forth all of the umtion of Innate Qiprehension!

    <em>''Ka-Cha!'' </em>

    Immediately, Masami felt and heard a resounding shatter shake her entire being.

    At the same time, a strong wave of both Heavenly Qi and Magical Energy sted out of her body!

    Her blue fox mes grew intense, dancing wildly as if they were getting swirled by a fierce storm. Her power rose to incredible heights, shocking Darcel, Ani, and Siren de.

    "She''s breaking through?!" Darcel, Ani, and Siren de simultaneously shouted.

    Even with their eyes closed, they could still perceive the tremendous changes urring within Masami. And they nearly fell over from the abundance of raw power flowing out of Masami.

    They even felt their breathings get hitched just a little bit.

    It was quite shocking to all three of them. Despite only breaking through to Heavenly Transformation and gaining stronger Magical Energy, Masami''s power felt intense.

    Far intenser than anything she could release since she encountered the yellow-eyed woman.

    At the same time the others were in shock, Masami was entirely calm.

    Her Spirit Senses expanded far beyond her limit; she could fully perceive Heavenly Qi, and her power transformed to unimaginable degrees.

    But, despite these significant changes, Masami was in the process of falling in line with herself.

    Her two greatest goals in life, she reflected on them.

    To grow stronger with the people she loves with all of her heart, Darcel, and Ani. And to prove herself to her entire Sect, mother, father, grandmother, and all of her siblings.

    These goals are what drove her to always push forward. They might not be the grandest or ambitious goals in the world, but it''s what keeps Masami having a firm mind to never stop moving forward.

    As she contemted this, Masami''s Heavenly Spirit Sense fully formed.

    Then, subconsciously, she began pulling Heavenly Qi into her body, undergoing yet another massive transformation.

 Chapter 294: Breakthrough (2)

    Chapter 294: Breakthrough (2)

    When a Heavenly Transformation cultivator entirely morphs their Heavenly Spirit Sense, they still have one more critical task to do.

    That is to transform their entire body into a Heavenly Body and their Dantian into a Heavenly Dantian, forming their Heavenly Core.

    A Heavenly Body would signify any cultivator''s proper first step into shedding their mortal coil. Everything regarding one''s physical capabilities would dramatically improve in order to contain the massive power of Heavenly Qi and a Heavenly Aura.

    Heavenly Qi is what many call the defining line in cultivation. Its power is far beyond anything seen before in previous realms.

    With Heavenly Qi, one could shatter mountains peaks and even split apart the clouds!

    Furthermore, Heavenly Qi would grant a cultivator ess to releasing a Heavenly Aura. This powerful Aura alone could make any peak Innate Core cultivator copse to the knees, making them pant for dear life.

    In previous cultivations realm, one''s Aura wouldn''t make such a significant impact on theirbat prowess. This is because the Qi energy from before simply wasn''t strong enough to construct powerful Auras.

    But with the massive leap of Heavenly Qi power, an Aura bes the total umtion of a cultivator''s talent.

    Typically, a Heavenly Aura is used to signify how unfathomably deep that Heavenly Transformation expert is. Although at other times, a cultivator can recede their Heavenly Aura and give off a weaker illusion if they so please.

    And to make all of this possible, one''s bodily foundation has to transform into a Heavenly Body.

    Along with the Heavenly Body, within a cultivator''s dantian, a Heavenly Core would form, serving as their direct power source. As a result, heavenly Qi thates from one Heavenly Core would always be much stronger than what''s naturally in the air.

    To progress through each level, one would need to master theirprehension of Heavenly Qi and, in turn, solidify their Heavenly Cores.

    Masami was already highly aware of all these facts.

    At this moment, she was recalling everything her grandmother lectured on about breaking through to the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    And of course, for other cultivators, even extraordinary geniuses, this moment wouldn''t be smooth or quick at all.

    But Masami continues the tradition of breaking themon sense mold.

    At a rapid-fire pace, she was infusing Heavenly Qi into every inch of her body. To her flesh, organs, muscles, skin, and bones, she didn''t leave any stone unturned.

    Within her now Heavenly Dantian, a small size Heavenly Core was beginning to form.

    Most of the Heavenly Qi Masami''s absorb was directly transferred to her Heavenly Core, significantly speeding up this process.

    And in no time at all, her Heavenly Core gained 10% solidification.

    The appearance of Masami''s Heavenly Core was a mix of gray Chaotic Energy and zing blue mes.

    The energy surging from Heavenly Core raged around her Heavenly Dantain like a violent tempest. It was numerous times more intense than any other ordinary first-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    At the same time this process happened, another change urred within Masami''s Heavenly Dantian and her Soul''s space.

    Her once small Insect Magical Core now transformed into a fully massive Dragon phantom image Magical Core!

    Aided by the Magical Marks and her breakthrough to the Heavenly Transformation realm, Masami soared through several realms of Magical Energy all in one step!

    Because herprehension is already insanely high, she wasn''t halted by any mental block. In this situation, it was only natural she was able to repeatedly advance without a single sweat.

    Right then, once Masami finally reached a new boundary of power, Heavenly Qi and Magical Energy once again sted out of her, throwing the entire room into utter chaos!

    "This power!" Darcel and Ani became even more bewildered.

    Besides her Heavenly Qi, the Magical Energy spewing out of her was giving them both considerable pressure. Their minds quickly worked on what this could mean, and they soon arrived at one conclusion.

    But for an explicit confirmation, Ani loudly asked Siren de, "She, Sami...did she gain a breakthrough in Magical Energy?"

    Siren de couldn''t even respond to Ani''s question for a few moments.

    He was simply dumbfounded. His body stood utterly rigid, sensing the raw power coursing through Masami''s body.

    Of course, Siren de didn''t pay that much attention to her Heavenly Transformation breakthrough. It only seemed natural since she was already at the half-step realm.

    But for Masami''s Magical advancement, Siren de made sure to focus on every little note.

    Doing this, however, caused his brain to intensely buzz.

    The power Masami reached wasn''t ordinary at all. To gain this realm in just a single leap was a feat that just broke all logic and rules to the Magical World.

    In a slow, dried tone, Siren de told Darcel and Ani, "She didn''t just advance. She has already reached a high enough level where she can feasibly contend with me. The Spirit Mage realm!"

    "Really?!"

    Even though Darcel and Ani couldn''t possibly know what this signifies, their excitement still soared through the roof.

    They felt immensely happy for Masami. With this kind of shortcut, herbat prowess has likely taken another giant quantitative leap!

    Furthermore, Darcel and Ani also realized that this can possibly happen to them as well. Since they were said to have a simr amount oftent Magical Aura, it would only be natural if they too can reach massive breakthroughs.

    This thought only raised their anticipation to the skies. Indeed, bing Mages was precisely the right idea!

    A few seconds swiftly passed.

    And finally then, the Magical Marks lost their bright crimson luster.

    At the same time, Masami flung her eyes wide open. A sh of mes and Magical Energy swirled in her pupils before promptly dispersing.

    With a broad grin splitting across her face, Masami retracted her Heavenly Qi and Magical Energy, causing the others to finally open their eyes.

    The awe looks she received from Darcel, Ani, and Siren de made Masami feel utterly fantastic. Although, it was mainly Darcel and Ani''s awe gazes that caused Masami to puff out her massive chest.

    When thinking about it, this had to be the first time she ever achieved this.

    Usually, these two would act so calmly in most situations. So it was incredibly amusing to see them both flustered and shocked.

    Even as Masami already finished her ritual, there was still a lingering silence within the room.

    Under this silence, Masami promptly strolled up to Darcel and Ani. She crossed her arms under her massive bust in a prideful manner and spouted an equally prideful expression on her face.

    "Hmph-hmph! What''s the matter? Cat finally got your tongues? Well, I can''t me you. My power is amazing. Honestly, that ritual was suitable enough."

    Hearing Masami''s incredibly boastful words was enough to awaken Darcel, Ani, and Siren de from their stupor.

    Darcel and Ani quickly exchanged a nce with each other before shrugging their shoulders.

    Really, they only had one thing to say at this moment.

    "Truly amazing."

    Both Darcel and Ani simultaneously spoke while caressing Masami''s fluffy fox ears.

    And even though neither of them could see her expression, Darcel and Ani could just tell she was struggling to maintain her pride under their caresses.

    Before they got too far, Darcel and Ani retracted their hands.

    Masami immediately regained her previous stature, jerking her head towards the Magical Marks, telling the duo, "Well Ani, it''s your turn. Let''s see if you can raise hell like me."

    Unknowingly Masami turned her tone to be both slightly cocky andpetitive. With this great power running through her, she felt her mischievous side arise within her.

    In response to the challenge, Ani simrly crossed her arm under her more moderate bust.

    Although when she did it, she had a more elegant air surrounding her.

    A distinct calm aura naturally emitted from Ani. It felt like no matter what result she was going to achieve, Ani would be fine with anything.

    "It should be natural I do, of course. Since ourtent Magical Auras are incredibly simr, of course, the results we achieve are bound to be simrly ground-breaking."

    Animal''s tone was absolutely unwavering. She then strolled right up to the center of the Magical Marks and immediately stopped.

    As she did so, Darcel, Masami, and Siren de intently watched on with various thoughts.

    Darcel and Masami mainly wanted to examine her differences, though Masami was still feeling a little tick at that smart-ass remark made by Ani.

    For all this time, Siren de was actually ignored by the trio.

    However, he didn''t care in the slightest. All he could focus on now was the fact that their organization is about to gain three monstrous talents.

    At that moment, silence once again imed the room.

    Ani let her eyes close, falling into an intensely focused trance. Then, withplete calm and control, she stimted her Insect Magical Core, surging hertent Magical Aura to life.

    Immediately, the Magical Marks underneath her feet shined a beautiful crimson glow.

    At a rapid-fire pace, Ani''stent Magical Aura transmitted into the Magical Marks.

    Time seemed to slow down as Ani officially began the ritual.

    In that instance, Darcel, Masami, and Siren de wonder if she too could make the Magical Marks nearly instantly react.

    However, neither of them had to wait or think about it for even a split second.

    Right then, precisely like Masami, a blinding crimson shine burst out of every Magical Mark on the floor!

    ''Chi!''

    Darcel, Siren de, and even the newly Heavenly Transformation Masami were forced to shut their eyes.

    The crimson glow from the Magical Marks seemingly had this strange power that could directly affect their eyes no matter their realm.

    At the same time, a split second of surprise shed on Ani''s face. But that surprise promptly turned into calm eptance.

    At that moment, Ani''s Qi energy and Magical Energy broke through their limits, soaring towards incredible new heights!

    Waves of dense energy billowed within and out of Ani''s body like a violent tempest. Both Innate Qi and Magical Energy rushed into Ani''s body, increasing both of her realms with rapid-fire speed.

 Chapter 295: Future Position

    Chapter 295: Future Position

    Within Ani''s Dantian and Soul''s Space, several profound changes were urring.

    From the abundance of Innate Qi soaring into her, it was massively shortening the time she needed to advance each level.

    The Magical Marks were amplifying the Innate Qi in the air with a tremendously dense quality, causing it to be better than even Earth-Rank resources!

    This was precisely how Masami broke through so quickly.

    Unknown to everyone in that room, if an average cultivator were to experience this extraordinary phenomenon with the Magical Marks, they would be able to advance through an entire great realm!

    However, because of Masam''s unique cultivation foundation modified by her Chaotic Shard, it was only enough to get her to the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    And as for Ani, it was only pushing her to form more cracks on her Innate Core.

    After several seconds, Ani''s Innate Core now had sevenrge cracks running along, directly skipping over five levels!

    Out from her seven Innate Core cracks flowed powerful streams of Heavenly Qi.

    Now, Ani''s Dantian Space resembles a violent typhoon of intense Heavenly Qi. The intensity could easily rival any first-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    At the same time this urred, Ani''s Insect Magical Cores were also transforming.

    Truthfully, Ani''sprehension was even slightly better than Masami''s. So naturally, she as well could easily shatter through several great realms of Magical Energy.

    In no time at all, her Insect Magical Core morphed into a Dragon Phantom image Magical Seed!

    Combining this immense power with her breakthrough through the Innate Core realm amplified her prowess tenfold.

    At this point, the Magical Mark should''ve stopped since Ani already achieved her breakthroughs.

    However, there was still onest change urring directly within Ani''s bloodline.

    Simr to Masami, Ani''s bloodline violently rumbles as if it was attempting to break free from some sort of invisible shackles.

    White Light burst forth from Ani''s bloodline arm, mixing in with the Magical Mark''s crimson glow.

    Then, when only just a few seconds passed, Ani''s bloodline shattered the invisible shatter attempting to lock her down!

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    Ani''s entire body quivers as an overflow of power bursts out of her.

    Right then, the feathers on Ani''s bloodline arm intensely writhe until they all exploded into streams of Light Energy. A few momentster and the streams of Light Energy were morphing into a solid image.

    Ani intently concentrated at this moment.

    She could feel slight resistance in forming this image from her bloodstream, almost like she was pushing through tough wood.

    To break through this wall, a thought suddenly reflected into her mind. The power of Angels, it''s what Ani now believes her bloodline to be.

    When contemting the existence of a fable Angel, even she knows they''re depicted as so pure, shrouded by purifying white Light. At least, that''s all she knows from various old tales she read in her spare time.

    And after meeting the yellow-eyed woman, Ani fathoms that supposed pure power is slumbering inside her bloodstreams.

    However, instead of trying to conform with the ideas of what a pure Angel is, Ani focused purely on her own desires.

    Since this power belongs to her, why can''t she fully control it?

    Who cares about being Angelic, pure or holy. All that matters to her is forging her own way to livepletely safely with Darcel and Masami.

    ''And if that means soaring to the top of this world, then so be it!''

    A loud resounding snap suddenly went off in Ani''s mind. Previous doubts that were trying to creep into her shattered into a million pieces all at once.

    Right then, Ani tore right through the invisible wall blocking her bloodline from transforming!

    A massive surge of power blew out from Ani. At the same time, the stream of light energying from her bloodline arm fully morphed in Light Wing!

    If anyone were to see the Light Wing, they would be in utter awe.

    The Light Wing was just slightly bigger than the average eagle wingspan, but it looked like it was crafted by a true divinity.

    There was even a slight ethereal aura exuding from her Light Wing that permeated through the room.

    "What the?! I know I said raise hell, but this is crazy!" Masami blurted out her thoughts, still unable to open her eyes.

    Her shocked sentiments were shared with both Darcel and Siren de.

    Though they couldn''t open their eyes, the raw power coursing through Ani was essentially equal to Masami''s breakthrough!

    In fact, Darcel couldn''t tell if this was an illusion, but Ani''sbined energy of her bloodline, Magic, and Qi felt just slightly stronger than Masami''s Heavenly Transformation breakthrough.

    Of course, this was just a slight sensation. Unless they fought, Darcel wouldn''t be able to genuinely tell whether or not Ani is slightly stronger.

    Still, stronger or not, Ani''sbat prowess for sure took a quantitative leap.

    Hell, even Siren de was beginning to feel slightly frightened by the intense, dense energy of Ani''s breakthrough.

    A few secondster and the Magical Marks lost their bright luster.

    Ani retracted her powers, causing her Light Wing to vanish before any of them could even see them.

    Simultaneously, everyone flung their eyes open.

    The same amount of smugness started to swell in Ani as she observed Darcel, Masami, and Siren de''s gazes.

    Just from these gazes alone, Ani understood why Masami got so incredibly smug. She knew Darcel even longer than Masami, so it was quite satisfying to see him genuinely bewildered.

    Under their shocked silence, Ani made a direct beeline towards Masami. Her arms elegantly crossed as she tossed a split-second gaze towards Darcel before settling on Masami specifically.

    "So? Was that enough hell raised? And you were right; that ritual was more than suitable. My power is simrly amazing."

    The first one to react to Ani''s words was, of course, Masami.

    She promptly broke off from her stupor, keeping her head held up high as apetitive spirit rose within her. Then, in a fired-up tone, she said to Ani,

    "Tch, in the end, it''s all just breakthroughs, right? We all can see where we actually lie in truebat!"

    "Hmm~? Is that so." Ani then settled her sights on Darcel. "Well then, Darcy, you''re up to the tter. I''m starting to think we''ll need to do what Sami says to actually see our true differences."

    Darcel took a brief nce towards Ani, regarding her with a slight nod.

    At that moment, he took a brief nce over towards Siren de. Now, his once indifferent expression was nowhere to be seen.

    Just pure utter shock was permanently stered on his face. And within his eyes, Darcel could gather he was having numerous critical thoughts.

    ''If things go like this, we will have a nice time here.'' Darcel thought to himself.

    Beyond increasingbat prowess, Darcel also wanted to make sure this opportunity would give them a direct gateway to a high position.

    At this point, Darcel had no ns to start at the absolute bottom of any organization. With how much they''ve been through in just a few days, Darcel knows thest thing he and the girls need is to be some low-level grunts.

    If they were to get disrespected any further, Darcel wasn''t even sure if Masami would be able to contain herself.

    Although, those thoughts are currently unnecessary.

    Even if he doesn''t perform well with this ritual, Ani and Masami did stunningly enough to secure them a spot here. He could tell this just from Siren de''s gravely contemting expression.

    Then, without wasting another moment, Darcel strolled towards the center of the Magical Marks.

    "Since it''s this guy, I honestly won''t be surprised if his phenomena is greater than ours. He does it almost too naturally."

    Masami remarked with a far more pumped-up tone than she had with Ani''s ritual.

    This incredible feeling of excitement was shared with Ani as well, also saying out loud, "Ah~. He just naturally exudes that air, doesn''t he?"

    And even though Siren de was already expecting great results, he felt his interest piqued even further with Ani and Masami''sments.

    This boy''s potential couldn''t possibly go further beyond amazing, can it?

    Right then, everyone''s thoughts were interrupted when the Magical Marks immediately sparked a harsh crimson glow.

    Slightly faster than even Ani and Masami, Darcel already gushed forth histent Magical Aura into the Magical Marks. His eyes closed shut, falling into aplete cultivation state instantaneously.

    His powerfultent Magical Aura streamed into the Magical Marks, causing an instantaneous change that caused chaos in the entire room.

    Even before the same blinding crimson glow sparked out the Magical Marks, Ani, Masami, and Siren de already felt their breathings hitched.

    ''Just.what is this?'' Ani and Masami were utterly stunned.

    They experienced Darcel''s powers and breakthroughs many times. However, it was only now that they felt a genuine lump in their throat facing Darcel''s breakthrough.

    While Ani''s Light Wing had a slightly ethereal feel exuding from it, it wasn''t much to actually warp the whole room.

    On the other hand, Darcel gave a far intense ethereal feel, making him seem like an otherworldly being.

    Ani and Masami could easily stand on their feet, but Siren de was struggling to stand tall.

    Beads of sweat poured down his face; his expression was contorted into utter horror. This boy''stent prowess was immense, no matter if it was Magical or Qi energy!

    And right then, the blinding crimson glow finally shed out of the Magical Marks, engulfing the whole room, forcing Ani, Masami, and Siren de to shut their eyes tight.

    At this time, Darcel stayed unwaveringly firm. Even as his energy shot through the roof, he never let himself go.

    From the time since the Mercenary Exchange Event until now, Darcel intensely practiced his focus control.

    He needed to be calm in every situation. For dealing with Ani and Masami''s trauma, finding out where to go, and nning on how they should cultivate, Darcel silently processed everything.

    Though the girl''s mental state is improving, Darcel knows he needs to be that firm rock in their hearts.

    Furthermore, just in general, Darcel realized he needs this perfected calm temperament for his whole long life.

    Without it, even worse situations like the yellow-eyed woman can very well happen to them. And in their merciless universe, there are no second chances. Only sink or swim.

    Darcel intended to do neither but instead soar high into the skies, discovering true meaning in his life.

    He already knows he has on the step to finding one meaning in his life, mastering the true abilities of Yin Pleasure.

    Because of the energy granted by the Magical Marks, it allowed Darcel to fall into this sudden enlightenment.

    And from this enlightenment, his Innate Core, Insect Magical Core, and bloodline were all experiencing rapid-fire transformation.

    Powerfully dense Qi and Magical Energy burst within and out of Darcel''s body, causing intense turbulent airwaves to swirl in the room.

    Then, on Darcel''s bloodline arm, his ck feathers imploded into streams of powerful Darkness Energy.

    Drowning the room in a mix of a crimson, Darkness glow, Darcel''s streams of Darkness Energy was quickly morphing into apleted Darkness Wing.

 Chapter 296: The Great Magical Realms

    Chapter 296: The Great Magical Realms

    Currently, neither Ani, Masami, or Siren de could open their eyes. The energy releasing from the Magical Marks made it impossible to do so.

    And as time went on, the reaction Darcel caused in the Magical Marks became much more intense.

    Soon enough, Ani, Masami, and Siren de began to feel a distinct sting on their eyes. At the sudden slight pain, the three of them almost jumped in surprise.

    Their minds were thrown in for a loop again. They all were thinking, ''just how can his breakthrough be this intense?!''

    Siren de especially couldn''t understand this phenomenon. He understood the Magical Marks to a high degree and knows Magical Marks doesn''t have unlimited energy.

    These specific Magical Marks may have been crafted by ancestor-level Mages, but there was a limit on its energy.

    However, that limit was just nowhere to be seen in regards to Darcel''s breakthrough.

    In any case, no questions could be asked now.

    Ani, Masami, and Siren de were forced to circte energy within their eyes just to resist this new wave of power from the Magical Marks.

    It was only a shame that neither of them could open their eyes. If they could, their minds would be even more bewildered.

    Even though the Magical Marks were growing in energy, its crimson glow was actually getting overshadowed.

    The Darkness energy streams released from Darcel''s bloodline arm grew to a height where it nearly drowned out the crimson glow. Now the room looked like it was plunged into the abyss with only streams of crimson spewing out of it.

    And at the center of it all, a Darkness Wing sted out of Darcel''s bloodline arm!

    Darcel''s Darkness Wing exuded an authentic ethereal feel.

    The airwaves around Darcel seemed to tremble just by the mere presence of the Darkness Wing.

    Simr to Ani''s Light Wing, Darcel''s Darkness Wing looked absolutely majestic. Furthermore, his Darkness Wing also appeared slightlyrger than Ani''s.

    At the same time this happened, within Darcel''s Dantian Space, his Innate Core now had nine vast cracks splitting it open.

    Turbulent waves of powerful Heavenly Qi gushed out of each crack, transforming his Dantian space into a violent tempest of immense energy.

    And of course, Darcel''s Insect Magical Core transformed into a Dragon phantom image Magical Core.

    His abundance of Magical Energy ovepped with both his Qi energy and bloodline powers. The might releasing from Darcel was simply incredible.

    At this point, Ani, Masami, and even Siren de had the illusion that Darcel surpassed them all.

    A few seconds passed, and the Magical Marks finally lost their luster.

    Simultaneously, Darcel retracted his energy, causing his Darkness Wing to vanish back inside his body.

    Feeling the abundance of power coursing through him did cause Darcel to get legitimately pumped. It indeed did feel like he broke through an invisible shackle that was tightly locking him down.

    Still, Darcel never lost his cool, calmly gazing over at Ani, Masami, and Siren de as they opened their eyes.

    Simr to the girl''s breakthrough, there was only silence and awe filling the air.

    Although this time, the silence seemed more dominating.

    Even after retracing his powers, neither Ani, Masami, or even Siren de wanted to move from their spots. The ethereal aura that washed over them left a profound mark deep within their cores.

    Darcel didn''t quite understand their intense reaction, believing his breakthrough was simply the same as his girl''s.

    Still, in a not too hurried stride, Darcel walked over to the girls and felt amusement rise within him.

    Under their silent gazes, Darcel started to pet the girl''s lushes hairs while teasingly saying, "Did I raise too much hell? You all seem more enthralled with me than usual."

    Immediately, Ani and Masami jerked up from their stupors.

    "Ah?/Hmph!"

    Ani shook her off Darcel''s hand with a gaze filled with curiosity while Masami flung his hand off and haughtily crossed her arms.

    "Darcy.that brief moment of power. It was so simr to mine yet so different. Hmmm."

    Ani fell into another deep contemtion. She truly couldn''t get over the tingles her bloodline caused while Darcel broke through.

    "Have no idea what''s going on with her but, Darcel, we can only see where it actually lies in truebat!" Masami aggressively spoke, attempting to cover up the pressure she felt before.

    Since she''s now a Heavenly Transformation powerhouse, Masami at least wanted to believe she holds some kind of slight edge in their team.

    Although, it was getting quite challenging to think so after Darcel and Ani''s breakthrough. Still, thepetitive spirit within her wouldn''t die down.

    Wryly smiling at both girl''s reactions, Darcel just had to shake his head. He then turned his sights towards Siren de.

    Satisfied by his sheer bewilderment, Darcel asked him, "Since we''ve all finished the ritual, what now? I''m assuming our results are more than a sess now?"

    Siren de dumbfoundedly blinked for a few moments. His brain had to quickly catch up, processing every mind-shattering moment that happened in just the span of a few minutes.

    Three powerful Spirit Mages. If anyone were to know of this, their reactions would be even more intense than Siren de''s.

    At this point, Siren de wanted to tell himself that this was all some sort of bizarre dream. However, with the stinging pain he previously felt, he knows this was all real.

    Suppressing the turbulent waves in his mind, Siren de first started to exin, "You three.are you perhaps aware at all about the Great Magical Realms?"

    "Great Magical Realms? No, not at all."

    Darcel briefly nced over towards the girls, mainly wondering if Masami would know something.

    Ani predictably shook her head, alreadying out of her previous stupor.

    While Masami put a finger to her chin, adopting a thinking position. She only thought about it for a few moments before shrugging her shoulders.

    "Nope. My Grandmother mainly just taught me about cultivation realms."

    Siren de went silent as a strange light shed within his eyes. Despite achieving history, none of them were even aware of the gravity of their own situation.

    This was undoubtedly one of the strangest moments in Siren de''s life.

    Still, he supposed they can''t solely be med for this. Just minutes ago, they were at the starting realms and, under normal circumstances, would need to climb the ranks of Magical Energy just like anyone else.

    Unfortunately though, they were far past the boundary of any semnce of normality.

    Releasing a small sigh, Siren de shook his head as he started to exin, "You see, your performance right now is quite mind-boggling. The three of you managed to reach the Spirit Mage realm in just a single step. To preface this, the previous realms were Elementary, Nascent, Advanced, High, and Gold. Each Magical Realm requires a Mage to undergo at least dozens of years of practice before making any significant progress. Even I needed hundreds of years before achieving the Spirit Mage Realm, and I''m considered a top-tier talent here. Yet, you three are already at the Spirit Mage Realm within mere minutes. With all this in mind, you can see how your results are quite.mystical."

    No words were shared between Darcel, Ani, and Msami after hearing Siren de''s exnation.

    With the full context, they became even more bewildered with their Magical Energy.

    After all, though their cultivation talent is insanely high, it would be impossible for them to jump several great realms in a single leap.

    And from Siren de''s words, they also could understand that Magical Energy is nearly identical in the arduous work one must put into advanced.

    The trio attempted to wrack their mind to find any reasonable conclusion about this impossibility. However, no answer seemed suitable enough.

