The whale descended slowly to their group. Ruri was firmly clinging to its back with arms crossed around its neck, even as she slept deeply. Her instinct kept her secure with such firmness that nothing in the world would make her let go.
When they stopped in front of the group, it was in the same second that hundreds of sect cultivators surrounded them from all directions, watching them with piercing gazes. Everyone scrutinized the group meticulously.
Alm and Bruno remained calm despite the incredible level of power they had displayed. It was plausible for them to possess such abilities, considering the extent of a primordial beast’s power. After all, few had knowledge about these creatures, and they had clearly used their bloodline to let everyone know what was happening.
Beasts were different from ordinary cultivators. Their bloodline was their greatest weapon and power since birth, which sparked deep envy in many races. But even though they were superior in cultivation, this same bloodline could be their greatest weakness.
When a much superior bloodline was used against them, beasts were severely suppressed, to the point where something much weaker could cause great problems. That was exactly what the sect members realized: the whale possessed a dense primordial bloodline of the Behemoth. Even a pure dragon would feel suppressed by it; only something primordial of the same level could combat it. It was the nemesis of beasts.
"Elders? What’s the issue?" The whale was the first to break the silence. "I’ve discovered something valuable buried here, so according to the rules, I could collect it, right?"
Everyone listened in silence until, in the skies, a small light shimmered in mystical colors. The High Elders turned to observe the luminous point in the sky, which gradually grew brighter... it was a tiny creature, no larger than a few centimeters tall, with translucent wings like those of a butterfly, shimmering in shades of blue.
Its body was delicate and slender, with smooth and slightly iridescent skin. Its large, expressive eyes radiated a vibrant green color, conveying liveliness. It moved with agility and grace through the air, almost like the exact image of a small pixie from fairy tales.
"Greetings, sect leader," spoke the High Elders respectfully in unison.
The small figure was clearly feminine as expected. By the mist and laws subtly surrounding her, she was from a bloodline of the Haze Fey Clan.
"Are you the young recruits from the last intake?" The soft, calm voice echoed from the skies. The whale nodded slightly and withdrew its red tablet, which still didn’t have any points marked on it.
"The beasts seem to have hidden something from our eyes... it seems the easy life of the High Elders made them forget their simplest tasks." Her gentle voice resonated. But it made all the elders break out in cold sweats. "Well, spill it all. You’re within the rules, but we need to understand what happened."
The whale nodded; this leader seemed reasonable and easy to deal with, and by the Elders’ reaction, she led sternly and seemed to enjoy keeping everything under her control. They calmly explained how they obtained information from a Drake who, after begging for his life, revealed the item’s location. With the help of the Empyreans’ skills and Yin concealment techniques from their allies, they investigated and devised a plan to ’seize the treasure.’
No high-ranking member in the sect was an Empyrean; there were only half a dozen of them, who were common elders. This sect wasn’t attractive to Empyreans, so all the very powerful beings that the High Elders had encountered were high-level and possessed indescribable powers.
When the whale mentioned how their allies managed to infiltrate and investigate this highly guarded location, everyone found it plausible; after all, a Yin concealment technique on this planet was something difficult to handle.
"It wasn’t that hard... I should have suspected something..." The whale added, self-critically.
They also reported how they ’fell into a trap’ and faced an unknown power that suddenly emerged. When the beasts surrounded them to kill them, the whale was forced to employ all its bloodline power in a desperate move.
"Somehow, it worked... well, it always does. Since birth, that total and effective strike has been reliable. Usually, everyone dies, but this time they only got seriously injured... which is understandable for divine cultivators, after all."
The whale spoke thoughtfully, his eyes shining with innocence and admiration. Even the purest person would feel a certain bitterness and envy. This round and chubby figure had been born in a divine golden cradle. He relied only on his primordial bloodline to survive everything and had no idea how terrifying and abnormal that power really was.
The small Fey in the sky just sighed and watched the whale carefully. His story made sense but also presented some inconsistencies. There was the option to directly read his memories, but inexplicably, she felt she shouldn’t. It was a strange intuition, and just by looking at him, she knew the consequences could be unexpected if she acted that way.
