Chapter 31 : Treasure Map
' This guy really possesses formidable strength, making it challenging for me to engage in direct combat with him '
' If I want to defeat him, I'll have to use my assassination skills. Plus, that Earth Splitter move of his has boosted his defense. I need to aim for his weak spots if I want to take him down '.
In a flash, Valerian considered all the different ways he could win this battle.
As Valerian thought, the sword in his left hand vanished and was replaced by a Netherworld Twin Dagger. Gripping the dagger in reverse, Valerian suddenly disappeared from his spot. Robert, still looking wild-eyed, was shocked to see Valerian vanish.
He couldn't sense where he had gone - his aura and breath had completely disappeared. It was as if Valerian had never been there in the first place.
Clutching his two axes tightly, Robert heightened his awareness as he scanned his surroundings. The area was shrouded in darkness, with only the faint glow of the moon providing any light. Robert knew Valerian was an Assassin, and Assassins always struck from the shadows.
Before, he couldn't understand why an Assassin would choose to fight in close combat. He thinks Valerian is different from other Assassins.
Suddenly, Robert sensed movement to his right, and a glint of a dagger flashed towards his neck.
Reacting on instinct, Robert narrowly avoided the attack. But before he could catch his breath, another strike came towards his head. He quickly raised his axe to block the incoming blow.
" CLAANG"
The clash of weapons reverberated through the air as Robert blocked the attack. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as he looked up to see hundreds of shadowy swords hurtling towards him at incredible speed.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Robert raised his axes and swung them rapidly, creating a blur of afterimages as he continuously blocked the attacks.
Out of nowhere, a shadow swiftly appeared behind Robert, thrusting a dagger towards his back, aiming for his heart. Instinctively, Robert managed to dodge the attack, but not without getting a deep cut on his back.
The shadow vanished back into the darkness as quickly as it had appeared.
"Dang, I didn't realize this guy would be so tough to handle when he pulls out his Assassination techniques," Robert muttered through clenched teeth, feeling the intense pain.
Valerian is currently utilizing both the Void Steps and Shadow Teleportation techniques in combat. He employs the Void Steps to conceal his aura and vanish completely from Robert's senses.
Then, he utilizes the Shadow Teleportation technique to teleport near Robert and deliver a powerful strike. However, Robert's keen sense of danger always allows him to block Valerian's attacks effectively.
Valerian's red eyes gleamed coldly as he locked his gaze on Robert. 'I must end this fight swiftly; it has dragged on for far too long ' he thought to himself. With a quick thought, Valerian disappeared from sight.
Robert, still on high alert, scanned his surroundings, suddenly he saw a long sword shooting towards him.
"So, you've finally decided to show yourself, you little rat," Robert said with a malicious smile.
As Robert raised his axes to block the attack in front of him, his expression suddenly shifted to one of panic. He felt a rush of cold air from his feet to the top of his head.
Robert's eyes widened in terror, his face drained of color. It was at that moment he realized he couldn't move a muscle.
Because as he raised his axes to meet the attack in front of him, he was frozen in place.
Robert watched in horror as the shadow sword closed in on him. He braced himself for what he thought was certain death.
But just as the sword was a few centimeters away from his head, it slowly dissipated into black spirit energy, fading into the air.
Confusion washed over Robert's face as he tried to make sense of why the sword didn't kill him.
"You thought you were dead, right?" A cold voice sounded beside Robert's ear, causing his heart to turn cold.
" I told you before, even if you are at the True Martial Realm I can still kill you" Valerian indifferent voice once again ranged.
Robert was still frozen in place, he couldn't speak a word.
" You can now go and meet your brother and gang in the underworld " With that Valerian slit his throat with the Netherworld Twin Dagger.
Robert was still confused as he died. He didn't know why he couldn't move all of a sudden until the moment he passed away.
Emerging from the shadows, Valerian coldly gazed at Robert's lifeless body with a sense of empathy. He carefully removed the storage ring from Robert's finger and tossed it into the system's space.
Valerian made a mental note to investigate its contents later, as the commotion caused by his altercation with Robert had been too loud and could potentially attract the attention of other gangs in Bashen Mountain.
Although he wasn't afraid of the other gangs, he simply wasn't in the mood to engage with them. Additionally, the earlier fight had drained too much of his energy.
The key factor in his ability to kill Robert was his utilization of the Shadow Teleportation technique, allowing him to materialize a few meters away from his target and swiftly execute the Myriad Sword Transformation, forming a single shadow sword.
It is worth noting that Valerian possesses the capability to regulate the quantity of shadow swords produced through the Myriad Sword Transformation, with a maximum limit of two hundred.
Valerian strategically positioned himself in Robert's line of sight, ensuring he had his full attention. As Robert overjoyed seeing his figure, Valerian swiftly employed the Shadow Teleportation technique once more.
In a blink of an eye, he materialized behind Robert and swiftly executed the Shadow Bound technique, leaving him paralyzed before delivering the final blow.
So by the time Robert reacted it was already too late.
The entire sequence of events unfolded in a mere matter of seconds.
Valerian was on the verge of leaving the Crimson fortress when he suddenly remembered that he had not yet freed the unfortunate individuals trapped inside the building earlier.
With swift movement, he found himself standing in front of the imposing structure.
Inside the building, all the prisoners wore pensive expressions on their faces as a series of loud explosions had been echoing outside for the past half an hour.
Uncertain of what was happening outside the building .
Suddenly, the explosive noises ceased, leaving them to wonder if the chaos outside had come to an end.
In one corner of the building,the three people earlier were taken aback by the sudden silence.
The young woman, known as Miss, turned to the man addressed as Uncle Finn and inquired, "Do you believe the battle outside has concluded?"
