’That Cerberus has some decent talent. To maintain demonic power for so long, he must have used the infernal laws and the Yin Energy of the abyss. But for that, his bloodline must have been preserved; with just a mortal soul, it would be impossible without it.’ Alm spoke in an excited tone.
’Excellent, indeed, this patriarch is giving us an unbelievable gift without even realizing it,’ Bruno added, and a slightly unusual laugh came from him.
A few silent seconds passed in the room. The patriarch of the Bloodthirsty Light Sect patiently waited for the whale to respond. Finally, he opened his mouth.
"Hmm... this contact of yours in the abyss. Is it a demon clan?"
The patriarch’s eyes narrowed in surprise; he thought for a moment, and recent information from the whale reassured him. "You really encountered demons the last time you went to the prison, I see..."
The whale nodded without saying much; all the patriarchs and high-ranking individuals already knew. At the same time as the disciples’ test, a group of demons was investigating anomalies in the prison. Of course, it was strictly forbidden to reveal themselves to the world, but this abnormal whale must have had a stroke of luck, thought the patriarch.
"Indeed, we have contact with a high-level demon clan from the abyss, and this clan is no less than any other. The contact I told you about wasn’t the demon clan but an even better one, but I can add the demon clan contact as a bonus if you wish," the patriarch spoke without hesitation.
Bruno nodded internally, excited. They were almost certain of the existence of the Cerberus, and now this patriarch subtly confirmed it. A contact even better than a high-level demonic clan? It could only be the Cerberus!
"My weapon is incredible, but I can’t use it to its full extent. If the great patriarch of my sect agrees, I have no reason to decline," the whale spoke, taking the bone club from its back and placing it in front of them. "One last thing, you said you owe me a favor, right?"
The entire three-meter-tall being trembled slightly, revealing its excitement. Without much thought, it just nodded, confirming what it had promised. Bruno then thought of something. Alm immediately sensed Bruno’s intentions, and his lips curved maliciously. Then the whale spoke.
"I want to cash in that favor immediately. I have something in mind that only a patriarch can help me with."
***
A week passed quickly. Alm and Bruno returned to the desert city; during this time, they didn’t go to the forge. Instead, they spent their time meditating inside the castle in preparation.
When they opened their eyes, a bright light flooding the surroundings penetrated their eyes, causing them to blink a bit disturbed. The place that was normally dark due to the strong Yin presence was now so illuminated that it could blind a mortal. An intense violet color radiated around, and something akin to a small sun was the source of this splendor.
’Ruri made a scary advancement in her mental cultivation. She has already reached the third level of the first lotus.’ Bruno commented, impressed as he observed her.
’This is because she completely learned that high-level mental technique we gave her. There are nine levels in total, and every three levels, there’s an entirely new sutra to study. The first sutra wasn’t a challenge for her, but from now on, she won’t advance so quickly,’ Alm explained.
Bruno nodded in agreement and stood up with the whale. ’Now that she has stabilized, it’s the perfect time. Putting it into practice is always the best method of advancement.’
Sensing their approach, Ruri jumped to embrace them joyfully, and a message was sent to Almin and Langrum shortly after. Everything should be ready, waiting for them.
Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.
***
It was a sunny day outside the world of evil cultivators. Inside, in that dark place separated from the world, dozens of shadows ran quickly towards the exit in a coordinated movement.
All the shadows exited and arrived in the desert, quickly heading to a specific point and releasing simple spatial rings that were swallowed by the sands. They transmitted urgency, as if time were against them.
High in the clouds, exactly above where the rings were left, away from everyone’s sight, a dense aggregation of wind laws seemed to blend perfectly with the environment. If any powerful cultivator could see, they would say that something was hidden there.
In Bloody Skies City, the mercantile city of evil cultivators, the whale and its group walked lightly, passing through the sales stalls on that seemingly ordinary day.
