A smile from Darian landed like a hammer strike.
Sylas's face twitched. He opened his mouth—ready to spit some defiant "Don't even think about it"—but his eyes froze on the youth in front of him.
Darian's smile was warm, almost friendly. Yet behind those piercing eyes was something impossible to name. A quiet, unshakable certainty. Memories of the way this young man had effortlessly shattered his best technique flashed through Sylas's mind, leaving him trembling like a child.
A chill ran through him, straight to his bones. Words curdled on his tongue, dying before they could escape. Unwillingness flared in his gaze, hardening into a hoarse, defiant challenge.
"If we don't hand it over, then what? The rules of the Hundred Cities War forbid killing. You can't touch us."
He searched Darian's eyes for fear.
There was none. Only amusement.
"You know," Darian said lightly, almost casually, "running into a powerful demon beast in a place like this isn't rare. And if luck deserts you… Maybe you'll lose an arm. Or two." His voice dropped, cold as steel. "Survive, perhaps—but crippled forever. Tragic, wouldn't you agree?"
Sylas's mind froze.
Darian's gaze swept effortlessly toward the two men from Shadowmere City. Color drained from their faces. In that instant, they knew without a doubt: refuse, and this youth could throw them straight into a beast's maw.
Sylas ground his teeth. Venom burned in his eyes, but suffocating pressure crushed him. "Fine. You win."
Buzz.
A white light flared from his palm. One Hundred-City Jade Seal appeared, glowing with pure, elemental brilliance. The other two, gritting their teeth, followed suit.
Buzz. Buzz.
Three streams of essence poured into Darian's seals. Power thickened instantly—denser than the gain from the ten-paces blood lion earlier. Absorbing another's seal was far faster than hunting beasts, he noted, sliding the treasure away.
Sylas stared at his now-dull seal, the loss cutting deeper than any wound. "Now… can we leave?" he rasped.
"Of course." Darian's smile sharpened. "Many thanks for your generosity. Come again… anytime."
Rage painted Sylas's face red, then purple. With a snarl, he signaled his men, and the three vanished into the jungle.
"Hah! My seal's already three shades deeper!" Selene laughed, flipping her own seal in her palm.
Seraphina nodded, measured and calm. "City Lord Wei was right. This is the fastest way to advance."
Darian's eyes followed Sylas's retreating path. Suspicion flickered. Why had they been so close in the first place?
He let it go with a shake of his head. "Let's move. The deeper we go, the stronger the beasts. Stay sharp."
The trio pressed onward.
Elsewhere, Sylas's expression was black as pitch. Hatred burned hotter with every step. Losing his seal meant starting over—and with only three days and nights in the first phase, time was bleeding away.
He stopped. His companions halted, frowning.
"I didn't expect them to be this strong," one muttered. "Especially that brat—early Cleansing Mortal Soul, yet a monster in disguise!"
Sylas's hand dipped into his storage ring, pulling out a palm-sized object shaped like a compass.
The second man blinked. "Your Fixed Luo Compass? Why now?"
A slow, cruel smile spread across Sylas's face. "This will bring help. Bought it at the Flame Main City auction. The other went to Cyran—Purple Flame's number-one genius—as a favor. He owes me. Already mid-stage Cleansing Mortal Soul. Strong enough to crush them. And the two compasses can sense each other."
The others' eyes lit with hope.
"And when that brat took my seal," one added, "I saw Lorianth carved on it. Lorianth Main City."
Sylas's eyes gleamed. "Seventy-seventh rank? Perfect. Cyran will make them cough up everything."
Locking onto Cyran's position, they moved like hounds on a scent.
Bang!
Selene crushed the skull of a second-rank wolf-type beast, drawing its soul power into their seals.
Darian scanned the dimming sky. Nearly ten second-rank kills today—but none of their seals had turned green.
"Hunting's too slow. We'll need higher-ranked prey soon," he murmured.
"Not far ahead—a hollow in an old tree," Seraphina suggested. "Dry, sheltered. We can rest there."
They agreed, settling into the five-paces-wide hollow. Soon, a fire crackled, its warmth spreading as they shared rations.
"I'll take first watch," Seraphina said, seating herself cross-legged at the entrance. Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulders, blue martial robe molding to her frame.
Darian and Selene closed their eyes, slipping into quiet cultivation as Seraphina's soul sense spread outward.
She had always been solitary, cold. Yet tonight, with the fire at her back and companions nearby, she felt the bond forged in battle—and it was… not unpleasant.
A rare smile touched her lips.
Buzz.
Faint at first, then growing. Her awareness swept outward. Half-palm-sized insects appeared in formation—bee-like, trailing the fragrance of a hundred blossoms.
Recognition struck.
Her eyes lit up. "Hundred-Flower Spirit-Gathering Bees!"
She sprang to her feet. "Darian! Selene—wake up!"
Both were instantly alert, expecting danger. Yet Seraphina's excitement was palpable, not fear.
"No time to explain. Follow me!"
She leapt from the hollow, the others close behind, racing through the nighted jungle.
"Bees?" Selene muttered, baffled—until Seraphina's next words made his pulse race.
"Hundred-Flower Spirit-Gathering Bees only appear near wood-element treasures of heaven and earth."