Using the Mist Kingdom Crown, Rand sliced the dead Earth Devourer Serpent in half and began examining its insides, focusing particularly on the stomach. Despite spending a considerable amount of time thoroughly investigating the creature's entire digestive tract, he couldn't find what he was looking for: Weed’s corpse. Or even any remains that might have been left.
His inability to find the body drove the former prince into a rage. When Rand was finally convinced that the corpse wasn't there, he was overwhelmed with negative emotions and couldn't hold them in. He screamed in fury:
"RAAAAHHH!"
Then he kicked a nearby dead wolf with all his strength, sending it flying several meters away.
After this unexpected emotional outburst, Rand stood still for a minute, staring at one spot. Such actions always helped him regain control over his turbulent emotions. It worked this time too. As soon as he calmed down somewhat, Rand sighed heavily and began to think rationally:
"How could this have happened? Could the Serpent have digested his body already? No, that’s impossible. Even the Earth Devourer Serpent's stomach couldn't dissolve a human body entirely in such a short time. Especially since the Serpent died immediately after swallowing Weed, meaning all digestive processes capable of breaking down food would have almost immediately stopped.
This situation with the missing body can only mean one thing: the boy, if he can be called that, managed to escape at the last moment. And I suspect that his escape is connected to this strange wooden sculpture of a mole found in the Serpent's stomach.
As far as I remember, he threw down twenty-one balls, which then turned into only twenty human sculptures-marionettes. The numbers don't add up. It seems the twenty-first ball transformed into this mole, probably doing so unnoticed, likely underground. And this appearance of a seemingly minor, useless, non-combative sculpture must have some meaning, especially considering how Weed tried to keep it hidden. Perhaps Weed's teleportation ability is linked to this unremarkable sculpture. However, I doubt I’ll find the definitive answer to this question since my initial inspection of all the sculptures, including this one, revealed nothing about their possible functions. There are no energy channels, power sources, or anything resembling formations and runes that usually control marionettes. They seem like ordinary wooden carvings made by a talented mortal sculptor rather than the powerful marionettes that recently tore apart fierce wolves.
But never mind, I can think about the sculptures later. Right now, it's much more important to consider their creator.
Before swallowing him, the Serpent managed to bite Weed, injecting him with its venom, known for its lethal potency. As far as I know, even a small amount of this venom would be enough to kill a hundred average Qi Condensation cultivators, but Weed is no ordinary cultivator. Given his abilities and connection to a powerful entity, he could very well survive even the Serpent’s venom. There's no doubt about it. He will overcome the venom and survive if he isn’t hindered.
Finding him at this moment, when he's injured and extremely weak, is unlikely, even if he didn't teleport too far. I don't have spiritual sense, nor do I possess scouting techniques or artifacts suitable for my cultivation that serve a similar function. And even if I miraculously managed to find him, even in his wounded state, Weed would pose a deadly threat to me."
After all, the main danger doesn't come directly from him, but from the entity-system backing him. Unlike him, it hasn't been harmed at all. Meeting him now would carry a high chance of me sharing the fate of the Earth Devourer Serpent and the wolf pack leader, who died mysteriously and instantaneously, without any visible wounds on their bodies.
Hmm, thinking about it, I recall reading something similar in the imperial library. If I remember correctly, some techniques available only to cultivators beyond the Core Formation stage have similar effects. These techniques don’t attack using Qi but rather use the power of the soul. Defending against such attacks without reaching the Nascent Soul stage is incredibly difficult. It's no wonder the wolf leader and even the Earth Devourer Serpent couldn't withstand this force and died ingloriously.
Weed, considering his cultivation, couldn't have used something like this on his own. This means that he can now undoubtedly use, at least to some extent, the power of the entity with which he made a contract. However, I don’t think he can use this power frequently; otherwise, he would have behaved entirely differently.
