The man sneaking through the darkness was none other than Ori Oregano.
He had been hiding nearby, waiting patiently for war to erupt so he could take advantage of the chaos and absorb abundant, precious human essence.
Who would have thought that such incredible quality would suddenly appear right next to him? It was the greatest human essence he had encountered in the Mystic Realm so far, and it was obvious that its owner was heavily injured. To Ori, this was nothing short of a feast delivered by the heavens.
With his tremendous increase in strength over the past year, he was confident he could handle anyone who was alone, especially someone in such a pitiful state.
His hands transformed into viscous dark liquid, flowing forward to engulf his prey. Once captured, there was little anyone could do to break free. As time passed, their struggles would only weaken as their essence was steadily drained away.
When Ori spoke just moments ago, he had been a breath away from seizing Prince Ozan.
Unfortunately for him, this prey existed on an entirely different level from his usual victims.
When the spreading dark liquid converged, engulfing its target, Ori instantly realized something was wrong. He had captured nothing. Only empty air.
"What is this? Another assassin coming for me? They never learn, huh?"
The voice sounded from behind him.
Ori froze. In that instant, a primal sense of danger exploded within him. Every hair on his body stood on end.
Impossible! How could this be? He was heavily injured! The chaotic turbulence in his essence was proof of that!
Before Ori could think further or even attempt to react, an overwhelming force slammed him into the ground, flattening his body.
"Arrghh!!!!"
His scream tore through the darkness as immense pressure crushed down on him, pinning him helplessly in place.
"I thought they would not send any more assassins. It has been peaceful for a year." Prince Ozan's voice was calm, almost conversational, as if he were discussing the weather.
"Waiting for me to get injured, huh? That is a good strategy..."
He paused, letting the pressure increase just a fraction more. Ori's body creaked audibly beneath the invisible weight.
"...on normal cultivators, that is. It is probably hard for most to move with injuries like mine. But not me, though. This is the advantage of being a Body Cultivator, you know."
His spiritual pressure continued to mount, crushing Ori with slow, deliberate cruelty. His internal organs had already begun to force their way out of his body, rupturing through skin and muscle.
"Waarggghhhhhgghghhh!!!"
The scream grew more and more unpleasant, a sound that would haunt nightmares.
"Tsk. My ears hurt." Prince Ozan frowned slightly. "Just die."
He raised his foot and brought it down on Ori's head.
The force exploded it into pieces.
Brain matter and skull fragments were scattered across the ground like grotesque confetti. The body beneath went still.
Prince Ozan didn't even bother to look for a spatial ring on the corpse. He knew from experience that assassins carried nothing valuable. They were tools, disposable and empty.
"I wonder if there will still be assassins coming after me after this?" He muttered to himself, then turned and walked away into the darkness.
Soon, he reunited with his Royal Guards, who had been desperately searching for him. It turned out he had been blasted over twenty kilometers away, an impressive distance. His trajectory had also shifted slightly after colliding with several obstacles, delaying their search.
Naturally, they scolded him thoroughly before carrying him back to the camp.
Meanwhile, back at the scene, the half-crushed corpse and scattered fragments of flesh began to twitch.
They wriggled, clumped together, and slowly crawled across the ground, merging back into a single form.
Some time later, a perfectly intact Ori stood there once again. His Unique Heavenly Body had revived him.
Fury twisted his handsome features. The lingering stench of fresh blood still clung to his senses, as if mocking him.
He wanted to roar in rage and go on a rampage, but the fear of that terrifying man returning forced him to swallow it all down. He could only curse endlessly within his own mind.
Damnit. Damnit. Damnit! Everyone should just die! I will kill all of you!
How could he not be furious? Reviving himself had consumed an enormous amount of his stored essence. A year of painstaking effort vanished in an instant. Losing so much meant his strength had plummeted, forcing him back into a cautious, sneaking lifestyle just to hunt. The thought alone was maddening.
