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Draetrohan Empire.

In the skies of Ciwood city, a handsome young man alongside a baldy could be seen hovering in the air. Naturally, the two were Dustin and Deirain respectively.

At the moment, Dustin wore a worried yet vicious expression on his face while Deirain's brows were furrowed ever since he left his mansion.

No matter where they looked, they couldn't find William and the others!

It's as though they disappeared from the world, leaving no traces behind.

"Dustin, calm down. This is the Ciwood city, no one would be so audacious to act against your son. Even if someone did, they surely are not too far away.", Deirain tried to console Dustin.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down? My WILLIAM is gone, GONE. I've scoured the entire city with my divine will, and you've dispatched the entire city's manpower to search for him. Yet we did not find him! I bet it's those ghouls and scourges from the Demon Continent, one day I'll pay their lair and slaughter every single one of those demons.", naturally since his one and only son went missing, Dustin was enraged, he enunciated each and every single word with such hatred that sent a chill down any person who heard them, even Deirain was no exception.

An armored figure who had the emblem of the Draetrohan Empire on his chest flew to Dustin and Deirain, he had his head bowed the entire time and when he reached his destination, he fell down to one knee mid-air and presented a small handbook, "This is the report gathered by our intelligence unit regarding the last sightings of young master William Godfrey."

Dustin grabbed the handbook from the guard's hands and flipped through it, the handbook contained a detailed report of single thing William did when he went out strolling in the Ciwood city's streets. It even had miscellaneous information such as timestamps and the speed William was moving at.

"He was last sighted by a bladesmith in the Teonnook district.", the armored figure said, "The bladesmith stated that William Godfrey was incredibly curious towards the selection of his weapons, but did not exhibit any strange or irregular behavior."

"Teonnook district? Have Lord Teonnook meet me right here, right now.", Deirain commanded.

The Ciwood city was incredibly large, and although Deirain may be an incredible cultivator, he surely can't supervise such a vast land on his own. He naturally had subordinates who were Ki Refiners and Body Forgers to keep order, each one of his subordinates were assigned a district to lord over it.

It must be understood that each district is as big as one of Earth's cities, they were vast and filled with bustling people.

The Teonnook district is one of the more prominent districts in Ciwood city, it is known for it's hubbling market and the multi-varied merchandise it has. 90% of the merchants who come to the Ciwood city would sell their merchandise over in the Teonnook city.

Lord Teonnook is the overseer of this district, he was an earth-path Ki Refiner of the first rank, and everything that happens in this area is always supervised by him.

"Affirmative.", the guard wearing the Draetrohan Empire's emblem immediately headed towards Lord Teonnook's residence, only to come back with a grim face after couple minutes.

Seeing the guard's expression, both Deirain and Dustin's faces became unsightly.

"What's the matter?", Deirain asked.

The guard said as he fell to one knee: "Looks like Lord Teonnook is missing, the servants does not know about his whereabouts."

Dustin's expression turned dark, he crossed his arms and slowly but surely, he emitted terrifying killing intent that almost made the guard piss himself.

The killing intent came in waves, each wave stronger than the other, washing over the entire city, if it were not for Deirain's timely interference, perhaps the mortals of the city would suffer unknown consequences.

Deirain looked at his old friend and couldn't help but warn: "Dustin, I know you're brimming with anger right now but, beware of the mortals."

Dustin stayed silent, not uttering a single word.

Deirain: "I'll ask for assistance from the Draetrohan Palace, your son will be found eventually."

Dustin: "..."

Seeing how Dustin is acting, Deirain sighed. He knew his friend's personality better than anyone else, and he knew that matter of this magnitude will impact Dustin deeply.

Perhaps the old cold-blooded devil who once slaughtered the Southern Domain will be back...

Out of nowhere, Dustin's divine will exploded forth with unprecedented range. Even Deirain was caught off-guard by the quality and quantity of Dustin's divine will.

Dustin's divine will covered every inch of the Ciwood city's territory, not a single nook of the city's hundreds of kilometers of land was left untouched. It thoroughly inspected every single house, mansion, settlement, cottage, etc... with no regard for privacy whatsoever.

The Ciwood city had countless districts, but Ki Refiner lords who oversee them could be counted in one hand, when Dustin's divine will washed over them, the Ki Refiners shuddered from fear and terror.

"You had... a breakthrough?", Deirain was flabbergasted. It must be understood that each and every single increase in rank is incredibly, extremely difficult, almost nigh-impossible. Dustin was already a high-ranked cultivator before, the chances in making a breakthrough to a higher rank, to a higher realm, is less than one in a million.