Could the crown protect me from such an attack? Probably to some extent, though it depends on the strength of the attack. Given that the Serpent, almost at the Core Formation stage, couldn’t resist it for even a second, relying solely on the treasure's protection in such a situation would be very unwise…
But I'm thinking again about things that aren't immediately necessary. Right now, it's much more important to decide what to do next. Should I try to hide so that the vengeful Weed won't find and retaliate against me in the future?
No, that option isn't suitable. I need to stay in the sect; only here do I have a chance to surpass the Soul Transformation stage, which neither my father nor many ancestors before him could overcome.
If I flee and hide in some hole, I'll never be able to realize any of my plans. I won’t be able to avenge anyone, and I won't achieve immortality in this life, dying in a few thousand miserable years. I don't want such a fate.
Therefore, if I want to follow my desires, I have no choice. I must stay in the sect and continue "training." At least until I obtain all twelve levels of the Mythical Blood cultivation method and all possible benefits the sect can provide.
Moreover, I probably have time. Weed is unlikely to return to the sect anytime soon because, as he said, if the sect notices his incredible, or rather monstrous progress, his life could be in danger depending on the leadership's decisions. He won't take such a risk and won’t hand his life over to others so easily. To return relatively safely and guarantee he can retaliate against me, he will need to reach at least the Nascent Soul stage, which can`t be quickly achieved.
The sect might perceive his disappearance in various ways: Weed could be considered missing, kidnapped by unknown forces, or simply a traitor who decided to escape and reveal the sect’s secrets to outsiders… And the sect’s interpretation will largely depend on my words. On what and how I, a disciple of an influential elder whose voice is valued, tell about the events preceding his disappearance. And I can say almost anything since no one saw our fight and Weed’s disappearance because it all happened deep in the forest. And importantly, due to my "Oberin disguise," the sect won’t be able to tell I'm lying, neither through artifacts nor specialized techniques.
Of course, it’s best to tell a story that paints Weed in the worst light. For example, I could say that during the mission to capture the fox, he ambushed and attacked me without any provocation, trying to kill me for unknown reasons.
I should also mention that he was incredibly strong, somehow hiding his cultivation, and used unknown techniques and marionette artifacts. And explain that I only survived because the wolves attacked us unexpectedly, separating us, and I managed to escape in the chaos of the battle.
Overall, I like this version; the details can be refined on the way back. If everything goes smoothly and my words are believed, the sect will send a liquidation team after Weed, consisting of the House of Law enforcers, and perhaps they might even get lucky and manage to kill him.
Now I need to get rid of the Serpent's corpse, to avoid any dangerous questions from sect members who will likely find this place while searching for Weed. Doing it manually would take too much time, as the Serpent's body wouldn't fit into this small ring. Even if I could do it, there would still be traces, like blood soaked into the ground, indicating that an Earth Devourer Serpent has perished here. This would be enough for any Foundation Establishment stage disciples sent after Weed with at least some intelligence to draw conclusions I don't need.
"So I'll need your help, Aina."
Rand immediately felt a wave of joy from Aina, the soul of his crown-treasure. She was overwhelmed with happiness that she could be useful to him. Sensing her agreement, Rand requested:
"Great, please dispose of the Serpent's remains. Eliminate not just the corpse, but also the blood and other fluids soaked into the ground, as well as any traces of its presence, including the hole through which it emerged. You don't need to rush or expend too much energy."
After Rand finished speaking, the crown on his head emitted black smoke, which enveloped the Earth Devourer Serpent's remains and a large chunk of the surrounding ground. Flesh, blood, soil, and everything else began to dissolve, and within minutes, nothing remained of the mighty beast at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. And in the place where it lay until recently, a rather deep hole appeared.
With the Serpent's corpse gone, Rand placed the wooden mole sculpture he had retrieved from the Serpent into his ring, then did the same with one of the human marionette sculptures.
Finished with his tasks, Rand set aside his lingering thoughts about Weed and considered his next move:
"Perhaps there's nothing more to do here, so I can head back to the village. Let's see if my suspicions about the reason for such a low number of wolves responding to the potion’s call are correct."
