The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Jordan was not a man who enjoyed waiting.

He preferred action—breaking, smashing, and moving forward.

"That carriage… sitting and waiting for it isn't my style."

There was another reason for his decision.

As he entered the area, he had already destroyed numerous Bloodshadow Pavilion assassins and their formations.

The safe house was in ruins.

Would the assassins from Bright Peace Province risk entering such a wreckage? Not likely.

They would turn and flee the moment they saw it.

In that case, it was better to seize the narrow path first and ambush them.

The girl being transported in chains wasn't his responsibility.

The only person Aria Everstone had asked him to save and protect was Vera.

Still, Jordan wasn't the kind of man to ignore the innocent when he had the power to act.

"Well… if I can't handle it, Aria Everstone will take care of her."

He didn't know what kind of girl she was, but if the situation became too much, he'd send her to the Everstone Clan.

Learning strategy and formations under Aria Everstone wasn't a bad life.

With that, Jordan rose to his feet.

It was time to move.

The path to the Bright Peace Safe House, learned through interrogation, revealed only one discreet route to reach here unseen.

His figure vanished into the air, cutting through the void.

The Ruined Safe House

"Homage to Infinite Light… it's utterly destroyed…"

Even Master Nathaniel couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Who had come here and wreaked such havoc?

The formations, which had clearly been strong, were crushed by sheer brute force.

The stones and wooden pegs that anchored the formation were shattered and splintered.

And that wasn't all.

From the outer courtyard to the inner chambers, there wasn't a single space free of corpses.

The stench of blood was overwhelming.

This wasn't the result of one or two deaths—it was a massacre of at least thirty people.

The bodies were piled chaotically in narrow rooms, discarded like rags.

Amid this grotesque scene, Vera moved forward without a word.

For a moment, Master Nathaniel felt a chill run down his spine.

"Benefactor Vera, it's dangerous—"

"There's no one alive here, Master Nathaniel."

Blood soaked everything.

The air was thick with death.

In the center of it all, the young girl's eyes gleamed.

Vera inhaled deeply.

The residual vitality of those who had died violently pricked at her lungs.

The place was steeped in malice, hatred, and killing intent.

Vera took it all in, breath by breath.

Something buried deep within her began to awaken.

A monster.

The source of her talent.

The essence that craved blood.

It was instinct—a predatory instinct born from her destiny as a Celestial Blade Star.

The star of slaughter, murder, and bloodshed.

This grotesque scene felt like a calling, a resonance with her very nature.

It was the stench of blood—Blood Fragrance.

"Hah…"

A long exhale escaped her lips.

Even though they were on the same side, Master Nathaniel felt an overwhelming sense of danger emanating from her.

It was like staring at a malevolent spirit or a murderous ghost.

"Benefactor Vera? Are you alright?"

Despite his calm tone, he began to draw upon the power of his Transcendent Wisdom Sutra, the golden light of his inner energy rising in his eyes.

He had no doubt—if left unchecked, this could lead to disaster.

"…I'm fine. Don't worry."

"You don't seem fine to me."

Vera slowly began to circulate her internal energy.

Within her mind, the Black dragon roared, surging through her meridians.

A profound energy boiled up from her core, sending her robes fluttering and her hair flowing in unseen winds.

"Benefactor Vera…"

"I know. Just give me a moment."

Vera was fully aware of her condition.

She knew she must seem threatening, standing there, exuding killing intent and raising her internal energy.

But Master Nathaniel chose to wait, trusting her to control herself.

As her energy rose, the Black dragon in her mental landscape awakened fully. Its roar filled her mind, its presence overwhelming.

The divine beast began its task—devouring the malice, hatred, and death that had seeped into her small and fragile body.

The Black dragon Awakens

Each time, the monstrous aura radiating from Vera gradually subsided.

In its place, a cold and majestic Celestial Aura emerged—an energy associated with the mystical dragon, a creature that governs death and the afterlife.

As a Celestial Blade Star, her destiny was to bring countless bloodbaths.

