The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Underground Dungeon

A place where the horrifying Demonic energy blurs the line between reality and nightmare.

Aetheris thought he was slowly going insane. It was understandable, given the overwhelming Demonic energy that made him see bizarre things. If he had to name the most disgusting and terrifying among them...

It was the wall.

The wall of the cave.

The artificial wall, carved as if by human hands, rippled like the insides of a beast. Aetheris felt a chill as if touching it would lead to catastrophe.

"Pull yourself together, Aetheris," said Magnus. His voice carried the profound power of his inner energy.
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The Suncrest Sect was a Taoist school. Its core cultivation method, the Clear Mind Technique, was pure and upright, exuding unmatched clarity. Aetheris wiped the cold sweat dripping from his forehead and looked at Magnus. His master, unlike him, showed no signs of struggle.

"But... why exactly are we descending into this place?"

It was a fundamental question, one that Aetheris hadn't dared to ask before reaching this far.

Why?

Why venture into such a horrifying place? Aetheris had no clue.

The answer... was known only to Magnus and Gideon.

"We're here," Gideon said.

Instead of answering, Gideon and Magnus stopped. They had reached the end of the cave, where a massive steel door loomed. Even with his hazy mind, Aetheris could tell that this was no ordinary steel.

The door emitted a faint, mysterious light with a dark sheen.

Black Iron.

"What the..."

To craft a door this large out of the rare Black Iron? Such madness was unheard of. But Gideon and Magnus seemed indifferent, focused only on opening the door.

"W-wait a moment, please!" Aetheris stammered.

"What is it?" Gideon's gaze was cold, his irritation palpable. The surge of Purple energy from his Purple Mist Divine Art felt overwhelming. It was clear that further interruption would not be tolerated.

Still, Aetheris had to ask.

"What... what exactly are you planning to do with the left arm of the Demonic Sect's Young Lord?"

"We will create a master of the Great Blood Demon Sword."

"What...? Who?"

Aetheris couldn't comprehend. What could they possibly do with the left arm of the Demonic Sect's Young Lord? Turn it into powder and make pills?

Gideon answered, "The Great Blood Demon Sword is an ancient martial art. Long ago, during the founding of sects like the Iron Fist, Celestial Sword Sect, and Suncrest, the Demonic Sect was not as it is now. At that time, some righteous sects experimented with techniques like Reverse Heaven Techniques, which defied the natural flow of energy."

"What does that mean?"

"It means there was a time when the division between righteous and demonic techniques wasn't as clear as today," Gideon explained. He drew his sword, a replica of the Heavenly Night Scorching Sword, forged from Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron.

A radiant aura enveloped the blade—the manifestation of Sword energy.

"The reason why only one master of the Great Blood Demon Sword appeared after its founder is simple: it requires reversing the flow of one's energy channels, a technique so dangerous that only one person survived it. That was the legendary Eclipse, the master of the Suncrest Sword Sect from 300 years ago. His natural talent, the Celestial Martial Body, allowed him to safely master such forbidden techniques."

Gideon's words sent chills down Aetheris's spine.

"And the body of the Demonic Sect's Young Lord remembers those techniques. Even without the Celestial Martial Body, it will adapt."

"W-what...?"

Before Aetheris could react, Gideon grabbed his head. Magnus stood behind him, inserting several silver needles into his heart, core, and neck.

"These will protect your core, life, and consciousness from the Demonic energy," Magnus said calmly.

"W-wait! Master! Please—!" Aetheris's voice was cut off as Magnus struck an acupoint, silencing him.

Without hesitation, Gideon swung his sword, severing Aetheris's left arm.

A silent scream echoed through the cave as the Demonic energy beyond the door grew even denser, as if responding to the gruesome scene.

Just as the Northern Sky Sect resides in northe, and the Ravenhold Crimson Serpent Clan thrives in Ravenhold, so too does the Fiery Blade clan make its home in Eastern Mountain.

