A deafening rumble shook the surroundings as the powerful man fought back. But against Adrian’s overwhelming soul power, his resistance was utterly futile. Under this intense power, his struggle looked laughably weak.Adrian’s expression was cold as he continued to drain the two men’s strength without mercy. Finally, their powers faded from existence entirely, and Adrian felt his power steadily increase and surge to the advanced Nascent Stage. Since he was already close to this level, absorbing their essence brought him a swift boost without any adverse effects.When the two men's souls were fully absorbed, they collapsed lifelessly before Adrian. The latter took a moment to scan the surroundings with a chilling gaze. Judging by these people’s abilities, it was clear that while their physical strength was average, their soul power was unexpectedly potent. In this world, it seemed the inhabitants all possessed such formidable soul power. Realizing this, Adrian knew he needed to procee
The allure of the essence stones immediately stirred the masses as they represented a powerful resource to growing stronger. Essence stones were the foundation of their growth. Absorbing them would not only strengthen their aura essence but also speed up their soul power. However, physical strength, in particular, relied heavily on essence stones to enhance their bodily strength. This made essence stones highly desirable to everyone.Through the memories of the two souls he had absorbed, Adrian now had an understanding of this world’s unique level system, which left him quite shocked. In this world, spiritual strength was highly advanced, while physical training remained exceptionally limited. Despite any effort, the people here could hardly improve their physical strength. This was a restriction that seemed to be imposed by the very nature of this world.This explained why the two men had immediately recognized Adrian as an outsider. The balance between his physical and aura essence
Gleaning the memories Adrian had absorbed, he learned that this world didn’t have many inhabitants. It was perhaps even fewer than the number of beasts roaming around.Adrian found this surprising. With such a small population, the exit to this world was likely not deeply hidden. This thought stirred hope within him. Perhaps escaping wouldn’t be overly complicated.Suddenly, the sharp sound of air being sliced reached Adrian’s ears as a group approached rapidly. His expression turned cold upon seeing them. He hadn’t expected pursuers to arrive so quickly."Look! That’s the one who killed the Steins’ people! Kill him and we can claim the bounty!" someone shouted.Eight figures hovered above, all wielding weapons and exuding a fierce killing intent. They were clearly here to hunt Adrian down.Adrian’s face remained expressionless as he observed the group forming a formation around him. One of them sneered, “You’ve killed a Steins. I’ll give you one chance. End yourself now, and you
“Since that’s how it is, let’s teach him a lesson, everyone!" the leader shouted angrily, and the others immediately raised their weapons. Swords aimed at Adrian’s back, while others charged him with fists and kicks from the front.Watching their onslaught, Adrian’s expression remained cold. "I gave you a chance. Since you don’t appreciate it, don’t blame me." He vanished from sight at lightning speed.A powerful, explosive force surged through the area, leaving everyone in shock and disbelief.Boom! Boom! Boom!The violent clash resounded, and several attackers were sent flying. Adrian brandished his Soul Devouring Sword, releasing his soul power to envelop the group. Instantly, their soul powers surfaced as soul combat was their specialty, which Adrian had already observed. Now, with the Soul Devouring Sword in hand, he trapped their souls in a flash, sealing them completely.The intensity of Adrian’s soul energy left his attackers stunned."How is this possible? How is his sou
In that world, anyone who absorbed another’s power was instantly branded an evil immortal to be hunted by all. But in this world, it seemed that absorbing another’s soul power actually strengthened oneself.However, Adrian soon noticed an issue. Having absorbed so many soul forces would taint his soul power. Now and then, dark thoughts would arise in his mind, hinting that some of the souls he’d absorbed had been wicked. It became clear that excessive soul absorption held no real benefit and required a gradual approach. Otherwise, he risked descending into madness. Realizing this, Adrian’s gaze grew cold and filled with a steely resolve. Right now, he needed to retreat and find a quiet place to digest this power. Otherwise, he might lose his hard-won strength.It was also now that Adrian understood why these people’s physical strength was so frail. Though soul absorption granted rapid power increases, it came with a significant drawback. Their bodies were weakened, making it diffic
Even though the soul energy Adrian absorbed was powerful, it was far from overwhelming in his eyes. It had merely restored his strength to the latter stages of the Divine Stage. He’d devoured the soul power of several individuals, but the influx left him somewhat overloaded. Suddenly, Adrian sensed approaching energies from a distance. With a cold gleam in his eye, he raised his hand, casting a complex formation outside the cave to serve as a powerful illusion and hide his presence. He needed a moment of undisturbed recovery and had no desire for further confrontation.Meanwhile, the forest outside buzzed with people relentlessly looking for Adrian. As a full day passed without any trace of him, some had stationed guards at every exit from the forest to make sure that he would not escape.Inside the mountain cave, Adrian’s gaze sharpened as he detected shadows moving about outside. If not for his formation, he would have been discovered long ago. He muttered, “Fools. They're so int
