ตอน 23: A Memory From The Past and Elder Dong's Involvement

...…

Elder Bin wasn't the only one who was astonished by the facts presented before him, as all of the Outer Sect Deacons had similar reactions.

None of them could believe that someone so unbelievably strong appeared from practically nowhere among those of the Trial Disciple lot!

"Did this boy acquire the assistance of one of the Sect's Ancestor's or something??" Elder Bin questioned with a raised eyebrow.

He had heard rumors of cultivators in the Peak Stages of the Tempering Marrow Realm that were capable of guiding trash to a spot where they could even be considered rising stars!

However, neither he nor the rest of the Outer Deacons had ever heard of a master with that specific skill set being inside of their Yang Sect…

"An Exterior Force…?" Elder Yong muttered.

If his speculations were true, then it could spell any number of troubles for their jurisdictions and the Yang Sect as a whole.

"Should we report this in?" Elder Bin asked, his hand tightly clasping a transmission talisman.

All of the Outer Deacons of the Yang Sect were only of the Bone Forging Stage, while a rare few were in the Early Pulse Condensation Stage. And with such weak cultivation bases, there was no way they could handle a master of the same caliber as the leader of the Yang Sect!

"..." "..." "..."

All three of the Outer Deacons thought this matter over for a second before Elder Dong spoke up by saying, "I think we should let the boy continue as he was and see where he goes from there. It's not like we can't do something about him if it turns out that he's a spy sent from an opposing force, am I right?"

"..." "..."

Elder Yong and Elder Bin understood what he was getting at, as who didn't know of how troublesome it was to report something in for the Yang Sect!?

Especially when considering that they were merely Outer Sect Deacons…

"By the faces that you two are making, I can assume that we can let his existence slide by for now? After all, there is still the Black Tiger Family on his back, so I'm sure he has enough hurdles he needs to leap over even without our interference," Elder Dong said.

"You are correct, Brother Dong. Let's not even inform the other Outer Deacons of this matter and keep it strictly between the three of us. Is that okay with you, Elder Bin?" Elder Yong agreed with the points made by Elder Dong as he turned his head in the direction of the still-shocked old man sitting beside him.

"..." Elder Bin thought the options over for a second before he replied, "I also second the choice to keep this under wraps and let things play out however fate and destiny so wish it to."

"Well, then it looks like we're all in agreement. So from this point on, not a single one of us will report our speculations about the origins of the power that boy now possesses," Elder Dong said with a tone that indicated the conversation had ended.

After which, his slightly melancholic face turned in the direction of the young boy in the arena as he thought, 'This is the least I can do for you, boy… For in the end, your title as 'The Most Trashy Cultivator in Existence' was all my fault, as your Spiritual Roots not of this world, were never meant to be on Prometheus in the first place, and having your parents seal them before they left for the Starry Expanse was what had to be done for the good of us all…'

Elder Dong's aura seemed to fluctuate for a second as something far stronger than a mere Body Refinement Realm Cultivator should possess was nearly unleashed from him.

But before it reached such a point, he reigned it in and refocused his attention back on the black-eyed boy who sat in a meditative position on the fighting arena.

Meanwhile, back down on the large battle ring, Azmodeus started cultivating in the middle of a free-for-all, trying to digest his gains from the Super Strength Trait as best he could.

It looks like I acquired more than stronger physical prowess from this new Trait, as I also feel that my personality has been slightly altered…

Almost like something changed within me when I obtained Super Strength and subsequently leveled it up…

He could feel something telling him to train and train and never stop training!

Something wanted him to become stronger! Something within his very core existence wanted him to become the strongest!

These Traits are definitely double-edged swords, as although the boosts they allot are insanely good and some of the side effects are beneficial for my evolutions and adaptations, there is also the daunting thought that I'm being changed…

I am being changed with every Trait I acquire, and that change only hits harder when I level up the traits…

There was something that Azmodeus had heard from what he thought to be the only memory he had of his parents.

And in that memory, there was something that the shadowy silhouette of a beautiful woman said to him.

This was the only thing that he could recall about his parents…

What exactly she said in a soft and soothing voice was, "In life, everything has a price. Even if something is free, it will still have a price somewhere down the line… And what I'm trying to say, my lovely little boy, is that there's nothing without a price tag, and you will need to pay it if you wish to rule everything you were destined for…"

Her voice became a little sad and gloomy after this part, as the memory suddenly cut off, followed by radio silence in Azmodeus's memory department…

Nothing came before that memory, and nothing came after until many years later.

It was almost like he wasn't allowed to glimpse into his past…

Like something, or rather… someone was restricting him…

Although, to Azmodeus, he believed that all of that was mere speculation on his part and that it was likely formulated inside his brain in order to cope with the reality that he was abandoned.

That was the cold, hard truth, and if he wished to adapt and evolve, then he needed to cope with the irrefutable facts presented before him.

Nonetheless, there was still a Competition going on, and eight or so fifteen- to eighteen-year-olds were still left standing.

...…