It was the end of the day. At that moment, an enormous Flying Ship landed gently in front of the gates of the Golden Crow Sect. As soon as it arrived, an extremely cold aura flowed in every direction, making all the disciples of the sect feel immense discomfort.
At that moment, Darian, Gildor, and his wife, Minril, came out through the gates, followed by a dozen Palace Masters right behind them.
Chrysos and the others stayed behind because the sect was buried in a lot, a lot of work, organizing all 33 inheritances and preparing for what would be the complete rebirth of the sect.
The group moved toward the flying ship, and the gates opened. Inside, Queens Myna and Kaltis were waiting for them.
When they saw Gildor, they took the initiative to greet him.
"Thank you for coming," Myna said with a slight bow. "This time, we will depend completely on your power to achieve our objective. We will do everything to provide the necessary support."
"There's no need to say such superfluous words," Gildor said without the slightest hint of courtesy, then walked straight past the two of them and entered. "Take good care of my disciple. He will stay with the people of your Kingdoms for a short time. As for me, I don't want to be bothered with any other matters."
After saying that, all those from the sect who would be fighting entered the flying ship in silence and isolated themselves in their inner rooms. Only Darian remained near the entrance.
With everyone inside, the Flying Ship shot forward, crossing through space. It would take several hours to reach the Bakunawa Abyssal Triarchy.
At that moment, Myna turned to Darian with a faint smile. "Your cultivation has grown so much, so quickly… together with your natural talent, that's a bit frightening, but also incredible."
"We were waiting for you. My daughter will certainly be very happy to see you," Kaltis added, her words full of meaning.
Darian felt a chill run down his spine when he heard that, but he took a deep breath and didn't reply. He wasn't obligated to anything within the kingdoms, so he would simply pretend to be oblivious and look for an opportunity to resolve this matter as soon as he could.
The two Queens treated Darian like an important guest, in place of the Sect Leader. He was then taken to a table where he was served a good drink. After that, he asked a few things about the three kingdoms. The queens answered calmly, without caring much.
The entire Bakunawa Abyssal Triarchy was located in a solar system with four enormous planets. The three planets closest to the sun were where the three Kingdoms existed. The last planet was where the main Bakunawa inheritance and the Abyss Lake were located. The kingdom closest to that planet was Tide-Shadow.
To the displeasure of the two queens, when Darian heard this, he said he would stay in the Tide-Shadow kingdom during those days. But he promised he would visit the others in the future.
After that, he just asked random questions about the dynamics of the Kingdoms, which weren't very different from the sects he already knew.
...
Half a day later, they arrived at their destination.
The Tide-Shadow Kingdom was the inverse reflection of the Golden Crow Sect. Dominated by oceans since time immemorial, the kingdom pulsed with an overwhelming density of the water element, making it the perfect refuge for beasts and cultivators who mastered that attribute.
Although it had dimensions similar to Earth, the planet possessed only a single continent.
Everyone disembarked in the heart of the continent. The ground was dry and grayish, exuding little vitality, yet it was overflowing with dense Yin energy. Under a vibrant blue sky, the air carried the salty scent of the beaches, but the temperature was surprisingly cold, creating a strange atmosphere.
At that moment, Gildor spoke seriously. "All of us will go to the entrance of the Abyss Lake. We'll stay there and prepare for when we can invade. Darian, it may take a month or less."
Darian nodded, and then everyone from the sect jumped into the sky, heading toward the other planet, which was very close. The two Queens couldn't stay because they had to authorize their entry onto the planet. They said goodbye to Darian, already sensing a growing closeness.
Seconds later, a figure appeared in front of Darian, bringing with it a gust of cold and humid wind, like the breeze from the sea.
It was Queen Veyra, who immediately asked, "Hmm… you came? Good."
Darian nodded slightly. "Everyone from my sect went to the entrance of the Abyss Lake. As for me, I wanted to come to your kingdom because I heard it was an interesting place. I'll stay here only for a few days."
"I see, my disciple, will guide you…" Veyra cast a deep look at Darian. After taking a deep breath, she continued. "You don't need to feel so tense or wary about anything. All the people of my kingdom are polite and will treat you with the utmost respect. I may not get along with your master, but… I still owe you a great favor."
Darian cast her a sideways glance, subtly surprised. His first impression of this queen had been that of a crazy old woman with no scruples. But no one was purely black or white. She had her moments of insanity, but she wasn't completely bad. Her karma, for example, was a normal shade of black.
Seeing Darian's look, Veyra spoke seriously.
"That day when Vymara lost miserably to you, I became extremely anxious when I saw her so dejected. Vymara has exceptional talent and, consequently, she is a very proud person. She had never experienced defeat since she was young and had never encountered anyone with superior ability in any aspect. But that day, she tasted defeat for the first time… and it was a crushing defeat."
