"There is nothing interesting here!" Pef complained after touring the Red Realm for the second time.

'What did you expect? This Realm is meant for Sky and Emperor ranks, to train and gather some resources. And you're not 15 years old anymore.' the glove answered with its characteristic caustic wisdom.

Pef sighed and took a last glance around. The realm was beautiful as a painting, a land of lakes and mountains, forests and grassland, with the occasional beast or low-energy minerals or plants.

It was also rather tame, especially if he compared it with the forests beyond the Wall of the Blue continent of his youth.

"Oh well. Perhaps Orange Realm will be more exciting..." he muttered and flashed towards the realm gate, then stepped through with curiosity.

The orange sands beyond the portal did remind him of home once more. However, a short scan with his core senses revealed a much less dangerous land than the Orange continent of Lacrima. Not even a single giant locust swarm...and not even a single Soul Poison snake.

He did instead find a trio of Saint ranked cultivators, hidden under a clever masking array, beside a blue water oasis. Pef nodded to himself, as a source of water did make a fine ambush place, for beasts and humans alike.

"Hmmm. Pretty sure these guys are those Autumn disciples. Now, where is..." Pef murmured to himself, just as a young woman stepped through the portal and flew away, indigo hair fluttering in the warm wind.

Pef shrugged and took out a wine gourd, then sipped a little godwine, still cloaked by his special ability called the Indigo Cloak. Sadly, most Saints and all God Tiers were able to detect him through this cloak, so it was becoming less useful. Perhaps he might find a better stealth skill somewhere, as this new universe did have a large number of sects or auction halls.

He lazily flew after Sister Yue, and enjoyed the godwine. Sadly, even the diluted wine was almost all gone, after a hundred years of sharing the godwine with his wives and lead Legion commanders. Cultivation resources were always a hard bottleneck for any large organization, especially once they reached higher ranks.

Of course, the Legion did have its special ace, the ability to refine the qi of their dead enemies, but he suspected that the poor treatment that the Veritas Legion received in this new universe was precisely related to this. Demonic cultivators, devils and beasts all devoured the flesh and souls of their prey for cultivation, but it was not an accepted method among the orthodox cultivators.

The Saints just laughed and exchanged amused smiles. "No, little girl. The Mausoleum is a separate space and not even your powerful grandpa can sense anything in here. Nobody will know where you have disappeared...it happens." one of them explained with a grin.

"...Really?" Pef wondered out loud, and flew closer to the show.

"...Who?" a trio of panicking voices asked, looking around and preparing weapons.

"You thought your plan was perfect and chose a good ambush place...however..." Pef said with a smirk, then turned towards the ambush victim. "What a coincidence, Miss Yue. To think we would meet in the Orange Realm, and be able to fight together against the vanguard of your enemies!"

"...It's you?" the woman muttered with visible surprise, then turned her attention towards the attackers. The statue in her hand flashed trice, and three heads rolled down onto the sand, followed by a red trio of artesian and arterial showers.

'Her grandpa must be an Elder God, to store his sword intent as a disposable weapon. That statue only has a single charge remaining, now.' the glove warned Pef just as he was about to speak.

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Pef sighed and rethinked his plans on the spot. Some damsels were indeed harder to save than others.

"My name is Pef, Miss Yue. Come, let me cook something for dinner, while you think about who knew you would be here, alone." he said in a soft voice, then landed a hundred meters away beside the water.

In a minute, his cooking tools were all prepared and he was already slicing vegetables, while on the side a silk umbrella shaded a pair of foldable bone chairs and a granite table.

Still holding the statue out, the Monarch disciple floated at a safe distance observing his cooking skills with some bewilderment.

"Were you hired by my Grandfather?" Yue asked as the divine smells assaulted her senses, especially as thin slices of voidbeast meat were being grilled and painted with spices.

Pef turned for a second, and flashed his fold anchor badge. "Unless his name is Mu Feng, then no."

At once, the young woman landed beside him and bowed. "My apologies, Lord Pef. I didn't know you were of the Imperial Army..."

He sighed and began setting the table, then poured a glass of voidwine for his guest. "Sit and eat, Miss Yue. And, I am not directly a subordinate of Lord Mu Feng. I believe we can be called allies, of a sort."

Then he waited until the dinner was over and his target sipped from the voidwine, before explaining further.

"Did you figure out who sold you out?" Pef asked to make sure.

"...My Senior Sister. When I return..." she began grumbling in her wine glass.

Pef leaned gently and flicked her forehead. "Think deeper, Miss Yue. You really believe a single Monarch rank disciple can orchestrate your kidnapping, right under the watch of your Sect Elders and even your esteemed Grandfather?"

The young woman rubbed her forehead with a deep blush. "It doesn't seem possible, is it?"

"High tier divinities had to be involved, to obscure your karma and their agents too. Expensive bribes to Army officials, to avoid their ships searched. Formations for cloaking, information about the Mausoleum and of course, backup in case of failure. They will have more agents coming, especially since you killed these three and their soul-slips got broken." Pef explained as he sipped his own wine, and maintained a careful watch for more attackers.

Sister Yue glanced sheepishly at her jade statue and stored it back into her ring. "It seems I am in need of saving after all, Mister Pef. Sorry." she murmured with a shy voice.

'There is only a Tier 3 Elder involved. Nice save though.' the glove commented with glee.

'That we know of. There might be others, depending on why they want her.' Pef answered inward, his core senses scanning the woman beside him once more.

Whatever the indigo aura's purpose , it wasn't easily discerned.

"So, why would these Autumn guys be after you, Miss Yue? Perhaps the indigo?" he asked curious.

The woman drained her wine glass for courage, then stared right back at him. "Grandfather said it won't matter until I become a High God. Or unless I enter the Indigo Realm...here."

Pef blinked and then glanced towards the next portal, a couple of hot deserts away. "Yellow and Green realms won't be a problem. But, it would be hard to keep you alive in the Blue realm. As for Indigo...I won't last long either."

However, the woman's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Really, we can actually reach the Indigo realm?"

"...For a few seconds, maybe..." Pef grumbled a bit worried.

"Yes! Please take me, Mister Pef!" Sister Yue pleaded with stars in her eyes.

Pef sighed and gulped his wine. "... I don't work for free."

"Please, I'll do anything!" she pleaded while grabbing his hand.

"...Sure." he said after a minute. He was heading that way anyway.