    They all assumed this must be the working of their Chaotic Shards.

    But during this entire process, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami felt their soul''s core pulsate even once.

    The only reasonable thing Darcel could believe is that perhaps their soul''s core did react, and he just didn''t notice it?

    That was hard to believe, considering he could feel even the slightest reaction from his soul''s core. Still, there were no other options to look to as their Chaotic Shard does hold abilities that breakmon senses.

    Pulling himself from his thoughts, Darcel could only nod at Siren de and say,

    "I see. So we indeed have something extraordinary about us. However, we arepletely clueless on why this happens. All we did was use the ritual ording to your instructions."

    "Right.right you all indeed did." Siren de took onest sigh before continuing to say,

    "In any case, since it happened like this, you three can skip a lot of the process and officially be high-ranking members. However-"

    Suddenly, Siren de mped his mouth. His body turned utterly rigid as if he had just encountered someone who has his utmost respect.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami quirked their eyebrows.

    Darcel was about to ask what was wrong when a faint red sh stopped his, Ani, and Masami''s trains of thoughts.

    The trio snapped their attention to right beside Siren de like a hawk, feeling utterly surprised.

    As if he appeared from thin air, a tall elderly man wearing a uniquely designed Crismon Mage Robe stood next to Siren de.

 Chapter 297: Elder Yang

    Chapter 297: Elder Yang

    ''I-I couldn''t sense him at all!''

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all stayedpletely rooted to their spots. They all brazenly gazed at the sudden appearance of this Elderly man as if they have just seen a ghost.

    With their recent breakthroughs, the trio was at their utmost confidence. Their repeated breakthroughs allowed their Senses to improve beyond what they could ever imagine.

    As of now, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could easily perceive Siren de''s Magical Aura.

    His Magical Aura was calm and still, simr to his indifferent personality. But above all, the three can perceive that Siren de specific tier of Magical Energy.

    It was, of course, near-identical to their own. Although, Darcel, Ani, and Masami detected that their Magical Energy has a more dense quality.

    Their Magical Energy was like a hundred miles deep oceanpared to Siren de''s calm stream of Magical Energy.

    Considering all of this, the trio assumed they could possibly sense power greater than them.

    However, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami could detect even the slightest trace of power from this elderly man.

    And as the seconds slowly trickle by, the trio realized they would never be able to perceive his realm at their current realm.

    Dissasatfication grew within Masami; curiosity swelled in Ani''s mind while Darcel regained his calm.

    ''To think there would be this level of power here.'' Darcel mused to himself, focusing more on this Elderly man.

    In terms of appearance, this man wasn''t anything special to gaze upon.

    His face was full of wrinkles, showcasing his old age and his hair and beard were a light gray color.

    From just looks, this man was no different from any other old man.

    However, what distinctly separates him from other old men was his unfathomable temperament. His eyes exuded a dignified aura that would tell anyone he has years of experience under his belt.

    His expression was indifferent, almost aloof in a way. He seemedplete like was he''s separated from any mortal problems.

    This expression may show no emotion, but it was terrifyingly intimidating.

    "Elder Yang! I didn''t expect you to immediatelye here." Siren de kept his head respectfully bowed down.

    Against Elder Yang, he dared not even breathe wrong. This was an expert thatmanded respect no matter where he goes in the whole Icy Cloud Province.

    Elder Yang neither responded nor even spare a nce towards Siren de. His eyes immediately fell on Darcel, Ani and Masami. He bore his sights straight into the trio without any reservation.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami attempted to keep a brave front. However, under Elder Yang''s indifferent and aloof eyes, they all felt a shiver crawl down their spines.

    Those eyes were making it seem like he was staring directly into their souls.

    For a few seconds, nobody made any sounds or movements.

    And when the silence was bing suffocating for the trio, Elder Yang''s spatial ring suddenly ignited.

    As items started to materialize in his hand, he finally opened his mouth to say, "de, there will be no need for any other extra steps. These three can be Spirit Siren Mages right now."

    Elder Yang''s tone was firm and resolute. There was no argument or discussion to be had.

    And after saying so, Elder Yang tossed three crismon badges and three crimson robes towards the trio.

    "Ah."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami instinctively caught the badges and robes, not fully realizing just what was going on.

    They all trailed their eyes down at the items, immediately noticing that they held a highly simr design to Siren de''s clothing. However, these robes and badges carried more star designs, appearing even more special than Siren de''s.

    "E-Elder Yang?"

    Siren de was shocked at such a sudden decision. He kept his sights on Elder Yang and at least wanted to know why for such a hasty decision.

    In the end, he knows he has the absolute authority to do this but rarely would this ever happen even if that Mage is more special than him!

    Even Darcel, Ani, and Masami were a bit taken aback at the abruptness.

    But, in the face of everyone''s confusion, Elder Yang''s expression never wavered. He simply nced at Siren de, telling him, "Show them to the Spirit Rank quarters. Their room is inscribed on the badge."

    Without waiting for their reactions, Elder Yang then vanished in a faint crimson sh.

    Once alone, everyone blinked their eyes over that sudden encounter.

    Although it wasn''t before long they all came back to their senses, and Masami immediately erupted into a loud voice.

    "What the hell?! If he''s one of the Elders here with that much authority, why the hell didn''t he give us any exnation or anything? That was just being mysterious just for the sake of seeming like some mysterious expert!"

    Even though she was legitimately taken aback by Elder Yang''s unfathomable aura, Masami was still daring enough to rain down her frustrations.

    Honestly, she wouldn''t even be this annoyed if they had gotten more than two-sentence from Elder Yang.

    The way Elder Yang handled things reminded her too much of the high-rankings Elders in her sect. And she holds a considerable amount of resentment towards those people.

    "While I can assume he''s busy with other business, that indeed was too abrupt. Moreover, he obviously spied on us since he came right on time here. If he just would''ve spoken a little bit more then."

    Ani sigh towards the end of her words. Previously, she already made several expectations about this Mage group beforeing here.

    And it seems like her guesses are right on the money.

    Not even an hour into joining this organization, and already she, Darcel, and Masami are going to cause massive waves.

    One part of Ani was intrigued about how this will develop, while another part grew increasingly cautious over inevitable trouble.

    Either way, she knows their time here won''t be quiet at all.

    Darcel was the only that chose to stay quiet. In the depths of his mind, he picked up on faint permeation from Elder Yang.

    Beyond just instantly granting them great titles and positions, Elder Yang most likely has something brewing for them. After all, with the phenomenon he and the girl''s caused, it would be weirder if the higher-ups had no opinions at all.

    At this thought, Darcel mentally prepared himself for whatever schemes these old figures have storming in their minds.

    "Haah.so it''s really like this."

    Siren de quietly muttering, gaining the trio''s attention. Shaking his head, he then continued to say, "Since it has to be like this, follow me to your quarters. In there, we have everything you need to know about our organization."

    Now, Siren de''s tone almost sounded tired, as if he just experienced several heavy loads of news. And in a way, he indeed did undergo several twists and turns in just a span of minutes.

    After this, he certainly needs a long moment to himself to deeply contemte all of these matters.

    For now, Siren de simply suppressed the waves in his mind, walked over towards the door, and promptly left the room.

    As he left, a collective sigh exhaled from Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously. Even though so much happened at once, the tiro at least saw this as a positive direction to go into.

    "Alright, cmon. Let''s get all rested up. By then, we''ll have all the room to think and talk." Darcel told while walking up to the door.

    After sharing a brief nce between each, Ani and Masami promptly followed behind him.

    .

    Under Siren de''s lead, the trio was swiftly taken to the second floor of their organization.

    This ce was for all the Spirit Ranked Mages within the organization.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami initially found it a bit incredulous that despite having far fewer Spirit Ranked Mages, they still have a whole floor dedicated to them.

    ording to Siren de, they learned that their organization was separated into four levels.

    The first level is for the thousands of normal ranked Siren Mages. These Mages realm vary from High Mages towards the Gold Mage realm. Their numbers were quite plentiful, but this building could fit them all.

    Compared to cultivators building, the way Mages run there is quite different.

    They could create numerous more rooms and small paces through the application of Formation Spell Magical Marks.

    While Formation Spell Magical Marks are generally used forbat,prehending Magical Energy or any other action rted situation. These Magical Marks are also perfect for daily necessities.

    The power contained inside these Magical Marks is enough to create a small yet stable pocket dimension, where most if not all rooms are made.

    At first, hearing Magical Marks had this kind of ability was certainly impressive to Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    However, they quickly learned these pocket dimensions are very limited.

    Firstly, these pocket dimensions run solely off the Formation Spell the Magical Marks were imbued with. Meaning, these rooms will be like any ordinary room, and if the Magical Marks are even slightly ruined, the pocket dimension would copse and immediately kill whoever may be in the room at that time.

    Thankfully, these Formation Spell Magical Marks are in a perfectly secured ce that''s guarded by the Elders of their organization.

    With all this in mind, their structure began to make more sense to the trio.

    Beyond the first level is Spirit Ranked Mages quarters. The third level is for the senior Spirit Ranked Mages, and the fourth level is for the Elders, Vice Leaders, and Leader.

    Truthfully, it is a simple structure yet made highlyplex by the addition of Magical Marks.

    And as Darcel, Ani and Masami rummaged on these thoughts, they didn''t even notice that Siren de had suddenly stopped.

    Right then, Siren de called out to the trio, causing them to snap their attention towards him.

    "Going off from your badges, this will be you three sleeping quarters. I assume there''s no issue with you three staying together?"

 Chapter 298: Unable To Accept

    Chapter 298: Unable To ept

    "There''s no issue at all with this." Darcel unashamedly told Siren de.

    Even though their actions didn''t outwardly give away their rtionship, they had no reason to hide it anyways.

    In fact, Darcel could even detect a faint trace of happiness, mainly from Masami over publicly saying their rtionship.

    Out of the three of them, she does like to show off the most. And their rtionship is most certainly something she''s highly proud of it.

    Thinking of this, Darcel found it a bit amusing. To think when he first met her, she was prone to getting embarrassed far easier.

    Now, she''s highlypetitive with Ani to gain more of his attention, no matter the sensual act.

    Pushing down his entertaining thoughts, Darcel held his crimson badge towards the door, interjecting a trace of Magical Energy in it.

    A faint red sh lit up both the badge and the door. Immediately the door flung open automatically. Siren de took a step to the side, allowing the trio the first look into the room.

    As Darcel''s group stepped in, Siren de told them, "While Elder Yang didn''t exin before, there''s really isn''t any need for exnation. Everything you want to know about our organization will be on the shelves here. Farewell for now."

    Without giving the trio a chance to react, Siren de promptly took off in another direction. He smoothly navigated through the silent corridor, quickly vanishing from Darcel''s group sights.

    "Hmph. Was that guy so pressure by us?" Masami couldn''t stop herself from snorting.

    The way Siren de so hastily retreated almost made it seem like she, Darcel, and Ani were some kind of genuine monsters.

    "Hmmm."

    Ani briefly trailed her eyes to where Siren de left, a strange light swirling within them. But almost immediately afterward, she focused back on their now open door, saying,

    "Well, what we do was certainly mind-boggling. But, enough about him. Cmon, let''s check out our new ce."

    On her words, Ani, Masami, and Darcel strolled right into their room.

    After stepping in, the door had automatically shut closed behind them. Finally, alone and out of sight from anyone, the trio took off their masks, revealing their gorgeous faces.

    Their eyes then roamed the room, taking particr note of the distinct differences in detail Mages have.

    For their room, it isrge, spacious, and nicely design. The crimson paint here seemed to have a shinier coat than any other previous areas. Compared to the outside, the Magical Energy here was also of a purer quality.

    From only seconds of standing in the room, the trio could quickly tell absorbing Magical Energy here would yield greater results.

    There were other little necessities liter around the whole room, but what really got Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s attention was the shelf.

    Upon the shelf sat various Magical Arts books and Siren Blood Mage books. The Siren Blood Mage book''s cover detailed everything they needed to know.

    While the Magical Arts books looked more intriguing. They all had unique color designs and specific markings informing whatever reader of their ranks.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes practically lit up with intrigue.

    Strolling over to the bookshelf, Masami was the first to ask, "So what should we start with first? I''m thinking of diving right into these Magical Arts."

    "Hm, before that, how about we read up on the structure of this ce first? We''ll need to know that since we''ll be here for quite some time." Ani expressed her opinion next.

    Neither girl wanted to take even a second of rest. Even though they''ve been constantly at it non-stop, Ani and Masami only have the drive to grow even stronger.

    The girls wanted to keep this momentum rolling, especially after experiencing several deep thoughts during their Magical Marks breakthrough.

    Furthermore, they both simply had a high intrigue in all things rting to Mages.

    Without even needing to hear their thought process, Darcel could practically see it through their subtle actions.

    And, of course, he was on the same boat as keeping their momentum rolling.

    After thinking about it for a moment, he arrived at a swift conclusion on how they should divide their time. Running his hands along the books, Darcel told the girls,

    "Let''s do it like this. Ani, you can pick out the important parts we must read in the structure book while Masami can see which Magical Art would be most suited for us. I''ll also do the same with the Magical Arts books."

    "Sounds good." Ani promptly when to work, grabbing hold of the Siren Mage book.

    "Let''s see if all this talk is worth it." Masami simrly dived straight into one of the Magical Arts books.

    Darcel soon joined with them, picking up one of the Magical Arts books at the highest point of the shelf.

    .

    Hours quickly flew by.

    What was once an originally typical, calm day for the Siren Blood Mage organization now turned into a chaotic sight.

    Within the main lounge, hundreds of Siren Mages gathered around. And everyone there was in utter disarray.

    Shocking news and rumors were getting passed around, and the Siren Mages who weren''t there to see it was having a difficult time believing anything.

    Of course, the discussion in question came in the form of Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    "I just don''t understand this. How can merely three cultivators get everyone so worked up? Scew those rumors that say their Magical Aura has great potential. A bunch of bullshit!"

    "Yea, there''s just no way they all can have talent even better than High Mages. I''ll eat shit if they do. Like seriously, it''s biologically impossible!"

    "Heh! Who knows, maybe they actually failed, putting up a front and silently left our ce with their tails tucked in between legs. I mean, nobody has seen a trace of them for hours."

    As the news of Darcel''s group spread around, naturally, many Siren Mages wanted to see just how powerful these cultivators are.

    However, despite discussion going around for a couple of hours now, there still wasn''t any word about them.

    More curiously for the Siren Mages was the fact that Siren de hasn''t been seen for hours as well.

    Most obviously, the Siren Mages could tell something happened to the trio cultivators. And the anticipation of knowing was legitimately eating away at some Siren Mage''s minds.

    At the same time all of this chaos was urring, the Siren Mages who had experienced Darcel''s group might at first hand chose to stay silent.

    Even at this point, they all hoped what happened earlier was just some sort of cheap trick.

    Looking back on the event, those Siren Mages know something like Magical Aura is impossible to fake.

    However, their delusions was still strongly prevalent. After all, it''s an immensely tough pill to swallow that people who logically shouldn''t be able to do it are now performing the impossible.

    Right then, as fervent discussion ranged on, one lone figure stepped into the main lobby.

    This single person caused all conversation to die down as the Siren Mages poured their attention on him.

    The person standing calmly against all gazes was Siren de. The one everyone was wondering what on earth happened to him.

    And now that he was here, questions began to spring into everyone''s mind.

    However, before anyone could utter even a squeak, Siren d raised his hand, shushing them all. Keeping his facepletely indifferent, he then spoke in a cid, even tone.

    "You all are wondering about the cultivators, I presume? Well, to answer your questions, they indeed became Siren Mages. But not just regr Siren Mages; they''re actually Spirit Rank Siren Mages. And.I''m sure everyone here knows what this means."

    Siren de''s voice loudly bounced off the walls, drilling into everyone''s eardrums. However, despite clearly being heard, no one was able to react.

    For a brief moment, a suffocating silence wrapped the lobby.

    Everyone was trying to fully process Siren de''s words. Did they hear that right? Three cultivators suddenly reached the Spirit Mage realm and additionally became Spirit Rank Siren Mages?!

    All at once within just hours?!

    "Th-this just can''t be right!!"

    Once one Siren Mage couldn''t hold it in anymore, the rest of the Siren Mages followed in his footsteps.

    Chaotic uproars was unleashed all at once!

    After all, how could something like that even be possible? Even for the highest of talent Mages, it would be impossible to achieve the great Spirit Mage realm in just mere hours.

    Most Mages can''t even achieve the Gold Mage realm!

    No matter what, many Siren Mages were convinced that something had to be wrong here.

    All the while, the Siren Mages who were already aware of Darcel''s grouptent Magical Aura, started to uncontrobly tremble.

    So what they sensed at that time wasn''t a fluke! These Siren Mages stayed rooted to their spots, unable to speak up about anything.

    Right then, amidst the loud bustling, one powerful voice loudly spoke out above all others.

    "Siren de, this has to be some sort of mistake within the Magical Marks, no? Surely, if something as critical as this would immediately be broadcasted across the entire organization than letting us sit in the dark."

    Immediately all eyes gathered on the who spoke.

    It was a refined-looking handsome man that spoke, and he is currently strolling towards the center of the lobby.

    The gazesnding on this man was filled with nothing but respect. An equal amount of respect as Siren de.

    This man was Siren Star, a Magepletely equal to Siren de in terms of prowess and status.

 Chapter 299: Upcoming Demonstration

    Chapter 299: Uing Demonstration

    Just from Siren Star''s words alone, a lot more Siren Mages started to be restless. After all, what he said indeed wasn''t wrong.

    Howe literally nobody was informed they got three newly Spirit Ranked Mages Seniors?

    The great Spirit Mage realm isn''t just for status or grandiose saying. This realm is what separates the powerful Mages from the regr Mages!

    In a way, it''s heavily simr to the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    Within both realms, a person will experience a monumental change, granting them abilities that weaker people would see as god-like.

    Heavenly Transformation cultivations gain the power to unleash Heavenly Qi, an energy that could easily shatter mountain peaks with a single stroke.

    There was also additional abilities such as Heavenly Aura, which allows someone to bring thousands of weaker people to their knees without even having to lift a single finger.

    And this powerful realm was nearlyparable to the Spirit Mage realm.

    However, what ismonly known throughout even the entire Nine Provinces is that Spirit Mages have a greater edge over any Heavenly King!

    Within the Spirit Mage realm, a Mage would be able to grasp the Spirit Magic level of Magical Energy.

    Spirit Magic energy grants Mages a variety of powerful abilities.

    One of the most notorious abilities at this level is being able to cast Magical Formations from a Mage Staff! The effects of Magical Formations widely vary but are all powerful.

    Some Spirit Mages can even grasp a Magical Formation that would allow them to seal off a person''s cultivation or another Mage''s Magical Energy!

    And, of course, there are far more powerful effects simr to this and even better than this.

    With all this in mind, the status of a Spirit Mage is far greater than what even Heavenly Transformation cultivators have.

    Such news absolutely can''t be left in the dark!

    As the seconds grew, more and more suspicious raised in the Sire Mages'' minds.

    At the same time, Siren de stayed quiet. His face seemed indifferent to the rising noise; however, Siren Star noticed something off about it.

    Siren de''s eyes looked like they were falling into deep contemtion. As if he had just suddenly recalled something critical at this very moment.

    A slight sinking feeling suddenly dropped into the pits of Siren Star''s stomach. He couldn''t pinpoint why but he felt like something outrageous is about toe from Siren de''s mouth.

    And right then, Siren de''s eyes fully cleared up. He calmly raised his hand, attracting attention to him again, causing the main lobby to quiet down.

    In his same indifferent tone, he told everyone, "What I told is only the truth. In fact, the one who personally promoted that trio was Elder Yang himself. He even went as far to give a badge seal of approval."

    "What?! Elder Yang did?!"

    It was like a loud thunderp burst into everyone''s ears. If Elder Yang approves of them, then it just has to be true!

    Nobody, not even Siren Star, would dare to believe that Siren de is lying.

    For starters, Siren de is one of the highest-ranking Senior members within their group. He is one of the few that can have close rtions to the Elder-level authority figures in their organization.

    This was a fact Siren Star was more aware of than anyone here.

    Although, what everyone is also aware of is the fact that Siren de has connections with Elder Yang more than any other Elders.

    Siren de even has a title for being known as Elder Yang''s right-hand man.

    It was a near impossible pill to swallow. But the Siren Mages realized then, they have no other choice but to ept this reality.

    Still, despite confirming the news, many Siren Mages felt immense willingness in the depths of their hearts.

    All of their hard work and for what? Just to get surpassed by impossible to exist cultivators?

    This could only be described as nothing else but an overwhelming cruel joke.

    Even Siren Star, who has a better temperament than most Siren Mages, couldn''t suppress the waves of his own dissatisfaction.

    "I see Siren de, I see indeed. So if this is all true and we have a trio of great Spirit Mages, surely, they would be up for a demonstration, no? You have to understand it is quite mind-boggling for any of us to ept. I believe I would be eptable enough demonstration, right?"

    Siren Star''s tone already made it seem like he will challenge the trio no matter what. He wouldn''t be able to rest soundly until he does.

    "Yea-yea! How else can we know what they are unless we see them perform!"

    "Absolutely Senior Siren Star must be the one to draw what they can truly do out."

    "Heh! I''m still suspicious that those cultivators have some divine Magical artifacts that are tricking us all!"

    Immediately, cries of agreement erupted around the main lobby. Everyone Siren Mages felt their blood pump at the thought of Siren Star fighting.

    On the other hand, Siren de wasn''t excited at all.

    When hearing that Siren Star actually wants to challenge Darcel''s group caused Siren de to act a little strange.

    Instead of promptly responding, Siren de narrowed his gaze on Siren Star. His expression looked as if he was inspecting something about him.

    Many Siren Mages raised a curious eyebrow at this.

    But before anyone could think too deeply about it, Siren de turned his attention dead inro Siren Star''s eyes.

    "If that is what you really wish for, then suit yourself. Neither I nor Elder Yang will interfere."

    After saying his final piece, Siren de swiftly turns on his heel, exiting the main lobby.

    Upon his leave, the lobby erupted back into a bustle of mbering. The current topic was Darcel''s group and Siren Star''s match.

    Even though many were finding it hard to believe this mind-shattering news, the Siren Mages couldn''t help but get increasingly excited. Supposedly two Spirit Mages are going to square off against each other!

    An event like this is rare to see. Usually, if altercations arise, it''s nearly always with the regr Siren members.

    Sometimes these matches would call for attention, depending on if they''re a powerful Gold Mage. But most of the time, these Matches are mainly personal grudges formed between members.

    Grudges like these are practically nonexistent for Spirit Mages.

    Truthfully, many know of Spirit Mages'' unfathomable power, but few actually saw them in truebat. So this uing battle will be a call for attention throughout the entire organization.

    At the very least, they''ll bear witness to a legendary figure like Siren Star showcase his prowess!

    And perhaps from it, many Siren Mages were hoping to discover some sort of insights from Siren Star''s Magical Energy.

    Admiss all of the discussion, Siren Star already silently maneuver towards a secluded part of the lobby. By him was a Siren Mage actually at the Gold Mage realm.

    This man''s expression light up in intense intrigue as he directly asked Siren Star, "Are you sure about going with this? I mean, no disrespect to you, but this is Elder Yang we''re talking about. And has he ever been wrong?"

    Siren Star took a single nce towards the Siren Mage, his eyes gaining hints of disdain.

    "Don''t you realize it already? Something definitely up. No way can I ept that a bunch of cultivators can so easily climb Magical Ranks like it''s nothing. No matter how much Spiritual Magical Essence they canprehend, this should be a straight impossibility. And I intend to get to the bottom of just how."

    Compared to cultivation, where there are numerous types of Qi energy, Magical Energy only has one type.

    On the surface, Mages seemed far less versatile because they can only use one type of energy, but that couldn''t be farther from the truth.

    As a Mage advanced through the Great Magical Realms, the Magical Energy they absorb will continue to evolve. These Magical evolutions are what signifies when a Mage had finally crossed over to the next Great Realm.

    Achieving these evolutions is no simple task at all.

    Some Mages could spend dozens of years stuck on one Magical evolution breakthrough, while others could even damage themselves in the process.

    It''smonly known that if one is too hasty with their Magical Energy to evolve, they could run of cracking their Magical Core. A crack on one''s Magical Core is essentially the equivalent of destroying a cultivator''s Martial Veins, permanently weakening them.

    Furthermore, if one runs the risk of undergoing multiple evolutions with barely any time to rest, their Magical Core can implode in themselves, instantly killing off that Mage.

    The fact that Darcel''s group isn''t some gory mess is immensely suspicious to Siren Star. A cold glint swirled in his eyes.

    Whatever sick trick is going on, he intends to permanently get rid of it for the good of his organization and for his state of mind.

 Chapter 300: Grand Magical Arts

    Chapter 300: Grand Magical Arts

    It happened near instantaneously after the meeting in the main lobby hall. Several mind-boggling news spread around the entire Siren de Organization like wildfire.

    The news being that three cultivators somehow managed to be Spirit Rank Mages within the span of hours!

    And as if this impossible-sounding news wasn''t mind-shattering enough, there''s also the news of Siren Star wanting to challenge the three of them!

    These two pieces of news struck these Siren Mages hearts like a million-ton hammer.

    Reaching the great Spirit Mage realm like it was just taking a step, how could any reasonably sound Mages possibly ept this?!

    All regr Siren Mages and even the Spirit Rank Senior Mage couldn''t suppress the violent, turbulent waves in their hearts.

    However, no matter how much they wanted to deny it, Elder Yang''s words are essentially absolute.

    Since he imed so, it only has to be true.

    But this truth made many Siren Mages feel as if all of their own hard work had been for absolutely nothing. Even more frustrating was the fact those masked youths haven''t been seen at all.

    And as the time flew past, more and more Siren Mages began to delude themselves into believing those cultivators used some sort of trick by a Spirit Artifact.

    Nobody knows what kind of Spirit Artifact could ever perfectly replicate Magical Energy.

    But this was more sounder than thinking how those cultivators can take a single leap into powerful Magical Energy.

    This delusional is why many were getting increasingly pump for Siren Star''s uing challenge. They all were assured that Siren Star can expose these cultivators for who they really are.

    Being a Spirit Ranked Mage, Siren Star, of course, knows numerous Magical Formations to expose any dirty trick.

    It is practical knowledge that Magical Energy can also directly counter cultivator''s talisman or Spirit Artifacts.

    Qi energy''s main properties are to harness pure unbridled power from the environment, allowing any cultivator to unleash devastating attacks.

    As for a branching property, Qi energy also has mystical properties, allowing cultivators to perform seemingly simr feats to Mages.

    These featse in the form of the more unique talisman and Spirit Artifacts of the world.

    However, no matter how seemingly simr it is, Qi Energy could never match Magical Energy in this area of field.

    Magical Energy''s mystical ways allow any Mage a far more profound grasp over mystical properties. This would permit any decently powerful Mage to absolutely shatter any cultivator''s talisman or Spirit Artifacts.

    Such powerful abilities even exin why the Raven Mages showed zero fear towards the Golden Crow Circle Spirit Artifacts.

    Along with all this knowledge, Siren Mages were also generally excited to just see Siren Star in action.

