The words stabbed into Has-Tai’s very soul and stopped him in his tracks. His inferiority complex towards his sisters were indescribable. He was the first son of the sect leader and after finally achieving the King Domain after over nine hundred years of harsh training, he thought he was going to be the sect leader next in line after his father.

However, a few centuries ago his own mother passed away since she was merely in the Heaven Domain and his father remarried a while after. Fifteen years ago his father’s second wife bore him twin daughters. At first it was no big deal until it was discovered that they had special bodies. He who come from a special bloodline couldn’t awaken its abilities since it has been diluted over countless generations. It’s hard to differentiate between special bloodlines and special bodies in terms of capabilities since each abilities granted is different. There is also a complex grading systems. However, these girls definitely got above average special bodies since they could perform lightning arts that takes centuries for experts to master without trying. Lightning Elemental Mutation is one such example.

Since his father is close to breaking into the Emperor Domain and has a few thousands of years left, it is unlikely he would succeed him because the girls would definitely overtake him within a few centuries. It looked like fortune smiled upon him when his father was poisoned and the girls went missing a few years ago but that didn’t last. The girls miraculously came back with a divine medicine that cured their father when no doctors could a few weeks ago. Then his father fell ill again recently but a mysterious stranger cured him easily out of nowhere.

“What are you proposing?” Has-Tai asked coldly after reconsidering.

“Simple, help me get rid of this guest and I’ll tell you how to acquire the dagger.”

“Get rid of him? He defeated three elders with ease.” Has-Tai rolled his eyes. If it was easy to get rid of Ryu, he would have done it himself.

“We can hire someone else to do the job. I just need access to the treasury.” Leia explained.

“Hire someone else…?” Has-Tai hesitated. “That’s out of the question, besides the treasury is guarded too well. Even I can’t access it alone.”

“I’m sure you will find a way. I just need twenty million gold coins.”

“Twenty million? Are you kidding me? Who are you hiring? Hahaha. We might have that amount for traveling purposes but even I won’t go that far. Let’s go elders.” Has-Tai once again changed his mind. She was demanding the impossible, he wouldn’t go as far as cripple the sect he’s trying to succeed.

“Sigh. It would be so much easier if you just complied.” Leia said as her eyes turned purple. The tent suddenly became sealed under an oppressive force of Qi. Has-Tai’s group didn’t know how to react, they didn’t think Leia would have such power.

“What do you think you are–” Has-Tai was stopped mid-sentence. An indiscernible unknown force has invaded his body and made him immobile. Similarly two other elders beside him are also under the same situation. An invasive Qi travel through their Qi channels in reverse and took control of their Qi resevoirs.

“You… what do you think you are doing?” Elder Gu exclaimed as he resisted. He had the highest cultivation amongst the group and reacted before the foreign Qi invaded too deep.

“I no longer have any use for you. Bringing this young fool over was your last task.” Leia gave her hand another twirl and more invisible threads descended upon him. The pressure was beyond what Elder Gu could handle and he instantly spat out a stream of blood as his resistance has been shattered.

“You…! We… had a deal…” Elder Gu gasped as control of his body got wrested away. His face had a look of disbelief, how did no one notice how powerful the wife was of Elder Gon was?

“Foolish men, why would I share a weapon with an essence with you? I’ve waited a century for this opportunity.” She sneered at them. With a wave of her hand, the elders within her tent all kneeled down. They were completely submissive to her.

So she’s the perpetrator. Ryu slowly retreated from underground carefully. Even if the Enchantment is keeping him hidden, he still needs to be careful. This was the first time he had a close look at her through his second vision from underground. He could see her Qi reservoir was in a gaseous state meaning she was indeed in the Emperor Domain but it looked like a small flame that could go out any moment. That explains why her power fluctuated during her fight with Ryu. After a safe distance, Ryu instantly reappeared in front of sect leader Cro-La’s tent. There were six seed disciples guarding on the outside.

