The Inheritance XVII

The Inheritance

-17-

Chapter 801

The fact that all seven of them had failed to stop that single aurablade made for a truly soul crushing experience.

Regardless, though the helpless men were able to dodge in time, their action left Isaac completely exposed! Upon being stabbed, Isaac howled in pain before exploding into a cloud of dust barely a second later…!

But that wasn’t all!

With how great the collision impact had been, a shockwave was sent out, resulting in all seven of the men spurting out blood even though they had avoided the main attack!

“S-such… Such power…! What a powerful aurablade…!” stuttered the six elders in both horror and shock.

Jaxen, however, was filled with grief as he muttered, “Isaac…”

Not even processing Jaxen’s misery, the six elders were already exchanging glances as they said, “Was that attack really from Richard? How could his cultivation be this high…?!”

After what they had just witnessed, they were glad that they had chosen to invite the elders of the Thunder Sword Sect to handle the situation rather than hastily deal with the boy themselves… Had they gone with the latter, their family would have surely been exterminated by now…!

Their train of thought was cut short when Jaxen who couldn’t even find traces of Isaac’s clothing left behind began wailing while yelling, “My poor boy…!”

“Control yourself, Jaxen. Richard could be nearby! Though he’s accepted our duel invitation, it’s clear that he doesn’t intend to spare any of us! With that said, please, calm down!” said one of the elders in a fearful tone.

“Indeed! There’s a reason why people say lack of forbearance in small matters ultimately upsets the greater plan! If we start the battle in advance, he’ll just have more reasons to exterminate us earlier! By that point, it’ll be useless even if those from the Thunder Sword Sect come! You have to endure this…!” added another elder.

Though they were fearing the worst, Richard himself wasn’t planning on killing any more of them today. After getting rid of Yasmin and Wael, Richard quickly helped Harper expel the poison before sending him to the hospital to recuperate.

Shaking his head, the boy couldn’t help but mutter, “To think that this petty family even dares to go against me I’m sure there’s someone helping them out behind the scenes!”

Richard had finished reading all the books that Walter had given him quite recently, which was why he knew that the cultivation realm was pretty much its own independent world. Though it was still located on earth, those from the realm never partook in anything related to the secular world. It was simply an unwritten rule of the cultivation realm.

Because of that, though there were many cultivating families like the Zemans across the globe, commoners weren’t aware of this. Of course, this included cultivating families and sects in Weston.

Speaking of Weston, though several families here trained their bodies to the extreme, they weren’t technically ‘true’ cultivators. With that in mind, though they were mysterious, they were still considered to be part of the secular world, and were allowed to interact with the people there.

The high elders of the three large families in Yanam were good examples of this. Though they thought they were cultivators, they really weren’t. Sadly, it wasn’t easy to tell unless such people were actually fought with. Either way, Richard was thinking about all this since he wondered whether the Morningstars actually had support from real cultivators…

—

Richard’s train of thought was cut short when he heard a knock on his office door. Shortly after, Aiden entered before saying, “Brother Richard! I’ve received a call stating that Professor Boyle is back. He’s currently at his manor, Fresh Cottage!”

“Oh? Bring me to him!”

It was around noon when the duo arrived at Fresh Cottage. Even from afar, they could already see all sorts of plants and even artificial mountains within the manor’s grounds. Each plant seemed to have its own special spot, and if they could see things from an aerial view, the duo would surely be able to tell that everything was arranged to look like an eight diagram…

“As you’ve probably guessed by now, Professor Boyle is different from the other experts of the topic,” said Aiden.

Chuckling in response, Richard simply replied, “He’s definitely one of the more experienced ones, that’s for sure.”

Though Richard didn’t say it, he had already figured out that Professor Boyle had arranged his garden in the shape of a formation! As for what the formation was for Richard really didn’t want to think too much into it…

It was at that moment when a polite looking young man walked over to the duo and bowed before saying, “Ah, Mr. Baker and Mr. Crawford, I presume? Professor Boyle has been expecting you.”

“Do lead the way,” replied Aiden, prompting the young man to lead them across the garden and into the parlor Shortly after, they were greeted by the sight of Professor Boyle who had some tea in front of him. Though the man seemed to be in his seventies, Richard could see that his eyes were still quite energetic. From what Richard could guess, the man had probably learned some basic breathing techniques. That certainly explained the inner strength in his elixir-of-life field.

Even so, Professor Boyle didn’t seem to possess any martial arts. From the looks of it, the old man had simply cultivated his inner strength to nurture his qi and restore his body.

Either way, after exchanging pleasantries, Aiden went straight to the point by saying, “So… Professor Boyle, my brother’s here to ask about the Divine Fruit tree. Information on the tree is extremely important to us, so we hope you can lend us a hand!”

