NOVPUB
Chapter 78: Regrouping
After the collapse of the western peak and the tremors ceased, a group of silhouette continued their movement. They paused briefly when they saw a golden light descending from the sky just before the western peak was destroyed. They wondered what it could be, but with their own mission in mind, they pressed on.
When they arrived at the Yu family manor, the first thing they noticed were the corpses scattered around the manor. They were stunned, unsure of what to make of the situation. They had expected a battle upon arrival, but instead found only the dead.
Looking more closely at the corpses, they noticed the same thing.
"They’re emitting devil energy!" one of them exclaimed.
Many were shocked by this discovery, and they immediately raised their guard, staying alert to their surroundings. Moving slowly and undetected, they used their movement techniques to inch closer to the front of the manor. Just as they were preparing to barge in, they stopped, looking on the man emerging from the front gate.
Most of them didn’t recognize him, but the leader of the group did. The leader, a woman, raised her hand, signaling her subordinates to hold their position. She then stepped forward and approached Aldrian, cupping her hands in respect.
"Excuse us for arriving with so many people unannounced, but you need not worry. We came to protect this place. We mean no harm," she spoke, her voice sweet and reassuring.
Aldrian looked over the group before his gaze settled on the leader.
"I can see that. But are you the ones watching this place aside from these others?" He gestured to the scattered corpses.
"From what I can tell, you’re from another power."
The leader was stunned. How could he have detected her from such a distance during her reconnaissance? And how could he distinguish her from the people of the City Lord’s Manor? She quickly regained her composure.
"Yes, I apologize if I disturbed you, but it was an order from my superiors. It’s also connected to our internal issues within the demonic territories."
"I see. It must be about the City Lord’s Manor, right? The devils?" Aldrian asked.
The leader was shocked by his question. He already knew about the City Lord’s Manor being suspicious? And about the devils? The other black-cloaked figures were equally stunned, as they hadn’t been privy to this information—they were just following orders. Only higher-ranking individuals, like the leader, had access to insider knowledge. After all, she was close to the pavilion’s master.
"How do you know about this?" the leader asked, anxious.
"The first day I arrived in this city, I encountered their people. How could I not know their true nature? So tonight, I paid them a visit to ask them sincerely to repent for their mistakes."
The leader was confused. What does he mean by ’visited them tonight’? She hadn’t seen this young man leave the manor, so how could he have confronted them? Of course, she was unaware that Aldrian had used teleportation to move in and out, which is why she didn’t know he was the source of the chaos at the western peak.
Aldrian simply smiled and turned around. "Come with me."
The leader hesitated for a moment before signaling her subordinates to stay behind and wait for her. As she followed Aldrian into the manor, the sight before her shocked her to the core.
All of the higher-ups of the City Lord’s Manor, including the City Lord himself, were gathered here in pitiful conditions. She could sense that their cultivation had been sealed, and their bodies were covered in wounds. Among them, one figure stood out, his condition the most tragic—he had lost half of his body, from his right shoulder down to his thigh.
The wounds on his half-severed body had already started to heal, thanks to Aldrian’s first aid. But the most shocking part was his cultivation and the aura he emitted—a devil at the Grand Duke stage! Why was someone like this here? The leader’s mind was flooded with questions, but now she looked at Aldrian with a different gaze—a gaze reserved for monsters.
A chill ran down her spine. How had Aldrian managed all of this? Weren’t these higher-ups supposed to be at the western peak? The peak had just collapsed, and yet, here they were? The absurdity of the situation made her feel like her mind was on the verge of shutting down.
"If I had to guess, you and your group were watching the City Lord’s Manor because you suspected their connection to the devils. This task must have come from a power outside the Dual Peak Horns city—well, now it’s only one peak. Anyway, you were just looking for proof of their involvement, right?" Aldrian said.
She trembled because what Aldrian said is true!
"He must be a high level expert sent by some great power!"
