The Rise of David - XI

The Rise of David

-Book 11-

Chapter 501: Mission

Seeing the elderly man, everyone was shocked, completely unprepared to discover that Tanner, the leader of the formidable Evil Heart Sect, possessed a benevolent and gentle countenance.

Even Malphas, who had faithfully followed Tanner for years, was caught off guard, his eyes widening as he beheld Tanner’s face for the first time.

“Mr. Sanders, w-what is going on?”

David could barely hide his shock. It looks like Mr. Sanders knows Lord Tanner of the Evil Heart Sect. He could even call out his name. Mr. Sanders also mentioned that the Spiritual Energy Restoration Formation is nothing but a scam. What is going on?

“Don’t you understand? Is it not clear by now who set up the Spiritual Energy Restoration Formation?” Arthur asked.

“Divine Quest Sect set it up,” came David’s answer.

“Divine Quest Sect may have established the formation, but isn’t it peculiar that Lord Tanner of Evil Heart Sect possesses the ability to activate it?” Arthur queried.

David was thrown into confusion, finding his brain muddled.

Soon, he seemed to realize something as he gazed at Rudy in shock. “I-Is he the sect leader of Divine Quest Sect?”

He recalled how he used the Wordless Tome to witness the events within the secret realm of Divine Quest Sect.

Initially, the sect had appeared tranquil and undisturbed. However, in the blink of an eye, the people vanished, replaced by an eerie congregation of stone statues, alongside the supposed Spiritual Energy Restoration Formation.

Instead of answering David’s question, Arthur turned to Rudy. “Is it worth it to sacrifice everyone in the sect to set up this formation and scheme for years in Evil Heart Sect?”

“Of course. You don’t understand, but this is my mission,” Rudy replied.

“Mission?” Arthur frowned as a scowl crept up his face. “Did you seriously sacrifice that many people for your mission to save someone who deserved to die? Do you know how many people you’ve killed?”

Arthur glanced at the dead bodies on the ground, courtesy of Rudy.

“Cease your attempts to sway my decision. I will not waver,” Rudy declared resolutely. “Certain matters lack definitive truths, and there are forces that cannot be halted indefinitely!”

Following his proclamation, the radiant sunshine faded, giving way to an ominous darkness.

From within the abyss, a sinister black mist materialized, coalescing into an enormous face. Its piercing eyes glowed with an otherworldly brilliance.

As the ominous face materialized, an overwhelming sense of foreboding enveloped everyone present.

The face’s mouth widened, giving passage to a bronze coffin that soared forth. Upon the arrival of the

coffin, the motionless stone statues scattered across the ground began to quiver.

Eight radiant glows of various hues burst forth from the statues, converging in mid-air and enveloping the bronze coffin.

The kaleidoscope of colors blanketed the metallic casket, suspending it weightlessly in the atmosphere. The eight stone statues slowly disappeared as Josephine and the rest came tumbling out of the statues.

“Josephine!”

David hurriedly approached Josephine and the others; his concern etched across his face as he carefully assessed their condition.

Though their auras appeared feeble, indicating their depleted strength, he was relieved to find no immediate danger befalling them.

“Mr. Sanders, what is going on?” David was utterly baffled.

He wasn’t the only one, for the others at the scene were equally perplexed, particularly those from Evil Heart Sect, such as Quindon and his comrades.

They had blindly followed Tanner, believing him to be their esteemed leader solely for the sake of the Spiritual Energy Restoration Formation.

Little did they know that Tanner was none other than Rudy, the sect leader of Divine Quest Sect. This revelation left them feeling betrayed and deceived.

Malphas, who had closely interacted with Tanner, felt a profound sense of realization as the truth finally dawned upon him. He recognized that he had been naively trusting Tanner’s words, unaware of the lies woven by the enigmatic figure.

—

Instead of answering David’s question, Arthur asked, “Can you sense the aura of the face in the air?”

David nodded. “Yes.”

Arthur commanded, “Focus on sensing it.”

David shut his eyes, allowing the spiritual sense in his brain to spread out to sense the aura of the human face.

Shortly after, David furrowed his brows as cold sweat formed on his brows.

“Tell me. What did you sense?” Arthur inquired.

“The face’s aura is strange. It is complicated, seemingly encompassing a lot of things. I even sense my own aura entwined within its own aura!” David said in anguish.

“This face is made up of your auras. Your fighting auras, anger, and the souls of the dead people were absorbed into this face. You managed to rescue those people from the Evil Heart Sect’s dungeon because Rudy allowed it. If he hadn’t wanted you to save anyone, do you think you would have been able to save them with your own strength? Think about it. Why were those people from the Eight Major Secret Realms locked up on the third level of the dungeon? Are they really that important? Actually, they’re not important at all. Rudy purposely locked them up on the third level because you would have to pass through the first two levels to reach the third level, which would result in saving everyone in the first two levels. He wants you to save them and bring them here. The disciples of Evil Heart Sect were just pawns to him, and their lives didn’t matter because they would become his resources no matter what. I don’t know if you can understand, but please remember that those from the Ethereal Realm are

even more complex than you can imagine.”

David stood frozen after hearing Arthur’s revelation. It all made sense now—why his rescue mission had gone so smoothly, why the relatives of Quindon and others were imprisoned on the third level, and why the Ethereal Realm inhabitants were held captive in the Evil Heart Sect’s dungeon.

Those from Evil Heart Sect, including Malphas, Quindon, and the like, stared at Rudy in shock.

They had no idea they were pawns leading up to today’s events.

They stared at the dead bodies, feeling their hearts being stabbed by needles.

“Why? Why did he plan this for so long? What is his goal?” David was utterly confused.

Rudy showed no concern for his own sect’s disciples and had been masquerading as Tanner to control Evil Heart Sect for decades. He had even kept Quindon and others in the dark all these years. David couldn’t fathom what Rudy’s objective was.

“That’s because he wants to revive the person in the bronze coffin,” Arthur said, raising his head slowly to gaze at the bronze coffin blanketed in an array of colorful lights.

David cast a curious glance at the bronze coffin. “What could be inside that coffin that made Rudy go to such lengths to plan this intricate scheme?”

All eyes turned to Arthur, their curiosity piqued about the individual inside the bronze coffin who held enough significance for Rudy to keep his true identity hidden for such a long time.

A faint smile formed on Arthur’s lips. “That’s not information you should be aware of. The truth will be revealed in due time by someone else.”

With that, Arthur shifted his focus to Rudy. “I came here to put an end to your actions. How dare you unleash this bronze coffin?”

Rudy let out an icy bark of laughter. “You won’t be able to stop me. The formation has been activated, and the eight auras belonging to unique constituents have entered the bronze coffin. No one can stop me!”

“Now that I’m here, I’m confident that I can put a stop to your actions,” Arthur said confidently.

“How would you do that?” Rudy asked.

“By sacrificing my life.”

After Rudy heard Arthur’s answer, his expression changed abruptly.

—

“I won’t let you succeed. I’ve planned this for decades, and I won’t let you stop me!” Rudy declared.

Jumping into the air, he swiftly performed a sequence of hand seals, causing an eight trigrams image to materialize and envelop the colossal face.

The expression on the face transformed incessantly until it ultimately contorted in rage and unleashed a fiery blast directly at the bronze coffin.

The vibrant rays intertwined with the blast from the face’s mouth, resulting in the bronze coffin trembling violently. Soon after, a terrifying aura began to emanate from within the bronze coffin.

Seeing that, Arthur waved his sleeves. A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, blowing Rudy backward.

“I won’t let you succeed. If the person in this bronze coffin gets revived, the mundane world will welcome its doomsday,” Arthur uttered.

Bounding onto the bronze coffin, he retrieved a bronze mirror and directed the light to shine upon it. The light bounced off the mirror’s surface, aiming toward the face.

Upon being struck by the reflection, the face contorted and distorted. Simultaneously, Arthur’s bronze mirror started displaying a series of diverse scenes.

Within those scenes, countless treasures floated and radiated luminosity. A mix of charms and magecraft merged, generating a brilliant and radiant glow.

As Arthur positioned the bronze mirror to intercept the light, the colorful rays from the bronze coffin illuminated his back. His eyes twitched at the sensation, yet he remained steadfast, refusing to budge an inch.

“I won’t let you stop my plan!” Rudy roared as he charged toward Arthur.

However, Arthur remained unmoving.

“Mr. Sanders!”

At that, David instinctively ran toward him.

A golden armor covered David’s body, and the Dragonslayer Sword in his hands let out a roar.

David positioned himself in front of Arthur, brandishing his sword.

A magnificent golden dragon surged forth, its form crafted from the formidable energy of David’s sword. With unwavering determination, the golden dragon soared directly toward Tanner.

However, Tanner appeared unfazed and nonchalantly waved his hand, dispelling the sharp sword energy and causing the golden dragon to vanish into thin air.

Simultaneously, an immense force collided with David, striking him squarely in the body.

David’s sturdy Golem Body shattered, crumbling into powder that dispersed with the wind.

His body was flung backward, hurtling through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.

“David!”

Everyone gazed at him nervously as his body was already dozens of meters underground.

“Master!”

Feenix whirled in a mesmerizing display, transforming back into her majestic phoenix form. With powerful flaps of her wings, she soared through the air, emanating waves of scorching fire from her beak as she advanced toward Rudy.

Quindon, Josephine, and the rest quickly rushed to save David from the crater.

Even Malphas grew nervous as he glanced at David’s unmoving body. He, like the others, didn’t want David to die.

The core members of Evil Heart Sect realized that their leader had deceived them by assuming a false identity and manipulating them into sacrificing their lives for his own scheme. Their fighting spirit drained away as they came to this realization, and they ceased their combat, no longer willing to fight.

Once David was rescued, he widened his eyes. Though his expression seemed angry, there was no visible sign of injury on his body.

Rising to his feet, David was resolute in his determination to protect Arthur from Rudy’s harm.

However, as he stepped forward, he couldn’t suppress a cough, spewing forth a mouthful of blood that

made his face paler than before.

“David!” Josephine quickly supported him as a worried look crossed her face.

Right then, the roar belonging to the phoenix reverberated in the air.

A loud crash was then heard. Everyone rushed to the scene and saw Feenix’s body crashing to the ground, causing it to revert back to human form.

