“We’re just here for some minor business, mister!” replied Gerald with a subtle smile as he stood up the second he saw Juno signaling for him to help. In response, the Soul Hunter simply looked at Gerald with a bleak expression before arrogantly retorting, “And who the hell are you? Can’t you see that I’m talking to her? Do you think any of this concerns you?” Upon hearing that, Gerald instantly frowned… and the next thing the Soul Hunter knew, he was already flying backward from Gerald’s force palm attack! Seeing that, the other Soul Hunters immediately got up, unsheathing their daggers at the same time as they glared at Gerald. None of them had expected Gerald to make the first move. Naturally, they hadn’t anticipated him to be this strong either. “Those aren’t ordinary people! They definitely have a reason for being here! Get them!” declared one of the Soul Hunters. Hearing that, the other Soul Hunters instantly bolted toward Gerald and his party! Even so, Gerald wasn’
Upon hearing that, the cloaked man stood up as well before asking, “What do we know about them?” The same Soul Hunter from before then replied, “Not much, though we assume that they’re here for the token of Demonic Blood as well!” “I see… Well, pay more attention to them from now on. If you discover the trio, then report back immediately! If they attempt to get in our way, just get rid of them!” ordered the cloaked man. “Loud and clear, leader!” yelled the soul hunters in unison before leaving the tent… Fast forward to nighttime, Gerald and his party could be seen setting up their tents after finding flat ground. Once that was done, they started a fire and sat around it. After a short while, Rey couldn’t help but look at Gerald as he asked, “…Is… there a reason we’re camping out here…? Why didn’t we just book a hotel room…?” Turning to face Rey, Gerald then replied, “The Soul Hunters are tracking us down now, remember? Staying in a hotel would only turn us into sitting duck
Their attention was brought back to Rey when they heard his quivering voice say, “I-it was so terrifying, Mr. Crawford…!” Looking at Rey’s fearful expression, Gerald then frowned slightly as he asked, “What is? What did you see?” “Yeah, I mean, there doesn’t seem to be anything around…” muttered Juno who was feeling just as bewildered as Gerald was. Still, both of them were sure that whatever had scared Rey wasn’t a ghost. After all, the duo couldn’t sense the presence of ghosts at all. “I-I’m not too sure either… But just as I got up after doing my business, I suddenly felt a cool breeze blow past me… But… then…” muttered Rey who was now shaking so much that he couldn’t even finish his sentence. “…Then what?” asked Gerald. “…W-well… When I turned around and looked up… I saw a pair of bloodshot eyes staring right back at me…! I-It was so terrifying…!” stuttered Rey as he recalled the incident he had witnessed. Upon hearing that, the duo instinctively looked up… but even a
Nodding slightly in response, Rey then replied, “Very much so…” Hearing that, Gerald couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. However, as Gerald turned to face Rey again—about to say something else—, both he and Juno realized that Rey was staring wide-eyed at something behind them... It was also at that moment when the duo sensed the presence of another being nearby… Something was definitely amiss…! “B-behind you two…!” yelled Rey, prompting Gerald and Juno to dodge to the side, making sure to drag Rey to safety as well. The second they were far enough from their tents, all three of them watched as a black figure leaped high into the air… before landing right atop their campfire and putting it out! Now engulfed in darkness, the terrified Rey yelled, “T-that’s what I saw earlier! I’m sure of it…!” As if wanting to prove Rey’s point, a pair of beady bloodshot eyes gleamed in the darkness at that moment… and they were staring right at Gerald and his party! “What the hel
“Stay back and let me deal with it!” added Gerald as he quickly turned to face the boar that was now charging in his direction instead since Juno had switched her torchlight off. Watching as the sharp-tusked boar opened its mouth wide—clearly aiming to chomp down on Gerald—Gerald knew that a single bite from it could either kill a regular person, or at the very least, maim them. Naturally, with that in mind, Gerald wasn’t about to allow the boar to do that. Dodge rolling to the side, Gerald then summoned the Astrabyss Sword. Though the sword’s main purpose was to deal with ghosts, Gerald believed that it would still hurt as a regular weapon. Regardless, though the wild boar definitely looked ferocious, its humongous body made it quite slow and inflexible. As a result, it was unable to fully stop after Gerald dodged its attack, and it ended up ramming right into a large tree! As a sea of leaves fluttered to the ground upon the boar’s impact, Gerald knew that it was now or neve
