“Anders might not have set things in motion himself, but this definitely traces back to him. The Quiton family could be involved, too,” Dustin said.
Scarlet said urgently, “Even if we know it’s a trap, we can’t just abandon Adam and the others.” “We’re not abandoning them,” he replied. “But we’re doing this with a plan.”
He quickly added, “Grace, you take the main force and move in from the front to mount the rescue, but don’t rush straight into the fight. Stay on the outer perimeter first, observe the situation, and delay as long as possible. Scarlet, you come with me. We’ll take another route.”
“Another route?”
Dustin pointed to a location on the map. “Here. This leads to the far side of the ruins. If we can go around it and sneak in from behind instead of the front, we might catch them off guard.”
Grace looked at him with a complicated emotion flickering across her face. She finally understood why she still relied on him even after his cultivation had been sealed because his mind was worth more than brute strength.
“Okay. We’ll do it your way,” she said decisively. “Just be careful.” Dustin smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. With Scarlet with me, nothing will happen.”
Scarlet nodded firmly. “I won’t let anything happen to him.”
30 minutes later, the two teams set out in different directions. Grace led the main force toward the ruins in a broad, imposing advance. She deliberately kept their pace slow and paused often to scout the surroundings while maintaining the appearance of heightened vigilance.
Meanwhile, Dustin and Scarlet slipped around toward the rear of the ruins with three elite guards.
As night deepened over Mount Aethermoor, a carefully laid trap waited for its prey. But what the hunters didn’t realize was that among those they intended to capture was someone who had already seen through the entire scheme.
Outside the ruins, Grace’s forces had arrived. The ruins consisted of a half-collapsed stone hall concealed within a dense grove of towering trees. Spiritual light flickered around the structure, and a large formation could be faintly seen enveloping the hall.
Inside the formation, Adam led more than a dozen Sovereign Aegis guards as they struggled to resist the siege of several dozen rogue cultivators.
“Your Royal Highness, we should charge in, “one of the guards urged anxiously. Grace raised a hand to stop him and said, ” No. Let us observe first.”
She studied the battlefield carefully. At first glance, the rogue cultivators looked disorganized, yet their advances and withdrawals revealed subtle coordination, proving they were no improvised mob.
Although their encirclement was tight, they avoided lethal strikes, as if deliberately trying to stall for time.
“Just as I suspected. This is a trap,” she said with a cold smile. Then, she issued an order. “Pass the word. Hold position and secure the perimeter.”
At the same time, Dustin and Scarlet advanced quietly along a narrow mountain ravine that led toward the rear of the stone hall. The terrain was steep and choked with thorny undergrowth, which made it clear that no one had expected anyone to approach from that direction.
“How did you know there was a path here?
“Scarlet asked while clearing the way through the thorns.
“Just a guess,” he replied. “Ancient ruins like this usually have multiple entrances and exits. If the main gate is blocked, the rear passage may offer a way through. Look over there.”
He pointed toward a collapsed section of the hall’s rear wall and continued, “Air is flowing through that gap. That means the space behind it connects to the inside.”
The group climbed up to the collapsed section and soon found a concealed opening. The entrance was narrow, allowing only one person to crawl through at a time, but faint light could be seen deeper inside.
“I’ll go first,” Scarlet said as she moved forward without hesitation and crawled inside.
Dustin followed right behind her. The passage was narrow and damp, and the air smelled of decay. After crawling for about ten minutes, the tunnel opened abruptly into a wide chamber. They had finally entered the interior of the stone hall.
Inside, Adam and his men were barely holding their ground. The formation was already on the verge of collapse, and casualties continued to rise. When he saw Dustin and Scarlet appear suddenly behind them, his face lit with relief.
“Don’t make a sound,” Dustin said quietly.
“There are still reinforcements outside.
How long can you hold on?”
Adam gave a bitter smile and answered, ” At most, half an hour.”
“That will be enough,” Dustin replied. After quickly scanning the surroundings, he continued, “Scarlet, take your people and secure this position.”
He then turned to Adam and said, “Hand me the formation control.”
Although Adam didn’t understand what Dustin intended to do, he didn’t hesitate. He immediately passed Dustin the rune slate that served as the formation’s control core. Dustin accepted it and began redirecting the flow of spiritual energy within the formation.
