章節 17: Traitor

Krez and Red sat by a cold fireplace, brainstorming ideas on how to draw out the culprit. Krez gazed at Red, "This evil cultivator you mentioned, kidnapping people and sacrificing them to strengthen themselves, right?" Red nodded, and Krez continued, "So, if they had the opportunity to sacrifice another cultivator, do you think they would take it?"

Red's eyes widened, "Most definitely. If they are using some type of extraction technique, the most common skills of an evil cultivator. Another cultivator would be like a heavenly treat to them." Krez laughed, "I guess we need to figure out how to give the evil cultivator this 'opportunity.'"

Hours passed, and the sun wouldn't rise for at least three more hours. Krez ran through the town, barely reaching his full speed. Blood was dripping from his nose and ears, a dagger plunged into his back.

Krez roared, "Red, you bastard! I trusted you; I thought you were a friend, but you're the evil Fucking cultivator ! Was aging too much for you? Slowly witnessing your power crumble into dust. The moment I saw you, I could tell you couldn't even unleash three-forths of the power you're supposed to as a first-stage Qi gatherer."

Reaching the heart of the village, the town square,Red retorted."Krez, silence! This is the law of cultivation: the weak die, the strong thrive. Now, hand over your storage ring, and I might consider giving you the antidote for the poison on that blade. Can't you feel it? Your power draining, the pressure in your skull rising."

Weakness began to show in Krez's voice as he spoke." You bastard. Why would I give you anything? Your promise to let me live is nothing but a web of lies. This poisoning is just a part of your twisted agenda. You aim to sacrifice me to prevent your own power from fading further. If I were at full strength, you would never stand a chance at sacrificing me."

With nothing left to say, the two launched attacks at each other, going blow for blow with punches and kicks. This battle was not one of skill but of sheer brutality. Blood was dripping the echoes of blows reverberating throughout the air.

Finally, Red fell forward, smashing into the ground. Krez rushed to him, searching his body, demanding, "Where is it? Where's the antidote? Give it to me!" Unable to find it Krez stood up, he looked at Red's manor in the distance. However, he could only take 10 steps towards it before collapsing to the ground as well.

A dark figure emerged, standing between the two fallen bodies. "Hahahaha, they label me an evil cultivator. Yet, Red, your little greed led you to betray 'Sir Cultivator.' Aren't you supposed to be righteous? It's amusing how some are deemed evil, but in my eyes, all cultivators wallow in the muck."

As the dark figure berated Red, a figure behind him rose, consuming something and extracting the unpoisoned dagger from his back. Swiftly, his wounds healed, the substance in his mouth evidently a potent healing item enhanced by Krez's heightened vitality. In a matter of seconds, he returned to peak condition. Krez's armor materialized, encasing him, and his forearm muscles flexed as he wielded his hammer, which appeared in his grip.

Krez spoke, "Red, when are you gonna stand up? I didn't hit you that hard. You probably won't even need one of the healing pills you gave me."

"Hahaha, I wanted him to feel like he was on top of the world a bit longer until I brought him down into the 'muck' with us," Red responded and then continued.

"So tell me, Rick, why would you do this? After all, you've been in the village for seven years, made friends for seven years. Was the allure of power that irresistible? Couldn't you just live a mundane life?"

The dark figure's eyes widened as his identity was Burned. Krez, too, was a bit shocked. After all, the figure was masked; how could Red know who it was? But upon reflection, the only person to call him "Sir Cultivator" was indeed the storekeeper. Most others, especially those at the inn, referred to him as Krez or Beast Tide in a joking manner.

Rick yelled, "So what! I wanted power. I wanted to live forever. I wasn't going to be like you, fading away into obscurity. A few months ago, when that trade caravan passed through town selling goods and restocking supplies, that fat merchant didn't know what he was selling. He initially thought it was just an ornate dagger, but it had a cultivation technique ingrained on the blade. I knew it was my chance."

Rick raised a disgusting smile. "Once I grasped the technique, horror briefly consumed me when I realized it required human blood essence to cultivate. But in the end, I didn't care. Working tirelessly just to make ends meet, while cultivators reveled in their ivory castles, honing their arts to achieve immortality and soar through the sky. Becoming a cultivator is the dream of any mortal, and I'm certain if anyone else in this village possessed this skill, they would have treaded the same path as me."

Red replied, "Well, Rick, it seems we have nothing more to talk about. I hope your cultivation journey has been worth it, because it ends here and now." He entered a combat stance. Krez threw the dagger in his hand, saying, "Here's your dagger back, Red. It's pretty sharp, so no butter fingers."

The dagger soared above Rick's head, landing perfectly in Red's hand. As soon as hand met handle, the aura around Red changed, becoming razor-sharp. Krez could tell that Red had extensively trained with bladed weapons.

Red addressed Krez, "Let me handle this. One of my biggest regrets is not catching this bastard sooner to prevent more killings. If I fail, I trust you can clean up this bastard. "

Agreeing, Krez had already used "Inspect" on Rick. He knew Red faced a unwinnable battle, after reading Rick's info, he realized it wouldn't be easy for himself either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rick~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Age:48

Soul cultivation: stage 3 Qi gathering

Battle power: 1.3

Description:

A middle-aged fool walking the wrong path with evil tendencies. You can never build a solid cultivation foundation when you steal your power from mortals.The cultivation technique he used is meant to be employed against other cultivators.

________________________________________

Yet, Krez couldn't suppress the excitement building within him for the upcoming battle. He was truly turning into a battle freak.