The Dawn, The Fall, and the Captured

Outside of the room…

"What is the meaning of this exactly, young lady?" asked Ke Si in confusion.

He had rarely seen Charlotte behave so strangely.

"Just now, I received some intel that the group that was following us has given the order to surround this location," Charlotte's face was solemn, "They seem to be aware that the Fort Master has departed."

"How could that possibly be?" Ke was utterly stunned. "The Fort Master is a powerful mortal pharaoh! How could the enemy possibly detect his movements? Or…could it be that there is a spy?"

"Maybe," Charlotte didn't deny it, as these words were indeed logical. However, she was familiar with this cult and had a different idea. "I agree that it is certainly the only conclusion that makes a lick of sense. Unless there's someone by his side that they can track through special means."

Ke Si's face turned sinister, and dark shadowy smoke started to leak from his body, "Special means indeed. Fuck, how could we overlook such a big issue? I should have made the connection long ago."

"You weren't even here before. It was only because of your presence that I connected the dots. Maybe they knew you were not with us, so they acted boldly. Less of this, let us go now! We have to find your kinsman and stop them from tracking us again!" responded Charlotte sternly.

"What about the young master? I cannot simply," Ke was thoroughly uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Jody behind while this place was under siege. Especially now that Jody was tied to his niece.

His lifeblood turned sour at the thought.

"If I am aware of the enemy, do you truly think that she is not? Has she ever shown any concern towards this?" asked Charlotte matter-of-factually. "I think they have the room bugged."

"This..." Ke knew exactly who Charlotte was referring to. Her following words made a lot of tonight's events make more sense. His tense nerves suddenly relaxed. He placed his hand on Charlotte's shoulder with determined eyes, "Indeed. With the madam here, we need not worry for the young master. Fine, we will go now."

A shadow force field instantly covered Charlotte and Ke Si as they both disappeared from the palace. The brows of many masters in the underground bazaar twitched as a dominant force passed through their perceptions like a ghost. Some of the more astute masters in this underground world could identify the auras, but not keep up.

"Go to the Dawn," instructed Charlotte. Moments later, Ke Si and Charlotte walked out of the shadow of a rock pillar.

Before them was an unbelievable and stunning sight. It appeared like a world in reverse, with vibrant trees and other foliage growing down from the stalactite on the cave ceiling. There were gentle hills, wintery mountains, and productive valleys. The mist below them had many levels, with the top encompassing white clouds. An 800-meter-high cliff face loomed ahead of them, but seeing what lay beneath the fog was impossible. This place was known as the Dawn.

Charlotte took a deep breath, relishing her lungs' fresh air. She turned to Ke Si, who was still taking in the view with a look of wonder on his face.

"This place is amazing," he said finally, turning to her. "I've heard of it but never expected it to be so breathtaking."

Charlotte smiled, "Yes, it's one of the few places in the world untouched by human greed and corruption. Beyond here is the Fall, which leads to the Under Market, a deadly place. The Dawn is a sanctuary for those seeking peace and solace, and often those who escaped from the Under Market for some reason."

"Peace and solace..." Ke Si nodded, "I could use a little of that right now. So, where do we go from here?"

This was also the path that legendaries and mortal pharaohs used to travel between the different Wards. It would be bad if they got lost.

Ke Si and Charlotte stepped onto the lush green grass, taking in the breathtaking scenery. The air was crisp and fresh, unlike the stagnant air of the underground bazaar they had just left. Ke felt a sense of relief wash over him as they arrived at the Dawn. It was a sanctuary where they could regroup and plan their next move without fearing being discovered.

"Are we safe here?" Ke Si asked Charlotte, still cautious despite the serene surroundings.

"Yes, we are. This is a sacred place protected by the ancient magic of the land. No one can enter without permission from the guardian," Charlotte replied with certainty.

Ke Si nodded, feeling more at ease. He took a deep breath, letting the clean air fill his lungs. Then, he noticed a figure in the distance standing atop one of the hills. It was a woman with long, flowing hair and a slender figure. She seemed to be looking directly at them.

"Charlotte, do you see that?" Ke Si said, pointing towards the woman.

Charlotte turned to look and saw the woman as well. "Yes, I do. That's Lady Dawn, the guardian of this place. She must have sensed our arrival."

As they approached the hill, Lady Dawn descended gracefully towards them. She had an otherworldly beauty about her, with piercing blue eyes and a serene expression.

