Hello, dear readers! Here's your weekly chapter!
The story is over on patreon if you want to go check it out. Otherwise, if you're interested in my new novel-series/YouTube-Series called 'Everlight City's Extraordinary Investigations', you can go there too. The first chapter is available for paid patrons and the first YouTube video should be available this weekend if all goes well. To sum up, it's a story following a detective and a new police officer who partner together to resolve crimes committed or linked to extraordinary beings. The setting is a 1920 style parallel world.
Do check Episode 18 of my simplified A Knight Journey's YouTube Series(Audiobook/Visual novel) here: https://youtu.be/QX-ioDO_vhY
Episode 18 - Appointment with a mysterious 'Wild Gentleman'
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*********************
Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
As soon as those words left his lips, two figures materialized a few meters away from his location, with the one holding a massive runic sniper rifle in her hands wearing a proud expression, while the other was lying on her back, unconscious.
Seraphine, who was walking towards him with a smirk, exclaimed.
"I've got to say, guns are truly the best weapons. Even when I'm injured like now and only able to fight a Mid Core Formation, by simply using the metal bullet mode, I can still easily one-hit kill a Late Core Formation."
Shaking his head with an amused smile, Demian retorted.
"Well, the fact that you can use your Innate Void Energy power to hide your body and the bullet might have played a role as well, don't you think?"
Snorting playfully, Sera replied.
"Maybe a little."
The two broke into chuckles for a few moments before Demian asked.
"How is Bryn?"
While readjusting her giant sister—pun intended—, she responded, her tone much softer.
"She's a bit injured, but with your power and her Golden Giant Physique, or I guess you could call it Golden Giant Immortal Physique, she should be completely healed up in a few hours. Honestly, if it wasn't for the Void Energy lingering in our injuries, I bet all of us would have been fine by now."
Nodding his head, Demian remarked.
"You're right, but it might not be a bad thing. Even now, I can feel my body becoming more attuned to the Void Energy. That and the Small Success bottleneck for my Physique is loosening at the same time."
Although the effect was less obvious on Seraphine, she noted the same thing happening to her, a situation that once more displayed how powerful his Perks were.
With an awed expression, Sera commented.
"It really feels unreal, Babe. When we have sex, we grow stronger. When we get injured, we grow stronger. Even you, a year ago, when you had a realization while going shopping, you grew stronger...."
Pausing for a second, she then added in a firm tone.
"If one day we meet the Entity who gave you those powers, we really have to thank him for all he's done for us."
After nodding, Demian replied.
"Of course. I was a bit apprehensive about getting those powers for basically free, at first, but then I realized that a being that powerful wouldn't waste time toying with someone as weak as us. So, if I can help him in the future, and it doesn't threaten our lives, I won't hesitate."
After falling silent for a few moments, the two then remembered that the people from their convoy were still imprisoned in the boat, probably wondering what was happening outside.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, he then took a bed from his Void Ring and laid Adeliya's body on it before stating.
"I'll free those guys. Keep an eye on Liya and Bryn, will you, Love?"
Seeing her nod, his body then disappeared without disturbing the ambient air, showing his mastery over Earthly-Grade Water Intent.
On Gregorov's side.
After the guards' convoy had stopped, Gregorov, as someone with a relatively high cultivation, had extremely sensitive Senses, allowing him to hear the conversations coming from outside.
Although with these bandits finding Lady Adeliya's body, he had been somewhat worried, Demian's intervention had brought him instant relief, especially when he had sensed the powerful fluctuations coming from the young man's body.
Inwardly, he remarked wryly.
'And here I was thinking that I'd be the one to protect them, when in the end, I'm actually the one needing those young Immortals' protection.'
Well, Life was always full of surprises, and he was not one to bother himself too much with things he could not change.
Instead, he had opted to focus on the situation outside the boat.
It did not take very long before all but the Late Core Formation had ended up dead from Lord Mikhailov's Spell.
However, even that guard leader had only lasted a few more seconds before his Vitality had been suddenly snuffed out, though Stanislav had not been able to tell how it had happened as his Soul Sense had still been sealed along with his cultivation.
However, enemies dying and allies living were rarely bad news.
Letting out a relieved sigh, he mumbled.
"It seems like we won't need to die today."
His words brought a confused look from the other prisoners, as their Foundation Building cultivation was too weak to have perceived the previous events.
Shaking his head slightly, an amused smile then appeared on his face as he looked at the man who had previously asked if the four Lord Mikhailovs could come rescue them and said.
