"Save some people?"
Clover Holloway frowned slightly, asking with doubt, "Who? Anyone of importance?"
"Just ordinary people, a family of four," Sevrin replied flatly.
"Tsk, I thought we were talking about high-value targets, but they're just a handful of outland commoners."
Clover Holloway waved his hand dismissively, "How about this, Lieutenant Sevrin: you make your way to the capital, and I will personally handle the extraction of these commoners for you."
"No, no, no, you can't handle this."
Sevrin let out a soft chuckle, "Because the family I intend to rescue is trapped deep inside the Yellow Spring Domain, right within the abyss that devoured Mount Pasha."
At those words, shock registered on Clover Holloway's face, "It's actually that place."
"I've reviewed the archives at the Nina Town outpost,"
Sevrin continued in a measured tone, "The reports indicate that a Yellow Spring Domain rarely manifests, but when it does, there is a distinct chance it births a specter of the Yin Soldier-rank, an entity far eclipsing a Devouring Ghost.
Within the boundaries of a Yellow Spring Domain, the only forces capable of matching a threat of that magnitude are True Grandmasters and fourth-realm sorcerers.
But unfortunately, right here and now, I appear to be the only grandmaster on the field."
In the days following the annihilation of the Wolf's Nest, Sevrin had thoroughly studied the intelligence gathered from the Nina Town outpost multiple times.
As a result, he now possessed a solid grasp of the Ghost Path, martial arts, sorcery, and Spirit-Anomalous anomalies.
For instance, the fact that a Yin Soldier-rank entity could go toe-to-toe with a martial arts Grandmaster or a fourth-realm sorcerer was a crucial detail Sevrin had extracted from those texts.
"I am well aware that a desolate frontier like Mount Qing holds little value to the Graew Dynasty or the Demon-Slaying Bureau,"
Sevrin remarked calmly, "So I assume that Big Sis Rhe and the rest, including you, Commander Clover, are merely tasked with monitoring the Yellow Spring Domain surrounding the Xin Family Fortress, preventing any ghost outbreaks or dimensional expansion.
Furthermore, I highly doubt the Demon-Slaying Bureau high command would deploy a high-value, Grandmaster-level combatant or a fourth-realm sorcerer across vast distances to this wasteland just to cleanse the Yellow Spring Domain of the Xin Family Fortress, correct?"
"You are entirely correct,"
Clover Holloway nodded slowly, "That is indeed our situation. However, Lieutenant Sevrin, I must disagree with your assessment that a Yin Soldier-rank specter could actually manifest inside that Yellow Spring Domain."
"Oh?" Sevrin's dark brows arched, "Why is that?"
"It comes down to this," Clover Holloway explained grimly, "You have read the reports, but those archives are far from complete.
In reality, even if the concentration of Yin Qi in a Yellow Spring Domain dwarfs that of a standard haunted territory, it cannot birth a Yin Soldier-rank entity without a sufficiently profound evil heritage."
"And what exactly qualifies as a profound evil heritage?" Sevrin inquired.
"The theory behind an evil heritage is difficult to summarize briefly, so I will simplify it."
Clover Holloway explained systematically, "Put simply, if a Yellow Spring Domain contains a historic battlefield where rival armies slaughtered each other, the site of a brutal mass execution, a thousand-year-old imperial crypt, the ruins of an Ancient Sect wiped out by some sudden catastrophe, or the corpse of a Grandmaster-level legendary beast, only then does it possess the dark foundation required to manifest a Yin Soldier-rank entity."
"Haha..."
Sevrin let out a dry laugh, "How incredibly unfortunate, then. Because as luck would have any of the dark foundations you just listed, the Yellow Spring Domain of the Xin Family Fortress happens to possess two."
"Two?!" Clover Holloway's posture stiffened as he pressed, "Which ones?"
"The very last two on your list,"
Sevrin replied, "The ruins of an Ancient Sect, and the corpse of a legendary beast."
He then provided a brief, clear account of his findings in the subterranean cavern below Mount Pasha, detailing the ruins of Kariku Pavilion and the fractured Dragon Egg.
