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
Scanlon was unlike the average commoner as he had experienced huge events before.He calmed down and asked, "Young man, did you come into Eagle City from the rear gates?""Yes, I did. Is there anything you need, sir?" Chase replied."Did you see or hear anything at the city's rear gates?" Scanlon finally asked without revealing the truth of the matter."No, I didn't. The city gates were quiet when I walked in. No one was out there at all," Chase pretended not to know anything."Oh, I see. What are you doing here at Eagle City, young man?" Scanlon relaxed quite a bit when he saw the young man in a green shirt acting cordial."I'm not here for anything much. I just happened to pass by this place. There's only wilderness all around here, and it's a difficult situation for me. I was thinking of spending a few nights in Eagle City to recuperate my mind and cultivate," Chase gave the most common excuse.Scanlon hesitated. The young man in the green shirt did not look like a bad man an
The people who died did not belong to the tribe and were people who had just arrived at the city gates.Moreover, Chase might look young, but he was quite powerful. It was better to know less about what happened to avoid any trouble. Harold asked Chase the question based on this attitude."About three to five days," Chase told him a random timeline. Three to five days should be enough time for him to investigate how the divine crystal had attracted attention."Alright. It's agreed, then. You may stay in the city lord's manor for these five days."Harold called out to Scanlon and instructed him to bring Chase to a private little courtyard on the east of the manor.Even though Chase was not willing to stay in the manor, it was not a good idea to reject Harold's offer at this time. Staying at the manor would only make it inconvenient for him to investigate anything.After leading Chase to his accommodation, Scanlon, who was always careful when conducting work, quickly met Harold ins
Lightning Storm Mode was immediately activated. If they had waited for the Water Domain to be activated, they would never have been able to pass this level.Those outsiders were actually able to gather water spiritual energy when the Water Domain was active. One could only conclude that Chase had massive water attribute talent.The female Poison Dragon was shocked to see this."He has a few tricks up his sleeve. That old, poisonous thing didn't die in vain."She did not sound sad and was even a little sarcastic when talking about her ex-husband. She said to the Lightning Dragon, "The more powerful their water-attribute talents are, the more challenging it is for them later. Should we continue wasting our time watching them?""I think there's something strange about their auras, especially that guy who formed the water spiritual energy vortex. He must be hiding more moves."The Lightning Dragon snuck a pinch on the female Poison Dragon's butt while maintaining a serious look."
At last, Chase understood what Lisa meant.The fourth and fifth levels were connected, and they were aware of each other. The fourth level considered the fifth level to be a higher realm."So, you guys actually have contact with the upper realm?""Yes. They can communicate with us through special arrays and communication artifacts. Usually, only the major families or individuals with great power possess such means," Lisa explained earnestly."I see…"Walter grew curious as well and was just about to ask more. However, before he could speak, the Water Dragons' attack came surging in.The dense water vapor actually made it hard for him, a naturally water-aligned beast, to breathe.He and Lisa, both of the water element, quickly adjusted and began moving as if they were truly at home in this environment. They became like fish in water.Chase did not even need to adjust. His mastery over the water and fire elements had already reached the peak.Though not naturally born of the wat
Walter's fear was largely dispelled by his longing to visit Earth."As my contracted beast, you'll have plenty of chances in the future. For now, the urgent matter is facing this so-called Dragon Clan Trial. Pull yourselves together," Chase reminded them, seeing that both their moods had stabilized."The so-called judgment is to undergo four rounds of challenges from the martyr spirits of the dragon clan to prove your courage and strength. If you fail, then go to hell! Hahaha!"The Lightning Dragon's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the arena.Only then did the three notice that three dragons had appeared at the center of the battlefield. Judging by the auras they emitted, they appeared to be Water Dragons."This is the first trial—Water Dragon," Lisa finally found an opening to speak and gave an explanation."Water Dragons? Aren't they from the same branch as you? You mean they'll still go all out on you?"Walter looked at Lisa, his face full of question marks."These trial
