Perturbations

The sun slowly slid down the horizon, heralding the arrival of night time. William stood at the door of the abnormal and conspicuous cube-shaped building, watching the sun-set with a strange expression on his face.

He wanted to use his astronomy knowledge alongside his understanding of the positions of the stars in order to roughly pinpoint his location, from there he can proceed to the nearest city.

'Thankfully, I spent most of my time in the Godfrey Clan's library learning about the various matters of this world! The library had no shortage of books regarding astronomy, geography and other subjects.'

Soon, the surroundings got very cold as night arrived. The eerie silence and creepy nature of the desert made William perturbed and unsettled, he quickly pushed his distracting thoughts to the back of his mind.

'It's the month of May, in the Southern Domain it's Spring, which means it should be cool and warm but here in the Demon Continent, it's disturbingly hot in the day and unprecedently cold in the night, no wonder people of the four continents exile and banish their criminals here...', he resisted the bone-chilling coldness of the desert at night as made his way outside.

'The sun just went down and my teeth are already clattering!', he looked up at the night sky to study the positions of stars and celestial bodies, only to find that the sky of the Demon Continent had no stars!

'Not even a moon...', William frowned as he thought of himself, 'Is this perhaps one of the special natures of the Demon Continent? No, impossible! How can it be? After all, it's still a piece of this land on this spherical planet, it still has access to the view of stars and celestial bodies just like the Southern Domain and other three continents...'

Without thinking any further ado, William quickly took shelter in the building to at least try and shelter himself from the coldness of the desert, unfortunately it proved unsufficient as the coldness seeped through the ceramic walls into the room inside.

Seeing this, William seriously questioned whether he would be able to survive the night or not.

'With no stars or moon, I can't rely on my superficial astronomy knowledge to determine what part of the continent I am in...'

...

Meanwhile, on the borders of the Draetrohan Empire.

The Decreed Punishers of the Godfrey Clan, led by four elders stealthily made their way to the Ciwood city.

If it were not for certain mystical items and immortal methods, The Decreed Punishers perhaps would have spent a week or two to reach the Draetrohan Empire, after all, they do not possess the monstrous cultivation base of Tome Godfrey.

A plump man with a fat belly turned to look at his kinsmen and warned solemnly: "Before we act, I must warn you that this matter most likely involves Rank Five and Rank Six existences. Proceed with the utmost of caution, do not touch what you should not touch and do not look at what you should not look!"

The members of The Decreed Punishers who wore crimson-red armor, spoke in unison.

"Yes Elder!"

Then, the plump man turned to look at the other three elders, notably the woman wearing regal-robes and the disheveled eldery who had untidy, beggar-like clothes and said: "Patriarch Opus is most likely keeping an eye on this matter from the shadows, but if one of us falls into danger, it is unlikely that he will act to save us, therefore we have to rely on ourselves if we want to rescue both Dustin and his child."

He took a moment to organize his thoughts before he continued: "As for Patriarch Tome, he regards us as his sons and daughters, and he is present at the scene, if we truly fall into dangerous strats, he will definitely lend a hand, but..."

The elder with the large belly stopped for a second, he warily looked around to make sure no one is privy to the contents of their conversation, including The Decreed Punishers: "Patriarch Tome informed us to be careful of Rank Four and Rank Five existences."

"Existences?", the woman in the regal robes noticed the plural form used, so she couldn't help but ask, "There are multiple Rank Four and Rank Five Saints?"

"Yes.", the plump man nodded.

"Why would they act against Dustin and especially his son? Their status in the clan is clearly not as important as the elders and leaders, especially the latter...", the elderly beggar said as he stroked his goatie.

"Perhaps they want to lure us and The Decreed Punishers?", the woman wearing regal robes suggested.

"Or perhaps...", the fourth elder assigned in this mission, a handsome young man with deep, blue-sapphire eyes and long black hair, finally spoke out: "Their target is none other than Patriarch Tome."

The four Godfrey elders stopped in their tracks for a second, The Decreed Punishers from behind looked at them with puzzled expressions...

Ding Ding! Ding Ding!

The sound of a bell ringing awakened them out of their stupefied state, the plump man reached into his pocket and pulled out a gem, it was an emerald.