But each time, the Black dragon would aid her.

Even if the cursed star led her down a path of carnage…

This power would remain within her grasp, controlled by her small hands.

It would turn the malice, killing intent, and grudges of the dead into strength, ensuring she didn't lose herself amidst the Sea of Corpses and Rivers of Blood.

It was the safeguard devised by the Founding Grandmaster of Suncrest Sect and embedded in the Soul Harmony Realm technique.

This was why only those destined under the Celestial Blade Star could master this martial art.

"It's alright now."

Master Nathaniel didn't need her to say it; he could already sense it.

The oppressive stench of blood and the lingering killing intent in the air had vanished.

Though the corpses and blood remained, the suffocating atmosphere was gone.

"What did you do, Benefactor?"

"Can't it remain a secret?" Vera replied, looking up at him.

The murderous energy that once radiated from her was gone.

Her eyes, black and empty, seemed capable of absorbing anything that dared enter.

"…If you promise not to bring harm to the world, I will let it rest."

"I can promise that."

"Homage to Infinite Light… Truly, I would rather not cross paths with you, Benefactor. I trust you."

She was the same girl who had exuded enough killing intent to overwhelm this nightmarish scene.

Master Nathaniel struck his wooden staff imbued with the golden energy of his Transcendent Wisdom Sutra, calming his breath.

The intense energy he had drawn upon gradually subsided.

"Infernal Guard Monks, search the area in case something was overlooked. Benefactor Vera, it would be best if you came with me to check outside."

"Understood," Vera replied, following him.

Although the golden energy of Transcendent Wisdom Sutra still faintly surrounded Master Nathaniel, it was no longer as potent as before.

He kept it active, not out of vigilance toward her, but as a precaution for whatever else might be lurking.

Vera was in a similar state.

Her black hair rippled unnaturally, not from wind but from the sheer energy coursing through her.

The Black dragon, having devoured the killing intent and malice of the dead, had grown to an unfamiliar size.

Unable to fully contain its power, traces of its aura seeped out.

An Unexpected Encounter

"That's quite the aura you're leaking," a voice said, cutting through the tension.

Without warning, a middle-aged martial artist emerged from the forest.

Neither Master Nathaniel nor Vera had sensed his presence—a sign of an extraordinary master.

It was said that martial artists who reached the Kingdom of Harmony could conceal their internal energy as if it didn't exist.

This phenomenon was known as Returning to Simplicity.

"Who are you?" Vera asked, stepping forward with her hand resting on the hilt of her Falling Blossom Sword.

The man appeared unconcerned, as if confident in his ability to act faster than she could draw.

"What's the point of knowing? Let's see… judging by your appearance, you must be Vera."

"You… know me?"

"Of course."

He chuckled and reached into the bushes.

Master Nathaniel tensed, golden energy glowing faintly in his hands, while Vera drew her sword halfway.

"Iron Fist Sect, huh?"

"…I am Master Nathaniel. Would you kindly identify yourself?"

"That would be difficult."

The man pulled something large from the bushes—a carriage.

There were no horses attached, only the frame and wheels of the prison transport vehicle.

Inside the iron-barred cage lay a young woman, perhaps a few years older than Vera, unconscious and frail.
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In that moment, Vera guessed the man's identity: he was likely the leader of the Akrest Clan's shadow assassination group stationed here.

But something didn't add up.

If he were the leader, who had slaughtered the dozens of assassins here?

Why was he dragging the carriage by hand instead of using horses?

Clearing her doubts, Vera spoke.

"…Did you destroy this place?"

There was only one logical answer.

The middle-aged martial artist, likely at the early Kingdom of Harmony, had to be the culprit.

"You're quick on the uptake, aren't you?"

He grinned, casually shoving the carriage forward.

That alone created an overwhelming shockwave.

BOOM!

The sound reverberated like Grandmaster Gregory's staff striking the earth.

The carriage, as if propelled by an invisible force, hurtled toward Vera and Master Nathaniel with alarming speed.