《Overlord Phantom》 Chapter 1 - The Deadly Storm ---------- The sound of the waves crashing upon one another, the thunder roaring, and the rain pouring down from the dark sky was all you could hear along this boundless ocean. In this devastating storm was a tiny sailboat that was struggling to stay up as the waves kept trying to tip it over. When the moonlight seeped through a crack in the cloud, you could see 4 people desperately trying to keep the boat stable. "Dylan, quit eating all of our god damn food and start chunking this water out of the boat." Leo Skyfall yelled as he tossed a bucket towards him and walked over to Devlin''s side and said, " Well shit, whose dumbass idea was it to bring us false hope of restoring ourselves back to our youthful days by looking for some youthful fountain, when we can barely survive the way to it!" Devlin Skyfall glanced at him from the side, then flicked him on the forehead and said, "That dumbass would be you, Dumbass." Calvin Skyfall, who was trying to keep the boat steady in the front, suddenly slipped, as he couldn''t contain his laughter. Leo''s eyes widened as he realized this foolproof idea was actually his from the start; however, his plan behind it was more complicated than it seemed. Devlin could already tell from the start what Leo was thinking when he first introduced the idea to the group of brothers. From the start, they all grew up in the same orphanage and ended up enlisting in the army. They''ve been through thick and thin together, but their last mission was a failure and ended up getting each one of them severely injured and were asked to leave the military. Leo, who was the commanding officer at the time felt responsible because he led his team into a trap as well as got his best friend, Devlin, into a case where he ended up losing an arm and had a scar cutting across one eye that was blind forever. All of them were middle-aged men now and were hoping to find any light to rekindle their lost souls. Devlin and Leo were the oldest in the group who tried to keep the other two out of trouble. Leo was a little different as he would always tease them and had a playboy nature by heart. Devlin on the other hand seemed more of a role-model for the brothers and would punish them if they ever did anything stupid. They always looked out for another when they were young and encouraged them to go achieve the goals that they wanted. Nonetheless, the two younger brothers ended up still following in their brother''s footsteps and enlisted in the army. Dylan Skyfall was a year younger than the two but he nearly weighed about the same as the two combined. He was a fairly lazy and quiet person, who would do his work at the minimum and then in the next second you could see him devour a burger in one bite. Calvin Skyfall was the youngest of the four. He was a bit similar to Leo, as he always loved to play jokes on his brothers. He believed that sometimes it''s better to smile and move on then continue living in the past. When the caretaker of the orphanage passed away, everybody had depressing expressions on their faces as they mourned the loss, but Calvin just stood there beside the grave never loosening his grin even when you could see tears rolling down his cheeks. As Calvin got up from the puddle he slipped in a moment ago, he said," Ai ai, big brother, I had no idea you were this forgettable. It seems you really do need this fountain of youth, otherwise, you might even become a brainless idiot." as he shrugged his shoulders. "You¡­." Devlin was in terrible shape as he was the closest one to the lightning bolt so he was momentarily paralyzed and couldn''t tell what just happened. As he sunk down into the ocean he could vaguely feel a hand grab him and pull him from out of the ocean and onto a plank yelling, " DEVLIN, HOLD ON!" as another wave hit him and knocked him out. Chapter 2 - The Fountain of Youth? (Part 1/2) ---------- Devlin soon woke up as he found himself laid out on top of a red linen bed dr.a.p.ed around with curtains. Through the thin curtains, he could see a seductive body taking off her clothes and withdrawing the curtains. This seductress was a woman like no other, as her skin was fair and her hair was pinned up revealing a curvaceous figure that could stun the heavens. Her fox-like face slowly approached Devlin, causing his heart to palpitate, and her luscious lips began to interlock with his. At first Devlin was shocked down to the core; but in the next instance he began to be suspicious as her lips which should have had a gentle touch with an intoxicating taste instead felt like coarse sandpaper with seaweed and sand combined. Suddenly his eyes popped open to find a pale-faced Leo giving him mouth-to-mouth nearly causing him to faint once again. Leo looked over as he saw Devlin wide-eyed and stumbled back with an excited expression. "Bro, thank god your alive. I was gonna get one of the little rascals over here to do that disgusting act but one of them is passed out in a tree and the other is knocked out with half of there body stuck in the sand." He then walked a little further away and you could soon hear him vomiting onto the side, silently cursing Devlin for taking his "first kiss". While Leo was preoccupied, Devlin stood up and carefully examined the place they were stranded at. It looked like a deserted island with poor vegetation and parts of sh.i.p.s scattered about everywhere as if this was a graveyard for sailors. The island wasn''t big as it seemed only about 10 or 20 miles wide roughly. The most eye catching thing was a huge cove in the center with a strange phenomenon taking place as the water was actually leading up to the top of the huge cave on the side and falling down into the deep abyss that sunk in on the edge. Soon all the guys were conscious and looking towards the cove up ahead. Calvin''s stomach grumbled as he complained "Big Bro, we might as well go over there and check it out, and at the same time maybe stock up on food along the way. If we don''t I might just end up sacrificing Dylan, which should last us at least a week." Dylan glared at Calvin. "I was planning on sharing these with all of us, but since my little brother is treating me as a pig on a stick than I might as well give a larger portion to my most cherished siblings." He soon pulled out a couple of snacks that he always carries along with him out of his pockets and began dividing them between his two older brothers. Leo''s eyes lit up as he was exhausted from this entire trip and grabbed a bag of ch.i.p.s and started munching down them as if this was the last food on the earth. Calvin''s jaw dropped as he instantly realized that he forgot about Dylan''s hidden stash that he keeps on him at all times. Then he started walking towards the cove to see what was so special about it that it could even cause water to go upstream. The crew saw this and started rushing behind him to catch up. After two miles of trudging through the barren land they soon got close enough to the cove to notice that not only was the water heading upstream but there was also a few streams that would fall off the cliff and then twist and turn and go back onto the top of the cliff as if nothing ever happened. Leo with crumbs falling out turned around and slapped Calvin and then exclaimed with a slacked jaw, "SO IT ISN''T A DREAM!" Calvin was momentarily stunned as he realized what just occurred. "What the heck, you idiot! Your supposed to hurt yourself, not me!" "Hmph, why would I hurt myself when I have you here to test on whether its a dream or not." Leo retorted as he soon continued the journey towards the cove behind Devlin. Calvin had veins popping out of his forehead as he was about to charge towards Leo and give him a good kicking when he abruptly heard a detached voice from the front "If you two don''t stop messing with each other, I''m going to toss both of you into that abyss first as test subjects." When both of them heard this, they shivered at the thought of what would take place if they continued and went back to their usual routine without a single remark. Finally they walked in cove and found a 3 mile wide hole where all the water was falling into from above and below. Each one of their pupils narrowed as they got closer to the giant abyss with water falling down it. Even though the abyss was surprising enough, the dreadful matter of it all was that if you listened closely enough you couldn''t hear a single water drop splash down at the bottom. This would mean that it was basically an endless pit into the underworld. Devlin yelled hoping to see if anyone was around the cove or down in the abyss on one of the edges yet all he got was the echoes of his own voice in the cave. Calvin had a sly grin on his face and then without hesitation yelled out, "All in favor of pushing Leo down first say I!" "I" "I..." You could the hear the echoes continuing as it sounded like 4 or 5 people were repeating it. "That doesn''t count!" Leo roared. Calvin shrugged his shoulders. "That''s what the people want, big bro. It was fair vote hehe." Leo was irritated to the point where he nearly was about to go over there and hang this fool over the edge till he begged for forgiveness. In the end, he cast aside that thought and could only get his revenge back by stomping on Calvin''s foot nearby. Once his foot was about to crash onto the top of Calvin''s, Calvin swiped his foot to the left to dodge the incoming blow. This action caused Leo''s foot to skid across the smooth stone and stumble off the edge into the chasm. His heart instantly sunk as he knew he was done for. "We''re f.u.c.k.e.d" The next instant you could only hear the shrieks of four men as they plummeted further down to their imminent fate. Chapter 3 - The Fountain of Youth? (Part 2/2) ---------- One hour passed by... The brothers were still falling and only the sound of screaming could be heard. Half a day passed by... The brothers were still falling but eventually, their voices gave out and silence had overtaken. Finally, a day passed by, but there was still no end in sight. It felt as though death was a puppet master toying with their lives. This nerve-racking emotion made them feel uneasy in their hearts every second. After a period of time, a light emerged and became increasingly clearer and clearer until the source of the light developed the whole cavern. This source of light was way out of their expectations though, making Devlin''s eyes brighten and his mind''s common sense to burst. Numerous purple crystals were floating in midair with hieroglyphics surrounding them. It was truly a sight to behold within the chasm. Unfortunately, Devlin didn''t have the time to enjoy the scenery as he was too busy struggling with the incoming collision that was bound to happen. "We''re rich! Haha!" Calvin shouted. He was the most energetic at the time even as he was about to be splattered on the ground if there even was one below. Leo was currently fuming next to him as he heard this. "Oh yes, because we''re definitely going to survive this. HELL! You might as well say this is the fountain of youth and that we''re gonna be reincarnated into a bunch of strong beings that are capable of crossing realms at the speed of light." "Well.. maybe there''s something down there that uses the same material as the floating crystals or those hieroglyphics that could catch us on our way down there." Calvin wryly smiled. This idea did shed a little light into the situation and caused the brother''s heart to calm down a bit. They continued their downfall and then the crucial moment arrived. They entered a huge cavern with no end in sight beyond the horizon and below them was a crystal clear ocean filled with plenty of tunnels on the ocean floor. The only depressing matter was there were no floating purple crystals with hieroglyphics near the ocean floor. This sudden awareness made the brother''s heart drop and their eyes dimmed as they were only 1000 meter range from contact. "I don''t wanna die! Please! Dylan... I hate to break it to you.. sometimes when I ran out of socks... I would use yours.. to wipe up the mess I would make after rubbing one-off." Dylan, who was lost in thought next to him, felt his stomach churning as he understood why his socks always smelled funky. He couldn''t help but cast a disgusting look at Calvin''s direction as if he was some filthy depraved monster. Delvin and Leo also cast a weird glance to Calvin and both inwardly felt thankful that they weren''t the victims this time in Calvin''s crazy acts. They soon began to hit the 500-meter range when suddenly you could hear a loud whistling noise come out from within the body of water. A strong hot current brushed across their faces and began slowing their descend to the point as if they were gliding towards the ocean. All of them stared dumbfoundedly If you looked closely you could see a strong current created from the tunnels underwater that would suck in air and shoot it back out. Calvin began praising the almighty heavens for bringing him safely down, but the next instant he could feel an awkward atmosphere as Dylan kept glaring at him from the side. He now realized maybe there something''s best to keep secret from others no matter what situation you''re in. As soon as they touched the water, a loud rumble sounded out and they were instantly pulled down to the depths of the water. Devlin grabbed Leo''s wrist and soon motioned for Dylan and Calvin to come closer when suddenly a strong current pushed them down making them look as feeble as a leaf. Calvin and Dylan were s.u.c.k.e.d up into two different tunnels and Leo and Devlin could only gaze helplessly as they were pulled down a separate tunnel from the other two. Along the tunnel, they noticed these strange hieroglyphics on the side begin to lighten up and their bodies begin to tighten. Devlin''s thoughts were running wild as he feared something terrible would happen to his younger brothers. But what could he do now, as he was powerless to this current that was taking him to god knows where. He could only regret the fact that he wasn''t able to grab all of them at the same time. The current began to speed up and the hieroglyphics shined brighter the further they got. The pressure also increased as their inner organs felt like they were going to burst. Leo was struggling with extreme pain and passed out due to not being able to bear it anymore. Devlin was trying his best to withstand; yet the pain kept increasing by two-fold, then by four-fold, eventually to tenfold, which caused Devlin''s mind to collapse and then go limp without any additional resistance. Finally, both of them were knocked out unconscious, letting the current decide their destiny. --------------- Devlin could feel his head pounding as he woke up. His whole body felt numb from the intense pain he went through. He noticed he had thin black sand stuck to his drenched skin and could see a violent storm along the horizon. It was a good distance away from the shore he was at. For some reason, his body felt incredibly light and flexible as if he was in his prime. Although he felt it was a bit odd, he cast the thought away for the time being as he needed to find Leo before anything. He searched through the broken ruins that he found along his way across the cold desert and found a young boy with dark red hair and a delicate small face. He had a pair of dazzling blue eyes that looked to have a curious expression about this place. Devlin grabbed a stone rock nearby and quietly approached him. The red-haired youth caught him in the corner of his eyes. Devlin was at first startled cause he was surprised to find out his sneak attack didn''t work, but he quickly recovered and raised the sharp stone to the boy and said, "What does it matter to you, I''m the one holding the weapon. Who are you?" The boy felt a little offended but shrugged his shoulders. "Leo Skyfall, now tell me who dares to threaten me" Devlin couldn''t believe what he just heard and his jaw dropped to the ground. "LEO!?!?" Chapter 4 - Codex ---------- Leo stumbled backward as he couldn''t understand why this voice sounded familiar. The boy who was in front of him had a devlish appearance with short blonde hair. He had a unique charm within his eyes that was somewhat fierce yet adorable. Then a crazy thought struck him. "Wait... De... DEVLIN!?" He was alarmed to find out that this boy who had to be only 15 was actually his best friend. "How could this be possible! Devlin, what happened to you?" "What do you mean, I should say the same thing to you. If I didn''t see you with my own eyes then I would''ve thought this was insane." Devlin responded as he slowly recovered from the astonishment. He knew that he couldn''t have been reincarnated into another person''s body since there were no past memories of another person. But then how was it possible for him to grow his right arm back and gain eyesight in his right eye with no scar left behind. All of a sudden, he went back into shock as he remembered the whole reason behind why they got here. ''Was the fountain of youth not just a conspiracy used to lure in those old fogies'' The next sentence reassured his disposition as Calvin also claimed "It seems the fountain of youth is for real bro! Hahahaha and it''s even better then the rumors suggested." Calvin''s spirited expression came back, seeing that Devlin''s body no longer had the horrifying crippled appearance that he always had on Earth. "Oh yeah, what were you looking at Calvin?" They were in the middle of a hallway dr.a.p.ed with a long red tattered carpet. There were cracked crystals on the side which looked similar to the ones they saw back at the chasm but much smaller and colorless now. At the end of the hall was a section in the middle leading upwards to the second floor leading to an inner sanctum. While the other two sections split up around the middle section going down into an underground bas.e.m.e.nt it seemed. Leo was nearby and decided to take a look and maybe find Devlin if possible until he came upon these different paths which made him pause in deep thought. "I was hoping to find you and maybe even find a secret hidden within these ruins so that I could kill two bird with one stone" Leo cheekily smiled as he glanced towards the stairs leading up to the inner sanctum. "Bro, I''m gonna check the top so you should check the underground then we''ll meet back in this same spot. Devlin nodded and they both separated from each other. As the two outer paths intersected he could see steps leading down into a dungeon. It seemed to have a huge coffin in the center and a huge banner at the end of the room. On the banner, it had a symbol of a bloody crown. The top of the coffin also had a few hieroglyphics engraved on the side that seemed to have lost their use. Devlin approached the coffin and had a sudden sense of familiarity with the room, however, it couldn''t be possible since this was obviously his first time ever being here. He looked around the room a couple of times before this, but he couldn''t seem to find anything so he came to the conclusion that everything valuable is locked in the coffin. He slid his hand to the side of the stone slab and something strange happened next. The hieroglyphics that seemed to lackl.u.s.ter instantly began to shine and the stone slab disappeared into thin air revealing a shiny black skeleton wearing a glamorous skintight outfit fitted with black leather padding and a hood and mask. Devlin felt he had definitely hit the jackpot this time as he took the outfit off and quickly put it on himself with an excited expression. Then he thoroughly searched the skeleton to see if there was something on him that could be worth a fortune. He notices a pearl black ring with a gold line. He grabbed the ring and slipped it on his finger thinking it could be a good sale later. A thin needle popped out without any warning from the inside of the ring and punctured Devlin''s finger, startling him. "Welcome to the Codex, please identify your name new user" This stunned Devlin as he couldn''t believe his eyes. ''Did the ring just talk to me?'' He inwardly thought. ''Yes owner, you may call me Codex'' "I''m Devlin" "Welcome Devlin" "Codex, do you have any idea where we are at?" "You are currently in a place called the Lost Sahara. It''s known for the mysterious relics that come from out of nowhere as well as the cold and desolate climate. It''s also within the Universe, known as the Interstellar Planar." Devlin