"Hmm..."

A consciousness flickered in the midst of nowhere.

If Old Gu had been here, he would’ve been shocked after witnessing this scene. He was told that whoever was sealed here would fall into an eternal sleep.

Yet, the boy squirmed every once in a while.

Only no one would ever know since inside the Abyssos Prison, only the Heavenly Emperor himself could stay awake. With his presence, however, he would pollute the very essence of this dimension.

As such, no one would ever know that while Ozul was sealed here, his consciousness was not completely sealed.

It was a place where no life, no material things, and no dreams could exist.

But Ozul had been an exception everywhere he went.

. . .

The Realm of Abezan gained a temporary, but foreboding silence.

Restoration of damaged structures and the mass funerals for dead soldiers concluded peacefully. People soon began to anticipate when the next battle would take place.

Meanwhile, the upper echelons from both sides knew that another conflict like this one was unlikely in the near future.

Kai, Hakuja, and Ember were all aware that the situation in the other great Realms was dire as well.

Excluding the Realm home to the Lord of Shadows and the Realm of Abezan, the remaining 6 great Realms were now caught in the storm of battles.

Unsurprisingly, the main battlefront had shifted from the homes of the Celestial Beasts to the unfortunate remaining 3 Realms monopolized by Kami, the Son of God.

The Lord of Shadows sent thousands of soldiers, trained cultivators, to launch a full-blown assault against Kami in these Realms.

Whenever there was a push-back on one front, under his instructions, his armies on the other fronts would gain momentum, frustrating Kami who had a limited number of men to spare.

As the tensions rose from both sides, the Realm of Abezan recovered relatively peacefully.

Raven and the other two didn’t stay long in Ember’s estate.

After recuperating a little, they found a windy night and quietly left the estate.

Alden and Rameel had only come to Phoenix City following their idols. There was no point in staying if Raven and Blaze were leaving.

After the 5 departed, Rai and Ember walked alongside each other in the now-barren courtyard.

"Was it right to let them go?" Rai asked, his emotions wrapped in a ruthless tone. Rarely did he let his cruel and unforgiving personality surface like this.

Ember shook her head, knowing fully well what he was hinting at.

"Next time we meet, they will be a threat," Rai insisted.

But Ember rejected it firmly, "Do not go after them."

If it was anyone else, she would have ordered the assassination herself. However, it was different with them.

Rai did not believe that it was out of goodness of heart.

The master he served was only kind with allies. Whoever stood against her would be put down, even if she had to use ugly and dishonorable schemes.

But Ember was simply following her instinct.

Something in her heart was telling her that if she targeted them now, she would regret it later.

Ozul’s kidnapping was also veiled in strange circumstances. If he were to return someday, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself.

Rai nodded in understanding. He was always a little spooked by how quickly Ozul grew in strength. With that talent, gaining the strength of an Empyrean seemed inevitable for him.

’Alas, not all geniuses are supposed to bloom...’

...

In the distance, Raven and Blaze led the others through the forests.

They hadn’t picked a random direction.

Raven had looked through the recent skirmishes between both sides and picked the area on map with the least conflict between the two.

"Where are we going?" Rameel questioned as they were finally out of Phoenix City’s territory.

Raven eyed him quietly before deciding that she had to be more vocal with her team. She answered, "For now, the jungle will do."

There was no hesitation in Alden and Rameel following them. Their ideation for Raven and Blaze was almost like worship.

Blaze swiftly killed whichever beast was unfortunate to cross them.

It was a release for his frustration since Ozul’s disappearance.

They were looking for a place to stay. Where they could train and keep away from others’ eyes.

For now, they had to gain more power before they could begin to look for Ozul.

Raven had an internal conflict whether to stay under Ember until they finally left.

She knew that Ozul would have called their decision to leave stupid and impulsive. He was of the simple opinion that one should set aside their biases and take advantage wherever possible.

