Zane and Lancelot were shocked, and were wondering what was going on. What on earth was Yuri talking about, and since when and how did he even come to possess an official token of Lunaris? As both of them scrutinized the gleaming emblem in Zane's hand, they could tell without a shadow of a doubt that this was indeed the real deal, a genuine, high-tier token of the Lunaris Sect. Specific intricacies in its runic engraving revealed to Zane that it had been crafted directly by his own father, the Sect Master himself. Yet, the sheer mystery of when and how such a meeting had taken place left both young cultivators utterly baffled.“I have been officially appointed as a Venerable of Core Disciples of Lunaris by the Sect Master himself,” Yuri explained smoothly to Zane and Lancelot.Seeing their bewildered expressions, he offered a brief yet thorough summary of his unexpected encounter with Conri Bluemoon on the isolated island just moments before tracking them down. He detailed their conv

Two weeks later...Somewhere in the vast, open expanse of the western sea of Aetheria, hundreds of kilometers away from the bustling Starport City of Lunaris...A lonely, dark vessel floated silently upon the water, completely devoid of movement as the gentle waves lapped against its wooden hull. As the morning sun rose over the horizon, casting its golden rays across the deep blue expanse, the dark canvas of the vessel’s sails caught the light, revealing a sinister, unmistakable crest emblazoned across the fabric. The mark was identical to the dark emblem discovered on the sniper assassin who had been slain by Lancelot: a ring of spiked, barbed wire forming a perfect circle, cradling a slender crescent moon directly in its middle.This was a ship of the fearsome Hanging Corpses Guild.While the sun outside flooded the morning sky with radiant warmth, the interior of the main cabin sat in stark, shadowy opposition. Lit only by a few flickering, low-burning candles, two figures sat i

As Zane and everyone excluding Yuri were taken aback and surprised, their eyes remained locked on the refined corpses that hovered menacingly near the ambushers. Eight of the elite subordinates also had their own necrotic corpses hovering beside them, while twelve others hovered at a strategic distance, keeping their heavy longbows taut and aimed. Including Eleven-Nine’s own abomination, a total of nine refined corpses floated in the sky, seamlessly locked into a well-balanced, flawlessly planned tactical matrix.Then, in that very moment, Zane realized something peculiar.All twenty-one of these assassins were hovering effortlessly in mid-air without any visible flight artifacts or flying mounts keeping them aloft. Yet, from Zane’s sharp perception, he could clearly discern that no more than seven of these people were actually at the Enlightened Realm. The remaining fourteen were strictly at the Awakened Realm, leaving Zane thoroughly surprised by their unnatural levitation.“Sir Y

“This kid is an absolute menace... Even ruthless assassins like us don't slaughter people like that!” Eleven-Nine thought in that terrifying instant, cold sweat drenching his entire body.Desperate to bolster his failing strength, Eleven-Nine frantically wove a rapid series of dark hand seals. Responding to his command, his refined corpse shot across the forest floor toward the two fallen, refined corpses of the Enlightened corpse-wielders who had just been executed by Zane. With a sickening, wet crunch, Eleven-Nine’s corpse opened its jaw to an impossible angle, devouring both of the refined corpses whole, absorbing their lingering necrotic essence in a single gulp!Yet, before the abomination could even finish digesting the energy and return to its master’s side, Zane moved!BOOOOM—!With a thunderous sonic boom that split the air, Zane vanished from his position! In the very next heartbeat, he materialized directly before Eleven-Nine’s face! The spatial displacement was so insta

Back within the cabin of the hanging corpses vessel in the western sea...CRACK—! SHATTER—!The smoldering wooden life-tag belonging to Eleven-Nine suddenly busted and shattered into absolute nothingness, its splintered fragments dissolving into a puff of dark, sulfurous ash!SHKK—!In that very instant, the furious master, unable to contain his sudden, violent rage, threw the small, shimmering blade he had been using to carve the fruit he was eating. He whipped his hand forward, sending the blade hurtling toward Zero at a blinding, light-speed velocity!SHKK—!The razor-sharp steel sliced cleanly through a bit of Zero's cheek and sheared off a small piece of his earlobe, whizzing past his head before penetrating the thick wooden wall of the cabin, leaving a smoking bullet hole as it hailed straight outside!SHKK—!On the open deck outside, the flying blade embedded itself directly into the forehead of a passing crew member! The unlucky assassin went completely limp, dying on the spot