"An entire Grxin Ancient Sect pulverized by a sudden shockwave, and a shattered Dragon Egg resting there for centuries, this is..."
As Sevrin's explanation ended, Clover Holloway's expression darkened.
Every single Demon-Slaying Lieutenants inside the command tent looked equally grim, with a few showing clear signs of unease.
"Lieutenant Sevrin, you are correct,"
Clover Holloway sighed heavily after a long silence, "The chance of the Xin Family Fortress spawning a Yin Soldier-rank entity is indeed alarmingly high. In fact, I already have a grim suspicion of what kind of monstrosity we are dealing with."
"Oh? Commander Clover is as perceptive as they say,"
Sevrin smiled, "I am listening."
"A millenary Ancient Sect wiped out by a cataclysm, combined with a Dragon Egg that suffered the same fate,"
Clover Holloway said gravely, "In the long history of the Graew empire, we have only documented two occurrences where these exact dark conditions combined within a single Yellow Spring Domain. And in both cases, the emerging Yin Soldier-rank nightmare was identical: the Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon."
"The Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon?"
Sevrin's brows knit together, "The name alone reeks of malice. Sounds like a handful."
"It is," Clover Holloway agreed, "In the imperial records, this entity has surfaced twice: once seven and a half centuries ago, and again over four hundred years ago. Each manifestation resulted in absolute slaughter and widespread devastation. It required a coalition of multiple martial arts grandmasters and fourth-realm sorcerers working in unison just to subdue the beast, and not a single one walked away uninjured."
As Clover Holloway's words hung in the air, Rheta and the other officers who had been hanging on every word looked visibly shaken.
It took several legendary grandmasters risking their lives as a team just to barely contain this single monster.
This entity was on an entirely different level of violence.
Yet, while the rest were paralyzed by the description, Sevrin was completely unfazed. If anything, the news only stoked the fires of his fighting spirit.
"Damn, that fierce?"
Sevrin grinned broadly, "Now I definitely want a piece of it."
"You are insane..."
Observing Sevrin's eager stance, Clover Holloway shook his head in disbelief, "Lieutenant Sevrin, I shared those warnings to urge caution, yet you look ready to charge into the fire."
"No more talk. I'm going to pay a visit to this Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon myself." With that, Sevrin got to his feet and headed straight for the tent's exit.
"Hold on!" Clover Holloway stood up, calling out to stop him.
"Yeah?" Sevrin glanced over his shoulder, "What's the matter?"
"Lieutenant Sevrin, please consider the weight of my words,"
Clover Holloway pleaded, his voice sincere, "Even as a Grandmaster, you cannot solo an entity of that caliber. Your future is limitless. There is absolutely no reason to throw your life away for a handful of faceless outlanders."
While Clover Holloway's logic sounded harsh, it was undeniably practical. Even direct men like Rheta and Zenom could only offer silent, troubled sighs.
At the end of the day, these were just a few commoners in the wildlands of Mount Qing. If rescue was easy, fine, but risking a Grandmaster's life was sheer madness.
While the rest of the room wrestled with their thoughts, Sevrin spoke up.
"Commander Clover, to you, the lives of a few ordinary people might look like statistical noise in your grand strategies. However..."
He reached out, lifting the heavy leather flap of the tent. Stepping halfway into the cold wind, he paused and cast one final, easy smile back at Clover Holloway and the others.
"I've gone to war across the heavens and earth for far pettier reasons than this. This time is no different."
He vanished into the gray mist, leaving Clover Holloway, Rheta, and the rest of the command staff frozen in stunned silence.
...
Beneath the swelling, leaden clouds and heavy smog, the Xin Family Fortress Yellow Spring Domain had taken on an even more oppressive, desolate air.
Deep within the heart of this haunted territory lay a massive, bottomless chasm: the Panuan Abyss.
What had once been a verdant mountain peak, rich with forests and running rivers, had been warped by the corrupting weight of the Yellow Spring Domain, collapsing inward into a massive, funnel-shaped black abyss.
