Indeed, this excuse worked every time. Hearing that Chase was a hunter who had gotten separated from his tribe, the person guarding the area did not ask too many questions, perhaps out of sympathy or pity. After inquiring about his name, they gave Chase a sleeping spot and advised him to rest early.At dinnertime, the person warmly invited Chase to join them for dinner. They were roasting a large beast's leg over the fire, and Chase could not resist the man's hospitality. He followed him to the fire.Around the fire, seven or eight men were already waiting. Seeing Chase, they quickly made room for him to sit. As a token of gratitude, Chase discreetly retrieved two bottles of liquor from his storage space and shared them.He was always generous to those who showed him kindness.Listening to the men talk about interesting stories from far and wide, Chase found himself thoroughly enjoying their company and soon joined in the conversation. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.After
Although this place was located in the wilderness, the spiritual energy here was no less than that in the Dragon Vein Secret Realm. Chase absorbed the spiritual energy into his body, quickly entering a state of cultivation.Though the effect of absorbing spiritual energy was minimal for Chase, cultivation had always been about gradual accumulation. There was no such thing as overnight success.In the latter half of the night, a sudden chill woke Chase. He spread out his consciousness, scanning the area but finding nothing unusual. When he shifted his gaze, he finally spotted half a pale face with blood-red lips peeking out from behind a tent.The figure was a woman, strikingly noticeable against the backdrop of the wilderness. As soon as Chase looked over, the woman locked eyes with him. Her eyes moved stiffly, as if studying him.Chase stood up, planning to ignore the woman and warn the men in the tent. However, he noticed that his sleeping bag had inexplicably disappeared. Steppi
The white-clad woman instantly stopped speaking and locked eyes with Chase. Meanwhile, the pool of blood around them slowly expanded, shrouding Chase in a blood-red mist that resembled a thick fog."Chase, don't be careless. This ghostly woman is the overlord of these desolate lands for miles around, known as the Bloodthirsty Preserver. It's said she was once a lover of a high-ranking figure in a tribe, who later abandoned her and tortured her to death."Her intense resentment transformed her into a vengeful spirit. Now, she preys on solitary travelers to absorb their light energy. It's strange, though. We've traveled this path many times and never encountered her before. I wonder why she appeared tonight?" said the leader of the merchants to Chase, alerting him.Chase slightly shrugged his shoulders, releasing a burst of true energy that instantly dispersed the blood mist around him.Sensing danger, the white-clad woman tried to dive back into the pool of blood to escape. Chase sw
"You're spreading lies! When have I ever killed hundreds or thousands of people?" the woman retorted upon hearing the accusations against her."Chase, you must not listen to this ghost's deceitful words," one of the men pleaded."Yes, Chase, you must take action for us. If you weren't here today, we might have become her victims," added another, clearly convinced by the rumors they had heard."Have any of you actually seen this woman kill anyone?" Chase asked, trying to reason with the men. He did not want them to think he was simply using his strength to protect the woman.Seeing Chase defend her, the woman calmed down. She lowered her head and stayed silent."Well, no. We haven't seen it ourselves. It's all just hearsay," one man admitted reluctantly."There you have it. None of you have seen it with your own eyes. It's all based on rumors, which tend to become exaggerated. From my observations today, this woman had no intention of harming you. She was just quietly observing ne
"If you keep following me, I'll take action. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because I saved you," Chase warned, trying to scare her off.However, the woman seemed confident that Chase would not hurt her. She was displaying a fearless expression."Go ahead, do it. You're strong, and I can't resist anyway. Come on now. I'm not even going to fight back," she said while drifting closer to Chase, acting as if she were at his mercy.Chase raised his hand, pretending he was about to strike her on the forehead.The woman did not move or evade. She just stared at Chase, convinced he would not actually hit her.After a moment, Chase had to lower his arm, feeling it start to go numb from holding it up."You can follow me, but stop asking so many questions, okay? Otherwise, I really won't let you tag along," Chase conceded. He realized he could not bring himself to harm someone who refused to fight back."Okay," the woman quickly agreed, clearly set on staying with Chase."W
As a mere ghost, she had not achieved any great feats, yet she was granted a dwelling akin to a blessed sanctuary.What had she done to deserve this? Initially, she was only grateful and a bit curious, so she followed this seemingly kind-hearted man for a while.Now, seeing this sanctuary, she felt both fortunate and more determined to follow Chase."Yes, you can reside inside here. Just try not to come out and scare people," Chase instructed."Thank you, Mr. Collins," Rolfene responded formally. In some tribes here, young men with some strength liked being addressed with respect, so she hoped calling him 'Mr. Collins' would be well-received.Rolfene pondered silently."By the way, do you remember much about your life? Tell me about it," Chase asked casually, deciding it was best not to reveal he was not a native."I don't remember much, but there are some things. If you don't mind, I'll share," Rolfene replied."Alright. Just tell me what you remember. And don't call me Mr.