Dustin looked at Deirain from the corner of his eye, his son was at risk and he couldn't bother to focus on anything else.

"Tsk. Not here.", Dustin's expression turned even more vicious. He looked towards the Teonnook district and transformed into a beam of prismatic light that almost immediately arrived there.

Deirain hurriedly followed, not daring to utter a single word.

This time, Dustin's divine will that was spread out throughout the entire city like a cobweb was quickly retracted back, relieving the pressure from the Ki Refiner lords who were experiencing heavy search.

He sweeped his gaze in the area, and then spread out his divine will to only cover the Teonnook district and the nearby regions to it.

This time, it was not spread out like before. His divine will was even more condensed and concentrated, allowing him to inspect things that he did not even notice before.

Deirain stood to his right while the Draetrohan Empire guard stood all the way back, both nervously looking at Dustin's back.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Dustin finally opened his eyes.

"A rank 4 magical artifact was used here. It had cloaking effects, if I didn't inspect the area thoroughly, I wouldn't have noticed it's presence."

Deirain and the guard were speechless, they couldn't believe what they've just heard.

A rank 4 artifact was used to deal with a bunch of rank 1 and rank 2 Ki Refiner and Body Forger guards? It must be stated that rank 4 artifacts are extremely rare, in fact, even the word rare is an underestimation to how rare these magical artifacts are.

Perhaps the word 'extinct' is the appropriate word that could be used to describe their availability.

Rank 4 artifacts are mostly used by Ki Refiners and Body Forgers of the fourth rank, which means the opponent who acted against William and the others is definitely not someone to scoff at.

Someone capable of controlling a Rank 4 artifact is a figure that must be taken seriously.

And what's even more worrifying is the organization behind him, an individual or a lone cultivator is unlikely to own an artifact of such high rank. Only people who stumbled upon tremendous fortune or are blessed with karmic luck would even come close to possessing such an artifact, so the most likely explanation that an organization is behind this incident.

An organization capable of casually procuring a rank 4 artifact to deal with a bunch of unworthy weaklings such as William and the others is definitely an opponent that the Godfrey Clan must not underestimate.

Although what happened here is still exactly a mystery to Dustin and the others, with the proper augury and divination methods, Dustin figured out the general direction which the mysterious attacker went to.

He rose higher and higher to the air before he transformed into a prismatic beam of light that pierced through the air, heading east and delving deeper into the territories of the Draetrohan Empire.

Deirain and the armored figure quickly followed suit.

Somewhere deep underground.

William and Noy were seated lifelessly on the cold, hard ground of the prison cell.

There were various insects such as cockroaches crawling everywhere as well as feces and other disgusting matter smeared on the walls, but strangely enough that did not dishearten or discourage William and Noy.

Although William was born into a wealthy and pretty well-kept family in this life, previously on earth William was born under a village family in some undeveloped part of the country.

He had crops and farms to take care of, as well as animals and other lifestocks, he was quite used to this kind of environment and smell, in fact he could even argue that his family's stable was more disgusting and putrid than this place.

As for Noy, well he was an illustrious Immortal who once explored the Southern Domain, he went through events that William could not even think of. This kind of environment is nothing but a small inconvenience to him.

Clomp. Clomp.

The sounds of heavy footsteps startled William and Noy out of their dazzled states, the sound reverberated couple of times, echoing throughout the dark hallway.

William and Noy have been waiting for this moment ever since they were imprisoned here, they readied themselves mentally and waited patiently for the owner of those footsteps to come.

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Slowly but surely, a figure made it's appearance.

It was a man of average height, cloaked in a black robe. He looked middle-aged but had a head full of white hair, he was vicious-looking and the long scar across his face made that fact even more prominent.

Fortunately tho, his aura and demeanor were not as explosive or as powerful as the shadowy monster who abducted them. In terms of that, he was perhaps comparable to Abelson or Jacob, the former guards of William who unfortunately passed away upon encountering that monstrous figure.

Noy looked at him intently, if it weren't for the godchains restricting him, he would be able to swat this newcomer like an fly with just one palm-strike.

The man stopped in his tracks, his gaze fell on William and William alone.

Noy was nothing but a guard assigned to protect the heirs and descendants of the Godfrey Clan, while William was that very heir and descendant of the Godfrey Clan, although he does not possess the primary bloodline, that was of secondary importance to outsiders.

