Death... and me

Meanwhile, back in the Soul Rulers' headquarters...

Most of the buildings had been reconstructed while the remains were cleaned out. If one looked at the location right now, no one would even believe that an enormous explosion had happened at this place just a few months ago. However, it didn't matter much. After all, the Soul Rulers only found a few kids with high Soul Purity during this time. Besides, it was useless since all the Bloodline Trial Control Formations were gone. To rebuild them, it would not only take a few months but several years!

In the same hall as before, the elders of the Soul Rulers gathered once again, discussing the issues with Celis's disappearance and the reconstruction of the formations. However, the main topic today was something else.

"What about the Demon Beast Continent?" one of the elders asked in the hall.

A man then stepped forward in the middle of the hall and gave his report, stating, "We have noticed strange movements in the territories of Stage Seven and higher demon beasts. They seem to have gotten quite restless. However, we can't tell what they're just planning yet."

"Hmph!" Fikin, the top ancestor of the Soul Rulers, snorted as he said, "What else would those beasts there be planning? They obviously noticed the sudden change in the planet's Spiritual Energy. Only an idiot would not link that and the melting ice to the World Swallowing Cedar. The fact that they haven't come and ask about it yet proves that they're aware of its disappearance."

The other ancestors and elders couldn't help but show a dark expression after hearing that. Their position in the world was all thanks to Celis, and now, he was gone. They knew that the demon beasts would take action soon, trying to reclaim the areas that used to belong to them.

Fikin then looked at another group of Zasfins before asking, "How's the search for the World Swallowing Cedar going?"

One of the Zasfins stepped forward to answer, responding, "There are still many isolated areas we haven't looked into. As for the ones we did, we left scouts behind to make sure they wouldn't be used. In any case, we still haven't found any clue that they have passed by one of them."

Fikin nodded after hearing that and then looked at the group responsible for watching the Demon Beast Alliance on Gartrin Continent. "How about you guys? Have you obtained any information related to them? They used a demon beast during the day they took the kids away, so the demon beasts might be related to it."

However, the Zasfins shook their heads. "So far, nothing had been found about those two humans and the demon bird. It's too hard to find since we don't know what color or unique characteristics it has. As the ancestors know, Demon Birds at Stage Five aren't anything hard to find in the Demon Beast Continent."

The reason they didn't know of Kentucky's real appearance was obviously because of Rean's Light bending skill. Back then, the Zasfins could tell that Rean and Roan were riding a Demon Bird. Unfortunately, it was only possible to be seen through Spiritual Sense. Things like features, color, size, and so on were just too hard to distinguish with Spiritual Sense alone. As for Rean and Roan themselves, thanks to Roan's 'make-up skills,' the appearance they showed themselves in was different during their time there.

Fikin narrowed his eyes in response. It was exactly because there were too many Demon Birds at that level that it bothered him. "Keep your eyes on the Demon Beast Alliance and increase the number of people watching there. There aren't many places that can hide something as big as a Stage Nine World Swallowing Cedar. It has to have appeared somewhere after being teleported away."

"Yes, Ancestor Fikin." The Zasfins nodded after that before stepping back again.

After that, Fikin mentioned something else, saying, "Although there's a good chance that the demon beasts were involved in the World Swallowing Cedar's kidnapping, I don't believe so. After all, they could have used it to cut out our supply of Spiritual Energy, just like we did with the rest of the world. However, the world has a lot more Spiritual Energy now, which doesn't make sense. Why would they refrain from using Celis in their favor while they prepare to attack? Last but not least, I couldn't feel the Demon Beast Alliance's Mark on that demon bird. There's definitely something else going on."

The elder and other ancestors went silent for a moment. They had to agree that Fikin was right. If it was them, they would have definitely done so. Especially since they were talking about demon beasts, who wouldn't care about using such an advantage?

Fikin then shook his head as he placed all thoughts at the back of his head. "Alright, just keep continuing the search." After that, he gave more orders, telling them, "Except for the Zasfins looking for Celis, I want all forces to be ready for battle and stationed in the main areas that the demon beasts would try to attack first. If we don't find Celis, war will become inevitable. That being said, we simply can't give up the territories that are rightfully ours, the Zasfins."

"Yes!" Everyone agreed as they began to draft plans to contend against the demon beasts.

Back on Rean and Kentucky's side, they had finally finished talking about their own world.

The old man Phoenix then went silent for a moment as he pondered over the issue. "A world dominated by humans. I know that there were bound to be worlds out there controlled by other races, but it's still surprising to hear about it. After all, I've lived on this planet as far as my memories go. But to think that it was destroyed by a single attack. It was definitely the doings of someone far above the Transition Realm."

As soon as the old man Phoenix said the words, the world around him tried to attack his body. The Spiritual Pressure in the area increased, trying to smash him to bits.

"Hmph!" The Phoenix snorted as his own Spiritual Energy burst out. It counterattacked the power of the Universe, preventing it from harming him. A few moments later, the strange energy disappeared, leaving the Phoenix alone.

"As always, the Universe truly hates it when we talk about the realms above." The Phoenix then shook his head and looked back at Rean and Kentucky, who had surprised expressions. That was the first time they had seen such a thing. "Oh, you've never heard the name of the next realm above Stage Nine and Elemental Transformation, right?"

Rean and Kentucky nodded, waiting for the old man to continue. Fortunately, the old man Phoenix delivered, saying, "Don't ever say the name of the realms above without being at that level yourselves. Otherwise, the Universe's power will crush you down. With your meager cultivations, you would die in less than a second." He then looked at Gulan as he reminded him, "The same goes for you."

"Yes, grampa," Gulan immediately nodded as he replied. He already knew about it and had seen such a thing happen before. Nevertheless, it was never bad to be reminded about how dangerous it was every once in a while.

The Phoenix then looked back at Rean and Kentucky, telling them, "Alright, for now, you can just call me Phex." His eyes then narrowed before he asked, "There's one thing I need to ask. Do you know anything about the World Swallowing Cedar?"