Using the Mist Kingdom Crown, Rand sliced the dead Earth Devourer Serpent in half and began examining its insides, focusing particularly on the stomach. Despite spending a considerable amount of time thoroughly investigating the creature's entire digestive tract, he couldn't find what he was looking for: Weed’s corpse. Or even any remains that might have been left.
His inability to find the body drove the former prince into a rage. When Rand was finally convinced that the corpse wasn't there, he was overwhelmed with negative emotions and couldn't hold them in. He screamed in fury:
"RAAAAHHH!"
Then he kicked a nearby dead wolf with all his strength, sending it flying several meters away.
After this unexpected emotional outburst, Rand stood still for a minute, staring at one spot. Such actions always helped him regain control over his turbulent emotions. It worked this time too. As soon as he calmed down somewhat, Rand sighed heavily and began to think rationally:
"How could this have happened? Could the Serpent have digested his body already? No, that’s impossible. Even the Earth Devourer Serpent's stomach couldn't dissolve a human body entirely in such a short time. Especially since the Serpent died immediately after swallowing Weed, meaning all digestive processes capable of breaking down food would have almost immediately stopped.
This situation with the missing body can only mean one thing: the boy, if he can be called that, managed to escape at the last moment. And I suspect that his escape is connected to this strange wooden sculpture of a mole found in the Serpent's stomach.
As far as I remember, he threw down twenty-one balls, which then turned into only twenty human sculptures-marionettes. The numbers don't add up. It seems the twenty-first ball transformed into this mole, probably doing so unnoticed, likely underground. And this appearance of a seemingly minor, useless, non-combative sculpture must have some meaning, especially considering how Weed tried to keep it hidden. Perhaps Weed's teleportation ability is linked to this unremarkable sculpture. However, I doubt I’ll find the definitive answer to this question since my initial inspection of all the sculptures, including this one, revealed nothing about their possible functions. There are no energy channels, power sources, or anything resembling formations and runes that usually control marionettes. They seem like ordinary wooden carvings made by a talented mortal sculptor rather than the powerful marionettes that recently tore apart fierce wolves.
But never mind, I can think about the sculptures later. Right now, it's much more important to consider their creator.
Before swallowing him, the Serpent managed to bite Weed, injecting him with its venom, known for its lethal potency. As far as I know, even a small amount of this venom would be enough to kill a hundred average Qi Condensation cultivators, but Weed is no ordinary cultivator. Given his abilities and connection to a powerful entity, he could very well survive even the Serpent’s venom. There's no doubt about it. He will overcome the venom and survive if he isn’t hindered.
Finding him at this moment, when he's injured and extremely weak, is unlikely, even if he didn't teleport too far. I don't have spiritual sense, nor do I possess scouting techniques or artifacts suitable for my cultivation that serve a similar function. And even if I miraculously managed to find him, even in his wounded state, Weed would pose a deadly threat to me."
After all, the main danger doesn't come directly from him, but from the entity-system backing him. Unlike him, it hasn't been harmed at all. Meeting him now would carry a high chance of me sharing the fate of the Earth Devourer Serpent and the wolf pack leader, who died mysteriously and instantaneously, without any visible wounds on their bodies.
Hmm, thinking about it, I recall reading something similar in the imperial library. If I remember correctly, some techniques available only to cultivators beyond the Core Formation stage have similar effects. These techniques don’t attack using Qi but rather use the power of the soul. Defending against such attacks without reaching the Nascent Soul stage is incredibly difficult. It's no wonder the wolf leader and even the Earth Devourer Serpent couldn't withstand this force and died ingloriously.
Weed, considering his cultivation, couldn't have used something like this on his own. This means that he can now undoubtedly use, at least to some extent, the power of the entity with which he made a contract. However, I don’t think he can use this power frequently; otherwise, he would have behaved entirely differently.