"Your words were truly prophetic."
Noting the confusion on the man's and others' faces, Gregorov chose to keep silent and wait for the rescue instead of explaining.
After all, everything would become clear to them very quickly without needing him to explain.
And indeed, a few seconds later, an impossibly handsome man materialized outside the cell, his calm expression radiating majesty as he declared.
"You're all safe."
As soon as those words left his lips, the cell's bars were instantly eroded into dust while the Sealing Energy in the prisoners' bodies also disappeared, even turning into nourishment for their cultivation.
When they felt their Mana, Qi Blood, and Soul Power not circulating freely once more, but also experiencing some growth, a sense of wonder surged in everyone's hearts, even Gregorov's.
Indeed, aside from those Tier 2 cultivators whose cultivation was too low to touch Elemental Intent, Stanislav, as a Mid Core Formation, had comprehended his own Intent to the High Mortal-Grade, allowing for a much more intricate use of Elemental Energy.
However, compared to Lord Mikhailov's way of using his own Elemental Energy, it was like the difference between a primary school kid and a university student majoring in Quantum Physics, completely incomparable.
Seeing the group of people frozen with a strange expression on their faces, Demian shook his head slightly before handing over the Void Storage items that had been confiscated by those guards earlier to their owner by matching the item's Energy signature to each of those present.
As for keeping them to himself as payment for his rescue?
Even if he ignored his own moral principles, what would he or his wives do with Tier 2 items?
Leave them in their storage rings to gather dust?
'If I wanted that kind of trash items, I'd just kill a few more demons or evil cultivators.'
While noting the gratitude on the people's faces, he vanished once more, heading toward those less lucky Tier 1 cultivators below.
Unlike those at Tier 2, those people at Tier 1 had been treated a lot more roughly, with injuries serious enough to immobilize them, though not grave enough to permanently cripple their foundation.
Seeing their miserable state, Demian shook his head inwardly and thought while freeing them all.
'Weakness is truly the ultimate sin in this world. Only by being strong enough can you master your own fate instead of being controlled by it...'
While feeling a bit complicated, he also gave back everyone's Void Rings, even adding a Peak Tier 1 healing Pill inside each of them before declaring.
"I've killed every one of those bandits, so you're safe. We'll stay here for a few hours, so you can use the time to heal yourself. We'll let you know once we need to depart."
Relieved tears and grateful words followed him as he left the cell, before joining Seraphine once again, noting that she had also laid Bryn on the bed he had set on the ground earlier, while the stunning dark elf was herself seated on a large and comfortable-looking sofa.
Looking at her lover appearing by her side, she patted the seat by her side, instructing.
"Come sit, Babe."
With a small gesture, Demian took out an Array Plate from his Ring, deploying the Illusion Array around the four of them before sitting by Sera's side, with the latter choosing to lay her head on his lap before commenting softly.
"You've freed everyone?"
Well, it was mostly a rhetorical question as her Senses were even sharper than his own, so she had definitely perceived what happened inside the boat.
Still, Demian chose to humor her and reply.
"I did. Those at Tier 2 were relatively fine, but those at Tier 1..."
Letting out a sigh, he then fell silent for a few moments before mentioning something that the guard leader had stated earlier.
"Love, the guy you headshotted earlier said that his boss was a Half-step Void Seed cultivator, and he has access to a Peak Tier 3 Protective Array. Also, the only way out of this secret realm is from their headquarters, and that's where that boss is. If that's the case..."
While enjoying the feeling of having her hair stroked gently by her man, Sera, her eyes closed with an expression of contentment, finished his sentence.
"We're not strong enough to defeat him, even though he might not be able to defeat us either."
With a small nod, Demian, his brow lightly furrowed, remarked.
"Exactly, so we need to find a way to grow stronger quickly."
Hearing his words, Sera's eyelids fluttered open, her left brow rising slightly as she guessed his intention.
"You want us to go through our Tribulation here, right?"
The light frown vanished from his face, leaving only a slight hesitation as he replied.
"Yes. What do you think?"
It took only a brief moment of contemplation for the dark elf to answer.
"I don't see any downside to it. Honestly, it may even be better than if we went through with it in the normal world. Safer at least. We sure are lucky."
Letting out a few light chuckles, the young man commented.
"Well, it's not as if it was the first time. In any case, let's wait for the girls to wake up and ask for their opinion. If they agree, we can take a few days to adjust our physical and mental state and trigger our tribulation together. Since this Realm only allows for Peak Tier 3, even if the Tribulation goes insane with us four triggering it at the same time, it shouldn't go beyond Peak Tier 3 in terms of strength. I think."