—

David panicked when he saw Feenix getting defeated.

“We can’t let him stop Arthur. Otherwise, the entire mundane world will suffer!” David roared.

Just as he was preparing to break free from Josephine’s grasp and rush toward Rudy, Zelda abruptly materialized, swiftly advancing directly toward Rudy.

“David, you’re seriously injured. Let me do it...”

After leaving David in Melanie’s hands, Josephine leaped into the air.

“Count me in!” Aislin also soared into the air.

David had saved their lives, so Aislin couldn’t just stand back and do nothing.

“Lin!”

Quindon quickly said, “Given the circumstances that we’re facing, it’s crucial that we unite our efforts to prevent the destruction of the mundane world.”

He stepped forward boldly, followed by Windmist, Angus, and the rest.

“Let’s go. This man has imprisoned us for far too long. It’s time for us to seek revenge.” With unwavering resolve, Ezra took the lead, urging his comrades to charge forward alongside him.

The members of Evil Heart Sect were left behind, looking at each other helplessly.

Malphas raised his arms and declared, “Friends, we’ve been lied to for years. We need to demand an explanation. If the mundane world gets destroyed, we will also die. Let’s go!”

Under his leadership, the members of Evil Heart Sect also leaped into the air.

These people formed a wall in front of Arthur, stopping Rudy from coming any closer.

Rudy directed a cold and disdainful gaze toward the assembled crowd. “You are nothing but insignificant beings. Do you honestly believe you can bring me down?”

He dismissed their united forces, confident that he could effortlessly defeat them all.

Zelda swung her sword out, and the rest also began to attack Rudy.

A deluge of magecraft, spiritual energies, and weapons poured relentlessly upon Rudy.

Yet, Rudy responded with nothing more than a disdainful snort. A faint luminous aura enveloped his body, effortlessly dispersing all incoming attacks.

With a simple wave of his hand, he unleashed a formidable force, directing it straight at the crowd.

The impact was devastating, scattering the crowd in all directions. Many were flung to the ground; their lives abruptly snuffed out by the overwhelming power of Rudy’s assault.

Despite their sheer numbers, they were no match for Rudy.

While Ezra and the others possessed considerable power, the years of captivity had taken a toll on them. Their injuries hindered their ability to unleash their full potential.

Arthur was still slowly blocking the glow, but his expression was grim, and his aura was disappearing visibly.

“I said, no one can stop my plan!”

Rudy narrowed his gaze and directed an attack on Arthur.

Right when Rudy took action, he felt his vision go black as a huge bell fell upon him.

Rudy’s body was trapped inside as the bell brought him hurtling downward.

Boom!

The Dragon Bell fell to the ground, entrapping Rudy inside.

“Dragon Bell!”

Quindon and the rest could barely hide their shock when they saw the Dragon Bell. They quickly turned to look at David.

A crimson emblem blazed on David’s forehead, emanating a vibrant glow. Simultaneously, the draconic essence within his body also radiated with intense brilliance.

David’s eyes turned a fiery red as he tightly grasped the hammer, swiftly advancing toward the Dragon Bell with determination.

“Is David burning his blood essence? Does he have a death wish?”

The elders of Divine Smithing Sect were shocked to see David burning his blood essence.

After reaching the Dragon Bell, David hit it with all his might.

Chime!

The Dragon Bell let out a loud peal. Even Quindon and the rest, who were a distance away, covered their ears instinctively.

One could imagine how loud it was inside the Dragon Bell.

Despite getting trapped inside the Dragon Bell, Rudy burst out laughing. “Dragon Bell is a great weapon, but you are not able to unleash its full potential.”

Clearly, the Dragon Bell didn’t affect him at all.

—

Seeing that, David forced out a few drops of blood essence, causing the blazing tattoo to burn a fiery red.

“Ah!”

David unleashed his entire energy and hammered the bell yet again.

Chime!

In the wake of the resounding chime, terrifying auras reverberated outward, rippling through the surroundings.

The earth quivered akin to the restless waves of the sea.

Rudy finally fell silent inside the Dragon Bell.

David heaved a sigh of relief. He was about to relax when the Dragon Bell flew into the air without warning.

Rudy emerged from the Dragon Bell, fixing his gaze on David, who was underneath him. “I said it, didn’t I? Dragon Bell is a great weapon, but it’s a pity you are not able to unleash its full potential.”

With that, he gave the Dragon Bell a punch.

The Dragon Bell flew toward David like a shooting star. Seeing that, David rolled away to avoid the

attack.

The Dragon Bell crashed onto the ground, letting out bursts of sonic waves.

Many people coughed out blood due to the impact and fell dead.

David was in a disheveled state. If he weren’t burning his blood essence, he wouldn’t even get the energy to stand up.

“Ah!”

David kept the Dragon Bell as the Divine Bow materialized in his hands.

Utilizing all his Ultimate Force, David pulled the bowstring with all his force.

Countless arrows appeared on the bow.

However, Rudy didn’t even bother looking at David as his attention was focused on the human face in the sky.

The human face was contorted and fading away, about to disappear any minute.

“Stop right now!” Rudy hollered as he charged toward Arthur.

If the human face were to disappear, his intricate plan that had been years in planning would fail, and he would also disappear along with this human face.

This was precisely why he couldn’t allow Arthur to succeed in thwarting his plans.

“Ten thousand heart-piercing arrows!”

As Rudy made his way toward Arthur, David released the bowstring, allowing the arrows to fly toward Rudy.

Rudy remained unfazed, using his body to block the incoming arrows.

Despite failing to harm Rudy, the arrows still managed to slow him down.

After firing out the arrows, David fell to one knee, failing to stand upright anymore.

Rudy quickened his pace and made it through the deluge of arrows. He began to panic as the human face gradually faded away.

After making it past the arrows, Rudy was about to punch Arthur when a figure blocked his path.

Rudy was surprised to realize that David was still bold enough to stop him despite being injured.

“Young man, go to h*ll!”

He delivered a strong punch in David’s direction.

Boom!

A horrifying aura enveloped David, causing him to fall to the ground swiftly.

Right when Rudy’s punch was about to land on David, the Dragonslayer Sword unleashed a sword intent.

The pure sword intent did its magic to protect David’s heart.

When David’s body landed on the ground, everyone thought he was doomed.

After all, no one could survive a punch from Rudy.

Rudy himself believed that David’s meridians had been completely shattered, leading to his demise.

“David!” Josephine and the rest blurted out.

Arthur lowered his gaze to cast David a look.

Just as everyone thought David was dead, he slowly climbed to his feet. His aura was extremely weak, but he was still alive!

Chapter 502: Arthur Is Gone

The pure sword intent was Sworder’s gift that would protect David when his life was at risk.

If it weren’t for the sword intent, David would’ve been reduced to a bloody pulp by now.

Rudy’s eyes flickered with disbelief when he realized that David was still alive. However, he couldn’t afford to dwell on it at that moment, as his priority was to swiftly put an end to Arthur’s actions.

With determination, Rudy launched a slap toward Arthur, who simply responded with a slight smile.

Under everyone’s gaze, the huge face faded and disappeared from sight.

“No!” Rudy hollered with all his might, his eyes bulging out from their sockets.

He staunchly refused to accept that his meticulously crafted plan, painstakingly developed over the course of years, had failed at the last possible moment.

“I’m going to kill you! I’ll kill you!” he screamed angrily, wanting to end Arthur’s life right there and then.

Just as he was about to make his move, Rudy’s body began to tremble uncontrollably, engulfed by a flame.

The eight trigrams mark he had placed on the human face had triggered its devastating effect. With no way to escape, Rudy’s body was swiftly consumed by the flames, leaving no trace behind, not even a single trace of ashes. It was as if he had vanished into thin air, never to be seen again.

As he vanished, a few reluctant roars resonated from the depths of Fire Incineration Sect.

With the disappearance of the human face, the radiant rays that enveloped the bronze coffin gradually waned, causing the coffin itself to fade from view.

Simultaneously, Arthur’s body began to gradually fade away.

“Mr. Sanders...”

Seeing that, David mustered the last shred of his energy to approach Arthur.

He reached out frantically to grab Arthur but to no avail.

“No, I can’t let you die. You can’t die!”

David fixed his gaze on Arthur, who was steadily vanishing before his eyes. Driven to madness, he forcefully expelled his blood essence, igniting the surrounding area in a desperate attempt to prevent Arthur’s disappearance.

Regrettably, despite his fervent efforts, Arthur’s form continued to fade away.

“No!” David hollered, tears spilling from his eyes.

Arthur had helped David a lot, so David had come to regard him as a close relative.

Naturally, it was only natural for him to feel a deep sense of distress upon witnessing his cherished relative fading away right in front of his eyes.

“David, don’t be upset. We’ll meet again. Work hard and cultivate. I’ll be waiting for you,” Arthur told him with a smile.

It seemed that Arthur wasn’t afraid at all of dying.

Under David’s watchful gaze, Arthur vanished into thin air, and the sky became peaceful once again.

After Arthur’s figure disappeared, an identical middle-aged man materialized within a secluded study nestled deep within the mountains of the Ethereal Realm.

His complexion was pale, and a trickle of blood streamed from his lips.

An elderly butler entered the study and was taken aback by Arthur’s pale appearance. He reported, “Mr. Sanders, I’ve summoned everyone back to the residence.”

“Advise them to refrain from wandering aimlessly for the time being. It appears that Ethereal Realm is currently undergoing a restructuring,” Arthur stated in a calm and composed manner.

“Got it.” The elderly butler gave a polite bow and left.

Arthur walked over to the window and pushed it open, gazing up at the sky. His voice carried a tinge of concern as he murmured, “David, can you continue to endure? As the truth draws nearer, the dangers will escalate. I pray that you can endure until the very end!”

In the mundane world, David reached his limits and collapsed onto the ground. Weakened by his frail physical state and overwhelmed by the emotional turmoil, David teetered on the verge of unconsciousness.

“Master...”

“David...”

Josephine, Feenix, and the rest quickly rushed toward him.

—

Before Josephine, Feenix, and the others had reached David, a black hole appeared in the sky. There was a strong suction force, and the man was sucked into it.

“David!”

