The tribal chief mulled it over for a moment and asked:

"Did that outsider spot you?"

The tribespeople all shook their heads. One young man said confidently:

"The outsider definitely can't see through our mist concealment technique."

"Idiot!"

The chief coldly scolded. She knew that while their clan's secret technique could hide in the white mist and rarely be detected,

That only worked against people with weak detection abilities. The Material Realm was huge—not to mention anything else, there were experts even among the traveling merchant caravans.

To be able to explore solo near the Cold Bamboo Forest, the visitor either had badass detection abilities or had some knowledge of the Inte Mountains.

Either way, these tribespeople's basic mist concealment technique probably couldn't fool that person.

Under her scolding, the young tribespeople clammed up and lowered their heads.

The female chief's eyes showed a trace of disappointment. Only after taking over did she realize how heavy the burden the old chief had carried really was.

Not only did she have to deal with the Cold Bamboo tribe's trading negotiations with outside forces, she also had to educate the tribespeople's minds.

The Cold Bamboo tribe took their name from cold bamboo, living alongside bamboo. Compared to outsiders who generally matured at 30, the Cold Bamboo clan matured way faster—around 10 years for full physical development. Correspondingly, their lifespans were much shorter and their intelligence weaker.

Remembering the old chief's deathbed instructions, the female chief knew she was among the minority—she couldn't expect too much from most tribespeople.

"Go find the outsider and invite them for talks within the tribe."

The female chief didn't explain her reasoning—even if she did, the tribespeople wouldn't get it. She was beat and simply issued direct orders.

"Yes."

The Cold Bamboo tribespeople responded and withdrew to search for the outsider.

...

Outside the Cold Bamboo Forest, a purple light shuttled through the sky, stirring the white mist into rolling, surging waves.

Purple Vortex made no attempt to hide its tracks, and the commotion it caused would definitely attract the Cold Bamboo tribe's attention.

The increasing number of Cold Bamboo tribespeople hiding in the nearby white mist confirmed this.

Carlos's purpose was crystal clear—the cold dark pool was the Cold Bamboo tribe's sacred ground. Without even thinking about it, the Cold Bamboo tribe definitely wouldn't allow strangers to enter.

Since that was the case, there was no need for both sides to talk.

"Purple Vortex, avoid them and go straight into the Cold Bamboo Forest to search for the cold dark pool."

"Roar!"

The purple light shot into the Cold Bamboo Forest like a meteor...

....

Meanwhile, in the Dotruu Kingdom.

The King's Right Hand, Sword Saint Levi, leading the nobles, ultimately couldn't defeat the awakened Shadow Twins.

Boom!

Falling from the sky, blood spilling across the square.

He was covered in blood, his left arm gripping his greatsword tightly, blood dripping along his long beard as his fierce eyes stared at the black shadows shrouding the palace.

Monsters!

Two freaking monsters!!!

Levi sharply sensed that they were fighting him with a playful attitude.

In other words, they weren't using their full strength at all.

This filled Levi, who had dominated his entire life, with despair.

Would all of the Dotruu Kingdom's leadership bite it here today?

The extinction of high-level combat power would definitely bring a chain reaction. One screw-up and the Dotruu Kingdom might get wiped out...

Thinking of this possibility, Levi felt anxiety attack his heart and spat out a mouthful of blood.

No, the Dotruu Kingdom absolutely couldn't go down. Sword Saint Levi endured the dizziness from his severe injuries and said bitterly:

"Shadow Twins, the Dotruu Kingdom surrenders!"

In the square, the conscious nobles of the Dotruu Kingdom lowered their proud heads, their faces ashen, spirits crushed.

The King's Right Hand's active surrender made them completely understand that the Shadow Twins weren't beings the Dotruu Kingdom could mess with.

High in the sky, the younger sister among the Shadow Twins let out an eerie laugh:

"Sister, they surrendered."

"Losing comes with a price."

Her pale pupils swept over them, making the defeated Dotruu Kingdom nobles in the square feel chills in their hearts.

Sword Saint Levi actually felt relieved instead. Having to pay a price was good—no matter how steep the price, as long as they survived.

As long as the Dotruu Kingdom's upper-tier forces weren't completely wiped out, the Dotruu Kingdom wouldn't go under.

But the sister among the Shadow Twins said expressionlessly:

"Sister, you're too soft-hearted. Ants that provoke the Shadow Realm must be completely crushed!"

Her pitch-black pupils contained not a trace of human emotion. Though she didn't burst with killing intent, that natural cruelty sent bone-deep chills through everyone present.

"Is that so? Then I'll listen to sister."

The younger sister quickly changed her mind—or rather, this had been her true intention all along. Her previous words were just messing around.

The Shadow Twins' words instantly made the Dotruu Kingdom nobles feel like they'd fallen into an ice cave. Leading them, Sword Saint Levi forced himself to stay calm:

"Shadow Twins, if you slaughter all the Dotruu Kingdom nobles today, the Human Supreme Council will never let you go!"

The Human Supreme Council was a joint assembly led by top-tier powerhouses with participation from major forces across all territories.

Northern city-states, western kingdoms, southern tribes, eastern islands—without exception, all were under the Supreme Council's oversight.

It contained countless powerhouses, with top-tier experts from all four upper subspecies as members.

It mainly dealt with extremely evil incidents and hunted anti-human forces.

Randomly destroying most of a kingdom's nobles without any reason would definitely trigger Supreme Council investigation.

Even if these two monsters were extremely powerful, Sword Saint Levi was certain they would fear the Supreme Council's pursuit.

In the Material Realm, except for those dark mist monsters, even human traitors who'd joined the dark mist didn't dare easily attract the Supreme Council's attention.

But unfortunately, what Sword Saint Levi didn't know was that after their initial awakening, the Shadow Twins had been busy hunting down Shadow Hall remnants. They couldn't say they knew jack about the Material Realm's major forces, but they knew very little—just a few scraps they'd overheard in casual conversations while in Ember City.

"Supreme Council?"

"What's that?"

The Shadow Twins didn't give a damn. Since awakening, their power had expanded rapidly, and they still hadn't encountered anyone who could match them.

Even the Shadow Hall master had only been slightly troublesome. Once the twins went all out and unleashed their ultimate techniques, he'd met his end in ash and smoke.

Therefore, the Shadow Twins were now extremely arrogant—they didn't think anyone in this world could be their match.

Well... except for that noble figure who had trained them in the past. They feared no other creature, no other force.

The Dotruu Kingdom's king was connected to Shadow Hall remnants, which was just a small part of the picture. The Shadow Twins assassinated him without a second thought, their hearts completely unmoved.

Looking at these ants below, even after witnessing their power, they still pinned their hopes on some Human Supreme Council.

Maybe the Human Supreme Council did have considerable power, but so what?

The Shadow Twins feared nothing. As the final echo of the Shadow Realm, they were born to stand above shadows and would one day complete the great work of devouring light!

The Shadow Twins' indifferent voices rang out:

"Blob Beasts, devour them!"