A group of five cultivators were flying through the air at an incredible speed. They all had grim faces on as they pushed their cultivation to the limits. When the people they passed saw them, they all hurriedly made way for them. These all people were in the Saint Realms. Two were at the Peak Heavenly Saint Realm, two were at the Early Earthly Saint Realm and one was an Early Stage Saint Realm. Wheat made the observing people puzzled was that all of the other Saints were following the Early Stage Saint’s orders. What’s more, he seemed to be a young boy. The boy was Curo. As they flew through the air with grim faces, a voice entered his head, “Captain, when we arrive, there should already be several other Squads that have arrived before us. If they can stall for enough time, more and more people will be able to arrive.”
Hearing this, Curo glanced backwards towards a middle aged man. He nodded his head and sent a transmission back, “However, this is the first time that the Nine Clans utilized such a large force for an attack. We best be careful.” The man nodded his head and kept pace with Curo. They all looked at him with complex gazes. When they were first assigned to him, they had thought that it was a joke.
Two Heavenly Saints and two Earthly Saints had to listen to the orders of a Saint Realm Junior. For his age, the cultivation truly was shocking, however, it was a matter of pride to them. They had not followed his orders, they had always contradicted him and belittled him. However, to their surprise, Curo didn’t fight them.
He didn’t try to throw around his identity, neither did he try to persuade him. He gave an order and just observed. Finally, one of the Heavenly Saints couldn’t take it any more and asked, “Why are you not fighting back? You were assigned as the Leader but no one listens and no one cares about anything you say!” Curo had just responded with cold eyes, “No use caring for a dead man.”
Hearing this, the four people were angered but before they could pressure him, Curo looked up. His eyes were cold as he was staring in one certain direction. At one moment a Halberd appeared in his hands and the four were puzzled. However, when they swept their Divine Sense out in that direction, their faces changed. Heading towards them was a squad of ten Saints, compromised of 4 Heavenly Saints and 6 Earthly Saints.
While the four lost their calm and started making plans for fleeing, Curo just looked at the four and sighed. Hearing this sigh, the four looked at Curo with a serious expression. Before any one could ask anything, countless runes appeared around Curo. With a ridiculing look he said, “Those guys have been chasing after us for the better part of the month now. However, none of you had the brains to even keep a look out of your surroundings.”
Curo then stabbed the halberd into the ground and clasped his palms together. The runes started rotating in mysterious ways and when Curo opened his eyes, the runes shattered and enveloped the area in 100 km radius with hazy grey mist. Seeing this mist, the four were dumbstruck, their Divine Sense could not go past a meter ahead. For the Heavenly Sovereigns, two meters was the absolute limit. Since the hazy mist obscured vision, sealed their Divine Sense, they could do nothing but gulp. Just as they wanted to ask Curo about what their plan was, Curo’s voice entered their minds, “You idiots just sit there. After I kill all of these people, we will head back to the Academy and you can be reassigned to another Squad.”
Hearing this, they felt their scalps tingle. “Kill them all?” As this thought entered their heads, a complex emotion appeared on their faces as they looked at each other. For an Early Stage Saint to go around saying he would kill Earthly and Heavenly Saints like they were mere mortals, wasn’t that impossible? Unless the person had hit their head and lost all sense of fear, they had no idea where Curo had taken this courage from. One of the Heavenly Saints then grit his teeth and said used Curo’s Qi thread as a bridge to send his message, “I will help you. If we die, we die, if not, at least I can be a part of a miracle.”
Hearing this man, Curo paused for a moment. It wasn’t that he didn’t need help but he hadn’t expected them to offer it. Curo then pondered for a moment before his hands flashed again and the man could see around himself clearly. When he saw that Curo was standing about ten meters away from the pursuers but they could not see or sense him.
Curo then looked at the man and asked coldly, “Do you truly wish to take part in this battle?” The man gave a reluctant nod and Curo then asked, “Do you have any Artefacts or Arts that specialize in sneak attacks?” The man’s eyes lit up as he nodded his head and produced a small emerald green dagger. Curo nodded his head and with a wave of his hand, a set of black flying needles appeared all around him. Curo then said to the man, “We will do it like this, I will create an opening with my needles and you try to assassinate anyone you can.”