With a reproachful expression as she looked at him, Sera chided.
"You're really the king of red flags. Don't you know that by saying those kinds of things, the odds of things going wrong increase exponentially? It's a Universal Law, you know?"
Shaking his head, Demian replied, an amused smile hanging on his lips.
"You've read too many cultivation novels, Love. Reality doesn't work like that."
Time passed quickly as the two were busy bantering with each other until they sensed Bryn finally starting to awaken.
After explaining to her what happened, it was only a few minutes later that Adeliya also woke up feeling confused.
Once the two had been informed of the latest development, Liya commented with a wry smile.
"And here I was thinking that with my current strength, anyone below Peak Tier 3 could never threaten me... Thank you, Darling."
Those last words were said in a soft tone filled with warmth and love.
Seeing the adorable look on his woman's face, Demian could not help himself from teasing her.
"And how will you repay me, Love? You know, I'm a very expensive man."
With a glint of amusement mixed with desire, she retorted.
"I only have my body and my heart, Darling. You're free to do whatever you want with them."
With his smile growing more dangerous, Demian replied.
"Since you offered, refusing would be disrespectful of me, don't you think?"
Turning toward the two sisters, he added.
"As your mother's daughters, you also need to take responsibility for her words."
As a surge of desire washed over the two sisters, Sera and Bryn played along, though the latter was a bit more shy.
"You're right, Babe."
"If I have to, Hus-husband."
Since they had already decided to stay here for a few hours, the four Mikhailovs might as well entertain themselves a bit, right?
Plus, Dual Cultivation was more efficient when it came to healing and cultivation growth than normal cultivation, so...
Outside the Illusion Formation, only a flying boat was visible, the latter floating in the air motionless.
As for the convoy cultivators, most were still healing from their injuries while the rest were gathered in a large meeting room below the deck.
Indeed, Gregorov, as someone who had seen many things, could guess certain things when he sensed the Illusion Formation activating outside, and thus instructed the rest of them to wait inside until those four were done with their 'business'.
As for giving a reason, since he was much stronger than anyone present, that was not needed.
A simple 'I have my reasons' was enough.
A few hours passed by in this manner, puzzling Gregorov as no trace of enemy reinforcement appeared.
After all, the Wolven Pleasure Consortium was anything but benevolent, but instead would stop at nothing to destroy their enemy and anyone related to them, like a pack of relentless hyenas, so their silence was extremely strange.
Of course, their ferocity was under the assumption that they could win.
If their opponent was too strong, they would instead run away and hide, perfectly exemplifying the saying 'bullying the weak and fearing the strong'.
While subconsciously tapping his finger against the wooden table in the conference room, Stanislav pondered.
'Have they been scared off? Then again, putting myself in their shoes, they have no information aside from knowing that the strongest among us could only be at the Peak Core Formation Level. Even if the one in charge of this realm is at the same level, he should be the only one among them...'
Feeling his confusion unravel, he continued.
'Taking into account how quickly those guards have been killed, coupled with the fact that the Space Channel was destroyed, effectively cutting off any possibility of external reinforcement, the so-called boss is probably trying to gather his forces by his side to defend against us in case our group had several Peak Core Formation cultivators. Yes, that must be it.'
feeling like his guess should be very close to the truth, Stanislav felt suddenly more relaxed, prompting him to add.
'Who would have guessed that such a simple mission could have turned out that way...? Still, with those four, we all should be somewhat safe.... Speaking of which...'
Turning his attention toward the Illusion Formation outside the boat, the thousands-of-years-old man felt his lips twitch as he thought.
'Either I have too much imagination or... But I did sense a bed and a sofa before they activated the Array...'
While tiredly rubbing his eyes, the older man let out a 'young people are truly full of vitality' under his breath before closing his eyes and starting to meditate to keep his mind in the best state possible in case of unexpected attacks.
The sun slowly set, leaving its place to a massive, bright silver moon, the previous golden sky turning dark as a myriad of stars were sprinkled in a multitude of mysterious constellations.
Time, for a cultivator, especially one at Foundation Building Rank and above, had a completely different meaning than for a Mortal.
After all, the weakest Tier 2 had a lifespan of 500 years—though hidden injuries could lower it—, which was way beyond what a Mortal with a 60 to 80 years lifespan could even hope to comprehend.