    A move from any Spirit Ranked Mages is no joke. Their power is something not even hundreds of peak Gold Mages can ever hope to match.

    And seeing this kind of power in action would undoubtedly be a grand spectacle.

    Furthermore, Siren Mages were banking on their luck to gain some kind of Magical insight from witnessing Siren Star''s overwhelming power.

    .

    At the same time the wildfire of news stormed the organization; Darcel''s group was actually the exact opposite of everyone.

    Despite currently being the center of nearly everyone''s attention, the trio was calm and focus.

    Within their room, Darcel, Ani, and Masami sat cross-legged, eyes closed shut. Their expression was calm like water, already fallen into apletely concentrated trance.

    Around the trio, numerous significant changes were urring within the environment.

    Streams of Magical Energy smoothly flowed into Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies.

    Each of them was seizing the Magical Energy from the air as if it was the most natural thing for them. The only difference between them was their rate of Magical Energy absorption.

    Masami was the slowest, though only just slightly slower than Ani''s Magical Energy absorption rate.

    Although, while the girls seemedparable, Darcel was a step above them.

    He was pulling far greater Magical Energy without any sweat. Hisprehension of Magical Energy improves with each passing second he cultivates.

    Of course, it wasn''t as instantaneous as his Qi Energyprehension. But it had improved to the point that would want to make Siren de violently cough out copious amounts of blood.

    Entirely unaware of just how incredible their performance is, Darcel began to think upon their next move after this session.

    Already, he can feel an inevitable breakthroughing on. A breakthrough he was sure that would simultaneously get the attention off and on their back.

    And once that happens, Darcel knows he''ll need to n out even more of their moves.

    At that moment, Darcel recalled the information Ani ryed to him and Masami.

    The key points to the Siren Blood Mage structure are missions and rewards. If they were simple grunts here, Darcel knows their time would''ve been far more troublesome.

    But since they''re Senior Siren Mages, their duties are quite simple. With their status, they haveplete free reign over their mission choosing.

    Regr Siren Mages would need to finish a set number of tier missions before they can move on to the next tier. This strict requirement is to let the higher up to see if that Mage actually has worthy enough talent or not.

    Of course, this requirement simply doesn''t exist for Darcel''s group.

    They can even choose the special high-tier missions that will grant them numerous fantastic items ifpleted.

    Additionally, Darcel, Ani, and Masami don''t need a Mage overseer when taking on a mission.

    The Mage overseer is mainly for the newly recruited Mages who shown immensely promising talent during their ritual.

    Because under normal conditions, these Siren Mages would at most only be at the High Mage realm, so an overseer would be a tremendous help.

    And with the prowess Darcel, Aniel and Masami wield, that option would only be futile.

    Once they finallypleted a mission, Darcel''s group will be rewarded with mission points.

    These mission points can be traded in for a variety of rewards. But what Darcel deemed the most important was high-ranking Magical Arts, Mage Staffs, and Spiritual Magical Stones.

    Wanting a quality Mage Staff was self-exnatory as Darcel knows he and the girlscked a proper weapon for them to use.

    Spiritual Magical Stones are used to either speed up their Magical Energy absorption, power Magical Formations, help strengthen their attacks, and a variety of other tasks.

    However, the very best reward was the high-ranking Magical Arts.

    Darcel theorizes theirbat strength will significantly grow if they can get their hands on just one of those Arts.

    In fact, as of right now, Darcel and the girls wereprehending a Grand Rank Magical Art.

    Initially, Ani and even Masam wanted to start off smaller for as to get familiar with Magical Energyprehension.

    But with a confident smile, Darcel assured them that they can easilyprehend a Grand Magical Art already.

    Such boastful ims, if anyone were to hear Darcel''s words, they would want to shred him to pieces.

    Grand Magical Arts are only for Spirit Rank Mages and above. And these Magical Arts aren''t easy to learn at all. Even the most talented of Spirit Mages struggle withprehending Magical Arts.

    It''s why there''s no shame when Spirit Mages use lower rank Magical Arts, perfecting them to aplete degree.

    The ranking of Magical Arts goes from Nascent, Gold, Grand, King, and then Saint. Within each ranking are stages of sess that tell how far a Mageprehension of that Magical Art is.

    The stage of sess goes from Low, Advanced, High, Elite, and then Master.

    The Magical Arts the trio are currently trying toprehend is a low ranking Grand Magical Art.

    And though it is low ranking, this Grand Magical Arts requires only Mages with insanely highprehension abilities.

    Typically, there would be several impossible borders that would separate a Spirit Ranked Mage from even achieving low sess.

    However, those borders didn''t hinder Darcel''s group''s smooth progress.

    This specific Grand Magical Art was called Spirit Chains.

    Learning this ability would allow a Mage to send out crimsons chains that either tightly constrict an enemy, pierce through any type of defense or defensive formation and also directly absorb the energy stored within a person Dantian or Magical Space.

    It''s only merely been hours of time since Darcel, Ani and Masami beganprehending this Grand Magical Art.

    This amount of time would basically be nothing in other Spirit Ranked Mage''s eyes.

    At the very least, a Spirit Mage could spend months just to across over one small mental border.

    That snail-like pace was nowhere to be seen for Darcel''s group.

    When six hours finally passed, Ani and Masami touched upon the borders of the Low Sucess stage!

    Subconsciously, a proud smile broke out on both of their faces.

    ''Ah~! I can feel it! This is so much different from cultivation arts but still all the easy for me. I wonder what looks Darcy and Sami will give me~?'' Ani felt like she was on cloud nine.

    ''Heh. This is almost too easy to the point I wish we chose something at a higher rank. At least then I won''t be too bored. Though, I can''t wait to see their faces morph into shock!'' Masami simrly was full of Spirit.

    At that moment, wisps of Magical crimson Energy leaked out of the girls, signifying their near arrival of the low sess stage.

    In their own minds, Ani and Masami truly believed they making better progress than each other and even Darcel.

    However, what they weren''t aware of was that Darcel is already leagues above them.

    At the same time wisps of crimson Energy leaked out of Ani and Masami''s bodies, a monumental change streamed out of Darcel''s bodies.

    Inparison to the girl''s slight leakage of crimson Energy, Darcel actually had rays of crimson Energy shooting out of him like sunlight!

    And within only a few seconds, his crimson Energy began solidifying at breakneck speed.

 Chapter 301: Low Success Stage

    Chapter 301: Low Sess Stage

    Within Darcel''s Dantian and Soul''s space, his Dragon phantom image Magical Core surged with an overflow of Magical Energy.

    As he rapidly near the Low Sucess stage of the Siren Chain Arts, slight physical changes urred within his Magical Core.

    The Dragon phantom image started to gain a bright crimson hue inside its eye sockets. Then, almost seamlessly, the crimson hue blended with the initial gray-colored Chaotic Energy.

    In mere seconds the crimson hue became more pronounced.

    And at the same time, Darcel''s Magical Core circted an overwhelming abundance of Magical crimson energy.

    Right then, Darcel was about to take a firm step intoprehending the Siren Chains Magical Arts. But before he could do so, he was met with slight resistance within his mental space.

    This slight mental block was the only line preventing him from reaching the Low Sess stage.

    For any other average Mage, this stage is the pent ultimate critical step. Failing to break past this mental block could potentially set that Mage back a dozen of steps.

    The failure would majorly consume a Mage''s mental energy, forcing them to take a long extended rest before they could attempt another breakthrough.

    Any Mage would tread incredibly lightly. For as more often than not, a Mage would fail in actually passing this boundary which is why many simply go for lower-ranking Magical Arts.

    However, Darcel didn''t belong to any sort of average crowd. He merely took a few moments to curiously inspect this mental block.

    It felt quite simr to a Qi mental block, both gushing out this invisible force that makes it seems like it''s impossible to pass through.

    Though the difference with the Magical Mental block is, most obviously, the mystical properties of Magical Energy surging into the invisible force.

    Trying to break past this boundary honestly felt more whimsical to Darcel. It was like he was about to take a step into another world entirely.

    Just from taking the time to inspect this Magical Mental block, Darcel could perceive that hisprehension improved by a little bit.

    The Magical Mental block held mystical properties that weren''t in the Magical Energy swirling inside the environment.

    Initially, Darcel thought he could take some liberties from slowly inspecting the Magical Mental block.

    However, in the next few seconds, he soon quickly realized he could only obtain slight improvement.

    The Magical Mental block only held a set amount of mystical properties. Meaning, in just this short amount of time, Darcel alreadyprehended all that he can from the Magical Mental block.

    It was a bit disappointing to realize he couldn''t go further, but Darcel quickly got over it.

    After all, on this Magical road, he''ll be experiencing plenty more Magical Mental blocks. And he suspects, once he gets very far into the great Magical Realms, these mental blocks can aid him in achieving massive breakthroughs on all aspects of his power.

    For now though, Darcel focused his mind. With a thought, he pushed through the Magical Mental block using his Magical Sense.

    Ka-Cha!''

    The Magical Mental block broke like shattered ss, causing Darcel''s entire body to physically vibrate.

    At that moment, an immense rush of power course through his entire being! The crimson rays of energy gushing out of Darcel hadpletely solidified and then morphed into a true image.

    In that instance, their whole room was engulfed by a blinding crimson shade bursting out of Darcel''s body!

    Darcel''s Magical Energy quickly rise while he experienced several changes within his mind.

    The Siren Chains Arts requires one to have great control over Magical crimson energy.

    Simr to cultivator''s Laws Energy, Magical Energy has numerous forms that all carry various types of prowess.

    While Magical Energy is only one single type of energy, its versatility is unfounded.

    And crimson Magical energy is an incredibly aggressive form of Magical Energy. It specifically specializes in shredding absolutely anything in the path while also grasping other forms of energy to aid its own power.

    Controlling Magical crimson energy means controlling the incredible aggressive instincts thate with it.

    And in the brief moment, when Darcel was an inch away from achieving the Low Sess stage, he felt it.

    An overwhelming urge to crush anyone and everyone that gets into his sight. He wanted to break free from his spot and fight the whole entire Siren Blood Mage organization just to satisfy his needs!

    Admittedly, Darcel felt slightly tempted by these urges for just a brief moment.

    However, he soon disdainfully snorted within his mind.

    ''Tch, trying to make me act of instincts? This much is nowhere near enough to even prickly my mind!'' Darcel becamepletely firm at this moment.

    Ever since the start of his journey, he had to learn to control his instinct urges because of his Yin Pleasure powers.

    Without his finesse of control, Darcel would have been jumped on Ani years ago. Furthermore, he also would push down any other random beauties because it so pleases his Yin Pleasure desires.

    But, none of this will evere to fruition.

    Through his ve years in the Parsol Orgaznation, he forcefully tempered himself to always keep his calm.

    He absolutely needed this temperament since any wrong move, and his life could''ve been actual hell at the hands of those scientists and doctors.

    Afterward, Darcel''s temperament only grew. It significantly transformed after the disastrous meeting with the yellow-eyed woman.

    Nowadays, Darcel wasing to learn to split his resolve for power and dining in fleshly and soul pleasure with both Ani and Masami.

    So something like this mere Magical crimson energy instincts was nothing but a tick to him!

    With nothing but his own powerfully determined will, Darcel crushed the aggressive instinct by simply using his Magical Sense, unleashing the final dam burst of crimson Magical energy!

    ''Hu~!''

    An immense tidal wave of Magical Energy, greater than what he gushed out before, released from Darcel like a hurricane.

    The Magical Energy burst dispersed the blinding crimson shade, revealing Darcel''s new figure to the world.

    Sprouting from his back like they were some kind of Spirit Monster tendrils were beautifully bright Magical crimson Siren chains!

    Each crimson chain exuded a pure threatening vibe as if it could tear through anything in the world.

    "Ahh?!/What the?!"

    Even Ani and Masami awoke from their Magical concentration, their voices ovepping simultaneously. All at once, they sensed an immense power that caused even them to feel threatened.

    Immediately, their eyes snapped towards Darcel''s Siren Chains as if they had a natural maic pull emitting out from there.

    When seeing the Siren Chains, the girls went rigid, their eyes lighting up in a mix of shock and glee.

    "So he once again surpasses us but holy. Darcy power.it feels so, so.intense!" Ani blurted her shock.

    Tiny beads of sweat were even slowly dripping down her cheek.

    "This guy must always be in the spotlight. But sheesh! This is really overboard. How is his power so intense just from this one damn Art?"

    Masami didn''t hold back her thoughts. She, just like Ani, could feel small beads of sweat trickled down her cheek.

    Their sweat wasn''t from fear. But rather attempting to bear the full brunt of Darcel''s power in their base state.

    Typically, this would be no issue for them. However, now, they genuinely felt they were pushing against a heavy force.

    And as their awe grew, another feeling began to rise in the girls.

    They can''t just let Darcel get massively farther than them. They also were insane geniuses!

    The girls firmly believe if Darcel can do it, then they can as well. At that moment, theirpetitive spirit burned with great intensity.

    Right then, a soft smile broke out on Darcel''s face. If he keeps on performing like this, he''s d it raises the girl''s burning drive.

    Repeated moments like this, and Darcel was sure he can get the girls back on track.

    Pushing these thoughts down, for now, Darcel flung open his eyes. Under Ani and Masami''s burning gazes, he cracked his neck a bit, adjusting himself to this new power flowing throughout him.

    "Amazing. This is just the low sess stage, but I already feel far more power than before." Darcel spoke his honest feeling.

    By just thinking about moving his Siren Chains, he could ordingly sway each chain to his will.

    As he did so, Masami loudly snorted, crossing her arms with a slight huffy expression. "Hmph. And now you just want to show off. But don''t get toox, Darcel; we''ll catch up soon enough!"

    Darcel only gave a calm smile in return, which only serves to make Masami''s brow twitch in annoyance.

    On the other hand, Ani wryly smile, casually shrugging her shoulder as she said,

    "Ah. Let''s not harp on this too much, Sami. In fact, now that Darcel''s the first one done, shall we do something more engaging?"

 Chapter 302: Mage Match

    Chapter 302: Mage Match

    Promptly Darcel and Masami snapped their attentions onto Ani.

    Intrigue raised in Masami''s gaze. Off from just the top of her hand, she could think of several engaging things they all could engage in.

    And these things unknowingly caused her body to slightly heat up. Though, of course, she kept her expression cool and calm.

    Darcel was simrly curious. After moving around his Siren Chains a few more times to get a better feel, he retracted them back into his body.

    At that moment, his previous overwhelming Magical Aura cleared up, allowing Ani and Masami to subconsciously breathe better.

    Curling his eyebrows at her, Darcel then asked, "Just what kind of engaging things? I''m a bit surprised you girls immediately want to do it after cultivating."

    "Ah~? No, not anything like that, for now."

    Ani sounded calm though there was a hint of a blush creeping on her and Masami''s cheek.

    Suppressing the tingles coursing through her body, she told them, "I was moreso thinking of going out to stretch our bones. We''ve been cooped up in here for hours, and I think we''ve got enough control over Magical Energy. A mission is exactly what we need to see our limits. Plus, I have a feeling Sami, and I won''t be as quick as you with these Magical Arts."

    As she spoke, Ani stood up to stretch. Her bewitchingly curvaceous body cracked with audible pops of Magical Power. Just from this short session, she, too felt stronger than before.

    "Oh I''ve been waiting for this."

    Masami instantly sprang to her feet, her foxtails swishing in growing excitement. "I never was the one for boring extended close door session. Fights are far better if we want to truly learn. And though I don''t want to admit it so easily but you''ll be a step ahead of us, Darcel. Only for a little bit, though!"

    Darcel silently nodded, rising to his feet as well. His mind quickly went over the potential mission they could do.

    For a variety of missions, the difficulty varies because of what they specifically have to do.

    Not all missions involve fighting and or killing. Some include helping out other organizations with Magical Formations, exploring areas ward off by a Magical Barrier, or even aiding random rouge Mages groups.

    These missions also provide fantastic rewards that are legitimately temping for Darcel to consider.

    However, Darcel soon put those missions out of his mind.

    For sure,ter on in their journey, he and the girls will need to gain practice on a specific control of Magical energy. But as of now, they need to thoroughly test the limits of theirbat strength.

    With the recent upgrade provided to them, Darcel could even sense theirbat prowess is no longer the same.

    Magical energy and the Magical Marks awaken something that was most likely slumbering deep within them all.

    Previously, Darcel wasn''t confident to say he and the girls could face even Mid-ranks Heavenly transformation cultivators. They did have a slight struggle killing that skeleton ice creature back in the Frozen Prison domain.

    But now, Darcel''s confidence soared to a high degree.

    He firmly believes that not only can they crush any Low-ranks Heavenly Kings but also Mid ranks Heavenly Kings!

    His confidence mainly came from Siren de''s expression after their ritual was done.

    Siren de is an existence that is most likely around Mid or High-rank Heavenly Kings. With his age and experience, Darcel didn''t doubt he could contend with powerhouses such as the Snow Angel group''s captains or four leaders.

    And this kind of powerhouse was genuinely afraid of his Magical Power.

    If that didn''t speak volumes, Darcel didn''t know what else could.

    The only thing was that neither Ani nor Masami paid much attention to this. Currently, the girls believed theirbat prowess didn''t grow that much.

    At least not to the point where they could significantly skip over levels.

    And this thought, Darcel believed he could rectify with a high-tier mission.

    Right then, Darcel was just about to open his mouth to speak. However, his words caught in his throat when he suddenly sensed a presence near their door.

    A split secondter, a loud knock was heard from the door.

    "Hmph! Just what the hell do they want with us already?"

    Masami spoke with slight annoyancecing her tone, obviously not fond at the thought of conversing with any of these Siren Mages.

    "To be fair to them, Sami. We did shatter records within one night." Ani seemed more reasonable. But both Darcel and Masami could tell her tone contained some slight dissatisfaction.

    In the first ce, she never was fond of Mages and found these Siren Mages as too brazen.

    On the other hand, Darcel gave a slight, wry smile while shaking his head. He could understand the girl''s plight, but it honestly didn''t bother him much.

    Walking over to the door, Darcel first put his mask on before opening it up. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, seeing it was Siren de.

    In a calm tone, he asked, "Is there something you need from us?"

    Before responding, Siren de took a moment to gaze over Darcel. Outwardly, besides him now donning the Siren Magical robes, there wasn''t anything distinctly different about him.

    However, Siren de couldn''t suppress this odd feeling of slight trepidation.

    For some reason, he felt as if Darcel already grew even stronger. His restrained Magical Aura felt far more controlled as if he already became incredibly proficient in using it.

    A strange light swirled within Siren de''s eyes. The possibility was certainly there, but Siren de quickly refocused his mind.

    Wanting to get this meeting over with, he promptly said, "I''vee to inform that Siren Star is requesting a Mage Match from either one of you. It doesn''t matter who or if you three evene at him together. In fact, he''s hoping for that case."

    "This.news sure do travel fast around here, huh?"

    Ani immediately furrows her brows at this news. Suspicions wrapped around her mind knowing that their mere presence is already heavily disliked here.

    A Mage match seemingly out of the blue just reeked with some sort of hidden ploy to her.

    "Tch, already trouble? Since he''s a Siren rank, isn''t he already pretty powerful? Just what''s his goal?"

    Masami as well promptly grew suspicious. No matter how up she is for action, she''s also inly aware of their negative status here. Above wanting action, safety for their liveses first.

    "A Mage match hm?" In direct contrast to the girls, Darcel began to ponder about the rules of this situation.

    A Mage Match is another way to gain a lot of valuables all at once.

    The loser of a Mage Match must give half of what they own in their room to the victor, no question ask. This rule is enforced by the Elders of the organization, so it was impossible to scam anyone.

    Mage Matches don''t often happen for this reason.

    Although sometimes, between the regr Siren Mages, bubbling internal conflicts that can''t be smoothed over do get settled by a Mage Match.

    As for Senior ranked Mages, Darcel was well aware of the fact that Mage Matches very rarely, if ever, urs for them.

    From this, he could tell their Mage Match will gain a lot of traction.

    With this thought in mind, Darcel let loose a calm smile, asking Siren de, "So how long until the match is set up?"

    "Darcy!/Hey!"

    Ani and Masami simultaneously reacted, their eyes boring a hole into Darcel''s backside.

    Both of their expressions morphed into worry, believing they can''t so recklessly jump into this. After all, there were too many unknowns in this situation, and theirbat prowess couldn''t possibly match an experience Spirit Ranked Mage!

    But right as Ani and Masami were about to express their worries, Darcel raised a hand at them, causing the girls to momentarily stop.

    Within their minds, Ani and Masami heard Darcel''s calm voice say, ''Just wait until he leaves.''

    Unaware of what was happening, Siren de simply answered Darcel with, "The match will begin in two hours. The books we have here will guide you over to the arena."

    "I see. Thanks for the news; we''ll be over there then." Darcel nodded in response.

    With his piece said, Siren de promptly strolled off down the halls.

    Closing the door behind him, Darcel whipped around to Ani and Masami''s inquisitive expression.

    Ani had her hands sped together, her face a mix of ponderance and questioning as she gazed at Darcel.

    While Masami had her arms crossed under her massive bust, her expressions surprisingly stern. Starting off first, Masami pointed her foxtails straight at Darcel, immediately asking him,

    "Why do we need to y into their hands? Screw what everyone else thinks of us! I can hold off any dissatisfaction until we get strong enough to sweep them away. Until then, we shouldn''t do any unnecessary risks!"

    Despite how aggressive her tone was, the concern in Masami''s eyes was clear as days.

    "I''m never the one to back down from a challenge. But Sami''s right Darcy. These Mages can be craftier than cultivators. I can''t forget those Raven Mages trying to pluck us off once we were utterly exhausted. Best to wait until we have sufficient strength to make a ruckus." Ani''s expression was the utmost of serious and worried.

    And seeing their reaction, Darcel could only internally shake his head.

 Chapter 303: No Hesitation

    Chapter 303: No Hesitation

    ''Still, no matter how sudden this way is, at least this is more of a direct method of convincing.'' Though the girl''s response was concerning, Darcel still found this moment as a sudden blessing.

    If they still had the same mentality during the time before the Mercenary Exchange Event, both Ani and Masami would unhesitatingly rise to this challenge.

    Hell, Darcel was sure Masami would be the one pushing to fight first.

    But now they''re overly cautious, almost to an overt degree. He could very well understand why, though.

    All of their fights have just been on the heavily suppressed side until just recently.

    And even when they triumph over that undead Ice creature, they won, but they still managed to get injured in the process.

    The undead Ice creature at most had half-step Heavenly Transformation prowess yet, it still gave them some trouble.

    Afterward, they didn''t fight with the Lightning Mage group, so they had no telling on how truly powerful they are.

    And with the way Ani and Masami are acting, they won''t be able to push themselves to that extent, reaching the borders of their limits.

    No matter how much assurance or care Darcel gives to them, the yellow-eyed woman''s trauma was deeply rooted in their subconscious.

    Even for the most veteran of cultivators, unless they were already born in a ruthless environment, experiencing near or death itself can change anyone.

    Of course, Darcel more than understood that being cautious can help save them from numerous situations. Their cautiousness now is how theynded up as Mages and now inside a powerful organization.

    However, their cautious streak can''tst forever.

    Without taking extreme risks, one where it seems their lives would be assuredly lost, they will never be able to repeatedly shed their limits.

    By now, Darcel actually felt slightly grateful for the yellow-eyed woman. Without that event, their overly high confidence might''vended them in an irreversible situation.

    Now that they were on a more equal ying field with everyone, Darcel was assured they could mature better and grow far more powerful like this.

    In their merciless world, only the strong prevail. And to reach that point, risks that involve jumping into certain dangers are inevitable.

    With all that he experienced so far, Darcel believed this was an unspoken rule in their world.

    So no matter if this Mage Match was a trap or not, Darcel was going to straight jump into this pit, uncaring about the dangers.

    And it wasn''t like he wasn''t nning this out. As of now, he hadplete confidence in hisbat prowess.

    That confidence spread out to his face as he gave Ani and Masami an assured smile. Hoping to ease the girl''s mind, he began his n, telling them,

    "Just trust me on this. Despite what you may think, we''re actually much stronger than before. Magical Energy and those Magical Marks profoundly changed us in ways you don''t even realize yet. Of course, just words alone isn''t enough to prove this. So I''ll do it in action."

    "You."

    Both Ani and Masami didn''t know what to say to Darcel''s overwhelming confidence.

    The way he''s standing so tall and firm almost reminded them of their time before the Mercenary Exchange Event.

    However, this time, Darcel just seemed far more.wiser?

    Ani and Masami didn''t know how to put it in words, but it was like his mentality experienced so much change without them even fully realizing it.

    These thoughts swirled in the girl''s minds as they intently and silently stared at Darcel for a few seconds.

    Then finally, Masami was the first to relent. She released an annoyed sigh while keeping up her firm re.

    "Dammit, you''re really annoying when you get like this, you know? Hmph, whatever. What that guy say? Two hours right? Let''s just keep on practicing until it''s time to go."

    "Fufu~. Well, Sami, you can''t deny that daring Darcy certainly is charming." Ani lightly giggles out, causing Masami to roll her eyes.

    Then letting out a soft sigh herself, she continues to say, "But it is indeed worrisome. So we really need to step up our game, right Sami?"

    "I was nning on doing that whether or not you said anything. Don''t forget, I''m still the Heavenly King here."

    Masami had that spark of a cocky edge in her tone. And as Ani''s smile started to turned teasing, presumably to agitate the aggressive fox girl, Darcel felt like he achieved a significant step.

    From here on out, he was sure things will only get better.

    .

    Two hours swiftly passed.

    At this time, the entire Siren de Mage organization was in an uproar. Deep within the organization was a massively vast arena.

    The arena was designed to hold tens of thousands of people, amassing a stadium that stretched out for hundreds of feet.

    Typically, despite being sorge, the Magic Arena would barely have anyone on it.

    Besides the Siren Mages that needed to do a routine check-up, this ce would be devoid of people.

    However, just for today, nearly the whole Magic Arena was fulled up! Thousand of Siren Mages gathered with the utmost eager anticipation.

    After all, this would be a showcase of a lifetime!

    Everyone was expecting to bear witness to Siren Star''s unfathomable power and see how he deal with those despicable cultivators.

    "No matter what, no matter what, this all just hast be a Spirit Artifact trick! Cultivator''s shameless means have no bound."

    "To think it''s been a full day already, and there''s been no sign of that trio. Maybe when hearing Siren Star wants a match, they tucked their tails between their legs to stay cooped up in their rooms. Like pathetic cowards most cultivators are."

    "Those cultivators were doomed from the beginning. Wanting to make a mockery of our Magic? Dream on!"

    An unending stream of jeers echoed out from the massive crowds of Siren Mages.

    By now, everyone knows that Elder Yang officially prompted Darcel''s group as Siren Mages. However, that was just it. No other Elders came out to also confirm, nor did Elder Yang give any more information.

    And when attempting to ask, all Siren Mages received nothing from the Senior Ranked members.

    Thisck of information only caused the Siren Mage''s seeds of doubt to crazily burst open.

    No matter how much they believed in Elder Yang''s words, a part of their brain refused to ept that Darcel''s group reached the Spirit Mage realm in a single leap.