“Senior Cro-La, would you like to go on a stroll with me?” Ryu asked as he entered after knocking. He noticed there were two more disciples inside.

“Now? I actually need to speak to the elders regarding today’s incident.” Cro-La said as he flipped through a few pieces of paper.

“Senior Cro-La, would you like to go on a stroll with me?” Ryu asked again in a higher tone as he made a face. Ryu couldn’t tell who was controlled since the controlling threads came from a specialization and doesn’t function like typical Qi techniques so his special vision can’t pick it up. He could spread his aura out but that would tip Leia off.

“Well I suppose I could rearrange my meetings.” Cro-La said slowly as he caught on. He quickly told one of the disciples inside the tent to reschedule.

“While you are at it, why don’t we visit the treasury first? Remember I needed that map?” Ryu said as he slowly drew a few words in mid-air with Qi. He made sure to draw it at an angle only Cro-La could see.

“I already had–” Cro-La was about to say someone had already brought it to Ryu but stopped after reading Ryu’s written words.

I have found the culprit. Please play along. I’ll explain later.

Cro-La was shocked, how did Ryu discover the culprit so fast? Nevertheless Ryu was someone who had inherited from the Drunken Master, he had complete faith in Ryu. This was because back in the days when he was traveling around the continent, he was saved by Drunken Master Du-Bai during a struggle against an underground organization. The Drunken Master is an eccentric being that couldn’t be tracked down but his heroic reputation speaks for itself. Many evildoers would shiver when they hear someone mention Du-Bai, this was because Du-Bai had eliminated many evil organizations singlehandedly.

“Ah right the map, well follow me. I’ll take you there right away. You there, let the elders know that I’ll be out on business with our honorable guest for a day. Inform Elder Gon and trouble him to look after things while I’m gone.”

Cro-La led Ryu right out and was followed by two disciple servants. He gave Ryu a quizzical look but didn’t question his intentions. They arrived at a tent guarded by four elders a minute afterwards. These elders were all in the mid-King Domain, part of the core elders. From Ryu’s observation the Raging Thunder Sect brought along around ten core elders and thirty regular ones.

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“Sect leader.” The four guardians quickly bowed and allowed them passage. Usually only a few people are permitted inside the treasury, most elders can’t even get entry themselves. However, Ryu was an esteemed guest of their sect leader so he was allowed entry without question. He was also accompanied by the sect leader himself, what could he possibly steal at this point? After a few minutes, Cro-La and Ryu came out with a map in his hand and said, “Shall we?”

The two of them flew off into the distance in two blue streaks of lightning. A few disciples that managed to see them take off could only gawk at them with dumbfounded expressions. Lighting users are already much faster than other types of practitioners and these two were King Domain experts so naturally their speeds are frightening.

They both knew that it was pointless to return so soon so they decided to stretch their legs a bit. Sect leader Cro-La’s aura was sharp as a blade and he pieced through the skies head first like natural lightning. He traversed the sky in a jagged line, leaving behind a stripe of volatile blue aura. The interesting fact was that every few intervals there would be a huge burst in speed as if a new lightning had boomed out from the sky.

Ryu on the other hand had both hands behind his back, he looked as if he was walking in mid-air. Each he step he took covered tens of meters and illusionary afterimages would appear behind him. He was experimenting with a combination of two skills. Using Riding the Eight Dragons from the Drunken Dragon Fist to lay down Qi tracks in the air, he then uses Hundred Phantoms from the Merciless Tiger to propel himself forward. He is not at the point where he can lay down Qi tracts fast enough to perform the Vanishing White Flash from the Merciless Tiger which allows him to run at phenomenal speed in a straight line on ground.

Although the two were neck to neck in speed, they still praised each other in their hearts. Cro-La couldn’t believe that Ryu could glide through the air as if he is taking a stroll at such speed. In reality Ryu actually couldn’t keep up without it. The only flight skill he has is from the Eternal Phoenix, Subjugating the Nine Heavens, but he had no time to try it out and it could only be used with fire Qi.