Without an ounce of hesitation, Josephine rushed toward the black hole.

“Master!”

Likewise, Feenix did the same.

On the contrary, Ezra and the others from Divine Smithing Sect were over the moon as they gazed at the black hole that appeared without warning. “The portal has opened! Quick, let’s go!”

Right after Ezra had said that, he took the lead and launched himself at the black hole.

The few other elders and prisoners from Ethereal Realm followed suit.

As everyone charged toward the black hole, no one that noticed a ball of light where Skylar died was also sucked in.

Meanwhile, Quindon and the others froze on the spot, gaping at the portal to Ethereal Realm.

Ethereal Realm was a place they yearned for, but when the portal was right before their eyes, they wavered. They did not know whether they could survive there with their capabilities.

Besides, considering the restoration of spiritual energy, cultivating in the mundane world might be a better choice.

While they were dithering, Aislin capitalized on Quindon’s inattention to leap up and jump into the black hole.

“Lin!”

Seeing that, Quindon instinctively gave chase to grab his daughter. Regretfully, no sooner had Aislin gone into the black hole than it disappeared in a flash. He failed to hold her back.

Utter worry swamped him as he stared at the spot where the black hole had vanished. Verily, he was concerned about her safety.

Nonetheless, it was of no use when the black hole had blinked out of existence.

Thus, Quindon and the others merely exchanged a glance with those from Evil Heart Sect before leaving.

Inwardly, Malphas was beyond apprehensive. With David’s life hanging in the balance, the mark in his brain could not be removed. As such, he had no idea how much longer he had to live.

Shortly after, he also left with those from Evil Heart Sect.

“Quick, let’s go home and tell Cecilia and the others about this, Renee!”

Leaving with Renee, Melanie rushed back to Deragon Sect in Jadeborough.

At Deragon Sect in Jadeborough, Melanie and Renee’s return plunged the place into chaos.

When Cecilia and the others learned that David had been sucked into a black hole and Josephine had jumped into it to save the man, they were all gripped by anxiousness.

“What should we do, Cecilia? We’ve got to find a way to save David!”

All the girls had their eyes fixed on Cecilia.

When David was away, they all listened to Cecilia since the latter was once the leader of an organization and was more experienced in handling things.

“We can’t panic or fall apart now. Instead, we’ve got to remain calm. Don’t tell Mom about this to save her from worrying needlessly,” Cecilia swiftly instructed, her mind whirring at warp speed.

Ever since David bedded the girls, they had all started addressing Beatrice as “Mom.”

“The most important thing right now is to ascertain where exactly the black hole leads. Without a direction, we can’t even begin to search,” Evangeline interjected.

“I don’t know where it leads either. But then, I heard them mentioning something about Ethereal Realm. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about that.”

Melanie knew nothing about Ethereal Realm, for it was her first time hearing about that place.

A slight frown marred Cecilia’s countenance. “Ethereal Realm? I heard Mr. Sanders mentioning it once

or twice when I was cultivating with him.”

“I know! This Ethereal Realm is a sacred place for spiritual energy cultivators. Rumor has it that all cultivators in the secret realms yearn to visit it, but I don’t know how to go there.”

Evangeline was part of the secret realms. Hence, she had some understanding of the Ethereal Realm.

“How are we going to save David if we don’t know how to go to the Ethereal Realm?” Lyanna fretted.

“Now that Mr. Sanders is no longer here, who should we ask?”

Cecilia wore a solemn expression on her face, at a loss. If Mr. Sanders were still here, we could have asked him for advice!

—

“Mr. Flaxseed should know about the Ethereal Realm. Shall we go and ask him how to enter the place?” Hailey, who had remained silent throughout it all, suggested.

“Yes! Let’s go and ask Mr. Flaxseed. I think he’s pretty knowledgeable,” Astrid seconded.

Since everyone shared the same sentiments, Cecilia led them to seek Flaxseed out.

When Flaxseed saw that David’s women had all come knocking on his door, guilt promptly flooded him. He thought that they had discovered that he had often eavesdropped on them.

“We’ve got something to ask you, Mr. Flaxseed...”

Cecilia proceeded to narrate the chain of events to the man.

The moment Flaxseed heard that David had not only been sucked away by a black hole and gone to Ethereal Realm but was also severely injured, panic showed on his face.

“I know a bit about Ethereal Realm, but one needs to attain a certain level of capabilities to enter the place, tearing open time and space to open a portal. Considering our current cultivation level, I’m afraid we can’t accomplish that.”

Indeed, Flaxseed had been to Ethereal Realm with David just a while ago. Alas, he was incapable of opening a portal leading there.

The instant the few girls heard that powerful capabilities were required to tear open time and space, they all fell silent.

“I’ll go back and ask my father whether there’s anything he can do.”

Evangeline planned to go and ask Chester whether he could open a portal to Ethereal Realm.

After all, her father was the most powerful among them all. Be that as it may, she knew deep within that he undoubtedly could not accomplish that. Otherwise, he would have long since gone to Ethereal Realm instead of pining over it every day.

However, there was nothing else they could do then, so it was better than doing nothing.

Just when she was about to go and seek her father out, Xavier walked in.

“Captain Jennings?”

The sight of Xavier there puzzled Cecilia and the others.

They often went to the Department of Justice to learn about cultivation from Arthur and were considered familiar with Xavier. However, Xavier rarely came to Deragon Sect, so they could not fathom the reason for his sudden visit.

“Ms. Cecilia, Mr. Sanders left me a letter to hand to you all before he left.”

Xavier hurried off after handing the letter to Cecilia.

Following that, they were all the more perplexed. They could not quite understand why Arthur, who was deceased, had prepared a letter for them in advance.

“Quick, open it for a look!” Flaxseed urged anxiously.

Cecilia hurriedly opened the letter, upon which everyone crowded over for a look.

When they had finished reading the latter, helplessness was etched across their features.

“Oh no, we’ve got no way of saving David now!”

“How could this be? Could it be that Mr. Sanders had predicted that David would be sucked into the Ethereal Realm ages ago?”

“Mr. Sanders is truly mysterious. It’s as though like he can foretell everything!”

All the girls exclaimed aloud, one after another.

Flaxseed, on the other hand, was embarrassed to join them earlier and did not see the contents of the letter. For that reason, he questioned frantically, “What’s going on? What did Mr. Sanders say?”

“Mr. Sanders told us to focus on cultivating, for portals between Ethereal Realm and the mundane world can’t be opened within a year. With the restoration of spiritual energy, the laws of nature would disappear, and the protection mechanism of the mundane world would be automatically activated. That aside, he said he wasn’t sure what would become of the mundane world a year later. Thus, we must cultivate diligently so we can help David in the future. On top of that, he assured us that David would be safe and told us not to worry,” Cecilia briefly explained the contents of the letter.

Having listened to it all, Flaxseed plunged into silent contemplation. A moment later, he remarked,

“Without the one-year protection period, it would really be difficult to tell what would become of the mundane world. It looks like we’ve truly got to put our backs into cultivating.”

In the following year, he indeed started cultivating madly, during which he refrained from indulging in carnal activities. Of course, that was what happened later.

—

In the mountains in Ethereal Realm, ancient trees towered into the sky amidst a dense forest.

Beneath a tall and thick tree, a figure lay motionless on the ground as though dead.

A wild wolf slowly approached. It trained its eyes on the figure before darting them around warily. After ascertaining that no one was lying in wait, it ambled over and sniffed lightly.

Then, it gently nudged the figure with a paw. Upon seeing that the man remained motionless, it finally let its guard down and opened its mouth to sink its teeth into the supple flesh.

Just when it did that, an arrow abruptly shot toward it.

Whoosh!

The arrow immediately pierced its body. Injured, the wolf let out a howl and spun around to flee, giving up the person before it.

Unexpectedly, five or six people sprinted over from a near distance away. All of them held weapons and surrounded the wolf.

As the wolf was injured, it was killed in no time.

It was only after they had it finished off that they strode over to the figure.

When they laid eyes on the figure lying on the ground, a girl among them cried out, “David!”

She was none other than Emily, whom David rescued in Ethereal Realm not long ago.

That day, she went hunting with Ali and a few other young men from the village. Little did she expect that she would end up saving David.

Right then, David was as pale as a sheet. His eyes were shut, and his aura was unprecedentedly weak. It was as though he would die anytime.

Beside him lay the Divine Bow, which he had not had the time to put into his Storage Ring when he was sucked into the black hole.

“How did he get so severely injured? His aura is exceedingly weak, and it’s as though all his energy has been drained away.”

As Ali scrutinized David, his brows knitted together deeply.

After all, he had personally witnessed the latter’s capabilities. Hmm, he’s such a powerful person, yet he’s severely injured. Could it be that there are other formidable fighters nearby?

At once, his guard went up. The residents of Rock Village there mainly hunted and gathered medicinal herbs for a living, never having met anyone particularly powerful. But considering the fact that even someone with David’s capabilities had been injured grievously, the other party must be superior to the man.

Now that such a powerful person has suddenly appeared near the village, it’s imperative for me to be vigilant. If that individual has his sights set on Rock Village, it’d be the end of us all!

“Quick, take the wolf’s carcass! We’re leaving right away!” he quickly ordered.

In a trice, a few men lifted the wolf’s carcass. Meanwhile, Emily turned to Ali and implored, “Ali, please save David. If it weren’t for him back then, I would’ve been eaten by a demon beast!”

Her eyes shimmered with tears as she begged the man.

Although David saved Emily previously and did nothing to Rock Village, Ali had long since been wary of him.

To his dismay, they crossed paths again this time. He did not want to save David or bring trouble to Rock Village. If the latter’s enemy were to learn that they rescued him, the entire village would be doomed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to save him, Emily. Judging from the beating he received, the other person definitely harbors a deep-seated grudge against him. If we were to save him and his enemy came knocking on our door, the entire Rock Village would be annihilated,” Ali explained.

Emily understood the man’s concern and the danger it would bring to Rock Village. Hence, she stated, “You all leave, Ali. I’ll stay and keep David company.”

“This place is filled with demon beasts, Emily. You’d doubtlessly get eaten if you were to stay here. Moreover, he’s going to be dead soon. We can’t save him at all!” Ali coaxed.

