Ku Nam and his clansmen took the portal on the bridge and appeared at a random city, behind him; a wave of Jade continent cultivators and some from other worlds. He had known there were quite some cultivators following him to retreat; probably out of instinct. He glanced at his clansmen and they nodded to each other as they stepped away from the now-forming crowd that had started to the gain attention of those in the city. They found open rooms in the city quickly and settled in.

Only when Ku Nam had stepped into the room and sat on the bed did he sigh in relief. He stared down at his shaking hands and chuckled darkly.

"Someone could actually make me tremble," he laughed at himself. The next moment, he looked up at his door.

"How long are you going to stand there?" he asked and the door creaked open to reveal Lady Mai and Ikan De.

"She insisted on coming. One should be worried for your chastity to barge in without warning," Ikan De joked and Ku Nam looked behind him, till footsteps echoing in the hallway revealed Ke Kong.

"You took your time," Ku Nam said.

"You knew I would come,"

"If I were you I would too," Ku Nam answered and the three people stepped inside the room and closed the door.

"If you were me," Ke Kong said and took a seat by the corner.

"You were not delusional to believe that the Ku clan became cowards, right?" Ku Nam said.

"Then why run at such a time? No one knows much about Patriarch Nse's disciple. No one has ever seen his strength. No one has seen him fight. This was a good opportunity!"

"Then you should have stayed and watched. I did not ask you to run," Ku Nam said and Lady Mai glared at Ikan De.

"Why did you leave?" Ikan De asked, "Because no one had ever seen him fight?"

"Yes. No one has seen him fight," Ku Nam nodded.

"How is that of any importance?!" Lady Mai said.

"Shut up if your brain is slow," Ku Nam could no longer stand her voice.

"You," she started to say in anger.

"I heard whispers from those last to enter the portal. They said the screams of a thousand people scared them to death. Those left behind seemed to be screaming their hearts out. Those who dared to turn around said, people dropped like flies behind them," Ke Kong said.

"Are you trying to say he killed them all? Impossible! Even if that energy manipulator is,"

"What about the soul realization cultivators?" Ikan De asked. They continued to ignore her.

"They won't survive," Ku Nam said.

"You know something about him. Many may have forgotten, but during the Heaven alliance meet, your clan came to information that made you careful with him. I need to know," Ke Kong said.

"What will you give me for this information?" Ku Nam smiled slightly.

"Is this a clan secret?"

"No,"

"Then, equal stand when it comes to the boy," Ke Kong said and Ku Nam laughed at this.

"You have already concluded he is dangerous?" he said.

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"Then what do you want?" Ikan De finally spoke.

"Can you speak for your clan?" Ku Nam asked.

"Yes," he answered and Lady Mai frowned.

"She does not seem to agree," he chuckled darkly.

"She will never be the heir. It does not matter," Ikan De said and Lady Mai's eyes grew into saucers.

"You," she started.

"I can speak for my clan," Ke Kong said ignoring her.

"Good. For this information, Your price will be determined by how useful you are at the end," Ku Nam said staring at them deeply.

"Why? Are you not worried we will renegade?" Ikan De raised a brow.

"You won't. My clan will always know more about him than any other," Ku Nam said and they raised a brow.

"Lady Jian," he answered and they did not ask further. Everyone saw that Lady Jian seemed to know patriarch Nse's disciple and he seemed somewhat tolerant of her. That could be to the Ku clan's advantage someday. They might have to come back for more information. Refusing to pay up will not favour them.

"Deal," they both said.

"This has happened before. When I went to the demon lands, I met him there. Something was quite odd about the way he fought. The results were hair-raising. People died. He removed groups so fast, it made one shiver. When I left the demon lands, he was almost surrounded by enemies like all who leave without a great clan backing them up,"

"Are you saying," Ikan De started, the shock on his face was hard to hide.

"Yes. No one there left the demon lands. But that is not the issue. It is how the south side city ended up, have you seen your clan's reports?" Ku Nam asked Ke Kong and he nodded.

"Yes. The demon lands became a wasteland. No one could enter without dying. The energy emitted there was able to erode quickly," Ke Kong said.

"That same energy that I hear clouds the Baju Valley," Ku Nam said.

"Isn't the energy in the Baju Valley used to describe the outskirts of the tomb we just returned from? Could it be one and the same?"

"It has to be. It feels the same. The energy I felt when I returned to survey the south side city on clan's orders feels mild, but quite like that in the tomb. That is why I ran," Ku Nam said.

"The energy in the tomb is to our knowledge of unknown origins; that in the Baju Valley is before our continent, but the one in south side city proved something. It may not always occur by nature. Someone could cause it. One has always thought that the energy leaking from the tomb is caused by a phenomenon related to the one buried there. But what if it just happens that that is the energy running through the veins of the one in that tomb?"

"When the person died, the energy was released and did not disperse," Ke Kong said.

"It means one can hold such an energy seen in the Baju Valley in one's body," Ikan De said.

"If they can possess it, they can release it. The situation in the south side city became clearer. The demon lands suppress energy, but can it truly suppress that? They surrounded him, the south side city became like the tomb," Ku Nam said.

"That is why you were sure he had a greater chance than anyone else entering the tomb," Ikan De said.

"Doesn't that mean we are at his mercy if he is offended?"

"And anyone brave enough to watch is basically wishing death?" Lady Mai asked. She could not believe what she was hearing. She remembered when she met him near the Hell tree as she returned from seclusion and wanted to kill him for seeing her face. She shivered thinking of the consequences if the elder had not had her withdraw quickly. Then something came to mind at that moment.

"The Hell tree?" she said and they all finally paid her attention, "I had met him breaking through under the hell tree. At the time, I did not quite understand. The tree disappeared after that. No one had seen it. It was a little after the Heaven alliance meet," she said.

"Patriarch Nse seemed impatient all through then. He even let go of his position as patriarch and left quickly. Could it be that it was because his disciple was breaking through?" Ku Nam asked.

"The tribulation lightning then was only one heavenly guard. For some reason, it could not leave after it was done. It was trapped there and he seemed to be stealing heavenly lightning," she said.

"One guard? No wonder nine came this time. They knew it was him. But that was not too long ago. Looking at him before he entered the tomb, he was a spirit-merging expert. Is it possible he is using it to break through? After all, when we first heard of him, it was not almost two decades ago. He had just done his spirit-picking," Ikan De said.

"From spirit-picking to spirit-merging in two decades? And he broke through again. Is it possible it was to spirit-awareness? It must be. Breakthrough within a level does not warrant tribulation lightning," Ke Kong said.

"This may not apply to him," Ku Nam said.

"Still, doesn't that mean he would grow quickly if he finds another place like the tomb?" Ke Kong asked.

"He will grow quickly either way. That energy is not the only way he can break through. I don't believe it. There must be another use for it. It matters not. Since it is out there now and those listening to us know about him. There are enough people curious enough to find out," Ku Nam said to the shock of Lady Mai who did not notice people were listening in. Those standing outside and others on the roof sighed and the grey-haired boy chuckled. They knew they were there, yet they said so much; a very interesting bunch.