"Let’s keep moving. I don't believe this guy can just fly away," someone said, their gaze filled with a stubborn determination.They were all dead set on capturing Adrian, whom they considered utterly detestable. Alone, he had made fools of them all, and they were determined to wipe him out.Meanwhile, Adrian was already making his way stealthily through the darkness."How is it possible that we haven’t found him yet? We've been searching day and night with hundreds of people, and there’s still no trace of him! Could he really have vanished?" someone complained.Another replied wearily, "Could anyone like that actually exist? There must’ve been some clue we missed, allowing him to slip past us."Then a sinister voice nearby remarked, "Or perhaps he didn’t escape at all. Maybe he’s hiding among us."Everyone in the immediate area froze at this suggestion.Suddenly, something broke the silence as streaks of crimson flashed across them. "Ahhh!" someone screamed.Someone shouted
No one targeted by Adrian escaped his wrath. Throughout the forest, fear gripped countless people. In just one night, seventy or eighty lives were lost. It was a night of death. Some were overwhelmed by terror and began fleeing toward the forest’s edge, no longer daring to go after Adrian.To these hunters, Adrian was a demon incarnate. He was always one step ahead and slipped through their fingers with chilling speed. They didn’t know what to make of his eerie swiftness.Screams echoed again as another unlucky victim fell, while Adrian moved swiftly onward. He gazed coldly at the bodies in his wake, marking his hundredth kill. Without hesitation, he pressed forward.Moments later, a new group arrived and they were horrified by the grisly scene. "This demon is terrifying! Who on earth did the Steins provoke?" one murmured in dread. They didn't expect so many to die in one night.Suddenly, they heard something and fell silent. Fighting had resumed in the distance, each clash leavi
Crack… crack…The sound of shattering echoed through the air, reverberating across the desolate landscape. Adrian and Renee had emerged in a stark and barren mountainous region. Clearly, they were no longer in Death Valley.Boom!Renee felt herself land on something soft. She was stunned and couldn’t quite process what had just happened.However, she forced herself to calm down. As she regained her composure, she was overwhelmed by the suffocating weight of the dust-filled air. Looking around in confusion, she noticed that the surroundings were unfamiliar. What’s more, Adrian was nowhere to be seen.“Huh? Where did he go?” Renee muttered. Her gaze darted about until it froze on an unbelievable sight.To her surprise, Adrian was beneath her, barely clinging to life. His breathing was faint, and his body was limp as if death had already taken him. Renee gasped, utterly shaken. She hurriedly got to her feet and lifted Adrian. After she dusted him off, she looked at him with a mix
Renee watched Adrian nervously, her expression filled with disbelief. After all, Death Valley had never been this terrifying before. Despite its ominous name, the actual danger wasn’t supposed to be this extreme.At this moment, Renee couldn’t figure out what they had triggered. Could their luck really be this bad? In the past, Renee had traversed this area alongside powerful warriors from Ciawales, even those at the Nascent and Fusion Stages, and they had passed through this valley with ease. But this time, the journey was unexpectedly difficult, fraught with numerous obstacles and dangers that left Renee utterly terrified.Fusions typically passed through this area without trouble. Even she and Adrian, who had slain the giant serpent, were effectively at that level of strength. By all logic, they should have been able to leave without any issues. But now, another monstrous entity had appeared, far more intimidating than anything they had encountered before.Adrian’s face darkene
“Is he not going to wake up?” Renee’s expression was filled with anxiety.The situation was dire. The thunderbolts were almost upon them, threatening to annihilate everything. Yet Adrian remained immersed in his deduction, showing no signs of waking up as if he was fully absorbed in deciphering the formation.Indeed, when it came to analyzing formations, such meticulousness was necessary, especially when attempting to uncover its deadly traps. This task could not be rushed.Crackle, crackle, crackle…Serpentine lightning twisted through the sky, streaks of energy descending as if from the heavens, ready to shatter everything. The entire sky trembled, and it felt like the very fabric of reality was breaking apart.Rumble!The barrier trembled once more, and the entire space around them quivered violently. Despite its strength, the barrier now seemed barely able to hold against the unrelenting onslaught. The thunderstorm’s sheer power was not something any ordinary person could wit
