42 Sudden Change

"You don't know who I am?" Hesroth asked, smiling wryly.

"No," Xue Mo answered with confusion. "Should I?"

Hesroth sighed, "never mind then!"

"Ok!" Xue Mo didn't care who this man in front of him was, but it seemed that he was well known in this Universe's cultivation world. Well, Xue Mo wasn't from this world and wouldn't know.

Hesroth saw that the situation turned awkward since they didn't have anything to talk about, 'what should I do?' It was his first time meeting someone who didn't know who he was, so he didn't know how to act.

Suddenly, he noticed something that made his eyes widen. "You. You aren't at the Golden core realm?" Hesroth sounded confused. "Even, this energy, what is this?!!"

He didn't notice these peculiarities earlier when he examined him, but now that he looked carefully, the Draconic Snake, Hesroth, had seen what was different about Xue Mo.

He was in the Qi Sensing realm, and from the looks, he hadn't entered it long, but the purity felt from his 'Qi Energy' was on a different level to people his stage. What was even more peculiar was the energy being emitted from him. Other than Mana and Qi, another third energy was coming from Xue Mo. It was deeper, darker, and most importantly, it felt stronger than him. He didn't know what to do.

Seeing how Hesroth suddenly changed expressions, and even the questions he asked, Xue Mo knew that he was found out. 'It seems I couldn't hide it,' Xue Mo enjoyed his stay in the Assassination Academy, but it seemed that chapter in his life would soon be snuffed out.

He was about to attack Hesroth when the latter did something unexpected. He bowed in front of Xue Mo and said, "I just sensed the great bloodline in Grandmaster Mo. This lowly snake sincerely apologizes for the Divine Dragon!"

'What just happened?' Although he asked himself that, Xue Mo quickly answered himself, with the help of Hesroth's words.

It seemed that the bloodline's in his body, although sealed, could be sensed by others, and one of these bloodlines was a Divine Dragon. 'What luck!' Xue Mo sighed in relief. He was about to kill Hesroth, but his bloodline saved him.

Just as the name implies, Divine Dragons were dragons with the highest respect and noblest of blood. They were an extinct race in the Divine Hell Universe. Xue Mo was only able to find a trace of their blood in a tomb once, and with various experimentation, he was able to understand the composition of that blood. When he made his body, he made sure to include that race into the mix.

Hesroth identified himself as a Draconic Snake. Xue Mo didn't know what that was, but it seemed that Hesroth had a connection to the dragons. And, because of Xue Mo's bloodline, it seemed that he had gained Hesroth's respect. He had studied well, and he learned that no dragon had ever dared to betray or disobey a Divine Dragon. So he was sure that Hesroth was also the same. But, even if he weren't, he would be able to deal with him.

"Rise!" with the growl that came from Xue Mo, Hesroth rose. He looked at Xue Mo and waited for instructions.

"Who are you?" Seeing that he could command Hesroth, Xue Mo asked.

"I am Hesroth. A high elder of the Dark Arts sect. The Assassination Academy is a subsidiary of our sect!" Hesroth answered without hiding anything. He wanted to do everything the Divine Dragon in front of him commanded. He was too excited to do Xue Mo's bidding.

Hesroth didn't even care about Xue Mo's odd appearance, ominous energy, or mysterious cultivation. Even if he felt more than one bloodline in Xue Mo, he didn't care. What stood in front of him was a Divine Dragon, and he wanted to serve.

"Dark Arts sect was it? What's the strongest realm in that sect?" Xue Mo didn't get all the cultivation ranks in detail from the Assassination Academy's library, and it seemed a part of that reason was that it didn't have that information.

'If the Assassination Academy is just a subsidiary force, then the real library with the information that I need is in that Dark Arts sect!' Xue Mo thought. Hesroth's appearance had helped him explain many things that he just hypothesized.

"Answering Divine Dragon Mo, our strongest member is at the Transcend Mortality Stage." Xue Mo knew that the Transcend Mortality stage was the equivalent to his world's celestial Blood realm. That was all that he knew, though.

"I see," with his question answered, Xue Mo was sure that this Dark Arts sect wasn't the strongest or the weakest power in this Universe's cultivation world.

"What is your stage?" Understanding that he meant cultivation, Hesroth proudly answered.

"I am a Golden Core cultivator! At first, I thought the Divine one was at the same level, but it seems that I was wrong…" Hesroth didn't elaborate, but Xue Mo understood that he found out about his Shadow Soul Pressure. Yet, so what? Xue Mo wasn't afraid of anyone, even if it was someone stronger than him. And, Hesroth was weaker.

Seeing Xue Mo's face turn colder, Hesroth knew that he misunderstood. "Don't worry, Divine one. Hesroth is your loyal servant! I would never tell anyone what you don't want them to know." Hesroth clarified while bowing. If someone knew that a Golden Core was bowing to a Qi Sensing cultivator, they wouldn't believe their eyes. Even more so, for Hesroth with his fame.

But, Hesroth wouldn't care what people thought. The one in front of him was Xue Mo, someone a Divine Dragon. Serving him was an honor. And Xue Mo saw that.

Hesroth wasn't acting. He truly wanted to serve Xue Mo with everything he got. "You finally know why I want the Qi Sensing pills," Xue Mo asked, but his question was rhetorical. Yet, Hesroth still answered.

"Yes, Divine one. You want it because you just started cultivation." Hesroth was slowly accepting Xue Mo as his master. Even the oath that he promised didn't interfere. It seemed that he hadn't any thought of betraying the Dark Art sect, yet he still wanted to be under Xue Mo.

"Once Dominic brings the pills, I will teach you something." Xue Mo informed Hesroth, whose eyes were shining in anticipation. Xue Mo was a great teacher from what he heard, and his status as a Divine Dragon made him even more knowledgeable in Hesroth's eyes, which excited him.

Xue Mo suddenly remembered something and asked, "If I swear the Dark Arts sect's oath, what are the conditions and restrictions?" Seeing that he got himself a loyal servant Xue Mo intended to use him to the limit.

Hesroth didn't waste time. "Answering the Divine one, the oath is 'I swear on thy Soul to never betray the Dark Art sect. I will do everything in thy power to help the Dark Art sect. If I ever break this vow, thy Soul shall get destroyed'." After he explained, Hesroth looked at Xue Mo and waited for a reaction. Yet none appeared.

Silence ensued with no one speaking, but the one to interrupt it was the person who hadn't spoken since the beginning, "that's it?" Lu Yao asked the question that was on her and Xue Mo's minds.

Understanding why Xue Mo was silent, he looked at Lu Yao and answered, "yes, that's it."

Hesroth's answer was satisfying. It seemed that Xue Mo can still join the Dark Arts sect and do more experiments without losing anything.

"Well, are you eligible enough to make me swear this oath?" Xue Mo asked succinctly.

"I am" was Hesroth's retort.