was shocked to find out he was in a whole different world. He returned back to the center of the ruins with an outlook of the place they were at. He glanced around and noticed many shipwrecks scattered about on the ruins surrounding the cold desert. There was even a plane crash in the distance that looked like it happened several years ago. With a look of bewilderment, he knew all of these relics came from the earth. This essentially meant there was a connection between the two worlds. "Can you tell me what connections does this place have with Earth" "I do not have access to that information. My systems are currently limited to a select amount of information due to the user not having enough power to cross the next threshold." This made Devlin''s impression sink as he was hoping he could gain a better concept of what this place was like. His mood still was delightful as he knew this ring held countless information regarding how to possibly get out of here. Eventually, he got tired of waiting and decided to sit down beside a column nearby and think about there next plan of action. Chapter 5 - Expect the Unexpected ---------- The sound of footsteps echoed out nearby as a figure slowly appeared from within the inner sanctum. He had a dull expression as he saw Devlin sitting from far away in a badass outfit that seemed to perfectly fit his physique. He could already tell Devlin must have found some priceless treasures within the underground section and he couldn''t help but feel a little cheated. All he could find were some decent-looking dark leather padded clothing with a few scratches, some worn-out pair of gauntlets that seemed old fashioned, and a bag filled with a few silver and bronze coins. Devlin noticed his expression and couldn''t help but laugh inwardly at the thought of what his brother would think if he knew this ring on his hand was the most valuable. Suddenly a low roar could be heard from behind a huge rock a distance away. Instantly Devlin and Leo were on high alert because this place was unknown to them. For all, they know this place could very well be the den of some atrocious monster. A huge pair of eyes could be seen peeking out of the corner. Devlin and Leo''s back began to sweat. As the creature slowly reached around the rock and stumbled out into the open, both of their minds went blank. Not from the fear that could even shock the soul, but from the comical sight that caused both of them to nearly wet their selves earlier. A tiny and fat blob sat there with black and white fur. It''s eyes had black fur around it and seemed adorable and pure from no matter what angle you looked at it. It was a baby panda. The only difference was it had a few hieroglyphics on its fur. Devlin and Leo both looked at the panda, who gave out a little roar, and then back at each other. They both busted out laughing knowing they''ve been bamboozled. Devlin chuckled as he glanced in the direction of the panda. Leo also glanced and said, "For real, I may have to check my pants before we set off." The baby panda, who believed that they were laughing at him, began to feel a little irritated and began to roar louder and louder. Eventually, his roars grew to the point of a full-grown bear roaring down at them. Devlin and Leo were amazed by how the panda could get so ferocious. They feared the baby panda would get more aggressive and maybe send an alert to its parents nearby so they began to quietly leave this place. The baby panda saw this and thought they were treating him as a pile of trash that they didn''t feel the time to even take out. This caused it to be outraged and let out a roar so magnificent that even the rocks in the ruins trembled. It''s body suddenly grew and the hieroglyphics around it stretched it''s body until the panda was about 7ft tall. Devlin and Leo panicked from this sudden change of strength and discovered that this place had many dangerous encounters that they were truly unaware of. They soon recovered from the surprise the panda had given them. Devlin quickly rushed over to where he threw the sharp stone and got into a fighting stance. At the same time, Leo reached out and grabbed the worn-out gauntlets, hoping that they could come in handy. The large panda charged towards both of them and swiped down with both of his hands. Devlin dodged to the right and swung down with sharp stone only to leave a little wound. Leo, on the other hand, was in far worse condition. When he dodged to the left a piece of the dark granite that was crushed by the panda was sent flying and struck his gut causing him to spew blood out of his mouth. This one strike made Devlin and Leo realize the disparity between them and the Panda. The Panda knew that it had injured Leo so it decided to get rid of him first to make things easier. When Devlin saw this, he tried to make it look like he was sneaking away so he could make a sneak attack. Leo saw this and felt like he was betrayed. He begins to try to chase after him, however, the panda was in his way and he couldn''t get past it. His eyes teared up and he began to wonder why he even trusted Devlin so much. He felt hopeless as the Panda marched its way in front of him in a mocking expression as if it was saying "How dare you little humans think that I can''t tear you into little pieces whenever I want". Right when the panda began to raise his left arm up, Leo could see an arm sticking out behind a rock with a signal that he knew from the military meaning "sneak attack". His eyes which were dim instantly brightened and he felt he had wronged his brother. He wanted to apologize but the situation right now wasn''t the best time to do it. As the claw slashed down, Leo dove between the two panda''s legs and sprinted to the rock that Devlin was hiding behind. At this point, Devlin had already prepared for the worst. It took him a little while to find a good clean sharp rock and tie it to a rope tied together with old clothes he found from some of the corpses around the ruins. As he got on top of a rock that looked about as big as huge boulder about 10 ft tall, he gradually balanced himself on the edge and pulled out another sharp stone and gripped it with his right hand while the other stone tied to the rope was in his left. A loud booming noise could be heard as he peeked around the corner to see Leo desperately running his way with a huge panda behind him pulverizing everything in its path. If this was anybody else from Earth, they would''ve passed out already, however, Devlin went through many hardsh.i.p.s in the military that either had him making tough choices or risking his life to save his brothers. Currently, his best friend needed him the most and he could only swallow his fear and charge into the tiger''s den, or well, in this case, the panda''s den. Once Leo passed the marked boulder, Devlin jumped out from the behind about 10 ft in the air and began swinging the rock connected the rope as fast he could. Suddenly he let it go, and it flew down rapidly. The Panda was instantly caught off guard and could only stare helplessly as the sharp rock jabbed into its right eye. The panda let out an anguished roar as its anger rose to the extreme; however, it still didn''t know that the human who was in the air was falling down swiftly with another attack. Once it regained its conscious, its only eye caught Devlin holding another sharp stone stabbing down into it. The panda was startled as its vision suddenly went pitch black. The eyes which had black fur surrounding them have now been dyed a dark red with a rock protruding out of both of them. Chapter 6 - Andromeda ---------- Devlin fell down gasping for air. His vision felt like it was fading and he could feel the blood trickling down his head. Whenever he successfully stabbed the panda in the eye it swiped his huge paw across hitting him square in the c.h.e.s.t. He was sent flying into another rock a few yards away. When he fell down, a huge crater could be seen on the side of the rock displaying how powerful that strike was. Fortunately, the panda was pre-occupied with all the pain it was still dealing with. Leo came over to Devlin''s side and lifted him up on his shoulder. They soon began to flee from the scene as quick as they could because they knew that if they stayed there any longer then who knew what else would come. Although the Panda was injured, it still had the strength needed to take both of their lives anytime it wanted to. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- In this barren cold Desert, you could see two lone survivors trying their best to stay alive. Eventually, they came to a stop next to a little pond with a huge ship crashed next to the side. Leo laid Devlin on the side of rock close by. He then walked into the gaping hole on the side of the ship hoping to scavenge any food and water that they may have left behind. While Devlin was waiting, he ripped off a piece of the old clothing he had wrapped around his waist, dipped it into the water and tied it around his forehead. Then he tried asking the Codex for any information on the Panda they just dealt with but still had no luck. It seemed the only thing the Codex was good for currently was finding out where you were. At first, this didn''t sink in but the next second Devlin''s eyes widened. "Codex pull a map of the area and locate the nearest city" Although Devlin had plenty of experience surviving in the woods, they still needed supplies and not only but this is also a foreign world that''s already surprised more than once. A map popped out from the ring in a holographic form that told detailed areas and within a 5-mile radius as well as confirmed Devlin''s guess. The only thing the map couldn''t do was show the location of life forms within the area. At this time, Leo came back carrying two cutlasses and backpack from the pirate ship and brought it over to Devlin "This is about all I could find for now. At least it''ll help us defend ourselves better." Devlin nodded and gradually stood up using the rock as support. "It seems for starters we just need to find a good place to live in for the time being." "That is if there are any people left on this damn universe we''re stuck in. It can''t end like this! I just got this new body. I''m still a v.i.r.g.i.n bro!" Devlin rolled his eyes and flicked him on the forehead, "Who knows, but you know there''s a thing called too much information. Now start walking otherwise your gonna die a v.i.r.g.i.n quicker then you think." Leo''s mouth instantly shut and had one hand covering his crotch and the other holding onto Devlin over his shoulder. He then started walking in the direction that Devlin pointed him towards. At first, he was reluctant to head that way considering the land didn''t have that many surroundings that could cover or hide them if they were under attack, but after a half a day passed and he was about to give up he noticed some patches of grass that resembled wisps of flames in bright multiple colors. They were now close to the edge of the 5-mile radius and were nearing the path that Devlin saw on the map. They both were surprised and drew closer to a patch. They cautioned themselves as they drew nearer, however, the weird thing was it didn''t give off any heat. In fact, it felt more soothing as it gave off a pleasurable fragrance. They couldn''t believe their eyes as they believed that this was something could defy all common sense and could be worth a lot even in this world. After they plucked a few, they continued their way throughout the Lost Sahara. Directly after they turned the corner from behind a huge rock that was cutting them off from seeing up ahead, they straightaway felt awkward as the sight ahead of them made them apprehensive about whether this multicolored grass was special or was it as common as dirt in this world. By now, they both were a bit used to being shocked by how insane this world actually was, but they still felt embarrassed about how they thought they came upon a treasure. They quickly recovered and started heading along the dark granite road that was the same one Devlin spotted on the map back then. Around an hour in, they came upon a large circle-shaped area with a golden platform in the center. In the center of the golden platform was a tall and bleak obelisk with 5 pillars on the edges. The golden platform had hieroglyphics signs circling it all around connecting the 5 pillars to the obelisk in the center. Leo gasped with a hint of excitement. "Look, Bro, it''s also got those hieroglyphics on it just like the strange tunnels we came through to get to this world. Maybe it could take us back to Earth!" Devlin''s eyes flickered when he heard this but he still rejected the idea immediately. "I doubt it, Leo, it can''t be that easy otherwise everyone back on Earth would''ve found this place and it would have caused a great commotion." Once Leo heard this, he sighed and knew that Devlin''s claim was probably correct, nonetheless, maybe this obelisk could at least take them somewhere safe. Devlin saw his brother sadden and said, "Maybe it could take us to a place that has many beauties and food around though," hoping to cheer him up a little. Leo knew what his brother was trying to do, but he still felt a lot better hearing it. They walked up to the steps of the platform and got near the obelisk to get a closer look, however before they could get any closer, a bright light surrounded the platform and all of the hieroglyphics lit up in the commotion. Devlin who had just regained his strength and was beginning to walk by himself stumbled over. Before he even hit the ground his vision went blurry and felt a tingling sensation as his body was sent flying through the space continuum. The only thing he could catch sight of before the bright lights teleported them away was a square plate on the obelisk that read one word. Andromeda. Chapter 7 - Voyagers ---------- The subtle quiet platform connecting the gateway between the Lost Sahara and Andromeda hadn''t been used in over centuries. It was just one of the countless gateways on the precipice of the city. In front of one of the entrances to the enormous city was a cliff spanning about a mile wide with plenty of steps to go up and down it. At the top was an open-roof chamber that withheld a numerous number of obelisks with pillars surroundings each and every one of them. The chambers walls and flooring were clear-cut crystals with a bright red shine to them. It was packed with people walking all around to get somewhere. At every gateway platform, there would be a guardian stationed at the front to stop any disturbances that would happen. Todays turn to watch the Lost Sahara gateway, was a young middle-aged man with his black hair slicked back wearing a white suit with silver shoulder pads on it. However, he knew nothing special was going to happen so he was leaned up on one of the pillars on the platform at the time. Instantly the gateways hieroglyphics brightened and the young middle-aged man who was momentarily dazed began to feel the energy fluctuations occurring near him. His eyes instantly snapped open and were shocked to see two injured youths appear in front of him. Everybody in the chamber couldn''t help but be curious as to who these people were. The reason behind this was simple, the last people who came from this gateway eventually turned out to be one of the top experts in the Interstellar plane. Dylan and Leo were dumbfounded at what happened and couldn''t process what just occurred. As their eyes adjusted to the situation they were then shocked to find out that there were actually people here. Not only that but different races as well, there were some with horns sticking out of the top of their head while others have gills on their necks. Currently, the young middle-aged guardian didn''t know what to do as this was his first time encountering people who had come from the Lost Sahara. At some point, he regained his wits and strode towards the two. "May I know who you two might be and what business do you have with our Immortal Division" Devlin could tell by the looks of it, this young man was as nervous as they were. Leo mumbled as his stomach gave out a loud rumble. The young middle-aged man gave them a weird expression. He was curious as to why these two kids were out there by themselves, without any protection. Devlin thought that the man was going to reject the request and make them leave so he instantly reached out into the bag on Leo''s back and pulled out a sack holding a few silver and bronze coins. "We have some shiny coins if your willing to trade us a bit of food." The young middle-aged man shook his head and tapped his wristwatch. When Devlin and Leo saw this, they glanced at each other with a frown, thinking that he was going to call the authorities. The next second, however, made them completely drop their jaws as they saw the man pull up a holographic panel and pull out two warm pieces of loaf bread from the panel. He then walked over to the two and placed a piece of bread in their hands and said, "I don''t need any of your drachmas little fellows. My name is Jack, what about you?" "Wait, drachmas? What are those?" Leo''s eyebrows rose as he had no idea what the hell were those. Jack gave them a bewildered look and sighed. "Drachmas are those silver and bronze coins you have in your bag. It seems you two don''t know that you have a bit of fortune in their as well. One silver drachma is my monthly pay working up here as gateway guardian." Devlin and Leo, who were munching down on the bread while listening, gazed at the ouch full of drachmas and couldn''t help but feel a little elated in their heart. "Hey, Jack it''s about time to switch. Why don''t you show these two fellas around." Jack was startled as he didn''t realize his shift was about to end. He gave the Mohawk guardian a nod and started leading Devlin and Leo out of the chamber. As they shuffled through the crowd, many of the onlookers were lifting their wristwatch up and typing quickly on their holographic panels. Leo and Devlin were a little uneasy but ignored them as they went through. Many of those onlookers were spreading the news on their wristwatch about two voyagers appearing within one of the Immortal Divisions gateways. Once the whole city of Andromeda heard this, it began to spread like a wildfire. The reason behind this is because that supreme existence that was the last voyager eventually became one of the Division managers within the city. Division Managers are known to hold great authority and power within Andromeda. Devlin and Leo had no idea what kind of storm they just spread once they got here. Currently, there were following behind Jack and exiting the chamber. As soon as they walked out, they both were petrified by the sight before them. It was the same as one of those futuristic cities with dark islands floating on top of it. The entrance had a gigantic gate and bridge with an Ankh symbol on top symbolizing the Immortal Divisions entrance. From not far away you could see majestic mounts and hover-boards with people riding them, entering and exiting and being placed inside people''s wristwatch. You could see endless skyscr.a.p.ers and palaces within the city. It was basically a Utopia for the two boys. Jack caught sight of this and laughed out loud. They eventually passed through the wide gate and along the bridge, finally entering the avenue crowded with tons of people. The Avenue gave off a pearlescent Grayish orange glow. In the avenue, people were flying overhead on their hoverboards or mounts while on the ground you could people crammed trying to get through the crowd. After an hour of shoving and pushing, Jack found a good open-air restaurant called the Sweet Tooth with plenty of people in it and only a few open tables left on the second floor. Along the way here Devlin and Leo could feel many eyes glare at them if they were some exposed woman. They were a bit confused and wanted to ask Jack about it, but every time they tried, the noise of the crowd would drown out their voices leaving Jack a little puzzled as to what they asked. Eventually, they came to conclusion to just wait it out till they got to their destination. As they sat at one of the seats near the edge where they could see all of the endless people walking along the avenue, a waiter with bright purple hair and a flame tattoo under his left eye came up and asked, "What would you gentlemen like to order?" Jack replied, "We''ll take three of the Dragon Vine and