Kakarotto looked at the Wind Lord, prostrated, and shook his head. "Some people only get the depth of the world when they see blood."
That casual remark was enough to make everyone uneasy. They were all on the ground, from the regular disciples to the Elders.
It was then that they realized the true terror. They, who considered themselves part of one of the eight great powers of the empire, were nothing but ants in front of this discreet young man. He could push them into the abyss with a simple gesture, turning them to ashes with a smile on his face.
The Wind Lord was filled with regret. He wasn’t so much afraid for his life but for the fate of his clan. The current situation was the result of his own mistakes. He underestimated that young man and didn’t bother to warn the Elders not to provoke him.
He remembered the conversation he had with him earlier and felt a cold sweat of fear. This guy was the definition of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The old man was sure this sinister figure had set everyone up to underestimate him. He was fishing and testing everyone around; all just so when he felt like it, he could completely destroy anything that displeased him.
Alm, observing the trembling disciples and seeing many innocent young ones, just snorted dryly. "Forget it; killing all of you wouldn’t benefit me at all."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," the crowd murmured in unison, relieved. They felt like they had just been forgiven from an imminent execution and bowed down, drenched in cold sweat.
At that moment, the sound of wings was heard, and Maelik landed next to Kakarotto. Alm and Bruno snorted, activating the 40 runes recently stolen from the clan. Their eyes gleamed as they manipulated this law associated with the winds.
"Here." Bruno grabbed the soul contract and threw it towards a young woman in the distance. "I’m already married, and what happened was an accident. I just wanted to resolve this peacefully. But you bastards only know how to listen with your fists."
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The woman trembled, unable to lift her head. The Wind Lord, upon hearing the reason for all this, wore a cold expression. He had failed miserably in training his disciples. They were so arrogant they wouldn’t even listen to the other side... if it weren’t for his mercy, the entire clan would have been obliterated.
Kakarotto cast one last glance at the crowd before grabbing Maelik and disappearing.
The Wind Lord wanted to speak, but there was no trace of Kakarotto left. Even though he was considered the fastest being in the empire, his speed didn’t even come close to that of the young man.
After a while, the old leader spoke with a grim expression. "From today on, the clan will go into seclusion. No disciple will leave without permission, and no one has the right to mention what happened today. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!"
He knew that, regardless of Kakarotto’s intentions, the young man surely had reasons for acting that way and didn’t want it to spread.
Everyone raised their eyes tensely, and the old man snorted dryly, "Looks like you all... the clan treated you too well protecting you…"
The Wind Lord then turned to the young woman in the distance, shaking his head in disappointment. Hearing the reports, he was surprised. Kakarotto had only killed one talented disciple and a few High Elders. They had all attacked him first, wanting to kill him; so it was justifiable.
"He really didn’t intend to destroy us; he just wanted to talk, maybe even test us and recruit some disciples. But... despite everything, one of them was to his liking. That saved us," the old man concluded, stunned.
The old man took a deep breath. That young disciple Kakarotto took with him accompanied him in the library and must have treated him well. That disciple only caught attention at first; when he got permission to go to the library, he never stood out again.
Now, that simple young man who was ignored and lived in isolation was the only one the ’King’ deemed capable. All the talents in the clan, though powerful, were trash as people.
"He was discreet and studious... maybe that’s the safe and direct path. The ancestors built the clan using these foundations, but we’ve strayed from it," the old man reflected with confidence. "We must return to our roots…"
***
Shortly after, the duo stopped in an open field, far from the imperial city and the conflicts.
"It’s close, master," Maelik indicated. "There’s a distortion over there that leads to the sacred mountain range. There we can reach the Tree of Wisdom and the Underworld Lake."
Alm and Bruno listened intently, moving calmly. They heard that place was hidden by immortal-level spatial laws, something they could only feel with their souls because Maelik knew the exact location.
They had studied a lot about the empire, but they had never heard of that place. It wasn’t surprising; Maelik explained that this location was a taboo, prohibited from being mentioned by a law imposed by the Queen. However, no one was forbidden from entering.
Maelik had studied everything about that place in the past. Not just that one, but all sacred places. On the largest planet of the three empires, there were similar sacred locations, each containing pure essence, which was the method used by the empires to create their techniques and laws.
This ’essence’ from those places was an energy that illuminated cultivators with knowledge; that knowledge were the sacred words. In the Empire Nine Secrets, there were Nine Sacred Words, but very few managed to learn them.
King Vulke had managed to obtain two of those words, while the eight great clans had each obtained only one. What they learned there allowed them to write a technique and pass it down to other generations.
What Alm and Bruno had found on the previous planet was a simplified version of those words, maybe 15% of the original power.
’The power of our 80 runes is equivalent to 12 runes created using the essence method,’ Bruno reflected.
Luckily, Maelik had already acquired the nine essences from this place and the others. Still, they decided to explore the area, knowing that something more hidden might be lurking. Plus, they wanted to attract "the big fish."
This charade was getting old. They agreed to do it because, first, they wanted to investigate everything and know where their allies were. But their disciple handled those issues, and they could go all out now.
They were walking in an open field. As they took a step forward, the space around them warped.