    That kind of Magical Talent only seems like a horrid joke made to rile up any reasonable-sounding Mage.

    With suspicions only growing and nobody there to suppress it, of course, the Siren Mages deluded themselves into believing Darcel''s group cheated.

    Almost everyone in the Magic Arena eagerly awaited to see Darcel''s group downfall.

    But, there was a select few who couldn''t help but feel nervous about this match. The Siren Mages, who first bear witness to Darcel''s grouptent Magical Aura, felt like things will go terribly.

    Not terribly for Darcel''s group but terribly for Siren Star.

    They all hoped this was just a faint, fleeting feeling. But, no matter how hard they try to suppress it, this ominous feeling was unable to go down.

    All the way down on the center stage, Siren Star stood tall and proud with his hands sped behind his back.

    Truthfully, he was half expecting Darcel''s group to not show up.

    It wouldn''t surprise him. There''s no forced requirement for one to ept a Mage match. If one wanted to, they could simply reject the match without any penalty.

    While one''s reputation may damper, it was better than losing half of what they own.

    On the other hand, if Darcel''s group did show up.the light in Siren Star''s eyes only be colder.

    Before this match, he already had a discussion with Siren Star, curious to see if Elder Yang is nning something with Darcel''s group.

    And when he heard that Elder Yang simply prompted them and nothing else, Siren Star saw this as easy picking.

    It wouldn''t matter what he does to Darcel''s group. Nobody will show up to protect them. While killing doesn''t often happen within Mage Matches, no rule prevents them from doing so.

    However, Siren Star just doesn''t want to kill Darcel''s group; he was nning to use this as an example for all cultivators in their time.

    Once this match was over, Siren Star was sure of causing a change within the entire Azog Ice Town.

    Right then, Siren Star got interrupted from his vicious thoughts when loud shouts boomed throughout the whole arena.

    "Hey, look! Those three really did show up!"

    Directing his attention over towards the Matches tunnels, Siren Star and everyone else saw three masked youths strolling the exit.

    As they walked, Siren Star wrinkled his eyebrows a bit.

    These three seem calm, almost too calm for his liking. Even as thousand of attention immediately snapped towards them, Darcel, Ani, and Masami walked like they didn''t exist.

    "Tch. Just a front." Siren Star promptly squashed any other thoughts, believing these three were simply having false bravado.

    Soon enough, Ani and Masami stopped walking, standing close to the battle stage.

    All the while Darcel took calm, rxed steps forward, truly uncaring to the thousands of disdainful eyes.

 Chapter 304: Fair Fight

    Chapter 304: ''Fair'' Fight

    Without stopping, Darcel casually jumped onto the Mage stage, his expression staying entirely rxed.

    On stage, Darcel matched his calm gaze with Siren Star''s cold, calcting one.

    At this moment, it was like the entire world was against him. Thousands of people wanted to see him brutalized and or humiliated. By simply paying slight attention to the crowds of Siren Mages, Darcel already heard a variety of disdainfulments.

    "Heh, I doubt this cultivation brat can even touch a hair on Senior Siren Star''s head! No matter what Spirit Artifact he uses, it''ll all be worthless in the end."

    "After this, I hope this will open up all other dog cultivators'' eyes on another reason why Mages are simply superior."

    "Truly a joke of a battle. At least this will be highly entertaining for all of us."

    Among everything he heard, Darcel curled his eyebrows at that Spirit Artifactment.

    ''So they honestly believe we''re using that? How delusional one can be.'' Darcel found slight humor in just how crazed these Siren Mages were getting in their thinking.

    Although, he could understand why they devolved to this point. Throughout these conversations, he quickly connected the dots on what happened while he was cultivating.

    Siren de must''ve spread our news around with Elder Yang backing, leading to unreasonable conclusions to draw into these Siren Mages'' heads.

    Upon this thought, Darcel actually felt a bit pleased rather than annoyed.

    At least this way, it''lle as a more tremendous shock when he easily crushes Siren Star beneath his feet.

    And as if he was reading his mind, Darcel suddenly felt Siren Star''s Magical Aura gradually intensify.

    "So I see. You''ve decided toe, and yet only one of you is going to fight for this match? That''s some courage but also heavily foolish. Honestly, the three of you should simplye at me together so I can get this over with already."

    Siren Star''s tone was oozing with overwhelming confidence. Face to face with those suppressed rumors was truly a disappointment.

    Neither from Darcel, Ani, or Masami did he perceive any kind of powerfultent Magical Aura.

    The most he could sense was a Magical Aura that has some slight qualities of Spirit Magic energy.

    Other than confirming that they are indeed Spirit Mages, there was absolutely nothing special about this trio.

    In fact, Siren Star was starting to believe these were the weakest Spirit Mages he ever sensed in his life! At this thought, the disdain he had only grew.

    He was more sure than ever to brutalize fake Mages like them.

    ''Che! This guy sure knows how to talk bullshit! Three at once, my ass!/ How much arrogance can one have just from sensing something fake?''

    Before Darcel could even respond, he heard Masami and Ani''s thoughts pop up into his mind, respectively.

    At the same time, he also heard the crowds of Siren Mages be increasingly riled up at Siren de''s boastful words.

    All of this simply made Darcel shrug his shoulders. With almost a bored-sounding tone, he loudly said,

    "Why should we do three against one? Honestly, this match won''t be long for you. All three of us would just cause this fight to be over in an instant."

    A rising sneer contorted Siren Star''s expression. "Oh? Didn''t think you''re false bravado is this hi-"

    "Excuse me, but can we start immediately?"

    Giving zero respect to him, Darcel snapped his gaze to the sky, seemingly talking to no one.

    A sh of annoyance crossed Siren Star''s eyes. Still, he also trailed his gaze to the skies, his expression promptly bing respectful.

    "So you two are ready now?"

    A powerful voice boomed from the skies. Just from his voice alone, the whole Mage Arena quickly quiets down.

    "Ready Elder Ying." Siren Star bowed his head.

    "Ready Elder Ying," Darcel repeated the same motion.

    At that, the seemingly quieting down crowd promptly became chaotic again. Their anticipation shot through the roof! Everyone wanted to see Siren Star shred right through Darcel.

    "Begin!" Elder Ying made the call, signifying the start of the match.

    And immediately, Siren Star raised a single hand. Instead of gathering his energy, he began putting his n into motion.

    Cracking a disdainful smirk, he began telling Darcel, "Since you are newly promoted Spirit Mages, I''ll make this match as fair as humanly possible. Come at with five of your strongest moves while I will onl-"

    Completely out of nowhere, Siren Star suddenly stopped himself. His eyes bulged in immense shock, almost threatening to pop out of his skull.

    Simultaneously, his body began to uncontrobly temple as if he was thrown into a freezing abyss.

    Right then, a pool of crimson Magical Energy brightly flickered from Darcel''s body like rays of sunlight.

    Everyone, even to Elder Ying, Ani and Masami, went rigid with utter bewilderment.

    Darcel spared no expense, bursting forth his full Magical Aura and crimson Magical Energy, causing clear, powerful energy ripples to streak through the air.

    A violent tempest of immense Magical Energy swept through the entire Mage Arena, shocking everyone to their soul''s core.

    "So-so powerful! But-but just how?!"

    The crowds of Siren Mages enter an uproar but for an entirely different reason this time.

    Under Darcel''s intense Magical Aura, their breathing painfully tightened as if they were getting pressured by a thousand-ton mountain.

    This kind of power was all the more shocking, considering Darcel is a full-fledged cultivator!

    And yet, he can achieve this kind of power within mere hours?! Just what kind of cruel joke are the Heavens ying with this!

    Back on stage, Siren Star couldn''t believe he was feeling.

    He was someone who''s been tempered by many experiences throughout his long, arduous life. Yet, it was at this moment he felt it, genuine fear!

    The intense power Darcel was raiding felt like he could genuinely squash him in just one move.

    ''Just what is-no, enough of this! None of that!''

    Suddenly, Siren Star violently clutches down on his palms. Blood was drawn from his hands as he desperately suppressed everything he felt in this moment.

    His once bewildered expression forcefully contorted into a fierce gaze, showing off his undisguised killing intent towards Darcel.

    "So what?! Is that it! You''re just merely a little stronger than I originally thought!" All of Siren Star''s early arrogance and cruelty vanished. He was crumbling down without him even noticing it.

    Seeing this, Darcel decided to put the final nail on the coffin for everyone watching.

    "Only a little bit stronger, huh? How about this then?"

    Immediately, Darcel''s Magical Energy explosively rises to even greater heights! The crimson Magical energy flicking out of Darcel''s body turns brighter and intenser, causing tiny cracks in the spatial zone.

    Then, under everyone''s awe gazes, a bright Siren Chain shot out from Darcel''s back like a long tendril.

    "That''s-that''s the Siren Chain Arts! Wait, hasn''t it only been a day?!" Any semnce of calm vanished from Siren Star at this moment.

    After all, neither he nor any other Siren Mage can stay calm in the face of this.

    The Siren Chain Arts isn''t some shabby Magical Art. It was a Grand Magical Art, meaning only true talent can ever hope toprehend this!

    Yet, before their very eyes, Darcel could so easily do it in a mere instant.

    All in a few seconds, everyone''s worldview was getting destroyed. Everything they thought they knew now seemed utterly fake and a joke.

    "Hey, since you seem to be having a hard time, I won''t go too far to make it seem like a fair match. Soe at me with your strongest moves, and I''ll only use five moves."

    Darcel''s ice-cold voice cut into the atmosphere, shaking the hearts of thousand Mages.

    Without waiting any longer, Darcel snapped his finger, sending the single Siren Chain straight at Siren Star.

    Shock filled Siren Star''s veins as Darcel''s crimson chain was too fast!

    He only had a couple of seconds to react, pushing forth all of his Magical Energy to form a crimson Magical Barrier.

    However, no matter how much Magical Energy Siren Star pushed out, it couldn''t let up Darcel''s immense pressure. Siren Star''s Magical Energy was but a drop in the ocean, instantly getting suppressed by Darcel''s overwhelming power.

    Then in the instance, he formed his crimson Magical Barrier, Darcel''s Siren Chain neared an inch from him.

    ''Bang!''

    A resounding shattered rocked everyone''s mind.

    Like it was made up of fragile ss, Darcel''s Siren Chain shattered Siren Star''s full power Magical Barrier to tiny wisps of fragments.

    Without losing any momentum, Darcel''s Siren Chain brutally tore right into Siren Star''s shoulder, shattering his bones and tissue muscles. Blood gushed out of him like a fountain, and Siren Star nearly felt his entire right arm go entirely numb.

    Unable to react, Darcel''s Siren Chain then released a violent storm of crimson Magical Energy directly into Siren Star''s body.

    Before Siren Star could fully register the pain, Darcel''s Siren Chain shed a blinding crimson light.

    Waves of Magical Energy made the sky tremble as the Siren Chain released a powerful burst of crimson Magical Energy!

    ''Bang!''

    "Arrgh!!"

    Siren Star''s miserable wails loudly echoed out as his blood trailed out like crimson rain.

    Akin to a ragdoll, Siren Star soared a hundred meters across the stage until pathetically tumbling close to the edge.

    Fear was visible in numerous Siren Mage''s eyes. They couldn''t take their eyes off therge gaping bloody hole on Siren Star''s shoulder.

    However, despite his wound, Siren Star''s Magical Aura never stopped growing.

 Chapter 305: Breaking All Senses

    Chapter 305: Breaking All Senses

    Inconveciable, utterly inconvincible!

    To achieve his current realm of prowess, Siren Star spent hundreds of agonizing years studying the ways of Magic. He needed to undergo countless deathly situations to repeatedly break past his limits.

    All until he reached the Spirit Mage realm, obtaining a power that hundreds of thousands of Mages can only dream of.

    His respect and status were among the clouds.

    Even if he were to meet a legendary Heavenly Sage cultivator, a title Grand Sage, he wouldn''t show any reverence.

    However, all of his previous pride, ambition, and belief were crushed in a single moment.

    Somehow, just somehow, a mere cultivator reached his level in hours. And not only reached the Spirit Mage realm, but he also has a prowess only belonging to true geniuses!

    Even with the tremendous pain coursing through him, serving as a constant reminder of this brutal situation, Siren Star still refused to ept this!

    He can''t let everything he worked for be undermined.

    No matter what, he must kill Darcel!

    Immediately, Siren Star''s eyes turned an intense scarlet, his rage boiling over like a ferocious volcano.

    Only seconds after he tumble of the ground, Siren Star sprang right back up on his feet.

    His re towards Darcel was full of only frenzied killing intent, appearing more like a deranged beast than a human.

    "You wretched cultivator!!"

    In that instance, a frantic release of Magical Energy exploded out of Siren de''s body!

    ''Huu~!"

    The entire stage tremble,rge cracks in the spatial zone split open, gushing out terrifying chilling energy.

    Siren Star didn''t care about anything else. He was releasing the full power of his Magical Energy!

    A bright crimson sh light up his hand, and a long Mage Staff appeared in Siren Star''s hands. With the Mage Staff equipped, Siren Star''s prowess only intensified.

    It climbed to a point where it actually matches Darcel''s immense Magical Energy!

    "Ahh!! It feels like I''m getting split apart!"

    The Siren Mages watching had a hard time breathing at this point. Siren Star and Darcel''s Magical Energy was far too powerful!

    Just from the ripples of Magical Energy tearing through the air, the weaker Siren Mages felt as if they were about to copse. Even the Senior Siren Mages had a difficult time withstanding their sh of energy.

    Before it got too intense, a sudden invisible Magical Barrier covered the whole audience.

    Under this Magical Barrier, no matter how strong Darcel and Siren Star was, it couldn''t affect the crowd anymore.

    Although, even as they could breathe better, immense trepidation filled all Siren Mage''s eyes. The power of the Spirit Mage realm was far beyond their feebleprehension.

    Compared to the Siren Mage''s fear and awe reaction, Ani and Masami were having none of that.

    They both needed to back away a bit from the stage while surging a small portion of their bloodline powers just to withstand the Magical pressure.

    But even though Darcel and Siren Star''s Magical Energy is great, the girls were only caring about Darcel''s safety. Masami had her fist tightly gripped and her foxtails raised at rapt attention.

    "At any sign of trouble, I''m jumping in." She quietly muttered to Ani.

    While Darcel still seemed confident against Siren Star, Masami''s worries weren''t unfounded.

    She could detect that Siren Star''s Magical Energy was even slightly stronger than the Shadow Rouge Captain they previously faced.

    And that man was a sixth-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator, the middle rank of Heavenly Kings!

    When recalling how they were utterly defeated at that time, it was easy to see why Masami got intently worried.

    Ani as well was intently worried. She never took her gaze off the stage for a second.

    Although, without moving her eyes a single inch, she grasped Masami''s shoulder, releasing a calming stream of Light Energy into her.

    While Anid did have the same worries, she managed to retain her semnce of calmness.

    In a quiet whisper, she muttered back, "Don''t forget, Darcel''s Magical Energy is easily matching his full power. Just a little bit, we wait and see what happens."

    Masami only froze for a moment before quickly relenting. Keeping her fierce gaze, she practically spat out, "Hmph! Fine, we wait. But that guy will not have a clean end."

    Back on stage, Darcel never even tried to interrupt Siren Star''s surge of Magical Energy.

    He could''ve ended the match the moment he tore into his shoulder, but Darcel didn''t find that as a good enough example.

    So with his hand sped behind his back in the same manner Siren Star initially had his, Darcel spoke with the same arrogance dripping into his tone.

    "Hey now? nning to fight all out already? I''ve barely tried with thatst attack. I thought this was a fair fight."

    Siren Star trembles with uncontroble fury. His eyes spewed raging mes as he sharply bellowed out,

    "Enough of this farce! Cloud Blood Arts!"

    Siren Star snapped both of his hands towards the sky, bright red rays of light shrouding them both. Bright red rays of Magical Energy spewed from Siren Star''s hands, intertwining together, forming into a giant blood-red cloud.

    "The Cloud Blood Arts! Senior Siren Star really wants to kill him!"

    All Siren Mages felt their blood boil over. The Cloud Blood Arts wasn''t a Grand Magical Arts like Darcel''s Siren Chains.

    But it was the peak of all Gold Magical Arts. The legendary Elite Ranking!

    The difficulty toprehend this ranking of Magical Arts wasn''t low at all. In fact, only well-versed Magical Talents even have a chance to master this Art.

    The Cloud Blood Arts allows one to unleash an unending torrent of Magical droplets and lightning. Unless one destroys the blood cloud, the cascade of Magical Attacks will never stop!

    The only catch from this powerful Magical Art was that it uses energy from the soul to continually stay afloat.

    Therefore this attack would undoubtedly cripple Siren Star''s ability to practice Magic because of his drained soul.

    But he didn''t care in the slightest.

    A crazed grin split across Siren Star''s face as then said, "Let''s see if you can act so damn cocky now!"

    At the same time, Siren Star''s hands and blood cloud sparked in a bright blood-red glow.

    Siren Star''s Magical Energy climbed to its absolute peak as he then unleashed a torrent of blood-red droplets and blood-red lightning from his Magical cloud.

    Thunderous explosions boomed across the stage as the blood-red droplets and lightning tear towards Darcel.

    ''Oh? Simr to lightning and water element but far too distinct topare.''

    In the face of the Cloud Blood Art attack, Darcel remained nearly unmoved. He only got a bit intrigue sensing some form of the elements within the attack.

    With a thought, Darcel gushed out two more Siren Chains from his back.

    Seeping a small portion of his bloodline power into this attack, Darcel snapped his Siren Chains straight at the blood-red droplets and lightning.

    Right before the attacks met, everyone''s hearts tightened.

    However, what everyone thought was going to happened didn''t ur, leaving them even more shocked.

    Instead of a catastrophic collision of Magical Energy, Darcel''s Siren Chain suddenly raised in power.

    A very faint ck light nobody, not even Elder Ying, could see surged at the tip of the crimson chain.

    ''Chi!''

    Under the tremendous power increase, Darcel''s Siren Chinpletely crushed the blood-red droplets and lightning!

    The blood-red Magical Energy was immediately vaporized to mere nothingness, unable to withstand even a split-second sh.

    And without stopping, one of Darcel''s Siren Chain soared towards the blood-red cloud, easily piercing right through it!

    An ear-splitting explosion shook the stage as the blood-red cloud imploded into tiny Magical Energy fragments.

    At the same time, Darcel''s other two Siren Chain tore into the unexpecting Siren Star''s body.

    His anguish cries shriek out again as the Siren Chain sted him like a ragdoll again. Tworge gaping holes was now in Siren Star''s adornment, showcasing his ruined organs, bones, and mangled flesh.

    As he stumbled across the stage, he left a gory trail of his entrail, causing many Siren Mages to feel sick to the pit of their stomachs.

    However, even after that brutal attack, Siren Star forcefully stopped himself, whipping up to his feet yet again.

    "Arrgh!!"

    Siren Star raised a howl that didn''t even sound human anymore. Once again, he pushed forth his Magical to its very limits. And this time, he was nning to spill his blood essence!

    "Tch, time to end this." Darcel coldly snorted, sensing Siren Star''s desperation.

    In an instant, he sent his Siren Chains at a far greater speed than anything he unleashed before.

    Siren Star could only blink in fear. Before he knew it, Darcel''s Siren Chains tightly and painfully coiled around his body.

    And in the next instance, a painful wail screeched from his throat.

    "Ah-Ahh!! My energy!!"

    Uncaring to Siren Star''s agony, Darcel swiftly absorbs all of his Magical Energy.

    The process was genuine hell for Siren Star. He felt as if all of his organs and bones were getting brutally ripped right out of him while also being unable to fall unconscious.

    Then, after only a few seconds, the bright crimson light from Darcel''s Siren Chains died down.

    Simultaneously, Siren Star''s horse screams stopped.

    Under a suffocating silence, Darcel pulled back his Siren Chains.

    Upon doing so, Siren Star crashed to his knees. He couldn''t move anymore, and the pain felt like he was actually dying.

    But still, his and thousands of other eyes fearfully stared at Darcel''s tall figure.

 Chapter 306: Rise To Fame

    Chapter 306: Rise To Fame

    Silence, there was onlyplete and total silence swallowing the entire Mage arena. Thousands of Mages stared wide eyes at Darcel, gazing at him as if he was a genuine freak of nature.

    Even Ani and Masami stayed rooted to their spots, their little mouths gasping in genuine awe.

    The girls expected Darcel''s to be strong. But for this kind of level, where it seems like the gap is tremendous?

    No, they weren''t expecting at all. In their minds, things simply weren''t adding up.

    For sure, the yellow-eyed woman had crippled theirbat prowess beyond belief. They and Darcel was basically at the mercy of any Heavenly Kings at that time.

    Then afterward, even as Darcel and Ani reached the Innate Core realm and Masami became a half-step Heavenly Transformation cultivator, theirbat prowess was still a far cry than what it originally was.

    Going off from this logic, even after the boost from the Magical Marks, Darcel''sbat prowess shouldn''t be this insanely high.

    Unless.unless what he said does hold some truth?

    Gradual realization started to shimmer within Ani and Masami''s eyes.

    Because they were so shaken up by their heavy losses, neither of them ever wanted to entertain the thought they could perform crazy feats like before.

    But seeing Darcel standing tall on stage, not even scratch on him, Ani and Masami''s minds were bing move.

    ''Perhaps.just perhaps.we can do it too?'' Both girls were still unsure of themselves.

    As the days went on, they both were bing aware that there''s a special dividing line between themselves and Darcel. But, they were still genius near his level.

    Ani and Masami could fathom that surely, they hold some familiarity between their prowess, right?

    Without them even realizing it, the girls had fallen under Darcel''s n. This battle indeed was a significant step in the right direction to regaining their confidence.

    In direct contrast to Ani and Masami''s great realizations, the Siren Mages felt like their worlds crumbled to bits and pieces.

    After all, the current scene in front of them made every Mage here into an absolute joke.

    A cultivator, through and through, managed to be a Mage.

    Furthermore, he wasn''t some mere weak Mage.

    In just a few hours, that cultivator reached the great Spirit Mage realm! The absolute diving line for tens of thousands of aspiring Mages.

    No ordinary Mage could ever hope of reaching this level of prowess.

    The Senior Siren Mages needed hundreds of years just to reach their immensely high level.

    And yet, a cultivator used only just a few hours to achieve this legendary realm.

    Despite the literal biological impossibilities all cultivators have when wanting to be Mage, it matters not for Darcel.

    And as if this didn''t shatter beliefs already, Darcel went ahead and brutally stomped on Siren Star.

    No practice, experience, or any of the sorts was needed. Darcel''s simply overpowered Siren Star by a wide margin.

    Even though Elder Yang may have announced their status, nobody could''ve expected this to happen.

    This cultivator quite literally came in and rearranged everyone''s mind.

    After this day, these Siren Mages also realized there''s no way they could suppress this shocking news.

    Soon enough, the whole Azog Ice Town will be aware that there are powerful Mage cultivators here. Their only saving grace would be that it''ll just be rumors or spection about Darcel''s group strength.

    And only they will know the whole, horrifying truth.

    Right then, Elder Ying''s powerful voice cut into the atmosphere, distracting everyone from their thoughts.

    "Siren Star lost. It is Siren Darcel''s win."

    Just these simple words caused the whole Mage arena to be rowdy once again.

    However, what was mainlying out of these Siren Mages'' mouths was their sheer disbelief over this shocking battle.

    Up on stage, Siren Star never moved an inch from his kneeling position. Despite all the injuries he suffered, his vitality was rtively high. Although, if he doesn''t get treated soon, he could very well die.

    Because of Darcel''s Siren Chains, Siren Star was unable to move on his own.

    But he didn''t have to stress about being stuck as another Siren Mage appeared on stage.

    Darcel curiously set his gaze on this Siren Mage, promptly feeling amused when a look of trepidation crossed onto his face.

    Without doing anything to stop it, that Siren Mage grasps Siren Star''s shoulder and vanishes from his sight.

    ''Oh? That''s an interesting technique. Though, I can still sense where that guy is going.'' Darcel causally mused to himself.

    Even though Darcel sensed genuine killing intent from Siren Star, he didn''t bother to pursue it. He''ll get half of his possession anyways, and killing a senior-ranked member wouldn''t do him any good.

    Focusing off from that, Darcel was truly feeling above the skies. Like he told the girls and expected from himself, his prowess isn''t anywhere near ordinary.

    Thanks to Magical Energy, he managed to achieve a transformation that probably no other person on the entire continent could reach.

    Darcel also wasn''t worried at all about broadcasting his prowess to the world. Listening to the bustle of the Siren Mages, a pleased smile settled on his lips.

    Now, there won''t be any situation like this urring again. Not even those other Senior Ranked Siren Mages would want to cause trouble with him.

    With everything he wanted to do aplished, Darcel was about to turn around and jump back to his girls.

    But before he could do so, he sensed a powerful presence suddenly appear several feet away from him.

    Darcel furrows his brows, sensing that this presence is nearly equal to Elder Yang.

    "Ah! It''s Elder Ying!"

    From all around him, Darcel heard loud shots of respect boom from the other Siren Mages.

    Snapping his attention towards the powerful presence thatnded, Darcel indeed saw Elder Ying calmly standing there.

    ''Really just as powerful as the other one. Although.I can''t help but feel that Elder Yang has a slightly deeper aura.'' Darcel made a quick analysis.

    Not making any sudden moves, Darcel kept himself calm when facing Elder Yang.

    And before he could even wonder why he had shown himself, Elder Ying swiftly took out a spatial ring.

    What should''ve been an ordinary spatial ring that Darcel had seen all of the time had actually caused him to intently focus it.

    Most spatial rings wouldn''t emit any kind of special aura. Only when a spatial ring is filled to the brim with high-quality resources can anyone sense a rich aura from the spatial ring.

    And that kind of special aura was preciselying from the spatial ring Elder Ying holds.

    "As per the rules of the match, this half of Siren Star''s possessions. Congrattions. Also, take this badge with you as proof of winning the match."

    As Elder Ying spoke, he tossed over Siren Star''s spatial ring and a crimson color badge.

    Under thousands of intent gazes, Darcel calmly caught his rewards and immediately did a quick sweep over the spatial ring.

    A rise of anticipation began to rise in Darcel just after a couple of seconds of searching. The amount of Spiritual Magical Stones in this ring is overwhelming!

    Though they just reached the Spirit Mage realm, Darcel fathoms they could already make progress with these rewards.

    Shuffling the ring into his pocket, Darcel only took a brief look over the crimson badge. He simply remarked it looked simr to the one Elder Yang gave before stuffing it into his pocket as well, intending to do a full inspectionter on.

    When Darcel snapped his gaze back up, Elder Ying had already vanished.

    Shrugging at that abrupt meeting, noting that these Mage Elder have amon theme in abruptness, Darcel turned around and jumped off the stage,nding directly in front of Masami and Ani.

    "Well? Surely, you''reing to believe me now?" Darcel promptly asked.

    Even though he couldn''t see their expressions, Darcel could perceive the shock and slow realization bubbling up inside the girls.

    Hell, even without his Darkness Soul link, he would still be able to tell. The gazes the girls were giving him was just as intense as the other Siren Mages.