But neither Raven, nor Blaze and Zier wanted to continue dancing on the Demonic Emperor’s tunes. He had lost their trust.

Once outside the Phoenix City, she was determined to follow through with her decisions. Leading everyone else, she couldn’t afford to falter.

It was around the time that the Sun began to rise when they reached a vast field of grassland. In the distance, a small village could be seen unfettered by the chaos of the continent.

The village had seen its fair share of bloodshed since the start of this war.

Soon, however, with the spanning forests and mountain range spanning around this area, it became secluded. Rarely would cultivators pick this route.

Raven planned to make use of the village for as long as they could.

They began to speed toward the towering clock in the center of the village.

In the lead, Blaze was kicking at the dirt with no regards. Soon, however, he halted in his tracks, making others frown in confusion.

Raven too had sensed the presence of cultivators in the village at the same time. She activated her Scarlet Eyes and scanned the area from a distance.

Blaze and Zier quietly waited for her instructions. In Ozul’s absence, despite their rivalry, there was an unspoken rule amongst them to follow her directions.

"There are at least 4 of them..." Raven mentioned, her voice steady as she turned her head to scan the surroundings as well.

"That shouldn’t be a problem... right?" Alden pitched in, but as she saw the tensed faces around her, she realized quickly that it was a concerning issue.

Shaking his head, Zier cleared her doubts, "There are four Transcendents among them."

There were many cultivators in that village, but Raven had only pointed out the number of Transcendents. She didn’t need to mention that they were all at the initial stage.

Although the three of them could take on even 5 Transcendents at the same time, things could go wrong at any moment.

As such, Raven motioned toward Alden and Rameel to take cover as the three of them sped toward the village.

"I would have preferred the village wasn’t destroyed so soon..." Zier muttered to himself wistfully.

Though it couldn’t be avoided.

"This is the best place for us to build a base. Even if it means destroying it," Raven clarified. She had spent the last day surveying all maps, and this was indeed the most secluded, yet accessible place she had found.

Unless a wandering Sage stumbled upon them, they would be safe here. It was also unlikely for any Elder to wander around after the last incident.

Unlike Raven, Blaze and Zier were not very proficient in hiding their aura. Their collective presence also alerted the cultivators inside the village. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Soon, the multiple cultivators were seen making their way toward them.

Leading them was a woman with a crazed look on her face. It was as if she was itching for a fight.

Blaze’s face darkened, realizing that she was a Beastkin from her feral features. Moisture began to freeze around him, his ice slowly covered in blue ice as the beads on his forehead began to glow.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t want to fight here. Among the trio, he felt the most guilty for not being able to do anything for Ozul at that time. Not only did he feel guilty, but also weak and helpless.

"Stop me if I go overboard," he warned Raven, who was about to nod in understanding.

But something unexpected happened. Raven raised her hand in front of Blaze to stop him just in time before he launched toward the incoming group of cultivators.

"Stop!" She shouted, confusing Blaze as well as Zier who had just readied all of his poisons.

She recognized the other party.

"The Sovereign!"

The other two were confused before the woman came closer and her features became more visible. The familiar title suddenly rang alarm bells in their mind. It was her!

She was the mythical beast who had terrorized their old Broken World. After transforming into a woman, she had followed them along in the Realm of Abezan.

"Her name was Vesta..." Raven reminded Blaze and Zier, both of whom stared in shock at the approaching group.

Vesta’s group soon arrived before them, a group composed solely of Beastkin.

"Not going to attack now?" Vesta flashed a toothy grin. Her clothes, which could simply be called rags stitched together, barely covered her skin.

But she could care less of her appearance. She was more interested in the three before her.

The way she looked down on them rubbed Blaze the wrong way. He gathered his aura and replied, "You must think of us as helpless as before. It is time you mend your views."

Condensing her killing intent, Vesta made it clear she wasn’t going to back down from a fight. She continued, "If not for that Human, I would have forgotten your faces.

So... where is he?"