2026-09-02 20:33:09The fog grew thicker, dozens of bounty hunters stood in a semicircle, blocking all exits from the valley. Their leader stepped forward, swinging his sword over his shoulder.
"Where are you running to this time, brat?"
Kaelan gritted his teeth, his body already exhausted. His wounds hadn't been treated, fighting three people almost killed him, now there were fifteen of them.
"Hand over your head, at least your death can make us rich."
Their laughter filled the valley, Kaelan clenched his fists.
"If you want my head, I'll take it myself."
"Hahaha!" Their leader laughed out loud. "This brat still dares to bluff. Finish him off."
Five men immediately advanced, their swords gleaming in the afternoon sun. Kaelan took a step back but the hoarse voice was heard again.
"So noisy."
Everyone turned to the old man in rags, still sitting on the rock holding his jug of wine. He didn't even look at the hunters.
"Hey, Grandpa." The hunter leader pointed at the old man. "If you don't want to die, stay out of it."
The old man yawned. "I don't want to interfere either. But you're interrupting my drinking time."
One of the hunters snorted. "Crazy old man." He walked over to the old man.
"Go!"
Without lifting his head, the old man simply snapped his fingers.
Ting!
A small gust of wind blew the next second...
Thud!
The hunter's body was thrown tens of meters before hitting the cliff. He didn't move anymore, dead. The entire valley suddenly fell silent. Kaelan's eyes widened.
"What..."
The hunter leader was shocked. "He's... a cultivator!"
The old man took another sip of his wine.
"I told you, you guys are noisy."
The hunter leader's face turned grim. "We're going."
"Boss! The reward?"
"Shut up!"
The man swallowed hard, he could feel the old man in front of him was far more terrifying than anyone he had ever met.
The dozen hunters slowly backed away but the old man spoke again.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Everyone stopped. "Because you disturbed my sleep, leave one hand."
The hunters' expressions turned pale, their leader gritted his teeth.
"Don't overdo it, Old Man! We come from…"
His sentence was cut off because the old man suddenly disappeared.
Sret!
Kaelan didn't even have time to see his movement. A moment later the old man was standing right in front of the hunter leader.
"Too late."
Two fingers tapped the man's chest lightly.
Knock!
Nothing happened, the old man turned around and sat back down while drinking his wine.
The hunter leader laughed.
"Hahaha! It was just a bluff!"
But the laughter stopped.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
His entire body was covered in fine cracks.
"What..." He didn't have time to finish his sentence.
Crash!
His body shattered into pieces of flesh and blood.
"Aaaah!"
The remaining hunters screamed in fear.
"Run!"
"Help!"
They ran helter-skelter out of the valley. No one dared to look back. In a matter of breaths, the valley fell silent again, Kaelan still standing frozen. His heart was beating fast, the old man had killed two cultivators with just a tap of his finger. The old man glanced at Kaelan.
"What did you see?"
Kaelan swallowed. "Sir… Who exactly are you?"
The old man chuckled. "People call me crazy. I've already forgotten my own name."
He took another sip of his wine.
"Then? Why did you help me?"
The old man stared at Kaelan for a long time, his previously lazy gaze suddenly turning sharp.
"I'm not helping you, I just don't like those people." He raised his jug of wine. "Besides… If you die now, who will open the tomb?"
Kaelan froze. "The tomb?"
The old man immediately shut his mouth.
"Oops… I think I said too much."
Kaelan's heart beat faster.
How did the old man know about the map Garrick gave him? He hadn't even taken it out since leaving the forest, the old man laughed again.
"Alright, kid. If you want to live, follow me." He stood up and walked into the fog without looking back.
Kaelan doubted Garrick had ever told him not to trust anyone. However, if he remained in this place, other hunters would surely come.
Kaelan took a deep breath and finally decided to follow the mysterious old man. Without realizing it, this decision would change the course of his entire life.
The fog in the Grey Valley grew thicker. Kaelan walked a few steps behind the old man without saying a word. The old man's back looked fragile, even his steps were a little unsteady. Every now and then he would lift his wine jug and take a sip as if the world had no problems whatsoever. It was hard to believe that the man who had just killed a cultivator with just one touch now looked like a lost beggar.
"Why did you stop?" The old man's voice broke the silence.
Kaelan only then realized his steps had slowed.
"I..." He stared warily at the old man's back. "Why did you help me?"
The old man chuckled. "I already told you, I wasn't helping you, I was just bored."
That answer confused Kaelan even more. Since leaving the Drakon Clan, he had met too many people who were hiding something. Leon hid his hatred behind a smile. His father hid his feelings behind a cold face.
Garrick had hidden his identity for years, and now this old man was even more unpredictable.
They continued walking until they arrived at a cliff.
Below there lay a ravine so deep that the bottom was invisible, white mist covered the entire valley.
The old man sat on a rock.
"Hungry?"
Kaelan nodded slowly.
The old man threw a roasted rabbit that had been beside him for who knows how long.
"Catch it."
Kaelan hurriedly caught it, his stomach growled. He had barely eaten for two days, but just as he was about to bite into the meat, he stopped.
Garrick had said.
"Don't trust anyone."
Seeing the hesitation, the old man snorted.
"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to poison your food, just a snap of my fingers would be enough."
Kaelan fell silent, those words did sound arrogant. But after witnessing the incident in the valley earlier, he knew the old man wasn't bragging, and finally, Kaelan started eating. The old man just looked up at the sky.
"Is it delicious?"
Kaelan nodded. "Thank you."
"Hm… that's my pet rabbit."