Peering over the precipice of this crater, the concentric rocky ledges along the chasm walls resembled the spiraling steps of the underworld, descending endlessly into a void with no visible floor.
Every tier of those natural steps faded into an absolute blackness, their silhouettes swallowed as if the chasm itself was actively eating the ambient light.
Cruel gusts of Yin winds surged up from the deep, carrying the chaotic, overlapping screeches, maniacal laughter, and tormented wails of thousands of souls.
The howling winds blasted across the barren badlands surrounding the crater, a region split by yellow, toxic rivers and deep fissures, rattling the minds of the countless specters that drifted endlessly across the plains.
This wind whipped the drifting dead into a state of shrieking frenzy, twisting the heavy black smog above into chaotic vortexes and solidifying the Yellow Spring Domain's reputation as a place of absolute dread.
Then, in a sudden flash of violence, hundreds of blinding thunderbolts violently struck the barren ground bordering the abyss. The explosive flashes ripped the shadows apart and reduced the local packs of ghosts into piles of burning soul-remains.
Moments later, nearly a thousand blackened, bone-like soul-remains floated upward, coalescing into a spiraling vortex that vanished directly into the palm of Sevrin's right hand, which glowed with the word Naeaie under the dark heavens.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
With a succession of sharp, whistling sounds, the scattered soul-remains were thoroughly consumed by Sevrin.
"A massive pack, yet nothing but low-tier Wandering Soul garbage,"
Sevrin sneered, drawing back his hand, "Utter trash."
Hovering in mid-air, he slowly turned his gaze down toward the dark, yawning chasm below, a vicious grin plastering his face.
"Time to wake up, Intoxicated Dragon. The sun is already high."
As he spoke, localized thunderclaps violently shattered the air around him, enveloping his body in arcs of white-hot lightning.
In that exact fraction of a second, Sevrin, dived straight down, a human comet cloaked in electric serpents, trailing explosive sparks as he drove himself violently into the throat of the Panuan Abyss.
His descent was so violent it tore the dense fog apart, punching a straight, hollow tunnel clean through the smog of the abyss before the darkness slowly rolled back to seal the gap.
The moment the gap closed, a flock of paper cranes folded from yellow talismans fluttered out of the distant smog, their paper wings beating rapidly as they pursued him down into the darkness.
With every foot they descended, the paper birds grew increasingly faint and translucent, until they completely dissolved into the gloom of the pit.
...
Meanwhile, miles away, at the Demon-Slaying Bureau's makeshift command post.
"Commander Clover, I thought the recording array was designed to bypass the fog. Why can't we see Sevrin?"
Standing before the flickering magical projection, Rheta looked to Clover Holloway with concern, "Is the transmission failing?"
"Patience, the spell is holding,"
Clover Holloway replied flatly, his arms folded, "The concentration of dark energy in that abyss is simply heavy enough to distort the projection. Give it a moment to stabilize."
Rheta nodded and held her tongue, joining the rest of the Demon-Slaying Lieutenants as they watched the shadowy screen in silence.
...
After flying into the Abyss, Sevrin charged fearlessly toward the bottom of the crater.
As he descended, the endless hordes of ghosts nesting in the layered rocky ledges were blinded by the violent lightning and deafened by the rolling thunder. Screaming in rage, they lunged at him from every direction.
But with a single sweep of Sevrin's eyes, those grotesque apparitions, creatures so bizarre they belonged in a nightmare, were instantly crushed by his overwhelming martial will. They froze in mid-air, rapidly dissolving like wax candles in a furnace.
Throughout his entire dive down the chasm, Sevrin didn't even lift a finger, yet he utterly eradicated every single spirit on every tier of the pit.
This was the sheer, terrifying authority of a True Grandmaster unleashing the full, unbridled force of his martial will upon the physical world.
And this display of raw power was captured perfectly by the floating talisman array tracking his trail.
"Terrifying, absolutely terrifying. Is this really the power of a Grandmaster?"