“Oh? So that’s what you call it? While conducting my research, I called it the Phoenix Spirit tree instead since the structure of its trunk and branches resemble a phoenix! Either way, I first read about the tree in some ancient books. Had it not been for the incident last year, I probably wouldn’t have even remembered about the tree when you first came to me asking about it! After all, the tree’s gone extinct, and after so long, there’s barely any information about it! What more, the tree isn’t that worth studying!” explained Professor Boyle.

“An… incident?” asked Richard.

“Yes, well… It was about a year ago when a woman by the name of Phoebe Willow sent me a letter, asking for help to locate the Phoenix Spirit tree! Within the letter, was an important detail that stated that not only did the ancient tree still exist, but it also bore fruit once every decade for eternity! Unfortunately, the tree’s location is so off radar that not even the clever Phoebe was able to find it, resulting in her asking me for help!”

Sensing that Aiden was rather interested in the topic, Professor Boyle then added, “For context, Miss Willow had been my student for a year when she was much younger. With that in mind, I’m guessing she should be in her forties now… Regardless, she had immense knowledge in the field of botany, arguably even more than I have. After all, she was able to name and tell me the history of several ancient plants that I had never even heard of!”

“Whatever the case was, I already had a feeling back then that she didn’t intend to focus on studying. True enough, it wasn’t long after when she and her boyfriend violated several severe university rules before leaving college together! Following that, I lost contact with her till the day she sent me that letter…”

“I see. And what was in the letter?” asked Richard in a slightly anxious tone. He, for one, had a feeling that Phoebe was probably related to the mysterious ancient witches. After all, why else would she be so familiar with ancient plants? Being so knowledgeable in botany was a clear sign that she was a descendant of the witches!

Once he found the Divine Fruit tree, he’d surely be able to get her to help him locate the formation of the witches!

—

“Also, where is Miss Phoebe now?” asked Aiden.

“Unfortunately, I have no idea… I don’t even have her phone number! Regardless, the letter stated that the Divine Fruit tree should be where Heavenly Fire descends… However, even after thinking hard about this for a year, I can’t seem to understand what it means! I’ve thoroughly looked into it, and throughout earth’s history, not once has heavenly fire descended!” muttered Professor Boyle with a sigh as he shook his head.

“While I can’t think of a place that matches that description either, I know for a fact that the Divine Fruit tree is in the North Desert,” replied Richard.

“Hmm? Why is that?” asked the surprised Professor Boyle.

“I have my reasons. Regardless, I’m planning to use all my resources to scour the North Desert for the Divine Fruit tree. I must find it at all costs! Regardless, since things have come to this, I’m suggesting a proposal. Essentially, I’ll work together with you to locate the tree, but in return, you help find Miss Willow for me. Call it a hunch, but I just have a feeling that she’s from a mysterious family…” replied Richard.

Though Richard was well aware that locating the tree was still going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, he didn’t really have any other choice. It was his final chance to get to Yearning Island.

Regardless, the professor nodded in response before saying, “Deal. While I don’t know her exact location, I do know that she’s from the north. I’ll ask my ex-students to see if I can locate her hometown…”

Before the professor could finish his sentence, his face suddenly paled and he started coughing badly! Realizing that he was even coughing out blood now, the shocked Aiden exclaimed, “P-professor Boyle!”

“I’m… Fine… It’s just a relapse of an old issue… Truth be told, I’ve only been able to survive till this day because of the ancient books I’ve read… For context, I discovered that ancient people prolonged their lives by using a combination of specific breathing techniques and special formations… With that said, by helping you, I’m also helping myself. After all, if I manage to see this presumably extinct plant with my own eyes, I’ll surely be able to die in peace!” replied the professor as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

It was at that moment when a middle-aged man came running into the parlor while shouting, “Father…!”

Following closely behind him, was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties. Upon seeing all the blood the professor had coughed out, the woman ran toward him before asking in a concerned tone, “A… Are you alright, grandfather…?!”

“I’ll live,” replied Professor Boyle as he waved his hand in reassurance.

Naturally, the middle-aged man wasn’t about to believe that. With that, he glared at Aiden before scowling, “Inconsiderate, much?! My father’s been ill for quite a while now, and he isn’t allowed to strain his mind! Yet here you are, disturbing him! Please leave at once!”

“Mind your manners, Fayvel! We have important business to attend to!” retorted the professor.

Now smiling bitterly, Richard took the chance to say, “To clarify, Mr. Boyle, we aren’t expecting help for free. I’m aware that Professor Boyle’s illness stems from a heart and lung injury from about ten years ago. At the time, you may have thought that it was merely a minor injury that would heal after the operation. However, I can assure you that if Professor Boyle hadn’t learned the breathing techniques in his forties to build up his inner strength, there’s a good chance he’d be dead by now!”

Chapter 802

“What?” replied the astonished Professor Boyle as he stared wide eyed at Richard.

“What cr*p are you even spewing? My grandfather simply has tuberculosis! It only relapses when he’s tired, so stop trying to scare us! Just leave already!” retorted the annoyed woman.