“If David dies, I’ll die with him. This life of mine is from him, so I’ll return it to him since I can’t save him,” Emily asserted.

—

Ali regarded Emily with exasperation written all over his face. In the end, he could only sigh and relent. “Okay, I’ll carry him back to Rock Village, but I’m not sure whether I can save him.”

While saying that, he hoisted David onto his back. Emily wiped her tears. She cast a glance at Divine Bow before snagging it up.

She knew that it must be David’s weapon, so she took it with her. However, she had no idea that it was the renowned Divine Bow.

After Ali had carried David back to Rock Village, Emily had him place the latter in her house.

“Here are some medicinal herbs, Emily. Give them to him. It would depend on his luck whether he can pull through. Tell me if he dies so I can carry him out to be buried,” Ali uttered, giving Emily a bag of medicinal herbs.

“Thank you, Ali!” Emily gushed with great gratitude as she took the medicinal herbs from him.

When Ali had left, Ira, who was blind, trudged out from another room.

“Emily, I heard Ali’s voice. What was he saying just now? What was that about pulling through? Who’s injured?” Ira asked.

“It’s David, Grandma,” Emily answered.

“David?” Ira was stunned for a moment.

Emily proceeded to explain everything in detail to her. Only then did it dawn on Ira that it was the man who was there some time ago.

“Quick, bring me to him, Emily!”

She had Emily lead her into the room where David lay.

Stepping forward, Ira checked whether the man was still breathing and took his pulse before commenting, “He’s downright lucky. Not only has he been drained to near depletion, but his blood essence is also close to exhaustion. Surprisingly, he’s still alive.”

“Then, can David still wake up, Grandma?” Emily hastily queried.

“That’s hard to say. It depends on his luck. Don’t use any medicine on him, for it won’t do him any good. Just let him lay there and recuperate,” Ira instructed.

No sooner had she said that than she frowned and turned to the side, murmuring, “What’s there, Emily? Why is it that I sense something amiss?”

Sweeping her gaze over, Emily saw that the item placed there was David’s bow. Thus, she replied, “David’s weapon is there, Grandma. It’s just a bow, and it looks pretty worn out.”

As she spoke, she picked up the Divine Bow and handed it to the elderly woman.

But when Ira had taken Divine Bow and ran her hands over it, she abruptly trembled, causing Divine Bow to slip from her hold and fall to the ground.

“What’s wrong, Grandma?” Emily questioned, swiftly stepping forward and supporting her upon noticing her apprehension.

“Oh, nothing. It’s nothing.” Ira shook her head before ordering, “Quick, wrap this bow with a scrap of cloth and hide it, Emily. Don’t tell anyone about this matter. Do you understand?”

A puzzled expression on her face, Emily ventured, “Is there something different about this bow, Grandma? Ali and the others have already seen it.”

“No, there isn’t anything different. Just do as I said. Hurry up!” Ira hissed, her face stretching taut all of a sudden.

Seeing that, Emily had no choice but to obey. She wrapped Divine Bow with a scrap of cloth and hid it in an obscure place.

After she had left, Ira observed the weak aura from David and muttered, “Who exactly are you that you have the Divine Bow in your possession and are so severely injured? Hopefully, your arrival will not bring destruction to this small mountain village.”

Having said that, she turned around and felt her way out of the room.

Time flew past. In the blink of an eye, it had been three days.

Throughout the past three days, Emily took meticulous care of David. Regretfully, the man was still unconscious. His aura was as weak as ever, and he was in danger of dying anytime.

Chapter 503: Regained Consciousness

“Hurry up and wake up, David! Please be safe!”

Emily held the jade pendant David once gifted her in her hand, her eyes brimming with hope.

She hoped that the man would regain consciousness soon. If he failed to pull through, she would be forever haunted by guilt since he was the one who saved her.

As she was clutching the jade pendant and praying for him to wake up the Power of Dragons and Phoenixes he sealed in the jade pendant drifted out and entered his body.

The Power of Dragons and Phoenixes gave his crumbling body a shred of energy, and David slowly opened his eyes.

“Where am I?”

When he did so, he found his mind all fuzzy and his limbs weak. He wanted to sit up, but the instant he exerted force, excruciating pain coursed through his entire body.

There was no energy left in his body, and his limbs seemingly refused to obey his wishes.

Staring at the old ceiling, he realized that he was currently in a room.

At the side, Emily threw herself at him in delight upon seeing that he had opened his eyes. Looking at him joyfully, she gushed, “You’re awake, David? You’re finally awake!”

David eyed the girl in front of him, utterly bewildered. He did not quite remember her anymore, having a

vague impression of things back when he left Rock Village because he felt that he would never have anything more to do with that small mountain village.

“Do you not remember me anymore, David? I’m Emily! This is Rock Village,” Emily hurriedly added when she glimpsed the lost look on his face.

It was only then that the memories came back to David. He subsequently asked in confusion, “Why... Why am I here, Emily?”

All he remembered was being carried away by an immense suction force, followed by Feenix, Josephine, and the others’ shouts as they gave chase behind him.

He had not known that the black hole was a portal to Ethereal Realm, but from the look of things at present, he reckoned he was already in Ethereal Realm.

“You were severely injured, David. Me, Ali, and a few others found you when we were out hunting, so we brought you back with us. You’d been unconscious for three days and nights. I was so worried that you wouldn’t wake up!” Emily explained.

By then, David sensed that he had a smidge of energy. With Emily’s support, he sat up from the bed, still in a daze.

He carefully recalled everything he could remember.

There was the restoration of spiritual energy, Divine Quest Sect, then Mr. Sanders’ disappearance...

“Oh yes, Divine Bow! Where’s my Divine Bow?”

Out of the blue, it occurred to him that he had not had the time to put Divine Bow into his Storage Ring before he passed out. Now that I’m in Ethereal Realm, where’s Divine Bow?

That was a divine weapon, and without it, he would have no way of stopping Rudy.

Although his capabilities were inferior, resulting in Divine Bow failing to injure Rudy, countless arrows hindered the latter’s steps. Consequently, Arthur succeeded in thwarting the resurrection of the man in the coffin.

When Emily heard that question, she knew David was looking for his weapon. She quickly queried, “Are you looking for your weapon, David? I’ve hid it for you. I’ll go and get it right away!”

While saying that, she hastened away to take Divine Bow out and return it to the man.

Unexpectedly, Ira blocked her path when she had just reached the door.

“David is awake, Grandma! I’ll go and take his weapon over!” Emily exclaimed happily.

“Leave the bow where it is first, Emily. Go out for a moment. I’ve got something to ask him,” Ira ordered.

Hearing that, Emily promptly grew chagrined. It’s his weapon. Why isn’t he allowed to have it when he’s asking for it?

Following her inaction, Ira’s expression instantly went cold, and she snapped, “Go out!”

That reprimand made Emily jump in fright. In the next second, tears streamed down her face.

—

All these years, Ira had always taken great care of Emily, never once reprimanding her.

While they were not related by blood, they were just like family.

Ira seemingly sensed Emily’s anguish. Her initially glacial and forbidding look eased slightly, and she coaxed, “Go out first, Emily. I really have something important to say to David. He even has trouble standing up at present, so he wouldn’t be able to lift his weapon even if you were to give it to him. So, just leave it for now.”

“Okay.” Emily nodded before glancing at David. David also motioned for her to step out.

Despite having no idea what Ira wanted to discuss with him, he surmised that the elderly lady meant him no harm. After all, he had been unconscious for several days, and she would have acted ages ago if that had been her intention.

After Emily had gone out, Ira walked into the room. Although she was blind, David could sense a sense of oppression emanating from her.

“Who exactly are you?” Ira demanded.

“And who are you?” David countered.

He found it incredulous that Ira was a demon yet living in a small mountain village occupied by humans.

Aware that the man had discovered her identity, Ira answered frankly, “I’m a demon spirit from Scarlet

Blood Castle. Our clan of demon spirits was being hunted down, so I went into hiding in this small mountain village here for decades.”

David found her pretty honest. While he had no idea where Scarlet Blood Castle was, much less why the demon spirits from Scarlet Blood Castle were being hunted, she did not seem to be lying to him.

“I’m someone from the mundane world,” David likewise divulged.

Right after he had said so, Ira retorted loudly, “Nonsense! How could you possibly be from the mundane world when you’re in possession of the Divine Bow? That’s a divine weapon in Ethereal Realm! Countless people wanted it, but they all failed to obtain it. How could someone like you from the mundane world have it?”

In Ira’s perspective, innumerable people with immense capabilities in Ethereal Realm wanted to get their hands on the Divine Bow. Yet, they all failed to do so. Therefore, it made no sense that David could obtain it so easily if he were from the mundane world.

“I’m indeed from the mundane world. As for how I came into possession of the Divine Bow, that’s none of your business, and I have no comments on that.”

Despite believing that the elderly woman would not harm him, he could not possibly tell her everything.

“So, what’s with your injuries? Your blood essence was close to exhaustion, your meridians shattered, your spiritual sense damaged, and your elixir field depleted. Right now, you’re just an empty shell. I didn’t expect you to be able to regain consciousness in merely three days. If it were someone else, he would’ve long since been dead!” Ira drawled.

“I was injured by an enemy in the mundane world. As for how I ended up here, I’m not sure either. All I know is that I was sucked into a black hole. Then, I appeared here, saved by Emily,” David admitted.

Ira said nothing, a frown marring her countenance. A long while passed before she uttered, “I’ll allow you to stay here since you once saved Emily. In your current condition, you’ll die if you go out. As for the Divine Bow, I had Emily hide it. In your weak state, it’ll only bring you disaster. When you’ve recovered, I’ll have her return it to you. Don’t worry, for I’ll never covet it though it’s a divine weapon.”

With that said, she pivoted and headed out of the room. When she reached the door, she abruptly halted and added, “Although you’re now awake, you can’t simply roam around, let alone leave Rock Village, lest you bring great calamity upon the villagers here!”

—

After Ira left, David felt she was actually not a bad person. She was a demon, yet she cared about the survival of those people in the village.

David sat quietly, slowly recalling everything that had happened when he was sucked into the black hole.

“I wonder where in the Ethereal Realm were Josephine and Feenix transported to...” David was somewhat worried.

