"So... where is he?"

Vesta’s question was like salt on a fresh wound.

Gritting his teeth, Blaze summoned his Soul Manifestation. "For you, I am enough," he yelled and attacked with full force!

The former monster that had terrorized the Broken World for countless years wouldn’t back down from a fight either.

A mirage of giant white tails appeared behind her. She had used Soul Manifestation as well.

Counting them in a glance, Raven figured out that she was a nine-tailed fox!

Both Vesta and Blaze were pushed back after their clash!

Debris blurred their sight, but it was apparent that they were both almost equally strong.

The Transcendents, however, were aware of the subtleties. Despite both having been pushed back, they noticed that Vesta was thrown away further.

Only this didn’t give Raven any confidence. Among them, Blaze was physically the strongest, and Vesta proved that she could take him on, even if with a little struggle.

Having initially thought they could kill the 4 Transcendents easily, Raven had to reevaluate their plans now.

If they fought, although she was confident they would still come out on top, the battle wouldn’t end quickly. A drawn-out fight among Transcendents was bound to attract attention from both the Coalition and Phoenix City.

’We can’t let them live either,’ the thought crossed her mind. A group affiliated with the Wilderness would report this incident to the Coalition.

Fortunately, Blaze had calmed down a little after the first punch.

He eyed in her direction, equally surprised as everyone else.

They had heard the Wilderness was fostering a genius as well. It was shocking to think it turned out to be Vesta, the Sovereign who had come to this Realm with them.

After all, they knew their constitution was purified because of Ozul. They were essentially able to harness their complete potential because of that.

The Sovereign, on the other hand, had to go through everything alone. But she still managed to reach the Transcendent stage and contend equally against Blaze. The latter had to admit, it was praiseworthy.

Glancing at everyone, Raven understood that if she didn’t do anything, things would quickly dissolve into a brawl.

Diverting Vesta’s attention, she quickly spoke, "He is missing."

"Huh?"

Even Blaze and Zier looked at her with confusion.

They had just started fighting and she was suddenly answering her previous question. It was as if Raven hadn’t noticed the clash whose shockwave threatened to even uproot the distant trees.

Knowing how comical it may have seemed, Raven had to test her theory.

"Wasn’t he your companion? Did you abandon him?" Vesta asked coldly. She was really more interested in Ozul than Blaze’s earlier attack.

"I answered your question, now answer mine first," Raven replied.

Vesta’s eyes narrowed, unable to guess her intentions. Her companions, the other three Transcendents, looked at each other, ready to fight.

Before she could reply, Raven spoke again, "Are you with the Wilderness?"

"No," the reply came as quickly as she had asked the question.

There was not even a shred of hesitation as Vesta denied any relationship with the Wilderness. What’s more, Raven had even felt a bit of hostility.

Smirking internally, she was now glad to have not started fighting.

"What is a group of Beastkin doing here in the middle of nowhere then?" She pressed further.

Shaking her head, Vesta replied, "Answer my question first now."

With twitching lips, Raven forced out a harmless smile. It wasn’t as easy as she had imagined it to go.

Beside her, Blaze and Zier let her do her thing. Although they doubted Vesta’s claim of not being affiliated with the Wilderness, they understood that Raven would know better.

"We didn’t abandon him. He was abducted."

"Abducted by who??" Vesta asked sharply. She seemed more angry than the time Blaze had attacked her out of the blue.

But Raven smirked, not speaking any further.

Clicking her tongue, Vesta didn’t think for a second and told her, "We live here."

But Raven could tell that she was hiding something. Whether it be because of pride or something else, Vesta didn’t divulge why they were living here.

The uncomfortable stares received by Vesta from her companions also added to Raven’s conclusion.

She thought for a moment before replying, "So, the genius of the Wilderness ran away and is hiding in this remote village?"

"I did not run away!" shouted the nine-tailed Beastkin. She was visibly agitated.

The pride of the Sovereign who had once ruled a Broken World was bound to get in the way of her slyness that came from a fox’s nature. Despite her protest, however, Raven understood she had guessed right.

Her intuition was right. She had suspected something along these lines because despite having the power of a Transcendent, she hadn’t seen Vesta among the Transcendents fighting for the Wilderness.

Unlike the Immortal Sect, which would protect its geniuses until they are fully bloomed, the Wilderness was always rougher in its teachings. Whoever showed promise, would be immediately tested with the harshest of battles.

The slight, uncomfortable shift in the gazes of others behind Vesta only added to her certainty.

’No wonder she is so interested in Ozul. He too had made her feel inferior and weak,’ thought Raven, ’This is an opportunity.’

"There is no use denying it." She shook her head, and then added, "In fact, we too are looking for shelter."

Although Zier wanted to stop her from revealing too much, he knew it was too late. Not knowing what she was up to, they could only trust her.

Confused, Vesta and her companions let her speak.

"How about an alliance? Even if it’s only a temporary one." She proposed, surprising everyone present there.

Not being able to hold herself back, one of Vesta’s companions stepped up. Pointing at Raven, "Lies! I have seen you lot fighting for that traitor Ember!"

A few others nodded beside her.

This only let Raven know who among them had participated in the battles and skirmishes between Phoenix City and the Coalition.

Shrugging visibly, Raven raised her hands, "What would I gain from lying to you? Unless each of you is just as strong as her, we three are enough to kill you here."

Seeing suspicion linger in their eyes, she clarified truthfully, "We were betrayed, which led to Ozul’s abduction. So we are no longer part of Phoenix City."

Beastkin were more perceptive of deception, especially from Humans. As such, it would do her no good if she lied here.

Glancing at each other, the Beastkin stayed quiet. Vesta’s decision would be final.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Nothing really. We would be fine on our own, but an alliance would help both of us. There is nothing to gain from fighting here."

Vesta fell silent.

It had been years since she had morphed into this Human-like body. Having lived among other Beastkin, she had come to understand that some things simply couldn’t be achieved alone.

If she was still the same from her time in the Broken World, she wouldn’t have these so-called companions either.

From Blaze’s strike earlier, she had also understood that killing them would not be easy.

Although she was confident in her abilities, her subordinates might not make it if they were to fight here.

Thinking of everything, she reluctantly nodded.

"Do anything suspicious and you will find out why I was the Sovereign," she threatened.

Blaze clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Sighing, Raven knew it wouldn’t be easy to co-exist with this group of Beastkin, but this was really the best decision for them.

With their combined force, even an army of cultivators would fall short in power, unless a Sage was accompanying them!

She motioned, and from a distance, Alden and Rameel made their way toward them in confusion.

Understanding flashed in the Beastkins’ eyes, followed by a little flicker of trust.

If these Humans were here for some alternate agenda, they wouldn’t bring along two such weak cultivators with them.

With their guards up, the two groups made their way to the village.

Once there, Raven noticed that the villagers warmly greeted the Beastkin despite their racial differences. It was a Human village, but the Beastkin were getting along well with them.

Witnessing this scene, Zier quickly let go of all of his distrust against the Sovereign.

Only Blaze remained cautious of them. After what had happened to Ozul, he was unwilling to trust anyone other than Raven and Zier.

Still, the two groups had decided to trust each other for now.

Effectively, the village became a force that could even take down kingdoms on the continent.