    "I mean, sure you can do it, but.can we also do that?" Masami quietly muttered out.

    As the seconds trickled, she was beginning to feel a slight burning feeling within her chest.

    Nowadays, this burn would never spark inside her. But after watching Darcel''s utter domination, it was like something that was slumbering was now slowly bing awake.

    Ani didn''t immediately respond at first. Instead, she took a look over to the audience, noting that there were still plenty of intense gazes on them.

    Turning back to Darcel, she spoke with a slightly dazed tone. "Let''s go back and discuss in our room. Far too much chatter going about here."

    Nodding to her, Darcel then took the lead, walking straight back into the corridor they used toe back here.

    Ani and Msaami follow closely behind, their minds still trying to process everything that happened.

 Chapter 307: Sensual Rewards

    Chapter 307: Sensual Rewards

    Waves of chaotic news rumble the entire Siren Blood Mage organization. Anyone who was to hear this news would''ve felt dizzy from the shock or freeze entirely in utter disbelief.

    Of course, the news that made even the highly prideful Mage fraught with horror was of Darcel and Siren Star''s Mage Match.

    The inevitable of seeing a cultivator getting trashed on and humiliate didn''t happen at all.

    Instead, what had happened was that very cultivator dominating Siren Star as if he was but an ant towards him!

    If such news were heard just a day ago, it would be met with violent disdain or arrogantughter.

    However, now, nobody dared to utter even a groan.

    This time, news about the cultivator was one hundred percent factual. Unlike simple word of mouth from Siren de and Elder Yang, there were actual recordings of Darcel''s match.

    So if someone reason any Siren Mages still refused to believe wordsing from thousands of other Siren Mages, the ring''s recording was irrefutable evidence.

    And with every having to ept this reality, it got thousands of Siren Mages to deeply contemte everything about themselves.

    The fact that a randy cultivator can reach the Spirit Mage realm in just mere hours.it was simply world-shattering.

    It was so world-shattering to a point where nobody even questioned why no higher-up Elders were getting involved with the cultivator trio.

    Siren Mages, whether regr or Senior Ranked, couldn''t help but feel like all of their life work was just stepped upon in one match.

    Such feelings left a deep shadow over them all.

    And of course, because such rocking news rattled the Siren Blood Mage organization, it was inevitable that it would leak out to the outside world.

    Although, the outside world reaction would prove to be far slower. After all, they didn''t have the video evidence like other Siren Mages.

    Still, Darcel''s name was bound to be well known.

    .

    Despite all of the wild chaos urring within the Siren Blood Mage organization, inside one particr room, things were actually quite calm.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami all sat on the edge of their beds, masks off, letting their face breathe out.

    At this moment, Darcel appeared to bepletely rxed. He let himself simply enjoy thefort of their soft fluffy bed, basking in the afterglows of his brutal and domineering victory.

    All the while, Ani and Masami had deep looks of ponderance. Both girls simply couldn''t distract their minds from Darcel''s showcase of prowess.

    "Surely if you can do that, then we can too.right."

    Ani muttered her thoughts out loud, mainly wanting to sort out her thoughts than expecting an answer.

    Although, Masami still gave a response as she said, "Alright, look, what we can confirm is this guy for sure has greatbat prowess. But we just have no way in hell to know if ours is the same. Darcel just has more special stuff than us, most obviously. And even if our Magical prowess is high, will this even matter with cultivation?"

    Bringing up the cultivation side of things did get Darcel thinking.

    ''I mean for sure, right before I crushed him, I did use just a little bit of my bloodline. But even then, looking back on it, that was basically unnecessary.'' Darcel just shook his head a bit.

    He could already fathom something must''ve happens to his cultivation prowess since he canbine his bloodline powers with Magical Energy.

    Plus, the Spirit Mage realm is the direct equivalent to Heavenly Transformation prowess. There was undoubtedly a connection here.

    However, there was just wasn''t any way to test that theory here.

    Using powerful Qi energy would just invite more trouble than what it''s worth, so Darcel shuffled this thought down forter.

    Turning his attention back on the present, Dacel spoke in an assured tone.

    "No matter if our cultivation prowess was even the slightest bit affected, undeniably, the Magical Marks have awoken something special inside all of. Even if you aren''t on my level, I''m sure we can confidently fight above our ranks. To get a more profound grasp, we should aplish some missions now."

    "Oh? Missions, huh?"

    An excited shine immediately reced Masami''s once pondering look. "That''s what we originally intended to do before that ass of a Mage interrupted us. But now, I''m all the more looking forward to it!"

    At this time, Ani didn''t do her usual follow-up when Masami was done speaking.

    Instead, a different atmosphere gradually bubbled out of Ani. Her eyes became a bit hazy as she stared at Darcel''s handsome face.

    Admittedly, watching Darcel do that domineering performance surged the slumbering desires down within her.

    "A mission is good and all.but~."

    As Darcel and Masami picked up on Ani''s sudden change, she had smoothly crawled onto Darcel''sp, wrapping her arms around his neck like a cuddly ko.

    "I did say we should be discussing, but how about we give our little rewards first, Darcy~?" Ani''s sultry tone sent tingling shivers down Darcel''s whole body.

    Adding on to the tantalizing moment, Ani began to sweetly kiss Darcel''s neck, smashing her warm and soft body tightly against his.

    Darcel could already feel the heat built up inside him. It only took a couple of seconds for his dick to stand at attention, tenting up inside his pants, pressing against Ani''s rapidly moisteningher regions.

    "Ah! Me too! Yea, we''ll give you a far better reward!"

    On a dime, Masami switched from her eager battle side to her eager, passionate side.

    She promptly rose to her knees and wrapped her arms around Darcel''s shoulder, squashing herrge pillow-like breast on him.

    In an instant, the lust between both girls rose to a burning degree. After that battle, they were realizing how much they craved for Darcel.

    And Darcel also came to the exact realization about the girls.

    With a perverse grin of his own, he stimted a bit of Darkness Essence into his fingers, telling the girls, "I guess I better begin tasting my rewards then."

    Darcel had then pressed his fingers hard onto Masami''s clit and sensually on Ani''s secret garden, inciting a heavenly moan from both of them.

    "Ahn~!"

    Masami absolutely loved the more aggressive treatment of Darcel''s finger. Waves of pleasure shocked through her body just from having his finger pressed on pussy through the fabric of her clothes.

    Ani as well basks in the incredible sensuality of Darcel''s warm finger. Her love juices squirted out at an unbelievable rate, already staining her clothes with a heavenly, honey scent.

    Feeling the girl''s lust ignite at sonic speeds, Darcel set his attention squarely on Ani''s quivering cherry red lips.

    Without waiting even a split second, he swooped to capture Ani''s lips into a searing kiss.

    Immediately, their mouths snapped open to let their tongues engage in an intense dance. Darcel adored Ani moaning into his mouth as he coiled his tongue around her sweet, juicy one.

    At the same time, Masami didn''t stay idle. She needed more, feeling like her body was being lit ame. Her mouthtched onto Darcel''s neck, sucking on it as if was a divine treat.

    While doing so, she began roughly grinding on Darcel''s finger. Her clothes became just as wet with love juices as Ani, building herself up to a mini orgasm already.

    After a few seconds of deeply kissing Ani, Darcel pulled back. A hot trail of saliva connected his and her lips.

    Promptly then, Darcel lifted Masam''s chin and pulled her into a lovingly, aggressive kiss.

    Darcel didn''t hesitate, prying open Masami''s mouth and batting at her tongue. Shivers of incredible pleasure nearly made Masami delicious.

    Darcel was licking at her tongue with ferocious intensity,pping up every drop of her sweet taste, exploring every inch of her mouth.

    Ani went into a simr position as Masami,tching on to Darcel''s neck to run her savor tongue along it.

    Waves of pleasure amplified by their Darkness Soul link made Darcel, Ani, and Masami even more crazed with lust.

    Just this wasn''t anywhere near satisfying.

    "Mnh~! Now, now~ Let''s do it!"

    Apanying Ani''s eager lustful shouts, she snapped her fingers, causing her telekinesis to flung off their Magical Robes.

    "Hmph. Always hot and at attention. Just the way I like it." Immediately Masami shifted to the floor, going on her knees to nuzzle against Darcel''s hot rigid rod.

    "Fufu~. I never can get enough of this taste." Ani as well moved in the same position, her mouth leaking hot breaths into Darcel''s loins.

    A small groan let loose from Darcel''s mouth. Ani and Masami already began to lick and suck all over his cock.

    Their small, pink tongue covers down to his shaft, balls, and the tip of his stiff member. The double blowjob from Ani and Masami felt nothing short of pleasurable exquisite.

    Darcel even felt his toes instinctively curl just from the immense pleasure of the girl''s perfect tongue.

    When seeing just how good Darcel was feeling got Ani and Masami even more worked up.

    Their smiles turned feverishly sexy as they then pressed their bountiful breasts onto Darcel''s towering cock.

    Moans from Darcel, Ani, and Masami leaked in from each other.

    As the girls pressed Darcel''s hot rod in between their breasts, they felt pleasure from both his cock and their hardened nipples squish against each other.

    Their bodies shudder in absolute delight, gradually increasing their titjob speed, wanting to already bring Darcel to a great orgasm.

    Not wanting to be done so easily, Darcel quickly worked his fingers. He used both of his hands to smoothly plunge right into Ani and Masami''s gushing pussies.

    Ani and Masami went rigid. They could barely focus on giving pleasure when Darcel''s finger nearly worked them to a mind-shattering orgasm.

    They both tried to focus, wanting to win this round.

    However, Darcel began vibrating his fingers with Darkness energy, unleashing a torrent of unfathomable pleasure inside both girls!

    "Ahhnn~!!"

    Ani and Masami couldn''t survive this attack, squirting a stream of their love juices as they experienced intense orgasms.

    Darcel quickly took his fingers out, sucking the girl''s delectable juices clean. ''Perfect as always. And now for the main event.''

    Darcel barely waited for even a second. He could scarcely contain himself. Without giving the girls even a second to rest, he stood up and shifted their positions.

    Now Ani and Masami were bent over their bed, their sweet ass enticingly swaying in the air as they came down from their orgasmic high.

    "Darry~!!/Darcy~!! Me!" Both girls were now drowned in lust.

    Masami had even gotten to the point where she used her more intimate sound nickname for him.

    At this point, they wanted nothing more than Darcel''s hot pole making an utter mess of them.

    And the girls will have their desire answers.

    Darcel gave them no time to beg even more as he shoved himself inside Ani all in one go.

    "Ahn~! I love-Ahh!!" Ani was already sputtering incoherent moans, feeling mini orgasms rock her world just from Darcel shoving it in.

    At the same time he did so, Darcel gave Masami no time to pout as he roughly shoved two fingers inside her eager pussy. Masami cried out in absolute bliss, entirely forgetting that she wasn''t chosen first.

    Pressing on to his momentum, Darcel kept an increasingly steadying pace of fingering Masami and pounding Ani''s greedy pussy.

    The girls were hit with unending waves of pleasure.

    Darcel perfectly hit all the right spots. He was scraping against all of Ani''s most sensitive areas, causing her cunt to tightly mped down on his cock, desperately trying to wring him out.

    It was incredibly enticing for Darcel to see Ani''s tight ass ripple every time he mmed his entire length into her.

    Perfectly like this, Darcel leaned a bit over to get an even beetle angle at finger Masami and thrusting hard into Ani.

    No matter how dominant both girls wanted to be, they were simply putty under Darcel''s relentless pounding.

    Their tongues swirled out of their mouths, drool dripped down their chins, and their eyes were wet with pleasure.

    Right then, before Darcel gave her the final release, he suddenly pulled his entire length out of her.

    "Ahh."

    Ani whimpered from the loss but soon felt stuffed when Darcel shoved two vibrating Darkness fingers back inside of her.

    At the same time, Darcel roughly shot straight into Masami''s gushing, love juice-filled pussy.

    "OOOH~!! Hard-AH!"

    Darcel didn''t need to hear her rough request. He immediately began aggressively pounding Masami into an incoherent mess.

    Faster than even Ani, he repeatedly buried himself into Masami, scraping against her womb several times, causing her cunt to tight down to a vice-like grasp.

    It was like Masami''s cunt was a fountain of love juices, unending squirting clear streams every time Darcel smashed into her. Her mind couldn''t focus on anything else.

    The only thing warping her entire being was Darcel''s intense lust and love mming in and out of her.

    Their intense wild sex continued on for a while, nearly feeling like hours passed in a single instance.

    During this time, Darcel fell into a smooth rhythm of switching between Ani and Masami, masking sure both girl''s cunts were appropriately fill to the brim with his burning cock.

    Finally, when Darcel felt the pressure to cum, he focused squarely on Ani''s quivering pussy.

    At this point, she and Masami went through several orgasms. And now it was time for the first final stretch.

    All in one go, Darcel shoved his cock all the way inside Ani until he kissed the tip of her womb and let himself go.

    "AHHN~!! Darcy~!! Love!!"

    Ani unleashed a guttural scream as she experienced a tremendous orgasm and Darcel''s seed filling her womb up.

    "Jeez!! I wanted it first this time!!"

    Masami shouted in burning envy. She was so close to that kind of ultimate release. Her whole body was craving Darcel''s to fully plunge inside her.

    "Wanted it so bad? Here you go!" In one smooth motion, Darcel pulled out of Ani, letting her copsed on the bed, panting as she basks in the afterglow of Darcel releasing inside her.

    And without stopping, Darcel plunged his cock that was covered in cum and Ani''s intense orgasm straight inside Masami.

    "FUU~!! Cuum!!"

    As Darcel shot his second load straight into her greedy womb, Masami exploded, her love juices squirting like a waterfall.

    This time Darcel pushed Masami down onto the bed, keeping himself tightly buried inside her. He didn''t let go until every drop of his cum was released deep inside her womb.

    After a few seconds, once he spent everything he had, Darcel pulled out from Masami, letting the fox girl copsed onto her bed, her legs and foxtails now shining with cum and love juices.

    In a rxed stance, Darcel looked over his two cute little lovers.

    Both girls had immensely safetied looks, their bodies asionally twitching in after pleasure.

    Only giving them a few seconds to recover, Darcel then asks, "I hope my reward can keep on going, right?"

    Immediately, Ani perked right back up, her head back to Darcel in a downright lustful look. She started off,

    "This reward isn''t done until-"

    "We wring you out!!" Masami as well perked right back up, her expression equally drowned in lust.

    Darcel''s smile only turned more crazed. He will undoubtedly enjoy this reward to its absolute fullest!

 Chapter 308: Fresh Morning

    Chapter 308: Fresh Morning

    Bright early morning the next day, Darcel flung his eyes wide open. A content sigh escaped his lips. For some reason, more than any other day, he felt incredibly more pleased and rxed.

    His mind wanders back to the wonderful night he had, and his arms instinctively hold Ani and Masami''s heavenly bodies even tighter.

    Looking down at the girls, they both were tightly snuggled onto his broad chest with heartwarming smiles.

    As he basked in the nice cuddle, Darcel began thinking to himself, noting some slight differences in theirst night lovemaking.

    Despite the girl''s seemingly overwhelming eagerness and high stamina, they both still have an endurance limit.

    Typically, Masami couldst longer than Ani and take all of Darcel''s physical aggressiveness. But though Darcel notes she doesst longer, it wasn''t by much at all, at most a couple of minutes more.

    However,st night, both girlssted as long as they could to the point where they passed out in exhaustion together.

    Of course, having the power of Yin Pleasure inscribed into his soul, Darcel stillsted the longest.

    But this increase in vigor wasn''t just some coincidence.

    When ites to Ani and Masami, Darcel always makes sure to pay attention to every little detail. He just loves them that much plus, their prowess is all extraordinarily special.

    The fact that this happened after they gained their Magical Marks was worthy enough of suspicions in Darcel''s mind.

    ''I wonder, could it.wait a minute.this??''

    Suddenly, as Darcel pondered about the girls, he finally sensed the profound changes within them.

    Initially, he didn''t take notice since he was too absorbed in carnal pleasure and basking in lovely cuddling.

    But now that he was rxed, Darcel sensed that they all experienced a mini breakthrough!

    His Innate Core was now just a fine line from forming its ninth crack. This signifies he''s only a tiny step away from reaching the peak of the Innate Core realm.

    Furthermore, Darcel also sensed his Magical Cores grew far stronger than before.

    Compared to his cultivation, Darcel didn''t have an urate measure on Magical Cores. However, he could still perceive his Magical Cores was now emitting stronger Magical Energy.

    As for the girls, they both experienced the same small benefits as him. It was especially surprising to sense the improvement from Masami.

    Now that she''s in the Heavenly Transformation realm, Darcel could only fathom the amount of Qi energy she needs.

    Even for them, breakthroughs in the Heavenly Transformation realm could potentially take months!

    But after one simple night, Masami shaved of months of cultivation, reaching just near the second level.

    Though Darcel isn''t precisely close to bing a Heavenly King, he could still perceive that Masami''s dantian is showing the signs of a breakthrough.

    This kind of skill may sound helpful on paper.

    But in reality, Darcel could only apply this to Masami and Ani. Because of their Darkness Soul link, he could see in the girl''s internal body without any trouble. Plus, he has abundant experience with physically exploring every inch of their bodies.

    ''Now, is this an upgrade to our dual cultivation or a one-time thing? Hopefully, it''s the former.''

    Truly, Darcel hopes their dual cultivation can evolve just like their other powers.

    With their high drives, Darcel could easily see how a better dual cultivation technique can tremendously help all three of them.

    If this was a one-time thing, Darcel could only resign himself into looking for actual dual cultivation arts.

    Suddenly, before Darcel could continue his train of thoughts, a knock was heard at his door.

    Curiosity immediately filled Darcel when he sensed who was at their door.

    The presence who decided toe to them was once again Siren de. Raising his eyebrow, Darcel was already curious why without even seeing him yet.

    Through his senses, he could detect that Siren de was heavily restraining his aura.

    Despite not doing it thest time he saw them, now Siren de went out of his way to put on a more respectful appearance.

    It was as if now, Siren de truly and wholly respected him and the girls.

    As Darcel''s mind briefly crossed over to the girls, he shot his eyes down at them, only to have a slightly wry smile a second after.

    Both girls were heavily intent on sleeping. Even though that knock was quite loud, they easily slept right through it.

    Mentally shrugging to himself, Darcel decided to see what Siren de wanted out of sheer curiosity.

    After grabbing and putting his Magical robes and mask on to look presentable, Darcel walked over and opened the door.

    Amusement immediately swirled in his eyes as he saw Siren de''s expression struggle to stay indifferent.

    No matter how calm a person can be, they wouldn''t be able to maintain their unwavering facade when their whole worldview gets wholly shattered.

    And as Darcel took amusement over this, Siren de quickly reached into his pocket, taking out a crimson color ring.

    Handing the ring over to Darcel, Siren de began telling him, "This ring is quite special. Only a few of us Senior Siren ranked Mages can obtain this. With this ring, it will allow you to be connected with the high-level Elders. Their usefulnesses in the form of asking questions you may have about your Magical Arts, among other things."

    Darcel''s eyes lit up with sudden interest. Taking the crimson color ring, he asked,

    "This certainly sounds interesting. But I wonder.with what we show, I''m surprised no Elder Mage wants to personally see us. Unless you perhaps know something about this?"

    "This matter."

    Siren de furrows his eyebrows, obviously not wanting to speak to Darcel longer than necessary. But he didn''t show any rudeness as he answered his questions to the best of his ability.

    "Since your technicallypletely new Mages, you wouldn''t be aware of this. But you see, all high-level Elders are incredibly busy. Whether it fueling the Magical Marks running through our organization, exchanging meetings with other equally powerful organizations, or practicing on their own, that''s all of their responsibilities. In fact.I''m even surprised yesterday that Elder Yang showed up in person instead of a Magical hologram."

    "I see. Well then, thanks for the information. See you around." Darcel gave a friendly nod goodbye.

    Although Siren de took it to slightly inclined his head before quickly leaving, having a noticeable pep in his steps.

    Darcel just lightly smiled while shaking his head and closing the door.

    In terms of making other friends, he honestly couldn''t care less. Hell, he would be fine if, for the rest of his life Ani and Masami were the only ones he talked to.

    However, while an enticing idea, Darcel was clearly aware that he and the girls would need to branch out of their circle.

    If they want to grow stronger, having several other social connections would quickly aid in this process.

    While Darcel rummaged on these thoughts and the Elder Mages, he turned around to see both Ani and Masami in the process of waking up.

    "Mnn.what was that about?"

    Ani sounded and looked extra cute as she spoke in a slightly tired tone while stretching her beautiful naked body.

    "Tch.I hope it isn''t some annoying trouble the first thing in the morning. I''m not in the mood for that now." Masami was equally as cute, scratching her twitching fox ears.

    Smiling at their actions, Darcel shrugged his shoulders, telling the girls,

    "Oh that? It really wasn''t anything. Just Siren de giving me a ring that can supposedly contact us with the high-level Elders here."

    "Oh?"

    Ani and Masami interest immdaitely spiked. They both tossed their gazes over to Darcel, focusing intently on that crimson color ring.

    Curiosity shimmered within Ani''s eyes as she then asked, "I''ve been wondering about this too. But surely, with what did thisst day, it should''ve caught the intense interest of the Elders. Seriously, I''m amazed that no Elders or even that Elder Yang was hounding us. Our situation and prowess seem too odd, honestly. But despite that, they only want to contact us through a ring."

    "Ehhh.I picked up on thest part of what that Siren guy said. At least I think I did? Either way, I found it way too suspicious that they could be this busy. I know for sure, back in my sect, if somebody had outrageous talent like this, the Elders will be all over them."

    Masami also threw out her thoughts.

    Hearing the girl''s suspicious, Darcel thought they werepletely valid. The only problem was theirck of genuine information.

    "Either way, no matter what they want with us, let''s just put these thoughts down forter. The power those Elder Mages have is no joke. Even with everything we have, we wouldn''t be able tost even a second against them. Plus, I''m not really sure if we would get direct answers from using this ring. Do you girls agree?"

    "Mnh, I suppose so, Darcy/Eh, we won''t be so weak for long."

    Ani and Masami simultaneously agree, their voices ovepping with each other.

    Putting the crimson ring down on their shelf, for now, Darcel had then taken out Siren Star''s spatial ring, telling the girls,

    "Alright, since we''re up, let''s see what our other Siren friend has to offer us."

 Chapter 309: Mystical Aura Arts

    Chapter 309: Mystical Aura Arts

    A few minutester, Ani and Masami swiftly got dressed, ready to inspect their rewards.

    Currently, the trio sat on the edge of their bed as Darcel held Siren Star''s spatial magical ring.

    Since they had plenty of time, Darcel, Ani and Masami were slowly sweeping their Senses through the ring. Not wanting to leave anything out, the trio was even using both their Spirit and Magical Senses to inspect it.

    Still, with their extraordinary senses, it didn''t take long at all to find several things of great interest.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s eyes brightly it up from what they discover.

    To say there was just a lot of Spiritual Magical Beads inside the spatial ring would be an understatement. Darcel, Ani, and Masami could sense there was at least several thousandpacted in there!

    Such a high amount of resources would be considered extraordinary to even other Senior-ranked Siren members.

    Unknown to the trio''s thoughts, but Siren Star actually had quite the high and formidable reputation among Mage Matches.

    Though Mage Matches rarely happens between Senior Siren ranked Mages, there are times were engaging in one would bring numerous significant benefits.

    Benefits that could even lead to a bottleneck breakthrough.

    Siren Star was one such Mage who frequently used this Mage Matches to his advantage. And, of course, he easily won all of his matches, barely having to use five moves to win.

    This kind of prowessmanded the utmost respect and talent.

    In Mage fights, things are far more difficult to predict. Depending on how far a Mage had grasped the understanding of Magical Energy, it would undoubtedly sway the tide of battle.

    Siren Star''s understanding of Magical Energy reached a degree where only a few Senior Ranked Mages can truly match him. Hence why his abundance of resources nearly seemed outrageous.

    For sure, given enough time, Siren Star most likely would''ve reached a significant process in the uing dozens of years.

    However, after losing to Darcel, the setback he experienced could only be imagined.

    Moreover, this also adds to why the whole Siren de Mage organization was shaken to its roots by one mere loss.

    Of course, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami could possibly know of this.

    And even if they did, neither would even put much thought into it.

    For that matter, Masami wouldn''t even care in the slightest; Ani would only have a little interest while Darcel would only remark it to the back of his mind.

    "Seriously! With this amount of stones, it looks like we won''t have stayed at some undefined bottleneck for an indefinite amount of time."

    Masami''s eyes sparkle brightly. Then, her expression turned inquisitive. "But say? What about these Mage Staffs? Our current sets of weapons only consist of several half-step Royal Spirit Swords and low-qualitypleted Royal Spirit Swords. Compared to that, I can sense that these Mage Staffs pack far more of a punch."

    Ani and Darcel''s interest was immediately piqued. Recalling their experiences, none of them knows anything about wielding or correctly using a Mage Staff.

    Even though it all ran off from the understanding of Magical Energy, weapons like this still require extensive training to properly master.

    Thinking of this and trying to apply it to themselves, Ani and Darcel immediately found it inconsequential to them.

    With her eyes shimmering an abundance amount of interest, Ani exined to Masami, "We might as well get the hang of switch-wielding Mage Staffs and cultivation weapons. You two felt it, too, right? Siren Star''s Magical Energy intensified to a noticeable degree after bringing his Staff out. The same as when we take out our weapons. And with our level of adaptability, I''m more than absolutely positive we can quickly grasp using Mage Staffs."

    "Mnh.further thinking about it, we''ll be dangerously versatile handling both Mage and cultivation weapons! I can''t help but feel just the tiny bit of pity for all of our future opponents.." Masami was quick to agree, feeling slightly a bit cocky.

    "Ehehe~. Things really are shaping up for the better."

    A soft giggle came out of Ani as she too could see they would cause their foes so much grief with their versatility.

    Darcel didn''t offer any verbal response, only tacitly giving his silent agreement.

    The reason for Darcel''s more intent focus is because he stumbled upon something highly intriguing while the girls were discussing.

    ''Out of everything.why is this here? The mystical spirit arts.it seems like no Mage would ever use this.''

    There were numerous Gold or even Grand Ranking Magical Arts inside the spatial ring.

    However, only one caught Darcel''s interest.

    The ''Mystical Spirit Arts'' seemed like an art entirely unfit for any standard Mage but perfect for him and the girls. So, with a thought, Darcel swiftly brought out this Art.

    A sh of purple sparked on his palm, and a blue color scroll appeared next to the spatial ring.

    "Oh? This is."

    Ani and Masami trailed their eyes over the Magical scroll. Questions began popping into their mind as they both slowly muttered, "Mystical Aura Spirit?"

    "That''s right. This is actually the most suitable Magical Art for us, believe it not."

    Hearing that, Ani and Masami kept quiet but tossed their attentive gazes onto Darcel.

    Continuing on, Darcel had exined to them, "From what I briefly read over from the scroll, apparently this Magical Art has no clear defined ranking. But despite that, only a few can actually study this Art. All of this is because one needs to have high talent and understanding in both Magical Energy and Qi Energy."