“Master, Master!” At that moment, Zelda’s voice sounded in David’s mind.

“How are you, Zelda?” he hurriedly asked.

The sword spirit, Zelda, also suffered significant injuries.

“Master, I’m afraid it’ll be hard for me to leave your body to protect you for the time being,” Zelda said.

“Take a good rest. When I recover some strength, I’ll find Master Hammerhead to let Sworder help repair you in the sword-cleansing lake,” David consoled Zelda.

“Master, your aura is very weak now. You need to take care of your body, too,” Zelda expressed her concerns.

At that moment, Emily entered the room with a bowl of hot soup. Thus, David stopped conversing with Zelda. If Emily were to witness that scene, she would think he was mental.

“David, you’ve been unconscious for several days. Eat something to replenish your energy. I added some demon beast meat, which can enhance your physical strength. If Grandma finds out, she’ll definitely scold me. Demon beast meats are supposed to be exchanged for spirit coins in the town,” Emily chirped at David.

Gratitude filled David’s eyes as he looked at the innocent Emily. If it weren’t for her, he would’ve died in the wilderness of Ethereal Realm.

David received the bowl of soup. Looking at the few pieces of demon beast meat inside, he said to Emily, “Emily, after I recover, I’ll gift you an endless supply of demon beast meat and a mountain of beast cores.”

“You don’t need to gift me anything, David. I just hope you can get better soon. I have to go hunting with Ali now. Otherwise, we’ll starve.” With that, Emily turned around and left.

Following Emily’s departure, David stayed inside the room to gradually recuperate.

He furrowed his brows after examining his body. At that moment, his meridians were shattered, his spiritual sense was severely damaged, and his elixir field was depleted. Even the draconic essence had lost its luster.

“I can’t believe I’m still alive after being reduced to this state.”

David was astonished. He had almost exhausted all his blood essence, yet he unexpectedly survived.

That was all thanks to David’s physique. Although his abilities were all gone, his physical body wasn’t affected.

Even if a Spirit Divider cultivator showed up, they couldn’t do anything to harm David because that people with such low cultivation levels couldn’t injure his body.

To be able to survive after a face-off with Rudy was already considered a miraculous blessing.

“Fortunately, Ethereal Realm is rich in spiritual energy. I should have no problem recovering slowly,” David comforted himself.

He was genuinely afraid he couldn’t reattain his former capabilities after this incident.

At that moment, David was still thinking about locating Josephine and Feenix after recovering his strength, then opening the portal and returning to the mundane world.

Unbeknownst to him, the mundane world had already activated its protection mechanism, and the passage from Ethereal Realm to the mundane world wouldn’t be accessible for one year.

David sat quietly on the bed. Luckily, there weren’t any powerful cultivators around the small mountain village. Hence, David could still rely on his tough physique to fend for himself.

However, if he were to leave this place, David didn’t know what kind of people he would encounter.

For the subsequent three consecutive days, David slowly channeled Focus Technique to condition his body. At that moment, his elixir field was already refilled with some spiritual energy, rendering him overjoyed.

And during those three days, Emily would go hunting with Ali and the others daily. She would visit

David upon her return every time and would add some demon beast meat to the food she prepared for him. Conversely, Emily and Ira ate only vegetables.

—

David knew that the people of Rock Village lived very modestly. Emily’s family was the same. It seemed that Ali took good care of Emily, always taking her hunting to share the spoils.

If no one was there to help, how could Emily, a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl taking care of a blind old woman, make a living?

“David, hurry up and eat. Grandma and I don’t like to eat meat. You must eat more to recover your strength!” Emily said happily, noticing David’s improving complexion.

“Okay. I’ll eat.” David nodded.

He also wanted to recover his abilities sooner. That way, he could help Emily. Still, with his current capabilities, he was already peerless in Rock Village. Even Ali wasn’t his match.

Watching David eat with great relish, Emily couldn’t help but grin.

“Emily, do you have to go hunting every day?” he asked her, eager to learn more about Rock Village and its surrounding environment.

David merely passed by the area back then, so he wasn’t familiar with Rock Village.

“Of course. If we don’t go out hunting every day, what should we eat? Besides, I also sell the beast skin and cores for money to hire the best doctor in town to treat my grandma’s eyes,” Emily replied optimistically.

“Don’t worry about my eyes, Emily. You mustn’t overwork yourself. My eyes can’t be cured, so don’t

waste your effort,” Ira persuaded Emily.

“Rest assured, Grandma. I’ve already asked around. Dr. Weiss has returned to town. When I’m free, I’ll invite him over to treat your eyes!” Emily said with a smile.

David was deeply moved by the young girl’s optimistic attitude. Even under such harsh conditions, Emily, a mere teenager, could still stay upbeat.

After finishing the meal, Emily went hunting with the villagers again while David stayed in the room to cultivate.

David and Ira had hardly spoken to each other for the past few days as each was somewhat wary of the other.

By the time David finished his cultivation and opened his eyes, the sky outside had turned dark, yet Emily hadn’t called him for dinner.

Usually, by that time, Emily would’ve returned from hunting and prepared a meal.

However, David hadn’t heard her voice even then, so he got up and exited the room.

When he stepped out, he saw Ira standing at the courtyard entrance, looking anxious, seemingly waiting for Emily’s return.

“It’s not like Emily to still not be home at this hour. Could she have encountered danger?” Ira paced back and forth, muttering to herself.

Just as David was about to ask what was going on, a young, bare-chested boy about ten years old ran over. He screamed as he ran, “Something bad has happened! Our loot was stolen, and Ali and the others were captured. Everyone, grab your weapons and save them!”

Following the boy’s shouting, many people, ranging from both genders and all age groups, quickly gathered in Rock Village, all wielding weapons.

At the same time, Ira grew visibly more anxious after hearing Emily and the others were seized.

David halted that boy and asked, “Hey, kid. What exactly happened?”

The boy glanced at David and said, “Ali, Emily, and the others were lucky today. They killed a demon tiger but were stopped by people from the neighboring Cyan Village. They wanted the demon tiger, but Ali refused, and a fight broke out. Ali and Emily were injured and taken captive by them. I escaped and came back here to get help.”

Hearing Emily was hurt, David emanated a murderous intent, causing the boy to shudder and freeze in fear with his eyes fixated on David.

—

Seeing that, David quickly retracted his murderous intent and said to the boy, “Kid, what’s your name? Bring me there at once so we can rescue Emily and the others.”

“My name is Percy. Just the two of us won’t suffice. I’m going to find the old village chief.” Percy ran toward a house as he spoke.

David had no choice but to trail after Percy since he was the only one who knew about Emily and the others’ whereabouts.

Soon, David followed the boy into a house and saw an emaciated old man seated on a chair and smoking a pipe inside.

That man was the former chief of Rock Village, Antonio. Due to his advanced age, he handed over his position as village chief to the younger Ali.

Nevertheless, Antonio still held considerable prestige in Rock Village. If Ali wasn’t around, any affairs of Rock Village still had to be discussed with Antonio before a decision could be made.

Antonio glanced at David but wasn’t surprised. It appeared he knew all about David staying in Rock Village for the past few days.

“Percy, what happened? I heard you screaming outside,” Antonio asked Percy.

“Mr. Antonio, Ali and Emily killed a demon tiger on their hunt, but the loot was robbed by people from Cyan Village. They also injured Ali and Emily and have taken them captive,” Percy recounted anxiously.

“What?” A cold glint flashed across Antonio’s eyes as he tossed the pipe in his hand on the table. “Those b*stards from Cyan Village have always opposed us. Now, they even openly rob and hurt our people. Hurry up and gather everyone in Rock Village. We’re going to confront them!”

With that, Antonio bent down and pulled out a rusty broadsword from under the table.

“Hold on.” David stopped Percy.

Then, he turned to Antonio and asked, “Mr. Antonio, how do we fare against Cyan Village?”

Before Antonio could reply, Percy spoke first. “How else do you think? Their population is double ours, and they’re also stronger. Those people from Cyan Village often bully our villagers, but we could only endure.”

“Shut up, Percy!” Antonio snapped at the boy before turning to look at David. “Although we are weaker than Cyan Village, that doesn’t mean we’re a group of pushovers. Even if it costs us our lives today, we must rescue Ali and the others from the hands of those people from Cyan Village.”

Antonio seemed genuinely enraged, befitting the saying of how a rabbit driven to the brink of desperation would bite.

“Mr. Antonio, since we aren’t a match for Cyan Village, if you confront them with all our men recklessly, we’ll undoubtedly suffer a great loss. There’s a good chance that the people of Rock Village could be severely injured or even killed,” David hastily persuaded Antonio, hoping to change the latter’s approach.

“What should we do then? Are we supposed to just stand by and watch as those from Cyan Village bully us and let them capture our people without attempting to rescue them?” Antonio bellowed while glaring at David.

“Mr. Antonio, that’s not what I meant. You don’t have to lead the entire village there. Just let Percy take me to where Emily and the others were detained. I can save them myself,” David explained to Antonio.

“Just you?” Antonio sized him up. “I know you used to be formidable, but you’re no different from a cripple now. How do you plan on saving them?”

When David was rescued and brought back to Rock Village, his meridians were utterly ruined, his blood essence was depleted, and even his aura was extremely weak.

Antonio considered David fortunate to still be alive, yet the latter was volunteering to save Emily and the others.

Evidently, Antonio was unconvinced.

“Mr. Antonio, do you really want to watch your villagers suffer horrible deaths? I hope you can trust me. I’ll certainly help you rescue them!” David made a promise to Antonio.

Even though David had only recovered a small part of his strength, he was already more than capable of dealing with those neighboring villagers.

Chapter 504: Bandit

The fight would be no different from adults facing off against children.

David noticed that even the most powerful cultivator in Rock Village, Ali, was just a newly advanced Manifestor, a level that was at most equivalent to a Greater Martial Arts Marquis in the mundane world’s martial artist cultivation level.

David could easily defeat a Greater Martial Arts Marquis even if he regained just a little bit of his strength.

“Can you really rescue them?” Antonio gazed at David skeptically.

“Mr. Antonio, Emily is my savior, and when she asked me to stay in Rock Village, all the other villagers didn’t make things difficult for her or chase me away. Therefore, Rock Village has done me a favor, so how could I possibly deceive you?” David uttered with utmost sincerity.