It was the size of a fingernail, and kept emitting a hazy green hue. The plump man crushed it with his fat hand before he quickly closed his eyes.

The crushed emerald dispersed into countless motes of green light that entered the plump man's body, soon after he opened his eyes.

"Three Rank Four Saints and one Rank Five Saint, the patriarch did not inform me of the exact cultivation base of the former but the latter is a mid-stage Ki Refiner.", the plump man informed his companions with a hoarse voice, "Plus, the patriarch noticed the abnormality of this matter so he retreated for the moment, waiting to reunite with us before we proceed forward."

The other three elders heaved a sigh of relief, the Godfrey Clan currently does not have a Rank Seven existence to watch over the estate and ensure the family's safety, thus it can only rely on it's two Rank Six powerhouses. They were Tome and Opus respectively, as for Timber, he is voyaging in god-knows-where, searching for his long-lost father and ways to breakthrough higher ranks.

If something were to happen to either Tome or Opus, the Godfrey Clan's standing within the Southern Domain would be threatened. The other powers including the friendly Draetrohan Empire will divide the 'excess' land and take shares of their allocated resources.

"I wonder what organization is scheming against us? Perhaps the other two Immortal Clans of the Southern Domain? Or powerhouses from the Demon Continent who are inciting chaos and deceit.", the young man questioned.

"Hmph, we will show it the consequences of going against the Godfrey Clan.", the man with the large belly spoke out.

"We still have to be careful, if it were not for me being a Rank Four Body Forger and possessing a Forbidden Artifact, we would have to request further reinforcements from the clan. After all, we're dealing with a mid-stage Rank Five Ki Refiner...", the haggard-looked man warned.

"Plus, an organization that is capable of deploying Rank Fours and Rank Fives is not to be underestimated, we still have to proceed with the utmost form of caution.", the regal-robed woman added.

After passing through the city, the team of Decreed Punishers slowly exited from the gate and made their way in the direction of that old, abandoned temple.

Shortly after, a vast and verdant forest entered the view of the Godfrey Clan elders and The Decreed Punishers entered the forest nearby Ciwood City.

It was the same forest Dustin and Deirain entered to pursue William's kidnapper.

In the cultivation world, this forest was infamous for it's extraordinary beings and Godbeasts, many ingredients and immortal additives could be found here.

It is called The Forest of Kenley's Mosaics.

The imperial army of the Draetrohan Empire was stationed at the edges of the forest, they considered an important national resource point, therefore they protected it heavily and prevented outsiders from going in or going out.

On top of a watchtower, a knight donned in full body armor noticed the Godfrey Clan's reinforcements approaching. He tensed up and immediately went to report this matter to his superior.

He climbed down the ladder and made his way to a nearby concrete building where the imperial army is currently residing.

When he got too close to the building, he suddenly frowned... The thick stench of blood assaulted his nostrils, a very ominent feeling rose up in his heart as he slowly made his way to the door.

Instinctively, his hand reached for his wait, resting on his sword scabbard.

Split splat, split plat.

Each footstep he took came with a splashing sound, he gulped down a mouthful of saliva nervously as he looked down...

Blood! He was walking on a pool of blood all along yet he didn't realize it.

Recalling his teachings in the national imperial academy, he knew this matter was beyond his capabilities. The best course of action to take now is to inform his superiors in the nearby Ciwood City and cooperate with the Godfrey Clan's Decreed Punishers.

Although he does not know the exact reason why one of Southern Domain's three Immortal Clans sent their team of elite immortals here, he can already guess why... Plus, the Godfrey Clan and the Draetrohan Empire are not only friendly neighbors, they are also allies who share a deep connection with each other.

The silver-armored knight turned around to leave, but just when he was about to take a step forward... He felt a pair of eyes staring at his back, then a shriveled hand with abnormally long black nails patted his shoulder.

"Aghhhhh!"

...

..

.

After spending the time it takes an incense stick to burn walking down the stairs, Dustin and Deirain found themselves in a large underground hall that had a chandelier in the middle, at the end of the hall was a fancy double-door decorated in silver and gold, the handle was exquisitively designed and all sorts of murals were drawn on the door's surface.

Other than the door, the mahogany tables and chairs, there was nothing else special about this place.

"What is this place? It does not correspond to the Buddhist Sangha's architecture.", Deirain couldn't help but ask.

