The rainbow ring dimmed, and the stifling heat was replaced by the dry coldness of the death world. Soon, the two youths gathered with tired expressions, then fist-bumped each other, breaking into a smile. It was a beautiful combination of techniques they had planned.
All the disciples forgot to breathe. Soon, the first sound came from the elven woman, who sighed heavily. The other disciples woke up and felt their blood boiling; the three leaders were so powerful that it was unbelievable.
As for the elder... he couldn’t think straight; he was in shock.
Cough, cough.
"Lord, nature calls me. I don’t want to soil the ground in front of everyone..." Corin’s voice sounded near the elder, waking him up. "The mission is already over, right? Let’s go quickly."
All the disciples pursed their lips; this young elf... they interrupted their thoughts as they observed Corin’s colorful hair and his completely inconceivable aura.
"Don’t speak such dirty things," Ruri grumbled, coming to Corin’s side. Then she reached her hand towards his back and used the little Qi she had managed to gather after eating a pill. Soon, everyone saw Corin’s hair return to a soft green, and his entire aura transformed into something commonly elven.
The disciples and the elder remained silent; it was evident that it was just a disguise. However, the elder would never dare to say a word about it to anyone; he saw the results of those clans. Soon, after regaining his sanity, he sighed and nodded. In seconds, they found themselves outside the death world.
Quickly, Ruri, Corin, and Loeus were startled. Then they saw a small fey and an orc approaching them rapidly, with surprised and relieved looks.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Fyclea spoke, holding Ruri’s hand and supporting her gently.
Ruri made a doubtful expression, while Lokar, alongside Corin and Loeus, said, "As soon as we were expelled, there was an earthquake and an explosion in the inner sect. Shortly before you arrived, there was another. And now you’re back..."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Corin listened and nodded in understanding, his master acted. "Don’t worry. I have to go. Goodbye."
He spoke and ran away a little frantically...
All the disciples watched him leave in a strange way. Then the fey spoke quickly, "The elders?"
Ruri just smiled in response, and they both trembled. Loeus looked to a distant point and saw a round figure turning around and calmly walking away, holding a large piece of meat in his hand. It was Thalor, who, thinking it was impossible, waited for their return worriedly from a distance... and eating fiercely.
The orc and the fey talked as they headed to their factions. Lokar quickly established a good relationship with Loeus, and it would probably be the same with Corin. Meanwhile, Ruri and Fyclea seemed to have opposite thoughts but managed to understand each other well.
As they bid farewell at the entrance, all the disciples seemed exhausted in every sense, wishing only to faint and sleep for a week. However, upon returning, they were stunned. They felt the presence of thousands of people inside.
When they arrived, Ruri’s eyes filled with tears almost instantly. In the center, the whale awaited them. There were almost twenty thousand people from Montide. There were men, women, children, and even some babies.
"Everyone came back alive, good job. Rest a bit; in a day, we’ll return to training, and it will be even more intense." The whale said calmly, making everyone feel a chill running down their spines.
Ruri found the strength to run and approach everyone joyfully. They were all those who were trapped within the inner branch of the Nightflare clan. As soon as Ruri eliminated the two disciples, Alm and Bruno ran towards the branch.
There was indeed a barrier. However, it took less than a minute to destroy it with Yin and Yang tattoos. Then, inside, there were only a few elders who were beaten without even seeing what hit them. Everything was quick and stealthy to leave no traces; in five minutes, they dragged everyone out. It facilitated the fact that they were concentrated in a single sealed place.
After giving the order to go to the faction, they visited the Noctryn clan. Their goal was only to destroy everything; from a great distance, they activated the entire bloodline and internal rune. A meteor coming directly from beyond wiped out the clan’s branch. Unfortunately, they couldn’t steal; it wasn’t worth the risk of leaving traces. The black elves were Yin cultivators who used a method very similar to the whale’s to hide, unlike the Nightflare clan. If they tried to sneak in, they would be detected.