“Stop it, Harmoni!” growled Professor Boyle as he slowly got to his feet before looking at Richard with genuine surprise.

“To think you’d be able to see through my condition that easily, Mr. Crawford… In such detail too…! You must be a hidden master!” declared the professor, leaving Harmoni completely dumbfounded.

Before she could say another word, the professor added, “True enough, I began learning breathing techniques when I was forty, and my stamina greatly increased soon after. On one of my following explorations, I headed into a primitive forest in search of exotic plants… However, I ended up getting seriously injured by a huge python! Despite having broken four ribs at the time, a colleague of mine risked his life to save me. Thankfully, we both made it out alive, and he immediately sent me for an operation. To my dismay, even after several check-ups-and the fact that the doctor told me that I had completely healed, I’d still relapse and cough up blood every time I felt too tired… With all that said, could you elaborate on my condition?”

Professor Boyle was rightfully surprised. After all, he hadn’t even told his son or granddaughter about this before!

“Of course. Basically, aside from hurting you physically, the python also damaged your heart and lung meridians. With that in mind, it’s no exaggeration that the breathing techniques and nurturing formation are what kept you alive till today. Even so, I believe that the relapses have been getting more frequent in recent years, and it gets worse every time too. Am I correct?” replied Richard with a smile.

“You absolutely are! Why is this happening? Is this age related?” asked Professor Boyle in an extremely respectful tone.

“While it’s true that the condition worsens as you get older, age isn’t really a major factor. After all, since you’ve been practicing breathing techniques for so long, not only is your body much better at handling injuries, but you’ll live far longer than regular people. With that said, the key to fixing your condition lies in the formation!” replied Richard with a chuckle.

“The nurturing formation?” asked the professor who sounded like a student now.

“Bingo. When I already noticed your formation the second I got here. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that your formation wasn’t complete. Due to that, it’s only been able to partially help with your condition. To better explain that, imagine a child getting full after eating half a bowl of rice. Now imagine that same child in his thirties. Do you still think half a bowl of rice is still enough for him?” replied Richard.

“I get what you’re trying to say. The truth is, while the diagram of the formation I read about was quite detailed, I wasn’t able to understand some parts at the start. Because of that, some areas of the formation were completed through guesswork! However, it was some time ago when I noticed that over the years, the formation seemed to be giving less and less energy to me. Understanding that, I then studied the book once more and soon enough, I learned that the formation required a ‘holy stone’ as a power source!” explained Professor Boyle.

“Indeed. In fact, it was a few years ago when my father told us to locate a holy stone. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get any news about it for years… That is, until I found out that the Morningstars had a lot of holy stones hidden. Sadly, no matter how much I was willing to pay, they refused to give any to us!” added Fayvel as he shook his head. By this point, even he was behaving respectfully toward Richard.

“I’m honestly glad they didn’t. After all, while it’s true that the formation’s effect would double with the aid of holy stones, using a holy stone on an incomplete formation would kill you in seconds!” replied Richard.

—

“That…” muttered the shocked Professor Boyle.

Shaking his head with a smile, Richard simply replied, “ Lead me to your garden so I can get a proper look at your formation, professor…”

Once everyone was in the backyard, Aiden took a deep breath. Instantly feeling refreshed, he was prompted to exclaim, “My word! I bet cultivating in such an environment will double its effects!”

“I agree. I’d like to clarify, however, that there are many kinds of formations, and those who cultivate can either use them to enhance their cultivation or to nourish their bodies. For a more specific example, if you wish to double the results of cultivating inner strength, then you just need to cultivate within a condensation formation,” replied Richard.

“I never imagined that you’d be this knowledgeable about these arcane formations, Mr. Crawford!” said the impressed professor.

Harmoni, however, angrily retorted, “Don’t buy into his nonsense, grandfather! Your garden’s structure is already perfect! What cultivation and formations? What utter cr*p!”

It was clear that Harmoni didn’t believe a word Richard said. After all, why was he acting like an old man when he was probably around the same age as she was? For those who didn’t know any better, they’d probably think Richard was a professor!

Harmoni was also dissatisfied that her grandfather seemed more like a student now before Richard. Her grandfather was usually the one doing the explaining, and that shouldn’t change in this situation!

Either way, upon hearing how doubtful Harmoni was, Richard simply shook his head with a bitter smile. Following that, he flicked his finger and what happened next caused everyone’s jaws to drop. With that simple gesture, Richard had somehow made one of the artificial hills move a few inches!

“H-huh…?!” exclaimed the stupefied Harmoni as Professor Boyle stumbled backward in his shock. Disregarding their surprise, Richard simply continued moving a few more artificial hills. He also made sure to change the direction of the flowing water beside them.

Soon enough, the formation looked quite different from how it had originally been.

By this point, Harmoni had gone fully silent, not daring to say anything else.

Either way, now that he was done, Richard was prompted to say, “The fundamental purpose of a formation is to borrow force. We rely on regular changes of the five elements of heaven and earth to borrow such force. Regardless, everything on this planet can be nourished with that force!”

