Qing Yan and Azrien entered the inn. The old man from before was standing beside the inn receptionist. As soon as Qing Yan stepped in, the old man vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Qing Yan, immediately dropping to one knee in respect.
"[Welcome, my lord,]" the old man said in a respectful tone.
"[Did you move everyone to the hall? There were no problems, right?]" Qing Yan asked calmly.
"[Yes, my lord. Everyone is in the hall. I've set up a relaxing and refreshing array to help them recover quickly. It'll also remove that awful smell,]" the old man replied.
"[Oh? So you can set up arrays too?]" Qing Yan asked, glancing at him curiously.
"[I am nothing compared to you, my lord,]" the old man said humbly.
"[Let them rest. You should take your time too, regain your power and consciousness completely. I'll host a meeting tomorrow and explain what we're going to do from now on.]" He looked toward Azrien. "[He is your Vice Lord from now on. His orders will be absolute,]" he said, pointing toward Azrien. "[You can handle that, right?]" Qing Yan asked him.
There was a pause.
"[I don't know how long I'll be here, but yeah... I'll do my best until then,]" Azrien replied.
"[Understood, my lord. I'll inform the other members as well,]" the old man said.
"[Yeah. Also, make a detailed list—with names, talents, and current cultivation of all the members. Azrien will help you,]" Qing Yan ordered.
"[As you wish, my lord,]" the old man said.
"[-Sir,]" Azrien overlapped with a nod.
"[You're dismissed now,]" Qing Yan said. With that, he vanished and reappeared on top of the inn, standing still.
He gazed up at the night sky.
[The more I move forward, the more questions I have... with no answers. Why did the so-called "gods" ascend? No—how did they ascend while being such weaklings? So many cultivators stronger than them, like me—and even those stronger than me—pursued the heavens, yet none were chosen?
Are there others from my era still alive, like the Black Lotus leader? How strong have they become? What's the connection between the beasts from the Spirit Beast Forest and the Black Lotus? How did the seal break by itself?
Who the hell am I? Where did I get this demonic energy... and even the pure bloodline of the Demon Lord? All I remember about my origin is... I was born from a Divine White Tiger, a beast of the Holy Lands... how? Just how??
And that curse on those Black Lotus bastards... who developed it??
Oh—and now that I think of curses... I wonder if that guy is still alive. How's he doing?]
Crack. Crack.
Somewhere far away, inside a dark, echoing cave...
"[Why is the energy of the God's Seal weakening...? I thought it was my imagination at first... but no. It's not just weakening—it's disappearing.]" A pause. "[Did he break out...? Qing Yan...]" Another pause. "[Are you back, my... only friend?]"
Back at Qing Yan.
Sneeze.
"[What is this feeling...? Is something about to happen? Well... I should focus on visiting the Spirit Beast Forest first.]"
"[Hey, Azrien. After one hour, go to the guild and collect the 200 gold coins. And if they don't give it to you... you know what to do, right?]" Qing Yan transmitted through Qi.
"[Yes, sir,]" Azrien replied the same way. "[Are you going somewhere?]"
"[Yeah. Got some work to do, you know?]" Qing Yan answered.
"[Understood, sir. Be saf—nah, forget it. You don't need that.]" Azrien smirked mentally.
Qing Yan stomped his foot and shot into the sky like a bolt of light.
"[I'm coming, you beast bastard...]" he muttered to himself.
Soon, he reached the entrance of the Spirit Beast Forest.
"[Let's see,]" Qing Yan said, activating his Qi sense and tracing Gus' signature deep into the woods.
"[Hmm...? He didn't detect me this time? Is he not here, maybe? No... I can sense his energy. But it's much weaker than before...]"
He narrowed his eyes and embedded more Qi into his scan.
"[Three more presences...? Peak of Origin Devourer Realm?? Sigh... why do I keep facing stronger and stronger opponents? Well, I guess... it's always been like this.]"
Inside the forest.
Within Qing Yan's Qi sense range, he identified three powerful entities—two male, one female. All three suddenly reacted as they detected his probing presence.
"[Intruder!!]" they shouted in unison.
"[If you wish to live, turn back now. No one is allowed to enter the forest at this moment,]" one of them warned.
"[Ho...? Look at them, trying to act cool,]" Qing Yan smirked mentally.
"[Try to stop me—IF YOU CAN,]" he said out loud, vanishing into thin air.
Instantly, all three figures became alert.
"[We should regroup. We can't risk underestimating this enemy,]" the woman said sharply.
"[Agreed,]" the two men said in unison. They vanished and regrouped in a deeper part of the forest.
"[Where is he...? I can't sense him anymore. Did he retreat?]" one of the men asked.
"[Not that easily~]" Qing Yan's voice echoed.
Suddenly, he stepped out of nowhere, right in front of them.
They immediately prepared to strike, but Qing Yan raised a hand casually.
"[Hey hey, chill down. Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?]" he said calmly.
"[Hmph! Why should we introduce ourselves to a lowly human?!]" one of the males snapped.
"Oh?"
Qing Yan's expression darkened.
He let his killing intent erupt like a storm.
"[I won't ask nicely again... INTRODUCE YOURSELVES.]"
A wave of suffocating pressure descended.
The three beings froze in place, their eyes widening in disbelief and fear. Despite their power, Qing Yan's aura overwhelmed them.
The first male stepped forward with a slight tremble. He was tall and bald, his skin dark and metallic, with glowing violet veins pulsing beneath the surface. His eyes lacked pupils, replaced by swirling purple mists. Black armor fused to his skin formed his natural body protection, and six horn-like scars were etched across his scalp.
His deep, echoing voice spoke:
"I—I am Varkas, the Abyss Horned Wyrm."
The second male had a far different presence. He was striking, with bronze skin and long, flame-orange hair tied back by golden rings. His glowing amber eyes were sharp like a falcon's. He wore sun-embroidered robes, with feathers adorning his shoulders. A golden-red aura surrounded him, and wherever he stepped, the air rippled with heat.
"K-Kaelith, the Blazing Roc King," he announced.
Then the woman stepped forward. Graceful, with pale moonlit skin and long silver-white hair flowing like water. Her glowing eyes held ancient wisdom, and she wore layered silk robes in silver and black, which trailed like flowing shadows. A faint shimmer surrounded her like distant starlight. Her voice was soft, but carried undeniable authority.
"L-Lirien, the Moonshadow Vulpine."
Qing Yan retracted his killing intent and smiled gently.
"[Nice to meet y'all,]" he said casually. "[I am Qing Yan.]"