“I… I don‘t know. l… I only stand guard,” the Demonic Cultivator stammered, chains clinking against his armor as his whole body shook.
“Savior, that wretch knows nothing!” cried a middle-aged cultivator in a ragged gray tunic as hurried forward. “Only Obsidian Stone Sect‘s elders keep such secrets. He is a mere pawn.”
“Oh!” Jared flicked his wrist. Black fire swallowed the Demonic Cultivator, before a scream could form, it unraveled into a ribbon of smoke and was gone.
“Thank you for rescuing us…” The gray-robed cultivator bowed so deeply his forehead almost touched the rubble, gratitude shining in his weary eyes.
Jared waved off the bow, eyes sweeping the trembling prisoners. “Buddy, I have a few questions.”
“Savior, go on. Whatever I know, I will answer honestly.”
“What realm is this, and why are so many human and beast race cultivators forced to mine for spiritual stones under demon lash?” Jared asked.
The man sighed, pain carving lines across his face. “This is Cardinal Realm, a realm steeped in spiritual energy. We once housed three races, human, beast, and demon. Skirmishes flared, yet balance always returned.”
“What destroyed that balance?” Jared pressed.
“It began a hundred years ago…” Fear flashed in the man’s eyes. “A Celestial Immortal descended without warning. With a gesture, could tear mountains apart. He sided with the demons and crushed every human and beast rebellion…”
“Since then, the demons have driven us like cattle, forcing us to mine spiritual stone and-using the Celestial Immortal’s method, refine it into celestial gems. The Celestial Immortal hungers for those gems, so quarries now scar the whole Cardinal Realm.”
“Why didn’t you keep fighting? Was no great power left?” Jared asked, brows knitting.
“We fought,” the man said, bitterness twisting his lips. “Our strongest patriarchs joined forces, yet the Celestial Immortal felled them like wheat. After that, our strength was gone.”
He rolled up his sleeve to expose a black rune. “The demons branded us with slave seals. One rebellious thought, and it feels like ten thousand ants eating the heart.”
Jared studied the mark, icy light flickering in his eyes. Even at a glance, felt the rune’s wicked pulse, an enchantment forged to strangle the very mind.
“And you mean to endure this slavery forever?” Jared’s voice dropped, dark and steady.
“What choice do we have? Rebellion is certain death, obedience lets us breathe a little longer. And if we disobey, the demons swear they will slaughter every last member of our families.”
Jared tilted his chin toward the man in tattered robes, his voice calm yet edged with curiosity. “That Celestial Immortal who descended from the heavens, what cultivation level does truly stand upon?”
The cultivator, hair streaked with ash and fear. shook his head. “No one knows, Sir. We only know this, across the whole Cardinal Realm, no soul can withstand even a single flick of his sleeve.”
Jared’s gaze sharpened, the air seeming to hush around him. “And where might this Celestial Immortal be hiding now?”
A spark of anticipation brightened his dark eyes. He longed to witness the Celestial Immortal’s secrets, especially the mysterious craft that smelted mere spiritual stones into radiant celestial gems.
“He appears only on occasion,” the captive whispered. “Sometimes materializes inside Obsidian Stone Sect Headquarters, seizes wagon-loads of celestial gems, then vanishes again. In his absence, the sect leader oversees our quarries. As for the Celestial Immortal’s present whereabouts… I cannot say.”