Following that, Richard began chanting something under his breath. All the while he did that, he ‘wrote’ complex symbols in the air with the tip of his finger, aimed at the center of the formation. Each symbol of the spell was placed at different spots of the formation and once he got the final symbol down, Richard said, “Well, the formation is now complete!”

The second his sentence ended, a soothing spring breeze began blowing in the backyard…! As everyone breathed in, they felt instantly refreshed. As for Professor Boyle, it didn’t take long before he felt his heart and lung injuries rapidly curing!

As if that wasn’t stunning enough, herbs and flowers were now rapidly growing around them! By the time they stopped growing, every inch of the area was filled with vivid and colorful plants!

Understandably flabbergasted by all this, Harmoni squealed in fear before hiding behind her father. Unbeknownst to her, her father’s legs had been trembling this entire time!

Paying the duo no attention, Richard eventually added, “Now that the formation is complete, using holy stones will surely double its effect! With them, I believe that you’ll be able to make a full recovery in less than ten days as long as you keep using that breathing technique of yours!”

“How wonderful!” exclaimed the excited professor…

—

“But… the holy stones are still with the Morningstars… In fact, I believe they’re hoarding all the holy stones within the nation! Come to think of it, I remember members of their family using a more advanced breathing technique compared to my father… Is that why they need all those stones?” asked Fayvel.

“Doubt it. They wouldn’t need that many just to cultivate. Now that I know the scale of their hoarding, however, I believe they may be preparing them for another party that’s been backing them up! That aside, you don’t need to worry. All you’ll need to do after this is follow Aiden to their manor and show them what I’m about to give you. They’ll surely be more compliant to hand you some holy stones by that point. Aiden will be needing some of the stones for his cultivation as well,” replied Richard.

“Sounds like a plan! Though… What exactly are we bringing with us…?” asked Aiden.

Looking at how curious they all were, Richard simply walked toward the hall and took out a piece of paper as well as a pen. Following that, he wrote down ‘Richard Crawford’ on the paper…

To Richard, this was all he needed to get the Morningstars to hand them at least a hundred holy stones. Though this left Fayvel utterly confused, Aiden simply nodded confidently…

Moving back to Jaxen, he was still immersed in grief back at his manor. To think that he had already lost two of his sons when Richard had barely been back for two days… It was truly heart-wrenching…

“The elders of the Thunder Sword Sect had better come soon… Otherwise, we may have to postpone the birthday banquet to the day after tomorrow!” grumbled the angered Jaxen.

In response, the six elders simply nodded hesitantly. From all that had happened, Richard didn’t seem interested in sparing their family…

After a brief pause, the Third Elder was prompted to say in a frigid tone, “If all else fails, remember that aside from collecting holy stones for the Thunder Sword Sect, the Morningstars have another important mission…!”

“You can’t mean… the one we have locked up…? Third Brother, have you gone mad? Simply talking about it is already a taboo, yet you dare suggest we let him free?!” retorted the Second Elder whose face had gone stiff.

“Second Brother’s right. He’s arguably stronger than those from the Thunder Sword Sect, and besides, we’re responsible for keeping an eye on him! If we release him, he’ll potentially become even more terrifying than Richard!” added the Grand Elder as he shook his head.

“What’s there to be afraid of? He’ll only be after Richard once he’s free, not us. Besides, Thunder Sword Sect probably has their sinister reasons for making us keep watch of that lunatic instead of doing it themselves. My theory is that they’re afraid that he’ll have his revenge on them if he breaks free, which is why they’re using us as an alarm signal! That way, they’ll have time to react as the maniac focuses on killing us!” replied Third Elder.

“Cease this conversation! I won’t allow it!” declared Jaxen as he got to his feet while shaking his head.

Immediately after he said that, a butler came running toward them while anxiously exclaiming, “B-bad news, Master…!”

“Go on,” grumbled Jaxen as his eyes fell on the paper in the butler’s trembling hand.

After a gulp, the butler then muttered, “G-Richard’s men are outside… They told me to show you this… and in exchange, they’re asking for a hundred holy stones!”

“They… They what…?!” exclaimed Jaxen who was already quivering in rage. Even the six elders were pissed when they saw Richard’s full name on the paper.

Actively holding back his anger, Second Elder was prompted to growl, “A hundred pieces…?! If he had just asked for ten, we could’ve given him that even though that’s against our agreement with the Thunder Sword Sect! Has that boy no idea that we’ve only managed to gather a hundred and nine holy stones after searching tirelessly for three years…?!”

“Remember, the Thunder Sword Sect gave us five years to collect a hundred and twenty of them! With how difficult they are to obtain, I’ve lost count of how many disciples got injured or even killed just to get the stones we currently have! With that said, Richard is clearly crossing the line here!” yelled Grand Elder.