As for the people of Montide, they were all internal workers. According to the sect’s rules, they were considered free but carried clearly visible slave marks on their bodies. Although they were within their own faction, the Nightflare clan, located in the central sect, would have no evidence or valid arguments to act against them. Raising suspicions was inevitable, but directly attacking the faction within the sect would be a crime that everyone would feel and see. The sect would have to act brutally to show its power, or it would face many future problems. Therefore, they were temporarily safe.
The whale made Ruri sleep, waiting for the moment when she would have more Qi to seal the slave marks of everyone. At that moment, the whale received a message through a communication crystal and responded quickly.
A few minutes later, the elf Nimfle appeared in the faction with a worried expression. She received news that the two clans had summoned their elders for the disciples’ mission; knowing that the whale was related to the disciples, she ran to alert him or see if she could help in any way.
Alm and Bruno sighed, calming her down. It was evident that she was a trustworthy person and had perfectly fulfilled her task. Confident in Grassrunner’s judgment and recognizing her need for someone for tasks in the desert city, they asked:
"Did you manage to find all the Grassrunners in the sect?" The whale asked gently.
Nimfle responded promptly, "Yes, all 29. Now, they are all workers; four are in the central sect, five in the inner, and twenty in the outer. I’ve already contacted all of them, gathering them and handing over the resources as you instructed."
Alm and Bruno nodded contentedly. Now, every 15 days, they received so many crystals that it was hard to count. They had united all the Grassrunners as planned.
"I’ve already contacted them. In three days, take the Grassrunners to the city. A woman from Montide will guide them there." They communicated calmly, making the elf tremble. "It will also be necessary to bring a large entourage. All the people from Montide that I gathered here will live in that place."
Nimfle would take on the responsibility of leading everyone and introducing them to the desert city. Alm and Bruno handed over millions of crystals to the Grassrunners, just for the promise of visiting the city. As Liumi had mentioned earlier, everyone from her people who "paid" their debts only stayed in the sect because they considered it the safest place.
Alm and Bruno were sure that as soon as they entered the city, they would feel its sacred energy and desire to stay there forever. In no time, they would lose interest in the sect.
As for the elf, she received an important position as the connection from the desert city to the external trade. Vuard, now a student of the Forge God Dao, should have mountains of unused high-level weapons. Nimfle would sell these items, creating piles of resources for the city that could, in turn, acquire external products.
Allowing entry to outsiders was not an option, as there were half-demons living there. Therefore, the elf would play a crucial role, enabling the desert city to obtain resources beyond what it produced itself.
While discussing the auction, Ruri woke up next to the whale. She observed the tranquil conversation between the elf and the whale before taking a deep breath. Alm and Bruno didn’t turn to her, just waited.
Ruri then moved and greeted Nimfle. The whale nodded in satisfaction; the issue of the wild possession had been corrected. Over time, with Ruri’s growth, they diligently worked to address various issues that troubled her.
Since her youth, Ruri suffered abuse in the Divinestone clan, which left her mind somewhat distorted. Perhaps the influence of Alm and Bruno reinforced this, but they soon realized it and focused on setting an example. However, to Bruno’s surprise, it was Alm who proved more assertive in dealing with her traumas and educating her. Gradually, Ruri was cared for, and now she had her own power, autonomy, and, above all, confidence in herself.
Alm then muttered mentally, ’She easily makes friends, but she’s not pretending to be sympathetic. She can easily connect, even with an opposite personality. In the eyes of her followers, she’s admirable. And for her enemies, she’s relentless.’
’I think she’s ready to live on her own. She learned to build bonds, value life, and cultivate herself properly. She has the complete ability to rise and take care of herself.’ Bruno commented as he watched Ruri and Nimfle talking. ’That scared and fragile little girl has now become an admirable person. We taught self-reflection and never following the herd. Surely, she will naturally address her other issues without us needing to interfere.’
Alm didn’t respond but was also strangely emotional. The only lingering issue was her emotional attachment to them, but there wasn’t much to be done about it. Perhaps, if they could escape far away now, those feelings would dissipate, but it wasn’t an option at the moment.