"Hehe...", an eerie voice echoed out throughout the empty hall as a figure slowly appeared behind one of the pillars, "Dustin and Deirain, is it? I've long heard of your illustrious names, especially you, Dustin Godfrey."

Unlike the stairway before, this hall had sufficient light in the form of lamps and torches, a torch embedded in one of the pillars nearby slowly cast light on the mysterious figure's face, allowing Dustin and Deirain to fully see his appearance.

It was a middle-aged man of medium build and average height of 1,72cm, he had brown eyes, thick eyebrows and a high nose bridge, the only prominent thing about this ordinary-looking man is his traditional Draetrohanian mustache, mustaches that were neatly trimmed from the sides.

Seeing this newcomer, Deirain's eyes constricted as he blurted out the man's name: "Teonnook!"

Dustin raised an eyebrow as he looked at Deirain from the corner of his eyes: "You know this guy?"

"He is the Lord of Teonnook district, a Rank Two Body Forger of the darkness pathway.", Deirain replied.

"Darkness pathway.", upon hearing this, Dustin grew extremely wary as he tightened his grip on his sword, if Teonnook took a single step forward, he would strike him down with the fierceness of lightning.

Seeing the way the Godfrey Clan member acting, Teonnook did not dare to take this matter lightly, although he is a dark-path immortal, Dustin is a Rank Four sword-path Ki Refiner and Deirain is a dual Rank Three Body Forger and Ki Refiner.

The reason why the dark pathway is so dangerous is because of it's unpredictable and erratic features, it has corruptive powers that can threaten the lucidity of his opponents.

"Where is William!", Dustin barked, his voice reverberated throughout the underground hall, shaking it violently, as a result multiple rocks fell and cracks ran up the walls.

This is the power of a Rank Four powerhouse, the power of Saints!

With just his voice alone, Dustin is capable of inflicting damage on Low-Ranked Immortals and mortals.

Teonnook's ears buzzed slightly but that was it, he was unfazed by Dustin's display and in fact, he even chuckled in disdain: "Who knows, perhaps he's dead."

Veins after veins appeared on Dustin's forehead, he gripped his sword so tightly to the level where the hilt made cracking noises. From the side, Deirain whispered: "Stay calm, he is trying to shake your mental fortitude and make you unfocused on the upcoming battle, if you lose control here, then little William will truly die in this place."

Hearing his companion's advice, Dustin calmed down as he took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment to sort his thoughts out, then he opened them again. They brimmed with a savage bloodlust that sent chills down Teonnook's spine.

"Do not fret or be in a hurry to act, Teonnook is just a Rank Two while you are a Rank Four and I'm a Rank Three. It is practically impossible for him to leave this place alive, which means he's just bait, there are probably helpers hiding in the shadows.", Deirain advised from the sidelines.

Dustin's eyes darted to the shadows at the end of the room, because the light coming from the lamps and torches does not reach that far, he could not see what is lurking within.

He did not dare to send his divine will out to scan the area, not only doing such a thing is exhaustive and drains his energy rapidly, he is also afraid of encountering something he should not encounter. After all, this is the enemy's home turf, he doesn't know what's lurking in the shadows.

For a moment, both sides stared at each other. Dustin brimmed with an intense desire to pounce on Teonnook while Deirain acutely studied his surroundings.

...

Inside Kenley's Mosaics, outside the ancient buddhist temple.

Tome Godfrey was sitting atop a tree branch, carefully surveying the old temple while occasionally sending out his divine will wave after wave for probative purposes.

He is a Rank Six, other than gods and demi-gods, he should not be afraid of anything else, yet the feeling that emanated from the ancient temple in front of him instilled fear into the very depths of his heart.

He felt as though the matter regarding William's kidnapping is not to be taken lightly, he acutely noticed the presence of a strange being manipulating things from the shadows.

If he were to encounter that strange being, death is the most likely outcome, therefore he decided to stay here and wait for the arrival of The Decreed Punishers.

Although The Decreed Punishers were a team consisting of Rank There and Rank Two immortals, they had the elders who are Rank Four backing them up.

Plus, they are always carrying mystical artifacts with them. Items like these could prove to be vital in such situations.

"Sigh... What did that Dustin.. No, what did his son William provoke?"