Damned Healer-Chapter 645: Perfect Route

Five days had passed since Darian's departure.

Maeyu was in a remote area, climbing back up from a ravine. Her expression was filled with disbelief and excitement. When she reached the top, she took a small dagger with a violet blade out of her spatial ring.

She took a deep breath and activated the core technique of her clan. In that very second, the dagger reacted and began pulsing with a frightening violet light.

Her heart started pounding like a wild drum.

She was sure. That dagger had belonged to a very, very powerful ancestor of her clan, someone who had died in that terrifying battle.

Darian had given her the location of this treasure, along with some information: the person who found it said they had only felt an abnormal surge of power in that ravine, which disappeared in less than three seconds. However, after searching for several days, they found nothing.

Since this place was the closest, she came to check it first.

When she entered the bottom of the ravine, she initially found nothing for almost half a day. Then, she randomly activated her clan's technique.

At that moment, she felt something resonate with her.

It was inside a random wall, deeply buried, with no visible signs and no obvious fluctuations. In other words, it was almost impossible for anyone who wasn't from the Violet Sky Clan to find it.

"I'm back."

At that instant, a voice echoed from the skies above Maeyu. She jumped in fright, snapping out of her daze.

Looking up, she saw Darian descending gently from the heavens.

The moment he landed a short distance in front of her, she saw her sister Saelil on his back, still unconscious.

Darian waved his hand, gently taking her off his back.

"She's fine and should wake up soon. The chains that idiot used to seal her caused intense pain to her soul, torturing her. Her consciousness entered a coma to protect itself," Darian said calmly, taking a few steps forward and placing the woman into Maeyu's arms.

"There's no need to thank me or anything. I ran into some treasures because of this and gained quite a lot. So it was a fair trade. Since your clan wants to kill me and our paths are different, let's pretend nothing happened. Anyway, goodbye."

Darian finished speaking as he turned around and started walking away at a fast pace, without looking back.

"WAIT!"

Maeyu shouted with all her strength.

Darian calmly turned around, looking at her in confusion. "What?"

She swallowed hard. Her expression was full of determination, and her eyes shone with a different light.

"I… no, I'm sure! My sister doesn't care about the Clan Master's orders anymore. Please, stay. Saelil… she knows very important things that could help the Sir…"

Darian stared into the young woman's eyes, a bit suspicious. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

Maeyu nodded, clenching her teeth tightly.

Darian snorted and said, "Saelil is the greatest genius of her generation, so obviously Jason told her some secret things. But saying this to me is a betrayal of the highest level. If you're caught, just dying would be the lightest punishment you'd receive."

She met Darian's gaze. "I know. Please, stay…"

Darian nodded, letting out a sigh.

…

A little over a day later, Saelil woke up inside a cave. The first thing she saw was her little sister, who threw herself onto her, crying uncontrollably.

After the two calmed down, Maeyu told her what had happened and that Darian had brought her back.

Saelil was initially stunned. In the end, Maeyu told her that she had asked him to stay.

A few minutes later, the two left the cave and saw Darian approaching with slow steps.

Saelil bowed deeply and thanked him with all her strength.

When she raised her head, she clenched her fists. "Sir, I'll tell you everything I know."

"Are you sure? I'll use whatever you tell me against your own clan. And the two of you are the first suspects of leaking information, since you stayed close to me before. With a simple investigation, they'll figure that out," Darian said slowly.

"Doesn't matter," Saelil replied, looking straight into his eyes. Darian could only see a woman determined to do what she believed in.

"My sister and I only have each other. We have no family, and our parents died in battle. When we leave here, we'll run away together and abandon everything. There are many distant islands where we can start over; with some luck, we won't be found. But if we are… I won't regret dying with honor, doing what I believe is right."

Darian nodded without showing any emotion. Inside, he was satisfied. They didn't want to abandon the clan, but they also couldn't accept the Clan Master's actions and stay silent.

Those two had no idea that this simple decision had just changed the fate of their clan forever.