In the Demon-Slaying Bureau outpost miles away, Zenom shook his head in disbelief, "No words, no gestures. Just a glance, utilizing nothing but the projection of his martial will, and thousands of Wandering Soul-rank spirits are wiped out. It is simply too terrifying."
"I can't even picture what would happen if a hundred thousand troops tried to corner Sevrin,"
Shaxe said, sucking in his breath, "The carnage would be absolute."
"Ordinary soldiers? Don't make me laugh,"
Xixun scoffed, "Never mind common men. Even if you fielded an army of a hundred thousand Wood-Rank Lieutenants, they would still be brain-dead from Sevrin's sheer mental pressure before they could even draw a weapon."
Listening to the debate, Rheta turned to Clover Holloway and asked:
"Commander Clover, can a Steel-level fighter actually withstand a Grandmaster's martial will?"
"They can't. A single glance would end them."
Commander Clover clenched his fist, "Forget the Steel-level tiers. Even a Valiarior-level combatant could barely resist, surviving for a few heartbeats before their soul is shattered into pieces. Even if they survive, they would spend the rest of their days as a mindless husk."
Rheta gasped, "Is the gap really that vast?!"
"Yes, it is exactly that absolute."
Clover Holloway explained grimly, "A True Grandmaster has forged his martial will into every drop of his blood, every fiber of his muscle, and every inch of his skin.
If a Grandmaster lets his aura run wild, his voice, his gestures, his very presence will shatter the minds of anyone in the lower realms. And that is just the mental pressure; when you factor in their physical strength, capable of delivering millions of pounds of force, the result is pure horror.
In short, the concept of a lower-ranked warrior defeating a Grandmaster is a fantasy. It does not exist. No matter how many Valiarior-level or Steel-level fighters swarm them, a Grandmaster will effortlessly slaughter them all, unless the army is massive enough to literally run him out of energy over days of continuous combat."
This explanation from Clover Holloway instantly silenced the entire tent.
The officers traded heavy glances, turning back to the screen with a profound sense of dread.
On the projection, Sevrin had finally touched down at the very bottom of the chasm.
...
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Driven by icy whirlwinds, Sevrin's massive frame settled onto a vast, desolate plain of black muck.
This mire was the bedrock of the Panuan Abyss, sitting nearly thirty thousand meters deep, a depth that could easily swallow three and a half Mount Everests.
Looking up from the floor, there was only a colossal vault of absolute darkness.
But to Sevrin, the dark meant nothing.
Upon ascending to the Grandmaster tier, his senses had shifted from physical sight to pure mental perception.
However, his mental sweep revealed a completely barren floor.
Aside from a few pathetic, crawling ghouls, there was no trace of the Intoxicated Dragon.
"Repulsive,"
Sevrin muttered, looking down at the black muck, "This entire floor has been deeply corrupted by the Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon's dark energy."
He slowly raised his palm, then slammed it downward.
BOOM!
Instantly, the ground imploded, sending tons of mud flying as a massive crater was excavated in an instant.
Deep within the crater, a giant, pale spectral face, draped in matted black hair and larger than a locomotive, opened multiple pairs of crimson eyes to glare at Sevrin. It tore its jaws open, unleashing a deafening shriek:
NHAAAAAAA!!!
A physical shockwave of agonizing, evil sound blasted outward in all directions.
The lesser spirits caught in the blast froze instantly, their forms melting away into nothingness.
Facing the blast, Sevrin felt a brief surge of mental irritation, his thoughts momentarily scattered.
But in that heartbeat, a warning flared in his mind, and he instinctively crossed his forearms.
An instant later, a massive impact collided with him.
BANG!
Like a detonating warhead, a massive shockwave of air erupted from Sevrin's crossed arms, howling across the plain.
Despite having zero leverage in the thick muck, Sevrin didn't yield an inch, his skin completely unmarked.
"A tail whip? Cute. I'll pay you back for that."
With a grim smile, Sevrin lowered his guard, his eyes locking onto a spot a kilometer away.
Coiled in the darkness was a massive, deformed dragon, hundreds of meters long, its serpent-like body armored in green spectral scales and armed with jagged claws.