Veyra let out a heavy sigh. "Watching someone like her, who had never experienced defeat, take the initiative to admit defeat… made it clear that she had suffered a huge blow. Without a doubt, it would have taken a long time for her to recover from the trauma… if it weren't for your words, it was even possible that she wouldn't have managed to rise again. But you, by behaving in a polite way and acknowledging her strength, not only helped her recover her spirit, but also made her understand that there is always someone better. When she returned, she began cultivating with far more fervor and dedication than before. Her state of mind, in particular, went through a slight transformation, which left me extremely satisfied."
Darian shook his head and said humbly, "The Queen is praising me too much. Winning or losing is something very common for me. That's why I acted the way I felt I should, just to cheer her up. I didn't even think much about complicated things like that."
"Humph! Although I find your master unpleasant… you are infinitely more pleasant. If you become interested in something in my Kingdom, or want to 'try something', feel free to let me know." she said with a look full of meaning.
"..." Her words left Darian stunned.
With every second in this place, he felt like he was digging his grave deeper. Now he felt that he should desperately look for a technique that could erase his memories; only that way would Niara never find out about this.
"I just called Vymara. She will arrive soon…?"
While Veyra was speaking, she suddenly stopped and turned around. All of a sudden, the hurried sound of footsteps approaching could be heard.
"Queen!!"
A middle-aged woman came running closer, looking deeply panicked.
Veyra frowned and said in a reprimanding tone, "Why are you so disturbed!?"
"The princess… the princess, she…"
When she heard those words, Veyra immediately rushed forward and grabbed the woman's shoulders, as if she were in a frenzy. "What happened to Lulei? Speak at once!!"
"Suddenly… the princess's vitality collapsed, and she won't be able to… hold on for much longer." the woman said while trembling.
"What!?"
The queen roared in shock, then her power erupted like a tsunami, and she shot into the sky like lightning.
That other woman didn't even give Darian a second look and then ran away as well. Just like that… Darian was left abandoned in an unknown land.
He snorted lightly and stayed there waiting. The Queen had said earlier that Vymara was already on the way, after all.
"OH!"
It was at that moment that he heard an exclamation of surprise.
When he turned around, high above, he saw three figures approaching quickly. Their bodies emitted restless auras, as if they had just finished some kind of training.
All of them suddenly stopped, and their gazes locked onto him at the same time. Then they landed abruptly; there were two girls and a handsome boy in the center.
"Who are you? Why did you come to this place?!" the boy's voice echoed without the slightest trace of politeness.
Darian was wearing a simple red robe that stood out a lot in this place. Anyone even slightly informed would know, from the symbol on his chest, where he came from.
He turned and answered calmly, "Darian, from the Golden Crow Sect."
The three were demons and seemed to be from the same generation. Their cultivations were surprisingly high. All three were already at the ninth level of the Celestial King Realm.
Possibly, their affinities with the water element weren't that high, since they had a very thin Bakunawa bloodline. So raising their cultivation was the absolute priority. Because of that, they didn't need to waste time studying techniques or the element, which allowed them to advance faster, although their power was below average.
When Darian said his name, the trio not only showed an extremely exaggerated reaction, but also displayed extremely hostile expressions.
"Wait a moment. Is he really telling the truth? His aura seems very weak to me," said the girl on the left in a low voice.
The girl on the right added in a severe tone, "Lady Vymara said this Darian's cultivation was only at the peak of the Celestial Tribulation Realm three months ago. There's no way someone could break through and rise to the fourth level in such a short time."
The three of them tightened their grip on the weapons at their waists.
The boy in the center took a step forward. With his head raised and chest puffed out, he said, "You are the direct disciple of the Golden Crow Sect Leader who was recently accepted?"
Darian nodded. "Yes, that's me."
"Then… it was you who defeated Lady Vymara three months ago!?"
"Yes, that was also me." Darian nodded once again.
"You… you really have the audacity to admit that?!" the boy said aggressively. "How is it possible that someone as incredible and powerful as Lady Vymara could be defeated by someone like you!? Back then, that direct disciple… obviously took advantage of the fact that he was on his own territory to trick her and lead her to defeat!"
Darian rolled his eyes when he heard those words. But he took a deep breath and answered politely. "I'm just a little better than her in elemental control. I don't want to compare myself to anyone, because it doesn't make sense…"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
The boy roared, cutting him off aggressively. "The Queen herself said that Lady Vymara possesses the greatest talent in elemental control since time immemorial! It's practically impossible for someone to be better than her, even if their cultivation were higher than hers. Of course, she lost through dishonest means! You people from the Golden Crow Sect are truly despicable!"
"Exactly!" the two girls beside him shouted in unison.
"You're free to believe me or not." Darian turned around, unwilling to give any more explanations.
"Enough excuses!"
Faced with Darian's defiant attitude, the boy became even more aggressive. "Don't think you're getting away with this. If you are who you say you are, then you only managed to cheat inside your sect. Now you're on our territory, so we will seek justice!"