Even those at Tier 1 could live around three times longer than a Mortal without cultivation.
Thus, none of those present minded having to wait for around half a day, opting to use that time to heal themselves, or pondering about cultivation matters instead.
Still, when the illusion Array powered down, Gregorov felt a hint of relief.
Then, with a thought, his body vanished from the view of everyone else around before reappearing in front of Lord Mikhailov.
With a deep bow, Gregorov exclaimed.
"I thank you deeply for your grace in saving me earlier. I'm not sure what I can give you or do for you to repay your previous help, but if you need to do anything, let me know, and I'll do my best to fulfill your demand."
Letting out a few chuckles, Demian waved his words away and replied.
"Don't take it to heart. Those people threatened my wives' safety, so I eliminated them and saved you in passing."
Shaking his head, Gregorov replied.
"The grace of saving another's life is never nothing. In any case, just let me know when you decide what you need."
Seeing the stubborn expression on the other man's face, Demian's amused smile turned warmer as he patted the other man's shoulder and said.
"Since you insist, I won't force you, my friend."
Seeing the much younger man seemed closer to him, Gregorov's tense expression relaxed while a small smile appeared on his face as he changed the subject.
"Lord, what are your plans now that we're stuck in this Secret Realm?"
Well, the Senior Elite Enforcer decided to drop the 'young' before Lord, as with those fou0'sr current strength, he could only be considered a junior in front of them.
The cultivation World valued strength over seniority, after all, and Gregorov had no qualm with calling a 19-year-old young man 'Lord' if the latter was stronger than him.
As for Demian, although slightly surprised by the change, he was quick to understand and accept it.
While glancing at the three jaw-dropping beauties behind him, he explained.
"We'll be going through our Tribulation to break through to the Core Formation Rank. That way, even if that so-called boss has reached the Half-step Void Seed Rank, we'll still be able to crush him easily."
Feeling slightly surprised, Gregorov asked.
"Are you sure you want to risk it? I mean, going through one's tribulation demands extensive preparation and even protectors in case someone wishes to kill you in your weak state."
As for his claim about crushing anyone below the Void Seed Rank, from what Stanislav had observed previously, it should be close to the truth, even if it seemed ridiculous.
Turning his gaze back toward the older man, Demian, with a confident smile on his face, stated calmly.
"That's only true for others. The four of us are different."
Freezing for a second, Stanislav then let out a sigh and simply decided to let go.
"Let it be as you wish, then. You all know better than I your own circumstances. I just hope that you, Lord and three Ladies, be careful. After all, your lives are extremely precious, and the Federation could not bear losing you."
Seeing the four nod while wearing reassuring smiles, Gregorov felt almost like an old father trying to temper his children's youthful recklessness.
Shoving those strange thoughts to the side of his mind, he then asked.
"Do you want to stay here or leave this place for somewhere more hidden?"
With a thoughtful expression, Demian looked toward the three women and questioned them.
"What do you three say? Either one is fine in my opinion."
Before her daughters could respond, Adeliya interjected.
"Let's go somewhere more hidden. That way, the convoy members can stay hidden while we go through our Tribulation somewhere else, which should attract those bandits' attention. Otherwise, they might use the interval to capture everyone again, or even kill them on the spot."
Hearing her words, Demian felt warm, though he did not forget to tease her slightly.
"Since my wife has decided, let it be as you say."
While she let out a few chuckles, Sera rolled her eyes and remarked.
"We might as well leave now, then. We can use that discarded boat to move there since everyone else is already inside."
With the others' agreement, the group of five then flew to that Tier 3 flying boat before Sera volunteered to refine the item's control Array.
It took only a few minutes before she was finally able to completely control the flying vessel.
Not one to waste time, she then activated it with a thought, and the previously stationary vessel exploded into movement, its silhouette a blur on the horizon.
Tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of kilometers went by the deck in a short time, a distance even greater than the entire planet Earth from his previous life, almost defying reason for what was merely akin to a small region in the vast cultivation world outside.
After a while, Seraphine finally slowed down the boat, as going further would serve no purpose aside from wasting time and energy.
Then, a sweep of her extremely powerful Soul Sense was enough to find a mountain large enough for them to build decent caves for themselves.
Magic, especially at a high level, was truly convenient.
As for furniture, the Mikhailovs had enough of these inside their Void Rings to furnish an entire Mortal Mansion, though the rest of the convoy might have to live a more minimalistic lifestyle for a few days.
