Jared stiffened mid-step. He pivoted slowly, face calm, pulse already braced for treachery. “Mr. Cloudridge, what else do you require?”
Has he realized I played both sides and wants to settle the score with me? Chaotic energy slid beneath Jared’s skin—silent, coiled, ready to erupt if courtesy soured into combat. He did not fear the battered Sword Master, but the sect’s surviving disciples still filled the cratered plain like an armed sea.
The words that followed, however, defied every dark scenario he had rehearsed.
“Mr. Chance, please wait!” Linden forced a complicated smile, then bowed with genuine respect. “Tonight’s chaos may have sprung from murky origins, yet your single palm, well, sent Sheldon Soulsby reeling and spared my disciples further slaughter… Whatever motive guided you, the Mystic Sky Sword Sect owes you its survival. For that, I thank you!”
Jared lifted a brow, offering no verdict.
“Your power is unfathomable, your past extraordinary, and rumor binds you to the Soul Devourer. This is closely related to the fate of Level Ten.”
Linden’s gaze burned with earnest curiosity. “Questions weigh on my heart. Would you honor us by visiting us for a few days? I’ll seat you as a treasured guest, not a prisoner. I swear I do not mean you any harm.”
To prove it, Linden lifted one hand, solemn as a judge about to take oath. Calculations raced behind Jared’s steady eyes: routes, risks, contingencies.
Visit the Mystic Sky Sword Sect? He wanted to return to the Myriad Beast Sect to confirm everything was fine. Although the enemies had retreated, he still hadn’t made sure there were no potential risks.
Besides, the puppeteer rarely accepts supper inside the house he just manipulated—awkward at best, perilous at worst.
“Mr. Cloudridge, your generosity honors me.” Jared bowed again. “Yet urgent matters drag me back to the Myriad Beast Sect. When I am free, I shall pay my respects in person—this I promise.”
“Mr. Chance…” The Sect Master’s tone remained polite, but iron threaded every syllable, an invitation that had shifted, unmistakably, into command.
“This is the Soul Devourer we’re talking about,” Linden said, voice firm yet composed. “He concerns the balance of Level Ten as a whole. It is not some trivial, personal affair of mine…”
“Because you oppose that monster, you now walk the same path as the Mystic Sky Sword Sect, and as every righteous force left standing up here. So please return with me to the sect and lay out everything you know about the Soul Devourer. If you refuse…”
Linden let the final word dangle like a drawn sword, eyes fixed on Jared Chance with unblinking heat. “You’ve just rattled two sects, displayed uncanny power, and dropped the Soul Devourer’s name for all to hear. You will draw unwanted attention to yourself and to the Myriad Beast Sect.”
Jared’s brow tightened. A quiet pulse of annoyance flickered beneath his calm mask, yet he could not deny Linden’s logic.
I really did make too much noise today, back-handing Sheldon Soulsby in front of two armies and then naming the Soul Devourer. Hard not to attract every pair of eyes on Level Ten…
If this dragged more trouble onto the Myriad Beast Sect, he would be the one to blame.
“Set your mind at ease,” Linden added, tone softening. “On the honor of the Mystic Sky Sword Sect, I invite you only to discuss strategies against the Soul Devourer and the Infinite Soul Demon Sect. No ill intentions. When we finish talking, you may stay or leave as you wish, and my people will gladly forge an alliance with the Myriad Beast Sect against the demons.”
At this point, outright refusal would smell of guilt and ignite a conflict here and now.
