Death... and me

Rean then brought the chick together with him to back where Elder Droman was. Since elder Reliance was going to pay a visit to Droman later, it was better to be there with his master when that happened. Of course, Rean didn't forget Elder Javiu. The poor man ended like that partially because of him, after all.

'Life Style, Second Form, Instant Recovery!'

Rean quickly healed Elder Javiu up, and only then he left. Javiu, of course, was shocked by the healing power of Rean's skill. Too bad that Rean didn't wait to hear more questions about it, though.

Back at the Formations Master Hall, Droman was already waiting for Rean with several books and materials. He wanted to start Rean in the Formations Path before he had to leave to do something else. He only had a few days to do that since he had to work on the Router Formation and supervise the Communication Network System.

"Alright, let's start."

Meanwhile, at the Sect Master's place, Bob Ma- cough, cough... Elder Reliance had just arrived.

"Well, you called me back with quite some urgency. What is it that you need, Mia?"

Elder Reliance was a very rare exception in the Sect. Very few had the right and courage to use Mia's name. Usually, everyone simply used Sect Master. Well, it was not that he was special, but that he never cared about honorifics to start with. Not to mention that Mia was indeed younger than him.

"Sorry for interrupting your travel, Reliance. It's just I need you to go check the Profound Abyss for me."

Reliance narrowed his eyes.

"The Profound Abyss? Why would you want me to go there? That thing only opens every 100 years."

Mia nodded.

"I know. However, it is only valid for those who come from outside. I want you to use your Obscure Spider to get some Decaying Roots to use against the Decaying Fog."

One of Reliance's browns lifted after hearing that.

"You have always been a smart brat. So you knew that I was successful in taming one of the Demon Beasts inside. And here was I thinking that I was secretive enough."

The fact was that the Demon Beasts from the Profound Abyss are mostly berserk. It is easier said than done to say that you want to tame one of them. Not to mention that the Profound Abyss has a cultivation's restriction of at most Peak of the Core Formation Realm. Anyone above that will be stopped by the special barrier set up by the Imperial Family Experts.

The only exception was the Demon Beasts that lived there. However, they were almost always in a constant berserk state. Not to mention they rarely ever came out of the abyss. Elder Reliance had to camp nearby for over ten years to finally tame one of them.

The abyss was a place changed into a training ground for the geniuses of the empire. It opened for two whole weeks before closing again. However, that wasn't all. At the most profound parts, it was possible to find a set of caves from where the Decaying Fog came out. Yet, that was also the place where the participants had to aim for.

Decaying Fog was very detrimental to one's body. A Spiritual Energy barrier could help to resist it, but not totally. Also, the deeper you went, the more intense the fog became. Naturally, fending off the Decaying Fog made it even harder. Let alone when you entered the source of it.

That being said, it seemed a crazy idea to enter the caves where most of it came out. However, at the end of those caves, one could find the Vermilion Pools. They were very effective for one's meridians. The more you could absorb, the stronger your meridians would become. 

That's why those Sect Masters said that the geniuses who entered it would most likely become Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the future. Their capability to absorb Spiritual Energy would get much better than the others. It was as if one's talent suddenly increased for the rest of one's life. As one can imagine, all the sects wanted to have their own geniuses to enter it.

"Anyway, why would you want me to get Decaying Roots?"

"That's because I believe the surge will come at the same time as the Profound Abyss opening. I want to be ready in case that happens."

Reliance finally understood the situation.

The surge was an event that happened in the Profound Abyss. No one really knew why it occurred, though. During the surge, the Decaying Fog in the abyss would increase several times. The problem was that it happened quite randomly. It might happen again in a month, a year, or even after ten years. There was almost no pattern to it. However, 'almost' didn't mean 'none.'

One of the things they knew about the surge was that it never took more than ten years to happen. That was the limit. Also, the longer it took to come out, the stronger it would be. 

"I see... How long has it been since the last surge?"

"Eight and a half years."

Reliance then pondered a bit before saying.

"The abyss is opening in a year. If the surge doesn't come out before that, there is a good chance that it can happen while the participants are inside. No wonder you want me to get Decaying Roots. With my Obscure Spider, I should be able to grab some from inside. However, what can you give me in exchange?"

Mia then took out a bad and threw it at Reliance. However, after the guy checked the contents, he threw it back at Mia.

"Oh! I didn't expect you to pay this much for the Roots. It seems like you are quite confident in the geniuses you are sending inside. However, I want something else this time."

"Something else?"

Reliance nodded.

"On the way here, I saw a brat called Rean. He was holding quite an interesting bird in his arms. I want that."

Mia wasn't expecting such a request. First of all, she didn't even know what Reliance was talking about. In the end, she had to call someone to make a quick investigation to finally understand what Reliance was asking from her.

"Why would you want his Demon Beast? Can't you simply go out and tame one for yourself?"

Reliance laughed after hearing that.

"If I could get something like that by going out, I would have done a long time ago. Too bad, though. If information about that thing were to spread out, it wouldn't be the time for a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator like me to take it. If the bird was an adult, then there was nothing to be done. But a hatchling? I wouldn't be surprised if Saint Realm experts flocked our Sect demanding us to hand it over. No, perhaps even they would need to think twice. After all, the monsters above the Saint Realm might stop by for it too."

Mia couldn't help but sweat coldly. Fortunately, there was only her and Reliance in that room at the moment. Otherwise, she might have to kill someone to keep those words secret.

"What is that thing? Also, how do you know about it?"

Reliance shrugged his shoulders before saying.

"I would rather not say what it is. Fortunately, it has suffered some kind of mutation, so there shouldn't be more than ten or so people in the entire empire who can tell you its identity. It is better to keep it like this."

"As for how I know about it, that's because that demon beast was the reason I became a Beast Tamer Cultivator. Well, this has something to do with a childhood event from way before I became what I am today. In a certain way, you can say it was fate too."

Mia couldn't help but ask.

"Then, why did you come here to ask me? You could have taken it by force, and there is nothing he could have done about it."

Reliance shook his head.

"I hate lying or take advantage of the situation. You were not wrong, though. If it was anyone else, they would have kept this knowledge a secret and stole the brat's bird without anyone noticing. Too bad, though. It would be a waste of time since the bird had already recognized Rean as its master. Even if he dies, the bird will never obey anyone else."

That answer made Mia even more puzzled.

"If it is impossible to take it from him, why are you asking for it?"

It was then that Reliance laughed out loud.

"Hahahahaha! Isn't that obvious? Since I can't take the bird away from him anymore, I just need to take the whole pack altogether. That being said, I want that kid too."

Meanwhile, in the Formation Masters Hall, Rean felt a chill on his back.

'How come it became so cold all of a sudden?'