Could the crown protect me from such an attack? Probably to some extent, though it depends on the strength of the attack. Given that the Serpent, almost at the Core Formation stage, couldn’t resist it for even a second, relying solely on the treasure's protection in such a situation would be very unwise…
But I'm thinking again about things that aren't immediately necessary. Right now, it's much more important to decide what to do next. Should I try to hide so that the vengeful Weed won't find and retaliate against me in the future?
No, that option isn't suitable. I need to stay in the sect; only here do I have a chance to surpass the Soul Transformation stage, which neither my father nor many ancestors before him could overcome.
If I flee and hide in some hole, I'll never be able to realize any of my plans. I won’t be able to avenge anyone, and I won't achieve immortality in this life, dying in a few thousand miserable years. I don't want such a fate.
Therefore, if I want to follow my desires, I have no choice. I must stay in the sect and continue "training." At least until I obtain all twelve levels of the Mythical Blood cultivation method and all possible benefits the sect can provide.
Moreover, I probably have time. Weed is unlikely to return to the sect anytime soon because, as he said, if the sect notices his incredible, or rather monstrous progress, his life could be in danger depending on the leadership's decisions. He won't take such a risk and won’t hand his life over to others so easily. To return relatively safely and guarantee he can retaliate against me, he will need to reach at least the Nascent Soul stage, which can`t be quickly achieved.
The sect might perceive his disappearance in various ways: Weed could be considered missing, kidnapped by unknown forces, or simply a traitor who decided to escape and reveal the sect’s secrets to outsiders… And the sect’s interpretation will largely depend on my words. On what and how I, a disciple of an influential elder whose voice is valued, tell about the events preceding his disappearance. And I can say almost anything since no one saw our fight and Weed’s disappearance because it all happened deep in the forest. And importantly, due to my "Oberin disguise," the sect won’t be able to tell I'm lying, neither through artifacts nor specialized techniques.
Of course, it’s best to tell a story that paints Weed in the worst light. For example, I could say that during the mission to capture the fox, he ambushed and attacked me without any provocation, trying to kill me for unknown reasons.
I should also mention that he was incredibly strong, somehow hiding his cultivation, and used unknown techniques and marionette artifacts. And explain that I only survived because the wolves attacked us unexpectedly, separating us, and I managed to escape in the chaos of the battle.
Overall, I like this version; the details can be refined on the way back. If everything goes smoothly and my words are believed, the sect will send a liquidation team after Weed, consisting of the House of Law enforcers, and perhaps they might even get lucky and manage to kill him.
Now I need to get rid of the Serpent's corpse, to avoid any dangerous questions from sect members who will likely find this place while searching for Weed. Doing it manually would take too much time, as the Serpent's body wouldn't fit into this small ring. Even if I could do it, there would still be traces, like blood soaked into the ground, indicating that an Earth Devourer Serpent has perished here. This would be enough for any Foundation Establishment stage disciples sent after Weed with at least some intelligence to draw conclusions I don't need.
"So I'll need your help, Aina."
Rand immediately felt a wave of joy from Aina, the soul of his crown-treasure. She was overwhelmed with happiness that she could be useful to him. Sensing her agreement, Rand requested:
"Great, please dispose of the Serpent's remains. Eliminate not just the corpse, but also the blood and other fluids soaked into the ground, as well as any traces of its presence, including the hole through which it emerged. You don't need to rush or expend too much energy."
After Rand finished speaking, the crown on his head emitted black smoke, which enveloped the Earth Devourer Serpent's remains and a large chunk of the surrounding ground. Flesh, blood, soil, and everything else began to dissolve, and within minutes, nothing remained of the mighty beast at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. And in the place where it lay until recently, a rather deep hole appeared.
With the Serpent's corpse gone, Rand placed the wooden mole sculpture he had retrieved from the Serpent into his ring, then did the same with one of the human marionette sculptures.
Finished with his tasks, Rand set aside his lingering thoughts about Weed and considered his next move:
"Perhaps there's nothing more to do here, so I can head back to the village. Let's see if my suspicions about the reason for such a low number of wolves responding to the potion’s call are correct."