two cutlets of the Glacial Unicorn for these two youngsters." At the mention of meat, unintentionally Devlin and Leo began to drool out of their mouth. The waiter saw this and chuckled as he nodded his head and left. Jack laughed and then crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Alright now, I know you two probably have plenty of questions by now so ask away." Chapter 8 - Phantom Cultivators ---------- Devlin and Leo regained their composure once they heard Jack mention this. Ever since they got to this unusual place, they''ve always wanted to know where exactly were they at and why everyone was glaring at them as soon as they got in this city. Although Devin knew a little bit about this world through the codex, he still wanted to confirm his suspicions. "This place is known as the central city in the Interstellar planar, Andromeda. Most of the major events that will happen usually occur in this city. I''m only a low-level phantom guardian of one of the major powers in Andromeda so I only know a limited amount of information." Devlin was stunned as he never heard of the term "phantom guardian" through codex. "What the hell is a phantom guardian?" From this question, Jack could distinguish why voyagers drew attention. It seemed as if they''ve lived under a rock this entire time, he thought. "Well, a phantom guardian is someone who is a phantom cultivator that keeps a watch around the city. And before you interrupt me and ask ''What''s a phantom cultivator?'' I''ll get to that part in a minute. For now, I want you to look over this edge and over to those two people going up the steps to the citadel." Devlin and Leo were confused and could only turn their head to the side to see what the big deal was. It was actually two young men disputing about how one of them stole something from them, while the other one kept denying the proof. "James, hand me my Grade-3 Spectral Blood Crystal otherwise I''ll make you forget about even participating in the upcoming Destiny Awakening Ceremony." This youth had a short blue hair and a dark blue unzipped puffer jacket on over his skin-tight black clothing. On the back of the jacket, it had a Crystal Blue Trident Hieroglyphic. The crowd who overhead this conversation began to circle around them. James, who had brown hair and was wearing about the same identical outfit but instead had a silver unzipped puffer jacket with a glowing sword hieroglyphic on the back rebuked, "Don''t falsely accuse me, Jin, who do you think you are to threaten me, the son of a Division Envoy." When Jack saw this, he gasped and exclaimed in a solemn voice, " I can''t believe it''s an Empyrean-level Phantom." Devlin and Leo were shocked to the core as they saw the scene playing out. They couldn''t help but rub their eyes a couple of times to make sure they were in the right place. Once this phantom was summoned, Jin''s momentum sprung as he gave off a cold impression. He then yelled out, "Winter''s bane!" as he pulled out a longsword from his wristwatch and charged towards James with his Ice Wyrm following behind him. This outright act caused James to be unprepared as he had no idea that Jin wouldn''t care about his status. As Jin neared, he started to spin causing an Ice tornado to head his way. James was outraged by how little Jin thought of his strength and he summoned his phantom too. James''s phantom was a silver rapier known as Silverlight, which was best known for its piercing power and was also another Empyrean-level phantom. "Silver Puncture" James roared as he dashed in front of the ice tornado that Jin was within and pierced out with his rapier that glowed brightly. Suddenly, the rapier which was moving quickly moved at a snail''s pace and a clear blue forcefield about 10 ft in range was cast around them causing the ground to freeze up. The Ice Wyrm at Jin''s was unaffected and rushed towards James with its fangs bared. Even though he was shocked to find out about this move, he didn''t lose his calm and the next second a silver light flashed in his eyes. A small silver needle appeared and destroyed the Ice Wyrm phantom. The forcefield that was slowing down James momentum disappeared. All that happened within a span of 5 seconds. The Ice tornado finally made contact with the silver rapiers piercing power and was instantly destroyed. You could see Jin fly out with blood spraying out of his mouth. As he landed, his face was pale and his c.h.e.s.t felt a burning sensation. James walked up to him with a snobbish grin. "If you were smart, you would have known better not to mess with me hehe. I''ll give you a parting gift so you''ll understand the difference in strength." A loud cry could be heard as a lone hand was sent flying off and onto the pavement within the avenue. Jin was enraged but couldn''t do anything except blame himself for his weakness. He then slowly picked himself with great difficulty and limped away into another avenue carrying his hand that had been cut off with resentment and anger towards James. James saw this and gave an arrogant expression to those surrounding him as he jumped onto his hoverboard and sped off into the citadel. From this whole fight, Devlin finally understood what it meant by Codex saying he needs to cross the next threshold to unlock what it had inside. This mind-boggling experience didn''t make Devlin and Leo fear this world, but instead re-vitalized their broken spirits as they truly felt they had been given a chance to renew their destiny. At this moment, the waiter soon returned with their drinks and plates full of food. Jack was about to dig in, but before that he said, "That battle earlier explained a little bit about what a phantom cultivator, however, there''s more to it then you know." Although Devlin and Leo had the mentality of a middle-aged man, they still were in the bodies of 15-year-olds. This gave them a bit of a surprise since usually alcoholic beverages weren''t given to minors back on Earth. Jack creased his brows and replied," A minor what now? What''s wrong with wine?" Eventually, the more and more Devlin tried to explain it, the more and more Jack had a confused expression until they finally just gave up and kept the wine. "Anyways I''m a phantom cultivator as well, however, I''m at the bottom of the food chain with just a lowly mortal phantom." As he said this, his phantom began to shift into a decent-sized panda. Once Devlin and Leo saw this, their bodies stiffened up and they nearly dashed out of the restaurant. This panda had an identical appearance to the one they saw the other day. "What''s wrong with you guys, are you scared of a Bamboo Pan-Li?" Jack laughed as his shadow shifted back into its original form. "No, it''s not that. We just recently were attacked by a baby panda that transformed into one of those." At first, they believed Jack was the attacker but his phantom had its eyes still in contact. They soon told Jack what happened between them and the panda. When Jack heard this, his eyes narrowed. "You kids must have run into a grade-3 spectral beast that was born not too long ago. You guys were lucky that it was a baby otherwise it would have been a lot stronger. They''re known for being high and mighty and the Lost Sahara is known for being full of strong spectral beasts that can handle those in the blood realm." Both of the boys suddenly realized that they were really fortunate enough to not meet anything more dangerous along the way here, although they were a bit confused about what he meant about the blood realm. Jack mentioned with an admiring expression. Devlin''s eyes glimmered and couldn''t help but ask, "So is Empyrean-level the highest?" Chapter 9 - Destiny Awakening ---------- When Jack heard this, he couldn''t help but chuckle, "Not exactly, they''re more like an average talent. There are actually five rankings in total. In first you have the Mortal phantom being the lowest. Then you have the King-level, which is the lowest you can get to enter one of the 7 powerhouse sects, with exception to the Immortal King Guild that I''m a part of. Next, there''s the Empyrean-level that you saw which is destined to be at least an inner sect disciple. Then you have the core talents, which are called Celestial-level phantoms. These talents are usually nurtured and given a wide range of medicines and skills from a few top existences. Finally, we have a diety-level phantom that can control the world. I don''t know much about them but I do know that they are treasured disciples and are personally taught by either the Envoys or the Emperor within a sect." While he was mentioning all of this, he observed how they would react to all of this. Surprisingly, the two were actually thrilled to hear about this kind of life. It was if they were in a video game and they had the chance to become the protagonist with overwhelming strength. Devlin was relieved to hear all of this. He had been stressed about finding his 2 younger brothers since the beginning but after hearing this is the central city he figured they most likely ended up coming here. After thinking it through, Devlin asked, "So what does it take to become one of these phantom cultivators." "Simple, all you need to do is attend the Destiny Awakening event that occurs every year. Once a person turns 15, they can sign up for it and receive a Grade-1 blood crystal during the ceremony to awaken it. There are a few exceptions though and some people can awaken theirs before the age of 15 to get a better start along the road; however, those are usually only the descendants of a tycoon that have a special physique which in return enables them to handle the harsh energies gathering in their bodies to awaken the phantom." Devlin and Leo were both attentively listening, not missing a single word. "Luckily for both of you, it actually starts tomorrow. You both look around 15 if you want we can hurry up and finish to go check it out and see if you can do the awakening" Jack casually said as he sipped the last of his wine. Devlin and Leo, who were both trying to finish their wine off, spit it out in an instant and shouted at the same time, "WE CAN SIGN UP!?" This drew the attention of the whole crowd in the restaurant. Devlin and Leo were embarrassed by the commotion they stirred and instantly hung their heads low. Suddenly someone yelled out, "Woah, they''re the voyagers who just showed up out of nowhere!" This made even the people from the first floor come up and start trying to ask questions. "Do y''all know the Immortal Drunken Saber?" Two beautiful women came up and asked them. Devlin and Leo gave an odd glance to one another. Immortal Drunken Saber?... Just when they were about to reply, Jack immediately brought them up, paid for the meal and lead the way out before it got too wild. Leo felt a little awkward as they walked down the avenue and nervously asked, "Bro, when did we become so popular? Although I know I''m truly handsome, it still shouldn''t draw males in as well" "It''s because you have the face that attracts males instead of women" Devlin rolled his eyes and gave off a cheeky grin. Leo was astonished to find his brother actually joking around with him again. When he first met Devlin they were both shameless playboys, however, it all began to change when they met Dylan and Calvin who were like their younger brothers to them. It made Devlin''s attitude change directly 180 degrees, forcing him to become a responsible and strict a.d.u.l.t. As things dragged on, Leo became more rebellious and was always messing around in life. The only thing that didn''t change was his admiration for Devlin to shoulder all those burdens It seemed now Devlin''s attitude had begun to revert back a little bit, and he couldn''t help but feel his heart twitch with a hint of excitement. Jack saw these two bickering back and forth and this scene recalled his youthful days back when he and his two buddies were about to take the Destiny awakening. He hadn''t seen them since then and he inwardly sighed at the thought of it and continued forward. As they moved along, Jack noticed the two little fellas were actually drawing the attention of more young ladies then normal. He couldn''t deny that the two youths beside him did have a handsome aspect to them. Devlin indeed had a devilish charm to his looks while Leo had a more cute and charming look that made him look innocent which was pretty ironic because he was a perverted playboy by nature. This made Jack a bit envious towards the two. On the top of the dome''s entrance, it had an Ankh engraved on a square plate at the top. Jack mentioned it was the symbol for the Immortal King Guild and the Immortal Division that they govern. He also told them that this dome was basically a gathering place for all of the powerhouses. It''s inside literally only had Black Elite Carbon Fiber on the ground, however, it was treated like a treasure because that Black Elite Carbon Fiber could shape into anything the owner d.e.s.i.r.ed, even the color could change as well. You could basically build a whole city within the dome and nobody would notice it was only Elite Carbon Fiber. The Immortal King Guild was also in control of this zone because their status was neutral among all the sects. At the entrance, there were three shiny black mirrors with bones on the edges. In front of them was a long line that was a mile long. Devlin and Leo nearly choked to death when they saw this. Who knew how long this was going to take!? They could only swallow their frustration and stand in line quietly. After an hour or so, the mirrors were only a few people away from them. They began to get nervous as to what was going to happen. The only thing they heard so far from the instructor beside the mirror was to stand in front of it and then he either yelled "Pass" or "Fail". Finally, it was Leo''s turn as he stepped up in front of the mirror. As time ticked on, a bright number fifteen reflected in the mirror. The instructor suddenly yelled "Pass". Leo was startled as he didn''t even do anything. He lifted up a finger and asked, " That''s it?" The instructor heard this and was about to scold him for holding up the line until he glanced up and saw Leo''s face. He was bewildered as he thought he saw wrong and pulled up the recent news with a pic of the voyagers. It was truly them! He now understood why this boy was confused and he replied in a prideful tone, "Young voyager, this is a Bone-age mirror that can determine the age of anyone who stands in front of it. This number on the top of it is your age. Only those who are 15 years old can enter the Dome to undergo the ceremony." Not long after, they reached a swarm of people gathered in a magnificent square. In the square, a tall platform was erected up with seven people standing and wearing different colored suits and dresses. These seven gave off a strange vibe as if they were untouchable. On the left and ride side of the tall platform stood about fifty disciples of each sect separated from one another, currently enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. In front of the tall platform was a hexagonal platform barely above the ground with a dragon altar and a middle-aged man beside it that had a gold and white tunic on with slanted eyes. The dragon altar was holding a crystal orb with a rune circle formation where one would pull out the Grade-1 Blood crystal and absorb the chi stored up in it. Chapter 10 - The Seven Envoys ---------- Currently, Devlin''s attention was toward the middle-aged man. When he listened in on the conversations around, although many of them were talking about the voyagers, he still found out a few bits of pieces about who these people were. The middle-aged man was actually the Immortal Division Manager, whose title was mostly known by all as the Immortal Drunken Saber. It''s said that his Phantom is actually a Celestial-phantom called Bacchus. In addition his strength is unfathomable and his style of attacking is unpredictable. He was the same as Devlin and Leo since he was also a voyager that came here a few centuries ago. Most likely, he came from Earth through the fountain of youth as well. The seven individuals on the tall platform were actually Envoys of each sect. An Envoy is basically second in command of a sect, which shows how much importance they place on the Destiny Awakening Ceremony. On the far left was the Myriad Illusions Temple Envoy with a Lotus symbol on her shoulder. She was a beautiful lady with an hourglass figure, who didn''t seem over 30. This temple specialized in illusions and charming techniques. Most of the disciples, in this one, were either females or males with pretty playboy looks. Beside her was a Devilishly handsome young man, with red pupils and two black horns coming out of his head. He was actually part of the Demi-human race which converged into this planar from a separate one. He had a cold expression that cautioned everyone to not get any ideas. He was actually one of the most recent famous young envoys named Nick, who that had a deity-level phantom called Thanatos. At the top of his c.h.e.s.t was a demon with horns representing the Demon Venerable Temple. Many people try to stay away from this sect as they believe its a Demonic Cult, that does evil deeds, however, it''s not at all like that. Even though they cultivate the dark arts, they only cultivate them on spectral beasts in the wild or that the sect has caught for training. Next up was a dashing blonde youth wearing a shiny dark purple suit. He had an arrogant air around him that made him as if he was the ruler of the sky. On his c.h.e.s.t was a cloud with thunder coming out of it symbolizing the Sky Monarch Temple. He was another recently young famous envoy named Luke, that had a deity-level phantom called Thor. This temple was ranked first out of all of them as it''s specialization was more to those who had phantoms that dealt with either speed or destruction techniques. On the other side to the very right, there was a bulky man with a scar on his left eye. If you looked him in the eyes, it felt like a sword was stabbing straight through you heart. His facial features were a little identical to James and was most likely his father that he had claimed earlier. On the top of his c.h.e.s.t was the same emblem as well, meaning he represented the Armament Sovereign Temple. This temple mainly cultivated those who had weapon phantoms. The leader is said to possess a deity-level phantom that''s identified as Excalibur. Beside him stood a women with a white dress and a veil across her face. She seemed as pure as a saint, with an expressionless face. On her shoulder, there was the same emblem Jin had on his back. She was a part of the Crystal Waterfall Temple. Their specialty is more for those who have water and ice phantoms. The one after that was a fiery red headed male that that had a luxurious gold suit on with glasses that looked similar to ray bans back on Earth. A Lion head with a crown and fire surrounding it, was there on his c.h.e.s.t showing everyone that he was a part of the ric.h.e.s.t temples, specified as the Blazing Imperial Temple. It''s profits usually came from the Imperial Refiners they had making armaments. They have a few legendary figures with natural-born phantoms who were made to refine. Their strength was also descent as they usually deal with fire cultivation methods. The last one in the middle was another young women that looked like an angel with a white and golden tight dress on and silky blonde hair that flowed with the wind. She was considered a genius among geniuses as she was even younger then Nick and Luke. Her phantom was a six-winged angel that was extremely powerful and could heal even those who were on the verge of death. She had the Ankh symbol meaning Immortal for the Immortal King Guild. Normally, only the old Acolytes would oversee this ceremony, but this year was a special one. A few of the major clans in each division had sent out their pure bloodline descendants that possibly carried their traditional phantom that was on the celestial level or maybe even higher. Other than the Envoys, there were also fifty disciples on the side which partake in a competitive tournament to exchange views with other sects disciples. A particular person with a silver puffer jacket caught Devlin''s eye. That man was the same person who injured Jin last time, James. It seems he also came to take part in the competition, however, there were no signs of Jin in the Crystal Waterfall group. The only thing that was