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
Sighing, Adrian tossed a pain-relief pill to Ciaran. With a casual smile, he said, "Take this. It won’t do much for mental injuries, but seeing you so distressed, it's the best I can offer. Just make do with it.""Why you…!" Ciaran started to protest, but quickly realized he was at Adrian’s mercy, as vulnerable as a fish on a chopping block. Whatever Adrian said was the rule, so despite his doubts about the pill, he swallowed it.Adrian nodded in satisfaction. "You're finally showing some sense. If you had known better, why act tough before? Now, tell me, what’s ahead that got you so alarmed?"Hearing Adrian’s persistent questioning, Ciaran didn’t dare to joke around anymore. He answered respectfully, "Honestly, I don't know what's ahead. I just heard someone say ‘leave,' and out of fear, I turned back and ran..."He hesitated, then added, "The beast that told me to leave probably isn’t very high-level. Given the nature of dark beasts, if it had been stronger, it would have just sl
"You’re holding the knife, and I’m just the fish on the chopping block. It seems whether I agree or refuse isn’t really up to me," Ciaran began, but Adrian cut him off."That’s not entirely true," Adrian said, his tone sincere. "We had our dispute earlier, but now, with humanity facing such a great peril, we’re more helpless than ever before. If we can survive, we should. Follow your heart—if you want to go, we’ll go together."Adrian looked at Ciaran with genuine expectation. He knew that having someone as meticulous as Ciaran by his side would increase their chances of survival in the Purple Forest Marsh.In truth, Adrian had been testing Ciaran earlier. Before coming here, Adrian had spoken with local hunters about the deeper parts of the Purple Forest Marsh. These hunters, who had spent their lives navigating the marsh, had inevitably ventured into its depths and shared rumors about what lay within.A careful person like Adrian wouldn’t overlook such details. The hunters mentio