Almin, Langrum, and Loeus were the most excited. The whale distributed the crystals from the sale of weapons made of common metals among them. Everyone in the group now lived and contributed to the city’s community. As the dwarves worked in the weapons forge, Bruno considered it fair to reward the three, as if it were payment on behalf of the city.
There were hundreds of weapons, but that represented less than 5% of their total wealth. However, for Almin, Langrum, and Loeus, the amount of abyss crystals was astonishing, allowing them to buy anything they wanted without worries, and there was still plenty left.
Almin found hundreds of simple herbs that only grew in the extreme south or north of the continent. Although not exceptional, these herbs did not exist in the city’s herb field, and with them, he could now make many different pills. After this significant acquisition, almost all low and medium-level herbs available on the continent would be planted and at his disposal.
Loeus and Langrum initially just observed, paying close attention to anything useful. However, it didn’t take long before they distanced themselves from the whale and his group.
When the whale reached a higher vantage point, Ruri called out to them. With a smile, she pointed toward a distant spot. Alm and Bruno followed her gaze and, among the crowd, caught a glimpse of two familiar figures. It was them—but something was different. Their expressions were lighter, and the atmosphere around them seemed to have shifted.
They walked side by side, holding hands. At one point, Langrum made a subtle move, and Loeus, even without fully understanding her intentions, didn’t pull away. The age gap between them wasn’t that large, but Loeus was still somewhat naive, and the hardships of his life had kept him distant from any interest in the opposite sex. Langrum, however, was slowly changing that—guiding him forward, step by step, just as he was beginning to experience new emotions he hadn’t fully understood before.
She was clearly advancing successfully, leading him without rushing. There was something there—a timid, restrained feeling—but he still didn’t dare express it openly in front of others. So, she took the initiative, gently pulling him away from the rest of the group.
’They’re trying to hide it from whom?’ Alm commented, mentally indifferent.
’Loeus will turn 16 soon, and now he already has a physique similar to that of an adult. He grew rapidly in these two years thanks to Langrum’s tough training,’ Bruno replied.
’She must be eager to devour him, but he’s still too childish to take the initiative. They had to hide from the group to do this. Such a waste of time,’ Alm grumbled.
"They finally got a bit closer," Ruri said, sighing. "Why wait so long to hold hands? Master and I have lived so close without any problems."
"That’s because you’re a kid," Alm responded dryly.
"I’m turning 13 soon. When I get older, won’t I be able to do that?" She asked, looking seriously into the whale’s eyes.
"You’re already getting too big even to stay on my shoulder. In the future, you can stay by my side as much as you want. I don’t mind a kid," Alm replied emotionlessly.
Ruri immediately smiled with her hands on her lips, playfully. Bruno clearly noticed that she just wanted to provoke this response from Alm and felt that it would be used against them in the future. His instincts screamed; every day, this girl was learning to manipulate them better. He had to be extra careful with everything he said, thinking that a child should be like this.
The day passed slowly, with Ruri buying everything she found beautiful while the whale followed her lightly. Between one turn and another, he directly bought an entire stall without even looking at what was being sold, and internally, he was smiling. Countless distant eyes monitored their steps attentively.
The whale’s only order to everyone in his group was: splurge with everything they have, without caring about anything. No negotiations were necessary; they simply took and paid, which shocked the slave sellers. Soon, the silent news spread throughout the market, and practically everyone was shouting, offering things to the whale’s group.
The whale had already attracted enough attention for everyone to know he was there as soon as they stepped into the city. But now they delivered another message. All their wealth was with him and his group. And he didn’t mind spending, implying that he was confident in raising even more.
Thus, silently, they felt a draining of powerful auras in the city, and there was a certainty that this extended to all nearby cities. Only a few eyes remained watching them from afar.
At the end of the day, everyone gathered and left the city. Everyone in the group had serious looks, already anticipating what would happen next. They wouldn’t camp but rather head directly into the desert.