noticeable was a couple of menacing glares from them to the whole Armament Sovereign group. Immortal Drunken Saber suddenly announced in a deep voice, "Let the ceremony begin!" A black globe with pulsating orange runes on it in his hands began to glow. The Elite Carbon Fiber began to vibrate and out of nowhere an obelisk popped up from within the ground on the hexagonal platform with a list of all the names of who were attending the ceremony for awakening. There were about a thousand people in total and When Devlin saw the order, he felt a little relief knowing he wasn''t going to have to be the first because he had no idea what he had to do. The first one on the list was a spiky black haired kid with average look by the name of Aaron. Once he saw he was first, you could see him tense up drastically. He walked up to the dragon altar as if a rod was stuck up his a.s.s. This decision was either going to change his fate into a dragon among men or make it to where he continued along the same road the rest of his life. He reached his hand into the rune circle formation and pulled out one of the Grade-1 blood crystals. The Rune circle formation was a special Arcane spell that was used store things in. Following this, the atmosphere grew eerily silent, anticipating what would happen next. The shadow on the ground instantly shook and exploded into fragments. Then a loud screeching could be heard as those fragments began rebuilding back a foot tall jade deer with a fuzzy image. "It doesn''t give off the same threatening existence as those Empyrean phantoms we saw earlier", Devlin thought. Sure enough, the spiky-haired youth''s expression changed dramatically. His eyes went dull and he knew right then and there his life was set in stone. The only thing to change the course was to come upon a fortuitous encounter, however, the difficulty in finding one of those was the same as winning the lottery. "Mortal phantom, Jade Stag. Would you like to join the Immortal King Guild?" The boy shook his head and answered, " I wish to become a journeyman" Immortal Drunken Saber nodded and handed him a light golden cross, "You may go stand with the others." The boy walked in the direction of the Immortal King Guilds group and stood by them. A Journeyman? Devlin had no idea this was an option, nor did he know what it mean''t so he decided to ask one of the many people in the crowd. It just so happened the person that he asked was a foxy girl who had been yawning throughout the event as if it was a simple matter. She had a sweet aroma that aroused everyone in the vicinity. In addition, with her tight-skin clothing you could say she was a seductive demoness. The foxy girl could feel all the heated gazes towards her, but by now she was already use to it. The only thing that irritated her was when people tried to play it out like they were destined lover and carry on a conversation. When she felt a tapping on her shoulder, she ferociously looked back to see who it was that wanted to annoy her. Devlin was stunned by the ethereal beauty before him but he had no clue why she held him in disdain. Nonetheless, he still asked curiously, "little girl, do you know what he meant by being a journeyman?" The foxy girl was going to just ignore the boy until she heard the term "little girl" that only the elders in her Nine-Tailed Fox Clan would call her. Although she had heard about the voyagers on the way here, it wasn''t something that was interesting to her considering she was planning on becoming something even greater then a little Division Manager. Chapter 11 - One Life for Another ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "Are you just an idiot or do you want me to beat you to death" replied the foxy girl in an icy tone. Leo at the side heard this question towards his brother and angrily retorted, "Ai Ai little girl no need to get your p.a.n.t.i.e.s in a bunch. Even though you are indeed a beauty, your father, I, can easily get anyone I want. My brother only asked whether you can tell him what a journeyman is or not." The young boys at the side were frozen by the comment. The only thought that crossed their mind was ''Who the hell would ever offend the foxy girl!'' The foxy girl was startled and had never been insulted in her life. Although she still was embarrassed and agitated by what this male said, she could tell by this remark that maybe Devlin was actually asking an earnest question. She turned her head and casually said, "They''re either used as servants for outer sect disciples or tools that can be used for the Immortal King Guild whenever they discover any Secret Domains, which hold valuable treasures but dangerous traps in every corner." Devlin and Leo were frightened and a little skeptical as to why the hell anyone would want to do that. The foxy girl saw this and felt a bit of joy from scaring the two. "Indeed, it is a dangerous job but those who are successful and go through without any trouble will gain a portion of the treasures that are gained from the domain to further their cultivation." From this remark, Devlin and Leo now understood why these people would rather risk it all to get a chance at changing their fate. On earth, they were the same way, hoping to discover a purpose in their life. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Names were being called out one at a time. There were a few Empyrean and King phantoms from time to time, however, most of them were Mortal phantoms. There were even a few that just had their shadow shake and then nothing changed. These were Lost phantoms that could never be awakened, simply saying that the person was destined to be normal forever. Names kept rolling on one by one when a familiar name entered into Devlin and Leo''s ears. "Calvin Skyfall" A young man with slicked-back purple hair and a face as if it was sculpted by the lord himself walked up to the dragon altar. The foxy girl''s eyes twinkled when she saw him as if this was a match made in heaven. One of the disciples in the group exclaimed, "Storm Fenrir!" drawing a commotion. "I can''t believe I''m actually seeing it with my own eyes." "Who would have known a semi-deity phantom would appear today!?" Devlin had heard of a semi-deity phantom from Jack, but he had never anticipated it would occur here and especially on one of his brothers. He asked the foxy girl again. "What''s so special about this Storm Fenrir?" The foxy girl reluctantly looked away from the scene and said, "It''s because it''s titled as the bounded phantom that wants to break away from the chains that hold it down. That''s why it is considered a semi-deity." Devlin felt like a light dawned upon him and he realized that his brother had a bright future ahead of him. Luke who was at the top of platform suddenly appeared in front of Calvin, grabbed him, and stepped back onto the tall platform with Calvin behind him as quick as a lightning bolt. A few of the Temple Envoys on the side congratulated the Sky Monarch Temple on their new recruit. Calvin was bewildered by what happened and only realized after a few minutes that he had already been accepted as a personal disciple of the Sky Monarch Temple. His face had a narcissistic grin that could only explain the exhilaration he was feeling. The Myriad Illusion Envoy''s mind instantly knew their Temple had just gained another genius and a burning pride rose in her heart anticipating the future to come. Just like the Sky Monarch Envoy, she also received a few congratulations. Grace was then invited to the tall platform as well, which she gladly accepted and stood behind the Myriad Illusion Envoy. Every so often she would give a few side glances to Calvin. Nonetheless, it seemed Calvin was only interested in her for a sec and seemed to be worrying about something else. In just a few minutes, two top tier level phantoms had shown up and stolen the spotlight and still a Celestial phantom had yet to show. "It looks like we have a reliable brother to possibly depend on if we get a shitty phantom, haha," Leo whispered to Devin with a sly grin. Devin facepalmed himself, however, he couldn''t deny the fact that his brother was kind of right. After a few more names, two deity and two celestial phantoms had been awakened as well. The two celestial phantoms were a Silver Minotaur and a Crimson Sunbird, which were both gladly accepted into their temples depending on their specialty. A young boy named Chad, who was from the Ice Giant Clan, ended up awakening the Ice Giant, Ymir. The Ice goddess from the Crystal Waterfall Temple cracked a tiny smile under that veil when she saw this. The other deity phantom was Hel, which came from the God and Demon Clan''s young princess, Selena. Hel was a special phantom as she could cultivate both light and dark attributes. Both the angelic woman from the Immortal King Guild and Nick from the Demon Venerable agreed to let her represent both of them since it would bring out her potential to the most. When the other temples that had yet to get a deity character from this ceremony saw this, they were envious. "Leo Skyfall" He noticed a young red-headed kid with a cheeky grin stare up at him when he walked towards the altar. Calvin saw this and rushed down the platform with tears streaming down his face and gave him a hug as he yelled, "Bro, It''s really you! I thought I wasn''t ever gonna be able to see you again!" Luke and all of the other envoys were stunned. The whole crowd surrounding them were stunned. It seemed like this person was also gonna be another legendary character. Leo rubbed him on his head. His eyes began moistening as he said, "Little Twerp, quit embarrassing me, the one who deserves this hug more than me is your eldest brother that''s been worrying about you since we got separated." At this point, his finger pointed towards a short blonde-haired boy that had a huge grin on his face. "Big Bro!" Calvin exclaimed in a heartwarming way. A few people passed out from the invigorating situation and others noticed these two that were related to Calvin were actually the voyagers from the news. When the Envoys and the Immortal Drunken Saber heard this, they instantly realized that Calvin must have been an unreported voyager too! It all made sense! The crowd was in an uproar while the three brothers were chatting with each other. The foxy girl up on the platform had a shocked expression as these two were the exact ones who she was cold too earlier. Now she understood why they were so clueless about what was going on, and she felt a little bit of despair as her destined lover was actually related to them. "You brat, I''ve been worried sick about you. Is Dylan with you as well?" Devlin emotionally said. It really was the truth, although he did feel at ease knowing that he could find them at this city, it still didn''t leave his mind that they could be in danger. At this part, Calvin''s heart dropped and he couldn''t keep talking anymore since his brother gave himself as a slave in order to save him. This tension of being a phantom cultivator gave him hope and forced him to work his hardest so one day he would be the one to save his brother. Chapter 12 - The Accursed of the Heretic ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Devlin''s heart turned upside from the sudden upsetting news. It was like winning the lottery only to find out it was fake money. Leo was dumbstruck and kept muttering to himself, " Impossible...." "Junior brother can you explain to me what the old man looked like" Luke said as he appeared from behind him. Calvin was a little startled but answered, "he looked like a grim reaper with three eyes and he used a scythe as a weapon." A gasp came from Luke''s mouth, "You came across the Reaper of Destiny!" "The Reaper of Destiny!?" When everyone heard this, a cold shiver ran down everyone''s back. Even the Envoys has a grim expression. Calvin was at loss as to who that was but it didn''t sound good at all. "Senior brother, who could this man be?" "He is one of the most nefarious characters in the Interstellar plane that has raised many geniuses and corrupted them into his own legion. His phantom is a famous deity-level that can even determine someone''s else''s unawakened phantom within them, known as the Great Devourer, Bakasura. He must have saw great potential in your friend that suited his devil soul arts." As soon as Calvin heard this, anger rose in his heart as the pain and torture he and Dylan endured was all planned out by that old goat. "For now junior brother lets head back up to the platform and continue the ceremony. Once we get back, I''m sure a few of the old Envoys would love to take you in as a pro-disciple" Calvin''s face lit up from this information and quickly followed behind Luke with a determined expression. Afterwards, Leo reached in the dragon altar and began absorbing the chi from the crystal. the restless phantom inside it began to stir his shadow and a scalding heat arose around the platform. A Lions roared echoed throughout the entire Plaza. The shadow erupted into magma particles scattered everywhere. It seemed like a mini volcano had just erupted out of nowhere. The Blazing Imperial Envoy was shivering from excitement as a golden radiant tiger with glistening flames appeared with a white star in the middle of its forehead. "HAHA, it looks like today is our lucky day as well. The Gods have blessed our temple with another deity phantom as well. The Leo Constellation has been born!" The Blazing Imperial Envoy arrived next to him gave him a wide grin and said, "Little boy, my Temple is one of the ric.h.e.s.t throughout the nation and will lend you our fullest strength to get your revenge for your brother if you join us" Leo nodded his head and said with a playful grin, "Senior, as long as your temple has a few beauties to spoil me from time to time I''m perfectly fine with whatever." The Blazing Imperial Envoy Gabe a hearty laugh and decisively agreed, leading him up to the tall platform. When some of the women within the crowd heard this, a hint of d.e.s.i.r.e seeped in their heart to rush up there and volunteer theirselves. The males, however, were completely jealous but couldn''t say a damn word since most of them had no suave and a equal phantom to compete with him. "Bloody Hell, what a f.u.c.k.i.n.g horny dumbass" Devlin shouted without any concern about his surroundings. People nearby began to sweat as they thought he was done for, but the next sentence caused them to become stone cold as Leo shouted back, "Bro, you can''t say that! I need to relieve some of my stress from time to time obviously. I''ll let you borrow some of my women once in awhile too" "F.u.c.k off, nobody wants your skanky women" Devlin g.r.o.a.n.e.d. Selena, from the God and Demon Clan, giggles from the two''s conversation. It seemed these two were fairly close. Between the two, She thought Devlin was the most amusing of all since he had a more m.a.t.u.r.e nature and didn''t seem to care about the pressure the Envoys gave off as they gave him a curious look. On the other hand, Devlin''s heart skipped a beat and he was feeling a little pressured knowing that both of his brothers had Legendary phantoms that would brighten their future. "Devlin Skyfall" The Immortal Drunken Saber announced with anticipation. The whole plaza was expecting another top class phantom to appear today and nobody could keep quiet. Calvin and Leo stood at the top with a hopeful expression on their faces. Devlin stepped forward to the altar, his fate solely depended on this moment. It was either a glorious path alongside his brother or a struggle to even survive. As the chi was absorbed from the grade-1 blood crystal, his meridians felt a cool breeze flush through them and straight into his dantian. The phantom that was in its slumber deep inside awoke and loud howling noise could be heard all around. As the noise rung out, the crowd was skeptical as to what kind of shadow could this be. The shadow began to morph into something dark and corrupted, giving a sense of death around the plaza. A large wolf with a serpents tail, the claws of a lion, and purple and red hellfire covering it''s body began to illuminate from the shadow. At first everyone was thrilled and exhilarated by the pressure that this wolf was giving off. It was at least a celestial phantom, even possibly semi-deity. However an eerily silence took place as an upside down ankh sign in the middle of its forehead could be seen. Selena and Nick''s eyes lit up instantly, but they didn''t say anything because they knew what it mean''t from the others perspective and could only play along at the moment. Devlin, on the other hand, noticed the quiet whispers and was a little skeptical as he thought his phantom also gave off a similar pressure to Calvin''s and Leo''s but it seemed as if everyone''s view towards his was different. He looked towards the Immortal Drunken Saber, and a sigh came from the man as he stepped back waiting for the impending news. The Armament Sovereign Envoy and the Crystal Waterfall Envoy appeared in front of him with a sullen face. Devlin asked with a frail voice as if he was grasping for an answer. James''s father replied back,"Your one of the accursed, get the hell out of here! Only those who are descendants of the Heretic can only have that. Not only that but your cultivation will be strained. Although it is a semi-deity phantom, Death Fenrir, it seems to be a mutation from the curse and can only gather a small limited amount of chi for cultivation. Now tell me, Who would want a piece of useless trash like you" Devlin''s heart sunk when he heard this news and his leap of hope was at a dead end. He knew it was over. His dreams, his future, even his brothers might not associate with him anymore. "I don''t mind taking him in" A voice sounded out in a mocking tone, from behind the two Envoys, shocking and enraging then at the same time. It was Nick from the Demon Venerable who had his eye on Devlin''s phantom the entire time. "Our Demon Venerable Temple wouldn''t mind using him as a test subject for more of the unusual and peculiar dark arts." When this sentence was dropped, his heart tightened and despair began to sink in. Leo was in the same predicament. Calvin was shocked by the sudden development and was currently at a loss of words of what to do. When Grace saw this chance to possibly get him to look at her, she decisively took it. "Senior, can you please give this man another chance to prove himself by being one of your faction members." While she said this, she peeked over and saw Calvin seriously gazing at her. The Demon Envoy was a little startled from the unexpected help and instantly agreed, showing serious and debating look. He finally said, " I don''t mind it since I believe his brothers were about to disagree with the recommendation, however, a condition will be set to ensure he works his hardest." Chapter 13 - Blood Realm Grace was thrilled by the outcome but didn''t reveal it. She was about to reply with a straight face, when Devlin interrupted her and asked,"What are your conditions?" He didn''t want to let anyone else control his fate so he decisively demanded Nick to let him choose his destiny. Nick saw the true determination from Devlin''s eyes and inwardly praised him for his strong will. "Easy, all you have to do is breakthrough from the Blood realm and into the Avatar realm by the age of 25." The plaza that had been silent until now, had suddenly become mayhem as everyone was about to lose their minds. Devlin, Leo, and Calvin were the only ones with a confused expression, not knowing the true difficulty behind the deal. Nick could tell they didn''t fully understood the situation so he immediately spoke up with a stern voice. "Since you three are voyagers, I''ll give you a little bit of information. In the road of phantom cultivation, the starting point is the blood realm, which has three separate levels. In those three levels, there are also five sub levels, known as stars. The first level you start off with is Blood Knight which sets up your foundation for cultivating chi. After passing all five stars, you rank up to Blood Lord making your foundation even sturdier. You go through the same exact situation and the next is Blood Ascendant, rinse and repeat and finally you hit the Avatar Realm." This breakdown gave enlightenment to the three in this situation as it seemed strength could be compared by others in this planar. Nick continued,"The reason why I''m explaining this is because the average age of