"Greetings, travelers. Welcome to the Dawn," Lady Dawn spoke with a soft voice.

"Thank you, Lady Dawn," Charlotte replied respectfully. "We seek to rescue a member of the Forgotten Shadow clan."

"I am aware of your situation," Lady Dawn said, eyes scanning Ke Si. "The people who captured your clan mate have an encampment near the Fall. They are heavily armed. I have not allowed any to pass through the Dawn, but a few took the cliffs to the bazaar's perimeter. But I assume you know this since you're here. You are the Fort Master's cohort, so you may move through as you please."

After speaking, Lady Dawn seemed to fade into the background.

Ke Si couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the Dawn. He had heard of this place before but had never seen it with his own eyes. It was breathtaking, and he felt a sense of peace wash over him in this serene environment. However, he knew that they didn't have time to waste. They had to find his kinsman and find a way to stop the enemy from tracking them.

"The Fall..." Charlotte pointed towards the cliff face, "We need to head down there. That's where your kinsman is hiding or being kept."

Ke Si's eyes widened, "Climb down? The first step is an 800-meter drop! The second is double. Even with our abilities, that's too dangerous."

Charlotte smirked, "Who said anything about climbing down? We'll be taking the scenic route."

Without another word, she grabbed Ke Si's hand and pulled him towards the cliff's edge. Ke Si's heart was pounding in his chest as he looked down, but Charlotte jumped off the edge before he could protest, pulling him along with her.

Ke Si screamed as they plummeted towards the ground, but Charlotte's grip on his hand was firm. Just when he thought they would crash, huge bat-like wings burst out of Charlotte's back. She held onto Ke, and they soared to the bottom of the first step.

Standing near the cliff's edge was a camp of around six dozen warriors wearing bone armor. In the center of this encampment, Ke Si could feel a faint lifeblood resonance.

"Pu Si." Ke Si's eyes and expression were pained and dreadful. He could only imagine what these evil bastards had done to his clan mate. "Pu Si was the shadow vassal of Layla Goldwolf. Could White Demon Temple have captured Layla?"

"I've got three agents in their camp. That priest is rumored to be a Void Philosopher Sage. Still, the others are two top elite level Sages, five senior expert level Saints, and a bundle of other junior experts," the Hell's Daughter reported.

"He's no Legend. Even if he is at the Prism Rank, we will not allow him to cast anything significant," replied Ke stoically. His level-headed response greatly reassured the Hell's Daughter. "He is likely entirely focused on the task at hand. As long as I catch him off guard, it will not matter that he's a rank higher than us."

"Good, take out the priest. Then I will handle the rest," as Charlotte spoke, her pale golden atmosphere exploded, and she shot forward like a cannonball.

Charlotte barreled into the camp, her heart pounding and adrenaline coursing through her veins. Four menacing guards protected the camp entrance, clad in black armor with a terrifying two-headed white snake emblem upon their chests. As if possessed by some ancient force, Charlotte felt the Swordfire Death Halberd materialize in her hands. With the Heaven's Mantle equipped, she was transformed! Her power level skyrocketed three times, and every swing of her halberd sent enemies screaming into oblivion as a maelstrom of flame and sword force incinerated them to ashes.

Within less than a minute of her landing, twenty-seven of the enemy warriors had fallen to Charlotte's frenzied attack.

Ke Si watched in awe as Charlotte decimated their enemies with ease. He had known she was strong, but he hadn't seen her in action since before her breakthrough. She truly was a force to be reckoned with. Ke Si was stunned as even the force of Charlotte's weakest blow was still 21 AP. This was very powerful.

As Charlotte fought her way through the camp, Ke Si made his way towards the center where he could feel the faint resonance of life energy. He ducked and weaved through the chaos, dodging attacks from the remaining guards. They were skilled fighters but no match for Ke Si's speed and agility.

Finally, he arrived at the center of the camp, where he found a lone tent. He could feel the life energy coming from inside. He drew his sword and sliced through the tent's flap without hesitation. Inside, he found Pu Si badly injured and barely conscious.

"Ke..." Pu Si's voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm here, Pu. I'm going to get you out of here," Ke said, picking up his kinsman and carrying her out of the tent.

Pu Si was extremely pale like no blood was in her body. It left Ke Si furious.

"Ke Si...is that really you?"