“While we’ll be temporarily safe if we hand Richard the holy stones, the Thunder Sword Sect will then have our heads! Is this god’s way of saying that we should end our family already?! It’s no longer a matter of if we die, but when!” wailed the remaining elders as Jaxen who had flopped back onto his seat-stared at the paper, completely at a loss for words…

“We aren’t dying anytime soon! We still have that triumph card!” declared Third Elder as he slammed his hand onto the table.

Chapter 803

“Are you… suggesting we follow your earlier plan…?” asked Grand Elder as everyone exchanged worried glances.

“I am. It’s Richard or us! Let’s release him!” replied Third Elder.

After a brief pause, Jaxen eventually slammed his hands against the table before yelling, “Fine! If anything goes wrong, we’ll just bear the consequences! Let us proceed with the plan!”

“I agree!” added Grand Elder with a nod. This was a matter of life and death.

After a lengthy discussion, the group of men got a key and headed to the Morningstar manor’s dungeon. There were eighteen doors leading into the dungeon, each sufficiently booby-trapped and some even sealed with formations. This was to prevent unauthorized entry and also to make it incredibly difficult for escape attempts. Either way, after passing through those doors, the group found themselves in a cavern. They were now close to where the lunatic was being confined. It only took a short while before the group arrived at a hemispherical cave that was surrounded by formations that exerted immense murderous intent as well as a legendary holy spirit.

The inside of the cave itself resembled a temple square, and at the very center of that square was a square altar that had a ring-shaped lake surrounding it…

Atop the altar, knelt a gray-haired elder whose clavicles had been pierced by thirty-six iron chains. With how thick his beard was, they honestly resembled overgrown weeds.

Regardless, upon noticing the group’s presence, the old man coldly yelled, “And here I thought who it was. So, it’s just you mortals. Why are you here? Did those rascals from the Thunder Sword Sect order you to take my life? If so, I don’t wish to be mean, but your tiny group won’t even be able to lay a scratch on me! If they want me dead so much, get the Thunder Sword Sect to end me themselves!”

Following that, the old man laughed maniacally, prompting all seven of them to shudder. Eventually, however, Jaxen gulped before saying, “Please don’t be mad, Senior Moldell… We’d never dare to take your life! Keeping an eye on you is just part of our orders! With that in mind, please forgive us…!”

“Indeed, Senior Moldelll We already know that your cultivation is unmatched, so we’d never do anything rude to you…!” added Grand Elder with a bow.

“Cut the cr*p and get to the point! What do you seven little mortals want?!” roared the old man, prompting all seven of them to kneel!

Now shaking in fear, Grand Elder cried out, “W-we’re sorry, but we hope you’ll be willing to help us take on an enemy of ours…!”

“What? You want me to help you defeat an enemy? Are my ears deceiving me after being locked down here for thirty years? Those Thunder Sword b*stards are your masters, no? Why the hell aren’t you asking for their help instead?” retorted the old man as he laughed mockingly.

“B-believe us when we say that you’re our only hope…! If you refuse to help, we’ll probably die by tonight…!” replied Jaxen.

“If you choose to help, we’ll be willing to offer you a short period of freedom…!” whimpered the others as they continuously exchanged glances.

“Oh?” replied the old man as his eyes glinted. Naturally, he wasn’t just interested in the momentary freedom they promised.

—

While he wasn’t about to say no to freedom, there was something else on his mind. For one, the fact that these seven mortals had come down here without permission from the Thunder Sword Sect was already punishable by death. With that in mind, if they were willing to risk their lives just to momentarily release him, that had to mean that the enemy was exceedingly strong!

“Is he really that strong?” asked the old man.

“He is, and despite being so young, he’s probably stronger than the three elders of the Thunder Sword Sect! We know since even after so many years of cultivating, all seven of us weren’t even able to block a single attack from him…!” replied Jaxen as he began explaining about Richard and his sons’ deaths.

Naturally, this left the old man surprised as he thought, ‘To think that the outside world has changed so much after being imprisoned here for just a few decades… For that boy to be this powerful, he must be a true cultivator from the cultivation realm like me!’

If he could have a good fight with the boy during his ‘momentary freedom,’ he could at least vent all his anger and grievances that he had accumulated over the years on him. In doing so, he’d finally be relieved of his mental torment for a bit.

Turning to look at the seven kneeling men who were still waiting for his reply, the old man eventually said, “Fine, I’ll help. However, are you really going to free me?”

“About that… Please don’t get mad, senior, but we can’t touch the chain formations… We’d get pulverized if we did! That aside, we do have access to a soul shifting formation… If you don’t mind, we’ll use the formation to transfer your primary soul to another person’s body… Take note, however, that the formation can only last for four hours… With that said, once the time is up, you’ll automatically be sent back to your body,” explained Jaxen.

“Four hours of freedom is the best we can compromise with…” added Grand Elder.

“The Thunder Sword Sect had me locked down here since they know that I’m a straightforward person who likes to travel. In other words, they knew I’d feel true torture down here. That aside, I’m in. Four hours, it is!” declared the old man with a laugh.