William had powerful parents, powerful backing, infinite resources at his disposal and even top-tier spiritual roots alongside an innate gift for intelligence. But still, William does not know why he was abducted.

The way he saw it, his exalted status and backing only served to dissuade people away, why would someone want to poke the hornet's nest and offend the hegemon that is the Godfrey Clan?

Plus, if you were going to abduct someone, abduct one who is of high importance in the clan such as the heirs and young members of the primary lineage. Not only did you abduct someone who is not even one year old, you also abducted someone whose status in the clan is not that exalted.

If the kidnappers wanted to bargain for greater resources and other benefits, then unfortunately threatening the Godfrey Clan with a hostage such as William will not suffice.

Since negotiating with the Godfrey Clan is also unlikely to be one of their main objectives, then what is their objective?

Perhaps someone is holding a grudge towards Dustin? And blinded by his feelings, is willing to go as far as offending the powerful Dustin and the Godfrey Clan?

William thought that such a thing is also unlikely, people who managed to become Immortals possess unfathomably strong Dao-Hearts, they would not be easily swayed by their feelings.

Plus, Immortals are devilishly intelligent. They would not do something as stupid or as suicidal as offending Dustin or more specifially, the Godfrey Clan.

Maybe an organization that waged war against the Godfrey Clan due to some territorial disputes or key resource points? Totally possible, but why target an unimportant member such as William..

William also thought about that terrorghoul who ambushed them in the way to the Draetrohan Empire. Maybe the power backing that Godbeast is powerful enough to pursue revenge? William also shook off that possibility.

In the Southern Domain, terrorghouls are not unified and always act alone. Perhaps there will be some groups here and there, but definitely not one big enough that can rival the Godfrey Clan in power. Only in the Demon Continent would you find groups made of terrorghouls and other godbeasts powerful enough to contend against the powers of the Southern Domain in terms of strength and battle prowess.

Not to mention that although the mysterious figure who attacked William and others looked like a humanoid monster, he was not a terorghoul, and it was unlikely that he was a godbeast too. Plus, the man that stood in front of them was clearly a human.

Humans and godbeasts had conflicts ever since the primordial times, a godbeast organization and a human organization cooperating is unheard of.

The white-haired man put down his oil lamp and pulled his keys.

He opened the door to the prison cell and entered inside with big strides, filled with confidence and unafraid of the Body Forger Noy who was tied up in godchains.

Noy kept staring at the newcomer, his eyes had a hint of viciousness to them that said 'just touch the young master and watch what'll happen!'. Alas, he couldn't even move, let alone engage in a fight.

William looked up, studying the newcomer's facial expressions to see if there is anything he can take advantage of, maybe gauge out this man's intentions? Unfortunately, the middle-aged man was a slab of rock, his expression is that of coldness and indifference, William couldn't even come close to figuring out this man's objectives.

Up until this moment, William, Noy and the middle-aged man had not uttered a single word, resulting in an awkward, silent atmosphere.

Since staying silent is not leading to anywhere, William decided to take the initiative and learn more about the situation he's in. But just when he was about to open his mouth...

The man suddenly grabbed William's right hand, and pulled out a dagger from a pocket tied up to his waist.

William was startled, and a myriad of thoughts flitted through his head. From the other end of the room, Noy's expression turned upside down.

'Am I going to die here?', William thought.

"Don't you dare!", Noy barked loudly.

'No... I can't die here.. not yet.', the light of the dagger reflected off his irises. He can already see his blood being splashed on the walls, his entire vision turned red as his breath grew ragged.

Who would stay calm in front of death?

Especially when you have unlimited potential, and an unexplored world filled with many wonders and mysteries.

'I still have many, many things I haven't done yet....', ever since being brought to this world, it has always been William's dream to become an Immortal and explore the various continents of this world. In fact, ever seeing his father obliterate that terrorghoul with just one sword strike, that dream of his has only solidified and grew more heated.

He always spent his time reading books in the library, learning and reading about this new wondrous world, a world filled with many concepts and things that are dreamt of in earth.

One could say he even became obsessed.

"STAY YOUR HAND!", Noy's frantic voice could be heard from the other end of the room, seeing the man was about to slit William's wrists with his dagger, he felt helpless and regretful.

If only he was a little bit stronger... Alas, there is nothing he can do.

Just when the man was about to end William's life, something unexpected happened.

RUMMMBLLE.