breaking through to the Avatar for even a deity phantom is 30, even with some fortunate encounters. however, for you with a limited chi curse and not even mentioning you have a semi-deity, you would be lucky to even breakthrough at the age of 50. This could be considered a low grade celestial phantom talent but the curse limits your ability among battles causing it to be even worse than an Empyrean talent. Basically you would need a tons of lucky chances to get you there." Now Devlin realized the complex situation he was in, but his strong determination still didn''t diminish as this was a gamble. Still he was in a depressing mood by how unlucky his life had still turned out to be. He curiously asked with thoughtful expression,"Senior if you don''t mind, then what age and realm are you at then." Even though it was a bit rude to ask, his curiosity got the best of him. Nick gave a sly grin and said "Junior brother, it''s best if we don''t know too much, however, I''ll let you know that I''m in the chaos realm which is a step above the Avatar realm not even at the age of 50." When he finished, he gave a little wink to Devlin and the next instant, a strange vortex appeared under him and s.u.c.k.e.d him up. Another vortex was behind Nick and Devlin had popped up out of it beside Selena. The Armament Sovereign and Crystal Waterfall both returned to their spots, however, their aura didn''t diminish and instead grew stronger by the minute as if having this accursed monster still in the dome was going to ruin their pride. Nonetheless, they eventually gave up and could only cast despicable glances in his direction every now and then as the ceremony continued. Devlin was very aggravated at the moment from the continuous death stares he had been given and finally cursed at them saying,"If I would''ve known better, I would''ve thought you two were s.e.x.u.a.lly harassing me with those intense gazes." When this one sentence sounded out during the ceremony, a pin could be heard the next second. The two envoys that were calming down, had fury written over both of their faces. Nick at the side had been a little annoyed by their disrespectful glances as well, but he didn''t expect Devlin to fire off an insult at them so easily as if his life wasn''t in anyone''s hands. He knew this instant his junior brother was definitely a troublemaker. Selena, who was beside Devlin giggled with a beautiful smile on her face. All the males, including Devlin, were entranced by the demoness. Devlin hadn''t really payed attention to the lady, but she was definitely one of the top beauties in Andromeda. She had an exquisite figure with plump b.r.e.a.s.ts to complement her alluring laughter. Not only that, but she also had an enchanting face with gorgeous phoenix eyes that could make one have a hard time breathing. Leo was having a hard time keeping himself stable beside the Blazing Imperial Envoy once he saw this delightful scene. Devlin saw this, and laughed inside. "Ai Ai little enchantress, if you keep this up you might just cause all the males within the dome to have blue balls from this unforgettable scene." Devlin continued his harassment without any fear. "But Little Enchantress sounds a lot cuter" Selena''s face blushed and stamped his foot, not giving a remark back. Devlin chuckled from the adorable sight she was displaying. Leo praised his brother for taming this demoness that caused all the males in this area to have a tent in the central area of their pants. While these two were flirting, the two envoys on the side were outraged that they were outright ignored by the little devil. However, both of them couldn''t do anything as he was now a part of the Demon Venerable Temple and they currently didn''t have any qualifications to start a war right now. They could only put their hopes in him failing the conditions and becoming a test subject that had to deal with excruciating pain. The ceremony finally concluded, and the dragon altar and obelisk disappeared without any trace. There were in all about 50 Empyrean Phantoms, 13 Celestial, 1 semi-deity, and 4 deity phantoms that were awakened this year. From this standpoint you could see how rare it was to get these results as this was one of the best ceremonies in a while. The disciples on the side were restless and started squirming around hoping to exchange viewpoints with other sects. Immortal Drunken Saber announced,"The awakening ceremony is now officially over. Before we start the fighting tournament, I''d like to caution everyone to remember the rules and no killing is allowed otherwise the consequences will be dire." As he stepped towards the back of the hexagonal platform, an average man with a Crowned Lion on the back of his red puffer jacket leaped onto the left side with his hands behind his back and a narcissistic grin. "Martial brother, Kyle wishes to exchange views with any others who are willing to step up" A sweet voice came from the other side as a young lady with pigtails and a light green lotus emblem on her shoulder leaped onto the other side. Her looks were fairly pretty but couldn''t compare to Selena or Grace. Kyle''s heart quickened as he didn''t expect her to actually join the competition. These two were actually one of the top competitors for this competition. He bowed towards the girl in a respectful tone. "Junior sister, please give me guidance" "Mm" The girl lightly said as her aura erupted letting others witness her power. "BloodKnight 3 Star! How Incredible! I heard this girl has only been cultivating for 2 years." The disciples nearby had already used their perception to discover her cultivation level but how could the newly awoken phantom cultivators discover this? They just started on their cultivation journey and didn''t know how process chi into their own. The ponytailed girl''s shadow shifted into a glass flood dragon. It''s body illuminated the area making it hard for Kyle to even look at her. Kyle''s guard was instantly on alert as he too summoned his phantom. His cultivation was a Blood Knight 3 Star, however he had been cultivating for nearly 3 years. His phantom was a nearly two feet tall Lava Skyhawk. Chapter 14 - Grade-3 Blood Crystal ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The ponytail girl named Neah, dashed into the blind area while pulling out a pair of dual sabers, and chopped out multiple times. Too bad it was a useless against Kyle. His Phantom Skill allowed him to get an eagle eye view of the arena. Kyle knew he was at an advantage as he took this chance to pull out his katana. After about three breaths of time of defending against Neah''s barrage of attacks, he gave a loud battle cry "Volcanic Uppercut!" and the chi that he had been storing up was unleashed from his katana. The huge chi wave that accurately targeted Neah, caught her off guard, and she could only use "Yoga Flash" as she dodged at a weird angle. Her shoulder had a cut across it, where it skimmed across. Neah was sweating bullets. She knew her overconfidence got the best of her in that confrontation. She noticed the Skyhawk flying in the air above and quickly realized how he was able to counterattack her. She needed to target both him and the eagle''s eyesight. The glass flood dragon and its reflective decoys were summoned back into one and arrived next to her. She instantly charged forward with a plan in mind. Kyle tightened his grip and entered into an unusual defensive stance. "Samurai Brutal Harbinger" His katana seemed more like a shield than a blade. When their weapons collided, Neahs face frowned. Her momentum was pushed back and Kyle didn''t even take one step back. She could only aim for his weakness. Her Glass Flood dragon split into two decoys again. One was used to blind his eagle while the other was used to blind him. The real one charged at Kyle who was still in his defensive stance. Instead of trying to push him back she knocked his hands in the air with her phantom, breaking his stance. Kyle felt a cold blade slowly rest on his neck and his brows twitched knowing this match was over. This was her ultimate plan. When Kyle discovered this, it was already too late to react. "I concede." Kyle said with a depressed attitude. At first he thought his plan had worked perfectly but he didn''t expect to fall into Neahs trap at the last second. it seemed Neahs reflective outburst was stronger then he had anticipated. They both bowed and stepped off the stage. The Myriad Illusion Temple Envoy had a slight smile on her face as she praised Neah once she returned back to her spot. Many of the battles later were interesting to Devlin, but that none of them were more unpredictable and versatile as the first match. The only other match that caught his eye was the last match. Two youths between the Sky Monarch Temple and Immortal King Guild faced one another. The Sky Monarch Temple competitor had white silky hair and pointy ears indicating he was an elf. His cultivation was a step above the others in the Blood Lord 2 Star. His eyelids were white as well resembling a winter snow. Sadly his opponent was only a Blood Lord 1 Star. The white-haired youth easily overpowered the Immortal King competitor without even moving. His Celestial Phantom, ThunderIce Vine didn''t even give his opponent the chance to retaliate. This was the shortest match but also the most powerful match. Nobody else decided to step up on the stage when the white-haired youth was the last one. Just like that the Destiny Awakening Ceremony had finally come to a conclusion. The white-haired youth was awarded ten low-grade Nova Essence. Everyone began to leave the Dome with a different expression. Many were disappointed, while others felt satisfied about their performance. Devlin was one of the unlucky ones. The pressure he felt outweighed all the others. His lungs were slowly constricting by the mere thought of failing this huge hurdle. Selena could tell by Devlin''s silence that he was having trouble comprehending how he was gonna get through these next 10 years. She gave him a nudge and said with a mocking grin, "What''s wrong? Getting cold feet when you haven''t crossed the starting line" Devlin was speechless by this little girl, but she actually made a good point. He wouldn''t make it even close to the end unless he tried his best. Determination flashed through his eyes as he glanced over. "Now that I have my Little Enchantress supporting me how can I give up so easily. It''s only a little Curse." "...." Selena rolled her eyes as a sly grin came across her face. Nick who was in front of the two was wondering whether or not he made the right choice of picking these two, but also had high expectations for both, especially Devlin. If he could overcome this challenge then maybe he can break through the Heretic Curse. As Nick''s mind wandered, Calvin and Leo came to give their goodbyes to Devlin before they left for their own sects. "Bro cheer up! If it worst comes worst you always got me and this little brat to spare some resources and ladies for you if you get kicked out" "Hehe big bro, I''m not sure Leo will be much help but I''ll definitely do the best I can to help you", Calvin said while grinning from ear to ear. "Alright alright guys I''m not planning on committing suicide anytime soon. It''s nothing to worry about. I''m more worried about Dylan then anything else" Once he said that, all three of their expressions went gloomy and Serena smile couldn''t help but stiffen by the atmosphere. "He should be fine. As far as I know those who are taken by the Reaper of Destiny are treated as precious jewels nurtured by the demonic sects. As long as his mind isn''t clouded, his cultivation may even surpass all of yours" Nick said from the side to ease the tension. Devlin''s dim eyes lit up a bit when he heard this but his mind still couldn''t get rid of the thought of his brother falling to the demonic ways. ''I guess we can only hope..'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Along the way out, a fight was occurring between the Armament Sovereign Temple and Crystal Waterfall Temple again. The Envoy Maiden was riled up before the Ceremony when she first heard the news about her nephew Jin. She planned to get even after this event. "Phil, Hand over the grade-3 blood crystal and we''ll pretend it never happened otherwise don''t blame me if your son becomes crippled." Her face was stone cold but a murderous intent leaked out making the audience heart tighten. "You are still too naive, little girl. That was a farce between the younger generation. My son wasn''t even the one who challenged him so who is really in right or wrong here?" James father, Phil, rebuked in a disdainful manner. "Then we shall leave it to the younger generation just as you said" "I, Guu, would like to challenge James to a spar in order to exchange pointers." Phil was caught off-guard by this provocation, and couldn''t help but feel he was led by the nose. Nonetheless, he gave James a glance and nodded with 100% assurance. That was because the only people that could come to the Ceremony Competition to fight were those below 18 yrs of age, meaning only 3 years of cultivation. James walked out of the crowd to the center where a young man with a pale face and white tunic with a trident symbol was standing. Guu released his phantom android aura as a Blood Lord 1 Star. A Scythe made out of pure water appeared in his hand. "Make your move" "All I needs one!" James rushed in with his Silver Rapier already in hand. His speed as a Blood Lord 1 Star could be at the top as he was already in front of Gu. He stabbed at Guu with incredible piercing power. Guu''s face was calm as he swung his scythe in front of him preparing to parry the rapier, but something unusual occurred in the next second. The contact that was supposed to occur didn''t. Guu''s water scythe instantly changed positions to the side as it let James Rapier pass through it. James momentum offset but he quickly adjusted and blocked Guu''s weird angle. Guu struck with his right foot in a follow up. It landed on James left side causing him to slide back 3 steps. In the next moment Guu swung his scythe from above hoping to sever James hand. If he did this, the Envoy maiden promised him a grade-3 blood crystal as well. A grade-3 blood crystal wasn''t something that could be found anywhere. The only way was by killing a grade-3 Spectral Beast and even then its chances of having a grade-3 blood crystal was minuscule. Their power was equal to a Blood Ancestor. That was the peak of the Blood Realm before the Avatar Realm. Not only was it difficult to get, but it''s usefulness was ten times better. It would enlarge his veins and strengthen his muscles to prepare to breakthrough into Avatar Realm. Chapter 15 - Dragon Dynasty Gourd ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Guu''s Scythe was an inch away from James hand, but in that split second James entire body was enveloped in a silver light and he disappeared from the spot as if he teleported. He appeared in a spot 10 meters away with steam rolling off of him and his face a little pale. "What he used was a special skill given by his phantom. The only detrimental thing is it uses a bunch of chi to use apparently." Selena commented from the side when she noticed Devlin and the other two were astonished by what took place. Devlin''s heart raced when he heard this. Although he couldn''t give a shit about these two sides, especially when both of their Envoys were wanting to tear him apart earlier, he still wanted to know the powers of this new world. ''This is only the Blood Realm and they can already do this. I wonder what it would be like if two Avatar Cultivators fought..'' As his mind raced around, the interlocked battle was getting to its conclusion. James was coughing up blood from the overuse of his phantom skill. His body couldn''t handle all the chi the phantom was supplying him. If this carried on he would become crippled. Guu noticed the situation, however he was beginning to tire out as well. Finally he noticed James begin to store up for one last final attack with his "Spiritual Eyes" skill. Guu quickly pushed off the ground and and was enveloped by a blue light. His scythe size and length instantly doubled as he slashed down and yelled, "Blue Crescent Moon" James eyes widened as he couldn''t understand how his opponent found out about him storing his energy. It was too late for him to move as he could only shoulder this attack. At this moment, Phil made his move, instantly arriving in front Guu and slapping his Scythe away. Everyone ears popped as loud explosion could be heard and Guu was sent flying back into the Envoy Maidens arms. The Maiden gave Guu to a disciple and released her aura. "What kind of joke is this you bastard!" As she said this, an endless waterfall cascading down from the heavens appeared from behind her. Phil felt a potential threat from this so he summoned a Silver Greatsword with a barrel attached to it. He still had a cheeky grin during the confrontation as if he did nothing wrong "Little girl, it was just a tiny spar. No need to start cursing at one another" "..." "..." Everyone on the sidelines was at loss as how shameless this Envoy was. Not only did he say at the start that the young generation should fight out between one another, but he also participated in it once it wasn''t at his advantage. Both Envoys were preparing to duke it out here and now. Many people began to sprint away from this catastrophe. Suddenly a loud whistle could be heard from up above as a thousand pound gourd about five feet tall started falling from the sky. A dull thud could be heard from hundreds of miles. It landed right between the two Envoys. Both Envoys eyes could show hints of fear. A peaceful rang out. "You old fogies end this little farce." They both took a step back and looked up at the Immortal Drunken Saber, who was flying in midair. Although Devlin expected it after seeing all of these things that surpass reality on Earth, it still caused his blood to rush. He heard many in the crowd shout once the Immortal Drunken Saber showed up. "Look it''s really him!" "It''s over.. the Dragon Dynasty Gourd has shown up" "Ahhh how I wish I was in the Chaos Realm looking over everyone" The Dragon Dynasty Gourd was solid black with two flood dragons twisted around one another. It had an ethereal feeling around it that couldn''t be explained by words. Although the Crystal Waterfall Envoy felt threatened she couldn''t let this end here. "Division Manager, this swine broke the rules between a match over a Grade-3 Blood Crystal among the young generation. I seek Justice for his inappropriate actions." Although their was no Court here in Andromeda, it still held rules among sects. The Immortal King Guild was the Security in Andromeda that made sure everything was upheld to its jurisdiction. Immortal Drunken Sabers slanted eyes turned to Phil hoping to get an answer. Phil''s forehead began to sweat as he knew from rumors not to offend the Immortal Drunken Saber. Once in the past, a group acted out of turn and even rebuked the Immortal Drunken Saber''s judgement. This caused an outrage and it even made the Immortal Drunken Saber have to use the wine from the Dragon Dynasty Gourd which is said to have different varieties of wine from many different places. The Immortal Drunken Saber loses his rationality and the situation gets out of hand pretty quick once he drinks from the gourd. It''s rather ironic because the Immortal Drunken Saber is not much of a heavy drinker. "Division Manager, the Crystal Waterfall Temple is pushing its limits by challenging us outside the Ceremony Competition. How could I sit by as I watch my son get crippled." Phil twisted the act onto the Crystal Waterfall maiden making him seem as the victim. Immortal Drunken Sabers brows furrowed when he heard Phil''s remark. Although it seemed genuine on the outside, he knew better then to think that the Armament Sovereign Temple was completely wronged. They were known for their arrogance within Andromeda. "Enough. Both sects will provide the Immortal King Guild with a thousand gold drachmas for compensation and Armament Sovereign Temple will return the Grade-3 Blood Crystal to Crystal Waterfall Temple. "But..." "It wasn''t up for decision" Immortal Drunken Saber declared with a cold glare towards Phil. Although the Crystal Waterfall Envoy still felt a bit wronged, she could accept the judgement as long as she got the Grade-3 Blood Crystal back. Either way, a thousand gold drachmas wasn''t much to them at all. It was only a front to give the Immortal King Guild face. After this little spectacle was over, Devlin followed Nick back to the Demon Venerable Temple in the Southern District of Andromeda. From now on this would be his new home. