An old man walked toward the man seated at the center of the room.
The hall was vast and dimly lit, carved from black stone that absorbed light rather than reflected it. Tall pillars stretched toward the ceiling like frozen shadows, each engraved with ancient runes that pulsed faintly, restrained by unseen force.
He appeared calm, almost leisurely, his fingers resting lightly on the polished body of a zither placed before him. Yet his presence alone distorted the air. The space around him felt compressed, as though the world itself bowed unwillingly to his authority.
That man was Lord Drake.
"Sire," the old man said respectfully, lowering his head. "The investigation is still ongoing. We have yet to find any proof we can use against them." He chuckled. The sound was soft, amused but it carried a chilling edge.
"Do we really need proof?" he said lazily. "I could simply uproot them. It's not as if they haven't been playing tricks on me."
He leaned back into his chair.
The moment he moved, pressure rippled outward, invisible yet suffocating. The lantern flames along the walls trembled violently, some dimming as if on the verge of extinction.
"I would advise against it," the old man said carefully. "Those people are already looking for a way to bring you down. As you know… this seat was never meant to be yours."
Lord Drake's fingers stilled. The old man reached into his robe and brought out a small disk etched with symbols so old they seemed almost forgotten by time itself.
"And do not forget," he continued, voice low, "what we are truly searching for." The air froze."Are you threatening me?" Lord Drake bellowed. The pressure exploded.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone floor beneath the old man's feet. His knees buckled instantly as he dropped to the ground, forehead slamming against the cold floor. "I beg your pardon, Sire!" he said hurriedly. "I was only trying to remind you."
Silence.
Then Lord Drake laughed low and amused. "You had better be," he said coldly. "As for those fools who think they can challenge me… I would love to give them a taste of their own medicine."
He reached for the zither. The moment his fingers brushed the strings, the hall trembled.
A soft melody flowed out slow, deliberate, heavy with an invisible force that made the runes along the pillars glow faintly. Each note felt like a thread pulling at something unseen, weaving fate itself into place.
Lord Drake closed his eyes, completely immersed. After a long moment, his voice drifted out, calm and absolute. "You may go. The next time I summon you, it will be with a solution". His fingers continued moving.
"Oh and give Kael four energy stones and the recall medallion. Let him go out with those two, send one of my warriors to follow them secretly ".
The old man stiffened for a brief moment then bowed deeply. "Yes, Sire." He withdrew from the hall, leaving Lord Drake alone with the lingering echoes of the zither's melody.
The cultivator market was overflowing with life. Kael walked between Yelan and Aoren, his senses assaulted from all sides. Shouts echoed endlessly as vendors advertised pills, weapons, and cultivation manuals of questionable authenticity.
"Don't get distracted," Yelan warned, arms crossed. "Half of this place exists to scam fools."
Aoren smiled lightly. "And the other half exists to ruin the overconfident." They moved deeper into the market, eventually crossing into the inner district. Here, the noise dropped significantly. Guards stood at regular intervals, their cultivation concealed but unmistakably powerful. Kael slowed. Something pulled at his attention.
Ahead stood a pavilion made of blue stone, its walls etched with glowing runes. Glass displays floated calmly inside, each containing items that radiated restrained power.
Aoren said, his tone serious. "Nothing here is ordinary." Kael stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the outside noise vanished completely. Then he saw them. Three bracelet, suspended within a glass case
Crimson. Obsidian. Pale gold.
His breath caught. He wanted to gift this to Yelan and Aoren.
"These are resonance bracelet," the attendant explained, approaching calmly. "One time external formations. Their effectiveness depends on the user." Kael swallowed. "How much?"
"This bracelet is capable of withstanding a full blown power outburst of a level 5 moulding realm warrior. It could very well be a life saving artifact".
He paused for a second "it is also a tier 3 rune master creation from the Broken rune sect". The attendant said proudly.
"No wonder I felt so strange energy around it even my full strike can't touch a person without a cultivation". Aoren muttered underneath.
"Each one of them cost seventy gold coin, but I will sell it to you for just two energy stones." The number hit him like a hammer.
One energy stone equaled one hundred gold coins. One gold coin equaled one thousand silver coins. Kael hesitated.
"Move."
A large man shoved past them, ignoring Kael entirely. "I'll take these beads," the man said arrogantly. Kael frowned. "I already chose them."
The man laughed and finally looked at him."You?" His eyes were full of contempt. "Scram. A lowly child like you probably can't even afford a single silver coin". Yelan snapped instantly. "Who do you think you are?! Get out of the way!"
The man's expression darkened. His aura exploded outward. The pressure crushed down like a mountain. Kael's vision blurred as blood surged up his throat. He staggered back, vomiting blood. Yelan collapsed beside him, coughing violently.
"A Level 8 Moulding Realm…" Aoren muttered. He stepped forward and released his own strength, forcing himself between Kael and the pressure.
The clash distorted the air violently. But it wasn't enough. Aoren trembled, blood spilling from his lips before he collapsed unconscious. Kael quickly withdraw a medallion from his chest pocket. His hand clenched around the gold medallion at his chest.
The moment he activated it, a calm, ancient aura spread outward. Golden light filled the pavilion, suppressing everything in its path.The arrogant man's knees slammed into the floor.
Before he could react, a blond man appeared, his strike precise and merciless. Chains of energy broke the man's cultivation instantly.