Taking in David’s demeanor, Antonio paused briefly before nodding. “Fine. In that case, let Percy show you the way, then. However, if you encounter any danger, you must return at once!”

“I got it. Thank you, Mr. Antonio,” David expressed his gratitude.

In fact, Antonio also knew that even if all the people of Rock Village tagged along, it would only result in more casualties. Perhaps Rock Village might even be annihilated from then on.

Since David was so confident, Antonio decided to let him try.

“Percy, we don’t have time to lose. Let’s go,” David urged the young boy.

Percy glanced at Antonio and saw the latter waving his hand, saying, “Go. Be careful.”

The young boy nodded in acknowledgment. Then, he led David out of the room.

When Percy passed by his house, he entered his room and retrieved a long knife the same length as him and a bow and arrows.

“If I see those people from Cyan Village, I’ll shoot them dead!” Percy gritted his teeth, seemingly harboring intense hatred toward the people of the neighboring village.

“Percy, do the people from Cyan Village always bully you all?” David asked.

“That’s right. Cyan Village, with its larger population and greater strength, had been encroaching upon Rock Village’s hunting ground. Originally, we each have our own hunting grounds in the mountain, but Cyan Village had been expanding their territory annually, gradually reducing our access to resources until we were only able to hunt at the edges of the forest. Whenever we do go out to hunt, we return with very little loot. As a result, the people in our village are getting poorer,” Percy elaborated, shedding light on the ongoing struggle between the two villages.

Hearing that, David fathomed Rock Village and Cyan Village were sworn enemies, and their feud stemmed from the snatching of resources.

“It’s one thing to rob, but why are they hurting others? Why did they capture Emily and the others?” David was baffled.

Since their goal was to acquire resources, and there weren’t any other grudges, those people from

Cyan Village could’ve just taken the items instead of holding Ali and his party captive. Why didn’t they do just that?

“You have no idea, David. People from Cyan Village are rotten to their cores. They capture our people for ransom, and they infiltrate our villages to steal our things. We built the village watchtower for the precise reason of preventing ambushes from Cyan Village.” Percy’s emotions overflowed as he spoke, expressing his deep frustration and anguish caused by the actions of the people from Cyan Village.

Noticing that, David hastily stepped forward to pat Percy’s head. “Why are these people from Cyan Village so terrible? They’re no different from a group of bandits.”

“They were bandits, to begin with. In the past, Cyan Village was a bandit stronghold. Afterward, because of Cyan Village’s strategic geographical location and wide hunting area, many people were gradually attracted to settle down there, forming the present Cyan Village,” Percy explained.

Clarity washed over David after listening to that. No wonder these people from Cyan Village are so ruthless. So, they are a bunch of wicked bandits!

David and Percy soon arrived at the foot of the mountain as they chatted.

From time to time, demon beasts appeared at the foot of the mountain, but they were generally low- level small beasts that weren’t very valuable. Therefore, Ali and the others would go deeper into the jungle to capture larger beasts.

—

“The place we were robbed at is straight ahead, David! I’m not sure if Ali and the others are still there, though. Regardless, we shouldn’t go deep into the mountains because there are many powerful demon beasts there. They are terrifyingly powerful, but that makes them all the more valuable. Their flesh and beast cores are worth a lot of money. Once I cultivate and get stronger, I’m going to hunt those demon beasts deep within the mountain for money and show the people of Cyan Village who’s boss!” said Percy with a determined look in his eyes.

He had always dreamed of getting stronger and becoming a powerful individual someday.

“I’ll take you demon beast hunting once I’m fully healed,” David said while patting Percy on the head.

“I heard the villagers say you are an incredibly powerful person. Even our stone house was unable to keep you trapped. Is that true?” the young boy asked.

To which David nodded and affirmed, “Yes, that’s true.”

“Whoa... You’re unbelievably powerful, David! Could you teach me how to cultivate? I want to be as powerful as you are!” Percy exclaimed, only to let out a disappointed sigh seconds later. “Then again, you were almost beaten to death, which means you’re not the strongest person out there. I want to be the strongest!”

David patted Percy on the head and said with a smile, “I believe in you, Percy. You’re definitely going to become the strongest guy out there.”

Percy is probably still too young to understand what it is like to be the strongest...

Percy then continued leading the way for a little while longer. Upon reaching the spot that he mentioned earlier, he glanced about and asked with a frown, “We’re here, but where is everybody?”

“What’s wrong, Percy?” David asked.

“Ali, Emily, and the others were captured here, but I don’t see them anywhere. See that? I made a mark on the tree!” Percy replied while pointing at a tree trunk.

“Could it be that they have brought them over to Cyan Village?” David asked.

“It’s possible. If that is the case, then we’re in big trouble. We won’t be able to rescue them, so we’ll have to pay them a ransom in spirit coins!” Percy exclaimed with a frown.

“Percy, do you know where Cyan Village is?” David asked.

“Of course, I do! All you have to do is get through here and make your way around that hill, but the sky will probably be dark by the time we get there. Even if we get to Cyan Village before dark, there’s not much the two of us can do. We might even end up getting captured as well!” Percy replied.

“Is there no shortcut to Cyan Village?” David couldn’t help but wonder why they had to take such a long route to get there.

“There is one. We could just cut through these mountains, but the demon beasts in the mountains are ridiculously powerful. No one takes this route because it’s too dangerous!”

“We’ll be fine, so just take me there. Emily and the others could be in danger if we wait any longer.” David’s tone brimmed with confidence.

Percy stared at David for a few seconds before nodding in response. The aura of the demon beasts grew increasingly stronger as the two got deeper into the mountains, prompting Percy to tighten his grip on his sword.

He was so nervous that his forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

“Calm down, Percy! I’ll protect you!” David reassured him.

Those words had barely left David’s mouth when a Demon Wolf ran past them. Percy immediately raised his bow and got ready to shoot, but David quickly stopped him. He had a feeling that the Demon Wolf was not after them, and his guess was confirmed when he saw the blood around the Demon Wolf’s mouth.

Hmm... That Demon Wolf must be really full if it ignored us completely. That’s why it didn’t even try to attack us!

—

“I smell human blood. Someone must be injured up ahead!” David said.

He had detected the strong smell of human blood when the Demon Wolf ran past them.

“Human blood? Could it be Ali and the others?” Percy exclaimed anxiously.

“Come on; let’s go check it out!” David said and followed the scent of the blood.

They soon stumbled upon a corpse that had been mauled into a bloody mess.

“Oh, my goodness!”

As Percy was still a child, this was his first time seeing such a gruesome sight. He was so shocked and disgusted that he threw up on the spot.

David had a little furrow between his eyebrows as he bent over to inspect the corpse. However, he couldn’t recognize the deceased person as the face had been too badly mutilated.

“Percy, is this person from Rock Village?” David asked.

Percy pinched his nose and forced himself to take a peek. “No, this person is from Cyan Village. You can recognize them based on their clothing.”

“What would someone from Cyan Village be doing here? Could it be that they came to hide in the mountains after capturing Emily and the others?” David asked with a confused frown.

After giving it some thought, David stood up and took another glance at the corpse. People from the mundane world wish they could live in the Ethereal Realm, and yet, the people here are struggling every day just to survive.

“David, do you think the guys from Cyan Village are using Ali and the others as bait to capture high- level demon beasts?” Percy asked.

“If they’re using people from Rock Village as bait, then why would this corpse belong to someone from Cyan Village? I think we should push forward and have a look!” David said as he grabbed Percy’s arm and started running.

As he observed his surroundings along the way, he noticed that there were bloodstains on the trees. Moreover, it was human blood. It was a trail that could potentially lead David and Percy to the captured villagers.

Awoooo!

While David and Percy were busy tracking the blood trail down, a Demon Wolf howled and came running toward them. Its mouth was covered in blood as it glared viciously at them.

The Demon Wolf was probably still hungry as it had set its sights on them.

David’s expression slid into a frown when he detected the terrifying aura coming from the Demon Wolf.

“Looks like I haven’t recovered enough. I can’t believe I failed to notice this Demon Wolf in advance!” David mumbled to himself.

Under normal circumstances, he would have detected this Demon Wolf’s powerful aura from a few miles away.

The fact that this Demon Wolf was able to get this close without him noticing showed he had yet to recover his spiritual sense.

Percy’s hands were trembling uncontrollably as he held his sword up and stared the Demon Wolf down. The poor boy was scared to death.

Since it was just the two of them going against that Demon Wolf, Percy figured they would not stand a chance at survival.

David instinctively reached his right arm out and tried to summon his Dragonslayer Sword, only to realize he couldn’t do so.

Oh, that’s right! The sword spirit, Zelda, is still recovering from her injuries! How could I forget that?

When Percy saw David grabbing at the air with his right hand, he assumed David was asking him for a weapon and handed David his sword.

David simply flashed him a faint smile in response. Oh, well... This isn’t Dragonslayer Sword, but it’s better than fighting that Demon Wolf empty-handed!

The Demon Wolf let out a fierce roar and charged at David with lightning speed.

Percy was so scared that he instinctively took a few steps back.

As David had no idea how much he had recovered, he had no choice but to take the Demon Wolf very seriously.

—

The damage he sustained from combusting his blood essence was far too great, so it was even possible that he could never regain his full strength.

Even so, David’s physical body was so tough that the Demon Wolf would not be able to bite through his skin, let alone eat him up.

As the Demon Wolf drew close, David channeled all of his spiritual energy into the sword. He then stepped aside and slashed at the Demon Wolf with all of his might.

Blood came spraying out of the Demon Wolf’s abdomen as it jumped over David’s head.

David’s attack had cut the Demon Wolf’s stomach wide open, causing its intestines to spill out a few seconds later.

Although David had only recovered a portion of his strength, killing a Demon Wolf was still a piece of cake for him.

The Demon Wolf howled in agony after crashing into the ground. It then stared at David in fear before turning around.

Swoosh!

The Demon Wolf was just about to run off when an arrow pierced its head.

It was Percy who fired that arrow. He wasn’t so scared anymore when he saw David slice the Demon Wolf’s stomach open so easily.