Even though Chase possessed cultivation comparable to this so-called ruler of the world, the Lightning Dragon, he was baffled. How had he been brought into this arena without noticing a thing?He simply could not figure it out."Master, I feel like I was pulled into this space by force. If they want to, can't they just kill us at will?" Walter, whose nerves were a bit tougher, managed to recover some clarity. He quickly arrived at the same conclusion as Chase.The fact that the four of them had been transported here without any resistance from their end left him shaken to the core.Willow, also recovering from her initial shock, heard Walter's question and immediately sensed the danger."What should we do?" she asked, panic creeping into her voice."There's no need to panic just yet," Chase said with a light chuckle."Why not?" Walter and Willow asked in unison."Have you noticed something? Every level created by the Light Divine Pearl so far has been incomplete," Chase explain
The three of them gave Chase a grateful look."Self-defense? Who defends themselves like that?"The middle-aged man, whom Lisa had referred to as a Lightning Dragon, seemed extremely displeased with how Chase had dispersed his oppressive aura.At the same time, he was clearly surprised. After all, the dragons were a legendary superior race. They naturally suppressed the bloodlines of most other beings.Yet the young man standing before him, who appeared quite ordinary, had actually withstood his draconic pressure. He was not from just any dragon clan either.In terms of pure power, the Lightning Dragons were unquestionably the strongest branch. On top of that, he was the Dragon King of this world, the ruler of the realm. He was supported by the fortune and energy of the entire world.Years of dominance had cultivated not only overwhelming dragon might but also the imposing presence and authority of a king. Ordinary cultivators could not hope to contend with him.Who was this you
Walter also carried dragon blood, so when he saw all that glimmering gold, he became a little reluctant to move forward."Could this be a trap?" Willow asked with suspicion.As a woman, she liked shiny things too, but she still kept her rationality at the moment."We'll just deal with the problems as they come. What's there to be afraid of?" Walter said carelessly.Lisa had been silent ever since entering. After all, this was her enemy's stronghold. Her grudges and reasoning were still very much alive."They're coming," Chase suddenly said.Walter, Willow, and Lisa all looked forward.It was a grand hall designed to resemble a noble's reception chamber. A well-dressed middle-aged couple descended the stairs slowly from the center.Did Lisa not say the Poison Dragon family only had three members? The father and son had been killed by them, so only the female Poison Dragon should remain.Who was this middle-aged man?Chase and the others turned to Lisa with puzzled looks. Lisa
"So if our comprehension is weak, we won't be able to learn it?" Walter frowned as he asked.He had always possessed a strong talent in water techniques and genuinely liked this technique. Hearing Lisa say it required exceptional comprehension discouraged him a little."Not necessarily. If I guide you through it step by step and you keep practicing, you'll be able to learn it. But your mastery level, teleportation distance, and stealth will vary."Lisa was very patient in explaining. She also kept glancing at Chase from time to time."I see. That's a relief." Willow and Walter both let out a breath of relief.This was a powerful life-saving technique, and they did not want to miss the opportunity to learn it. Plus, both of them practiced water-type techniques, so it was a good choice for focused training.They immediately followed Lisa's instructions and began learning.Meanwhile, Chase kept watch nearby in case that female Poison Dragon came looking for them.…Three days l
Chase followed through on his end of the bargain and handed Lisa the entire lotus pod of the Water and Fire Emerald Lotus. If this had happened earlier, Willow and Walter definitely would have called Chase a reckless spender.However, after seeing Chase's massive fields of Water and Fire Emerald Lotus and Dark and Light Emerald Lotus, they let it go.Lisa held the lotus pod, peeled off one of the seeds, held it up, and asked, "Do I just eat it like this?""Mhm."All three of them nodded in unison.Lisa gathered her courage and swallowed it. A surge of incomparably pure water and fire energies rushed through her meridians.Yes—vital energy, not spiritual energy. It saved her a lot of time refining it.Her energy steadily began to rise.As a Water Dragon, she had always been best suited to water-type techniques. However, because of the need for dark-light balance and her inability to find matching light spiritual energy, she had been stuck at stage-nine martial monarch for years.
Chase smiled as he comforted Willow.'Is blood essence really that easy to obtain? Could these people at least show some respect for us dragons?' Lisa was on the verge of breaking down as she watched Chase casually mention borrowing the dragons' blood essence as if it were no big deal.Blood essence only formed naturally in the smallest amounts each year.If used for cultivation, even just a little bit would represent decades—maybe even a hundred years—of a dragon's effort.That meant all those years of training would be wasted.Personally, Lisa did not mind as much.Chase and his group had essentially saved her life. Giving up a little blood essence was no big deal. However, the other dragons would not be so easy to convince.Also, what was that thing Chase mentioned, the 'Dark and Light Emerald Lotus'? It sounded powerful."Um, what's that Dark and Light Emerald Lotus? Is it something amazing?" She leaned over and asked Willow in a hushed voice.Only then did Willow remember