After everyone had recovered, Mira was the only one who could go out and check the surroundings of the building safely. As it was evident, Zanou's former master was keeping an eye on any of their movements. Not directly, of course, but dozens of glances from various directions made it explicit.
Gael then found himself obliged to have a good conversation with his brother. Zane would certainly ruin everything if he had this task. Gael sighed and faced him... but when the first words were exchanged, it became clear that Zanou seemed to be a completely opposite person from Gael.
Gael tried to be gentle... but the response was sarcastic. Gael tried to be incisive... but Zanou replied like a typical arrogant young master.
'This idiot has become extremely malicious, spoiled, and does whatever he pleases,' Gael thought incredulously. 'It's more like he is Zane's twin brother now.'
'Quiet. I'm not a scared idiot who lets himself be controlled by an old bastard,' Zane mentally retorted.
Gael didn't know how to proceed; he and Zane didn't get along in any way, and this brother followed a very similar line. Leaving Zane to handle this was a recipe for disaster. In this moment of reflection, even though Gael had no expression on his face, Mira gently positioned herself beside them to help. She seemed to sense their needs.
Zanou, who had an extremely cold expression, suddenly changed. Gael felt a bit awkward and looked to the side, seeing Mira giving a smiling look to both of them.
Zane then commented sarcastically, 'Looks like the twin brother got swapped. He has this lolicon inclination just like you. Just talk about little girls, and you'll get along automatically; how lucky!'
'I don't have those inclinations!' Gael made a point to deny it.
With Mira there, everything seemed easier. Zanou finally answered the questions with some seriousness. When Gael spoke about Zanou's physical condition and his stolen life force, Zanou seemed to already know about it. Mira was the only one shocked. Only later did Zane and Gael hear about the Montide girls with the elder.
Gael sighed and spoke calmly. "It's not impossible to replenish your life force. It just takes a bit of luck and knowledge. I don't know why you accepted this, but you don't need to anymore."
Gael wanted to tell Zanou to be obedient, but a young master's ego was difficult to handle. It was better for him to think he was in control. The good thing was that he seemed to hear Mira, so they just needed to use that to their advantage.
Soon, Zanou began to tell more about this place. The elder, who was his former master, was named Dyen. He was someone extremely old in the sect. Despite having superficial cultivation and being stagnant for a long time, he managed to survive in that place by creating favors and bonds.
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Within the Vital Yin Sect, there were two distinct groups of elders, which were like heaven and Earth. The first group consisted of hundreds of the main elders, practically spending all their time inside the black tower cultivating. This was a unique benefit of this sect, as it had three towers: one dedicated to the patriarch, another to the elders, and the last to the young disciples.
This division was the likely cause of no other sect coming close to comparing with the Vital Yin Sect; if their elders fought together, they were as strong as the patriarchs of others. The Bloodthirsty Light Sect and the Sect of the Infernal God were forced to share one of their two towers with the patriarch and the elders, which considerably reduced the available Yin Qi among them.
The tower exclusively separated for the disciples was something essential for all three sects. In the past, it had been tested to divide the disciples' tower, but it resulted in a decrease in the cultivation level and talent of the young ones, causing disastrous consequences. Thus, it became a consensus that disciples should have a tower just for them.
The second group of elders of the Vital Yin Sect consisted of old people who were not talented enough or were too old to cultivate. They didn't have a chance in the black tower, and Dyen was part of this group; in the distant past, he had been considered a talent. However, in an adventure, he ended up surrounded by common cultivators and, to survive, burned all his life force.
As a result, in a short time, Dyen became stuck in cultivation. Currently, after hundreds of years, he recruits private disciples, offering them many benefits. In return, at the slightest mistake, he sucks the life out of that disciple. That's why Zanou, born in a small village in the north of the continent, willingly accepted.
Dyen studied for a long time a way to heal himself, and even though he couldn't, he developed many different uses for life energy. He even has a technique developed by him.
"My master... Dyen has many eyes watching us. It will be very difficult to escape him. How do you plan to cultivate like this? Are you stupid?" Zanou spoke seriously, with a trembling look.
"How can you call yourself a cultivator if you're afraid of a pathetic old bastard?" Zane intervened sharply. "Look at Mira. Can you feel any fear in her? That's the confidence that, even though weaker now, she can overcome this obstacle."
Zanou fell silent; he wanted to retort but couldn't, with Mira looking at him with pity. Gael sighed mentally, seeming to understand a bit. Zanou desired power but lacked confidence in himself for it. He only saw an opportunity with Dyen offering many benefits and seized it. This young master's attitude is just a reflection of his lack of confidence.
'What a troublesome brother... but this lack of confidence must be a consequence of having died at our hands in the past. We have to be patient and treat him without violence for now.' Gael commented, trying to calm Zane.
Zanou then clenched his fists and spoke. "You... we're dual cultivators. All my women were taken by my master before, and I have no way to cultivate without them. As for you... you still have it. I don't know how someone so young..."
Crack!
Zanou flew uncontrollably and hit the wall violently. Gael couldn't hold back and punched him with all his fury.
"She's our disciple, you bastard. She only holds the title of forge because it was convenient. How can you think I'd do something with someone so young?" Gael took a deep breath, calming himself. He didn't want to be called a lolicon by his own brother... Well, his brother wasn't someone from Earth, so he didn't even know what a lolicon meant.
Zane didn't lose the chance. 'Why so angry? He just felt the compatibility between you two.'
'Screw you!' Gael retorted.
Zanou stood up furiously, but Mira's eyes reminded him of the beating he had taken in the black tower before. He was weak...
Mira then spoke softly, calming the situation. "Just be a good pet. Obey without complaining, and master will treat you well."
Gael mentally thanked her for finally saying that. If Gael dared to say it so directly, Zanou's ego would explode violently, but Mira saying it didn't have a significant impact. Zanou just lowered his head, and it seemed like he understood his fate.
***
In the middle of the night, three silent figures left Celestial Abyss City without attracting much attention.
This was a separate world from the evil cultivators; there was no need for guards in the city. So Mira, Zanou, and Goku simply left and descended the large cliff, out of the sight of any elder.