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The man then nodded his head seriously as he sat down and focused solely on controlling the small blade. Curo then sent out the flying needles and the group was immediately prepared to defend against them. However, they had no idea of the dagger that crept in the shadows of those needles. It didn’t take long before the two managed to kill this ten man squad. However, what made the man feel shock and dread was that Curo had actually managed to kill 3 of the Heavenly Saints and 4 of the Earthly Saints with his needles. Those needles were extremely weird and the man just presumed that they were covered in deadly poison. When a needle as much as grazed a person, a small black flame would remain and soon engulf the person. They tried to do everything they could do put these flames out but none of them succeeded. This caused the man to re evaluate Curo.
Of course he had heard the rumours about him but like anyone else that hadn’t seen him in action, he thought these rumours were over exaggerated. However, when he saw Curo in action himself, he could do nothing but suck in a deep breath and think to himself, “Those rumours weren’t over exaggerated at all, rather, they were underestimating him quite severely. Seeing the man’s reaction, Curo smiled coldly. He knew what was on the man’s mind but instead of clearing anything up he asked flatly, “Are you going to follow my orders now?”
The man nodded without missing a beat. Curo was probably hiding even more cards up his sleeve. This was merely a sneak attack however, from the actions he took, from how fluent they were, it was as if they were practised. Sensing this, the man hesitated for a moment and wanted to ask something before Curo said, “There was a group or two I would take care of each week. However, you guys have always been too conceited. You seem to forget, on a battlefield, honour, prestige, lineage mean nothing.” Hearing this, the man was startled but without skipping a beat, he rejoined the three that were still fumbling around in the fog.
Curo glanced at them coldly and said, “Now, we will return to the Academy to get a bit of rest and turn in our Merits.” Hearing this, the three were shocked. “Does this mean that the pursuers were taken care of already?” As this thought entered their minds, the Heavenly Saint from before arrived as well. However, with a determined expression he stood half a meter behind Curo. He didn’t stand next to him or in front of him.
This shocked the three more as they were perplexed on what had happened in the fog. The man then said, “When we arrive at the Academy, you can put in your requests for transfer to another Squad.” Hearing this, the three were even more confused on what had happened. From his tone, wording and bearing, ti was obvious that he would not put in a transfer request. When they saw him glancing at Curo with respect and dread in his eyes, they were at a loss for words. They decided amongst themselves that they would ask the man what had happened in the fog.
However, just as Curo had said that, his Identity Medallion lit up and when he sent some Qi into it, his face turned grim. He waved his sleeve and said, “There is a large scale attack on the Celestial Phoenix Academy’s citadel half a days worth of travel from here. Everyone who are not injured or not stationed anywhere are to immediately head there the fastest speed possible as reinforcements.” Hearing this order, the four people turned serious. Curo looked up and said, “If we hurry, we can reach it in half a day. If anyone has a Movement Artefact that could carry us all, then maybe sooner.”
All four however dejectedly shook their heads. Curo sighed as well and said, “Let’s go then. A battle of this magnitude won’t end in a day or two.” Hearing this, the other’s nodded their heads as they followed Curo. When they took flight, they immediately sent probing questions to the Heavenly Saint that had become obedient all of a sudden. With a complex gaze, he asked Curo for permission first. Curo nodded his head, indicating that he was free to do as he pleased. When the man narrated the entire tale, the three were dumbfounded. When they thought back to his identity, they could accept him having some sort of a marvelous Artefact and Art. With his backing, it would not be hard to get access to such a deadly poison.
However, the man shook his head as he said, “Those needles, they weren’t Artefacts but created out of Qi and a special Flame. Although I do not know what Flame it is for certain, considering his Lineage and the description of the Flame in the records, I assume it is the Nether Flame of the Jing Clan of Ancient Times.” Hearing this, the three’s hearts skipped a beat. The gazes they used on Curo now turned extremely complex.
The Nether Flame was known as the Undying Flame. It would burn for forever if need be but it would burn it’s target. Only Saint Realm and Sovereign Realm members of the Jing Clan could use the Flame but…. Only a Sovereign could forcefully dispel a Saint Realm’s Flame. However, if they got hit by a Sovereign Realm Experts Flame, they could only hope that they got hit in an arm or leg. Something that they could immediately cut off before the fire spread.
That was the only way to counter the Nether Flame. There was no way to seal it as it would burn the Sealing Formation and there was no way counter act it with Ice and Water. When the three now looked at Curo, they truly could understand why a Heavenly Saint would lower his head in front of him. Being as much as grazed by this Flame would mean their end, so what would happen if they managed to piss him off enough to use it?
As they thought back to their actions and Curo’s words, they understood one thing in horror…. When Curo had said, “No use caring for a dead man.” They had thought that this was a threat, however, now they knew that it was a warning. A warning that if they continued to butt heads with him, he would also take action against them.