Hearing that, the Grand Elder leaped out before tossing an old man into the cavern!

When he saw that, Jaxen was prompted to say, “We’ll be casting the spell now, senior!”

As they had said, the soul-shifting formation would be broken after four hours. However, what they didn’t mention was the fact that if the old man attempted to seek revenge on them, the formation would immediately explode, thus destroying his soul! Even so, they believed that the old man was smart enough to know that they’d have a backup plan.

With that in mind, both parties were equally at risk of being in danger.

The seven, for one, believed that the old man wasn’t foolish enough to end his life just to kill them, which further gave them the guts to release him.

Whatever the case was, shortly after the soul-shifting formation was initiated, the old man’s primary soul could be seen rising from his body before transforming into a beam of light that quickly shot into the dead old man’s body that the seven had just killed!

It didn’t take long before the corpse opened its eyes and once his eyes were fully opened, brilliant light began radiating from his body!

As the seven men covered their eyes, they heard the old man laugh heartily as he yelled, “Hah! It’s good to be free!”

Following that, the old man transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into thin air!

“S-Senior…!” yelled the seven men as they quickly ran after him.

The Morningstar manor was built halfway up a mountain, and by the time they finally caught up to the old man-at the back of the mountain-, they were just in time to witness him glowing goldenly in an attack stance while yelling, “Thunderous Immobilite…!”

All of them could only state wide-eyed as the old man then shot out an immensely powerful lightblade…!

“Is… Is this the true power of the legendary cultivation realm…?” muttered all seven of them to themselves, all frozen in shock.

—

“It’s been ages since I, Lyndon Moldell, have felt this great! Come over here!” scoffed Lyndon as he turned to look at the seven men.

“Y-yes, senior…?” asked the men as they cautiously approached him.

“Give me his address so I can deal with him. Also, I’ll need you to do something for me in return. Otherwise, I won’t help with your problem!” said Lyndon with a sneer.

Though they were startled, after thinking about it for a while, Jaxon nodded before replying, “Alright, senior! Please state your request!”

“I know you’ve been ordered to guard me, so I won’t request to be set free. On the contrary, I believe my request should be simple enough to fulfill. See, while I was out training during my youth, I had a child in the secular world, and they eventually started the Moldell family who practiced secret techniques. I, for one, believe that the knowledge should’ve been passed down the generations, but that aside… I want all of you to search for my descendants. If you come across any, just show them this stone tablet and tell them to meet me. I have a set of sword techniques to pass on to them!” explained Lyndon.

Following that, he pinched his fingers together before carving some symbols on a flat stone. If the descendants the seven men came across were true Moldells, then they’d surely be able to decipher the symbols.

“Very well, senior! We promise to do the best we can!”

“Good. Once everything’s settled, I’ll teach all of you a set of cultivation techniques that’ll increase your odds of accessing the cultivation realm!” replied Lyndon, causing all seven of them to immediately freeze again.

After exchanging glances, they all knelt in gratitude before sharing Richard’s location with Lyndon.

Lyndon himself then muttered, “What an interesting boy that Richard must be… Let’s see how strong you are.”

Following that, Lyndon turned into a cloud of smoke, completely vanishing from sight…

—

Back at the manor on Wayfair Mountain, Aiden and Leo who had been practicing the cultivation techniques that Richard had taught them for about four hours now couldn’t help but smile.

Clearly looking better than ever, Aiden was prompted to exclaim, “These techniques are awesome!”

“Indeed! Master truly is kind to us!” replied the grinning Leo as he scratched the back of his head.

“Hmm? That breathing technique…” muttered a third voice from out of the blue.

Naturally, this made Aiden and Leo turn to face the voice and standing there, was an old man with his hands against his back! Sensing something off with the old man, Aiden was prompted to ask in a frigid tone, “Who are you?”

“That breathing technique is very similar to the Ultimate Immobilizing Internal Skills that the Zemans use… What’s your relationship with Walter? Are you members of that family?” asked the surprised old man to the equally surprised Aiden.

True enough, they were practicing the Zeman family’s secret technique that Walter had given to Richard. Since it was an authentic method that would allow them to enter the cultivation realm, Aiden and Leo clearly hadn’t expected the old man to recognize it through a simple glance.

Whatever the case was, Aiden eventually asked, in a careful tone, “We aren’t Zemans, but my brother is a friend of Mr. Zeman. Regardless, why are you here, old man?”

“Hah! I see… As I suspected, Richard is practicing authentic cultivation realm cultivation methods as well! No wonder those seven men were that terrified! They were never his match!” declared Lyndon with a laugh, completely disregarding Aiden’s question.

“Hey now, don’t you think it’s a bit rude to ignore me when you’ve clearly trespassed into our turf?” retorted Aiden.

“Hmm? You’re not worthy of my time. Now go get Richard for me!” ordered Lyndon.