Hurriedly, she removed her mask, revealing her beautiful face, and cupped her hands respectfully toward Aldrian.
"Yes, I apologize for my ignorance regarding your status. You may call me Vanisa. If I may ask, who exactly are you? And your group also incredibly strong. I feel like I’ve missed something important about this entire situation."
"There’s no need to keep apologizing, and no, I’m not from some great power. I’m just an adventurer with my group. You can simply call me Aldrian," he replied with a smile.
Vanisa studied the young man in front of her. Adventurer? She didn’t believe it for a second, not with his mysterious knowledge. There was no way a random vagabond could gather all these people here, let alone face them head-on.
"He must be hiding his true identity for some reason!"
The people from the City Lord’s Manor who were still conscious were equally stunned. Just an adventurer?
"If you kill me a thousand times, I still won’t believe you’re just a random adventurer!" they thought to themselves.
At first, they assumed Aldrian had been sent by the Piercing Heaven Sect. But after witnessing his abilities and sensing his power, they began to doubt. They were certain that he wasn’t a demonic cultivator. 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
Even though they couldn’t identify the golden energy Aldrian had used, they were certain it wasn’t demonic. Yet, it didn’t quite resemble the energy used by orthodox cultivators either. It felt purer, far more powerful.
"Alright then, young master," Vanisa said, glancing at the prisoners. "What do you plan to do with these people?"
"That depends on how your side decides to handle this matter," Aldrian replied calmly.
"Betraying others by collaborating with devils is a grave crime. I’d like to hear how your superiors intend to act before we proceed. We need to coordinate our actions. Once that’s done, I’ll hand these people over to you and go on my way."
Vanisa pondered for a moment before responding,
"I’ll report this to my superior first, young master. Once I get their answer, I’ll inform you."
"Good, I’ll stay in this manor. You can meet me anytime," Aldrian said. With that, Vanisa excused herself and left with her group, while Aldrian summoned Xin Haotian and the others to the Yu family manor. He also had the prisoners taken to the manor’s dungeon, which usually served as a place for punishing guilty family members.
Half an hour later, Xin Haotian arrived with Eleine, Sylphia, and the children, all safe and sound. Yu Ruomei, who had been informed of their arrival, welcomed them warmly and immediately prepared rooms for them to stay in.
Yu Ruomei was delighted to help care for the children. At the very least, the Yu family manor wouldn’t be so silent, now that it would be filled with the sound of children’s voices and activities.
Once everyone was settled, Aldrian and his group gathered in the pavilion at the center of the pond. Xin Haotian looked at Aldrian with an expression of disbelief, as if he were looking at an alien.
"Are you sure destroying the western peak on our first day here wasn’t a bit of an exaggeration?"
"No," Aldrian replied calmly. "The situation was truly dangerous. If I hadn’t acted quickly, don’t you think the Black Rock Snake would have caused even more destruction? Better to lose one peak than the entire city."
Xin Haotian nodded. He didn’t argue with Aldrian because he also knew the threat posed by the Black Rock Snake—especially one with emperor stage cultivation.
"We’ll stay here for a while. There’s some business I need to finish," Aldrian said, before telling them the complete story of the today’s events, something he couldn’t fully explain over the long-distance communication artifact.
Hours passed like a breeze as Aldrian shared what had happened and what was to come. His group listened attentively. The ladies were fully supportive of his actions, standing by whatever decisions he made, while Xin Haotian as usual, tried to irk Aldrian with his sharp tongue. However, despite his jabs, he ultimately followed Aldrian’s lead. None of them were in a rush to return to the Xin secret realm.
As the sun began to rise, the Yu family manor had already undergone repairs, restoring parts of it to its former state. The children, too, had been accommodated. For those who wished to return to their families, arrangements would be made later. Aldrian knew he’d need some additional help with that task, and he planned to ask for it in due time.
By the time the sun had fully risen, two women stood at the gate of the Yu family manor, waiting in front of the entrance.