Kaelan almost choked. "What?" The old man laughed out loud.
"Hahaha! Your face is so funny."
Only a moment later did he shake his head.
"I was joking."
Kaelan took a deep breath. For some reason, the longer he was with the old man, the more he felt like he was dealing with someone insane.
But behind his strange behavior was an extraordinary pressure that was difficult to explain.
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Latest Chapter
Sovereign Blood
Those words spread faster than a fire devouring a thatched roof.Sovereign Blood.As soon as the cry echoed, the atmosphere in the city changed instantly. The members of the Order of Eclipse who had previously tried to capture Kaelan no longer gave any warnings. Their confused faces turned cold and sharp. The weapons that had been held back were immediately raised high.“Don’t let him live!”Kaelan froze in place. His breath caught in his throat.“They…The old man beside him grabbed his arm firmly. His fingers clutched Kaelan’s sleeve as if afraid the young man would disappear just like that.“Don’t stand here!”A hissing sound cut through the air. A sword slashed exactly where Kaelan had been standing moments before.CLANG!The old man blocked the attack with the old iron blade he carried. The sharp clash of metal split the commotion.“From now on, they don’t need you alive,” he whispered firmly.Kaelan looked around. The hunters were arriving in greater numbers from every street ju
BLOOD CITY
The first scream shattered the silence from outside the stall, followed by the sound of an explosion.BOOM!The building walls shook violently, fine dust falling from the ceiling.Kaelan immediately stood up. "What was that?"The old man had already pulled the curtain aside, his face tense. "An attack."Outside, chaos erupted instantly. People ran in all directions. Several stalls were on fire, black smoke billowing into the sky. Merchants' carts were overturned, goods scattered across the streets from every direction, as figures dressed in dark clothing appeared, each displaying the dark crescent moon emblem on their chests.Order of Eclipse."They're attacking the whole city?" Kaelan asked in disbelief."Yes.""But why?"The old man gave him a piercing look. "Because they don’t want a single witness to live. They came to erase all traces, including everyone who has ever heard your mother’s name."Kaelan turned to the body of a merchant lying on the floor. "And now..."They would also
THE WOMAN BEING HUNTED
Kaelan was still standing frozen in front of the stall, staring sharply at the old merchant."Fallen Guardian?"The man nodded slowly, his voice almost a whisper."That's the nickname.""Who is she really?""I don't know."The answer made Kaelan clench his fists tightly."You just said the whole continent is hunting her! How can you not know who she is?""I know what people say," the merchant replied softly. "Not who she really is."Kaelan stepped forward. "Explain."The merchant glanced toward the cloth curtain at the stall's door, as if there were eyes peeking from behind it."Fallen Guardian is the name given to a woman who guards something very important.""What does she guard?"The merchant shook his head. "That's the part that's never talked about. People who ask too many questions about it usually don't live long."Kaelan was silent.A female guardian was hunted everywhere and had a pendant that was exactly the same as her mother's. Everything began to come together."What is h
SOVEREIGN PENDANT
The city still pulsed with life around him. The sounds of bargaining, footsteps, and the rolling wheels of carts over the stones blended into a rhythm that was familiar to anyone who lived here. But for Kaelan, everything felt new, as if a world he had only heard about in stories suddenly unfolded tangible before his eyes.He stood still in front of an old-looking, yet sturdy, wooden stall. On the dark wooden table, items were arranged: gleaming spirit stones, small weapons that emitted a faint glow, amulets engraved with ancient letters. Yet his gaze was not fixed on those objects. His own hands held onto something far more precious — something that had kept the old merchant behind the table from looking away.The pendant felt warm in his palms, even though the air around them was cold."Give it to me," the merchant said again.His voice was low, yet there was a note of pressure that could not be ignored.Kaelan frowned. He stepped back slightly, protecting the object as if someone we
THE FIRST CITY
For the first time since leaving the Forbidden Mountains, Kaelan saw something he had never had in the Drakon Clan.Life.Before him stretched a small city surrounded by stone walls several meters high. Its main gate was filled with merchants calling out to buyers, slow-moving horse-drawn carts, travelers in tattered cloaks, and cultivators who came and went, each carrying a different, powerful, colorful aura.The sounds of bargaining could be heard from all directions, layered into a warm, low hum. The scent of roasted meat mixed with sweet spices filled the air, inviting anyone who passed by. Children ran through the crowd, laughing carefree, chasing kites that flew low in the blue sky.Kaelan stopped a few steps from the gate. His eyes moved slowly, arranging each sight in his mind, afraid it would just vanish."So… the world really is this big."The old man walking beside him snorted softly. "Don’t stand here with a look of awe. You look like someone who just came out of a cave."
Baby in the arms of Dius
"And the baby brought from Darius that night ... is you."Kaeani stood freezing in darkness. The old man had put out the fire, leaving a pale light from the mouth of the cave that touched their faces that did not believe and the face that did not want to lie."I?" Kael's voice was barely heard.The old man did not answer.Kaeani laughed shortly, without the slightest excitement."How can you be so sure? You see the baby, right? You didn't see his face after growing up. ""Not.""Then, don't immediately conclude that the baby is me!" His voice rose, bouncing on the stone wall.Spiritual energy inside his chest throbbed hot, but he immediately pressed him back. The pain is still lagging behind there, a warning of the power that has not been fully mastered.The old man watched him in silence."Darius took you that night.""You just said it as a reality." Kelan steps closer. "Then why do you still call it 'baby'? Why not directly call my name? "The old man fell silent.Keish pointed her
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