Uncle Finn simply shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, indicating his lack of knowledge on the matter.
" BAANG "
The massive stone door was suddenly blasted open, sending pieces of stone and debris flying through the air. A silhouette stood in front of the entrance, gazing at them with a cold, indifferent expression.
"You can all leave now," a voice rang out from inside the large building, the tone icy and unwavering. "The Crimson Gang has been eliminated."
With that, the figure turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving the prisoners in shock at the revelation.
"Quick, Uncle Finn, stop him!" the Young Miss exclaimed urgently, not waiting for a response before darting out of the building.
"Please, Young Miss, slow down!" the maid called out, rushing forward alongside Uncle Finn.
Despite the young woman's quick exit from the building, Valerian had already disappeared by the time she reached the outside. Frantically scanning her surroundings, she failed to locate the person who had come to their rescue.
"Sir, if you have the opportunity, please make your way to the capital of the Kingdom and seek me out at the Ravenwood Clan. I have a job for you!" she called out at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately, there was no response, leaving the young woman feeling disappointed.
By this time, both the maid and Uncle Finn had also exited the building and were taken aback by their young lady's words.
" Young Miss, why did you shout for that mysterious figure to locate you within the clan if he has the opportunity?" Finn asked, clearly puzzled.
The young woman gazed at Finn with a skeptical expression and remarked, "Isn't it peculiar that we were captured immediately after leaving the Capital, especially considering that no one seemed to be aware of our departure?"
"Unfortunately, we were not fortunate enough for that disgusting guy to spot us in the last minute . I believe he was the one responsible for our capture," the young girl stated through clenched teeth.
Finn's face twisted into an expression of anger as he exclaimed, "Damn it, I knew we shouldn't have trusted that guy."
The young woman nodded in agreement and stated, "I want to hire that expert to take care of him for me. That disgusting man has been harassing me for far too long."
Finn was taken aback." However, young miss, if you were to kill him, the Capital would be thrown into turmoil. You are well aware of the terrifying background that this guy has".
"How can you be certain that the enigmatic figure who saved us is in that kind of business ? Do you believe he heard your previous shouting and even if he heard do you believe he will come to the capital?" Finn questioned in bewilderment.
"Do not worry. I am sure that the mysterious figure is an Assassin, and I am certain that he heard me. He is an expert with a powerful cultivation base, so he must have heard me when I shouted so loudly," the Young Miss said confidently.
"Alright, Young Miss, let's leave before other gangs arrive," Finn said with a sense of urgency.
The Young Miss nodded in agreement, and together with Finn and the maid, they swiftly exited the Crimson fortress.
As the other prisoners emerged from the imposing structure, they noticed the absence of any guards.
Believing Valerian's words, they swiftly dispersed, each one eager to avoid being recaptured.
The sight of the empty surroundings instilled a sense of freedom and urgency in them, prompting them to flee the fortress without hesitation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At this time, Valerian had already escaped deep into a cave several miles away from Bashen Mountain.
Collapsing to the ground, he sat on the ground. With a thought the Assassin outfit transformed back into the black bracelet, reappearing on his left wrist.
Valerian purchased a Spirit Returning Pill from the system, which promptly replenished his depleted spirit energy. Reflecting on the battle he had just fought, he felt a sense of excitement.
The memory of the young girl's loud shout caused his eyes to flash. "When I visit the capital, I will definitely find you ," he muttered under his breath.
Valerian was jolted out of his reverie as he carefully extracted a sleek black ring from the system space and examined it closely. This was the storage ring he had acquired after killing Robert. With eager anticipation, Valerian peered inside.
His eyes widened in astonishment as he beheld a vast mountain of gleaming gold coins.
"This man is truly wealthy," Valerian muttered in disbelief.
It wasn't the sheer quantity of gold coins that shocked him, but rather the small stack of shimmering violet coins nestled beside them.
The violet coin is a higher currency than the gold coin, known as the violet-gold coin, which is one hundred times more valuable than gold coins.
In the Heaven Vault World, the currency consists of copper, silver, gold, and the coveted violet-gold coins, with an exchange rate of 1:100.
Upon counting the violet-gold coins he had acquired, Valerian found himself in possession of five hundred of these rare coins.
His face lit up with excitement as he realized the immense wealth he now possessed. Together with the huge amount of gold coins and the violet-gold coins,Valerian had now become a man worth millions.
After calming himself, Valerian surveyed the contents of the storage ring. Among the remaining items were a few bottles of pills, weapons, and various miscellaneous objects.
Valerian paid little attention to the pills and weapons, as the system items held greater value.
However, his interest was piqued when he discovered an exquisite wooden box crafted from an unknown, yet clearly valuable wood.
Valerian recognized the box as a rare and expensive find, leading him to believe that the contents within were likely even more valuable.
Valerian carefully opened the box and discovered a scroll nestled inside.
As he unfurled the scroll, he noticed that it was crafted from the skin of a peculiar beast. Upon closer inspection, Valerian realized that the scroll was actually a map depicting a vast forest, with a prominent red mark in the center.
"This could be a treasure map," Valerian murmured to himself.
However, as he studied the map further, his expression shifted to one of confusion. "Isn't this the map of the Eternal Forest?" Valerian questioned, his face turned into bewilderment.
He had just got out of the Eternal Forest to explore the world, and now he had found himself a treasure map leading back to the Eternal forest.
Chuckling softly, he studied the map once more, realizing it pointed to the inner region of the Eternal Forest.
" I will go tomorrow to find this treasure" Valerian muttered. Since it is already deep into eh night he decided to catch some sleep.