Adrian’s gaze sharpened as he released a wave of killing intent. “Hmph! So there’s still something left. Let’s shatter it once and for all!”Without hesitation, Adrian sat down cross-legged, summoning a powerful surge of energy that enveloped the barrier overhead. His forceful aura spread out, reinforcing the protective shield as he began to analyze the patterns of the formation around them.From the energy fluctuations, it was clear that this was not an ordinary formation. Deducing this, Adrian’s expression grew colder, his killing intent palpable.Boom!A powerful force reverberated, shaking the earth and sky. Renee was stunned. Adrian had once again entered a meditative state to break the formation. Should she assist him?The intensity of the attacks was overwhelming, and if Adrian were interrupted now, the consequences could be dire. Thinking of this, Renee prepared to make a move.“Don’t move. Stay put. This isn’t the same formation as before,” Adrian commanded sternly as if
Adrian scanned his surroundings, his gaze sharp and icy cold. The darkness of the night seemed to carry an ominous presence. He halted, staring intently at Renee, and said, “Don’t rush.”Renee was momentarily stunned, a look of confusion on her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.Renee hadn’t noticed anything unusual. The only thing she desired was to quickly leave this cursed place. The longer she stayed here, the more uncomfortable she felt.Whoosh!A fierce wind swept through Death Valley, making the towering trees shiver as though they were alive and fearful.Adrian’s expression turned even colder as he looked around and shouted, “Stop hiding! Show yourself!”The sudden outburst left Renee startled. She couldn’t tell if Adrian had lost his mind or if her own senses were just too weak. The air seemed empty, with nothing unusual. The biting cold wind had always been a part of Death Valley’s sinister aura, something Renee had always attributed to the place’s natural state.Adrian’
Some daemonic beasts have a final self-destructive instinct upon death, causing their inner cores to explode and leaving nothing behind for humans to absorb. This was why an intact inner core was incredibly rare and precious.Yet, here Adrian was willingly giving one to her. Renee felt deep gratitude in her heart for this unexpected gesture.“Thank you. If I ever have the chance, I will repay your kindness,” Renee said with sincerity in her eyes.Adrian replied, “No need to thank me. You will certainly have the opportunity. Aren’t you my servant now? Protecting me is your duty. All right, let’s keep moving.”He continued moving forward. By now, it was already late at night.Renee gazed at Adrian, puzzled. She couldn’t figure out what kind of person he was. He treated her like a subordinate, yet his actions were more like those of a friend. She was finding it harder to understand Adrian’s intentions.But Adrian clearly had his own reasons. He wasn’t one to conform to expectations.
"What did you say? You want me to absorb it? But this inner core… It's yours…" Renee stammered, utterly shocked that Adrian was offering her the inner core. She knew well how precious this inner core was.Absorbing a beast’s inner core would significantly boost one's strength. It wasn’t that Adrian didn’t understand this fact. But he still responded calmly, "Yes, you heard me right. I want you to have it. There’s no need to be so surprised."Renee’s eyes widened even further. She couldn’t believe Adrian was treating her this generously. After all, she was just his servant.But to Adrian, it was a worthwhile decision. He had always viewed Renee as an equal. When he was injured, not only did Renee refrain from attacking him, but she also didn’t seize the inner core. More importantly, she had given him her energy to help him recover.Adrian had now gained immense strength. If he were to absorb the inner core’s power on top of that, it might be too much for him to handle and could back
Adrian chuckled lightly. "Why are you so excited? See, I'm awake now. If I never woke up, would you have stayed here watching over me forever?"Renee huffed, half-annoyed. "I’m not that foolish. If you hadn’t woken up, of course, I’d leave."Adrian smiled. "I need some time to recover. Can you keep watch for a little longer?""Sure!" Renee replied eagerly, beaming widely.Adrian then sat cross-legged and began his recovery. Watching him, Renee was filled with both shock and joy. It was nothing short of a miracle that Adrian had regained consciousness. Deep down, she felt a sense of relief mixed with surprise. She had never expected this outcome.At the same time, a flood of questions filled her mind. Normally, Adrian should not have survived such an ordeal. By all logic, he should have already been on his way to the afterlife. Yet, here he was, awake and alive. Renee found herself at a loss for words, overwhelmed by confusion.Seeing Adrian’s intense focus as he trained, Renee co
At that moment, a sudden burst of earth-yellow light erupted within Adrian’s consciousness. It was once again filled with surging waves of power. The soul storm reappeared, and the mysterious chaotic white mist returned, spreading throughout Adrian's soul space.The strange and mystical scene looked astonishing, and slowly, Adrian began to wake up from his deep slumber. As he regained consciousness, he felt a soreness envelop his entire body. Even his soul power seemed to have a slight ache.But before Adrian could fully process this sensation, a terrifying force surged through him. It flooded his entire being with an overwhelming energy.“What...What is this? This power is incredibly strong,” he muttered, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He could sense an immense energy roiling within his body, shaking his very core. The waves of power felt both foreign and potent, making him feel even stronger.Adrian’s expression turned to one of shock and unexpected delight. It was the