Rolling his eyes in response, Gerald then helplessly explained, “It isn’t even an object… Look, cultivators are people who deal with and keep ghosts and spirits under control…” “…Huh? So, like… Ghost hunters or something? Like those on television?” asked Rey. “More or less. Either way, if you didn’t already know, Miss Zorn and I are cultivators!” replied Gerald with a nod. Since Rey had been with them for a while now, Gerald figured that it would be better if he knew about things like these. What more, Gerald was honestly considering turning Rey into a cultivator as well. After all, if Rey became a cultivator, then instead of fearing everything, he could instead start dealing with dangers on his own. Gerald, for one, was well aware that he and Juno couldn’t remain by his side to protect him his entire life. The thought of it alone was completely unrealistic! “…H-huh? Both of you are… cultivators…?” asked the now wide-eyed Rey. Exchanging glances with Juno, Gerald and her th
It was late into the night when the three of them finally decided to return to their tents to sleep. Due to the wild boar incident, all three of them shared a tent. That way, they could increase the odds of them sensing danger and allow them to assist each other if they were attacked. Thankfully, all was quiet that night, and the trio woke up early the next morning. Leaving the tent as soon as he got up, Gerald realized that there were already a number of birds feasting on the wild boar’s carcass, with most of them being eagles and vultures. Gerald paid them no notice, and instead began packing up. It was around nine when all three of them were up and ready to continue on their journey into the depths of the forest… According to Old Flint’s map, walking past the phosphorite mountain area would allow them to accomplish their second step. Of course, that was easier said than done. After all, not only was the phosphorite mountain extremely vast, but the trio had no idea what k
Gerald and Juno appeared equally as surprised as Rey was. After all, who in the right mind would live this deep in the forest? It truly was mind-boggling. After a short pause, Gerald then said, “…Well, since there’s someone living here, we may as well ask them if they know how much further we’ll need to walk!” Nodding in agreement, the duo then began following Gerald’s lead as they walked toward the house… However, they quickly found themselves retreating into bushes again when they realized that a few Soul Hunters were also walking toward that house! After knocking on the door, what appeared to be the house’s owner opened it… and before he could even react, the Soul Hunters immediately rushed in! Following that, horrified screams filled the air! Hearing all the terror from inside that house, Gerald and the others quickly exchanged glances. The Soul Hunters were definitely there to eliminate that family… How inhumane! Unable to bear the screams anymore, Juno found herself
Watching in fury as his black air blade dissipated, Daryl roared, “W-what power…!” As Daryl was too shocked to move, Gerald took the chance to yell, “Attack…!” And just like that, a blazing light momentarily lit the entire sky…! As surges of energy shot out in all directions, Daryl’s devilish formation was reduced to dust in a matter of seconds! “No…!” howled the anguished Daryl as the earth beneath him cracked and clouds of dust flew everywhere! It was chaos incarnate… yet moments later, everything fell deathly silent. Gerald himself had already vomited a pool of blood by now, and as he fell unconscious, he could feel his body freezing up… Fast forward to three years later, Mayberry Commercial Street was as lively as ever… “Darling, it’s your brother’s wedding day today… Shouldn’t we head over earlier? You’ve been dolling yourself up for ages!” “Fine, dad… Though, isn’t Second Uncle already there to help set things up? That aside, my brother’s gone through so many hardsh
‘Daryl’s been possessed by the Supreme Devilish Lord for ages, and the lord himself has been using your grandfather’s body to attempt his resurrection! This cycle has been repeating for years, and the Supreme Devilish Lord has already captured many people with Yin physiques but thankfully failed! This grew so out of hand that the Soluna Deus Sect, or Sun League as you call them, have actively been trying to force the Supreme Devilish Lord to show himself!’ ‘In order to further deter the Supreme Devilish Lord’s efforts, they’ve even been kidnapping people with Yin physiques! Do you see the entire picture now, boy?’ explained Finnley. ‘…So that’s the truth… Then, how’s Mila?’ asked Gerald. ‘She’s fine, but your reunion depends on whether we can destroy him this time!’ replied one of the white-robed ladies. That was relieving to hear… Still, as it turned out, the Sun League weren’t villains at all! They had simply been abducting people like his second uncle, Mila, and Leo for the
His chest felt like it was exploding, and it didn’t take long for blood to spurt out of his mouth. What immense devilish power…! Following a sneer, the Nirvadevil sect’s master scoffed, “I know you raised your cultivation level this high because you want to learn more about the Sun League, but you should understand that devilish cultivators will always be stronger! Did you really think that acquiring the angelic inheritance would give you absolute power? How laughable! Your Herculean Primordial Spirit won’t save you this time!” Furrowing his brows, Gerald retorted, “…Who on earth are you? How do you know me so well? In fact, how do you know about my Herculean Primordial Spirit?” Laughing in response, the master then said, “Oh, you’ll know who I am soon! But before that, allow me to snatch your Herculean Primordial Spirit! I need to destroy it so that the sacred Primordial Devilish Internal Pellet can reign supreme…!” Upon hearing that, Gerald couldn’t help but frown even more.