    "Wait, really?!"

    Ani and Masami jumped with immediate shock, nearly springing upright to their feet.

    Out of everything they could expect, dual practicing Magical and Qi Energy was the farthest out of their realm of expectations.

    With everything they''ve experienced so far, it was understandable that their reactions would be so intense.

    From every Mage they encounter, there hasn''t been a single one that didn''t look down on Qi energy or cultivators in general.

    Even those seemingly amicable lightning Mages held a certain aura of superiority. They all retained a bearing ofplete confidence even when attempting to show off a nice side.

    With all this in mind, using Qi Energy along with Magical Energy almost seemed like it would devolve in the heathen territory.

    Masami''s eyebrows immediately burrow when shees upon this thought.

    She cautiously said, "These arrogant bunch practicing with Qi Energy? Far too suspicious! Maybe this is some sort of trap?"

    "A trap? Indeed it could be but."

    Ani''s eyes drift back over to Darcel, ponderance clear on her face. "Is there any more background information on this, Darcy? Like who made it, or where it was found? The Siren Chains arts had this."

    When recalling the Siren Chain Arts, Darcel knows it didn''t have some significant, profound history.

    It was rather quite simple.

    From abination of several highly talented Grand Mages, they were able tobine pre-existing Magical Arts to form the Siren Chain Arts.

    The pre-existing Magical Arts all ranged from the Gold ranking and managed to achieve the rank of Grand Arts oncebined together. A brief history but one that tells how profound this technique was.

    Compared to this.the mystical Spirit Aura didn''t really have much.

    Darcel swept his Magical Sense several times through the scroll, but his results didn''t change. Slightly tilting his head, Darcel told the girls,

    "No.actually, I didn''t even notice this at first. But beyond its name and description, there''s barely any background information on this. I''m assuming Siren Star must''ve randomly got this scroll but never bothered to dive deep in because of its requirement. Still, despite this oddness, I think you girls jumped the gun on your assumptions about what this Art can do."

    "Ehh?? We did??" At thatst point, it finally got Ani and Masami toe down from their excited highs.

    Smiling a bit, Darcel continued to exin, "Yes, you see, this Art doesn''t allow us to unleash a great attackbining Qi and Magical Energy. But rather, increase our growth speed. Studying this Art will allow us to enter into a mystical aura state. In this state, our dantians and Magical phantom cores will perfectly sync with each other, achieving a mystical harmony. From there on, both our Magical and Qi Energy absorption will be greatly boosted beyond even our limits."

    Ani and Masami silently took in Darcel''s words. After a few moments, the girls then swept their own Magical Sense into the scroll and immediately became further shocked with surprise.

    "You''re right, Darcel. This really was meant for us."

    Though Masami was the one to get bored the quickest with cultivation, she felt the sudden urge to practice now with this mysterious Magical Art.

    "Indeed it is. But I still can''t help but wonder if someone just like us created this Magical Art." Ani still couldn''t get this nagging feeling from her mind.

    This Magical Art just seems too precious to be causally swept under the radar.

    Darcel could only offer a shrug, being just as confused as her. For a brief moment, he considered asking other Senior Ranked Siren Mages or the Elders.

    But, he almost immediately pushed that idea down. Not to say it was a bad idea, but Darcel didn''t want to raise any more noise after their recent mind-shattering fight.

    He then decided, "Well, in any case, before we go out to do some mission, let''s see what this mystical art is about."

    Ani and Masami promptly nodded to that decision.

    Quickly, the trio got into their regr cultivating position and beganprehending the Mystical Aura Arts.

 Chapter 310: Great Speed

    Chapter 310: Great Speed

    Almost instantly, Darcel, Ani, and Masami melded into their usual cultivation trance. Their minds focused up entirely, delving right intoprehending the Low Sess Stage of the Mystical Aura Arts.

    As the description foretold, this Magical Art requires stimtion of both their Heavenly Core and Magical Core.

    If one''s talent is just slightlycking in either field, then this Art would be impossible to learn.

    But of course, having the highest talent many cultivators or Mages had ever seen before, nosting problem persisted for either Darcel, Ani, and Masami.

    At this time, Darcel was perfectly following the Mystical Aura Arts instruction.

    To achieve the Mystical Aura state, he had to follow the very calcted instructions. Attempting this on his own would only lead to failure. The specific instructions were creating a direct energy link between his Heavenly Core and Magical Core.

    This energy link would beprised of Qi and Magical energy directly from both his Heavenly Core and Magical Core, respectively.

    While Darcel had boundless confidence in his talent, he didn''t rush right into stimting his two Cores.

    For the best results, he carefully took his time, slowly reaching the deepest part of his two Cores.

    Falling into a steady motion, Darcel circted the purest Qi and Magical Energy he could possibly muster.

    Minutes quickly passed.

    And by the tenth-minute mark, Darcel finally pulled out a stream of both Qi and Magical Energy.

    These two energy streams weren''t particrly powerful. But had the purest essence Darcel could hope to muster at his cultivation level.

    Then, following the Mystical Aura Arts guide, Darcel began melding these two energy streams together.

    This entire process urred right within Darcel''s Heavenly Dantian. But though Darcel still refers to it as a Heavenly Dantian, in truth, the correct term would be a Magical Dantian Space.

    When Mages begin the road in absorbing Magical Energy, the lower part of their stomach transforms into a Magical Space, allowing the Magical Core to form there.

    The same process would also ur in a Mage''s soul, bing the underlying foundation to promoting their Magical Strength.

    As for cases when a cultivator is lucky enough to be Mages, their once cultivation Dantian''s would experience a dramatic shift towards Magical Energy.

    The coexistence of both a Qi core and a Magical Core blends together to allow that cultivator Mage to wield both types of energies.

    But though they coexist, any average cultivator Mage would find it impossible to stimte both energies simultaneously.

    Not only does most cultivator Mage have terrible Magical talent, but they also need to have a perfect 50-50 focus.

    All of this made for heavily strict requirements to practice the Mystical Aura Arts.

    Even Darcel encountered slight resistance when wanting to connect his Qi and Magical Energy streams.

    It felt simr to wanting to connect two opposite maic forces; these energies weren''t ever meant to smoothly interconnect.

    At least, that''s what it felt like to Darcel.

    However, the resistance didn''t dissuade Darcel at all. He simply kept at, slowly but surely connecting the energy streams together all the while his head began to gradually throb in pain.

    The mental energy he needed for this task was very draining, Moreso than when he cultivates either his Qi or Magical Energy.

    For one of the few times in life, Darcel experienced the rapid negative effects of Mental energy drainage.

    But Mental Pain wasn''t anything Darcel couldn''t deal with. He certainly experienced much worse types of pain on this journey.

    With a determined mind, Darcel continued connecting the energy streams.

    More time seemed to slip by in an instant. Without the trio even being aware of it, a whole hour has passed.

    And it was finally by this time a dark, crimson mixed vortex light shed within Darcel''s Magical Dantian Space.

    Out from both Darcel''s phantom Dragon Magical Core and gray Innate Core was apleted mix line of energy!

    Despite the previous resistances, Darcel shattered through the invisible barrier, thoroughlybining Qi and Magical Energy.

    <em>''Hua~!'' </em>

    Right then, a faint darkness, crimson mixed aura shrouded Darcel''s body.

    At the same time, Darcel fused into the mystical aura state. His eyes becamepletely clear, and his breathing stilted.

    There was no other thoughts in Darcel''s mind. He only perceived two presences of iparably rich energy.

    These energies were Qi and Magical energy.

    Under this state, Darcel''s body transformed into an intense vortex vacuum.

    In the air, small ck spatial cracks ripped open, unleashing an unending wave of chilling Qi and Magical Energy.

    But instead of wreaking havoc of power like spatial cracks typically do, the types of energies flowed into one point.

    That point is Darcel''s darkness, crimson aura body.

    Because of the Mystical Aura state, Darcel was directly pulling the richest of Magical and Qi energy straight from a different dimension in the spatial zone!

    It didn''t matter where these cracks in the spatial zone was urring. Any type of energy that transferred through this dimension was of the highest quality.

    If Darcel was fully aware, he would''ve recognized that the current energy quality was far higher than even the Snow Angel''s mercenary group Qi Haven area!

    And as Darcel circted his Mystical Aura state, the same profound changes were finally urring within Ani and Masami.

    The girls just needed a slightly longer duration to finallybine their Qi and Magical Energy stream.

    And once another five minutes passed, the girl''s Mystical Aura finally formed.

    Ani''s Mystical Aura appears as a beautiful mix of white Light and crimson, looking more radiant than Darcel''s.

    While Masami''s Mystical Aura took on a shimmering mix of fiery blue and crimson, appearing as vibrant, full of vigorous life.

    Around both Ani and Masami, small ck cracks in the spatial zone formed.

    Under their Mystical Aura state, the girls greedily pulled in rich energy as if they were a maic vortex.

    At this moment, if anyone were toe inside the room, they would''ve certainly mistaken it as the purest of Holy Land.

    Any average cultivator or Mage would feel an intense pull to began greedily absorbing the rich energy permeating this specific area. Upon doing so, that cultivator and or Mage could reach a small breakthrough in no time at all.

    This is provided if theirprehension is high enough to reach the next level. But still, the results would be mind-shattering.

    For Darcel, Ani and Masami, though theirprehension is already insane, it was further made irrelevant because of their Mystical Aura state.

    While like this, theplex properties of both Qi and Magical Energy was automatically bypass. Their need for any sort ofprehension was somehow made even more trivialized.

    As the minutes trickled down, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were experiencing rapid, profound changes.

    In just this short amount of time from using the Mystical Spirit Arts, the trio already sensed they shaved off days of regrly cultivating!

    Both their Heavenly and Magical Cores was now growing at a rate that would be impossible for them to ever achieve on their own.

    But before the trio could go too far, they all suddenly felt an intense drain from their Mental Energy.

    A sharp, pinging pain pounded their heads, ruining their Mystical Aura states, bringing all three of them back to reality.

    "Nng."

    At the same time, Darcel, Ani, and Masami released a slight collective groan.

    Mental Energy drainage was far intenser than they could have ever expected.

    On the other side for more normal Mages and cultivators, Mental Energy is rapidly used for any type of practice.

    Be it cultivating Skills, cultivation Arts or Magical manuals, or just simply trying to attack a breakthrough. A person''s Mental Energy corresponds with theirprehension talent.

    Meaning the higher the talent, the longer a person can cultivate and the moreplex of information they can take in.

    This is partly the reason why people''s close door practice can take up to dozens or even hundreds of years,

    So though Darcel, Ani, and Masami were only in the Mystical Aura state for merely minutes, this result was still excellent.

    Any other cultivator Mage wouldn''t evenst a full five seconds before experiencing a tremendous headache.

    "Fuu~. What a skill." Darcel quietly muttered, his headache already quickly subsiding.

    Truly just from those brief minutes, he felt significantly more powerful than before.

    With this kind of rapidly powerful method, Darcel almost felt like he was genuinely cheating the system.

    Compared to all of his other cheat-like abilities, controlling powerful Qi and Magical Energy broke far more sense. Even he realized that their situation should be a biological impossibility.

    Yet, here they are, with immense talent that would make any other cultivator or Mage go absolutely insane over.

    Darcel never really thought about it before. But he was genuinely grateful for whoever it was granting him these god-like abilities and insaneprehension. Without this, he''s sure he would''ve never escaped the Parasol Organization.

    "Not just what a skill Darcy, this is the skill!"

    Ani''s eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. Her broad smiling expression reminded Darcel of how she used to act.

    Staring at her palms in wonderment, Ani continued on. "By just this method, you and I can positively reach Heavenly Kings before long. Honestly, just how did the skill slip under so many Mages'' noses, even with this strict requirement."

    "Obviously because each and every one of those prudes are too stuck up to even consider the other side. Hmph! Which means only more benefits for us!" Masami simrly shared in the excitement.

    Before things got too wild, Darcel calmed himself.

    At this point, they could focus on breakingthrough, but Darcel first wanted aplete grasp on where their prowess lies.

    His following words gained the girl''s full attention and even greater excitement when he told them, "Now then, before continuing down this road. Let''s finally take on a mission. I want to see where ourbat prowess fully lies before we continually change it."

 Chapter 311: Thief Trio

    Chapter 311: Thief Trio

    A few miles away from Azog Ice Town, high in the gray color sky, Darcel, Ani, and Masami flew with great haste.

    Fully decked out in their Siren Mage robes, the trio experience zero interruptions when wanting to leave for their mission.

    In fact, Darcel remarked it was almost too smooth on how easy they took their missions and left the town.

    Considering their recent actions, Darcel expected some slight conundrum. Either from the still disbelieving Siren Mages or the residents who happened upon their news.

    However, nothing troublesome urred. Walking through the Siren Blood Mage organization was apletely different experience for the trio.

    Eyes would gather on them, but none would stare for too long. Apprehension, fear, unwillingness, and even respect was mixed in some Siren Mages gazes, but no one ever dared toe up to them.

    Then, when finally choosing their mission, the Senior-ranked Mage there gave the trio as much respect as any other Senior-ranked Mages.

    And when leaving Azog Ice Town, anyone who was to spot the trio would be immediately put off by their Siren Mage robes.

    Darcel couldn''t say for sure that this status quo wouldst. But he''ll make sure to ride out all the benefits he can from this.

    This is why the mission they chose was a rtivelyplex one that not many Senior-ranked Mages could actually do.

    On paper, the mission sounded simple enough. It was to simply gain the treasure of three specific people while also killing them.

    The identity of these people is where theplexities start.

    Even Darcel, Ani, and Masami were a bit surprised to find out that three people were two powerful cultivators and one Senior-ranked Siren Mage.

    Given the values of both cultivators and Mages, such abination would seem impossible.

    However, this trio apparently worked so well together that they managed to pull off such a great crime that the Siren Mage organization deemed it punishable by death.

    This trio stole tens of thousands of Spiritual Magical orbs, high-quality pills, and numerous Magical Arts.

    And while those stolen goods certainly add to their list of sins, it isn''t what is truly punishable by death.

    The biggest crime of all was that Senior-ranked Siren Mage betraying the whole organization by sneaking in unknown people straight into one of their Magical storage.

    When they read about this, Darcel, Ani, and Masami were confused on why the Elders didn''t just deal with this problem.

    Upon asking why the answer they received only made them roll their eyes.

    Apparently, the betrayal had only happened just recently, meaning that the thief trio wouldn''t experience any sudden strength gain.

    Furthermore, the Elders simply didn''t deem it important enough for them to personally take action.

    In the first ce, the goods they stole barely made a dent in their organization. The number of Spiritual Magical Orbs they have seemed honestly countless. Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t even want to think about the massive number in that ce.

    The same holds true for the high-quality pills and Magical Arts as they both were easily receable.

    If that thief trio had actually managed to steal something heavily top-secret, then the Elder Mages would personally take action.

    But as it stands now, the Elder Mages had far too much on their tes to deal with a problem like this, no matter how easy it may seem with their own unfathomable prowess.

    Truly, this mission was to test the very limits of the Senior-ranked Senior Mages.

    The two cultivators were at the sixth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm, while the Mage was, of course, at the Spirit Mage realm.

    No matter how prideful Siren Mages are, they were forced to admit this lineup is highly formidable.

    Just the Senior-Ranked Mage alone can be highly troublesome to fight with his array of Magical Arts and skills.

    When thinking of this, Darcel couldn''t help but smirk. He was thinking to himself, ''I wonder how long their tricks canst against simply high raw power. At least for this mission, Masami''s way of thinking would be quite effective.''

    Before leaving out for the mission, Masami was vehement in dering herself as the leader.

    Her reasoning was, ''Since we need to test our limits, let''s not hold back at all! And out of the three of us, I''m the best at full frontal action.''

    It was admittedly entertaining for Darcel to see Ani bicker with Masami, iming she can also turn up the heat far better if she so chooses to do so.

    But, in the end, Darcel did settle with Masami taking the lead.

    Previously, he did promise her that he would let her lead, and it was good to switch up their formation from time to time.

    This is why currently, he and Ani are lined side to side, with Masami being in the center.

    At this point in time, Darcel wasn''t even aware of how far they had traveled. He was too caught up in his own thoughts.

    So when he heard Masami and Ani suddenly stop talking, slowing their flying speeds to a crawl, Darcel had focused his mind back on the present.

    Looking over to the girls, he noticed they both had their gazes on a specific sight. Tossing his own gaze around, Darcel saw that they were staring at a seemingly ordinary snow cave.

    Anybody would be inclined to simply look past this cave without a second thought.

    However, Darcel spoke to Masami without taking his eyes off the cave, asking her, "So, this is where the Magical slip led us to?"

    "Yep, pretty clever bastards, eh?" Masami confirmed as an increasingly excited light swirled within her eyes. "I doubt any Heavenly King can sense that Magical Barrier, nor would any Mage weaker than the Spirit Mage realm detect this."

    With their target settled on, Darcel, Ani, and Masami shot towards down towards the cave,nding gracefully on the gray, snowy ground within just a couple of seconds.

    Standing in front of the snowy cave, all the trio could see was pitch ck darkness. It wouldn''t matter how much they enhanced their eyes; it was impossible to see through a concealment Magical Barrier.

    "Mnh.you know, I''ve read that there are more sneakier ways to get rid of a Magical Barrier. However, I can already guess the methods we will use."

    Ani already felt a wry smile forming. That wry smile further broadened when she heard Masami eagerly say while nodding her head,

    "Of course, we''re going bold and brash. No point in sneaking around when we have the power to barrel through."

    And in that instance, she stopped talking, a crimson Magical Light burst out of Darcel''s body.

    His Magical Energy instantly surged, and several Siren Chains tore out from his back like crimson tentacles.

    With a thought, Darcel shot one of his Siren Chains straight towards the concealment Magical Barrier.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    The sound of ss shattering echoed out in the area. Under Darcel''s Magical Power, the barrier was as fragile as weak ss.

    "Ah?? Another attack? So soon?"

    Immediately when Darcel destroyed the Magical Barrier, a slightly weary sounding voice bounced off the cave walls.

    In that instance, Darcel, Ani, and Masami swiftly rushed into the snowy cave.

    After only several feet into the cave, the trio suddenly stopped.

    Ahead of them, they witnessed three men, all wearing long ck cloaks, slowly stood up from their meditative spots.

    Slight worry crossed the men''s faces when gazing at Darcel. Their eyes narrowed explicitly on him, sensing that he''s indeed at the Spirit Mage Realm!

    Furthermore, his Magical Aura was intensely thick. So thick to the point that three men felt as if they were getting pulled into an intense maic vortex.

    Just Darcel alone caused their guards to be highly raised.

    However, when the three men sensed the other two masked youths, their eyebrows curled.

    "Oh? So it''s only you?" The man in the middle suddenly spoke after seemingly confirming Ani and Masami''s aura.

    Neither girl exuded the same powerful Magical might Darcel had, leading for him and the other two to only put Darcel in their eyes.

    Feeling more at ease, the three men red solely at Darcel, and the man in the middle tried speaking once again,

    "So another Senior one came, huh? Never saw you around, though. But if this my so-called Mage group has to offer then-"

    The Siren Mage suddenly couldn''t talk anymore when overwhelming energies suddenly exploded from Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s bodies!

    Multi colors surged out of the trio as they spared no expense, unleashing both the full brunt of their Magical Energy and bloodline powers.

    As theirbined powers were released, the whole snowy cave violently trembled, tiny ck lines rippled the air, and the wind stormed into a chaotic frenzy.

    For the first time since bing Mages, Darcel, Ani and Masami showcased their full potential.

    "Th-this?!"

    The Siren Mage and cultivators went utterly rigid. Their face tightened in fear, feeling an immense bout of dread.

    Just what with this sudden explosive power?!

    The Siren Mage and cultivators felt as if massive mountains were abruptly dropped right on them, creating an immense pressure they never felt before!

    In the instance, the Siren Mage and cultivators were shocked, Darcel, Ani, and Masami struck out.

    A single Siren Chain burst of Ani and Masami''s back, and they immediately sent their Siren Chains right towards the cultivators.

    Before Darcel''s match with Siren Star, Ani and Masami weren''t precisely close to forming a single Siren Chain. The girls would''ve needed at least a couple more days of intensely practicing.

    However, after experiencing the Mystical Aura state, theirprehension of that Magical Art took a massive leap!

    While they weren''t on Darcel''s advanced level, they could at least form one powerful Siren Chain that holds all of the same ability.

    At the same time, Darcel set his target solely on the Siren Mage. He sted his several Siren Chains right towards him.

    "Hah!!"

    The Siren Mage and cultivators only had a split second to react, promptly unleashing every drop of power they could possibly muster up.

    Qi and Magical Energy frantically swirled around them like a whirlpool as the three pushed towards their very limit.

    In a desperate attempt at defense, the three of them instantly formed protective barriers.

    And at that moment, Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s Siren Chains mercilessly struck them.

    Though the Siren Mage and cultivators could easily match any other sixth-level Heavenly King or Spirit Realm Mage, that kind of prowess was nothing in front of Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s full power.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    Without any resistance, the Siren Mage''s Magical Barrier shattered to bits and pieces, and he was sent flying like a ragdoll by the powerful aftershocks.

    At the same time, Ani and Masami''s single Siren Chain shattered the cultivator''s Qi barrier and tightly wrapped it around their bodies.

    In this instance, Darcel didn''t even need to tell the girls a n.

    Instead, he sprang forth with immense speeds, rapidly pursuing the flying Siren Mage, leaving Ani and Masami behind to deal with the Heavenly Kings.

 Chapter 312: Triple Killing

    Chapter 312: Triple Killing

    In an instant, Darcel transformed into a profound ck trail of light, relentlessly rushing the Siren Mage like a wild beast.

    Within a split second, all that left was Ani, Masami, and the two struggling cultivators.

    Even though their foes were both sixth-level Heavenly Kings, Ani and Masami honestly couldn''t muster up that much caution.

    For sure, the girls were treating this situation seriously. No matter what, Mid-ranks Heavenly Kings shouldn''t be that of an easy foe to take down.

    However, their worries and constant self-doubt that continually slumber in the deepest reign of their minds didn''t surface now.

    Ani and Masami genuinely felt assured in their own abilities from a mixture of Darcel''s example and the Mystical Aura State.

    Facing off against the cultivators, the girls stood entirely calm, as if they were entirely in control of this whole situation.

    In direct contrast to Ani and Masami increasing confidence, the two cultivators were struggling in both mind and body.

    They faced several powerful enemies in the past. But nobody unleashed this intense of an aura!

    They barely have any time to appropriately react to anything. Adding on to the two cultivators'' struggle was Ani and Masami''s Siren Chains.

    The pain was truly unbearable. They both felt like their flesh was getting seared by the sun itself! Furthermore, the Siren Chains disrupted their flow of Heavenly Qi, making it extremely difficult to resist the girl''s Magical Energy and this burning pain.

    The cultivators rapidly worked their minds, trying to find any way to escape these binding chains.

    But right at their moment, their true pain had finally started.

    Ani and Masami surged out even more Magical Power, causing their single Siren Chain to glow a shimmering crimson light.

    Strings of crimson Magical Energy drilled into the cultivator''s bodies and then began directly absorbing their Qi Energies!

    "Ah-Ahhh!!"

    Both cultivators wailed like an animal being ughter. Getting their Qi energy absorbed out of them truly felt like a fate worse than death.

    Neither of them had the option to pass out. They both were forced to staypletely conscious as their Qi Energy was getting ripped out of them, feeling like organs was getting brutally pulled out by a rusty knife.

    Because of the brutal pain, the cultivators started to struggle far more intensely. Their eyes becamepletely bloodshot as their minds nearly broke from the overwhelming pain.

    And right then, before he was entirely drained dry, the first cultivator gained an utterly maddening look.

    His screeches of pain stopped as he ferociously red right at Masami. At that moment, the cultivator forced his mouth open and violently bit right down on his tongue!

    Bright red blood sprinkles down on the cultivator''s chin, dripping down to his clothes and Masami''s Siren Chain.

    Immediately upon biting his tongue, the cultivator''s aura explosively beyond his very limits! He had disregarded everything, burning every drop of his blood essence.

    Burning away this much blood essence is essentially the equivalent of signing away one''s death warrant.

    Blood essence is the very vitality of a cultivator. While burning this away can grant a person great temporary strength, ites at an extreme cost.

    Either their cultivation withers away, or they straight up die!

    None of these consequences even register in the cultivator''s mind. The instant his power explosively increased, a vicious light burst within his eyes, and a feral grin split across his face.

    "Haah!!"

    The cultivator unleashed a powerful burst of Heavenly Qi, destroying Masami''s single Siren Chain.

    "We''ll die together!!" The cultivator roared like an utter, deranged mad man.

    Without stopping, the man then shed out a long silvery de. The aura of a Royal Spirit Sword burst out of the de and frantically increased as the man immediately poured all ofbusted blood essence power into it.

    A bright silvery glow discharged out the de as the cultivator''s power soared even higher.

    "Hmph. That''s it?"

    Masami disdainfully snorted. No matter how high the cultivator''s power increased, it couldn''t match her aura at all.

    Not wanting to waste any more time, Masami vigorously surged 80% of her bloodline powers. Her energy once again erupted like a volcano, suppressing any slight momentum the cultivator managed to gather.

    An overwhelming oppressive might zeroed in squarely on the cultivator.

    "She still has this much power?!" The cultivator felt utter despair creeping up on him again.

    Despitebusting his blood essence, the power difference was still too significant!

    Masami didn''t give the cultivator even a second to react. She strutted her palm forward, instantly surging an abundance of energy, and then sted out a Firefox energy palm towards the cultivator.

    The whole cave seemed to turn into a boiling volcano. Anywhere Masami''s Firefox energy palm traveled, it would melt the rocks and walls to mere crips.

    "Dammit!!"

    The cultivator only had a split second to react. On pure instincts alone, he chopped down his silvery de towards Masami''s Firefox energy palm.

    <em>''Bang!'' </em>

    The miserable groans of the cultivator bounced off the cave''s walls as he was sent flying back from the explosive collision.

    To his credit, the cultivator did manage to slightly defend against Masami''s attack.

    If he was at full strength, he would''ve been able to somewhat properly counter that attack.

    However, with nearly all of his Qi energy ripped away from him, the man had no chance of resisting.

    While the cultivator sailed through the air, Masami wasn''t going to give him a chance to breathe. Her Magical Energy surged once again, and she immediately formed another single Siren Chain.

    With a thought, Masami sent the Siren Chain towards the flying cultivator, and it pierced right through his heart!

    Blood crazily spurted out from the cultivator as Masami''s Siren Chain effortlessly drilled through his body.

    A sixth-level Heavenly King bodily defenses was nothing but mere tofu against Masami''s Magical Energy.

    In that instance, the cultivator wasn''t even aware of what was happening. All he could feel was a deathly paining from his chest.

    And as the light gradually left his eyes, the cultivator caught sight of a blinding white sh. Hisst thoughts center around these sudden demons who both had powerful Magical and Qi Energy.

    At the same time Masami killed off the cultivator, her eyes squinted a bit when a bright white light shed from the corner of her vision.

    The next second, a wet sickening thump was heard as a bloody corpse mmed into the ground, just dozens of feet away from Masami.

