Even then, despite the presence of such an extremely powerful barrier protecting the Flame Sovereign Sect’s group, the heat from those ruby-colored flames was so intense that both Inner and Core Disciples were sweating abundantly.

The only one seemingly unaffected was the Core Elder—but if someone looked closer, they would see his hands trembling under the strain.

Mikael’s eyes widened at the scene, especially when he sensed the Core Elder’s aura. “He’s flinching… he won’t be able to hold for long,” he murmured to himself.

Crack.

He was proven right when, seconds later, small fractures began forming across the Qi-powered barrier as the ruby flames slowly but surely began to overwhelm it.

Watching this, Mikael frowned. ‘There’s something that isn’t right… why are they staying here and not trying to run away?’

Logically, the group from the Flame Sovereign Sect, having attracted the attention of a 6th layer demonic beast, should’ve already begun retreating—doubly so when the barrier, the only thing protecting them from those deadly flames, was visibly cracking. And yet, surprisingly, not a single one of them moved to escape.

“Hold your position and supply your Qi into the formation!” screamed a tall Core Disciple.

“Yes, Senior Brother Qin,” answered the Inner and Core Disciples together. In all their voices was deference and respect—and among those who spoke were the same five who had nearly stumbled into Mikael after he’d killed the Shadowfang Panther.

Following Senior Brother Qin’s orders, all the disciples adopted expressions of determination mixed with greed, and even as the barrier continued to crack, none of them moved from their position.

Roaaaaaarrr.

Crack, crack.

The Crimson Pyrogryph let out a deafening roar, and under its continuous stream of ruby-colored flames, the cracks spread like hairline fractures across the yellow Qi-powered barrier. At that moment, the shield looked mere seconds away from shattering completely.

A flicker of panic flashed in the elder’s eyes as he turned his head toward Senior Brother Qin. “Young Master Qin, the barrier isn’t holding! Should we retreat?”

The one named Young Master Qin's expression grew ugly. “No—we continue to hold our ground. We can’t abandon the Thunder Vein Dew!”

He turned his head to glance at the other Inner and Core Disciples, whose expressions were rapidly being overtaken by panic. “Don’t panic, and don’t stop injecting your Qi into the barrier! Doing so would mean our end—no one here can outspeed a Crimson Pyrogryph, and even if you did, I’d have you executed!”

An expression of fear appeared on the disciples’ faces. Seeing that the stick had landed, Young Master Qin shifted to the carrot. “But if you help me acquire the Thunder Vein Dew by pushing yourselves further and injecting more Qi into the formation, I’ll personally make sure you’re rewarded by my father, the Sect Master, once we return to the Sect!”

Crack.

A large fracture split across the surface of the barrier, which now looked on the verge of collapse—ready to shatter at any moment. But upon hearing Young Master Qin’s words, a wave of greed mixed with grim determination passed through the disciples’ expressions, and they began injuring themselves to squeeze out more Qi into the formation.

Under the disciples’ collective efforts, the barrier slowly but surely mended and reached a kind of precarious equilibrium—neither healing further nor being pushed closer to destruction.

Mikael observed them fight for their lives, an uncaring glint in his eyes. That wasn’t entirely true. It was true that he didn’t care about their life or death, but something else had caught his attention. “Thunder Vein Dew, hmm?”

Thoughts flashed through his mind at lightning speed. ‘I see… that’s why they’re not retreating. They’re after some kind of cultivation resource named “Thunder Vein Dew,” and considering how reluctant this Young Master Qin is to leave—even though he’s the son of the Sect Master of the Flame Sovereign Sect…’

Something unreadable passed in his cold emerald eyes, ‘It should be pretty precious… no?’

Without wasting a moment, his gaze scanned the ‘battlefield’ in search of this Thunder Vein Dew, and at first, he didn’t see anything special—but then his eyes locked onto a small crevasse nestled in the mountain just behind what he now knew to be named a Crimson Pyrogryph.

That was when he noticed it: the mountain itself was different. Its shape was strange—jagged and slanted—as if a giant thunderbolt had fallen from the sky, taking a massive chunk of the peak with it.

And what made it even more striking was the fact that, unlike the surrounding mountains which bore mixtures of green and grey, this one was completely black, as if it had been scorched down to its very bones.

That blackness came from the stone itself, every inch of its surface seemingly struck by thunder countless times—burned and tempered until only blackened rock remained.

From that rock now emanated a dense, electric aura so intense he could feel it brushing against his skin even from tens of kilometers away, a lingering presence that felt like the aftershock of a heavenly tribulation.

Yet the most remarkable detail wasn’t the mountain as a whole, but rather the narrow crevasse halfway up its slope—within it lay a shallow basin, carved directly into the scorched stone, and in that basin…

A silver liquid laced with streaks of living violet, every drop pulsing with faint arcs of purple lightning, shimmering with a dangerous and mesmerizing glow that made him distinctly think of the storm that had thrown him from the sky and directly into the demonic beast tide.

“I can bet a hand that this is the Thunder Vein Dew they seem to be crazy for…” he murmured to himself as he eyed the liquid for several seconds before refocusing his attention on the ‘fight’.

Seeing that both sides were still in the same stalemate, an idea flashed through his mind, ‘Why don’t I use the current chaos and the distraction of both groups to take this Thunder Vein Dew?’

This was his thought—and honestly, when he took the time to think it through in more detail, this plan was… feasible.