There seemed to be a lack of confidence in him despite the praise.Rolfene was dramatically blunt as she said, "It can't be that you don't have some sort of tactic when dealing with supernatural beings like me but can't do any damage if the fighting were to get real, right?"The more she talked about it, the less confidence she had as she watched herself being surrounded from all four corners at the city gates.Chase glared at Rolfene."Stand to the side and watch. You'll find out how powerful your boss really is!"Rolfene knew she was on the losing end and kept quiet. She made a mental note to escape the moment she sensed something wrong.Chase was not bothered by what Rolfene was planning.He rushed to the front with the Dragon Abyss Sword in his hand as his feet pushed forward.Chase even had time to ask while in mid-air, "Who are you?"No one replied to him.It was a group of people who lived life at the edge.Those who enjoyed announcing their names out loud in public w
At the same time, the Dragon Abyss Sword was flying in the air in the opposite direction, piercing right through the back of the other man who was attempting to escape.It went through the man as a clean blade and exited his body covered in blood.Both men died on the spot.As for the trained muscled man, Chase had seen him making an escape into the city district from the city gates. Chase had no choice but to give up going after him. All he did was leave a trace of consciousness on that man.It was not difficult to kill him, but Chase had to find out what exactly was happening.Why would this group of men ambush him for no reason?Chase gave this some thought and guessed this could be because of the divine crystal.However, he wondered if they tried to assassinate him because of the divine crystal or if these people had sensed the divine crystal and were lying in wait. There was a chance they had no idea who possessed the crystal.There was a huge difference between both reaso
Tania once attended celebratory events held by other sects, only to encounter top-tier demonic beasts on the road. A brutal battle left her covered in wounds, and she missed the celebration entirely, offending the host.At that time, her master's resentment had already reached its peak.That thousand-year-old wolf demon became the last straw that broke the camel's back.Her master unleashed Emerald Lake Holy Land's most powerful technique—Radiance of Emerald, Eternal Slumber.Heaven and earth changed color the moment it was unleashed. The thousand-year wolf demon gathered all of its cultivation but still could not withstand the strike. It was reduced to ashes in an instant.Tania once thought that the gap between her and her master was not too wide and that she would rightfully inherit the mantle of leadership over Emerald Lake Holy Land within a century.Yet after witnessing that attack, she realized how wrong she had been. From then on, she started training harder and more dilig
Chase, who was standing directly in front of that sword strike, was equally stunned.Zacharias had been right!From that sword, he sensed the same divine intent as the one he had felt earlier in the clouds from that figure that resembled the Nine-Sea Giant Squid. It was evil, filled with pain and oppression, spreading boundlessly.Clive was indeed a projection—or a fragment—of Klondike!Chase's rage simmered down, replaced by a cold gleam in his eyes. This was the one who wanted to kill him?He was ready to strike back with full force. He summoned Greedy Wolf from the void, and his killing intent surged across the arena. The moment the blade appeared, it once again drew gasps from the audience.The overwhelming sword intent Clive had released earlier was instantly compressed and forced back by half as if it were afraid of Chase's blade. Then came the killing aura of Greedy Wolf. It was nearly tangible, sweeping across the hearts of every spectator.Earlier, Clive's sword aura had
Clive finally seemed to snap out of his daze."You brat, did you drug me?" he barked angrily, vaguely aware that something felt off. It was as if he had just taken a nap in the arena. His first thought was that Chase must have slipped him some kind of drug."If I had drugged you, would you still be standing there?" Chase scoffed at such a ridiculous accusation.That was true. If Chase truly had drugged him, Clive would probably already be lying unconscious in the rest area.Clive reluctantly accepted Chase's explanation for now."Let's settle this once and for all!" he shouted, raising his Heaven and Earth Sword as a boundless sword aura swept across the arena.Huh? His strength felt even greater than before. Clive grew smug with pride.Chase appeared completely unaware of his incoming strike.Rookie move, he thought. Chase must have been stunned by his sword intent and was now completely frozen.Clive was imagining it all in his head.Then, he shouted, "Boundless Heaven and E
As soon as Zacharias spoke of Klondike, Chase's sea of consciousness suddenly darkened.Chase was startled. He sensed a presence—some sort of power—watching him. He released his spiritual consciousness and swept the area but found nothing."That's Klondike's power. Just mentioning him will make you a target and draw his gaze," Zacharias warned. "I no longer have anything to lose, but you must be careful. If his true body takes notice, there's only one outcome—death.""It's too late. My master already has his eyes on you. Kid, did you not see what happened to Zacharias? I suggest you learn from it and—"Before Gideon could finish his sentence, an invisible chain shot out, binding his soul and sealing his mouth, leaving him completely unable to speak."You'd better behave. This is my sea of consciousness," Chase said coldly.The last time he struck Gideon with a bolt of lightning, it obliterated his soul, but Gideon had reformed using a portion of Zacharias' spirit. If Chase destroy