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Instead of taking the Vestra Hoverboard, Nick summoned his Phantom. It was a dark beast as tall as a four-story building known as a Night Manticore. This beasts could carry at least a hundred people. Nick released his chi causing everyone to float up onto the Manticores back. He jumped up onto the top of the head making sure everybody was situated before he took off. The next second a loud boom took place and they were at least two hundred meters in the sky. All you could hear was the Night Manticore wings flapping up and down for a few seconds before it started gliding with the wind. "Unbelievable" Devlin said while looking down at the huge lit-up city. It reminded him of New York City but ten times better. Although he traveled through the city already, he still felt it was a bit to real and pinched his side to check. "Strange. I don''t feel pain but I feel something nice and soft" He didn''t understand whether it was a dream or not from this indication. He glanced over to his hand and saw a gorgeous lady standing beside him with her b.u.t.t pinched. She had eyes that could kill but a slight blush that tempted all the men to bend down and serve her. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª One moment ago, Selena planning on finally introducing herself into a group however every had already formed their posies. Whenever she tried to approach them, they avoided contact and only spoke a few sentences before moving along. It was just as she expected. Nobody wanted to associate with her. It was not that they didn''t like her, it was more of a sense of inferiority. Many males were stealing glances at her body, and many females had hate and envy shown in their ugly eyes. She was used to it by now but a tiny expectation lived inside her mind before they headed to the Demon Venerable Temple that things would change. Suddenly a lone figure caught her eye. It was Devlin! He seemed shocked by the scene below. She thought it was hilarious of how easy it was to shock him. He was the only one that didn''t mind her beauty and status. ''I might as well tease him a bit'' she thought as she strolled over. Chapter 16 - Servant? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Devlin''s brows furrowed as his mind raced trying to get out of this situation. ''Should I say this... or make up this idea.. how about... F.U.C.K IT IF IM GONNA DIE I MIGHT AS WELL SQUEEZE AGAIN'' An eerily silence lasted for a few seconds before another ''screech'' echoed in the surroundings. "I can''t believe how firm and round h.. I mean how in the hell do I get out of this situation?..." Devlin said aloud with everyone staring at him as if he was insane. Selena eyes were spitting fire by now. ''Not only did this goofball touch my a.s.s once but he even dared to do it again in front of everyone!'' Selena was about throw a fit when Devlin interrupted her. "It was only an accident. Although it was my fault, it''s not like we did the deed so lets just forget it happened." Everybody around them nearly fainted when they heard this. Even Nick on top of the Night Manticore almost fell when he heard Devlin''s crazy claim. Selena lost it once he said that. A kick straight to the kahoonas happened in that instant. All of the males shivered and involuntarily covered their private when they saw this vicious act. Nick started sweating as he began to hope they would get to their destination sooner before this girl went on a rampage. Devlin grimaced as the pain coursed from his lower end. He saw the attack coming but he knew if he blocked it or dodged it he could forget about any future in Demon Venerable Temple. Not to mention he did violate her. Selena was flushed after performing that ruthless act. She knew she may have gone too far but it was already too late to go back. She might as well finish putting on her play. "I was planning on getting a servant sent from my clan to the Temple, but it seems like I don''t need that anymore. From now on you will be my servant, otherwise I will report you for s.e.x.u.a.l assault to the Immortal King Guild." Devlin face sunk when heard her. He just got to this place and he was already in deep trouble. Many thoughts crossed his mind to deny this accusation or even prevent her from reporting this, but he had no other connections besides his brothers. He definitely didn''t want to bring them down because of this. He could only man up and accept this until he got stronger. "I apologize for my rudeness, however don''t you think their is a limit" Devlin said with a cold and detached face. Selena felt agitated when she heard this as she thought to herself. ''This is all for your sake Goofball. Although it may not seem nice, I''m trying to help you. Plus you pushed yourself in the fire.'' Nick listened to this entire conversation and only when she said that last sentence did he smirk. Selena may have looked threatening but underneath all of that, she was just trying to help Devlin pass his overwhelming challenge by providing him resources as her servant. He already knew what her plan was from the get go. He just didn''t plan for her to crush Devlin''s precious gems in the process. Nick decided to help her as he sent a message to him through spiritual sense and said, "Devlin there is no denying this accusation, just accept Miss Selena''s offer and serve her well. You might get rewarded GREATLY for your help." At first, Devlin had no clue who was talking to him inside his head until he saw Nick turn around and give him a nod. He then turned back around. Devlin was clueless as to why even Nick would take sides against him. ''Why should I be a servant for such bullshit. Who cares about staying beside a beautiful woman all the time and getting rewarded for helping...¡­.. Wait¡­. That doesn''t sound bad at all!?" Although the status seemed bad, who wouldn''t want to stay by a gorgeous lady and be rewarded for it. "You can say no, however you can forget about ever stepping foot in the Demon Venerable Temple" Devlin''s lip twitched when he heard how hard she was pushing for him to be her servant. He might as well give in to her quick before she ends up destroying his manhood completely. "I guess there''s no other way around this. I accept your proposal little enchantress.. I mean Master." Devlin stuttered to say. Selena''s face lit up with satisfaction when she heard his response. ''Seems like this goofball isn''t totally dense for his age. On the plus side he does have a rather handsome face.'' When she heard herself, her cheeks turned bright red and she covered face. Those in the crowd looked at her curiously wondering what was she about to do now. The males in the crowd also couldn''t help but feel envious when they knew Devlin would be by Selena''s side at all times. ---------------- Time Flew by¡­. Half a day flew past as they flew from the Northern District passing the Central District into the Southern District finally reaching the Demon Venerable Temple. It was the same as the Northern District filled with skyscr.a.p.ers, however many cultivators were from different races, either having horns or a tail. The only difference was the avenues here were dark blood red or shiny black. The Night Manticore was twice as fast as the Vestra Hoverboard and Nick didn''t seem tired at all from the long trip while using his phantom. They landed in front of a huge gate leading into a city filled with futuristic pyramids from Egypt. "I never knew pyramids could look like that" Devlin muttered. On the side Selena heard him and asked "What''s a Pyramid?" "Those Triangle-shaped Buildings over there" "Oh you mean the Temples. Those are usually used to store libraries, cultivation resource shops, Armament shops, etc.. They pretty much have everything you need." Devlin mind was blown away once again. Every time he thought he saw it all, something else would surpass his expectations. The most exciting part about that was the library. He was looking forward to finding out more about this place he and his brothers got stranded upon. Selena thought it was silly seeing his dumbfounded face. "My dumb servant.. that is only the tip of the iceberg wait till you see the floating Olympus''s" Even Selena''s clan didn''t have their very own floating Olympus. As the crew got off the manticore an Outer Sect Elder greeted them at the gate. "Everyone form a line so I can get your handprint scan and give you your Outer Sect Token." After awhile it was Selena''s turn. "By the Supreme Court Decision, we have decided to give you an Outer Sect Token in both sects so you can familiarize yourself with the basics and not get ahead of yourself. Nonetheless you are still given the same amount of resources from both sects meaning you''ll have double the resources as others to cultivate both your light and dark attributes. She was given two tokens, an Outer Sect Token for the Demon Venerable Temple and an Outer Sect Token to access the Immortal King Guild branch in the Northern District. Selena walked to the other side of the gates with a calm face as if double the resources was nothing to her. Devlin walked up next and received his token. The elder in front seemed to already heard of what happened as his eyes flashed with disdain handing him his token. Devlin couldn''t careless what the old man thought. He was already formulating plans to try out all the facilities here. Chapter 17 - Heavens Gate ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Nick and the Outer Sect Elder led everyone to an area with five obelisk on the side forming a semi circle. These obelisk were quite different from the one in the Lost Sahara. They were silver with no pillars around them. Each of them had a nameplate in the center with a handprint scanner below. Only those who had access could use the transmission. The obelisk they walked to had "Outer Olympus" written on it. Nick placed his hand on the scanner and he vanished into thin air. Everyone followed suit and were instantly teleported five hundred meters in the air to a huge floating island. This place had a huge building in the center at least the double the size of a football stadium. It had many skyscr.a.p.ers surrounding it and thousands people walking around. Each skyscr.a.p.er could fit at least a ten thousand people by the looks of it. Most of the disciples in the Demon Venerable Temple were either Demi-humans, Elves, or Serrept. The Serrept were almost similar to human but they had long tongues and a snake tail behind them. The disciples who were already adjusted to the Sect within their group began to depart. By just a few minutes, only about thirty newly-recruited disciples could be seen within the group. Nick, who was a busy man, handed them off to the Outer Sect Elder as the group set off for their living quarters. The Outer Sect Elder seemed rather impatient as he tried to rush everyone to the farthest skyscr.a.p.er. Only when Selena asked a question would his voice change to a respectful tone. ''It seems Selena''s status is more domineering that I expected,''Devlin guessed from how everyone treated her. Eventually they reached their target as a hundred meter skyscr.a.p.er reaching the heavens stood in front of them, where not even its top could be seen through the dense clouds. Above the entrance were two majestic words, Crimson Palace #10. The young group shuffled through the entrance as many senior disciples greeted them while walking past. Devlin didn''t expect the atmosphere to be this harmonious due to past reasons. Inside was a lobby with many tables and chairs as well as a map hanging on the back wall. This detailed map was a guide for all the disciples who needed help finding their way. Not all the senior disciples here had time to waste, leading the newbies around. They were at a race for time considering if they didn''t reach Avatar Realm by the age of 100 they would be kicked out. For a Blood Ascendant it wasn''t hard for them to live up to 500, however their potential would diminish greatly past 100. "Here is the lounge. You can use the elevators on the sides to get your room. Your room number as well as your floor should be on your token. Other than Ms. Selena, everyone else should also have a roommate with them as well." with that final sentence the Outer Sect Elder took off, not wishing to stay there any longer. Devlin boarded the elevator with the others. He looked down to check his room number and noticed "666" on it. His heartbeat raced as this couldn''t be just a mere coincidence, righ- right..? Eventually the elevator got to the 6th floor as he stepped out of it. A slim figure blocked his path on the way to his room. "Where do you think you''re going?" Selena said. Devlin had a wry smile as he knew trouble had reached before he could even get to his room. "How else am I supposed to get to my room? Do you need me to carry you to your room as well Master? "Cough.. Cough" "Thats not even close to what I was going to say. I''m not some lazy bum. I just need you to follow me." Selena with a slight red blush on her face. Devlin was a little curious why this little girl was getting so embarrassed about nonetheless he still said, "Alright, lead the way". Eventually they reached her room as she put her hand on the scanner and entered with ease. The room had a wide space in the center to practice and beautiful furniture to dine at. It also had two bedrooms like the others. When Selena was halfway in the room, she looked to her side and was astonished to see Devlin inspecting the interior. She didn''t expect him to barge into a woman''s room without permission. "For now on you will be living with me. I call the room on the left while you have the one on the right." "¡­" "wai.. Wait¡­ WHAT..?!" Devlin was checking out Selena''s dorm, hoping his own place was as nice as this, when Selena blurted out an absurd arrangement. Usually he was rather calm; however, living with this little enchantress whose eyes could tempt many men into doing her doings made his stomach feel a bit queasy. "Don''t question me. As a servant you should be by my sides at most times. If you''re in your own dorm, then when I need you am I supposed to wait on you to get here for a simple order." Although Selena felt this was a bit too risky, she assured herself he was only a servant. "Even if it does sound reasonable, how am I supposed to get access into the room without my own token." "Easy. Go enter your own handprint in the 6111 registration tablet and your token will automatically change." Devlin was flabbergasted by how simple it was. He could only accept the circ.u.mstances now as he went to the tablet on the wall and did what she said. Soon his token''s number changed to 6111. ''At least I got rid of that accursed room number'' Devlin realized. "Im going to get change and cultivate. If I need anything, I''ll ring this bell on the counter. Other than that DO NOT ENTER MY ROOM AT ALL." after that final sentence, her door slammed shut. Devlin released a long sigh, finally able to settle down in his future abode. After an hour of showering and examining the room, he sat down on his bed and looked into his dantian where he could see his inner phantom. Selena told him what she knew about and how to cultivate along the way to the sect. She couldn''t give him any cultivation techniques, but he didn''t need to worry about this as he had something infinitely better than what the sect provided. Right when his phantom awoke a bell rung in his head. At first his mind was in a mess during all the confusion but afterwards on the Night Manticore he discovered it was the Codex Ring''s doing. It silently transmitted a cultivation technique called "Heaven''s Gate". What excited him the most was it being a low-grade Immortal technique. He had a little bit of knowledge about techniques from Selena. Apparently the four classes from worst to best were Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Immortal with everyone having a low-grade, middle-grade, and superior-grade. Although his technique wasn''t the absolute best, It was a whole lot better then the middle-grade Earth technique trash the sect was giving out to the Blood Realms. Once he read the technique a few times, he started circulating "Heaven''s Gate". He could feel a faint portal appear within his Death Fenrir''s trachea. Suddenly a pulsating energy far within his phantom began to lead its way towards the portal. It took him half an hour before that energy reached the trachea. It was a glowing gold-black orb filled with impurities, known as a godhead. This was his first step on his path to being a cultivator. The next step was the most important and hardest step. He had to push this godhead through the portal and lead it out of the phantom. Once he was done preparing, the orb crashed against the portal. A quarter of an hour in and the orb was only halfway through the portal. Devlin''s back began to sweat from the consistent pressure he was having to endure. It was like having to shove a round rubber peg into a small square hole. He had to squish it through while making sure the gate didn''t collapse. Luckily there were no mishaps and the Godhead soared out of the Fenrir''s mouth with half of it golden. Devlin''s face had confusion written all over it. His Godhead was a lot bigger than it said in the Cultivation technique and only a third was supposed to be cleansed of impurities. All of a sudden, purple hieroglyphics began to pulsate around the godhead. Devlin''s eyes trembled as he was familiar with these runes. They were the exact same ones that he saw at the fountain of youth when they were falling. The purple Hieroglyphics surrounding it broke off a piece of the godhead and a shape began to form from it. A tiny ink-black jackal with bright golden eyes and a golden ankh on it forehead manifested from that broken chunk. When Devlin looked into its eyes, his soul shivered, just as if he was in front of the Lord of the Underworld, himself. Chapter 18 - Mysterious The jackals eyes were mesmerizing in spite of it giving cold chills. Those golden eyes swiftly turned towards the Death Fenrir and an outburst of energy was sent towards the Heretic seal, seemingly wanting to rip it off. Devlin was horror-stricken by the current situation. He tried to cut off the connection, but the jackal seemed as if it was another entity intent on finishing this task. Without warning, two mild bumps began to pop out of the Death Fenrir''s shoulders. It looked hideous as those two lumps slowly bounced around trying to free themselves from the skin. It made Devlin''s own skin tingle just from watching. Two heads could be seen popping out, the same exact as the middle one. Devlin was overwhelmed by the sudden curveball. His emotions seemed to be in a constant rollercoaster throughout this session. Finally the Anubis attempt at removing the curse stopped. It''s powerful aura had diminished by a great deal from the large amount of energy it used. On the other hand, the Death Fe.. Whatever that phantom was seemed to have grown larger and more powerful as if the seal had been weakened a lot. Devlin heart pounded and began to question himself as if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Not only did his phantom have the aura around a Peak Celestial Phantom, he also had ANOTHER phantom. This other phantom wasn''t a simple one either. It''s aura that it displayed was very similar to the Deity Phantoms he saw before. He had many questions he was trying to wrap around his head, but eventually decided to leave it all behind for now. He didn''t have a lot of time to start off with and now he had to cultivate two phantoms to increase his cultivation. Although he could be considered a Blood Knight 1-Star after releasing the Godhead from his first phantom, it was as if a barrier was preventing him from making that final step. He silently deduced that this barrier was his second phantom holding him back. He repeated his steps from last time and it was a whole lot quicker than before. Mainly because he had already done it and because the curse wasn''t limiting his chi efficiency with the jackal. Immediately he could see two godhead floating around two phantoms each with a third of their impurities cleansed. Devlin took a