Gray slumped to the ground and heaved a great sigh of relief. Weariness came crashing down as the black spiritual energy which had been supporting his body disappeared back into his spiritual sea. He hadn't been prepared for such a fight. There were many moments where death was just a blink away. He had been pushed to the absolute limit and somehow escaped unscathed.

He didn't enjoy the experience at all. He didn't enjoy almost dying, he wasn't crazy. He had to be more careful. He swore he would be better prepared from now on.

The Golden Body of the Bodhi wasn't enough. The heavy gold pickaxe wasn't enough and neither was his unnatural innate strength. What made the difference in the end, like it always had, was his eyes.

The breakthrough he had was beyond lucky. It was as if some kind of heavenly fortune was smiling down on him. But he didn't feel good about it. He couldn't continue to rely on dumb luck, he needed to comprehend the power of darkness and space. He needed to completely master the brand-new secret ability that allowed him to slip into the void and summon it whenever he needed to.

"Gray..." A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

Alisha awoke and stirred slightly. She then groaned in pain and remained still. She was still suffering from deep and severe internal wounds.

"Don't worry. I killed the second demon."

"Father... what happened?" She mumbled weakly.

"Shit!" Gray had completely forgotten about Anand, "Stay still. I'll be right back!"

He found the old man two hills over in the middle of a devastated battlefield. The surrounding tallgrass had been cut down to the roots and only a barren wasteland was left. There were long, deep grooves in the dirt, the result of powerful sword attacks. There were wide craters everywhere where the two combatants had slammed each other into the ground.

Anand laid his back, covered in blood. He was still alive but his breath was weak and shallow. There were several mangled wounds across his body as if something had burst out of his flesh. His condition had finally flared up and it was a gruesome sight.

The first demon was nearby, his face in the dirt, his body bisected at the waist and definitely dead. Gray squatted next to the corpse and turned it over. The demon was frozen in the agony of his dying moment. Gray ripped off a piece of jade-colored cloth to cover the ugly face and rummaged through the pockets.

He found it, the cylindrical instrument the demons had used to see jade through the earth. Upon closer inspection, it was slightly longer than his finger and wide enough for someone to see through. The surface was smooth, metallic, and coated with a layer of black paint. It was open-ended on one side while the other side contained a pitch-black material that was different from its metal shell. He felt familiar strands of black energy and realized with a jolt what it was.

It was void iron!

It was a small piece of void iron, the spiritual metal of the void, the precious metal aligned to the powers of darkness and space. He had finally gotten his hands on a piece after being denied by Xueling many months ago. He should have expected it from the spiritual instrument that could allow someone to see like his eyes but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

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Gray pocketed the small item and tried to rouse Anand. There was no response and he decided not to move Anand since he had such grievous wounds. Instead, he brought Alisha over as well as the corpse of the second demon. She had fallen unconscious again so he didn't wake her. He even went back and found Tang and the other dead Duanmu Clan elder.

By the time he was done gathering everyone together, he heard the rumble of hooves. A squad of mounted town guards soon appeared followed by a horde of ragged-looking miners. They converged on Gray, yelling and shouting excitedly.

"Gray!"

"We've won!"

"Where's Lord Reddy!"

"The bandits surrendered!"

Harsh Patel arrived first and leaped off his horse. He rushed to check on Anand and Alisha.

“Are they okay?”

“They're alive...” Gray said. "But Anand is in a lot of trouble."

Harsh nodded in agreement and snapped off rapid orders. His guards rushed off to find the doctor and horse carts.

“And the demons?” He asked softly

“You’re not going to ask if I’m okay?” Gray retorted.

“…”

Gray jerked his head towards the two bodies beside him, their heads covered with pieces of cloth to hide their horns. He also pointed out where Tang and the corpse of the other bandit elder was.

"Holy King help me! How are you still standing when Anand and Alisha are like this?" Harsh exclaimed.

Gray laughed at the captain's incredulous expression, "That's my secret. Anyway, what happened with your battle?"

Harsh was about to answer when a small ruckus interrupted their conversation. The battle-worn guards parted and some familiar faces appeared.

“Gray!”

“It’s Foreman Gray!”

“Krish, you’re still alive! You bastard, Huzhi!” Gray laughed.

“Foreman!”

The miners were carrying a haphazard array of weapons, many stolen from bandits. Besides looking rather emaciated, they were all in good spirits.

Everyone was hugging, shouting, and laughing together. The miners were happy to see him and he was also happy to see that they had made it out alive. The guards were happy to see their lord alive despite the wounds.

Gray eventually got the whole story out of them in bits and pieces. Jade Hill Town's army held strong against the initial onslaught of the bandit army. It was a difficult and bloody struggle. The defenders were steadily pushed back all the way until their backs were against the town walls. The difference in numbers was too much to overcome and defeat seemed imminent.

The turning point came when prisoners freed by Anand finally arrived. The miners, a thousand strong, looted the bandit camp for weapons before charging into the enemy's rear. This collapsed the bandit army's will and caused total mayhem. Trapped on all sides by the townsfolk and two sets of trenches, without any sign of support from their first and second elder, it didn't take long for them to give up completely.

"Speaking of which," Harsh spoke up, silencing the others, "We should head back. The situation is still a huge mess. Everyone is waiting for the lord. Even if she is unconscious, we can have you deal with the bandit elders."

"Me?" Gray asked.

"You!" Harsh poked his chest, "You are currently the strongest amongst us. You stood in front of us all this morning. I don't care about whatever rules the Reddy Clan has but here in the Jade Plains, according to the tradition of the Patel Family, you are our leader. So, at least temporarily, you are the Lord of the Jade Plains!"

"That's right!" Huzhi yelled excitedly, "Gray is our foreman, the founder of the King's Mountain Mining Company. He defended Jade Hill Town and contributed greatly to the defeat of the bandit army. Naturally, he is capable of handling this noble responsibility!"

"I agree"

"Foreman Gray!"

"Lord of the Jade Plains!"

Excited shouts from the miners drowned out the remaining doubters.

Even Gray was convinced. He leaped up, his wounds and exhaustion forgotten.

"Alright! Where are the horse carts? Hurry up and treat Anand's wounds! Get these bodies loaded! We're heading back right now!" He bellowed.