Damn it! Who was that guy just now? I thought today was my lucky day, but it turned out to be a nightmare!
Ori turned and left, his curses echoing silently in his thoughts.
From that day onward, he became far more cautious, no longer daring to approach high-quality essence lightly, even if its owner appeared gravely injured.
---
"So that's what Bellion's barriers can do. That's the first time I've ever seen something like that. Have you ever seen anything similar in the Protogaea Continent, Rose?" Leyvi asked the Pink Enchantress, who was hugging his arm as they lay on the bed.
"Yes, Darling. I've seen the same application being used before, but on a much, much smaller scale. Nothing meant for grand defensive purposes like this." She replied.
Ever since arriving here, she had maintained her disguise, deliberately appearing ordinary to avoid attracting attention. Only when she was alone with Leyvi in private would she return to her original, ethereal appearance.
The closer the day of her return home drew, the stronger her lovesickness became. So once every month, she would ask Anda for permission to spend a full day with Leyvi.
And today was one of those days.
They spent the time simply talking, eating, drinking, and enjoying each other's company. The furthest she ever went was hugging and cuddling him. Nothing more.
She did not dare to ask beyond that. Not yet.
However, she had learned of an activity called the Night Battle Raid from Anda and the other ladies, where they joined hands in an attempt to defeat Leyvi in bed.
The mere description left her utterly stunned.
All of them working together, yet they still could not defeat him even once? They were the ones who ended up passing out every time? Just what kind of monstrous sexual stamina and vitality did Leyvi possess?
Hearing all of his legends in the bedroom had almost made her unable to contain her desire. She wanted to experience the same thing herself. It had reached the point where she had been caught stealing glances at his crotch many times, which was incredibly embarrassing.
That growing desire only strengthened her resolve to become the Supreme Holy Matriarch of her sect.
Once she reached that position, nobody would be able to restrain her anymore. She would ask Anda for extra time, determined to make up for all the years she had lost.
Today, they spent their time talking about random things as usual. Leyvi was spying on the three camps outside with his spiritual sense when the commotion at Prince Ozan's camp began.
He narrated what was happening there to her amusingly, describing the chaos of the prince breaking free from his guards. Then came the part when Prince Ozan suddenly launched himself at the barriers with incredible power.
Rose managed to send her spiritual sense outside in time to witness the attack on the barriers.
"So he's the one and only who managed to do this on such a grand scale? As expected of Bellion. No surprise at all. You know what, Rose, he'll definitely become the greatest formation expert in the future. Hahaha!" Leyvi laughed happily.
Rose blinked. She wondered why her darling was so happy about someone else's achievement. They were friends, yes, but they had only known each other for about a year.
Sometimes she feared that his good nature would put him in a disadvantageous position. She knew how treacherous the world could be. She had seen it, lived it, contributed to it.
But then Anda's figure would appear in her mind, and she would feel relieved instantly.
That's right. With Anda around, her darling would be fine.
Seeing Rose become silent, Leyvi knew her mind had wandered again. He was aware that this woman kept thinking about him due to the love spell.
He sighed inwardly. Anda had told him that she intended to keep Rose as her pawn. He really did not know what that panda was planning. However, she might not have a concrete plan yet. Maybe she was just preparing for the unknown, keeping pieces on the board just in case.
Another figure suddenly flashed in Leyvi's mind.
Prince Ozan. The huge avatar he had created seemed similar to Leyvi's own new battle style. The invisible hand coated with Qi.
Prince Ozan must have used his spiritual touch to create an invisible bigger version of himself, then reinforced it completely with his Qi.
Leyvi could not help but become excited. Once he practiced more, he would probably be able to do the same. But to make that huge, powerful avatar move so nimbly and smoothly, there must be something more to it. Some technique, some understanding he had not yet grasped.
Something to look forward to.
Time passed again. The day the portal would become ready drew closer and closer.