"Maiden Gytha, what do you think?" Octavius Stoll asked, his voice betraying a hint of panic after a long silence. Gytha had confidently scanned the area and found nothing unusual, yet Hans' treasure mirror revealed a bizarre phenomenon.Gytha remained silent. Osvaldo Dirk and Amell Patel began to grow restless, and Izak hesitantly asked, "Are you playing a joke on us, Hans? Stop messing around and put that away."The attempt at humor did not provoke a response from Hans. The serious expressions on Gytha's and Izak's faces indicated that the situation was more complicated than initially thought. What seemed like a simple dispute between Immortals Alliance and Heavenly Order, with Hans trying to embarrass Gytha, now appeared to be more sinister."Are we in an illusion?" Amell and Octavius voiced the unsettling thought that had crossed everyone's minds simultaneously. If they all agreed on this, it would mean they were already in enemy territory.Gytha remained expressionless, her ey
This remark immediately stirred the people at the top of Spirit Peak."You must be quite weak. Although I can’t discern your level, your sneaky behavior in luring us here shows you're afraid of us joining forces. That's why you’re trying to sow discord among us!" Octavius shouted, though his face was ashen."Little creatures, you're still so full of yourselves even now. Unfortunately, only one among you can survive. As for the others... heh heh…" Daemon Ancestor Forgotten Shore's raspy voice echoed with mockery."What are you planning for the others?" Izak asked, his face pale.Daemon Ancestor Forgotten Shore cracked his neck from side to side and then casually crossed his arms. "Of course, someone will go back to your factions in your place."As soon as he finished speaking, five gray shadows appeared beside him."What are those?" Izak asked, his face growing even paler.Daemon Ancestor Forgotten Shore cackled and answered, "Ask your brother!"With that, he gestured toward the
Gytha nodded, her eyes flickering with red light accompanied by a series of clear, melodious chimes. Despite the light in her eyes, her body remained perfectly still, showing no signs of disturbance. Two faint black lights drifted toward Daemon Ancestor Forgotten Shore.The Daemon Ancestor reached out and captured Gytha's soul, bringing it to his nose for a gentle sniff before claiming it. From this moment on, Gytha’s fate was entirely in his hands; she could neither live nor die as she wished.Gytha had already accepted her fate. Knowing she had fallen into a trap, preserving her life became her priority. She had prepared herself from the beginning to submit to the daemons, believing that dying now was better than enduring her current situation—losing out in the race for position of faction leader after being defeated by the holy apprentice of Heavenly Order. Sent here as punishment, she had long since recognized the treacherous nature of faction disputes. Among the apprentices and
On the other side, Adrian was preparing to leave. His goal was to transplant Soulnascent's tree body to the Exile Realm and he succeeded in doing so.When Soulnascent arrived in the Exile Realm, she became reluctant to leave. Expressing her fondness for the small world, she desired to become its Tree Ancestor. Adrian told her that while she could stay if she wished, she would have to help him reach the Spirit Domain. He also warned her that if he were to die, Soulnascent wouldn't be able to remain in the Exile Realm for long.After several reassurances from Soulnascent, Adrian finally agreed, feeling relieved. He then climbed out of the swamp, while Lexie and Soulnascent went into the Exile Realm.As Adrian surfaced, he spotted a scrawny, sneaky-looking man furtively setting up a formation. Adrian focused his gaze and recognized him as the man who had previously sold him the Snake Vines, and seeing the man’s actions, it was clear the latter had ill intentions.Noticing a presence,
Adrian didn’t know Ciaran’s exact plan for the Snake Vine staff, but he wasn’t about to let him execute it. Without hesitation, Adrian flicked his fingers, sending three streaks of ice sword rays shooting straight at Ciaran.Ciaran, unfazed, didn’t even look at Adrian. He swung the staff, creating afterimages, then waved it erratically in the air while chanting incantations. He pointed skyward, and the staff ceased spinning.The staff then flew toward Adrian at high speed, but the three ice sword rays shattered it instantly. The cold air from the destruction made the surrounding atmosphere turn misty, and Adrian stepped back just as the staff struck the spot where he had been standing.Adrian inhaled sharply, leaping into the air and releasing another three streaks of sword rays. Ciaran mockingly shook his head, clearly disappointed by what he perceived as Adrian’s ineffective attack.As Ciaran prepared to use his staff again to scatter Adrian’s ice sword essence, he suddenly felt
Ciaran took advantage of Adrian's brief distraction and swiftly vanished from sight. Adrian, ever adaptable, decided to find an alternative route, adhering to the principle "A rolling stone gathers no moss."He put aside thoughts of the blood sacrifice and focused on capturing Ciaran, his immediate priority. Ciaran’s trap had nearly caused a major setback for Adrian. If not for the sudden effectiveness of Pain, which had taken Ciaran by surprise, Adrian might have been the one fleeing.Using his divine consciousness, Adrian pinpointed Ciaran’s location and gave chase. Ciaran, aware that Adrian was still pursuing him, stayed on high alert. He changed paths several times and even created false trails to mislead Adrian, but the latter was not easily deceived.Given the extreme dangers of the Purple Forest Marsh, especially in its unexplored depths, there were legends of something formidable that deterred humans from venturing further. Adrian reasoned that if Ciaran had any sense, he w
Adrian turned over the formation disc and started positioning the formation flags, while Lexie took care of placing them. Setting up the entire formation took the whole morning, and once they finished, they sat together in silence.Adrian, always cautious, had another reason for the formation. The Purple Forest Marsh's depths were crucial, and if dark beasts were inside, the trap formation would buy him some time. He also saw it as a strategic move in case Ciaran decided to retreat to the outer layer of the swamp. The formation at this chokepoint was a way to wait for Ciaran, who Adrian was confident would eventually come out.However, Ciaran didn’t appear that day. Bored, Adrian and Lexie began to engage in intimate activities. They were enjoying their time together when Ciaran finally showed up.Adrian smacked Lexie’s rump in frustration and said, “He shows up now of all times. Why not earlier or later?”Adrian tried to get up, but Lexie wasn’t ready to let him go. She wanted to
Adrian, deep in thought, asked, "What could make an intermediate level-eight immortal like you so panicked?""You'll find out if you go ahead," Ciaran replied bluntly.Adrian, with a lazy tone and a smile that sent a chill down Ciaran's spine, said, "If I go in myself, you might not have a chance to escape. I'm giving you an opportunity to redeem yourself.""What do you plan to do with me?" Ciaran replied coldly, his eyes flickering as he closely watched Adrian. "Even if I'm trapped in this formation, if you come in, the outcome is still uncertain.""Still being stubborn? I've seen plenty like you, and they all ended up dead," Adrian retorted, his expression darkening as he sat down cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes."Don't try to scare me!" Ciaran shot back, his face expressionless. "Do you think I'm so easily frightened? You're just a rudimentary level-eight immortal. What kind of trouble can you cause? I was only caught off guard by your tricks earlier when you were chasi