“How arrogant! What kind of place do you think this is?! If you don’t leave immediately, you only have yourself to blame for what I’m about to do to you!” scoffed Aiden who was now brimming with energy in a confident tone.

Chapter 804

“Hah! What you’re about to do to me? To think that you’re already this arrogant when you’ve just started cultivating your inner strength! Look, while you may think that your cultivating technique is superior, in my eyes, that Zeman technique is just something off the rack!” scoffed Lyndon as he laughed bitterly while shaking his head.

“You’re courting death!” roared Aiden and Leo simultaneously as they pounced toward him!

To their shock, Lyndon simply waved his hand which sent a strong wave of essential qi flying out! The two weren’t his match at all!

Watching as they got tossed into the air before crashing on the ground and spurting out blood, Lyndon then replied, “Save it. You’re lucky that I don’t kill innocents. Otherwise, you’d be dead by now!”

Before the duo could reply, all three of them suddenly heard a voice saying, “Oh, you two are here? If you’re free, do get some water for me! I’d like to water the plants!”

Though the voice wasn’t all that loud, everyone seemed to magically be able to hear it clearly. As if that wasn’t surprising enough, the second the voice ended, Aiden and Leo felt a stream of energy flowing into their elixir-of-life fields and just like that, their injuries from the old man’s attack were completely healed! In fact, their bodies arguably felt better than before!

“Hell yeah!” declared Aiden as he and Leo got to their feet.

“What?” muttered the shocked old man as he felt his jaw drop. He, for one, knew that though his attack hadn’t been deadly, it should’ve shattered the duo’s meridians. With that in mind, to think that the owner of the voice was able to cure them in seconds!

Lyndon had never seen or even heard of such a technique!

However, what caught Lyndon’s attention most was the fact that he hadn’t been able to sense the speaker’s presence this entire time. How immensely interesting…!

Turning to face the owner of the voice, the old man was soon greeted by the sight of Richard who had a hoe in hand planting flowers in the backyard. As it turned out, Richard was building a condensation formation for Leo and Aiden to cultivate in. Naturally, before he could do any of that, he had to lay the foundation, which was what he was currently doing.

Regardless, after a brief pause, Lyndon asked in a loud voice, “You’re Richard, correct?”

“I am, indeed,” replied Richard as he took a bucket of water from Leo before pouring its contents onto the seeds that he had just sowed.

“Are you aware that I’m here to kill you?” asked Lyndon as he narrowed his eyes.

“Shh… Save it for later. I’m planting these flowers that’ll help absorb the holy spirit for the foundation I’m building. Please don’t distract me, though you’re free to sit around and wait for a bit!” replied Richard in a serious tone.

Upon hearing that, Lyndon immediately began quivering in anger. To think that this brat had the nerve to order him around!

“I admit that your cultivation is quite high for a young boy… In fact, I found your healing spell to be extremely impressive as well! With that in mind, I had honestly wanted to just destroy your cultivation earlier, thinking that it was a pity to kill you. Unfortunately, your arrogance has made me change my mind! Enjoy your trip to hell!” growled Lyndon as he clenched his fists, releasing an immense murderous aura…!

“You done, old man? Even if you aren’t, I advise you to take a seat. I’ll only be done with my work in about half an hour!” replied Richard as he covered another seed with some soil.

“You…! Just die already!” roared Lyndon as he aimed a fierce blow at Richard…!

—

Lyndon made sure not to use his Thunderous Immobilite this time. After all, he knew how strong the boy was, so he wanted to leave his backdoor open. Even so, his palm was still enveloped in immense essential qi that was powerful enough to subdue the greatest dragons and tigers as he surged forward…!

Richard, however, simply continued sowing more seeds, his back against Lyndon this entire time…!

Though this made Lyndon confident that the arrogant boy would die for sure, the second his palm touched Richard, all his power suddenly disappeared! In a way, it was almost like he had attacked Richard with a balloon, and the balloon was now being bounced off!

“What?!” said the frowning Lyndon to himself as he stared at his palm in disbelief.

“You know, your attack’s quite similar to the secret technique of a family who tried to assassinate me in Yanam years ago… I remember that family forcing me to flee from them for quite a while… Regardless, as I said, it’s similar, but different enough to differentiate. After all, while your palm attack is activated through essential qi, the Moldells used inner strength instead,” replied Richard as he placed his hoe to the side before dusting the dirt off his hands.

Watching as Richard then walked over to a table to sip some tea, the frowning Lyndon was prompted to ask, “Moldells? You dealt with my descendants?”

“So you are related to them! I suppose you know who Christopher is, then,” replied Richard as his eyes glinted with interest.

Back then, the Moldells had used Richard’s life to get his father to hand over the Crawford family’s assets. Not wanting to cause any further trouble to his family, Richard managed to escape, and it was around then when Finnley took him as a disciple, leading to Richard slowly acquiring the power of inner strength. Honestly, it was thanks to the Moldells that his Herculean Primordial spirit got activated. Regardless, once his inner strength was greatly enhanced, the boy used his newfound powers to finish off that family.

