Death... and me

Suddenly, Droman released his Spiritual Energy, sealing the entire room from the outside. Ramon, obviously, couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw that.

"Droman! What are you trying to do?!"

Ramon didn't try to break out since he knew the difference between Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation Realm experts. It would be a waste of energy and time to try to do so. Of course, he was prepared to go all out if Droman really decided to attack him in this place. It's not like he would simply wait for his death.

"What do you think? Now that it reached this point, I can't simply let you go, you know?"

However, just as Droman was about to attack, Rean held him back.

"Hey, hey, hey! I just saved my patient, and you want to kill him? What kind of treatment is that? Let's all sit down and talk, shall we? We can definitely reach an agreement without bloodshed."

However, Rean was more thinking about something completely different.

'Fuck you! Just a breakthrough Spirit Energy shockwave almost killed me. If those two fight here, there won't be even a trace of me remaining to tell the story. If you want to fight, wait for this grandfather to be far, far away first.'

Droman and Ramon looked at Rean and then at each other. After that, Ramon pulled the chair beside him and sat down. Seeing that, Droman calmed himself and did the same as well.

"Good, it would be shameful to have two seniors several hundred years old fighting in front of a kid like me. Now, let's start with the part about what brought you into this state. Just a moment ago, you two seemed to be quite friendly to each other. Why all this hostility all of a sudden? Is it because I healed his poison?"

Droman didn't say anything and looked at Ramon, waiting for him to tell what was happening.

Ramon knew that Droman was aware of the issue at hand, so he decided to bring out the truth too. 

"That's precisely the problem here. You should have told me beforehand that you were going to heal it. In fact, even if you had said to me that you could eliminate it, I wouldn't believe your words. Still, I would ask you to not touch it either."

Rean nodded. It seemed that it was really a problem related to that poison.

"Why would you want to keep it inside your body? From what I could see, that thing was several times more potent than the Umbral Energy in your body. Isn't it good that it is gone now?"

Ramon nodded his head and shook it right after.

"It is indeed good that the poison is gone. However, that is also a major issue. Did you hear that I'm the Empire's representative in the Jialin Country?"

Rean nodded and waited for Ramon to continue talking.

"Jialin isn't the only country to do so. All the countries in our Sasamil Empire also have their own representatives. Of course, their levels are different depending on the status of the country itself. Since Jialin is such a weak and small country, a Nascent Soul Realm representative is more than enough for it."

Ramon continued.

"Being a representative is something really good. Because of your relation to the Empire's capital, you are entitled to a lot more resources and payment than others at the same level. At least, that is so if you compare me to other Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in Jialin. Droman can confirm that too."

Droman nodded.

"He is talking the truth."

Rean already began to get a picture of what was happening here. However, he waited for Ramon to continue his explanation.

"Anyway, this is the kind of position everyone would love to take. However, there is a certain condition for anyone who takes it."

Rean couldn't help but say.

"Loyalty."

Ramon bitterly smiled as he nodded his head.

"Exactly. After all, what would the Empire turn into if its supervisors were all doing their own shady things on their backs? That would lead to a lot of problems instead. Not to mention that the Empire is providing them a lot of resources for their cultivation. Such a situation would be ridiculous."

Rean nodded.

"That's where that poison in your heart came into play. If you were caught doing something that could damage the Empire, they could use it to get rid of you."

Ramon sighed.

"Yes. Of course, there are a lot of loopholes around it. For example, if you try something that could take advantage of the Empire without anyone noticing, then you would be fine. After all, it is not like the poison can monitor you. However, that also prevents any of the representatives from trying anything overboard. In the end, they can at most do small things in the shadows."

Rean agreed with him.

"That makes sense. Once you try something against the Empire's Will for your own benefit, it has to be as secret as possible. However, such operations at the Nascent Soul Level or above would usually not only have yourself behind it. After all, considering what you already get from the Empire itself, it would be ridiculous to put your life at risk for some little benefit. For it to be worth it, it would definitely involve many people depending on the operations. That's where the issue resides. As long as one of them lets the cat out of the bag, this representative's life would be in great danger. After all, there would be no lack of cultivators who want to take his place."

Ramon was quite impressed by Rean's words. It was not something you would expect to come from a kid's mouth. Still, he quickly came back to himself.

"That's exactly it. So, even though I won't say that there aren't any of them doing shady works behind the Empire's back, the ones willing to try are few. So far, it has been an excellent system to keep all their supervisors in check. They keep an eye on the sects, royal families, guilds, etc., and report it back to the Empire Captial. That's how the Empire has been able to hold a fairly stable government over the last few thousands of years." 

"Of course, no one is forced to take the position of supervisor. However, as you said, there is no lack of cultivators who would love to do so even if they have to become an empire's dog. After all, it is better than have one's cultivation path halted. I just so happen to be one of them. It was thanks to all those resources that I reached my level of cultivation at such a young age."

Droman nodded once more. He is already 427 years old. He reached the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm at the age of 273, a lot later than Ramon. After that, he reached the peak at 315. As mentioned before, Droman stayed in the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm for over a hundred years before entering the Soul Transformation Realm. However, Ramon would definitely reach the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm way before 300. This is all thanks to the resources provided by the Empire to him.

"Now, here's the problem. As far as I know, only cultivators above the Saint Realm should be able to remove that poison from my heart. Did you see that it had a seal around it?"

Rean nodded. When he was attacking that poison, that seal resisted for a long time. However, he thought that the one who put it there was Ramon himself to prevent the poison from spreading. It was thanks to Roan's Dark Element's corrosion effect that he eventually broke through it.

"So, that seal was not yours, but the Empire's one that was used to keep the poison at bay. If they desired, they could lift it and let it spread into your body. If that happened, you would be dead for sure."

Ramon nodded once more.

"Exactly. Now, the seal and the poison are gone. As mentioned before, only those above the Saint Realm were supposed to be able to do so. Of course, I heard that the Empire also has a pill that can heal it in case the representative wants to retire from his position or some other circumstances. However, the concoction process is a secret that no one other than the Imperial Family knows about. Also, the one who wants to retire from the position will have to pay a high price for it."

"Still, here you are, a Foundation Establishment Kid who can get rid of the poison without leaving a single trace behind. Do you have any idea how big it is? The fact that you can heal Umbral Energy is nothing compared to it."

Rean sighed in the end.

"I try to help others, and that's what I get. What kind of shit luck is that?"

Rean then looked at Droman and Ramon.

"So, Elder Droman was trying to get rid of you before you could tell anyone about it, right?"

Droman and Ramon nodded.

"I can understand your thoughts, Elder Droman. However, I can't agree with it. It is not like it was his fault."

Still, Rean couldn't help but think.

'If it was Roan, he would definitely not stop Droman.'

Droman then told Rean.

"Then, what do you suggest? Do you plan to let him leave? This thing wouldn't only affect you, but the entire sect, you know? Don't worry, as a Soul Transformation Realm, I can take the blame for killing him without being killed as punishment."

Ramon began to sweat cold after hearing that. In the end, it was all in the hands of the white-haired boy.