As Li Shenrong's group disappeared into the distance, a dark, shadowy figure slowly emerged from the ground. He observed them from extremely far away, afraid that he'd be noticed.
"What a clever woman! She took refuge with a Demi god." The cloaked figure sighed, "now, i can't kill her anytime soon."
If Ling Tian had been here, he would have recognized the man instantly, it was the same figure who had once tried to take his life back in the Blue Bird Kingdom.
[Are they gone?] A spiritual voice sounded inside the cloaked figures mind.
"Yes," the cloaked man replied, "but why did you hide? Didn't you say no one could detect you?"
[Yes. As long as I remain within your consciousness, no one can sense me...] then the voice continued, [but i sensed danger from that young man so i hid.]
"Him? That newly advanced Heaven congregation realm guy? Heh, aren't you the all powerful system, how come you are afraid of a little guy like him?" The cloaked man mocked.
[Don't call me 'System.' It sounds ridiculous. I have a name.] The spiritual voice spoke with irritation.
"But… you are one, aren't you?"
[Sigh, By your standards, yes.] It sighed.
"Jokes aside, that guy is indeed… odd. And his relationship with the Demi god, it's strange, almost as if he were the superior.." The cloaked man said thoughtfully.
[Liam, this is the cultivation world, not your mother world. Here, you will face unpredictable dangers, enigmatic figures, and terrifying beings. Never let your guard down, not for a moment. There are countless things you do not yet understand..] The spiritual voice said very seriously.
"You've said that a thousand times already…" Liam replied with a casual shrug.
"I toiled inside the ruin for so many days, did you detect anything?" He changed the topic and asked.
[No. Not yet. But I'm certain there's at least one… maybe two.] It replied.
"Out of range?"
[Yes]
"Then how are you so sure?" Liam asked curiously.
[I can sense their presence… but not their exact location.]
"Oh."
The conversation between Liam and his system was spiritual, no one could spy on their conversations. To any onlooker, Liam would appear as nothing more than a cloaked figure standing still, lost in thought.
Liam's figure blurred and vanished into thin air.
…
"Uncle, my father and you were friends, i beseech you to help my father!.." Mu Yun said, her voice was a bit hoarse.
Before her stood an elderly man, his shoulders slightly hunched, his expression heavy. He sighed.
"Little Yun… your father and I were brothers in all but blood. We shared wine, sang of valor, and once… I would have risked life and limb to rescue him." His gaze faltered. "But now… things are different."
He glanced toward the distant peaks, as if weighing a burden invisible to her. "I must protect my descendants. Forgive me."
A pained expression crossed his face. "I've watched you grow up. If you wish, you can take shelter in my sect."
"No need, i'll take my leave uncle." Mu Yun stood up, her voice was a little cold.
Seeing her pitiful figure in the distance, the old man sighed again. "Old Mu… your stubbornness has brought calamity. This time… I cannot save you. Forgive me.." He whispered.
Three days had passed since Mu Yun began her desperate search for aid.
Once, countless influential figures courted the Mu family's favor. Now, one by one, they offered excuses and closed their doors.
The last three days were the most traumatic and torturous moment of her life. In the vast world, she felt alone. It was as if she was a thirsty person searching for a drop of water in a desert. She cried and sobbed, her tears ran dry and voice turned hoarse. She searched for Li Shenrong but found no trace of him as well.
"Who can help me…! Someone… please help…" her mind was almost at a breaking point.
Her vacant gaze drifter upward on the dark sky above, when suddenly, a wave of malice crushed down on her mind like an unseen tide. Her pupils suddenly turned pitch black, strange inhuman sounds emitted from her mouth. Her limbs cracked at impossible angles.
"Hum? What's happening to her?" A shadowy figure emerged from the ground.
Liam glanced at Mu Yun's petite figure transforming into something monstrous.
[This girl is being possessed by an abomination.]
Liam closed in on her to observe but suddenly Mu Yun's arms turned into long sharp claws, slashing at him. The claws were pitch black and extremely fast. It was fast enough to cut through a heaven congregation realm expert with ease.
Liam was faster, he dodged, vanishing and then reappearing somewhere else.
[Leave, don't entangle yourself with this ominous creature.] The system's voice sounded.
Liam tried to approach her again. This time he was careful and calculating. He parried one strike, weaved past another. The attacks were extremely unpredictable, sometime the claws would turn into tentacles, sometime her legs would transform into various weapons.
[Don't you feel it? Your energy is being drained.] The system spoke.
"Indeed, i feel exhausted like never before." Liam panted as he said this. "How do i kill it?" He asked.
[You want to save this girl?] The system asked with surprise.
Liam nodded. Seeing Mu Yun's body which was almost unrecognisable as a human, something was stirred deep within him.
The system was silent for a while before speaking.
[It will be difficult.]
"How so?"
[This abomination is born from a curse. The curse is its power. Unless you sever the source, it cannot be killed.]
"Then tell me, how do I cut the source?" Liam asked.
[Not possible.] The reply was flat.
"Do you mean i am too weak?" Liam spoke.
[No, it has nothing to do with you being weak. Even in my prime, I could not hope to sever such a curse.]
Liam froze. The system had always been arrogant, always had a method. This was the first time he had heard it admit defeat.
"No hope, then?" His voice was low
[Why do you want to save this girl?] The system asked very curiously.
"She reminds me of someone…." His tone was distant, almost hollow.
The system was silent for a moment before speaking.
[I cannot destroy the curse, but I can teach you a way to suppress the abomination temporarily. It will be dangerous, so be careful.]
A faint smile curved Liam's lips. "Haha… I knew I could count on you." Liam's mood turned better.