long breathe as he finally finished dealing with both phantoms. His eyes were heavy from this long session. Adruptly, two words flashed in his mind, "Immortal" and "Burst Breath" and at the same Devlin spit out a pool of blood. His body was too weak to handle two godheads at once. Usually only when you breakthrough into Blood Lord, would one be able to handle two godheads within their dantian. Devlin''s eye flashed with fear, trying quickly to solve the situation, but all he could do was watch as his skin cracked and his veins break one by one. Ultimately, he got up, opened the door, and decided to lay down his pride and ask Selena for help as he began to struggle his way towards her room. He was taken aback halfway through the living room though when he felt a cool sensation run through his body. His body slowly began to regenerate his cracked skin and broken veins. The desperation he felt from this incident suddenly turned to anticipation, wondering how was his body doing this. All of a sudden, he remembered two phantom skills emerge within his brain. A quick glance and Devlin could already tell the "Immortal" Phantom skill was the one that saved him. You could say it was almost perfect for the situation. It was a passive ability that didn''t use chi at all, and could heal light wounds and even his inner organs faster then normal. Its most massive advantage though was its ability to evolve and heal at faster rates once breaking through higher cultivation stages. Sadly, its ability was rather low for Devlin''s injuries to fully heal. Instead it was a constant battle as his wounds bled and then healed. The constant torture made Devlin exhaust lots of blood but he could feel his body strengthening at a snails pace. In the end, he could only go back to his original plan of asking Selena for help. --------------- "I''m still too slow. He''s already way above me. If I''m gonna surpass him, I need to double¡­ no triple the effort to cultivate." Selena felt a small migraine from the ordeal given by her clan. She may seem like a majestic beauty thats easy-going, but underneath that exterior is a woman who wants to be free and make her own choices in life. Suddenly she heard footsteps and knock on the door. "Didn''t I tell him not to disturb me while I''m cultivating" She mumbled with a dissatisfied attitude. A groggy call could be heard from the other side, "Heeelppp.." Selena choked on the drink she took a sip from and rushed to the door, completely forgetting about her simply wearing only a towel. Only the sound of that muffled call for help was playing within her mind. Once she opened the door, she saw a tall figure stained with blood and cracked skin constantly breaking and regenerating. Devlin''s appearance right now could sway the heart of any maiden. His outwardly handsome appearance combined with a fragile expression caused Selena''s heart to drop. "How did you end up like this!!!" Devlin mind was conflicted currently. Should he expose himself about having two godheads? Or should he say he had an accident while cultivating? Maybe the curse acted up causing his body to start bleeding uncontrollable? No, that wouldn''t explain why he''s able to regenerate so quickly. Constant decisions scrambled in his brain, but they can''t keep getting worse and worse. Instantly, he felt light-headed from all the blood loss and nearly dropped to the ground. A warm and pleasant scent flashed through his nose as a soft, supple body held him up with only towel in between them. Although it wasn''t the time to be enjoying this sensation, the smell helped calmed his senses. ''I can only gamble on her now otherwise I may die without even starting.'' Devlin finally said to himself with a determined tone. Selena watched Devlin''s facial expressions writhe and distort as she knew he was contemplating what to say while dealing with the pain. When she saw him nearly faint, she rushed to his side and held him up with a look of concern. At first, Devlin''s eye''s went blank from Selena''s soft touch, but then his gaze hardened as he decisively came to a decision. "I have two godheads currently in my dantian, however, my body is unable to support both of them. What should I do?" Devlin said with dull attitude. Selena''s mind nearly crashed when she heard this. Out of all the problems, Selena did not expect this scenario one bit. ''How in the hell did this goofball get two godheads already?'' She said to herself as she pulled out a small red stone from her Nova Ring. "Although I do not understand how you were able to get two, as well as your body able to stand up to them for this long, it''s actually a quite simple method to fix. All you need to do is strengthen your body with Grade-1 Blood Crystals" When Devlin heard it was a simple dilemma, he had a wry smile as he spent over half an hour enduring this excruciating pain. He took the Blood Crystal, sat down and began to absorb it. Not long after, Devlin''s pale body that looked frail just to touch, started to return to its rosy color. Even more his thin muscles even began to bulk up a bit. After half an hour, Devlin sighed relief as the red stone turned pale grey and cracked. He could feel his body was even stronger than after he broke through. His veins had enlarged and were tough to break now. "How mysterious" A small voice could be heard. Chapter 19 - Torture that was Worth It ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Devlin regained his emotions and opened his eyes. In front of him was Selena with a puzzled expression. Devlin''s interest was keened when he noticed her in a thin towel and her hair laying on her voluptuous b.r.e.a.s.t, dripping wet. Her b.r.e.a.s.ts seemed to want to burst out of the towel any minute. Selena could sense Devlin''s intense stare and woke up her from absent-minded self. Her face was beet red when noticed she only had a towel wrapped around her. She was in too much of a hurry when she heard Devlin''s plea for help earlier that she dropped all common sense and rushed out. She looked back up to see Devlin''s gaze still not stop. "Like what you see?" Selena said with an icy voice that could even freeze hell. The chilly statement disrupted Devlin''s greedy attentiveness. When he realized the improper actions he was doing, a tint of pink could be seen on his face. "I appreciate Madam''s guidance and help. This act I will cherish for all eternity. I will never ever forget Madam''s unwavering assistance, unhesitatingly sprinting to my plea with a gentle, but caring image. Willing to charge throughout the storm, unhindered, just to help little ol'' me." Devlin said all of this with an uttermost straight face. This was the only way to calm the waves, before the storm. Selena''s could help but puke blood when she heard this shameless testimony. It was one thing to say he would "never forget this" including his deep stare, but he even had to add "unhindered" exposing her carelessness. Devlin could only accept his punishment when he saw Selena tense only lighten up a little bit. As he rose up from the ground, his legs were like limp noodles. He couldn''t help but try and catch himself on something to balance himself. Unfortunately, Lady Luck did and did not shine down upon Devlin. Suddenly, Selena felt a light breeze and noticed her perky melons were revealed giving off a lush glow for Devlin''s eyes to see. A loud crash could be heard, and only a pink clam could be seen above him. Both their minds short-circuited not for sure how to process the current mishap. Only Devlin''s voice repeating "Snow Rabbits" could be heard. In all his fifty years of his past life, he was a total v.i.r.g.i.n. It''s not that he didn''t want to find a girl, he just didn''t believe he could commit to someone else while keeping an eye out for the 3 others. Blood could be seen trickling out of Devlin''s nose from the most pleasant sight a man could be blessed with. He was so close to getting out of the heated situation before, only to bring himself right back into the pit of fire. It was like being graced by the heavens after surviving a fall and climbing back up only to be flicked by God himself. He hadn''t even been here for a day and he had burned so many bridges already. ''I''m f.u.c.k.e.d'' was the last thing he thought before a foot slammed into his face, making him lose consciousness. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It was late at night, when Devlin finally awoke. He felt excruciating pain throughout his b.a.r.e legs as he noticed he was only in his u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r while kneeling on a mat full of nails. They dug into his skin as his mouth twitched a bit. When he tried to get up, a tight rope was locking his hands in place behind his back. "What kind of f.u.c.k.e.d up shit is this," Devlin murmured while trying to determine where he was. It was the same living room he was in earlier, however only the moonlight was lighting up the room from the window behind him. All of a sudden, footsteps could be heard from the next room over. A lady dressed in an emerald dress approached in front of him. She held a solid black whip and frigid expression. "I believe you should know I''m rather merciless given your past actions. If it was anyone else your head would be put on a stake right now. As a Master, I have to discipline those who are ill-mannered." Devlin nodded his head saying, "I doubt anyone else has ever seen such a pair of perfect Snow Rabbits in their entire life. It would be wrong if I wasn''t punished." Selena''s mouth was agape by how calm Devlin was. Even in this dark situation, this fellow is still able to flirt. What Selena did not know was Devlin was an expert in dealing with torture. This little setup was child''s play for him. At one point, he had been a prison of war for half a year, who had to deal with pain physically and mentally. Luckily his brothers saved him before he lost it. What made it easier for him was his Immortal skill was constantly improving his body, at the same time healing him. Selena was a bit pissed from this unusual calmness he was exhibiting and decided to pick things up a bit, as a "pop" echoed in the room. Selena''s whip began to lash across Devlin''s skin, as bloody marks started building up on his upper body. After an hour of constant whipping, Selena began to feel extremely frustrated by how Devlin was sitting there with a smirk. His body had shallow lashes that were slowly regenerating. He was literally mocking her, the Master! She tried numerous torture methods the entire night, such as hot iron, letting him a carry a large stone on his back to increasure the pressure on the nail mat, and more. When sunlight hit, a battered and blood-stained Devlin was sitting there with a serene expression. Selena was drenched in sweat and gasping for air with a complicated face. If anyone else were to walk in this room, they would think Selena was the one actually tortured instead of Devlin. "I give up," Selena whispered as she cut the rope holding Devlin''s hands and added, "Be back in the dining room around noon to prepare lunch," before she closed the door to her room. It seemed that session took a lot out of her and she needed to rest. He ended up resting till an hour before noon. Before Devlin''s breakthrough outburst, he felt a suction of energy lead to the Codex ring awakening it. He decided to see exactly what was before he had to prepare lunch. Devlin''s mind reached the ring and a crisp "ding" could be heard. "The user, Devlin, has reached the qualification to access new data" "User has been granted access to Storage Level Two." "User''s map also has been expanded to a 10 mile radius and is given access to see lifeforms on the map within the radius, of course" "User''s has been granted the All-knowing Eyes, that can identify any and everything. It contains all the information about phantoms and materials that the previous owner had." This dump load of information astounded him. Shortly, he felt a strange shock in his eyes and he rushed to the mirror to see what happened. His sharp eyes were no longer an ink black but an elegant purple that gave one the feeling of having no secrets in front of him. He decided to investigate the Storage Level Two that was mentioned before seeing what his new set of eyes could do. His eyes were filled with money signs at this instant. He could already see the endless riches overflowing in the storage ring. Unfortunately, Earth provides enough to satisfy every man''s needs, but not every man''s greed. The ring only had dual pistols, as well as a couple stacks of paper in a corner. Devlin''s could only sigh at his wishful thinking. He pulled out the Dual Pistols to examine them and was immediately dumbfounded by the scene. A holographic description and title appeared above the dual pistols. Twin Yin-yang Phasers, only those blessed with two shall be given the ability to shoot one. A huge grin appeared on his face as he knew just his eyes alone were incomparable to riches, much less the dual pistols. He even checked the rest inside and noticed many ancient recipes for alchemy and rune formations. "Bursting Vein Pill" "Dying Breath Pill" "Binary Fission Pill" "..." "I may have just hit the Jackpot" Devlin said with a cheeky grin, as he began to rack up a brilliant plan. Chapter 20 - Business is Business ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Devlin finished looking through the Codex and exited his room at noon. He began preparing lunch just as Selena instructed. Someone as prestigious as Selena had her own food pantry stocked weekly with Grade-2 Spectral Beasts Meat and Low-grade Earth Herbs. It was a luxury that increased ones vitality and ability to cultivate. Selena came in just when Devlin was done setting everything up and sitting down. Not a word was said as she sat down and began to eat. 5 min later.. Silence 10 min later.. Silence Devlin began to stifle from the awkward atmosphere. He could tell Selena was throwing a temper tantrum just like a little girl. Her anger was a bit justified though after what happened last night. "Cough.. Cough.. Little enchantress I apologize for my indecent self; however, if this continues our meeting will continue to get more and more awkward." Selena face brightened when she finally heard Devlin break the silence. It seemed it had been bothering her as well, nonetheless her mouth was still sealed shut. "I believe meeting each other can be called fate. Although I do not know your position in your clan, I have few business offers I would like to address if you don''t mind." Selena interest was piqued when this man in front of her who not even was 16 yet was trying to make business negotiations. She felt it was quite funny seeing him struggle to persuade her as her face was still stone-cold on the outside. "Please tell me how a voyager, such as you, with no knowledge of this world or grand cultivation could show me something I would need." This may have seemed harsh, but for a person with a Royal status like Selena there was not many that could surprise her. "Then how about a bet, little enchantress?" "Of what?" She commented with extreme curiosity. "If I''m able to exceed your expectations for some beyond belief reason, I would like two things" "Please do tell" Devlin decided to lay his cards down in case she took it back, "First I would like fifty percent of the profits, and forgiveness for my past transgressions including my status as a servant." "Denied" Devlin was stumped by how quick she turned it down. "Wh.. Why?" "Goofball, you wouldn''t be able to stay in this dorm and use my resources if you were no longer my servant. Who knew your were such an idiot. I pity your younger brothers. Denied once again." Devlin didn''t get mad at her, rather he thought she was quite cute from her actions. He already speculated that this was her true purpose from Nicks hint and Selena''s behavior however he needed to double check from her personally in order to feel a hundred percent safe. "Then how about servant-in-name only? In public, we have a master-servant relationship, while alone we''re friends." Soon as Selena heard friends her eyes glistened with yearning. It reawakened another side of her past and she immediately said, "I agree" with no other questions asked. "Glad we can agree on something finally," Devlin sighed with relief as he was afraid this crazy girl would add another condition. "Then I would like to present to you something I discovered in the Lost Sahara once I arrived." As he explained his offer, two papers were put in between them. Selena picked up both and glanced at them before freezing up completely. She was astonished by how Devlin could get his hands on these. Andromeda had scavenged all over the Lost Sahara hoping to dig up any ancient artifacts from the Great Divination Era. "Bursting Vein Pill- Increases Users efficiency in cultivating. Someone who uses up a low grade Nova Essence in an hour can speed it up to 3 breaths of time. The only setback is the pill can only last an hour." "Double Collapse Pill- a second chance! Those who are uncertain of passing the barrier to Arcane Realm are given another chance to breakthrough without being crippled." "These ancient pill recipes are currently unknown; however, if I was too give a rough price on both of them, I would say the Bursting Vein Pill would be 1000 Gold Drachmas, while the Double Collapse Pill would be near 2500 Gold Drachmas." As she read both recipes out loud and told him both of their prices, her voice was quivering with excitement. This was a huge business deal! She realized where Devlin''s confidence came from as even her elders would be deeply surprised by how amazing these were. "Mhmm not too bad.. and what do you plan on doing with these exactly?" Selena said as her stunned expression swiftly switched to calm and cool. Devlin had a keen sense and noticed Selena quick switch of emotions. He inwardly laughed and said, "As we both know, I''m in desperate need for money. I believe by selling these two ancient recipes to you, I will not only build a connection between me and your clan but also exhibit my trust in you." Selena nodded in appreciation towards Devlin''s precise details for why he was doing this. It definitely wasn''t something made up on the spot. "Alright deal. As for the price I believe 30% of the profit can be..." Selena replied, before a "cough" interrupted her. It was now Devlin turn to be shocked by how shameless this little enchantress could be. She clearly was shocked yet still demanded him to get only 30% of the profit, even after he just said he trust her. Since this was the case he might as well tease her a bit as payback. "Ms. Selena, I feel the need to explain that my earlier proposal was for 50%, not 30% profit. Since Ms. Selena cannot admit to her earlier shock, I believe I have made a mistake in my lapse of judgement." He grabbed the two parchments and stood up, clearly planning on leaving. "Stop!" "Yes?" "It was just a test haha..," Selena added with a bitter smile, "I apologize for my actions and as a gift for continued partnership I will raise it to 60% profit." Devlin''s footsteps came to a complete stop and his lips twitched upwards. He was utterly surprised by how quickly she raised the profits. "However.." Devlin''s grin froze as he knew it was too good to be true while Selena continued saying, "Since every meal you eat with me is around 500 gold drachmas, I believe a 55% profit would be more appropriate, don''t you think Mr. Skyfall? Not only this but there should also be a reasonable explanation after this as to why you have not just one, but two godheads, while still at Blood Knight 1-Star." Devlin couldn''t help but feel a bit ridicule from how easy he fell for her trap. Devlin''s heart also bled when he found out just this one meal was nearly 500 gold drachmas. This was the same as a Grade-1 Blood Crystal. ''I guess there really is no such as a free meal'' Devlin said to himself, while handing over the parchments to Selena. "Deal!" "Then as we agreed, I will no longer command you unless we are out in public. I''ll also put these lovely recipes out on the market as soon as possible; however, before this I would love to hear what kind of excuse you are going to make up for procuring two godheads," said Selena with a diabolical grin, knowing something unusual was behind this. Unlike Selena''s cheerful, Devlin face had a downcast. He was hoping to leave as soon as he fulfilled his purpose to sell both recipes, but before he could leave, the conversation shifted automatically. