Drem’s arm began to expand as Corruption was activated. Many more arms grew out of him as it covered his entire body as if a full-body armor.

Eyes and opened mouths appeared all over it. He could speak and see through them himself. His own eyes hidden behind a layer of armored corruption.

A crown slowly exposed itself on top of his head, piercing slightly out of the corruption armor with the blue jewel shining through.

Thunder and wind began to rage in the surrounding meters.

Ness watched still grinning: “Impressive, indeed. I would have expected nothing less from you, Jin”

Drem made his move first.

He pushed forward at top speed, spear first. At the same time, spears created from corruption were thrown from his armored body.

Ness dodged them all before parrying the spear blow. With a loud metallic sound of collision, both people stopped moving.

As the weapons locked themselves into each other, Ness stated: “I did not come here to fight”

Drem frowned: “Yet here you are, sword in hand”

Ness retorted: “I don’t want to block that spear with my claws…”

They retreated a step before they exchanged many moved.

Pierce, slash, slash, push, pierce, deflect…

Their weapons kept colliding as spiritual energy and elements ran rampant, destroying their surroundings and upturning the ground.

Drem erupted with his full might yet could not do anything to Ness.

After no more than a few minutes, he retreated. Drem’s corruption returned to his arm, the crown vanished and he returned the spear to his spatial ring.

Drem admitted: “You are stronger than me”

Ness noded: “I am at the 59th stage after all”

Drem sighed.

No one could defeat Ness here.

Not even Nangua could though it would likely be quite the fight if they crossed sword. But Nangua did not show up.

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Was he not going to help? Or was there no need to help?

The truth was that Drem believed Ness did not want to harm him. After all, Ness could have ended him and everyone else long ago.

Drem asked: “What are you here for?”

Ness sighed: “It comes down to that again in the end…Well, I sensed it. The fear on you”

Drem frowned: “That can’t be all there is to it”

Ness nodded: “I don’t know about the weak ones but, to us, the higher-leveled demon cultivators, you are special”

Drem continued: “Because of the fear?”

Ness nodded once more: “The ‘Fear’ is something only one eligible to the Throne is allowed to wield. Wait, no, that’s not quite it. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that only those who have grasped the ‘Fear’ can vie for the Throne”

Drem frowned: “I don’t know what you mean”

Ness chuckled as he pointed towards the gigantic pumpkin that served as Nangua’s house: “He did not tell you much, did he?”

Before anything else could be said, a pumpkin grew from the ground a few meters away before it transformed into Nangua.

Nangua bowed at Drem before he carefully stated: “There was not a good timing for it is all, Young Master”

Ness snickered while Jin glared at him.

Nangua coughed, glared at Ness, and then explained: “Young Master, this is a story of old about the Evil and the Celestials. In both factions there was a leading party. On the side of the Celestials was a woman named Liu while on our side was the Grand Master Elive”

“Celestial Liu was famous for having mastered the heavenly element while our Grand Master was known for being the master of Fear itself”

“Each had a few disciples. Celestial Liu cared not for the path her disciples picked but solely for their morals. On the other hand, Grand Master Elive was quite clear about his own disciple’s path. It had to begin with Fear”

“Both managed to find six disciples each and raised them until they became Saints of their own. Both had a very simple goal related to this world. They both wished for the world to prosper. However, they were both from different races”

“A great war happened and both Celestial Liu and Grand Master Elive disappeared. Well, they were sealed together. Since they were their only opponents, they both sacrificed themselves to stop the other”

“But their disciples remained. The Celestials created their order and the Evil faction was born. The Celestials decided to ascend and created laws and order to it so that there would always be at least five Saints on their side”

“The Evil disciples had no interest in ascending and they remain in this world to this day. They each rule of their own element. As rulers, they have been given their own Thrones more as a title than anything else”

“The Nightmare, The Fumes, The Chaos, The Crawler, The Seagull and The Clown”

Nangua stopped here.

Obviously, there was a lot left unsaid. But beyond history, Drem was only curious about where he fell into this. So, he directly asked: “What about me?”

Ness was the one to answer: “The order was given for a new Throne to be created not long ago. Each of the disciples is allowed to push forward one contender for it. Of course, the prerequisite is the mastery of Fear”

Drem quickly reached a guess that sent shivers down his spine.

Ness confirmed it as he got on one knee and stated: “Young Master Jin, The Corrupted, I came here to fight by your side as you thrive for the Throne”

Nangua fell to one knee alongside Ness as he added: “Young Master Jin, The Corrupted, I shall keep following you as I have done until this day”

Jin looked up at the night sky as he sighed.

Regardless of what he did, why did he have to be implicated in bullshit again and again?

Judging from the two’s positions, it was quite unlikely that he had a choice in this matter. He probably could not simply go and say ‘I ain’t joining the fight for this Throne’