“Don’t mention the Earth Fiend Sect again,” Sylvia murmured, shaking her head. “It no longer exists.”
Neville blinked. “What?”
“They dissolved,” Jared said softly. “Terror of the Soul Devourer scattered them. From now on, Sylvia is no longer the sect leader of the Earth Fiend Sect. She is the leader of the Heaven Gate Sect.”
“The leader of Heaven Gate?” Neville’s jaw dropped. “You went into the ruins, claimed the legacy?”
Jared nodded once. “We met Heaven Gate’s last master. He placed the mantle directly on Sylvia.”
He let the weight of history settle into the room. “Long ago, the sect vanished overnight because of the Soul Devourer. He was once their disciple, then he annihilated them all.”
Step by step, Jared unfolded every brutal detail he had uncovered, laying centuries of betrayal at Neville’s feet.
“What a monster…” Neville muttered, breath hitching. “So, what do we do now?”
“If he means to rule level nine,” Jared answered, “We meet him in open war.”
“But our strength…” Neville’s brow furrowed. “Even combined, can we truly match the Soul Devourer?”
“Are you frightened, Neville?” Jared’s eyes burned like twin suns. “Stay behind if you must. I will face him alone. Right now I feel unstoppably strong!”
Power flared around Jared, invisible yet immense, making the very air ripple and hum.
Human Immortal Realm, Level Five… Astonishing!
Neville stared, speechless, at the storm gathering inside Jared’s frame.
Yes, he can fight opponents way above his level, but Human Immortal Realm Level Five against the Soul Devourer?
If that fiend were so easy to kill, he wouldn’t have terrorized level nine for ten millennia.
“Mr. Chance,” Neville said at last, shaking his head hard, “I chose to stand beside you. Fear has no place between us.”
Neville weighed the power rumored to stand quietly behind Jared, a force so vast that even the Soul Devourer would hesitate. He feared nothing; he merely hoped Jared would invite that unseen backer onto the field ahead of schedule.
“Very well. We’ll remain here and await the Soul Devourer…” Neville said, his tone calm yet edged with steel.
At that moment, Jared’s battle lust crested, flooding his veins with a blazing hunger for combat.
“Jared, do you wish to summon the master behind you first?” Neville asked, gentling his voice despite the tension coiling through the hall.
“No need,” Jared declared, sweeping his arm as though brushing aside dust. “The Soul Devourer is nothing. I’ll end him myself!”
Neville swallowed whatever rebuttal he considered; Jared’s audacious claim needed no argument, only time to prove itself.
***
Dawn slipped away, and on the following day, the Soul Devourer descended upon Nethergate Sect once more—this time far from alone.
A dense swarm of shadow-clad cultivators trailed behind him, dozens strong. Their auras seeped chill and malice; each shape had been reclaimed or cowed into servitude during his brief freedom.
Billowing demonic aura rolled overhead like thunderclouds, dyeing the once-clear sky ink-black. The pressure pressed on every lung; low-rank disciples clutched their chests, faces ghost-pale.
The Soul Devourer reclined upon the sect master’s throne, Neville’s rightful seat, tapping a clawed finger against the armrest with a slow, hollow thud that echoed inside every heart.
His gaze swept the assembled defenders, and a sliver of cruel delight lifted one corner of his mouth.
“Neville, a full day has passed,” he murmured, voice soft yet slicing. “My patience is finite. Will Nethergate Sect submit, or be erased?”
Though scarcely louder than a whisper, each syllable slid through the hall like icy blades.
Neville drew a deep breath, forcing his knees to lock straight beneath the crushing aura. “Soul Devourer, the Nethergate Sect has stood for millennia and bows to no butcher. If you crave war, spare us the talk and strike!”
“Good… Excellent!” The Soul Devourer’s chuckle dripped with mockery and bloodlust. “Ghostshade, demonstrate the gulf that separates a monarch from an insect.”
“At once, my lord!” The reply rasped like broken glass.
A figure slipped from behind the Soul Devourer, cloaked in swirling gloom.