Chase had been wondering why it took Zacharias so long to wake up. Now that he was finally awake, why was he still so weak? More importantly, why did he immediately turn against his old acquaintance?What exactly had happened in between?"He's a fraud. The Nine-Sea Giant Squid and the Nine Sea Holy Sword are all projections or incarnations of that evil deity. All that nonsense about being fated with me was a setup—just a ploy to steal my divine foresight," Zacharias said as his spiritual form twisted like wisps of smoke, looking unstable and on the verge of dispersing completely."Evil deity? Projection? Are you talking about Klondike?" Chase asked, recalling the Nine-Sea Giant Squid he encountered on the fourth level among the Worthingtons as well as the so-called expert they summoned. He remembered they had mentioned someone named Klondike.Upon hearing Chase speak that name, Gideon visibly flinched in shock."So, you actually know?" he asked with a dark expression."My soul has
Fallon was a little speechless when he heard Ford's words.He had made up the whole "spiritual consciousness duel" thing on a whim, yet this kid delivered his commentary with such confidence and flair. It looked like he was a seasoned show-off too!Truly, the younger generation was not to be underestimated. Fallon could not help but let out a snort of laughter.Carla, standing beside him, transmitted a quiet message via spiritual consciousness, "Ford… isn't wrong.""What?" Fallon was stunned.In terms of soul and spiritual consciousness, Carla was undoubtedly one of the top experts in the nether realm. As someone who focused on physical cultivation, Fallon had always respected her spiritual skills.However, this so-called "spiritual consciousness duel" had just been something he made up.Even Carla had believed it was a lie earlier. Yet now, she was suddenly vouching for Ford, saying he was telling the truth?It really gave Fallon a scare."I made this up on the spot. Are you s
"Could they be rigging the match?""The reward for the Holy Path is at the martial god level. Would they fake a match for that?""It's exactly because it's a martial god-level reward that they'd rig the match, got it?""No way. I object. City Lord, these two are definitely up to something!"As Clive and Chase remained motionless for longer and longer, Fallon and Carla also noticed something was wrong.However, after scanning the arena with their spiritual consciousness, they did detect a clashing of energy between the two.After a brief moment of thought, Fallon spoke up. "Everyone, please calm down. These two prodigies are currently engaged in a rather novel type of battle—a spiritual consciousness duel. The fight between them is currently in a deadlock. A single misstep could mean complete annihilation of their souls."Only those whose spiritual consciousness is highly refined can perceive what's going on. So please, be patient and wait for the match to conclude."The crowd im
"Kid, if I hadn't deliberately transmitted my voice to you, do you think you could hear me?"Chase flinched. That voice had clearly echoed within his sea of consciousness. Could it be that Zacharias Crane had awakened?He quickly recalled the Seer of Whitepeak—the former elder of the Shadowless Sect whom he had subdued—and hurriedly searched within his sea of consciousness.Zacharias' soul still lay dormant."Heh, just as I thought. That old fellow is suffering too, hiding out inside you." The voice sounded pleased.Chase was completely stunned."Let me be honest with you. I'm the Nine Sea Holy Sword, Gideon. That Zacharias kid always bragged about being a peerless divine seer. But it turns out that even he couldn't escape his fate."As he spoke, a translucent figure materialized within Chase's sea of consciousness. He wore a gray robe and carried nine long swords on his back."Sir, and you are…"Chase was shocked. This man had entered his sea of consciousness silently. If he m
"That's no surprise. They're human too and have emotions. It's normal.""Aren't cultivators supposed to develop noble hearts as part of their cultivation? How can they allow such raw emotions to control them?""Well, not everything looks like it seems. The way they vent their emotions is different from us common folk."Chase looked exasperated while listening to the discussion below. He did not want to listen in on them. However, there was something about Clive.When Chase tried to sense Clive with his consciousness, he could sense an ordinary cultivator and an unfathomable cultivator who was as mysterious as a deep, black hole. It got him curious. Could this man have a split personality? Or was he possessed?Chase released his consciousness completely to be safe. This way, he could watch over every move Clive made.This move had also caused him to hear every unnecessary voice below the ring.Clive had no idea what Chase had done. All he knew was that a pair of mysterious eyes s