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to tell her, rather he felt it wasn''t the right time. Sadly, the time and place came to quick before he could figure it out. As Devlin stood up his shadow split up into two, a three-headed hound with a curse mark and a tiny black jackal appeared. Both had dense aura infinitely near the deity phantom. This caused Selena to nearly have a heart attack. Although she heard it from Devlin, she still couldn''t believe someone was able to have two godheads. The fact that he had two phantoms instantly changed her perspective. She could sense the overwhelming aura illuminating from the jackal was similar to her Hel phantom. "You can''t say a word about this." "Of course, otherwise both the Crystal Waterfall Temple and Armament Sovereign Temple would eat you up without giving you the chance to grow." Selena said with a complicated face. Her emotions were in a jumble right now. Devlin saw this and absolutely knew what she was contemplating over. Although he was a friend, he was also someone who has blood relation to the Heretic, that was extremely notorious in the past. If the sects knew about him having this much potential to grow, they definitely would imprison, possibly even killing him to prevent a future disaster to repeat itself. Before Devlin could ruin this depressing mood, he saw out of the corner of his eye a name above the jackal. Immortal Anubis. His eyes lit up and glanced over at the hound to see if the same thing happened. Just as he predicted. Gatekeeper Cerberus. These two names were very familiar to him as he had studied plenty of mythology and Egyptian History while being deployed to many places in the military. Cerberus was known to be gatekeeper of Hell who let dead souls in, but never out. He was more of a weapon of hell itself. Anubis was known to be the Lord of Hell, who was presumed to control whether one could reincarnate. He was like the Sands of Time, never fading. Both of these phantoms seemed to correlate with each other. Devlin''s eyes flashed with realization as he now understood a bit from the name of his phantoms. Chapter 21 - A Straight-Up M.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t Devlin resummoned his phantoms and resumed his earlier question, "Is there anyway I can test my strength here?" At this moment, Selena had already decided to observe Devlin''s actions for now before making a decision. "Of course, I was just planning on testing mine as well. Let''s go together." She said with a mysterious smile. They headed out of Crimson Palace #10 and noticed many staring at them Devlin weirdly. Everyone knew Selena already had a fianc¨¦, but the man that was accompanying her was not him. It aroused many suspicions, but none had the courage to gossip about it unless they''d rather have their head detached from their body. The only one clueless was Devlin. Eventually they reached the big dome building in the middle. It''s name was the Crimson Dojo. It''s inside was packed to the brim with people. There were many sparring, some looking for skills and techniques to learn as an outer sect disciples, while others were hoping to test their newfound strength. Devlin was part of the latter. He walked to a wide room with floors and walls made of a dark red metal. The room barely had any decorations, only a few shimmering gold pillars in the center with a short line in front of them. Occasionally someone would hit the pillar and a voice could be heard from it. "350kg" "460kg" "560kg" Usually a Blood Knight would stay in between five hundred to a thousand kilograms. Only Blood Lords had the strength to possess over a thousand kilograms. Devlin''s adrenaline was pumping from watching the thundering punches being thrown every few minutes. This was much different from military training. Instead of performing the usual routines, this was more of a test of brute strength. "What''d you say cue ball?!" It was almost Devlin''s turn when he heard two senior disciples arguing over who was stronger, one of them was a bald muscle head with a black dragon tattoo head. He had a clean white robe on and bushy eyebrows. The person opposite of him had dark-green hair and a c.o.c.ky grin displayed across his face. From his appearance, he was literally the definition of a philanderer. Both of them were candidates from last year and were already peak Blood Knights that were just a margin close to breaking through to Blood Lord. The bald muscle head looked easygoing as he calmly replied, "Do I need to repeat myself to you dipshit. Guess you really can''t fix stupidity otherwise you''d be smart by now after having all those affairs with the Queen of Rose!" Every disciples jaw hung to floor by this revealing. What kind of squabble is this?! "Bitch, you better watch your mouth. If I recall you visited the Queen of Rose recently as well. Too bad she only wants a talented philanderer in her life." The philanderer said with a narcissistic expression. A vein popped up on the bald muscle head as rebuked, "Who gives a shit about some skanky s.l.u.t!" "Skanky s.l.u.t, eh" A red-silhouette could be seen approaching into the room. She had crescent eyebrows that could cut the sky and thick lips, stained with purple. She casually walked beside the philanderer and said, "It''s rather disappointing to hear that from my ex-fianc¨¦, Nate. Nonetheless, I understand your a little bit worried on whether I can fulfill my s.e.x.u.a.l needs; however, I assure you my little philanderer can easily do the job." As she said this last sentence, she slid her hand in the philanderers pants, stroking it back and forth. Devlin was utterly shocked by how open this woman was. Did she not know the phrase "get a room"!? Selena''s entire frame was disgusted by this woman''s shamelessness. "Can you three annoying flies argue somewhere else?" When everybody looked towards the source behind the voice they rolled their eyes. Devlin was beginning to lose his fighting-spirit after standing here for so long. He didn''t have time to waste listening to a lovers quarrel. Although he could tell these three were definitely strong, the pressure they emitted was slightly lower than Selena. If worst came to worst, Selena and him could team up and take them down. "Kid, Scram, I don''t have time listening to your whining." The bald muscle head, Nate, was already frustrated by the sight of his ex-fianc¨¦ showing such a shameful scene, yet he also had to deal with a imm.a.t.u.r.e brat. "Kid? If you bend down and call me father I''ll forget the earlier remark." Devlin mindset was already of a 50 year old man, twice Nate''s age. Usually he would ignore this, but he was itching for a fight so might as well as use this for momentum. "Boy, I already told you once nicely, but there''s no next time." As Nate said, he leaped through the air leaving behind a large gust of wind. Those in the way flew back, hoping to watch from a distance. A ten meter celestial phantom soared behind him with a name, Golden Titan King. "Golden Titan Fist" Nate roared as his entire right arm transformed into solid gold. This fist was able to get him 950kg the last time he tested himself, 3 months ago. Devlin knew he couldn''t underestimate his opponent but he wanted to test something out so he clenched his fist and used all his current strength. As both fists collided, Devlin flew back 5 meters while Nate only flew back one meter. Devlin''s knuckles were broken from the body skill Nate used. From this collision, Devlin found out his body strength reduced by 25% without the reinforcement of chi from using his phantom and his immortal skill could actually heal at the same rate as usual without summoning Anubis. This was the biggest difference between having a phantom and not. Phantoms contain chi but it''s only possible to use chi if you release them. It seemed the only exception was his Immortal Anubis phantom. This was also the reasoning behind why they had rankings between phantoms in this world. A Celestial and Deity Phantom had a huge contrast because of the quality of chi they absorbed. This quality of chi also helped cultivators reached higher heights, which is why mortal phantoms are known to be rather useless against others. If people were to find out Devlin was dissatisfied by the results, they would slap him silly. A Blood Knight 1-Star nearly fought equal with a Peak Blood Knight 3-Star. Actually if you eliminate the skill Nate used as well as Devlin not summoning his phantom, you would realize he actually overpowered him. Finally Devlin began to get serious and summoned his Gatekeeper Cerberus. The only difference was it only had one head like it''s original awaken. Before he left Crimson Palace, Selena taught him a way to hide the two heads on the end. Everyone took a deep breath once they saw the Hells bane curse on top the Cerberus. Devlin''s heart raced as this was totally different from his battle with the Bamboo Pan-Li. He pushed off the ground instantly and headed straight for Nate. A flurry of fists were sent in between the two. Nate was in disbelief as he struggled to overpower Devlin. A cold gust surrounded them and Nates body displayed his "Chilling Wind Steps" technique, drastically improving his speed. Devlin had a harder and harder time keeping up with Nate and eventually he could only cross his arms blocking the gut-wrenching punches. His entire body felt like it was being rammed by a train. His bones were constantly cracking and mending. If it wasn''t for the Immortal skill, he would have possibly been crippled by now. Devlin''s methods from Earth were useless in this predicament and he couldn''t use the Twin Astral Phasers, since they were his secret trump card. This meant he had only one other option. Burst Breath. He had no clue how strong it was but this was his only hope. Abruptly, he sensed his body reinforcing himself. The pressure he was dealing with continuously decreased by an extremely small margin. It took awhile before he finally noticed the fortification due to the slow buildup rate. The battle had only lasted for five minutes and it seemed his body''s toughened had increased the same amount as using half of a grade-1 Blood Crystal. This discovery made his nerves twitch. Not only was the Immortal Skill an outstanding regeneration technique but it also was perfect for body cultivating. He already had his suspicions about it from last nights torture, but it''s rate was way too slow to be of help to him. His conclusion from this was the speed and damage applied increased the body''s growth rate. ''Hahahaha No Pain No Gain!!!'' Devlin capitalized the most from this phrase, as he quietly endured to relentless attacks. The Queen of Rose and the philanderer, both had a ridicule smile watching the two fools fight over a needless battle. They were stunned by Devlin''s combat prowess at first, but gradually relaxed when the current situation concurred. Other than them, Selena''s nails dug into her skin as she had a furious expression. She was about to rush in to help, when she noticed the sly grin Devlin had. "He''s actually enjoying it!?'' Selena eyes widened. She couldn''t help but recall last nights frustration, and murmured, "Is he actually a straight up m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t? Just the thought sickened her. She actually let this pervert live with her. Chapter 21 - A Straight-Up Masochist Devlin resummoned his phantoms and resumed his earlier question, "Is there anyway I can test my strength here?" At this moment, Selena had already decided to observe Devlin''s actions for now before making a decision. "Of course, I was just planning on testing mine as well. Let''s go together." She said with a mysterious smile. They headed out of Crimson Palace #10 and noticed many staring at them Devlin weirdly. Everyone knew Selena already had a fianc¨¦, but the man that was accompanying her was not him. It aroused many suspicions, but none had the courage to gossip about it unless they''d rather have their head detached from their body. The only one clueless was Devlin. Eventually they reached the big dome building in the middle. It''s name was the Crimson Dojo. It''s inside was packed to the brim with people. There were many sparring, some looking for skills and techniques to learn as an outer sect disciples, while others were hoping to test their newfound strength. Devlin was part of the latter. He walked to a wide room with floors and walls made of a dark red metal. The room b?r?ly had any decorations, only a few shimmering gold pillars in the center with a short line in front of them. Occasionally someone would hit the pillar and a voice could be heard from it. "350kg" "460kg" "560kg" Usually a Blood Knight would stay in between five hundred to a thousand kilograms. Only Blood Lords had the strength to possess over a thousand kilograms. Devlin''s adrenaline was pumping from watching the thundering punches being thrown every few minutes. This was much different from military training. Instead of performing the usual routines, this was more of a test of brute strength. "What''d you say cue ball?!" It was almost Devlin''s turn when he heard two senior disciples arguing over who was stronger, one of them was a bald muscle head with a black dragon tattoo head. He had a clean white robe on and bushy eyebrows. The person opposite of him had dark-green hair and a ???ky grin displayed across his face. From his appearance, he was literally the definition of a philanderer. Both of them were candidates from last year and were already peak Blood Knights that were just a margin close to breaking through to Blood Lord. The bald muscle head looked easygoing as he calmly replied, "Do I need to repeat myself to you dipshit. Guess you really can''t fix stupidity otherwise you''d be smart by now after having all those affairs with the Queen of Rose!" Every disciples jaw hung to floor by this revealing. What kind of squabble is this?! "Bitch, you better watch your mouth. If I recall you visited the Queen of Rose recently as well. Too bad she only wants a talented philanderer in her life." The philanderer said with a narcissistic expression. A vein popped up on the bald muscle head as rebuked, "Who gives a shit about some skanky s?ut!" "Skanky s?ut, eh" A red-silhouette could be seen approaching into the room. She had crescent eyebrows that could cut the sky and thick lips, stained with purple. She casually walked beside the philanderer and said, "It''s rather disappointing to hear that from my ex-fianc¨¦, Nate. Nonetheless, I understand your a little bit worried on whether I can fulfill my s?xu?? needs; however, I ?ssure you my little philanderer can easily do the job." As she said this last sentence, she slid her hand in the philanderers pants, stroking it back and forth. Devlin was utterly shocked by how open this woman was. Did she not know the phrase "get a room"!? Selena''s entire frame was disgusted by this woman''s shamelessness. "Can you three annoying flies argue somewhere else?" When everybody looked towards the source behind the voice they rolled their eyes. Devlin was beginning to lose his fighting-spirit after standing here for so long. He didn''t have time to waste listening to a lovers quarrel. Although he could tell these three were definitely strong, the pressure they emitted was slightly lower than Selena. If worst came to worst, Selena and him could team up and take them down. "Kid, Scram, I don''t have time listening to your whining." The bald muscle head, Nate, was already frustrated by the sight of his ex-fianc¨¦ showing such a shameful scene, yet he also had to deal with a immature brat. "Kid? If you bend down and call me father I''ll forget the earlier remark." Devlin mindset was already of a 50 year old man, twice Nate''s age. Usually he would ignore this, but he was itching for a fight so might as well as use this for momentum. "Boy, I already told you once nicely, but there''s no next time." As Nate said, he leaped through the air leaving behind a large gust of wind. Those in the way flew back, hoping to watch from a distance. A ten meter celestial phantom soared behind him with a name, Golden Titan King. "Golden Titan Fist" Nate roared as his entire right arm transformed into solid gold. This fist was able to get him 950kg the last time he tested himself, 3 months ago. Devlin knew he couldn''t underestimate his opponent but he wanted to test something out so he clenched his fist and used all his current strength. As both fists collided, Devlin flew back 5 meters while Nate only flew back one meter. Devlin''s knuckles were broken from the body skill Nate used. From this collision, Devlin found out his body strength reduced by 25% without the reinforcement of chi from using his phantom and his immortal skill could actually heal at the same rate as usual without summoning Anubis. This was the biggest difference between having a phantom and not. Phantoms contain chi but it''s only possible to use chi if you release them. It seemed the only exception was his Immortal Anubis phantom. This was also the reasoning behind why they had rankings between phantoms in this world. A Celestial and Deity Phantom had a huge contrast because of the quality of chi they absorbed. This quality of chi also helped cultivators reached higher heights, which is why mortal phantoms are known to be rather useless against others. If people were to find out Devlin was dissatisfied by the results, they would slap him silly. A Blood Knight 1-Star nearly fought equal with a Peak Blood Knight 3-Star. Actually if you eliminate the skill Nate used as well as Devlin not summoning his phantom, you would realize he actually overpowered him. Finally Devlin began to get serious and summoned his Gatekeeper Cerberus. The only difference was it only had one head like it''s original awaken. Before he left Crimson Palace, Selena taught him a way to hide the two heads on the end. Everyone took a deep breath once they saw the Hells bane curse on top the Cerberus. Devlin''s heart raced as this was totally different from his battle with the Bamboo Pan-Li. He pushed off the ground instantly and headed straight for Nate. A flurry of fists were sent in between the two. Nate was in disbelief as he struggled to overpower Devlin. A cold gust surrounded them and Nates body displayed his "Chilling Wind Steps" technique, drastically improving his speed. Devlin had a harder and harder time keeping up with Nate and eventually he could only cross his arms blocking the gut-wrenching punches. His entire body felt like it was being rammed by a train. His bones were constantly cracking and mending. If it wasn''t for the Immortal skill, he would have possibly been crippled by now. Devlin''s methods from Earth were useless in this predicament and he couldn''t use the Twin Astral Phasers, since they were his secret trump card. This meant he had only one other option. Burst Breath. He had no clue how strong it was but this was his only hope. Abruptly, he sensed his body reinforcing himself. The pressure he was dealing with continuously decreased by an extremely small margin. It took awhile before he finally noticed the fortification due to the slow buildup rate. The battle had only lasted for five minutes and it seemed his body''s toughened had increased the same amount as using half of a grade-1 Blood Crystal. This discovery made his nerves twitch. Not only was the Immortal Skill an outstanding regeneration technique but it also was perfect for body cultivating. He already had his suspicions about it from last nights torture, but it''s rate was way too slow to be of help to him. His conclusion from this was the speed and damage applied increased the body''s growth rate. ''Hahahaha No Pain No Gain!!!'' Devlin capitalized the most from this phrase, as he quietly endured to relentless attacks. The Queen of Rose and the philanderer, both had a ridicule smile watching the two fools fight over a needless battle. They were stunned by Devlin''s combat prowess at first, but gradually relaxed when the current situation concurred. Other than them, Selena''s nails dug into her skin as she had a furious expression. She was about to rush in to help, when she noticed the sly grin Devlin had. "He''s actually enjoying it!?'' Selena eyes widened. She couldn''t help but recall last nights frustration, and murmured, "Is he actually a straight up m?s??h?st? Just the thought sickened her. She actually let this pervert live with her.