They claim to have inherited the martial arts of the legendary general Armin. Unfortunately, they were overshadowed by the Ironshadow Spear Clan, and thus failed to cement their place among the Five Great Clans.

However, that did not mean they were weak. Especially when wielding the Demon-Cleaving Spear, the treasured artifact of their clan leader.

"Camping again, huh?" Marcus sighed.

A large tent, big enough to fit three children, stood before them. Yet Valen had insisted on sleeping outside.

It had been seven days since their departure. Soon, they would arrive at the Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan's domain. Up until now, they had managed to find inns or taverns with spare rooms to rest. Yet on their final night, they found themselves camping.

"Better get some sleep if we want to keep moving tomorrow," Vera said, already lying under a blanket and stealing glances at the others.

Neither Ethan nor Marcus could bring themselves to lie down next to her.

"Doesn't it bother you, Vera?" Ethan asked hesitantly.

At fourteen, Vera was younger than both Ethan, who was fifteen, and Marcus, who was seventeen. By this age, they all understood certain things well enough.

"As I mentioned earlier, it bothers me more that my two senior brothers have to sleep outside on the hard ground because of me."

Whoever slept beside her wouldn't matter once she fell asleep. But using the entire tent alone and forcing her seniors outside? That discomforted her far more than any shared sleeping arrangements.

"Oh, we can't just send her out alone," Marcus sighed.

"Exactly, senior brother..." Ethan agreed.

"Let's settle this with rock-paper-scissors," Marcus suggested, exasperated.

Both sighed as they prepared for the childish game. It was the only way to decide who would sleep next to Vera. Fortunately, she had chosen a spot in the right corner, meaning neither would end up directly beside her.

But then Vera's voice interrupted them.

"Will the winner or the loser sleep beside me?"

Their hands froze mid-air.

The winner? That would mark them as shameless for seeking to sleep beside their junior sister.

The loser? That might imply they saw her as a punishment.

Both options were disastrous, each leading to a humiliating conclusion.

After a moment of deliberation, Marcus and Ethan reluctantly decided that being shameless was the better option.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

The winner was Marcus.

Ethan feigned disappointment.

"Senior Brother Ethan, your relief is far too obvious," Vera said bluntly.

"Not true! I'm truly saddened I can't protect our junior sister's side!"

"Senior Brother Marcus, he's lying," Vera remarked.

Despite her words, Vera felt a hint of amusement. Teasing her senior brothers like this had been oddly entertaining.

She turned to her side, pulling the blanket up to her chin, and closed her eyes.

If only she could fall into a dreamless sleep.

Hours passed.

In the middle of the night, Marcus awoke to faint groans coming from beside him. He turned to glance at Vera.

"F-Father... M-Mother... N-no..."

Sweat poured down her face as her body trembled. She was having a nightmare, her lips pale from fear.

"Vera?"

"N-no... Stop it... K-kill them... Kill them all..."

Her voice, usually so calm and soft, now trembled with anger and murderous intent. It was a side of Vera that Marcus had never seen before.

Fully awake now, he hesitated before reaching out to gently shake her shoulder. Waking her seemed better than letting her endure the nightmare.

Her small body flinched, then shifted to face the other direction.

And that's when he saw it.

Tightly clenched teeth, tears streaming from her closed eyes, trembling lips.

"What kind of dream could it be...?"

"R-revenge... I have to kill them... Burn them... Burn it all..."

"Vera?"

Her small fists were so tightly clenched that her nails dug into her palms. Her eyelids quivered, unable to contain her rage.

Her voice broke into sobs.

In the end, Marcus shook her harder, rousing her from her nightmare.

"A-Ah!"

Vera startled awake, her hand instinctively reaching for her Falling Blossom Sword, half-drawing it before realizing where she was.

"Put the sword down, Vera."

"Y-Yes, Senior Brother. I'm sorry..."

"It's alright. Let's get some fresh air."