“…This formation. It feels… familiar,” muttered Sanchez. “Same thought here. I think it’s the Septelic Perishment Formation of the ancient Black Dragon Sect!” replied Gerald. “Ah, no wonder it felt so familiar… Though, wasn’t this formation lost to time ages ago? How did you learn of it?” asked the surprised Sanchez. The formation had been a legendary one that, as Sanchez had said, had been lost at the end of the ancient era. Just from its name alone, one could imagine that this immensely powerful formation had been used against the people of the Deitus Realm. In the end, however, the allies of the Deitus Realm still managed to destroy the Black Dragon Sect, thus leading to the destruction of all the sect’s other mysterious and bizarre formations… Naturally, they had made sure to obliterate all of them to ensure that nobody in the future would be able to threaten them like that again in the future… Whatever the case was, Gerald was quick to reply, “I read about it somewhere. Ho
Upon hearing Gerald’s question, Lord Ethern was prompted to reveal a few samples of the herbs they were locating… and it wasn’t long before Gerald felt his eyes twitch. After all, those samples were herbs inherited by the ancient witches… In other words, they were the ones he was for as well! Naturally, Marcel recognized them as well, and he was quick to say, “…These…” Noticing how the two were looking at the herbs, Darkwind muttered, “…I take it that the herbalist they’re looking for really is Ms. Phoebe, Mr. Crawford?” “…Well, it’s hard to say if she is since Marcel already said that the timing wasn’t right… Regardless, this is an important clue. Lord Ethern, was it? Could you elaborate a bit more on your master?” muttered Gerald as he turned to face the man again. “I really can’t say…! Look, Master always appears before us in a shadowy form, so none of us have ever seen his face!” replied Lord Ethern while shaking his head. “…Is that the truth?” “I swear on my life!” exc
“Flaxen, you bloody traitor…!” roared the three other lords who grew so angry that their faces went red!However, they had no time to remain angry since the Blancetnoir Double Lords and Sanchez had already made their move! As one would expect, it only took a single round for all three of the lords to crumble to the ground.With his eyes wide open, Lord Ethern stuttered, “Who… Who the hell are you people…?!”“You don’t need to know that information. That aside, tell us what you four are planning to do already,” scoffed Gerald as he slowly approached the three defeated men.“…Who the hell do you think you are? What makes you think I’ll comply so easily?” growled Lord Ethren.Upon hearing that, Gerald raised his hand… and within a split second, Lord Ethern let out a bone-chilling wail. The Blancetnoir Double Lords had just snapped both of the poor man’s arms!“If you want your other limbs intact, don’t make me repeat the question,” growled Gerald.Now terrified, the agonized man replied,
From what Gerald could tell, all of them were devilish cultivators. After all, their auras were way different compared to regular cultivators like Gerald and demonic cultivators like Sanchez. Though he had read about devilish cultivators before in one of Uncle Zeman’s books, this was his first time actually coming across them. It was a while later when the frowning Sanchez muttered, “So, they want to ambush some herb lady… Is she the one we’re looking for?” Sanchez, for one, had pretty much been frowning throughout his journey with Gerald. His only hope at the moment was for Gerald to find the person he was looking for as soon as possible. Otherwise, who knew how long that boy would continue controlling his life! Regardless, Marcel was quick to add, “I had the same thought, Mr. Crawford. After all, Phoebe excels not only in pharmacology, but also in all sorts of special techniques and formations!” Watching as Gerald nodded, the Blancetnoir Double Lords couldn’t help but scoff,
There were two straightforward purposes of the trip. The first was to find Phoebe, the descendant of the ancient witches. Only by finding her would Gerald have a chance to locate Daryl’s hideout… Hopefully the Yinblood pellet—that was now in his hands—would aid with that effort… As for the second goal, he was hoping to retrieve the inheritance according to the Zearl’s instructions. After all, he’d only stand a fighting chance against Daryl and the Soluna Sect after getting the inheritance. While it was true that Gerald’s cultivation level was currently one of the highest in all of the cultivation realm, the fact remained that Daryl practiced devilish cultivation, and those from the Soluna Deus Sect were already in the Deitus Realm. In other words, he was merely an ant to them, which was why he was making sure to fully prepare himself before confronting them. Though he now had Sanchez and the Blancetnoir Double Lords under his command, he still felt that he was underprepared… Re
Now that all three of them had been subdued with the Nineraid Band, the other big shot cultivators couldn’t help but stare enviously at Gerald, knowing full well that they’d never be able to obtain his angelic artifacts. After all, if he could take down the Blancetnoir Double Lords and Sanchez, then what chance did they have? By this point, Sanchez had managed to get to his feet, albeit with quite a bit of difficulty. Naturally, he no longer dared to make any rash moves on Gerald. Instead, he was prompted to resentfully say, “You’re really something else, Gerald…! It makes me wonder why you still need our help. After all, not only are you the sole person who knows the secrets of the general’s tomb, but you also possess those angelic artifacts!” “Oh, don’t you worry about that. With how powerful you three are, I’m sure you’ll become indispensable assistants as we head to the North Desert in search of a certain someone! Speaking of which, if you’re already thinking about killing me t