The entire place shook violently, the room threatened to crumble as cracks ran up the walls and parts of the roof fell down to the ground. The white-haired newcomer lost his bearings and fell to the ground in a pathetic state, the same could be said for both Noy and William.

"Tsk.", the man furrowed his eyebrows as he stood up, he looked at William one last time and glanced at Noy from the corner of his eye then ran outside, clearly in a hurry.

After the man left, some explosions rang out outside and the place shook couple times before everything calmed down.

William stood in the corner of the prison cell, his head down, his expression dark and terrifying to look at.

"Young master, are you alright?", seeing the state his young master in, Noy couldn't help but let out some words of concern.

He felt pity for the one-year old boy, he thought that this event will haunt him for the rest of his entire life, this was a traumatic experience for any child after all. If the young master ever decides to become a cultivator, a shadow will definitely be cast over his Dao-Heart, disallowing him from reaching his full potential unless he overcomes it by some miracle.

Little did Noy know that William is not any normal one-year old toddler. He was an other-worlder who in some way or another, already died once.

That giant orb that appeared in the skies of Tokyo, that ray of light that engulfed everything in existence, dwarfing even heaven itself. The endless darkness of the void that numbed all his senses...

Although William feared death just like any other normal person would, he wasn't THAT afraid, in fact, for the most part... In front of that dagger, he just felt... regretful.. Regretful for not becoming an Immortal sooner... regretful for not exploring the world.... regretful for not unveiling the mysteries and secrets of cultivation.

However, now that he was given another chance at life, he would cherish it dearly.

William raised his head and looked at Noy... When Noy met his one-year old young master's eyes, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

Gulp.

Click.

The rattles of a keychain could be heard coming from William's body, the shackles that were tying him up fell to the ground.

He got up and brushed the dust off from his body. Noy looked at his young master with a terrified expression, he was a Body Forger, an illustrious Immortal who is way and above mortals.

His existence itself is viewed by many as myths and legends, he was a being who managed to transcend and 'shed the mortal coil'. Yet, for some reason, ever since he started following this young master of his, he kept feeling uneasy and at edge.

Any one-year old will experience nightmares upon encountering a terrorghoul, yet William only felt ambition and incredible curiosity, going as far as telling his father to capture him a one so he can study it in the mansion.

And ever since they got imprisoned in this place, that unease and nervousness turned into fear and terror.

Who would stay calm after being abducted by a Rank 3 cultivator? Who would stay calm after having a dagger pointed at them?

Anyone in William's situation would collapse mentally, having little to no energy to spare...

On the other hand, not only did William remained calm and rational. He even took advantage of the small window of time to nab the white-haired man's keys when he fell down to the ground.

Noy was thoroughly convinced that William is not any ordinary one-year old toddler, but a monster in disguise.

After taking off his shackes, William took off Noy's godchains. Noy got up and tried circulating his divine power: "Young master, I'll regain my powers in roughly one hour."

Godchains are specially-made chains to constrict and restrict an Immortal, they absorbed all the victim's divine power and immortal ki until nothing is left.

Now that Noy is not being held back by godchains, he'll have to slowly absorb the natural energy of heaven and earth and distill it into divine power. Slowly but surely, his divine power reserves will be replenished and he will be able to cast his divine abilities.

"However, my divine body was not affected."

Ki Refining and Body Forging are both unique paths of cultivation, the former relies on immortal ki while the latter relies on divine power.

Immortal Ki allows the Ki Refiner to unleash Ki Techniques which are not only multivaried, but the range they can reach is absolutely astonishing. Dustin's sword slash sliced that terrorghoul in half from a distance of two kilometers away, the superiority of Ki Refining lays in this aspect.

But Ki Refiners's bodies are really not that special, perhaps they are akin to mortal-type metals such as iron or copper, but compared to Body Forgers's bodies, they lack GREATLY.

Body Forgers's divine bodies are nourished by various treasures of heaven and earth, even a sword forged by adamantite or orichalcum ore will not be able to even leave a scratch on it.

Body Forgers excel in close-combats and their divine power gives them mind-boggling regenerative abilities an other perks that makes them pretty much invulnerable.

If a Ki Refiner gets a little bit too close to a Body Forger, he would die almost instantly without even being given the chance or the opportunity to protect himself.

Plus, if a Body Forger's divine power runs out, they still has their divine body! They can rely on their absolute physical strength to move mountains and relocate rivers, on the other hand if Ki Refiners's immortal ki runs out then he would be as useless as a mortal.

"Let's formulate an escape plan.", William suggested.