    On this corpse, there was arge hole where its heart should be, and its face was struck with utter fear.

    "Hmph. Always with the bright light show, huh?"

    Masami jested as she recalled both her Magical Energy and bloodline powers, causing the other cultivator''s corpse to crash into the ground.

    "Hehe~. I was just born to be bright and enticing." Ani teased back.

    And as she walked up to Masami, her gaze briefly crossed back over to the two cultivator''s corpses. "Still, to think Darcy was more than right about this. I mean.these two weren''t as strong as Siren Star, but they were nearly helpless against a single Siren Chain."

    "Eh." Compared to Ani''s bewilderment, Masami simply shrugged her shoulders.

    "Whenever he thinks he''s absolutely right, has he ever been wrong? Either way, I''m just d we''re reiming our strength! It won''t be too long before we are back to our full potential."

    .

    As Ani and Masami killed the cultivators, Darcel was in hot pursuit of the Siren Mage.

    At this time, he released 70% of his bloodline powers, causing his strength to skyrocket even more!

    Darcel''sbined oppressive might crashed straight down on the Siren Mage, swallowing him in a suffocating ocean of overwhelming power.

    "He''s this strong?! Just what the hell are you?!"

    The Siren Mage could only force down the rising bile in his mouth and the immense pain wreaking utter havoc inside his body.

    In the instance he was hit with Darcel''s suffocating aura, the Siren Mage forcefully stopped himself, fishing out a crimson color Mage Staff.

    With the Mage Staff in hand, the Siren Mage burst out a wave of Magical Energy from its Magical Orb, immediately forming a Magical Dome around himself.

    Compared to just a Magical Barrier, a Magical Dome has far better defenses, almost unbreakable to any attacks.

    Protected inside the Magical Dome, the Siren Mage initially thought he would have some room to properly breathe.

    However, his expectations were shattered to bits and pieces the very next split second.

    Several crimson Siren Chains instantly reached the Siren Mage and shattered right through the Magical Dome!

    At best, this Siren Mage was just slightly stronger than Siren Star. His overall Magical Energy prowess wasn''t too high, but his craft mind allowed him to ward off several Senior-ranked Siren Mages.

    But, against an absolute strength disparity, the Siren Mage had no chance to show off any of his skills.

    And once Darcel''s Siren Chains crushed the Magical Dome, it didn''t stop at all, restlessly soaring right towards the Siren Mage.

    <em>''Pu-Chi!'' </em>

    The Siren Mage simply couldn''t offer any defenses; his body was brutally torn open by the Siren Chains, causing streaks of blood to stter in the air.

    Only a hoarse shrill left the Siren Mage''s mouth.

    He couldn''t even correctly scream as his Magical Energy and lifeforce was rapidly draining out from him.

    At this moment, the Siren Mage knew it was over for him. He was very clearly aware of the unfathomable power of the Siren Chains arts and wasn''t even shocked at it by this point.

    There was only a distraught look of fear and despair epassing the Siren Mage''s face.

    As he watched Darcel slowly inched closer to him, the Siren Mage mustered all of his willpower to ask one question. His voice came out as a gurgle but was clear enough to get his message across.

    "Why-why.if you have this kind of talent. Why work with that dog organization.?"

 Chapter 313: Weeks Passing

    Chapter 313: Weeks Passing

    Hearing the Siren Mage''s gargle-up words, Darcel actually paused. His eyebrows curled in curiosity, and he then made a split-second decision.

    Instead of letting the Siren Mage quickly die off, Darcel lowers his Magical Energy output, allowing the Mage to live that bit longer.

    In all honesty, this method was crueler than just killing the Siren Mage off.

    Now he''ll have to experience death at an agonizingly slow pace and bepletely powerless to do anything about it.

    From the Siren Mage''s horrific expression, it was easy to see how brutal this option was.

    However, Darce had long since abandon showing any of his enemies any shred of mercy. Hell, he first squashed that part of him as he grew up in the Parasol Organization.

    What mattered the most to Darcel now was keeping both Ani and Masami safe. And the Siren Mage''s words arouse that little bit of worry.

    After all, this Siren Mage has dozens of years of experience in that organization over him. Therefore, whatever opinion he has would most likely be the absolute truth. Moreover, since he is on hisst legs, the Siren Mage seemed very willing to talk.

    With all this in mind, Darcel ignored the look of utter agony on the Siren Mage face and asked,

    "Dog organization? First time I''ve heard it described like that. Everyone in Azog Ice Town just seems to have nothing but praise for them."

    "Heh-heh.is that right.?

    As the Siren Mage spoke, his lips starting twitching. Even though he''s in immense pain, he can''t suppress specific memories from bubbling up in his subconscious.

    Memories that made the Siren Mage''s lips twitch up in a disdainful smirk. That harrowing smirk coupled with the gruesome blood running down his face genuinely made for a terrifying image.

    Despite wanting the release of death at this moment, the Siren Mage still continues to talk, as if he was venting out everything slumbering deep within him.

    "A bunch of bullshit. Just one slightest mistake, and you get heavily ostracized. And if you don''t have the power, there''s nothing you can do to change. Just one wrong move, and your life is ruined. Praise my ass. Among Mages, they are the most prideful and treacherous."

    The Siren Mage said it all in one breath. Afterward, he puked a copious amount of blood. It was like thosest words took nearly all of his lifeforce.

    Right then, the Siren Mage became heavily blurry and felt his consciousness all but left him.

    However, before he truly passed on, the Siren Mage said in a very faint whisper.

    "You will see it too."

    And with his final piece said, the Siren Mage had finally died.

    Darcel stayed motionless for a second. On instincts, he recalled back his Magical Energy, letting the Siren Mage corpse crash to the ground.

    As a heavy silence filled the area, Darcel tightly knitted his eyebrows. ''I wonder.if he knew what I could truly do, would his words change? But then again, he did imply about my talent being so great, so perhaps he already saw through it. Really, I had no ns to stay here long, but after that.we may need to speed up our time.''

    Darcel took the Siren Mage''sst words to heart. Hisbat prowess is great but nowhere near enough.

    Being content or absolutely confident is impossible unless his powers reach the very summit of the whole world.

    At this time, Darcel was assured no other Senior-ranked Siren Mage could ever hope to match them.

    But those Elder Mages, his worries couldn''t stop about them. And now, it only increased after that short exchange.

    After pondering for a few moments, Darcel came to a swift conclusion. With aplete grasp over theirbat strength, it was now time to significantly boost their cultivation.

    Suddenly, Darcel was taken away from his thoughts when he heard footsteps stroll up to him. Turning over, he spotted Ani and Masami causally walking up to him.

    Seeing the girls, some tension alleviated from Darcel''s body.

    Really, having a highly reliable team make things much less suffocating. Even more perfect is that they''re both beautiful women and his lovers.

    "So you already finished things here, Darcy? Truly, we all went far faster than I could have ever expected." Ani spoke first after taking one look at the Siren Mage''s hole-filled corpse.

    Now, there was a noticeable vibrant energy within her tone that wasn''t quite there before this mission.

    "Well, well. If all missions like this, we can clear several of them just today!"

    The smugness in Masami''s tone was more apparent to notice. Her head was held proudly high, being distinctly differentpared to her stature just before this mission.

    A blooming smile blossomed onto Darcel''s face. ''Even though that warning was ominous, it''s all worth it to see the girlsing back to their old selves.''

    Truly Darcel can consider this mission as the highest sess they achieved over these past days.

    Keeping his thoughts to himself, Darcel then nodded to the girls, looked back over to the Siren Mage''s corpse, and told them, "Come on, let''s finish looting this thief trio; they bound to have plenty of good stuff. Then, once we im our rewards, we''ll fall into a schedule of close-door cultivation andpleting missions."

    "Sounds perfect, Darcy/I''m all fired up now." Ani and Masami''s voices, respectively, ovepped with each other.

    The girls were genuinely eager. Neither could even recall thest time they felt this pump since the Mercenary Exchange Event.

    With all that settled, Darcel began walking up to the Siren Mage''s corpse. And though he appeared calm on the surface, his mind started to rummage on this man''sst words.

    Hopefully, they could leave before any actual disasters happen.

    .

    Days quickly breezed by, turning into weeks before Darcel, Ani and Masami knew it.

    Since their first-ever mission, about two weeks have passed.

    During this time, the trio fell into a smooth regime. They would firstplete several missions thenter on cultivating throughout the night.

    While on this schedule, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami paid much attention to the outside world.

    But, with everypleted mission they achieved, their infamous reputation increased.

    Now Siren Mages had no other choice but to admit that Darcel''s group was an excellent addition to their organization.

    The tiers of mission the triopleted weren''t easy at all. Some missions they achieved would be impossible for even other several Senior-ranked Siren Mages.

    And though Darcel, Ani, and Masami never bothered to seek out other Siren Mages to form rtions, public opinion about them was slowly changing.

    No matter what, the trio has performed great merits that will benefit their organization.

    Of course, no matter how opinions about them sway, Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t care in the slightest.

    All of their focus was on gathering an abundance of resources. And aided by their Mystical Aura State, their cultivation and Magical Energy increase by leaps and bounds.

    Currently, a profound event was urring within Darcel''s group room.

    Inside, Darcel, Ani, and Masami sat in their usual cultivation positions. But the energy surrounding the three of them was heavily intense.

    Within the air, visible ck spatial cracks lines ripple all around the room, gushing chilling tidal waves of Heavenly Qi energy.

    If any Siren Mage were to step within the room, they would drown in the suffocating ocean-like energy permeating the air.

    The reason for this phenom was all because of Darcel and Ani. At this moment, the duo was in the midst of breaking through to the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    As they were entirely focused on their cultivation, their speeds were at a breakneck pace.

    Furthermore, Darcel and Ani were already close to the peak of the Innate Core realm in the first ce. With theirprehension being insanely high, it was only a matter of time.

    And today is where the duo will take that final step.

    Darcel almost instantly adjusted himself to his best mental condition. His mind was unwaveringly clear, akin to an unending stream of warm water.

    Then, without any hesitation, Darcel stimted all of the umted Heavenly Qi energy within his nine Innate Core cracks. The Innate Core cracks was filled to their absolute limit and was ready to release at any time.

    ''Bang!''

    Showing zero hints of emotions on his face, Darcel detonated his nine Innate Core cracks!

    Darcel''s body violently shook, but at that time, his bloodline vigorously surged.

    Tremendous power filled every inch of Darcel''s body, stabilizing his Innate Core while also pushing Darcel''s Spirit Sense.

    At a rapid pace, Darcel felt his Spirit Sense approach a new border of great power.

    But before Darcel''s Spirit Sense could fully transform, he felt a slight resistance.

    Right then, Darcel only had one firm thought that served as his underlying foundation for nearly all of his actions.

    ''This is just another stepping stone so I can keep Ani and Masami safe. And eventually find that yellow-eyed woman!''

    ''Ka-Cha!''

    A resounding shatter shook Darcel''s mind and body.

    In that instance, Darcel felt his mind broaden to a tremendous level. His Spirit Sense entirely transformed.

    At this moment, Darcel finally gained his Heavenly Spirit Sense!

 Chapter 314: Heavenly Step

    Chapter 314: Heavenly Step

    The unfathomable sensation of a Heavenly Spirit Sense transformed Darcel''s entire mental psyche. It was at this moment, he genuinely felt like he shredded right past his ordinary mortal limits.

    With just a thought, he could spread his Spirit Sense for thousands of miles, essentially covering the whole of the Siren Blood Mage organization.

    This extreme range was Darcel only just probing out his ability.

    At hisplete focus, the distance of his Heavenly Spirit Sense could only be imagined.

    And not only did his range increase, but Darcel could also now urately pinpoints numerous things that have the slightest strand of energy.

    Provided that the person he''s searching for isn''t majorly stronger than him, Darcel can detect any presence.

    Along with his ability being upgraded, Darcel, in general, felt sharper.

    His intelligence was already quite high. But after this, Darcel felt as if it became even more refined and perfectly clear.

    Darcel only took a second to bask in this sensation before focusing up toplete his breakthrough.

    At this stage, a cultivator would experience enlightenment about their sense of self. Their minds broaden to the point where they need to questions their goals and desire.

    Asking themselves if the path they''re going is their genuine goal?

    No matter how talented she is now, Masami still had to do deep self-reflection upon herself. Of course, her already firm Will allowed her to easily bypass this step, but it was nevertheless required.

    Even Ani had to take a moment and experience enlightening self-reflection.

    She formed her Heavenly Spirit Sense only seconds behind Darcel. And now she''s at the next critical juncture to finally be a Heavenly King.

    The enlightening self-reflection was in Darcel''s mind for some time now. Even before this breakthrough, he would constantly reaffirm the goals in his head. This was so he could find the burning drive and motivation to keep going every day, no matter how tough it bes.

    His notion has been set down for years already.

    So it should havee with no shock that Darcel''s already enlightenment mind shattered the block preventing him from directly absorbing Heavenly Qi!

    Darcel only felt his mind slightly shook. But other than that, he had zero reactions.

    For years he always knew what he wanted. And though more goals have been added to his drive, Darcel never wavered in the slightest.

    After all, as long as Ani and Masami are alive, he can''t let himself die or be weak!

    At this moment, the ck spatial cracks lines tremble. Then, in the very next second, rich waves of Heavenly Qi energy soared straight at Darcel.

    Sensing the intensely powerful waves of Heavenly Qi, Masami flung open her eyes, only to immediately widen them in slight shock.

    "Tch! This guy never stops showing off!" Masami was truly stunned and envious.

    During her Heavenly Transfomarion breakthrough, her phenomenon was not as intense as Darcel''s. Although, she can admit that Heavenly Qi pouring into Darcel was a sight to behold.

    Those waves of Heavenly Qi brightly lit up their entire room. It was almost like gazing into a rainbow light show.

    At this time, Darcel was refining his body into a Heavenly body and forming his Heavenly Core with Heavenly Qi.

    The quality of Heavenly Qi contains a quantitive richness that simply can not bepared to the previous realms.

    Not even speaking about the power difference, the amount of pure Heaven and Earth''s energy within Heavenly Qi is scaled up by a tremendous margin.

    This step is truly shedding away every drop of impurities a cultivator umted from the previous realms.

    Darcel was undergoing this process, yet there wasn''t any spot of gross impurities shedding away from his body.

    Likewise, when Masami reached this realm, there weren''t any gross impurities out from her body as well.

    This is all because of the high pureness Heavenly Qi possesses, being able to wipe away cultivation impurities without a trace.

    Minutes flowed by, soon transiting into a full hour.

    At this time, an incredible wave of Heavenly Qi rushed out of Ani like a vigorous storm. From the ck spatial cracks, tears, rainbow color Heavenly Qi rushed into her body as if she was a Pris ma.

    It took slightly longer, but now Ani crossed over thest mental border of the Heavenly Transformation realm, taking her first official step.

    During this time, Masami simply opted to wait until the duo was finished.

    She couldn''t precisely immerse herself into cultivation with the reckless waves of energy flowing out and in Darcel and Ani.

    Soon enough, even more time swiftly passed.

    And it was finally after forty minutes, Darcel and Ani changed.

    <em>''Hua~!'' </em>

    At the same time, Darcel and Ani''s bloodline arms vigorously surged!

    Their powers erupted like a volcano, causing brilliant ck and white Light to shroud the entire room,pletely covering up the rainbow color Heavenly Qi.

    "Th-this?! Holy, where they always-?"

    At first, Masami was simply shocked at the pure overwhelming power gushing out of the duo. It intensely pressured her while just being in her base state.

    But before Masami could properly reveal in their bloodline might, her breathing suddenly got hitched.

    Among the brilliant Light show, two definite images formed out of Darcel and Ani.

    A single ck wing and a single white wing were unfurled from Darcel and Ani''s bloodline arm. Their bloodline wings stood majestically tall, emitting ethereal auras that was impossible to ignore.

    "Since when.since when they had this?" Masami could only nkly stare at the wings.

    Because the crimson Magical Mark made it impossible to see, she never had the chance to properly obverse their bloodline wings. Furthermore, during their missions, the duo was never pushed to a point where they needed to go all out.

    Seeing their wings for the first time, Masami honestly didn''t know how to describe her feelings.

    All at that moment, Masami''s breath was truly taken away. However, this maic feel onlysted for a second.

    Afterward, Masami rapidly blinked her eyes. ''I never really put much thought into their bloodline, but.is it that special?''

    Indeed, Masami always regarded the duo''s bloodline as a rare Heavenly Rank one where it allows them to amplify their Qi energy to an insane degree.

    But after this moment, she slowly started to realize there was something profound about their bloodlines.

    However, before her thoughts could divulge, she sensed movements from Darcel and Ani.

    As Darcel and Ani''s bodies sparsely twitched, their bloodline powers recalled back into their bodies, causing the room to fall into a normal state.

    Upon reverting back to normal, a new kind of aura oozed out of the duo.

    It was the same aura that naturally emits from Masami or any other Heavenly Transformation cultivation.

    This was their Heavenly Aura! Darcel and Ani had finally crossed over to the first level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    Within their now Heavenly Magical Dantian space, their Heavenly Cores was a mix of Chaotic Energy and roaring ck mes.

    At the first level, their Heavenly Core was only just a vague phantom image. However, the size of their Cores was tremendous. It nearly equaled to the size of their phantom Dragon Magical Core!

    When everything was finally settled with, Darcel and Anieal''s bodies stopped twitching. Then, simultaneously, they flung their eyes wide open.

    For a brief second, rays of Darkness and Light spewed out of their eyes before quickly returning to normal.

    Masami gave an immediately pleased smirk, congratting the duo. "Well, well! That was a nice shy show. But hey, now we''re all full-fledged Heavenly Kings!"

    "Hehe~! You were right, Sami. This power is so robust."

    Ani slowly stretched her arms, taking in this overwhelming feeling of power.

    With what she''s sensing now, Ani was more than sure they could properly dominate Mercenaries group''s Captains such as the ones from the Snow Angel group or the Shadow rouges.

    "And to think, all we really need is just resources." Darcel absentmindedly threw out ament.

    More than just this feeling of power, he was moreso delighted at the prospect of how smooth their cultivation is.

    If they could adequately umte all the resources they can, they wouldn''t even be stuck in the Heavenly Transformation realm for a long time.

    Truthfully, with all the resources they acquired, Masami could have achieved a small breakthrough.

    But she declined doing so, in favor so that he and Ani could rapidly advanced. Although her reasoning wasn''t a warm and affectionate one like Darcel would expect with Ani.

    She simply told him, ''Our team needs to be an unstoppable force of nature. So naturally, you two need to be Heavenly Kings now! This way, we can venture where ever whenever we very well want. And challenge whoever we want.''

    It was an action-orientated reason, but one that Darcel expected and wouldn''t have it any other way.

    As he thought of this, Darcel threw an appreciative nce towards Masami.

    But while doing so, he caught a brief sh of a strange expression on her beautiful face. The expression happened so fast that Ani didn''t notice it, and Darcel was sure he wouldn''t have either.

    He only did so because he felt his Darkness Soul link quiver for the briefest of split seconds.

    Darcel''s curiosity was immediately aroused. However, he chose not to press her for an answer.

    If it was something that was truly bothering her, Masami would never hesitate to blurt it out loud. So Darcel assumed it was just her wandering thoughts.

    Although, he did note this in the back of his mind forter.

    After clearing away his thoughts of this, Darcel then focused on their next goal. He began to speak up, interrupting Ani and Masami''s current discussion to tell them,

    "Alright then. With our prowess, we have no reason to fear any mercenary groups. So, it''s finally time to take that trip towards Mawold Town."

    "Wha?? Uggh."

    Collective groans of agony sounded out from both Ani and Masami. Their expressions right now was honestly like they stepped in gross rat shit.

 Chapter 315: An Old Friend

    Chapter 315: An Old Friend

    "Seriously, do we really need to visit that woman again? I mean, I know she is somehow still connected to you, but wouldn''t it be better for her to live like that? Just believing it was a dream?

    There was a clear trace of disdain filling Masami''s tone. Mawold Town, more specifically, Silver Leader Ninu, brought up rather negative feelings for her and Ani.

    Compared to any other person, Ninu certainly has a more profound rtionship with them.

    Quite literally, Darcel touched her very soul''s essence core, the meaning of who she is.

    And by doing so, he forcefully molded her into bing a mere servant, somebody who will never show resistance to him.

    Even from the beginning, Masami was never truly fond of this idea. Neither was Ani, though she was slightly more tolerant.

    After all, unlike how they build their rtionship from numerous life-or-death situations, these Darkness Servants simply took these massive shortcuts to gain these fabricated feelings.

    There was no actual genuineness, all just cohesion and force. At least, that''s what both Ani and Masami believed it to be.

    And making matters worse, the fact that some of their Darkness Servants acted all affectionate to Darcel irked the girls in all the wrong ces.

    Ninu was one such servant who acted particrly close to Darcel.

    Even now, both girls could remember the unmistakable sour taste over remembering how Ninu seemed so enthralled by fabricated soul feelings.

    It''s all why they both expressed significant sourness overseeing this ''old friend'' again.

    Ani had even added on to Masami''s point as said next, "At this point, she and we particrly live in different worlds. I don''t see any true benefits for this excursion."

    Hearing both girl''sints, Darcel took it in calmly. He was more than aware of their varying feelings. Plus, he could also understand their point.

    Not even he wants a rtionship made up of fabricated feelings.

    No matter if his powers specifically rted to seducing women or giving them easy pleasure, forcing rtionships only gave Darcel a sensation of hollowness.

    Although, at the same time, Darcel could also see that both girls just have in, regr jealousy.

    ''Really, before I knew it, they''ve grown close, very close with each other. Still, this is better than them wing away at each other, even if they do more often than not sh.''

    Truly, Darcel counted his blessings that despite the girls having clear contrast in personality, they can also smoothly bounce off each other.

    He shudders to think what would happen if he needed to step in for actual violent actions.

    Turning his thoughts away from that, Darcel reorganized his mind and exined his reasoning. "I know it may very well seem like a waste of time but, I can tell it would be worth it. From what I pieced together, that woman was unable to destroy our sour links because we''re too interconnected. As for Ninu, she was unable to destroy but had certainly damaged it. However, even after all this time, my soul link to her somehow grew stronger. I can feel her vehemently pinning for us. Plus, I can also vaguely feel out she too experienced great changes since our time."

    Ani and Masami certainly heard Darcel, but they didn''t respond for a moment.

    They attempted to keep up their intent stares, hoping to prate into Darcel''s mind even just slightly.

    However, no matter how hard they stared, Darcel stayed unmoving. It was like two slightly smaller lions attempting to pressure in the biggest, dominant lion.

    And in the end, Ani and Masami gave out.

    "Haah~. We know that look right, Sami?" Ani simply exhaled a quiet sigh. "Let''s just sack it up and quickly do this. Besides, in the end, she''s still only a servant. That position can never be changed."

    Listening to that, Darcel nearly snorted. He remembers all the way back when they first encountered Masami, Ani was so insistent in her belief that jealousy would never affect her.

    Now, she''s be quite possessive and territorial.

    Darcel could only assume because his soul instinctively called out to Masami, it in return made Ani''s soul far more willing to ept since she was already tightly connected to him.

    Without that little fact, Darcel could only imagine how their interactions would''ve turned out.

    "Hmph. I suppose that she is. Well then, let''s get it done with now. The sooner we are done, the faster we can back on to more critical subjects."

    Masami was already back on her feet when she finished speaking. She cracked out over any leftover kinks from cultivating for so long, feeling her body surging with vibrant energy.

    At that moment, Darcel let loose a slightly wryly smile and told the girls, "We don''t need to treat this like a mission, you know? It''s just a simple check-up, and plus, we can use this time to leisurely rx. Cultivation isn''t all about rapidly promoting strength. It is nice to divulge ourselves once in a while."

    "Che, you only say that because your powers are literally linked to being perverse." Masami snorted.

    "And we can''t help but surrender to his Dark ws~." Ani cheerfully added.

    Lightly chucking to himself, Darcel prepared to stand so they could promptly leave. But as did so, a sudden purple glow surged from the bookshelf.

    In that instance, Darcel, Ani, and Masami immediately snapped their attentions over.

    "Say.isn''t that one of the Elder''s rings?" Ani asked with an evident hint of surprisecing her tone.

    Indeed, the cause for the sudden purple glow was from the contact ring on their shelf.

    The contact ring that direly connected to one of the high-level Elders of the entire Siren Blood Mage organization.

    For weeks now, the trio haspleted so many missions. And yet, no Elder ever bothered to contact them until now.

    Reasonably, Darcel, Ani, and Masami kept their suspicious up. Preferably, the trio didn''t want to answer the call. But things would be far more troublesome if they chose to ignore.

    With this in mind, Darcel walked over to the bookshelf, picked up the ring, and kept his tone even when speaking into it.

    "Hello? Is this one of the Senior Elders trying to contact us?"

    The response was instant.

    "Indeed it is. This is Elder Yang speaking."

    Though it''s been some time since seeing him, the trio could recognize that voice within a second. Out of most high-level figures, Elder Yang seemed to radiate a certain unforgettable aura that tranted into every action he made.

    "The reason for my call is a fair warning. The level of feats you three achieved in these sort weeks is highly unprecedented. And while you three may not care to notice, you cause quite the chaotic storms. My advice is to always watch yourself and barely trust anyone, even myself. The situation between all Mages is quiteplicated and jealously is most prominent here."

    "Huh??"

    This sudden speech threw Darcel, Ani, and Masami for a loop, each of them letting out confused noises simultaneously.

    Truly, none of them couldn''t think of anything to say back.

    Leaving them even more stunned was when the contact ring quickly lost its luster a mere secondter. Without even giving the trio a chance to respond, Elder Yang swiftly cut off the connection.

    A strange silence filled their room.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami didn''t move, their minds staying focused on trying to process Elder Yang''s words.

    And it was this time, a glint sparked within Ani''s eyes. "Say, Darcy, isn''t this kind of simr to what you said about that rouge Siren Mage? Really seems like this ce is more distrusting than we thought."

    "And let''s not forget how weird these Elders are. I didn''t think it could happen, but now, I''m actually looking forward to getting out of this ce."

    Masami remarked. She already held a predisposition dislike towards Mages, so this wasn''t truly surprising to her.

    And, of course, this wasn''t any sort of news to Darcel. In fact, during their mission times, he fully expected some troublesome situations to ur. He could only bless his luck that none of that had happened to them.

    Still, even with their newfound strength, Darcel can tell that the decision to stay here is unwise.

    Considering this, he then told the girls with a soothing calm tone, "Come on. Let''s leave right now. No point in dying anything for even a second."

    Ani and Masami, who were initially against this meeting was now pumped up to go.

    Without a moment''s dy, the trio swiftly gathered everything they needed and left their room.

    .

    Thousand of miles deep in the Plunged Tundra.

    On the Plunged Tundra icy roads, three hooded figures who seemingly looked unremarkable traveled together.

    No other cultivator or Mage bother to spare even a passing nce from this trio. And on first senses, anyone would perceive a masked Heavenly Aura from them.

    Most obviously, one would assume they were simply a batch of generic Heavenly Transformation cultivators.

    However, that thought couldn''t be further from the truth.