Instantly, the entity's status screen flashed before his eyes:
[Character Name: Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon
Level: Ghost Path → Yin Soldier
Mastered Skills: "Spectral Soul-Remains" "Yellow Spring Domain Yin-Gathering Method" "Vengeful Slaughter Evil Sound" "Intoxicated Dragon Ghost Body" "Annihilating Demon-Dance" "Vile Grudge Demon-Claws"
Special Traits: [Level 4 Ethereal Body] [Level 4 Ghostly Visage] [Level 4 Stamina] [Level 4 Malice] [Level 4 Self-healing] [Level 4 Magic Sound] [Level 4 Toxicity] [Level 4 Yin-Absorption]
Expert Shards: 1]
"Excellent. You even carry an upgrade shard."
Scanning the monstrous Intoxicated Dragon, Sevrin immediately absorbed its entire arsenal. A brutal grin split his face, "I am definitely killing you."
ROAR!!!
Triggered by Sevrin's lethal intent, the Intoxicated Dragon let out a mournful howl, thrashing its tail as it surged forward amidst a tide of corrupting sound.
"Bring it!"
Sevrin laughed, instantly vaporizing the air as he broke the sound barrier, launching himself directly at the beast.
As he charged, a massive, glowing phantom radiating intense spiritual power erupted from his crown.
It was Sevrin's own Yang-Spirit.
Leaving his physical vessel, the Yang-Spirit expanded rapidly, shifting into the exact shape of a second massive Intoxicated Dragon.
The spiritual construct surged ahead, flanking his physical body as they charged the real Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon, which froze in utter confusion.
Confused or not, he was getting no mercy.
Before the monster could react, Sevrin's Yang-Spirit dragon whipped its tail, striking the beast directly across its face.
BOOM!
The massive dragon crumpled and was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball.
Below, Sevrin's physical body tracked the trajectory, matching its speed.
Just as the Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon was about to smash into the rock walls of the abyss.
Sevrin's physical form cut it off. Planting his foot, he launched into the air, simultaneously activating the "Aura of the Saintly Archer", the "Thunder-Fire Tyrant Seal", and his raw physical force.
He conjured a massive, violet lightning seal hundreds of meters wide, channeling millions of pounds of force as he hammered it down onto the incoming beast:
"Heavenly Thunder Strikes the Evil Dragon!"
BOOM!
A massive electric discharge lit up the dark, sending thousands of lightning bolts arcing across the chasm in a deafening explosion.
Caught in the direct blast of Sevrin's attack, the Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon was violently blown into dozens of pieces, showering the crater in black, corrupted blood.
Yet, even after being pulverized, the monster refused to die.
The severed segments dissolved into smoke before they could even hit the ground.
""Intoxicated Dragon Ghost Body". As long as Yin Qi is present, you can reform endlessly."
Sevrin observed the smoke, "A useful trick, but die too many times in a row and you will fade forever."
Suddenly, a torrential downpour began falling from the mouth of the pit.
But the water was pitch black.
"Annihilating Demon-Dance"
Sevrin, his soul now safely back in his chest, felt a mild sting as the acidic rain hit his shoulders. He suddenly smiled, "Bathing in rain made of Yin Qi and Malice keeps you fresh. Clever. Too bad water is my domain too."
In truth, while this toxic downpour could injure a standard Grandmaster and liquefy a Valiarior-level fighter, to Sevrin, any liquid in existence was a healing potion, no matter how corrupted.
Right on cue, the Thousand-Year Intoxicated Dragon reformed from the black puddles, roaring in fury as it lunged with renewed malice.
"If this rain keeps up, we'll be doing this until dawn."
Sevrin's Yang-Spirit detached once more. While his physical body traded heavy blows with the beast, his spirit traced glowing characters in the air:
"Heaven follows constant laws, rain belongs to its proper place. Now an evil rain appears, disrupting my home. I follow the Dao's command, ordering you back to your source. Clouds and rain disperse, cease your freakish ways. Hasten!"