After a few minutes, they had passed over a dozen kilometers. As they slowly turned around, Ryu told him a part of his plan and what he discovered. They flashed back in the same manner. This time Ryu took charge as he motioned Cro-La to follow him. Just before they returned back to the sect, Ryu cladded them in Enchantments.

As the sect leader of the Raging Thunder Sect, he naturally recognized what Ryu was doing. He couldn’t help but be amazed at the restrictive seal that contained his Qi. Enchanting was the most common of the Seven Lost Professions but it is still rare for a cultivator to be able to use it. The sect leader before him had spent millions of gold coins just to get an Enchanter to lay down basic Enchantments that’ll go off if intruder comes.

Also for a user to use both lightning and earth Qi, two opposing types of Qi by nature, speaks highly of Ryu’s achievements and talent. Cro-La was solely trained in the lightning element. The Qi within his reservoir was purely lightning Qi, it would be impossible for him to practice another element at this point unless he cripples his own cultivation and start again from scratch.

Ryu took out a crystal from his pocket, it was linked to another crystal he had left in the treasury. The crystal was angled from a top shelf so they had a clear view of the whole tent. A single figure walked into the tent containing all gold and treasures that the sect took for this journey. Within the tent were a few shelves containing some a few weapons, chests and a few storage rings. Cro-La gasped as he recognized who it was, it was his sister in-law.

“Each time I come here, the amount gets pathetically smaller.” Leia’s figure could be seen going through a few chests. She was clearly frustrated, the storage rings containing the real goods were sealed so stealing them would be pointless. She went through the drawers but only herbs and medicines were found. They were still a decent amount of cultivating materials, Ryu wondered why she didn’t take interested in those.

“Ah!” Leia exclaimed as she opened one of the chest. Enclosed inside has what looks like an ordinary glass container containing a plain dagger with a bare wooden handle. The curvy foot long blade was rustic and chipped in a few places. However for all its bland design, the dagger would still catch anyone’s eye. A stream of orange aura starts from the hilt of the blade and flows upwards to the tip before disappearing then another stream of aura flows upwards again. One could tell that this was no ordinary dagger. She greedily slammed her hand down on the surrounding glass and it trembled.

Actually the glass container is a spatial cube Ryu made out of Enchanting and the dagger inside was one from Alexis’s collection. It contained no essence but still had a source of Qi embedded by its maker to enhance its capabilities.

“What do you think you are doing Leia?” An overbearing and frosty voice echoed around the tent as a short muscular figure stepped in. It was Elder Gon and behind him followed the four original elders that were guarding the tent.

“So glad you could join us, it’s an honor to see you take time off training.” She replied sarcastically without turning her back. Elder Gon’s face distorted with anger upon the disrespect his wife showed him. The four elders suddenly pounced on Elder Gon out of the blue as he was about to step forward. This caught him off-guard but he still managed to defend himself against his assailants. Leia smirked to herself as she snapped her fingers and activated her specialization. A dozen dark threads descended upon Elder Gon as he fends off the four elders attacking him.

A loud rumbling could be heard that shuddered the whole camp, Ryu and Cro-La appeared together in one streak of rippling lightning that vaporized the roof of the treasury tent. With their combined might, the black threads disintegrated into ashes. Not stopping there, as Ryu flew head first towards Leia he aimed one of his palms forward and a deadly apparition of a hand descended. Leia already sensed danger and already fled outwards to the open.

This was a variation of the Bale White Claw from the Merciless Tiger. Ryu couldn’t unleash the original skill due to its destructive prowess that would injure bystanders so he formed a smaller palm strike instead to restrain her. As the invisible force descended, Leia was forced to kneel into the earth but she held her head high and gave deathly glares to her opponents. Elder Gon had managed to subdue the elders under control sent to restrain him.

“It’s over.” Cro-La said sternly as he looked at her with pitiful eyes. He couldn’t understand why she was doing this.