“You… You’ve met him?!” exclaimed Lyndon.

“I have. In fact, I’ve met most of the Moldells, though most of them ended up dying by my hands! As for Christopher, he died during the pledge of the holy water. Serves them right for doing so many evil things and wanting to kill me so much!” scoffed Richard.

“You… What?! You assassinated most of my family…?!” roared the enraged Lyndon. He hadn’t even been able to discuss some important matters with them! Yet Richard was saying that they were mostly dead now?!

Watching as Lyndon screamed in anguish, Aiden was prompted to retort, “You, of all people, should know what your family has done! They pretty much had it coming!”

After all, had the Moldells not hunted the Crawfords down back then, Aiden wouldn’t have joined the army in the first place!

“Like I care what your reasoning is! For killing so many of my family members, you’ll all pay with your lives!” roared Lyndon as he clenched his fists and released a greater surge of essential qi!

Recognizing the attack, Richard was prompted to say, “Hmm? Wasn’t the Thunder Sword Sect obliterated? Why would a strong cultivator like you still be alive?”

Though he didn’t say it, Lyndon’s essential qi and techniques were strikingly similar to Ryder’s, and Richard knew for a fact that Ryder had learned most of his moves from the Thunder Sword Sect. As for why he could tell, it was merely because he had bumped into Ryder enough times.

Whatever the case was, after mobilizing his essential qi and entering an attack stance, Lyndon retorted, “So you even know about the Thunder Sword Sect! Fine, then! I’ll allow you to die from the Thunderous Immobilite technique that I’ve been practicing for ages!”

Following that, his aura grew so violent that Aiden and Leo couldn’t help but retreat in fear. They felt that if they got too close to that immense aura, it could potentially kill them…!

—

Though Lyndon’s aura grew stronger by the second, Richard simply stood there with his arms crossed, shaking his head the entire time.

“You brat…! How dare you look down on my Thunderous Immobilite?!” growled Lyndon who had fully formed an aurablade by now.

“While it’s true that the Thunder Sword Technique is rather exquisite, in all honesty, only the final three styles can be considered to be powerful. Despite being a disciple of that sect, you don’t seem to be able to use any of those three styles, or can you? If it’s the latter, then I suggest using the Thunderous Bone-crushing Palm. That, at the very least, is stronger than the attack you’re using!” mocked Richard as he continued shaking his head.

“You d*mned child…! For humiliating me so much, here’s your one-way ticket to hell…!” roared Lyndon as he gathered all the power he had and launched his attack!

At that moment, the entire area began quivering and even the slow flowing rivers on the mountain grew restless! As for the aurablade itself, its explosive energy caused a trail of dust to cloud the air as it flew toward Richard!

In response, however, Richard simply outstretched his hand and upon flicking his finger on the tip of the blade, the aurablade completely vaporized! As for the force that the aurablade had been carrying, it was sent flying back toward Lyndon, causing the old man to stumble backward in response!

By the time things had settled down a bit, Lyndon’s eyes were widened in shock as he said, “You… You can’t be a Domiensch Master, can you?! But there’s never been such a young Domiensch Master before! This doesn’t make any sense!”

“Why wouldn’t it? Speaking of which, are you related to Ryder?” replied Richard as he casually sat down.

“You…!” growled Lyndon who was irritated by how casual Richard was taking all this. Even so, he refrained from saying anything else. After all, he understood that Richard could easily finish him off if he really wanted to…!

With that in mind, Lyndon clenched his fists before replying, “Ryder is a sinful man from my sect! A traitor! Had it not been for him, my holy body wouldn’t have ended up getting ruined like this! Long story short, he pierced my clavicles to cripple me, which is why I’m only able to be here through another person’s body! That should explain why I haven’t been able to hurt you!”

“Truth be told, even if you were in your original body, you’d still fail to hurt me due to your current cultivation level,” corrected Richard.

“Why you…!” growled the enraged Lyndon whose lips were already quivering.

“I speak only the truth. Regardless, from what I’ve been told, all seventy two successors of the Thunder Sword Sect were killed. So why are you alive?” asked Richard.

“That’s… Mostly true… I’m the eldest disciple and also the head of the Thunder Sword Sect… I have no idea where Ryder learned his cultivation, but in the end, he got so strong that none of the brothers were able to live to tell the tale! That aside, though Ryder is ruthless, he didn’t dare to bear the sin of killing the head of the sect. With that in mind, he simply sealed my essential qi and kept me locked up in the secular world till this very day! For years, I’ve been thinking about avenging my senior disciples and ridding our sect’s harm by killing Ryder!” explained Lyndon in a sorrowful tone.

“Well… I have some bad news for you…” replied Richard with a sigh.

“Come again?”

“Even if you do manage to track him down, you won’t be his match. After all, similar to