    For as the hooded figures were Zhaun Koizma, Cui Koduka, and Kassidy Kitsui!

    These three were the absolute pride of the Ice Nine Tail Sect. Each of them was an extreme genius in their faction,manding the utmost respect from the younger generation.

    Under normal circumstances, these three would emit an unfathomable air of utmost pride.

    Their heads would be held up high, looking down on most other people.

    However, at this moment, none of that prideful might could be seen.

    Zhaun and Cui kept their heads down, their minds deep into contemtion.

    While Kassidy exuded an overflow of negative sentience. If anyone were to stare into her eyes, they would bear witness to pure, unadulterated hatred.

    Between the trio, no words were shared for quite some time.

    The only reason they''re still banded together was because of their hatred for Masami.

    Mainly it was Zhaun and Cui following behind Kassidy as she apparently had this great confidence in finding her again.

    Although as time flew by, the trio still had no chances at sess. And it was suddenly during this walk, Zhaun had to ask Kassidy,

    "This would be probably the hundredth town we visit. How can you be so sure this would be any different."

    "Because I feel it in my soul." Kassidy sharply exined. Her tone made it abundantly clear she wasn''t going to speak further about this.

    Zhaun could only shake his head and go back to his own contemtion.

    As he did so, he quietly muttered to himself, "Out of all ces, what would this weak Mawold Town possibly have?"

 Chapter 316: Reunion

    Chapter 316: Reunion

    High in the skies, deep within the Plunged Tundra, three figures swiftly shot through the gray clouds.

    Their speeds was so incredible to the point Mid-ranks Heavenly Kings would have trouble tracking them.

    Neither of them feared getting stopped by a flying Spirit Monster or any other type of organization. With theirbined might, the trio doubts there are not many in this region that can ever hope to match them.

    Of course, this trio was Darcel, Ani and Masami.

    A couple of days have passed since they left the Siren Blood Mage organization, and it was all smooth travel.

    Because of their already high reputation, nobody bothers questioning where they would be going.

    The Siren Mages were, of course, curious. But, each of them, even down to the Senior-ranked Mages, knows it''s all but impossible to involve themselves with Darcel''s group.

    As for their reputation across Azog Ice Town, it also served as a deterrent to be left alone.

    Typically, other cultivators or Mages organizations would want to keep tabs on the strongest people within any powerful organization.

    Darcel, Ani and Masami were no exceptions. Especially with their rumor prowess, many other organizations had set their eyes on them.

    However, none of them had the courage to actually follow through in attempting to keep tabs.

    With the number of high-ranking missions the triopleted, it was only natural that the rumor of theirbat prowess reached unnatural degrees.

    Some rumors even involved that Darcel, Ani, and Masami were actually secret demons disguised in human clothes just waiting to take over the whole city!

    After all, what else can exin the possibility of insanely high cultivation and Magical Talent?

    Fabricated stories only seemed like the truth involving them, at least.

    When these rumors reached Darcel''s group ears, Ani giggled in amusement; Masami wanted to let these ignorant people experience the rumor for themselves while Darcel barely cared.

    What Darcel did care about was nobody foolishly attempting to follow them out of Azog Ice Town. If anyone were to do that, then he and the girls would''ve had perfect stepping stones.

    Unfortunately for them, it seemed as if their reputations is more fierce than they thought.

    Still, being able to rxedly fly through the air with Ani and Masami was genuinely pleasant for Darcel.

    Their flight was especially telling since Ani and Masami were far more energetic than usual, presumably because of their recent Heavenly Transformation breakthrough.

    Whatever the reason, Darcel was thrilled that their mental state had taken such huge strides.

    After flying for several days now, Darcel, Ani, and Masami could finally spot a rtivelyrge town in the distance.

    "This ce." The trio simultaneously muttered in slight nostalgia.

    Sudden fond memories began to resurge, causing a warm sensation to course throughout their bodies.

    Indeed, how could they ever forget this ce? This is where their destinies intertwined forever!

    Furthermore, this is also where they had unleashed that mysterious formations into the entire world.

    It wasn''t an overstatement to say Mawold Town was the turning point in Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s lives.

    ''I still remember when Masami got so embarrassed over any perverse things. Now, she''s cute yet aggressive.''

    Most memories Darcel recounted was of his rtionship building with Masami and Ani. He didn''t put any other thoughts into the various fights they had around here, deeming them as less important.

    And while Ani and Masami were simrly nostalgic in these kinds of memories, there was other thoughts they couldn''t let go of.

    When recounting this, the nostalgia in Ani and Masami''s eyes were immediately reced with undisguised annoyance.

    "Che, you know what would make this trip down memoryne better? If that woman just hadpletely forgotten about since it''s been so long." Masami lightly snorted.

    Though she knows deep inside that''s an impossibility, it still felt good to vent a little.

    Ani smoothly followed up with Masami, talking in a more critical tone of voice. "That would be for the best. I truly don''t find her particrly pleasing. And she would be better without us."

    At this point, Darcel just lets the girls speak their feelings without care.

    He hopes that one day, these two will start to objectively see the benefits of having Darkness Servants who are actually willing to serve him.

    Pushing that intriguing thought down forter, Darcel was about to speak up his ownment.

    But right then, they all abruptly stopped dead in their tracks.

    Unknowingly, they were mere miles away from Mawold Town. And upon reaching this distance, slight familiar pings went off in Ani and Masami''s Darkness Soul links.

    While Darcel actually felt his Darkness Soul link quiver like a boiling volcano.

    Ani and Masami''s frowns increased as Darcel gained a curious grin. They all knew what this sensation meant.

    But before the trio could even think of their next move, a melodically sweet-sounding voice echoed out to the skies.

    "Master!!"

    Even though it''s been so long, neither Darcel, Ani, or Masami could ever forget that voice. It belongs precisely to the leader of the Silver Bloody Hammer group organization, Silver Ninu!

    Upon reaching this moment, Darcel, Ani, and Masami thought they would calmly meet her.

    However, as they sensed the sheer power behind Ninu''s loud shout, the triopletely froze.

    "Woah, Woah! What the hell? Since when she became a fifth-level Heavenly King??" Masami blurted out what they all were thinking.

    Again and again, the trio swept their Spirit Sense onto a rapidly approaching aura.

    But no matter how they re-sensed her, Ninu''s Heavenly Aura couldn''t and wouldn''t change. She had indeed reached the fifth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    In just a short time frame of a little bit over a month, this kind of speed should be utterly inconceivable for a mere average Heavenly Transformation cultivator.

    Say if Ninu was a talent at least slightly worse than someone like Zhaun Kitsui, then the trio would be more willing to believe this speed.

    But Ninu never once showed exceptional cultivation talent. She was among of average.

    Of course, given that she could reach the Heavenly Transformation showcased, she has far higher talent than thousands of other cultivators.

    But she should never be able to match levels from great geniuses in prominent and powerful Sects or simr organizations.

    ''Could it be some kind of great treasure?''

    This thought simultaneously struck Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s minds. This seemed like the far more usible reason.

    But at the same time, the trio didn''t ever recall the Nobe''s Fang group or the Silver Bloody Hammer group having a unique locating treasure tool.

    Only Fruna has that, and the trio was sure she mainly used those treasures for herself.

    As Darcel, Ani and Masami was temporarily lost in thought, a beautiful woman suddenly appeared before the trio.

    This beautiful woman floated several feet from the trio, spouting one of the happiest expressions she ever mustered in her life. She was donned entirely in a bright silver robe; her eyes seemed to sparkle in the same shimmering silver radiance.

    Anybody who was to look at her would immediately be attracted to those gorgeous silver eyes.

    Face to face with this woman, Ani and Masami pursued their lips while Darcel spouted a casual smile.

    "Ah, Master! It''s been too long! I was seriously so worried, but now, it''s all fine!"

    Ninu took the initiative to speak first. Her voice was lovely, full of charm that made it impossible to ignore listening to.

    "Ninu, you really remember us?" Darcel curiously asked.

    Even though he''s faced with the absolute truth, it was still slightly surprising to see that all-powerful yellow-eyed woman failing in destroying this Darkness Soul link like all others.

    In response to Darcel''s question, Ninu tilted her in a cutesy manner. "Why wouldn''t I remember you, Master and Mistresses? You three literally shaped my entire life for the better."

    "Heh, is that right?" Masami dauntingly narrowed her gaze on Ninu. "So howe you suddenly reached the fifth level so quickly on your own? Last we checked, you were merely a second-level Heavenly King."

    Ninu wasn''t affected at all by Masami''s intimidation, responding to her in a cordial tone, "Ah, this. Of course, for Master and Mistress, it is no problem for you to reach the Heavenly Transformation realm so quickly. As for me, e. I have a few great treasures that allowed me to be so powerful. And I was saving them up for you, Master and Mistresses."

    "Hmph. A cheat, as I expected." Masami crossed her arms and haughtily huffed.

    "Don''t be too hard, Sami. It''s only expected for others, right." Ani said with a seemingly soft, small smile.

    Both girl''s words didn''t seem that harsh on the surface, but the tone they were using spoke volumes. This was simply a tant provocation.

    Even average cultivators wouldn''t want to be reminded of how average they are.

    Darcel expected at least even the slightest reaction. But as he studied Ninu''s face, he quirked an eyebrow. Her blossoming smile never once left her face despite Ani and Masami''s non-weing vibes.

    Briefly, Darcel wonders if this is just a part of her personality or the effect of their Darkness Soul links.

    It would undoubtedly make things interest to know that Ninu simply has this high level of tolerance.

    Before his thoughts diverge anymore, Darcel told Ninu, "Don''t mind your mistresses, Ninu. We are truly curious to see those treasures. Lead the way."

    "Right this way then, Master, mistresses." Ninu already eagerly turned around at the end of her sentence.

    As they prepared to fly down to Mawold Town, Darcel spared onest nce over at Ani and Masami.

    Anyments the girl had at that moment was shut down. They instead crossed their arms and slightly huffed, wanting to always maintain their air of superiority around Ninu.

    Shaking his head at their antics, Darcel turned back around began following behind Ninu.

 Chapter 317: Heavenly Treasures

    Chapter 317: Heavenly Treasures

    Under Ninu''s lead, Darcel, Ani, and Masami swiftly enter Mawold Town, heading directly towards the Silver Bloody Hammer group.

    To avoid any unnecessary situations, Ninu took a secluded route towards the Organization, avoiding any and all eyes.

    If any of the members were to known that Darcel''s group came back, a volcano of noise would erupt within the Organization.

    And by extension, the whole Mawold Town would get swept by this news.

    After all, it hasn''t been that long since Darcel''s group made their names known here. Even now, numerous Mages and cultivators can vividly recount the day, Darcel, Ani, and Masami butchered mighty Heavenly Kings like they were mere chickens.

    Thankfully with Ninu, no noisy situation urred.

    And within just a couple of minutes, Ninu led Darcel, Ani, and Masami into her office.

    "Hm? This is."

    Slight surprise simultaneously came out of Darcel, Anile, and Masami as they gazed around the office.

    The trio was more than sure they all had near-perfect memories. They needed it so they couldprehend cultivation manuals, Martial Skills, and other simr items.

    So when they noticed how much Ninu''s office had changed, they couldn''t help but be surprised. To the air and the decor, things had received a tremendous improvement.

    Darcel had evenpared to the quality of the Captians rooms in the Snow Angel organization.

    Only, Ninu''s office is just slightly lower quality.

    Considering that the Silver Bloody Hammer group organization is a low-level Mercenrnary group, changes like this should naturally be impossible.

    Yet, the proof was utterly undeniable.

    ''In fact, not just her office, this whole ce got a great do-over. Did she actually do this all on her own? To think we keep on getting surprised.''

    Darcel felt genuinely impressed. If anything, this could be a testament to Ninu''spetency. All on her own, she managed to reform an entire organization for the better and repeatedly breakthrough within the Heavenly Transformation realm.

    Really, just what kind of fortuitous encounter did this woman have?

    And as if Ninu could actually feel out Darcel''s thoughts, she snapped her attention over to him right at that moment.

    With a bright smile, she said, "I''m overly pleased Master and Mistresses like our new designs. Once I had reached my current level, it became far easier to enlist profound changes around our Organization. Even now, I''m still heavily working to be of great use to you, Master."

    At this, Darcel, Ani, and Masami simultaneously squared their gazes on Ninu.

    A certain sense of appreciation swelled up inside Darcel. Though now he didn''t have the means to create more Darkness Servants, the motivation to find another way began to burn.

    In the future, when his and the girl''s strength break new boundaries, they''ll need to have connections like this.

    Subordinates who are helpful enough to seek out resources and maintain a smoothly running organization would be absolutely perfect.

    While Darcel thought of all the objective benefits over Ninu''s loyalty, Ani and Masami was genuinely a bit confused on how this woman could still remain so fiercely loyal.

    This situation reminded them a bit of Snow Angel''s Captain Be.

    Both of these women want to desperately go far out of their way to help even though they now have the options not to.

    Ninu may still be a Darkness Servant, but her connections should be far weaker because of the yellow-eyed woman interference.

    But here she was, trying to prove her undying worth to Darcel.

    ''This kind of loyalty.hmph.'' Masami huffily crossed her arms while Ani''s curiosity stared straight into Ninu''s face.

    The girl''s sour feelings didn''t lessen a bit, but they couldn''t suppress their intrigue in how Ninu is running things.

    Before her thoughts could divulge any further, Masami swiftly said, "Alright, enough about that. Our schedule is very tight so let''s get this over with. Bring out those supposed great treasures your promise."

    "Ah, of course, Mistress." Ninu was prompt on her feet. She went over to her desk, taking out a uniquely color light blue spatial ring.

    Just from taking out the ring, a potent Qi aura gushed out of it.

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami''s interest increased even further. Their Spirit Senses didn''t even notice such a treasure merely hiding in a table draw.

    And with their attentions at the utmost piqued, Ninu ignited the spatial ring.

    A light blue light sh and three medium-size cores appeared upon Ninu''s hand. Each core was coated in beautiful crystal ice blue shine and had a distinctyer of frost covering all over it.

    Immediately when these crystal ice cores appeared, an even higher rich Qi energy filled the whole room!

    All at once, the atmosphere morphed into something akin to a Qi Haven Space. The Qi energy was as pure as the natural rays of sunlight.

    "Mn?! This is!"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami couldn''t conceal their shock. They stood rooted in ce, their eyes intently gazing in on the crystal Ice cores.

    Their Spirit and Magical Sense did a full sweep over the Ice Cores, and the results further increased their shock.

    The Qi energy from these Ice Cores was equal; no, it was even richer than what they could get from the Mystical Aura state!

    Such an incredible treasure, the trio realized it at least had to be a low-ranking Heavenly Ranking resource!

    Something like this definitely shouldn''t be in Ninu''s hands.

    These kinds of Heavenly Resources are for high-ranks Heavenly King to fight over. Anyone from the Snow Angel group would be incredibly tempted to get their hands on such a treasure.

    They wouldn''t even care about any face or honor about attacking people far weaker than them for it. The temptations to achieve breakthroughs in the Heavenly Transformations was just too high to ignore.

    "Ninu.just how did you get your hands on this? Surely, where these treasures were had to be tightly guarded."

    Darcel threw out the question he and the girls had swirling in their minds.

    In stark contrast to her Master and Mistress''s shock, Ninu remained calmed, as if she expected this.

    As a soft smile crossed her lips, she told the trio, "This actually happened a long while ago, Master. Before the Mecernay Exchange Event, I did several dealings and trades with Nobe''s Fang group Fruna. In one of these trades, we ventured out using that specialpass of her. We then eventually came upon a cave that was guarded by only weaker Ice-attributed Spirit Monsters. After dealing with them, these Ice Core were our rewards."

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami calmed themselves down as they listened to Ninu''s exnation.

    On the surface, it made sense. After all, when they met up with Fruna inside that independent realm, herpass was the reason they were able to escape in the first ce.

    Without her, Darcel shudders to think what could''ve happened to them. Still, the more they thought about it, the more questions popped into their minds.

    "Mn.if you''re saying this was before that event, surely you still would''ve been at least a second-level Heavenly King? Fruna, at most, would''ve been at the third level. So my question is, just how could beasts weaker than you two guard such powerful treasures?"

    Ani raised another question.

    At this point, Ninu''s expression finally changed. Her eyebrows curled as she said, "This. I''m not too sure, Mistress. In all honesty, the cave appeared it was newly risen out from the ground. All around the cave, there was fresh cracks splitting open the ground, and there was barely any gray snow covering the cave. My best guess is after the day that the sky changed, that cave must''ve arisen from the ground. And that cave had umted so much Heaven and Earth Origin years for at least dozens of years, leading to these Ice Cores."

    "The day the sky changed?"

    Darcel, Ani, and Masami were a bit taken aback at this. Even until now, neither of them was fully aware of just how much the world was affected by the Gray Force.

    As Masami pondered over this, a memory suddenly resurfaced in her mind. "Ah, hey! Barring the sky changing, I can properly exin how this treasure came to be."

    Teachings from her dear grandmother shed in Masami''s mind. A sense of great nostalgia swelled inside her, causing her to subconsciously let loose a peaceful smile.

    Unaware of this, Masami exined to the others, "Treasures like this are actually far more likely to appear in our Province than any other. The infinite power sourced deep within the Plunged Tundra is also continually spewing Heaven and Earth Origin energy that''s directly connected to the source of the whole. Along with creating this endless Ice, it also helps form great treasures that take dozens of years to form. Really, it''s only now that I realized Grandmother is such a great source of knowledge."

    ''That infinite power source again.''

    Darcel and Ani kept their expressions hidden, but internally, their skepticism rose.

    In their strange and mystical world, there are so many things that seem impossible or inexinable.

    But an infinite power source?

    Somehow Darce and Ani found this difficult to ept.

    Just how can anything have infinite power or energy?

    Everything just had to reach a limit. Otherwise, that would be literally breaking the rules of reality.

    And since even Masami''s mighty grandmother wasn''t entirely sure of that infinite power source''s true origins, the duo felt like something was strange there.

    While Darcel and Ani briefly got lost in thoughts, Ninu took the moment to speak next.

    "Oh, Mistress is so smart! Now it all makes sense why these cores are so magical. Master, Mistresses, you have myplete assurance that if you absorb this, you can instantly reach the next level!"

 Chapter 318: Rapid Progress

    Chapter 318: Rapid Progress

    "Hoh? Is that so?" There was heavy doubtcing Ani''s tone.

    This time it wasn''t about her innate dislike for Ninu. She genuinely couldn''t believe any treasure could instantly take them to the next level.

    Just to reach the Heavenly Transformation realm, she and Darcel needed an overabundance of resources and spent nearly all of their time cultivating in their Mystical Aura State.

    If it was any other cultivator, even if they were a genius that simrly required more Qi energy for breakthroughs, their cultivation still would''ve soared.

    But for Ani and Darcel, they could only cross over two levels.

    At this point, Ani could truly regard her cultivation as another level separate from even geniuses. So it was understandable why she had such skepticism about instantly reaching the next level.

    The skepticism was also shared with Darcel and Masami.

    But when Masami was just about to open her up mouth to make simr doubts, Darcel matched his gaze with Ani, telling her,

    "I know we all have our doubts. But still, take it. Maybe we can really see a miracle."

    With everything they''ve been shown so far, Darcel could faintly tell there''s something more to Ninu than being just a mere Darkness Servant. He had a guess that she perhaps could genuinely be helpful to them far out in the future.

    However, he kept his thoughts hidden for now. With the girl''s feelings, there wasn''t any way they would ept this idea as of now.

    Even now, Darcel can still sense the faint sourness swirling within Ani and Masami''s souls.

    Still, no matter what they felt at this moment, the girls chose to be quiet. In the end, they would always listen to Darcel, so both Ani and Masami suppressed their doubts.

    And as Masami quietly huffed, Ani walked in front of Ninu, promptly inspecting the Ice crystal core.

    Upclose, she could see vague strange-looking patterns running along its surface. The patterns weren''t anything like she had seen before, almost looking at some kind of aliennguage.

    Just from looks alone, Ani could feel her intrigue rise. Then, after only a moment of hesitation, she took hold of Ice crystal core.

    "Mn!" Immediately, her tiny brows jumped in shock!

    Actually touching the Ice crystal core, Ani could feel there was far more rich Qi energy than she initially thought. Her Spirit Sense couldn''t even detect the richyers of this Qi energy!

    Without any hesitation, Ani began absorbing the Ice crystal core. Rich Qi''s energy swiftly ran through her Spirit Sense like a colossal tidal wave before refining into her body.

    ''Mother of Angels! She really wasn''t kidding!'' Ani truly couldn''t contain her waves of surprise.

    This Qi energy was at a boundary she never felt before! No Qi Haven or Mystical Aura state couldpare to this.

    In just seconds, Ani felt her Heavenly Core rapidly strengthening by an absurd degree. The Ice crystal core Qi energy flowed into Ani''s Magical Dantian Space like a vortex, quickly pushing her Heavenly Core to the next level.

    During this time, Ani expected some form of mental block to try and halt her progression.

    Of course, no matter what mental block it is, it wouldn''t matter at all with Ani''sprehension.

    However, entirely against Ani''s expectations, no mental blocks formed within her mental psyche! If it went on just like this, Ani started to believe that she could actually breakthrough!

    And it was at that moment, Ninu''s image shed in her mind.

    ''Ah! So she really wasn''t overselling this treasure. Even for treasures, everything still depends on oneprehension. Ninu''s aura is perfectly stable, so that would only mean.this treasure canpletely bypass mental blocks!''

    Ani''s body shook from the rich energy running through her and this surprising revtion.

    It''s known that no matter how much abundance of energy cultivation resources has, there''s still the risk of a cultivator gaining a shaking foundation.

    Cultivation resources indeed have the ability to forcefully break through mental blocks, allowing a cultivator to easily reach the next level.

    However, their foundation would increasingly turn shaky.

    With every mental block forcefully skipped, a cultivator is essentially skipping past enhancing their Spirit Sense. This can make it potentially problematic for a cultivator to achieve future breakthroughs on their own.

    Furthermore, many cultivation resources are ridden with hidden impurities that can disrupt a cultivator''s foundation. Too many hidden impurities can also impede a cultivator from reaching new levels.

    With these two factors, even if a cultivator achieves rapid levels, theirbat prowess would be weak against others on the same level.

    Only really rare cultivation resources carried none of these hidden impurities. If a treasure is made up entirely of Heaven and Earth''s Origin energy, there would be noplicated hidden impurities.

    And these Ice crystal cores fell under this category, strengthening Ani''s Heavenly Core as if she was just regrly cultivating.

    Moreover, even though it''s unnecessary for her, Ani''sprehension would also experience zero negative effects.

    Indeed, this could be called the perfect treasure!

    And something like this was just somewhere underground?

    For a brief moment, suspicion started to rise within Ani''s mind. Something so perfect most definitely has suspicious or even dangerous origins.

    Ani even thought of trying to seek out this cave just in case trouble arises from taking these Ice crystal cores.

    However, these were all ideas for the future.

    Ani pushed everything else out of her mind. She focused entirely on absorbing every bit of the Ice crystal core. Her Heavenly Core was like a greedy vacuum, taking every drop of Qi energy without a single problem.

    As the seconds trickled by, the Ice crystal core gradually shrunk in size. And at the same time, Ani''s Heavenly Aura rapidly rose.

    On the outside, Darcel and Masami were, of course, surprise and intrigue.

    Their Spirit Senses never left off Ani for a second. So it came as a considerable shock detecting that Ani was making more progress in cultivation than they could in weeks!

    "Hey Darcel, you don''t think-"

    Whatever Masami was about to say got caught in her throat. Before she could finish her sentence, Ani''s Heavenly Aura reached a tipping point!

    She reached the peak of first level Heavenly Transformation in just a few moments. Now, she was a mere fine line away from the second level.

    At this point, the time needed to breakthrough would be the longest.

    Darcel and Masami were in budding disbelief. In just a few seconds, is she really going to?

    And right as the duo thought so, an powerful energy flooded out of Ani''s body.

    <em>''Hua~!'' </em>

    After only a few seconds, Ani''s Heavenly Aura reached a quantitive change.

    Her power swept across the whole room, causing chilling breezes to warp the entire space. Finally, Ani''s Heavenly Aurapletely broke away from the first level, directly stepping into the second level!

    Within just seconds, Ani reached the second level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    "Oh wow! That was far faster than me; congrattion, Mistress! Your cultivation talent never ceases to surprise me."

    Ninu promptly expresses her praise. She honestly didn''t find anything that abnormal about the rate Ani absorbed the Ice crystal core. Thinking that this was only natural for a genius, she didn''t think too deeply about her speed.

    At that moment, the Ice crystal core on Ani''s had vanished.

    Ani flung her eyes wide open. Shock and joy filled her face as she basked in the feeling of achieving a breakthrough already.

    After only a moment, Ani shot her gaze towards Darcel and Masami and promptly became assumed by their bewildered statures.

    With the broadest of smiles, she told the duo, "It works! It works far better than anything we''ve attempted before! So quickly, you too absorb this core as well."

    At her words, it snapped Darcel and Masami out of their stupors. After that, they didn''t need to say anything else.

    Swift like the wind, Darcel and Masami took hold of the remaining Ice crystal core. In an instant, they both began rapidly absorbing the Qi energy straight into their Magical Heavenly Dantians.

    And just like Ani, their Heavenly Cores rapidly strengthen at an abnormal rate. Their Heavenly Auras soared, speedily approaching the next level.

    Then, in just a few seconds, Darcel and Masami''s bodies violently shook.

    <em>''Hua~!'' </em>

    Powerful waves of Heavenly Qi gushed out Darcel and Masami''s bodies like a whirlpool. Their Aura momentum matched with Ani''s, causing slight tears in the spatial zone.

    In the same amount of time, Darcel and Masami reached the second level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

    Great powers filled their veins as their joints crackled with pure, rich Qi energy.

    At that moment, Masami''s Heavenly Aura stopped climbing. Her cultivation remained stable and firm in the second level without a trace of impurity.

    Masami was undoubtedly surprised and excited. With the vigorous energy she''s feeling now, she wanted to unleash her fiery might on a worthy opponent!

    But, while Masami''s and Ani''s Heavenly Aura stopped at the second level, Darcel only continued to rise.

    Compared to the girls, Darcel only needed half of the Ice crystal core Qi energy to reach the second level. And of course, since he had no real reason to stop, Darcel continued absorbing the remaining rich Qi energy.

    In just another few seconds, Darcel''s body shook again, and a higher Heavenly Aura exuded out from him.

    Now, Darcel''s Heavenly Aura surpassed both Ani and Masami.

    "Hm?! This guy, are you serious?/ Ohh! Always breaking expectations Darcy!"

    Masami''s slightly exasperated voice ovepped with Ani''s eager tone. They and even Ninu were in slight disbelief.

    Darcel had just reached the third level of the Heavenly Transformation realm! Unfortunately, though, after gaining this level, his Heavenly Aura firmly stopped.

    Under Ani, Masami, and Ninu''s intent gazes, Darcel slowly opened his eyes.

    A sh of Darkness streaked in his eyes, emitting a strange yet hypnotic might. Right then, a pleased smile curved up Darcel''s lips.

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