“Your Highness, what should we do now?” Neville asked, looking solemn. “Should we tell the Hall of Gods where Logan is?”
The Hall of Gods was a force to be reckoned with, but so was Logan, especially with West Lucozia behind him. If tipping Zeus off led to Logan getting hurt, the monarchy wouldn’t just let it slide.
Matthias scowled. “That bastard Nathaniel really screwed me over.”
He finally realized Nathaniel hadn’t just passed the problem over, but he had also set a trap.
Unable to handle the mess himself, Nathaniel had used the Hall of Gods to do his dirty work and chip away at Matthias’ power. He was killing two birds with one stone.
Matthias fumed, but he had no good way out. Either he crossed the Hall of Gods or made an enemy of Logan.
Then it hit him. This whole mess had nothing to do with him in the first place. It was Logan’s feud with the Hall of Gods, not his. If they ended up destroying each other, so be it. Matthias was just trying to stay alive, and that was something he could live with.
With that thought, he stopped hesitating and made his decision.
“Head inside and tell Zeus exactly where Logan is,” Matthias said sharply. “And tell him to get the hell out.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Neville responded.
He wasted no time and rushed inside. Even though he hated it, he swallowed his pride for the greater good and also for Matthias.
“Let’s hope nothing else goes wrong,” Matthias muttered.
He frowned, still stewing over the situation. Sending Neville to speak with Zeus wasn’t just about delivering a message, but it was his way of covering his own back.
If Zeus did kill Logan, and the West Lucozian monarchy came seeking revenge, Matthias already knew who he’d throw under the bus. Neville might not be a convincing scapegoat, but at least it would look like Matthias had done the right thing.
A few minutes later, Neville returned with a hardened expression.
“Well? Did Zeus buy it?” Matthias asked.
“He only believes half of it,” Neville answered truthfully. “He’s heading to Embercrest Hill himself. If he finds out we lied, he said he’d bring the full force of the Hall of Gods to raze the estate. He’d make sure you pay dearly for it.”
“Are you certain your intel is accurate?”
“Absolutely. I have no doubt about it.”
“Good. Let them fight it out. However it ends, it’s not our problem.” Matthias exhaled in relief.
This was the best outcome he could have hoped for. Whatever happened next, he’d deal with it then.
“Mr. Galen, open a path in the formation.
Let the Hall of Gods’ people leave,”
Matthias shouted toward the sky.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Galen didn’t say much. He formed a hand seal, and a hole opened at the top of the Five Sanguine Elemental Seals.
As soon as it appeared, two figures shot into the sky and vanished beyond the horizon.
Inside a natural cave at Embercrest Hill, Dustin hovered in the air with his eyes closed.
Five orbs, glowing with a strange light, spun around him. Within each orb, a dragon-shaped energy stream swirled continuously. Each movement released a small amount of pure spiritual energy, which was absorbed into his body.
Dustin focused on his technique and slowly absorbed the Dracan essence just like Grace had taught him. But the process was painstakingly slow. Even with his talent, he couldn’t absorb all five streams of essence in such a short time.
Grace didn’t disturb him. She sat nearby and focused on protecting him.
This natural cave has a unique feature. It could block the flow of energy so that no one from outside could sense it.
Simply put, whatever happened inside the cave couldn’t be discovered by outsiders. This was one of the main reasons she had chosen this place for Dustin to absorb the Dracan essence.
She had also set up defensive formations around Embercrest Hill in advance. She was confident that even an ultimate grandmaster would have trouble breaking through them in a short time.
Before Dustin began absorbing the Dracan essence, she used a secret divination method from the Regal Observatory.
Success and failure were two sides of the same coin. If successful, Dustin would rise to great power and become unstoppable. If not, he would die. But at this point, neither of them has a choice.
The crisis was already here, and pressure was mounting. In such critical moments, only bold actions mattered while hesitation would cost them everything.
Suddenly, Grace’s badge blinked twice. It was an alert from her people outside. Whenever the badge flashed, it meant someone was attempting to break in.
She glanced at Dustin, who was focused on his cultivation in midair. Not wanting to interrupt him, she walked to a mirror-like slab of smooth stone.
Without hesitation, she slammed into it headfirst. Strangely, the moment her body touched the stone, it transformed into mist and enveloped her completely.
In the next instant, Grace was no longer inside the cave. She had been transported to the summit of Embercrest Hill.
