"Oi, Leyvi, why are you not relying on me, the sole Nascent Soul Realm cultivator here? If anyone approaches our cave mansion with bad intentions, I will make them pay," Dastan chimed in, his tone a mixture of pride and indignation.
"You? Aren't you a coward? How am I supposed to rely on you?" Leyvi raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Bullshit! That is a completely different story! We are not dealing with demonic beasts here. As if I am going to be afraid of a bunch of Core Formation Realm cultivators. Even you could not beat me, remember?" the crown prince defended himself, crossing his arms.
"Is that so? Can I really count on you?" Leyvi asked, then turned to Tamina. "Anima, what do you think? Is your man's word reliable?"
After several months of traveling together, everyone had grown accustomed to calling Tamina and Dastan by their disguised names.
Tamina's gaze settled on Dastan for a few thoughtful seconds. She then smiled and turned back to Leyvi. "Do not worry. My Dan is a man of his words. Since he said you can rely on him, he will do his very best to fulfill it."
"Hahaha! Alright! Since Anima guarantees it, then I can believe it wholeheartedly." Leyvi laughed, casting a knowing side glance at Dastan.
Dastan noticed the look and cursed inwardly. Dammit, Leyvi! He is doing this on purpose, exploiting my weakness! He had dragged Tamina into the conversation, ensuring Dastan could not back down without losing face in front of her. Now, if something were to happen and he performed half heartedly, Tamina would undoubtedly look down on him. When did this country bumpkin become so scheming?
Nearby, Anda smiled a mischievous smile. She was the one who had advised Leyvi to exploit this particular weakness whenever the opportunity arose. And this was indeed a perfect opportunity.
"Hmph, it is not as if I was just trying to brag in the first place. I am serious," Dastan stated. "My spiritual sense range cannot be compared to yours, but in my current realm, the soul power of a Nascent Soul also grants me the ability to sense the presence of living beings. Remember our spars? That is why, when I used blinding lights to disrupt your spiritual sense, which also affected my own, I could still determine your position accurately. Daa hahaha! Now you know another secret." He finished his explanation with a triumphant laugh.
He did not mind revealing this ability to Leyvi now. If they sparred again, he was confident Leyvi still could not defeat him. Compared to their last fight, his mastery over his Nascent Soul power had grown significantly.
The corner of Leyvi's mouth twitched. That makes sense. They would primarily be dealing with Core Formation Realm cultivators from now on, and there did not seem to be many strong demonic beasts in the vicinity of the colossal tree. Naturally, the crown prince's confidence had returned in full force.
"Sure, sure. I will be counting on you too, then," Leyvi conceded. "Brother Bodo, cooperate with Dan to keep everyone safe, okay?"
"Dohoho! Leave it to us, Brother Leyvi! Brother Dan and I will be the guardians of our group!" Bodo declared, thumping his chest emphatically once more.
"Excuse me, Madam Anda," Carla spoke up suddenly, her blue sleeve fluttering slightly as she raised her hand. Having only received benefits since joining the group, she felt a strong need to contribute something meaningful, especially since she had not yet had the opportunity to do so.
"Oh? What would you like to do, Miss Carla?" Anda asked, her interest piqued.
"I am quite skilled at planting sound-based traps," Carla explained. "I can set them up in the surrounding areas to alert me when triggered by intruders, or to directly attack them if necessary."
She created a few simple examples for them to see.
"Very nice, Miss Carla. That sounds like an extremely useful ability," Anda said, a pleased smile spreading across her face. "After this, you can demonstrate your techniques to me so we can integrate them as part of our hideout's defense. Perhaps I can have you cooperate with Lilian to manage our security measures."
After all, the situation now was not the same as when they were isolated on the island. They were no longer alone and could easily be targeted by other groups if they were not careful. A single person could not monitor everything at once, so every additional layer of protection and defense would be a significant help.
If they had an array formation expert with them, their security would be immensely stronger. Unfortunately, they did not possess one.
Thinking of this, Anda could not help but instinctively shoot Leyvi a brief, pointed side glare for a split second.
"Tsss!" Leyvi suddenly felt a chill and goosebumps rising on his skin.
This feeling... do not tell me Anda is thinking about that matter again? he thought with an inward sigh. My wife, just get over it already... hmm?
Suddenly, his spiritual sense detected a fast-moving silhouette entering its outer range.
Is there already a person near this area? That was quick. Is this a coincidence, or not? Leyvi wondered, immediately focusing his attention on the individual.
A few moments later, he concluded it was just a coincidence. The person was not heading toward their cave mansion but moving in a different direction entirely.
After running a further distance, the person scrambled up a large tree and stopped. From this position, Leyvi could see the man much more clearly. He was someone Leyvi did not recognize, meaning he was likely from the Protogaea Continent. In the next moment, wood Qi surged all over the man's body, and his form shimmered, blending seamlessly into the tree until he appeared to be nothing more than another branch.
He disguised himself as a branch? Is he hiding from an enemy? Leyvi wondered, maintaining his observation. He waited, his senses stretched, to see if other people would soon enter his spiritual sense range.
While Anda and the rest of the group continued their discussion, Leyvi kept most of his attention focused on the situation outside.
Ten minutes passed, yet nothing else happened.
What is going on? Is he being chased or not? Or did he successfully escape his pursuer? Leyvi wondered.
Should we capture this guy? Perhaps we could get some information from him. I should inform Anda first. He decided.
He gently interrupted the meeting and informed them of what he had just observed, all while maintaining his watch on the man disguised as a branch.
"No. We shouldn't approach anyone yet," Anda stated firmly, shaking her head. "Our priority is to fully set up our security first. It is possible that someone is still observing this area, searching for that very man. If we go out now, we risk exposing ourselves."
She continued, laying out the next steps. "Later, Anima will create several underground tunnels in multiple directions. These will connect to the surface far away from our cave mansion and serve as our exits and entrances. This way, if any of us are spotted outside, the location of our hideout will not be easily discovered."
"Okay. I understand," Leyvi replied. "I will continue observing that man and the surrounding area."
Information was important, but security was paramount at this moment. He understood why Anda was so strict about it. Her unique ability allowed her to discern the scent of people's emotions and individual karma. Over time, she had learned that people with bad intentions far outnumbered those with good ones. Even individuals who seemed pleasant at first could change drastically when circumstances shifted.
He had witnessed and experienced this many times himself, but Anda's ability revealed far more of these hidden dangers. He understood very well why she could be so extreme in her caution.
From this point forward, they would encounter many people. Given her experience, it was only logical for her to assume that most would arrive with bad intentions. Therefore, establishing ironclad security was not just a priority. It was a necessity.
Fifteen minutes later, an incredibly fast object streaked into his spiritual sense range, heading directly toward the man in his branch disguise.
Boom!
What? He got attacked by something.
Leyvi did not hear the actual sound, but his mind recreated the sensation from the visual impact he perceived. The large tree the man had been hiding in exploded violently.
He saw the man hurled away by the blast, his disguise shattered. The man was clearly injured and struggled to get up and flee.
A few moments later, Leyvi finally saw a small group of people enter his spiritual sense range, pursuing the injured man. However, due to his wounds, the man could not run far. He was quickly overtaken and captured.
The people who captured him were a woman and two men.
A bow? So she was the one who attacked him from a distance. Leyvi noted the weapon in the woman's hand.