Eternal Thief

After walking for half an hour, Ace and Noa reached the end of the underground tunnel, and it was blocked by a solid wall. 

Ace was using his soul-shattering eyes all this time while carefully examining the tunnel, which was filled with tiny insects and an old smell. After carefully examining the wall before him, he was sure this was the end of this tunnel. 

The tunnel was only four-meter-wide and three-meter-high, enough for three or four people to fit in. 

Ace suddenly looked on the upper wall of this tunnel, and he soon found a meticulously hidden square door! 

"Up there is a hidden door. I think it's our way out." Ace notified Noa, who was also searching for a passage. 

Noa was startled hearing Ace had already found the way forward because even she couldn't find anything with her martial sense, no matter where she probed. This made her, even more, assure that Ace was far too mysterious than he showed. 

Ace didn't pay attention to baffled Noa and carefully scan the hidden door. Just as he thought, he noticed small runes forming a little lock array, but to his elation; it wasn't a grade array, and it was only made by mortal runes of rank-9. 

As for how he could tell the difference in the level of runes it was very simple, as long as he didn't encounter a grade array he can see the rune symbols and their flaw but if he encountered a grade array or formation, he can only see a vague outline and the higher the grade of the runes the vaguer it will be. 

He deemed he could only see the vague outline up to grade three runes and grade four runes will be completely invisible to him since his soul-shattering eyes can only see flaws in Grade-One runes after reaching the perfect mastery. 

"Umm… can you lift me, so I can open this door?" Ace embarrassedly asked. 

He needed to come in contact with the array for using his skill, and he was more than a meter short to reach the ceiling of this three-meter-high tunnel. 

That's why he shamelessly asked Noa who was 2.3-meter-tall and could easily touch the ceiling with her long hands. 

'Well, what I can expect, this tunnel was made for tall demons in the first place.' Ace smiled wryly.

"O-of course." Noa quickly agreed since it was a piece of cake for her, and she didn't doubt about Ace opening the hidden door, which she can't even see. 

A dark pillar suddenly rose right beneath Ace's feet and slowly lift him until he reached the ceiling. 

Ace click his tongue in wonder and mused, 'So, this is element reasoning of Qi river core cultivator where one starts connecting and controlling the surrounding element not just the innate element inside their bodies!' 

Ace paid no more attention to this topic and turned his focus to the ceiling. With no hesitation, he put his palm on the wall as a golden rune appeared right in the center of his palm. 

Noa also noticed the strange Qi waves from Ace's palm. She was using her martial sense to see what Ace was doing but was astonished since she can't see through his skill and only felt strange Qi waves, nothing else. 

'Click…' 

A small crisp sound rang in the silent tunnel as a one cubic meter old wooden door appeared right where Ace's hand was placed. 

Ace's lips rose in an elated smile and with no pause, he pushed the door upward and its creak opened completely and a golden light shone on Ace's face! 

"Haha, we're out!" Ace quickly jumped outside as he could tell there wasn't anyone in the five-hundred-meter radius area, so it was completely safe. 

Noa's eyes also shone with ecstasy when she saw the golden sunlight entering the dark tunnel from the opened door. She quickly jumped outside, just like Ace. 

Ace looked around, and he noticed they were in a wide field of grass and when he turned around his eyes contorted because he saw a magnificent city wall a mile away, and it was covered in a dark doom! 

"That's the ocean demon city! I don't think this tunnel made for my ancestors would be so long." Noa's complicated voice rang with a hint of melancholy. 

Ace noticed Noa's change of emotions and couldn't help but sigh before saying confidently, "Don't worry, we'll be back."

Before he was in a state of soul injury and noticed little details, but now that he was completely healed and even become stronger, he could tell the difference between lower lands and the mighty demon continent was like sky and earth! 

Just the dark golden sky was enough to tell the huge disparity between the Qi density of the two places. 

He could also feel this Qi was much more potent and had a strange effect on his body as if it was nurturing it! 

Ace didn't know if this was because of the difference between continents, or the lower lands were just too barren. However, he had little time to ponder over this problem since he was still on the periphery of ocean demon city, and he wanted to go as far away as possible. 

"So, where from here?" Ace did not know about this completely unfamiliar continent with no borders or boundaries whatsoever. 

Noa was the native of his place and he was relying on her to be his guide for a while until he understood the structure of this continent. 

"We should go toward the Dark Iron Demon Tribe's Iron Demon City, which is the second-biggest city in Ocean Demon Dukedom. It is the closest city we can go to, and the way is also relatively safe." Noa replied after considering it for a while. 

She knew Ace was new here, and she didn't want to put his life in danger, so she went with the safest way. 

"Fine, led the way." 

Ace didn't mind if that was the second-biggest city or the first or even third, as long as he could find a place where he could gather information and stay safe until he understood the complete situation. 

Noa also didn't delay and flashed toward Iron Demon City's direction, which was southwest of Ocean Demon City. She also didn't want to stay anywhere closer to this city, where her biggest adversary lived and ruled. 

"This is not your top speed, right?" 

At this moment, Ace's confused voice enter Noa's ears and her eyes contracted when she saw Ace was nonchalantly moving shoulder to shoulder with her and looking at her with confusion. 

"I was only worried about you being left behind, so I control my speed!" Noa retorted with a hint of shock in her voice.

Although she was telling the truth, she was still using forty percent of her prowess and using her tribe's secret movement skill. 

Before in the ocean demon city when they were escaping, she used only ten percent of her speed and at that time Ace can keep up with her. Now, she just wanted to test if he could keep up with her at this speed, and then she would reduce her speed a little, but it seemed she had greatly underestimated Ace.

"Heh, don't mind me. I want to see your full speed." Ace only smiled, with a hint of provocation in his dark-blue eyes. 

He wanted to test his middle-level lightning steps and Noa was the perfect opponent since she was a silver river core cultivator and also a demon! She was initially stronger than a human cultivator because of her superior demon body! 

"Hmph… as you wish!" Noa tenderly snorted. She could easily discriminate the provocation in Ace's expression and her demonic nature stir. 

Although she knew Ace had skills from a 'god' yet, he was still weaker than her in cultivation, and she was very confident in her speed, which can even render a golden river core cultivator's speed useless.

Like a dark blur, Noa completely vanished from Ace's view, even though he was somewhat shocked by her speed. 

However, Ace merely chuckled the next moment, and whereupon like a dark lightning bolt he chased after Noa, but there was no sound!

Now he could somewhat fuse his lightning element with his movement speed, which made it even faster, and his despair-lightning was naturally soundless, which was perfect for a thief! 

Noa wasn't using her stealth, so Ace could see her and even if she were using it, Ace could easily detect her after his huge advancement in soul cultivation. 

She turned around to see Ace's shocking expression, but it was she who was gobsmacked because Ace was again just beside her and, with a nonchalant smile, moving shoulder to shoulder with her! 

"You! I lose!" Noa said with a hint of helplessness, while her dark eyes brimming with desire for all those things in the thief-house shop. 

"Heh… don't worry, I'm also using my full power to keep up with you." Ace tried to be humbled. 

"Hmph!" Noa only tenderly snort since she could tell Ace was telling a white lie just by his nonchalant expression!