Having been shot in the head, the Demon Wolf collapsed and died without even making a sound.

“Whoa! Nice shot, Percy!” David complimented him.

“You’re the real hero here. I wouldn’t even have the courage to reach for my bow if it weren’t for you!” Percy exclaimed with a look of admiration in his eyes.

He then walked up to the Demon Wolf and carved out its beast core with a dagger.

Percy also skinned the Demon Wolf while he was at it, but he had to leave the meat behind. Demon Wolf flesh was worth a lot of money, so Percy was a little reluctant to leave it behind, but there was nothing much he could do.

As they were deep within the mountains, they had no means to take the Demon Wolf’s carcass with them.

Noticing the reluctant look in Percy’s eyes, David said with a faint smile, “We’ll take this Demon Wolf’s flesh with us too!”

He then placed the Demon Wolf into his Storage Ring, much to Percy’s surprise.

“What kind of sorcery is that, David? How did you make the Demon Wolf vanish into thin air?” he asked.

“I just put it into my Storage Ring, that’s all. I’ll retrieve it when we return to Rock Village, so you can

sell it for some cash later!” David replied with a chuckle.

“Storage Ring, huh? That’s some good stuff you got there!” the young boy exclaimed.

A whole Demon Wolf carcass was worth a ton of money, so it was understandable why Percy would get so excited.

As the two of them continued pushing forward, they saw a guy lying under a tree. He was barely breathing, and his lower body had been completely devoured by the Demon Wolf. There was blood all over the ground.

Percy froze when he saw the person, only to burst out crying a few seconds later. “Emilio! Emilio! What happened to you? Where are Ali and the others?” he shouted while running up to the wounded guy.

Emilio stared at Percy and opened his mouth, but he was so severely wounded that he couldn’t even say a word.

Realizing that this guy was from Rock Village, David quickly ran up to Emilio and injected his body with spiritual energy. Feeling a little better, Emilio panted heavily as he said, “Go save Ali and the others, Percy. They’re deep in the mountains...”

“Calm down and tell us what happened. Were you guys captured by people from Cyan Village?”

David wanted to know what happened to Emily and the others.

Emilio licked his dry lips, prompting David to feed him some water from a bottle. However, Emilio spat it out a few seconds later. He was so badly injured that he couldn’t even drink.

—

“Yes, we were captured by people from Cyan Village. They wanted to hunt high-level demon beasts and were using us as bait. That’s why they brought us deep into these mountains. Then, we got attacked by a Demon Wolf. Ali got us free, and we ran deep into the forest to escape our kidnappers. They kept chasing after us, so we had to fight off the Demon Wolf and hide from the kidnappers at the same time. Ali and the others must be in danger right now. The area ahead belongs to a pack of Demon Wolves. None of them are going to survive if they run into that pack! Go save Ali and the others! I know I’m not going to make it, so just leave me be!” Emilio urged them.

David glanced at Emilio in silence for a few seconds. He knew that the latter couldn’t possibly survive his injury, especially since immediate medical attention was not available. Even so, David tried to comfort him anyway. “Hang in there. Once we rescue Ali and the others, we’ll bring you back to the village for treatment.”

David was about to carry on walking, but Emilio grabbed him by the arm and said with a pleading look in his eyes, “Don’t lie to me, man. I know I won’t make it, but I don’t want to just sit here and wait till I bleed out. Could you please make it quick for me?”

He would rather have someone put him out of his misery than bleed out in agonizing pain.

David did not want to kill Emilio, but reducing the latter’s suffering was all he could do at that point.

After hesitating for a bit, David slowly placed his hand on Emilio’s head and fired a beam of spiritual energy right through it.

The man had a smile on his face as he slowly closed his eyes.

“Emilio!” Percy sobbed.

David’s eyes teared up as well. He did not know Emilio personally, so he didn’t share that same level of sentiment.

Even so, the people of Rock Village had treated him as one of their own during his time there, so they were like family to him.

“Stop crying, Percy. Come on, let’s go...” David urged as he quickly led Percy deeper into the mountains.

This is not the time to grieve! We need to hurry up and rescue Ali and the others!

Meanwhile, dozens of young men, who had powerful auras and weapons, stopped and stared at the forest ahead of them. None of them dared take another step further.

Those were men from Cyan Village. The group comprised mainly Nascent Soul cultivators and Manifestor cultivators, so they were much stronger than the people from Rock Village.

A man stepped up to the one leading the group and asked, “The area ahead is Demon Wolf territory. Should we continue chasing them?”

“Of course not! As powerful as we may be, we’re not even going to make it out of there alive! Those guys from Rock Village went in there, so they are probably dead by now!” said the man leading the group.

They then turned around and prepared to leave, only to bump into Percy and David.

Percy went pale when he saw those men. “T-Those are the guys from Cyan Village, David! They’re the ones who kidnapped Ali and the others!”

David’s eyes were filled with a strong murderous intent as he glared at them. “So, you guys are from Cyan Village?”

The man leading the group stared at David, giving him a once-over. Although he didn’t know who David was, he did recognize Percy, who was standing next to David. “That’s right! Are you from Rock Village? I’m surprised you two were brave enough to come here!”

The guys from Cyan Village had icy-cold looks in their eyes. They saw David and Percy as nothing but easy prey.

As Percy was often bullied by the people from Cyan Village, he shuddered in fear when he saw their menacing gazes.

Chapter 505: Killed In One Slash

David, however, showed no sign of fear whatsoever. “I’m glad you guys admitted to it. Where are Ali and the others?”

“They’ve become Demon Wolf food long ago!” the man leading the group replied with a sneer.

Percy mustered the courage and shouted, “No, that’s impossible! Ali and the others won’t die so easily!”

“Impossible, you say? No one has ever entered Demon Wolf territory and made it out alive! I thought we would have to return empty-handed, but you two delivered yourselves to us on a silver platter!” said the leader of the group while the other guys surrounded David and Percy.

The young boy grabbed onto the hem of David’s shirt in fear. Clearly, the two of them were at a huge disadvantage going against dozens of people.

“Just so you guys know, you brought this upon yourselves...” Murderous intent swirled in David’s ice- cold gaze as he tightened his grip on his sword.

Percy knew that quivering in fear was pointless, so he raised his bow and prepared himself for a fight as well.

The man leading the group snorted in disdain when he saw the look in David’s eyes. “Still trying to resist, huh? If you two surrender, we might just spare your lives. If you two choose to fight back, then we will kill you both right here and now!”

“You talk too much!” David swung his sword as his word hung in the air.

All the men saw was a wave of white light flashing past their eyes.

The man leading the group went wide-eyed as he stood there, as still as a statue.

A few seconds later, blood slowly trickled down his forehead. “Hey, you’re bleeding!” said one of the guys when he noticed the blood.

The man leading the group did not respond even though that guy called out to him multiple times. In fact, he didn’t even blink.

The guy then tried giving him a gentle nudge on the shoulder, only to see him collapse to the ground.

His body had been sliced in half, and his internal organs spilled all over the place.

“Ahhh!”

The guys that were with him screamed in terror when they saw that.

None of them were expecting David’s attack to slice that man in half.

“W-We need to avenge him! Kill these b*stards!” someone shouted, prompting the others to leap into action and charge at David.

David lifted his sword and ran toward them.

All Percy saw was David zipping through the group of men at lightning speed.

In less than a minute, all of the men from Cyan Village were lying on the ground in a pool of their own blood.

All of them were dead after having their throats slit in a single slash.

Percy was frozen in shock when he saw what happened. I can’t believe this... Those men are very powerful! Some of them are even stronger than Ali, and yet, David had effortlessly killed them all on his own!

Little did he know, David had only recovered a part of his strength. Had David regained his full strength, he could’ve killed those men simply by unleashing his aura upon them.

“Let’s go, Percy.”

David didn’t even spare their bodies a glance after doing away all of them.

Percy was so shocked that he was frozen like a statue.

“Percy!” David called out to him again.

“R-Right...” The boy finally snapped out of his dazed state and ran after David.

His eyes were filled with admiration when he looked up at David from behind.

As David and Percy made their way into the Demon Wolf territory, they could feel a clear change in the aura around them.

A lone Demon Wolf was not all that terrifying, but a pack of them could be extremely deadly.

The Demon Wolf that they encountered outside had probably been kicked out of the pack, so it was clearly not that strong. Running into a pack of Demon Wolves in their territory, however, would be a whole different story.

—

The Demon Wolves’ territory was located in the deeper parts of the area, and Ali and the others were engaged in a bloody battle with the Demon Wolves. Many of the Demon Wolves had died, but more were waiting to pounce at them.

Ali’s group was not unscathed, of course. As they fought on, they were slowly making their retreat. However, it would only be a matter of time before the sheer number of Demon Wolves overwhelmed and killed them.

Nevertheless, the leader of the Demon Wolves did not seem keen to kill Ali’s group that quickly. All the Demon Wolves did was surround them, forcing them to move further into the mountains.

If the Demon Wolves wanted Ali’s group dead, they merely needed to lunge at them together. Yet, the leader of the Demon Wolves did not do that. It only sent two of its pack to attack Ali’s group.

“I’m so sorry. I’m the reason you’re in this situation. If we hadn’t run here, we might have survived...”

Ali was devastated to see the rest of his party exhausted and covered in blood.

If he had not led them into the Demon Wolves’ territory to avoid Cyan Village’s villagers’ chase, they would not have ended up in this state.

The villages from Cyan Village would likely not have killed them all, but the same could not be said about the Demon Wolves.

“Ali, we don’t blame you for this. If this is our fate, we might as well go all out against these Demon Wolves!” one of the Rock Village’s villagers declared.

“Ali, you’ve already done well. You were doing this for our sake, and none of us will blame you for this. I just feel bad that the people in Rock Village will have a tougher life after our deaths,” said one of the elderly villagers from Rock Village.

“I’m not scared of dying, but what will my grandma do after I die? Her eyes aren’t cured yet...”

Emily was crestfallen. Death was not something she feared, but she was worried that no one would take care of Ira.

“Percy has gone back to the village. Maybe he’ll come back with Mr. Antonio to save us,” said someone who was more optimistic than the others.

