The dust gradually settled. His spiritual sense was right, nothing remained of the ancient city except a deep crater. Even the castle he had recently summoned had been wiped away. That could only mean that the shot had been as strong as Silver Mask's attack that took down the castle gate in a previous loop.

His heart pounded harder. With one plane, the invaders could annihilate the whole continent from above without setting a foot on the ground.

They could kill anyone whenever they wanted, and the inhabitants of the capital were only left alive so they could be used in some way.

To think there was such a ship...

As he observed the plane with his eyes and spiritual sense, he suddenly saw two men coming out of it through what looked like a metallic door. One moment they were up there and the next moment they were right in front of him.

Abdin took a step back.

They looked human like him, with no horns or tails on them. But he could feel they weren't like him. They were different, so different that they felt strange. It was probably their scent.

"There are no powers of such level on this continent," one of them said.

"Yes, that's what the investigation shows. But here he is before us," the other replied.

They exchanged some cryptic looks before turning to Abdin.

"What's your name?" They asked.

Abdin gave a sadistic smile but didn't reply. He was imagining how he would torture them and make them spew out all they knew.

One of them brought out a stone tablet from his pocket and placed it over his mouth.

Abdin's face darkened. This was the same tablet used by the old man just moments before they attacked the capital. Did they think he would let them do it again?

Well, instead of wasting his time talking with them, he would just enter the ship and torture everyone inside to get the information himself.

Such a ship wouldn't lack information. And if he was lucky to be able to control it, then he could use it to up the game.

He transformed into a lightning bolt and disappeared only to reappear in front of the two men.

His body which was now a bolt of lightning had taken the shape of a castle. A closer look at it could show the outline of a castle gate and a towering wall surrounding the whole structure. It was a domineering bolt of lightning that seemed to be pulsating with life.

It engulfed the two men even before they could react. A thick pillar of lightning erupted and connected the skies to the ground.

And then it was gone. Only Abdin remained when the dust settled.

He frowned. The men died as soon as the lightning touched them. Perhaps, he had used too much force... Or maybe they were just too weak.

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[You have lost nine years of pol.]

He sighed. This meant he would have lost eighteen years or more without the help of Yunus' soul.

He thought about the whole scenario. The ship was too mysterious and the men died too quickly.

He released his spiritual sense and searched around. There was no one nearby. Was it a trap?

He flew toward the ship, his eyes alert and his cultivation fully activated. Any suspicious movement and he would be ready to disappear.

Nothing happened even after he stood near the ship. He used his spiritual sense and combed through it.

His frown deepened. There was no one inside the ship. Had the two men been the only passengers?

He stood there staring at the hatch door. They must have had a reason to leave the ship unguarded.

The safest thing for him would be to wait and observe the ship. But others would come if he waited for too long. The recent occurrences and the destruction of the capital were bound to alert those at the helm of these attacks.

He took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door with his foot. The door swung open and the inside became visible.

The hatch door was metallic, but the hulk wasn't. It was made of something that resembled fresh wood, but it wasn't wood either upon closer look. The whole thing was emitting some kind of bizarre scent.

Abdin drew his sword and swung at the door. A metallic sound arose but the ship remained unscathed.

He moved closer and struck the ship's hulk. It gave the dull sound of metal on stone this time, the ship was still unscathed.

From this simple exchange, he realized the wood-like thing was sturdier than the metallic door. It was much heavier as well. A simple sword attack couldn't scratch it.

He sighed and peered into the ship. The inside gleamed as if everything had been new.

There was a saloon with chairs and three cabins on the side. The cockpit stood at the far end. The ship was empty and there was no sign that anyone had been there lately.

Abdin took a step forward. It was dangerous but he could get a lot from stepping into the ship.

Eventually gathering his courage, he took a step with his right foot and went inside.

He stood there for some seconds with a foot set in at the threshold, waiting to see if he could trigger some traps. But nothing happened.

He took a deep breath and strode to the cockpit. Halfway there, he halted and searched around again. There was still nothing.

He shook his head and closed the distance, totally unaware that the hatch had closed itself the moment he stepped into the cockpit.

The cockpit had a glass front wall to aid in visibility. But that was all there was to it. It was an empty compartment. Not even a seat for the pilot.

Abdin frowned.

He left the cockpit. He would check the three cabins. Maybe the secrets of the ship were kept there.

There was a bunk in the first cabin. Only the bunk was there, with no mirror, wardrobe, or even a table.

At the second cabin was a table, but there was no bunk. Only the table was there.

And the third contained a mirror. Only a mirror. It hangs on the wall like a corpse that had been lonely for eternity.

Abdin returned to the saloon still frowning. What kind of ship was this?

He sat on a chair and looked around. He could see that a bathroom stood at the far end of the saloon. He walked over to take a look. It was like any other bathroom he had seen, and was probably the only thing that looked normal on the ship.

He came to find information and to control it if possible. But that didn't seem to be happening.

He made another round. Everything still looked the same. There was a galley twice the size of the saloon at the back of the ship. But nothing remarkable to distract him.

After a while, he decided to leave and burn down the ship. He needed to be far away from it before others arrive.

He reached the hatch and pulled. The door didn't move an inch. He pressed harder and pulled again. The door remained unshaken.

He used both hands and then added some touch of pol. Still, the door remained tight.

He swung and hit the hatch with his sword. However, the situation didn't change.

It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't lock the hatch behind him. Who locked it then? Hadn't he been alone on the ship?

He quickly transformed into a bolt of lightning and exploded with the full power of his cultivation.

He would burn everything down from the inside. It was better to be safe than sorry.

But in the next moment after the explosion, he found himself on a bunk. He looked around with a deep frown. What happened? Why was he there?

He studied the room. It was the first of the three cabins.