With that said, he suddenly activated his power. His eyes turned red as his demonic bloodline ignited. Black waves of pure Yin erupted from the boy's body.
"You claim you defeated Lady Vymara!? In that case, how about a duel with me? Since I'm nowhere near Lady Vymara's level, if you lose to me, admit honestly that you cheated in the battle against her!"
Darian sighed helplessly. He looked at the trio and said in a dry tone, "Brats, I don't like wasting time on games. When I fight, I end the dispute completely, pulling the evil out by the root. If that's what you want, then you can come at me together."
When they heard his words, the three were stunned.
"Just you?! Haha, I can defeat a weakling like you with one finger, yet you still dare to challenge us? There are no limits to your absurdity…!"
Before the boy could finish speaking, Darian waved his hand, and a golden flame only a few centimeters tall appeared in his palm.
Then his eyes glowed faintly, and instantly the space trembled slightly.
The three were stunned for a second. It felt as if a terrifying demon had suddenly appeared, and its presence completely enveloped them. The strangest part… was that the demons were them!
The expressions of the three youths changed drastically. The boy in front immediately stepped back a few paces. The arrogance on his face turned into panic for a brief moment.
Until just a moment ago, they considered Darian someone insignificant because his cultivation was several levels lower. But the instant he moved, they felt as if their bodies had been suppressed by his terrifying momentum, and they could barely breathe.
Darian looked at the boy, completely expressionless. "How about reconsidering your strategy? Do you still want to fight individually, or would you prefer a joint attack? Either way is fine with me."
The boy swallowed hard, disbelief written across his face.
"W-Well… It's absolutely impossible for him to defeat Lady Vymara! Let's face him together! We must make sure he admits that he cheated!!"
The three roared and drew their weapons, which were three swords. They exchanged a serious glance, then moved directly toward Darian.
The temperature, which was already cold, dropped sharply.
The trio advanced through the air like black shadows, clearly showing perfect coordination between them. The three swords slashed in the same direction at the same time, and the powerful Yin from all three fused together in that very instant.
A single gigantic black blade cut through the air, causing space-time to distort from such power.
But…
Darian didn't even give them a glance and let their power approach. When it was only centimeters away… he simply moved his hand forward, the small golden flame flickering gently.
When they touched.
*BOOOOM!*
The power condensed by the three was instantly shattered and exploded, along with a wave of golden flames. Then the power didn't weaken in the slightest and swept over their bodies with force.
An immense power struck them mercilessly, throwing them into the air as if they had been hit by an extremely heavy hammer. When they finally managed to stabilize themselves, still in shock, they were already several meters away from where they had been before.
When they got up from the ground… they saw Darian standing there, still unmoving. His relaxed and indifferent posture made it seem as if he was looking down on them.
The boy still had the expression of someone who refused to accept it. Clearly, he felt something for Vymara and had interpreted Darian's arrival the wrong way. Darian noticed that, but he couldn't explain it now.
"You…! Lady Vymara said you could catch her weapon with your hands, but I don't believe that! If you have the courage, try doing the same with my sword!!" the boy roared.
He spat black blood. All his power erupted, and his body became covered by black armor. That was his most powerful secret technique, and he could probably only maintain it for a short time.
In the blink of an eye, the young man's sword shot out like lightning, appearing right above Darian's head.
"TRY TO HOLD IT!!" he roared, and everything became covered in a powerful dark mist.
But… Darian didn't move at all.
Although the young man's expression didn't change, deep inside he felt intense panic. He… really isn't going to dodge? If he kills him by accident, he'll be in huge trouble.
Even though he was alarmed, it was already impossible for him to stop the sword, even if he wanted to. Unfortunately, only now did he realize he had acted recklessly like a fool.
Suddenly, Darian extended his right hand with lightning speed and positioned it precisely at the point where the sword would meet.
The two girls behind him jumped in shock. That meant he was going to catch the weapon with one hand!
"!"
With a muffled sound, the air around them shook with a wave of power.
The sword didn't cut off Darian's arm, as anyone would expect in such a situation. Instead, it stopped in his hand.
The boy's face turned pale.
Then Darian squeezed lightly with his palm…
*BANG!*
The sword exploded instantly, and the boy was sent flying through the air.
"WAAAAHHH!!"
His scream echoed everywhere, leaving the two girls completely stunned.
When he fell to the ground, that was when Darian waved his hand. In an instant, the trio was completely wrapped in golden runes that carried a hot and penetrating energy. The three felt intense pain that almost made them scream.
The temperature of the air rose rapidly, and all three were instantly sealed.
Without delay, Darian made another casual motion.
That place was flooded with golden light, then a wave of blazing energy hurled them through the air. The trio was sent flying far away in different directions, like flies being casually swatted away.