In the next second, they were on top of a rise, taking in a stunning view.
There were nine peaks forming a circle, resembling a crown with sharp tips. In the center, nine lakes of various colors sparkled. From a higher altitude, it was clear that these peaks and lakes formed some kind of decoration around something hidden in a dense mist at the center.
When the duo descended to the base of the mountain, a voice asked from a distance, "Who are you?"
Nearby, there was a small wooden house. The voice belonged to a middle-aged man dressed in simple, patched clothes; he looked more like a farmer than a cultivator. He was a member of the Sacred Guardians sect, responsible for watching over the place and ensuring that no trouble occurred there.
These lands were a sanctuary open to all races for cultivation. King Vulke and the eight great clans supported this sect so they could perform their duties.
"The King of the Empire Nine Secrets," Kakarotto replied calmly.
The man didn’t seem surprised. He looked at Kakarotto and asked, "Do you have proof of identity?"
Kakarotto showed an imperial seal. After a quick check, the man noted it down on a list: "Imperial King." He didn’t bother validating the seal any further.
The man then asked another question: "Where would you like to stay, Your Majesty?"
"The closest place to the Lake of the Underworld," Kakarotto replied.
"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" The man seemed surprised.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"There are some unoccupied houses there that aren’t bad. You can stay in one of them." The man spoke casually, "Your Majesty and your servant…"
After noting the information, he handed Kakarotto a wooden badge and indicated, "Your Majesty, the Lake of the Underworld is south of this mountain range. Keep heading south, and the highest peak will be on the opposite side."
The duo nodded in thanks and moved on.
Along the way, Alm and Bruno felt numerous fluctuations from cultivators as they passed several wooden houses.
Even though this place wasn’t openly mentioned, clans and sects secretly recommended that competent disciples venture into the area at the entrance. It was only a matter of time before they entered the place, then learned about everything through the Sacred Guardians sect.
All high-level cultivators from the empire eventually came here, learning something, even if it wasn’t a complete Sacred Word. This was the biggest hidden treasure for everyone and the source of power for all nine races.
***
Despite the place being hidden, the flow of people in the mountains seemed endless, as always. But right now, something clearly felt off. There was a different tension in the air.
In a more discreet corner, two young cultivators were chatting.
"Hey, I’ve got some hot info for you." One of them whispered with a secretive vibe.
"What? What are you hiding now?" The other raised an eyebrow, curious but a bit disdainful.
The first guy looked around, making sure no one was listening, and pulled his friend closer. "Promise you won’t tell anyone?" He whispered. "The new king… is here!"
"What?!" The friend jumped back, eyes wide.
"Shhh! Keep it down, you idiot!" The cultivator pulled him back, covering his mouth in a near panic.
After a few seconds, the friend calmed down, still staring at the other in disbelief. "Are you… sure? Why would the new king be here? That doesn’t make sense!"
"I saw his name on the registration scroll! It can’t be fake!" The young man said urgently, eyes filled with conviction.
"Are you kidding? With so many people looking for him, the king is just gonna show up here? That sounds like a trap." The friend shook his head, skeptical.
Since the fall of the imperial city, no one knew for sure where the king was. Bounty hunters, spies, and entire armies had failed to find him, so the news of him being here felt surreal.
"You think someone would risk pretending to be the king? That’s asking for death!" The first young man shot back, whispering intensely. "Nobody would be stupid enough to put themselves in that position! Whoever did that would be signing their own death warrant… and dragging their friends down with them."
The friend, still hesitant, began to reflect. He knew the world wanted the king dead and that pretending to be him was suicide. "If it’s true, then this place isn’t safe! If they find out, the armies will sweep through here. How do we survive that?"
"Relax." The cultivator replied quietly. "No major power is going to act thoughtlessly. King Vulke, when he was alive, even if he wasn’t scared of anything, would never do something so reckless here. That would cause more chaos than they can handle."
The friend looked around nervously. The first one continued, "I’ve confirmed by watching the others; all the major clans and sects already know about this."
***
Five days had passed since Alm and Bruno arrived at that isolated house, a place where few dared to approach.
Instead of pushing straight into the center, they chose to wait for the "big fish" to make their moves first. They would step outside occasionally, staying out in the open so all the curious folks could confirm that they were indeed there.
But they weren’t just sitting around. In the meantime, they worked on rebuilding their internal runes and assimilating the new 40 Elwind runes they had obtained.
Maelik, now by their side, decided to focus completely on his cultivation. Before, he had kept a low profile to avoid attracting attention, but now he was determined to reach his peak quickly.
Alm and Bruno, pleased with their progress, finally completed the assimilation of the new runes, leaving only the enhancement of the 80 they already had. However, that morning, something broke the silence. Someone was standing outside the house.
Kakarotto huffed in annoyance and, without hesitation, went to open the door. When he did, he found a girl patiently waiting, as if she had been there for quite some time. Her presence was captivating; just her appearance lit up the space.
Suddenly, as their gazes met, Alm and Bruno felt an inexplicable and deep connection. It was something that seemed to transcend time and reincarnations. There was no doubt...
’Ruri?’ Alm and Bruno murmured in unison.