Darian would, without a doubt, destroy all four clans and the Primordial Empire completely, leaving no trace of their existence. But now… those two had just saved their own clan and would be remembered forever in the future of that universe.

He entered the cave with the two of them in silence.

Inside, Saelil sat down calmly and looked him straight in the eyes. Then she began to explain, recounting every tiny detail she had heard and witnessed throughout her life.

She had been present at some private meetings between the Clan Master and the Elders, and had also overheard scattered conversations among the Elders over the years.

The plan that set the gears of the five powers in motion had been devised generations ago. Saelil, as one of the pillars of the new generation, received restricted orders from Jason shortly before they crossed the portal to the Golden Sky Mountain.

The strategy began with sending four of the Empire's seven Primordial Chosen. They were the youngest members and, theoretically, the weakest of the elite, while the three veterans of the previous generation stayed outside.

Three of them were tasked with preventing any problems from arising and also assisting in freeing the body of the Divine Nether Beast from its seal.

Darian had already crossed paths with those three. The first was Melva. Then came the red-haired man named Neth. The last was Treskan, the muscular man.

Although they possessed great potential, raw power, and hidden cards, after fighting them, Darian knew the three were extremely inexperienced and had no idea how to properly use the immense power they held.

However, those three were merely pawns. Soldiers meant to protect the true core of that generation, and possibly of the entire universe.

The last one was called Murkum.

He was the prince of the Empire, but carried a secret in his blood. Like Treskan, he was a hybrid, the son of a powerful Nether Beast. However, while Treskan was only strong because he had a faint beastly bloodline, Murkum was a supreme prodigy.

He was born with a bloodline so pure and stable that he could control Nether power without turning into a complete idiot—though his sanity was still questionable.

Known for his sadism and thirst for chaos, Murkum was responsible for several massacres on small islands and sects, crimes that the Empire conveniently covered up, blaming them on wild Nether Beasts.

"Murkum is a respected figure among the Nether Beasts. His mother is one of the most influential entities among them," Saelil explained, her expression serious. "The core plan is to turn him into the future King of the Nether Beasts. The only obstacle so far was his hybrid nature, which made those beasts refuse to accept him."

She paused, took a deep breath, and then revealed the main part.

"They worship raw strength. To them, power is the only law. That's why they all worship that Divine Nether Beast, which they know is still alive, as if it were the supreme ruler who will one day return. So, the plan is to help the city's Sacred Treasure kill it and absorb all of its power. By doing so, the Treasure's spirit will be freed, ascending as an invincible Divinity and protector of the Five Powers. With this divine endorsement, Murkum will be named King of the Nether Beasts under the Empire's command."

Saelil finished with bitter hope. "Murkum is known for being chaotic, but he's not completely insane or foolish. With him in command… theoretically, for the first time in the universe's history, the Nether Beasts would stop being mortal enemies of the other races, creating a minimum level of order and peace."

Darian remained silent for a few moments, absorbing her words. Then an ironic laugh escaped his lips.

"Unifying the universe by controlling the Nether Beasts, thus establishing minimal order and peace…" Darian repeated, his words dripping with sarcasm. "On paper, it's a magnificent plan. But look at who's in charge."

He turned to Saelil, his eyes shining with cold clarity.

"You've seen what the people of the five powers do to smaller sects. They're the pure reflection of corrupt rulers. Leaving them in control really sounds viable?

Putting a sadistic, bloodthirsty bastard on the throne sounds like a good idea?

Expecting a Sacred Treasure, after devouring a corrupt and chaotic soul, to become a just guardian?"

Darian shook his head. The chances of that working were zero. Granting that level of power to idiots and tyrants would only accelerate self-destruction. If that plan came to fruition, the universe wouldn't see peace—it would fall into a spiral of blood, where the powerful fought each other until nothing remained.

Then Darian's smile changed. It was no longer mocking, but filled with anticipation.

Now that he understood the board, the path ahead was clear. The event at the Golden Sky Mountain would mobilize the forces of the universe, and he had just thought of a perfect route to end everything before the five powers even had a chance to react.