If he used the fact that both the Crimson Pyrogryph and the Flame Sovereign Sect group had their attention locked onto each other, not paying much heed to their surroundings, then he could erupt with his top speed, dash into the crevasse, snatch the Thunder Vein Dew, throw it into his storage ring, and escape at full throttle.

With his speed, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of seconds—by the time the Crimson Pyrogryph realized something was off, he would already be tens of kilometers away, a distance that was nothing for a Core Formation demonic beast, but…

Even if covering that distance was nothing, it was a different story when it came to actually finding something in the area—and it wasn’t as if the Crimson Pyrogryph would immediately begin searching for him. No, it would logically and instinctively assume that the group of humans who had been ‘stalling’ it were responsible for the theft…

And with the group of the Flame Sovereign Sect acting as distraction… he was confident he could do it, ‘Yes this could work!’ he thought, the corner of his lip raising in what could be a smile.

Crack.

A new fracture appeared on the barrier, signaling that the humans, even with their desperate effort, were once again being overwhelmed. Knowing that his time was limited, something passed in Mikael’s eyes, ‘This is now or never.’

Weightless Wind-Explosive Style.

Aura wrapped itself around Mikael as he readied himself to erupt with his fastest speed, but then—

“Argh.” A pained groan escaped Mikael’s mouth, bringing him back to reality. For an instant he was confused, all of his focus having been on how to obtain the Thunder Vein Dew—but then he remembered.

“I’m still injured! Fuck!!!!” Curses spilled from his lips as his expression twisted—at this moment, his smile was uglier than crying.

His gaze remained fixed on the basin where the Thunder Vein Dew lay, ‘Does this mean that I can only watch this “heavenly wonder” without being able to acquire it because I’m injured!?’

He shook his head furiously. “No!” ‘I’m sure there’s a solution… but what…?’ Thoughts swirled through his mind at lightning speed.

‘Blood Ignition once again? Even if I decide not to worry about the potential consequences of using it while injured… i-it still wouldn’t change anything!’

‘Weightless Wind-Explosive Style may allow me to move at insane speed, and this “technique” isn’t supposed to care about my physical condition—it only relies on the quality of my aura—so logically, my injuries shouldn’t matter much… except when I’m too injured to use it efficiently, of fucking course!’

‘As for other options… Injuring myself to activate Stage 1 to a high degree, boosting all parameters… this could work!’ he realized with a flicker of joy. For a moment, his gaze returned to the fight before locking once more onto the basin.

Without wasting time—knowing every second counted, as his ‘bait’ wouldn’t be able to hold much longer—he raised Sangrelia, about to cut himself with her to activate Stage 1 to its highest degree, but then—

Hummmmmm

Sangrelia vibrated sharply in his hand, sending him a clear message. For a moment, Mikael froze, trying to ‘understand’ what she was ‘saying’.

A wry smile slowly formed on his face as he realized what he was doing. A sigh that carried bone-deep exhaustion slipped from his lips before he raised his head, gaze locking on the sun whose last rays of light were disappearing beneath the horizon.

“Ahhhhhh… Y—” Mikael took a small pause, struggling to get the words out. “You’re right… I should abandon this Thunder Vein Dew…” The last words were spoken through gritted teeth—clearly, it was difficult for him to say them.

Mikael clenched his fist so hard his nails pierced skin, drawing blood, but he didn’t care. “That was my greed talking. I told myself earlier I needed to leave the moment I saw the sun falling—not after. I said I wouldn’t let my greed control me, but this…” His gaze returned to the small basin.

“I-It’s too fucking tempting! Abandoning this ‘heavenly wonder’ really, really isn’t to my taste, but…”

Vrmmm.

“Yeah, it would be far too risky, especially in my current condition. Even in top shape it would’ve been a high-risk, high-reward situation—but now it’s a suicidal risk, high reward situation…”

“Fuck!”

With a final curse, Mikael let go of his tight hold on the trunk, gravity doing its job as he began to freefall. He quickly collided with the ground—but strangely, not with a loud impact. There was only a muted thud.

Swish.

The instant his feet touched the ground, Mikael erupted with the highest speed he could afford while remaining discreet, weaving between trees and the mildly destroyed terrain as he swiftly distanced himself from the confrontation between the Crimson Pyrogryph and the Flame Sovereign Sect group.

He moved with grace and calm, but his tightened jaw betrayed the tremor cursing beneath his composed exterior. Glancing back one last time, a—

“I’ll be back!”

—escaped his mouth as he disappeared into the thin foliage.

Roaaarrr.

The roar of the Crimson Pyrogryph ‘accompanied’ him as he moved away, growing weaker each time it reached his ears as he continued to put distance between himself and it.

💬Got Thoughts? I read every comment, and your words genuinely shape Mikael’s path.

———

A/N:

Mikael finds some kind of Heavenly Wonder—the kind of opportunity that, in a true cultivation novel, the protagonist would rush toward without thinking and then… die—I mean, they can’t die, so their ‘divine fate’ (Plot Armor) would save them…

But considering how Mikael doesn’t wait for Plot Armor to save him, he can’t take that choice. And even if it was tempting—really, really tempting—for him to rush in, because of his injuries and under Sangrelia’s ‘suggestion’, he kept his greed in check and made the difficult decision to retreat.

This might feel frustrating to some readers, but I think it’s a better conclusion than him just getting it and having the opportunity fall into his lap. This time, he gets it... only to not get it—which feels more realistic, and for me, that makes it better.

If you have an opinion on the situation, I’d be interested in hearing it.

———

📚 Chapters ahead await on Patreon: www./SDASLUMMY

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Glad you’re walking this path with me.

— End of Chapter —