Little did she know, just behind the whale, Kaiyka had a soft gleam in her eyes. Her spiritual cultivation combined with her subtle divine soul subtly influenced that little leader.
The other option would be to read the memories of the beasts. However, as a leader, the agreement established with the draconic beasts would not allow her to forcefully violate their memories to find out what really happened there.
If she did, she would face serious trouble. There were as many draconic beasts as there were high-level cultivators in the sect. These draconic beasts were extremely proud, and a major diplomatic problem would arise if they found out she did something like that.
Indeed, the beasts had hidden something, but her disciple discovered and took it for himself; the sect did not lose anything from this. The whale’s strange claims didn’t matter because there was physical evidence of what he said; the beasts couldn’t contest anything.
"Excellent, you’ve found it, so it’s yours," announced the sect leader to everyone. "You may go. We’ll conduct a thorough investigation and know where to find you if there’s any trouble."
The group waved and floated calmly away without looking back. All the High Elders watched them depart and reflected thoughtfully. When they were out of sight, the soft voice echoed again.
"Those two Feys are from the Barbarian Fey Clan and Feral Fey; that round, rather greedy half-human has already conquered both in just a few months, despite having several other women around... it’s always strange to see the lust of these humans..." She murmured strangely, and some members of the two clans among the High Elders twisted expressions. "Well, no matter. From now on, keep an elder watching their every move."
One of the High Elders turned and spoke softly, "Leader, that power..."
"I know," she replied curtly, turning her gaze to the sky. "No matter what she plotted; just like the Yinblood Jewels, we will reap the benefits of her attempts. That human gained incredible power, and the sect gained along with it. That other human also possesses similar bloodline and power. Two greats have emerged simultaneously in this generation of the Yinblood sect; with them, we have the potential to reach what we never dreamed. Perhaps they will elevate the sect to another level."
All the High Elders clenched their fists, understanding... or almost all; one of them seemed to align with the others on the surface, but a dark and different gleam briefly appeared in his eyes.
Far away. The whale’s group returned calmly to their base in the cave, and as soon as they entered, they all smiled with satisfaction and relief.
It was at that moment the whale instinctively sensed something and narrowed his eyes; troubles and consequences were about to knock on his door very soon.
***
After just a few hours, the sect leader, deeply lost in her own thoughts, received a mental call.
’Leader! The leader of the Shadow God in the Skies sect requests an audience and permission to enter.’
The small Fey sighed. It was expected. The commotion caused had been so intense that the whole galaxy likely felt it. Those near the solar system would immediately know where the epicenter was. No one would dare to investigate them due to the power of their sect... except this branch, under the umbrella of the powerful and feared Shadow God sect.
The leader responded calmly, granting permission. Despite their courage in coming, they were not fools; they would use the seal’s protection and maintenance as a pretext for their questions. The leader would demonstrate that everything was in order, and with no further reasons to stay, they would be expelled.
The small Fey moved towards the skies to receive them. It didn’t take long to spot the intense scarlet fluctuations emerging on the horizon. She saw the group of figures entering the atmosphere of the Gloom planet, their dark auras swirling around them.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
They were all terrifying demons, but strangely didn’t exhibit the classical physical characteristics common to demons: no horns, wings, or any other traits usually associated with demons.
They looked humanoid, but their skin was blue, and their eyes blood-red. Around them, a scarlet aura gently floated as if it were part of their bodies. Just by looking at them, a deep discomfort in the soul was felt; regardless of cultivation, it was an instinct of survival alerting to imminent danger.
That branch was led by a race of eerie and sinister demons, feared for their methods and techniques. Their name was well-known throughout the universe: Soul Eaters.
The demons glanced at the small Fey and waved, approaching calmly. All were directed straight to the heart of the sect.
When the Fey tried to move them to a more secluded location, she noticed they suddenly stopped. Turning around, she saw the Demoness among them, motionless, with a dark and hate-filled gaze; she was the leader of that branch.
That startled the Fey, who realized the faces of all the demons also showed a strange discomfort. They had felt something too.
Without the need for communication, the rune marked with the symbol of their sect alerted them as soon as they landed. Target number one and number two to be eliminated at all costs were within this sect and planet.