“That’s impossible. We’re far from Rock Village. Even if Mr. Antonio does lead the villagers here to save us, I’m afraid they won’t be a match for these Demon Wolves either. I’d rather be killed by the Demon Wolves now than have more people die here with us in an attempt to save us!” an elderly villager from Rock Village uttered.

At that very moment, feelings of despair spread among the group.

“Let’s do our best to fight them off. We can’t keep moving further and further into the mountains. If they’re trying to drive us into that area, that area might be their den. We can’t retreat anymore. Charge!” Ali cried out, lifting his weapon.

The others nodded in agreement as they tightened their grip on their weapons. By then, they, too, had figured out the wolves’ intentions.

“Charge!”

With a loud cry, Ali rushed toward the wolves.

“Charge!”

The rest of the villagers dashed forward as well. At the peak of their despair, they unleashed all the power they had.

Awoo!

At the sight of the charging humans, one of the Demon Wolves went straight after Ali, who was at the frontmost.

Whoosh!

Just as the Demon Wolf was about to reach Ali, a sudden arrow shot out from the side, piercing the creature’s neck with astonishing force. The impact of the arrow sent the Demon Wolf hurtling sideways before it was firmly pinned against a tree.

The unexpected intervention had Ali’s group pausing for half a second. Even the Demon Wolves turned their heads, sensing the scent of danger in the air.

“David, y-you’re amazing!” Percy exclaimed as he stared at the Demon Wolf pinned against the tree.

At that moment, David was holding Percy’s bow. As it turned out, he was the one who fired the arrow earlier.

Alas, Percy’s bow was an ordinary weapon. If David had recovered his strength and taken out the Divine Bow, he would have wiped out at least half of the Demon Wolves present with just one shot.

“David...”

“David!”

When Ali and Emily saw David and Percy, shock crossed their faces, and they yelled his name.

—

David ambled over to Ali’s group with Percy, but none of the Demon Wolves dared to attack the two.

Upon realizing that David and Percy were the only ones who had come, Ali’s group was stunned again.

Emily even anxiously shouted, “David, why did you come? Hurry up and leave this place! It’s dangerous here!”

She was hoping that David would leave before these Demon Wolves came back to their senses.

David and Percy were heading to their deaths by confronting the Demon Wolves alone.

“Emily, I’ve come with Percy to save you all,” David informed.

“David, if you weren’t injured, then maybe you could save us. However, you’re gravely hurt and have yet to recover. You’re only courting death by doing this!” Emily pleaded with desperation.

The pack of at least a hundred Demon Wolves presented an overwhelming challenge for David. While he could have handled one or two of them at a time, facing them all simultaneously would be an insurmountable task.

Frankly, that was an issue David had contemplated as well, but he was confident. He knew that these Demon Wolves did not dare to attack him.

“Don’t worry, Emily. I have a way to get you all out of here,” David told her firmly.

“I’m grateful that you’ve come to save us, David, but you won’t be able to win against all these Demon

Wolves. Take Percy and leave this place. Don’t let yourself die here,” Ali said, for he also did not believe that David could go up against the wolves and win.

“Ali, Emily, maybe David can really save you from this place. He has recovered much, and he even managed to kill those people from Cyan Village who were trying to capture you alone!”

Unlike Emily and Ali, Percy had faith in David as he had seen how David had killed the people from Cyan Village.

Ali’s group was visibly astonished to hear Percy’s words. Then, a look of delighted surprise manifested on their faces.

“That’s fantastic news! With those b*stards finally eliminated, our sacrifices will be worthwhile,” exclaimed one of the villagers from Rock Village.

“No worries. As long as I’m here, the grim reaper won’t come near you,” David reassured, a small smile playing on his lips.

Right then, the leader of the Demon Wolves howled, and the pack moved to surround them again. This time, David was part of the surrounded group.

Perhaps the leader of the Demon Wolves had sensed that David was a threat to them, for it instructed dozens of its wolves to rush toward David while the rest of the wolves readied themselves for an attack.

At that, Ali and the other people dragged their aching and tired bodies forward, raising their weapons in preparation to fight against the Demon Wolves with David.

“Don’t move. I can do this alone.”

Yet, to their surprise, David stopped them.

As he narrowed his eyes, waves of aura began emanating from him. Traces of the Power of Dragons and Phoenixes were in those waves of aura.

Although David had yet to make a full recovery, even the slightest hint of the Power of Dragons and Phoenixes would create an immense sense of pressure for those demon beasts.

Sure enough, right as David unleashed his aura, the Demon Wolves who were darting toward David halted.

In fact, the leader of the Demon Wolves was even staring at David with terror in its eyes, its body shaking.

Abruptly, the leader of the Demon Wolves let out a frightened howl.

In the next second, the hundred-over pack of Demon Wolves spun around and left without hesitation.

It only took dozens of seconds before all of the Demon Wolves were gone. The only wolves left were those that were already dead.

Everyone was dumbstruck by the turn of events.

Although David was somewhat aware of what would happen if he were to make that move, he still did not expect to scare those Demon Wolves that badly just by unleashing a small portion of the Power of

Dragons and Phoenixes.

However, those Demon Wolves were not powerful, so they were rightfully terrified of the aura of celestial beasts. David could not help but wonder if the Power of Dragons and Phoenixes would have a similar effect on more powerful demon beasts.

—

“W-What’s going on?” Ali squeezed out, still baffled.

“Did they run off because more powerful demon beasts are coming?” the elderly villager from Rock Village wondered out loud.

“I think so. Why else would they be in such haste to flee?” another villager agreed.

“There aren’t any powerful demon beasts coming. David must have been the one who scared them off!” Percy loudly declared.

Even though the boy had no idea how David had managed to chase away the Demon Wolves, to him, David seemed omnipotent, possessing extraordinary powers beyond comprehension.

“All right, let’s not dwell on this. Let’s make ourselves scarce from this place since the Demon Wolves are gone. If they come back, or if anything more powerful comes along, we’ll be in trouble again,” Ali urged, gesturing for the others to start moving.

“Ali, what do we do with these Demon Wolf carcasses? We’ll be able to sell them for good money. It’d be such a waste to leave them lying here,” pointed out one of the villagers.

At that, the others turned to look at the dead Demon Wolves, finding it a waste as well.

Ali knew that the carcasses would fetch a good price, but they were all injured at the moment. There was no way they could take these carcasses with them. Furthermore, the Demon Wolves that left might return any time, so they did not have the luxury of time to retrieve the beast cores.

“Let’s not. Survival is our priority. If we all die here, all these carcasses will ultimately be useless to us. Let’s go now,” Ali answered in a booming voice.

Hearing that, the others could only cast a reluctant glance at the dead wolves before turning to leave.

Just then, Percy said to Ali, “Ali, David has a Storage Ring. He’ll be able to take these carcasses along with us.”

“Storage Ring?” Ali tensed up before turning to look at David. “You have a Storage Ring?”

David nodded in affirmation. “I do.”

For a moment, Ali could only stare at David in disbelief. He never expected David to have a magical item like a Storage Ring. In the Ethereal Realm, magical items like a Storage Ring were a rare find.

“I didn’t think you’d have something like that. Would you mind taking these carcasses along?” Ali queried.

“Sure.” With a smile, David waved his hand, keeping all the Demon Wolves in his Storage Ring in the blink of an eye.

The others whipped their heads toward David in elation when they saw that the carcasses were gone. Their impressions of David were shifting bit by bit.

At the end of the day, David was an outsider. Although he had been staying in Rock Village for days, many of the villagers were still hostile toward him.

However, most of them were now grateful that David was willing to store the carcasses of the Demon Wolves in his Storage Ring and transport it for them.

“All right. Let’s head off now.”

Ali then began leading the people back the way they came from.

When David noticed that Emily was injured, he asked in concern, “Emily, are you okay? Can you still walk?”

“I’m fine, David. I can still walk,” Emily replied with a shake of her head.

The people of Ali’s group were hurt, so they were slow in their journey. Right then, someone began sighing and lamenting about their situation.

“Although we’ve escaped death this time and obtained so many Demon Wolf carcasses, I’m afraid we won’t have enough money to treat all of our injuries even if we sell these off.”

The mention of that brought down the previously-merry mood again.

“Those alchemists are so greedy! Their pills are so darn expensive.”

“I’d rather not visit one. At most, I’ll have to suffer for a few more days. The injuries will eventually recover on their own,” chimed in the elderly villager.

“Hey, don’t say that. It’s easy for open wounds to be infected, especially wounds caused by demon

beasts. Have you forgotten how my eldest uncle passed away from a demon beast bite because he didn’t want to spend any money to treat his wound?” Percy said to the elderly villager.

—

Upon hearing Percy’s words, the elderly villager lowered his head and fell silent.

Everyone had turned equally dispirited, and the tension in the air became palpable.

Emily was worried about her injuries too. She initially wanted to earn more money through hunting to treat her grandmother’s eyes, and yet, now, not only did she not have the money for the treatment, but she was even hurt herself.

“Emily, is it also tough for you all to treat external wounds?” David asked in confoundment.

After all, to his knowledge, simple medicinal herbs could be used to treat external wounds. No expensive medicinal herbs were needed, so treatment should be something readily accessible.

“Of course it’s tough. If we’re hurt, we’ll need to travel to a town hundreds of kilometers away from our village to visit an alchemist, and the alchemists charge a lot,” Emily explained to David.

At that, David decided to head up the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs to treat the villagers. Although David had yet to make a full recovery and could not refine high-quality pills yet, creating simple pills for the external wounds they sustained was something he could manage.

“Ali, take them back first. I’m going to gather some herbs on this mountain to treat your wounds,” David said to Ali.

Ali blinked at David in surprise. “You’re going to gather herbs? Are you an alchemist?”

The others turned to look at David in equal shock, waiting for the man to respond.

“I’ve only learned a little alchemy, and I wouldn’t call myself an alchemist, but treating your wounds won’t be an issue,” David nonchalantly answered.

Ali’s eyes lit up as he lurched forward to grab David’s hand. “A-Are you serious? You’re not lying to me, right?”

David was taken aback by Ali’s excited demeanor. “I’m not. Why should I lie to you about something like this?”

“This is great news!”

In his ecstasy, Ali hugged David.

The other people also merrily surrounded David, gazing at him with reverence in their eyes.