Noticing Aurora's unusual behavior, Yone knew that he might have touched upon a subject this woman could not answer easily.
"Senior, is the question really that hard to answer? It's just a tournament and everyone should know about it, no?" Yone asked doubtfully.
He was totally aware that this was no ordinary tournament, which is why he sought to extract information from the woman. Yet, he needed to maintain the facade of an innocent child to coax out even a hint of what she knew.
Aurora shook her head at his question. "It's not that simple," she replied. "The information you're asking for is considered taboo across the entire continent. It's true that I know some things about the Snow Lake tournament, but unfortunately, a curse was placed on my soul. The moment I try to reveal any of that knowledge, my soul will shatter into smithereens."
Aurora's body trembled, and her aura flickered for a few seconds as a haunting memory from her past flashed before her eyes.
Tears welled up, but she quickly used a wisp of Qi to vaporize them.
She didn't want to think about that day and wished she could seal away the painful scene.
It was too terrifying!
She sighed deeply, helpless about this situation.
Aurora was in this state primarily because her husband had shared some information about the tournament with their daughter, believing he was strong enough to resist the curse placed by a powerful individual.
Unbeknownst to him, however, his strength was nowhere near enough to rival the other party's power. His body and soul were shattered, leaving no trace behind, as if he had never existed. It was as if her memories of him were merely a hallucination.
But her misfortune didn't end there. In the next moment, her own body was obliterated, leaving her as nothing more than a remnant soul.
Yone frowned slightly at her words but kept his expression neutral. 'I was planning to keep her alive during the tournament to provide crucial information in dire situations, but it seems the individuals overseeing this are more cunning than I anticipated.'
Yone was greatly disappointed, but he had more or less expected this outcome.
"Well, since you're this useless, you can just die," Yone said casually.
His eyes narrowed as he shook his head, setting the ring aside as he prepared to absorb Raven's armend.
If Raven had been in Yone's position, he might have tried to save his master's soul. But Yone was different—he was the demonic armend master. To him, Aurora was nothing more than a weakling who had been reduced to this pitiful state because of her own inadequacies.
Why would he waste time-saving the life of an ant?
Even if she had crucial information about the kingdom, Yone didn't care. His primary focus was the system's mission, which was of utmost importance to him.
The benefits were too tempting to miss out!
Especially considering the potential future missions, which might reward him with things ten times more valuable than his current gains.
Aurora froze at his words, a chill gripping her heart.
It wasn't the first time someone wanted her dead, but it was the first time she had seen someone casually express the intent.
It was as if a wolf had its sights set on a rabbit, too indifferent to bother showing emotion.
"Young Master Yone, please reconsider. I still have a wealth of information to offer, and I can guide you on your cultivation journey," Aurora pleaded, her cold tone replaced by panic.
Yone ignored her, his attention focused on the armend he had taken out from the system's inventory. He smiled and mumbled, "Let's see what this armend contains."
'System, absorb the remnant spirit. I'll check the rewards after absorbing this armend.'
[Mission accomplished.]
[Holy realm expert remnant soul detected.]
[Currently absorbing the essence of the soul.]
[Estimated time of absorption: three minutes.]
[Host will receive rewards after the remnant soul's absorption is completed.]
Simultaneously, Yone's eyes darkened, reminiscent of the first time he had devoured an armend. However, this experience was much calmer; the system had already initiated the process back in the carriage. Now, he was merely absorbing the armend.
"This is simply heaven-defying," Yone murmured, elated as he felt the surge of power within his body.
He had anticipated that Raven's armend would contain memories similar to the guard's. To his surprise, it wasn't memories he received, but Raven's cultivation base instead!
Feeling his strength increase twofold, Yone felt an almost uncontrollable urge to kill again.
"Should I go on a killing spree?" he muttered under his breath.
He then shook his head, recalling his young age and recent reincarnation.
His body hadn't matured yet and was still too fragile!
No, no... It's too risky. I'll stick to the plan for now. I still have many years before this body fully matures. I can easily reach the next realm, if not the body-tempering realm, before the tournament.
Aurora, observing from the side, couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at Yone's cultivation. An unprecedented shock filled her soul as her mind raced frantically.
Despite racking her brain to understand what had just happened, she failed to comprehend it. The scene before her made her question whether Yone was even human.
Right before her eyes, she watched as the boy beside her began cultivating. In an instant, his cultivation realm doubled, leaping from the 2nd layer of Qi Condensation to the 4th.
"No, it's not just my life that's at stake," she realized with growing horror. "The entire kingdom will suffer if this monster is allowed to grow unchecked."
Her eyes turned bloodshot as she made up her mind. He must die!
Suddenly, Aurora's soul flared with power as she gathered all her remaining strength. She desperately tried to send a warning to her acquaintances in the royal family, hoping to alert them to the threat lurking within their lands.
But just as she was about to unleash her last bit of soul essence, something unexpected happened.
Subsequently, what happened next took place in the blink of an eye.
For a mere instant, a black flash lit up the entire room. When the flash of light disappeared, The holy realm expert had just started to control her Qi. Almost immediately, her vision turned gray, and her soul began to disintegrate.
Before she could even comprehend what was happening, her soul was devoured, and her life was snuffed out.