“Mr. Pruitt, the disciples of the Soul Demon Sect are no longer in danger. They just need time to recuperate,” Jared informed Trystan.
Trystan expressed his gratitude sincerely, “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Chance. Without you, I fear my Soul Demon Sect would have been destroyed.”
“Don’t mention it. My only regret is that I couldn’t finish off Cassius. I’m afraid he might still come after you in the future,” Jared expressed his concern.
Upon hearing this, Trystan appeared somewhat despondent and sighed softly. “I never imagined that even Gustave and Rainier would stoop to consorting with Cassius. They’ve broken their pledges to our master. I, too, let down our master by letting my desire to advance to a higher cultivation level consume me.”
“Mr. Pruitt, what happened between you and your fellow disciples? How did you end up becoming enemies?” Jared asked curiously.
“It’s a long story, Mr. Chance. We were once disciples under the same master. Our master was a notorious demon lord in the Ethereal Realm. Unfortunately, during his final ascension to the Immortal Realm, he was struck by a lightning tribulation and failed to overcome it. In the end, he met his demise in a state of despair,” Trystan explained with a sigh.
“However, before his death, our master warned us never to practice the forbidden arts we had learned. While techniques like bloodsucking and bone gnawing could rapidly enhance our abilities, they destabilized our foundation. The further we advanced, the greater the risk of failing to transcend our tribulations.”
He continued, “We all made a solemn promise to our master, vowing never to cultivate using forbidden techniques. However, Cassius later betrayed our master. He founded the Blood Bone Sect, continuously consuming human blood and gnawing on human bones as part of his cultivation. This caused an uproar among the numerous cultivators of Demonia Mountain, with complaints spreading far and wide. I had no choice but to join forces with other monks to hunt him down. Unfortunately, Cassius managed to escape to Epea and took refuge in Allardland.”
“This time, he has returned to seek revenge. What I never anticipated was that Gustave and Rainier would break their vows and follow Cassius, becoming just like him.” Trystan’s expression was downcast, the shock and sadness evident in his demeanor.
“Everyone has their own ambitions, Mr. Pruitt, and we can’t dictate how others choose to cultivate themselves. Do you have any idea where they are now?” Jared inquired.
“I’m not entirely sure, but they should still be at the place where we used to train together. After all, they’re most familiar with that location.” After Trystan finished speaking, he turned to Jared and asked, “Mr. Chance, are you planning to go after them?”
Jared replied, “I can’t right now. I’ve agreed to meet Aiden, so I must head to Southedge City. Once I’ve dealt with him, I’ll come find you. Then you can take me to your two seniors.” He didn’t have time to resolve Trystan’s issues at the moment, as he still had a match to settle with Aiden.
“No problem. You’re going after that immortal’s bone, aren’t you?” Trystan asked knowingly. It was obvious to him that Jared was after the immortal’s bone, given his persistent questions about it when Cassius was captured.
Jared merely nodded, remaining silent.
After briefly speaking with Faiyar, Jared and Cloud departed the Soul Demon Sect on an airship, heading toward Southedge City.
Within a secluded forest in the Demonia Mountain lay a vast expanse of land covered in white soil.
However, a closer inspection revealed that the white did not come from the soil but from a sea of bleached bones.
This vast area, spanning several miles, was surrounded by a dense forest, and an aura of darkness permeated the entire land.
No demon beasts could be found within hundreds of miles around this eerie region.
A building, constructed from towering piles of stark white bones, could be seen from a bird’s eye view. It was incredibly haunting-enough to make one’s skin crawl and send shivers down the spine.
