Death... and me

Zandolf immediately stopped circulating his Divine Origin Energy, knowing that even he wouldn't be able to escape from this place. Seeing that, the leader of the Essence Race group nodded. "You are very sensible. So, have you brought anyone else with you?"

Zandolf glanced at Rean, who sighed in response. "I have a Demon Beast friend waiting at the entrance, outside of that gate that attacked us. He stayed there to watch our back while we investigated this place. However, he still doesn't know about what can be found here."

The flame nodded. "Very well." It then looked at another one of his companions. "Trulo, go out there and bring that Demon Beast inside."

Trulo nodded and immediately disappeared. Following that, the leader looked back at Rean's group before saying, "Come with me. Obviously, don't try anything funny since we don't really have a reason to keep you alive. It's just that we don't have a reason to kill you either."

Rean, Essefy, and Zandolf took flight right behind the two remaining Essence Race Divinity Realm experts. From the looks of it, they were all flying in the direction of the gigantic Cube at the center of the city. Before they even got there, the Essence Race guy called Trulo had already come back, holding a Divine Bird in human form with his Spatial Powers.

Kentucky couldn't move a muscle and was scared of his wits. Only when he saw Rean and Rean explained the situation did he calm down a little. At the very least, it didn't seem like they were going to be killed straight away.

Arriving in front of the giant Cube, a door opened in front, allowing them to get inside. There, they found even more members of the Essence Race going back and forth with their own businesses. They all stopped to look at the newcomers, though. After all, who knows how long since they had seen anyone who wasn't part of the Essence Race?

The three Peak Divinity Realm ignored those others and brought Rean's group further inside the Cube. Finally, they stopped in front of another huge door, seeming to be waiting for something. Rean, Essefy, Kentucky, and Zandolf asked what was happening, but they didn't answer. 

A few minutes passed when suddenly, a voice came from the other side of the door. "You all may enter."

Rean's group looked at the Essence Race members. Even though they were just some kind of flame form, they could feel the respect they had for the owner of that voice, which surprised them. After all, each of these Essence Race guys was at the peak of the Universe's Cultivation.

As soon as the door opened, Rean and the others felt their bodies being assaulted by a wave of colored energy. It didn't harm their bodies, but it definitely felt uncomfortable. It wasn't the Divine Origin Energy, nor was it Elements. It was something different. 

Rean and Kentucky immediately identified it since they had fought someone who used this kind of energy. 'Essence Energy!' It wasn't all that surprising, of course. From what they knew, the Essence Race was indeed highly compatible with Essence Energy. They could even generate their own type of Essence, and this energy they were feeling was most likely it.

At the center of that room, a much, much smaller colored flame floated silently. It was even smaller than any of the Essence Race members they saw in the city earlier. However, there was another difference in it: Essence Energy seemed to be several times more concentrated than even the Peak Divinity Realm experts on their side.

"Master Huban, we have brought them," the leader Essence reported with a tone of respect.

Zandolf, Rean, and the others were immediately shocked when they heard that name. Huban was exactly the Essence Race member Zandolf mentioned to have almost succeeded in surpassing the Divinity Realm! Yet, this Essence Race member had been gone ever since the Devils attacked the Essence Race Territories. 

Of course, Zandolf found information about Huban, but he found nothing mentioning that Huban died. It's just that he didn't believe Huban to still be alive up to this point.

"A-Are you... that Huban?" Zandolf asked with a trembling voice. "The one who is said to almost reach the next cultivation realm?"

Huban's calm flame seemed to tremble a little when he heard Zandolf's remark. "I didn't expect the outside world to still remember my name. In any case, it matters little."

Huban then looked at Rean. "So it is you, uh? Hyeoumu did mention recently that I might get a visit and that I would recognize the person with a piece of his shell."

Rean was surprised to hear that. But above all, he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as Zandolf glanced at him. Didn't that simply confirm Rean had lied about how he got his shell piece? "Ahem... That is indeed me, senior." Well, since the truth was already out, what's the point in trying to hide it now.

Rean then brought that piece of shell out. Right after, the shell floated and shot in the direction of Huban in the center of the room, stopping right in front of him. "Sigh... it is hard to believe the big turtle allowed someone to get scot-free after breaking his beloved shell."

Zandolf was even more shocked now. "You broke Hyemoumu's shell and is still alive?!"

Rean bitterly smiled. "Well, I am very good with my words." Naturally, that was another lie.

Huban ignored that before asking something else. "So, did you come here for that?"

"That?" Zandolf seemed to think about something and nodded. "Ah, yes! I've spent a gargantuan effort to find this place because I wanted to find the secret behind your breakthrough attempt. Just how did you almost succeed in stepping beyond the Divinity Realm? No, better than that, have you succeeded now?"

Huban looked at Zandolf. "My question wasn't to you, idiot. I was asking the brat with a fake appearance."

"This..." Zandolf and Essefy looked at Rean.