Still, no one complained as not only was their safety assured, but their injuries had also mostly healed, so the rest was truly of little importance.
None of those present was ungrateful enough to complain against the four Lords after all, especially when those four could crush them easily.
In the end, morality and pragmatism easily won over discomfort.
Once the group arrived before the mountain, Demian instructed the others to build their own caves while the four Mikhailovs would meditate for a few days to reach the best possible state before going through their tribulation.
Once they pass it safely, they would break through and bring the group to raze the Wolven Pleasure Headquarters together, saving those people imprisoned there and eradicating the rest.
With those instructions, everyone busied themselves with their own tasks, leaving the Mikhailovs alone.
Looking at his three wives, Demian exclaimed.
"Let's build something decent, alright?"
Three days later, Demian, Liya, Sera, and Bryn left the cave, the last three having a refreshed look on their faces while the former felt utterly drained.
Letting out a breath, the young man mumbled wryly.
"Well, I guess I asked for it, didn't I?"
Fortunately, his depleted energy recovered in a few instants thanks to his Perks and pseudo-Immortal Physique working in tandem.
After cracking his neck, he turned toward his women and asked.
"Shall we go?"
Seeing them nod, he then sent a Voice Transmission to Gregorov, instructing him to wait with the rest of the convoy for the four at the caves.
Then, the Mikhailvos quickly took off to the sky, their speed so fast that not even Stanisalv with his Peak Mid Core Formation cultivation was able to catch their shadows.
With his lips twitching, the older man muttered.
"They should be fine, right?"
Time passed until an hour later, a terrifying fluctuation appeared somewhere distant, which brought a scent of death to the Enforcer's heart.
Although the distance was normally too vast for his Soul Sense to perceive anything, it seemed that the origin of that fluctuation was so incredibly powerful that he, who was tens of thousands of kilometers away, could sense a disturbing pressure.
It lasted for hours, with the fluctuations growing stronger and stronger until even the Secret Realm itself seemed to shake, with massive cracks appearing in the sky, whose sizes were so huge that they were visible from his location.
Fortunately, the fissures were quickly mended by the realm's automatic 'regeneration', avoiding any unpleasant death for both the realm and those living beings inside it.
Now, such a situation was something that would only happen if Void Seed cultivators attacked inside the realm, though the realm itself would have already broken down by the time someone at that level forcefully intruded inside it.
No, instead it felt as if the power used was exactly at the realm's limit.
Not 1% lower, not 0.1% lower, and not even 0.0000001% lower.
Instead, it perfectly reached the limit, something that was normally impossible.
Feeling a mix of confusion, awe, and alertness, Gregorov mumbled.
"Could it be those four's tribulation?"
Hours went by seemingly endlessly, until at one point, the destructive fluctuations were suddenly cut off, as if a transcendent being had crushed the Tribulation, leaving only what he guessed was creation energy behind.
Tilting his head slightly, a pensive look appeared on his face as he muttered.
"That should mean they've succeeded, right?"
Although he was extremely curious, he chose to wait for the four's return because of their previous instructions.
Letting out a breath, the older man contemplated.
'With how powerful they already were, I wonder how strong they'll become once they reach the Core Formation Rank.'
One day, two days, a week, two weeks, one month, two months went by, and there was still no sign of the four's return, making those waiting for them restless, wondering if the group of talented youngsters had unfortunately fallen.
After all, tribulations were not something cultivators chose to undergo lightly, as even the best genius could fall while undergoing their own tribulation.
Honestly, even Gregorov was starting to harbor some doubts.
With how confident the four were, with each triggering their Tribulation one after the other, it should have merely taken a month to go through everything before returning here.
But now, it was already two and a half months later, and there was still no sign of their return, bringing a surge of apprehension to his heart.
After a brief contemplation, he decided to wait one more month before going to investigate their situation.
Fortunately, the wait only lasted two more weeks before he sensed the Void shifting before his mountain cave, the energy fluctuations so powerful that Stanislav could barely breathe.
Turning his head toward the source of the energy eruption, he saw four familiar silhouettes, with one man and three women, all impossibly attractive and with Aura so vast that even the Extinguishing Hall's Bright Star Branch Hall Master paled in comparison.
Recalling the fact that the man in question seemed to be at the Late Void Seed cultivation, Gregorov's mind completely froze until he heard Demian's light-hearted remark.
"Well, it wasn't as easy as we thought, but we made it safe and sound. Sorry for making you wait for us. Still, it's good to see you, Gregorov!"