Chapter 89: Not a Fan Of Demonic Techniques

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Not a Fan Of Demonic Techniques

Xavier glanced at the headless corpse, then let out a quiet breath.

"So this is what a peak Spirit Platform Realm martial artist amounts to?" he murmured. "Perhaps I’ve been giving people at this level too much credit."

Despite his casual remark, Xavier knew better than to dismiss the result entirely.

He had prepared carefully, and everything had gone according to plan. He had been watching from concealment while Selene completed the exchange with the black robed priest of the Dolly Bridle Evil Faction.

Rather than interfere immediately and risk being surrounded by the cult’s members, he had waited until the priest and his people departed.

Only then had he followed Selene and chosen his moment to strike.

Before launching his attack, Xavier had swallowed a Bloodrage Pill and rolled his Six-Sided Destiny Die one final time. The result was three.

His base strength had increased by thirty percent. With the boost in place, he had attacked using two powerful techniques simultaneously.

His left hand unleashed the Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger, while his right wielded the Wind and Thunder Sword Intent.

The result had been devastating. Selene had not even managed to launch a counterattack before losing her life.

Even Xavier, who had considerable confidence in his abilities, could not help feeling impressed by the outcome. He had grown stronger than he realized.

After collecting his thoughts, Xavier turned toward Helena. She was still staring at Selene’s corpse, her eyes wide and her expression vacant. The rapid succession of events had left her unable to process what she had just witnessed.

Xavier understood why she had tried to kill herself. He had overheard Selene’s explanation and realized that Helena had been prepared to sacrifice her own life rather than allow her enemies to use her against Mira.

It was a desperate decision, but one that spoke volumes about her love for her daughter.

Was this what a mother’s love looked like?

Xavier approached her.

"Don’t let that woman’s words trouble you," he said.

"I’m a friend of your daughter’s." He paused before adding, "Mira is safe. She’s been thinking about you, and she’s eager to see you again."

He deliberately kept his identity hidden. There was no need to tell Helena everything just yet. If she learned the truth about who he was, then Mira would inevitably find out.

And Xavier was not ready for that. His priority was to continue strengthening himself without attracting unnecessary attention.

He had made remarkable progress in a short period, and the more people learned about his abilities, the more complications he would have to deal with.

As the saying went, the tallest tree in the forest was often the first to be cut down by the wind.

Until he reached the Star Sea Realm, he did not consider himself sufficiently secure to reveal too much about his strength.

Only after crossing that threshold would he have a firmer foundation for protecting himself in the southern provinces. For now, discretion was the wiser choice.

"Your daughter is doing well," he reassured Helena.

"I’m a friend of her husband. For your own safety, though, don’t tell anyone about our connection."

Helena slowly lifted her head. It took several moments for his words to sink in. When they finally did, her expression crumpled with relief.

"Thank you! Thank you for saving me!" she said, her voice trembling with gratitude.

Then she looked at the unfamiliar man standing before her and hurriedly added, "You’ve done me such a great favor, young man. How can I ever repay you?"

Xavier nearly choked. Young man? She was his mother in law, yet she was addressing him as though he were a stranger who had come to her rescue!

Of course, the face he was currently wearing made him look older than his actual age.

Even so, the thought of allowing her to address him according to their real relationship was out of the question.

He quickly waved his hand.

"There’s no need for all that. Just call me Graham Cole," he said.

"Graham... Cole?" Helena repeated the name hesitantly.

Now that the immediate danger had passed, a flood of questions filled her mind.

She had been away from Valemont for only a relatively short time, yet so much seemed to have changed. First, Mira had awakened the Frost Phoenix Bloodline.

That alone was astonishing news. But when had her daughter gotten married? Who was Mira’s husband, and what kind of person could he be to have a friend capable of killing a peak Spirit Platform Realm martial artist in a single exchange?

Could Mira’s husband be the heir of a powerful family, perhaps one whose influence rivaled that of the Lindsays?

Helena wanted answers, but she knew better than to bombard the man who had just saved her life with questions.

Xavier seemed to notice her uncertainty.

"Take this first," he said, producing a pill from his spatial ring.

"It will help you recover from your injuries. We can discuss everything else after you’ve regained some strength."

With that, he drew his sword and severed the ropes binding her.

Helena nearly stumbled as the restraints fell away. Her condition was worse than Xavier had initially realized.

Although she had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, her face was deathly pale, and even standing upright seemed to require considerable effort. She was clearly suffering from severe exhaustion and lingering injuries.

When Xavier placed the pill in her hand, she stared at it in disbelief.

"A 4th-Grade Prosperity Pill?" she breathed, her eyes widening. "Sir, I can’t accept something this valuable!"

As a Foundation Establishment Realm martial artist, Helena was accustomed to using 2nd-Grade elixirs.

3rd-Grade ones were already considered precious resources, and she rarely used them unless absolutely necessary.

4th-Grade elixirs were on an entirely different level. They were usually found in the collections of wealthy families or displayed in high end shops at prices beyond the reach of ordinary martial artists.

Even those who could afford such elixirs often hesitated to consume them.

Yet Xavier had handed one to her as casually as if it were an ordinary healing remedy.

"Don’t worry about it," he replied with a relaxed smile.

"It’s only a 4th-Grade Prosperity Pill. Once you see your daughter, you’ll understand that things like this aren’t particularly rare. Take it and focus on recovering."

He did not give her an opportunity to argue further. Instead, his attention shifted to Selene’s corpse. More precisely, he was looking at the spatial ring on the dead woman’s right hand.

Xavier’s eyes brightened. Now this was something worth checking.

Selene had been the deputy sect leader of the Bloodshadow Cult, and her cultivation had reached the peak of the Spirit Platform Realm. Someone in her position was bound to possess valuable resources.

Xavier rubbed his hands together in anticipation, stepped over to the corpse, and removed the ring.

"Let’s see what you’ve been keeping in there," he said.

With that, he began inspecting his latest spoils.

"What a penniless wench. There’s nothing here."

Xavier hissed as he stared into Selene’s spatial ring, his expression growing increasingly sour as he examined its contents.

He had expected the deputy sect leader of the Bloodshadow Cult to possess a substantial collection of treasures.

Instead, the woman had left behind a rather disappointing assortment of belongings.

There were just over twenty elixirs, a collection of keys, three spirit stones, several unidentified monster carcasses, and a martial arts manual. That was it.

Of course, Xavier understood that most martial artists would have considered such a haul a tremendous windfall.

Every elixir in the collection was at least 3rd-Grade, and two had even reached the 5th-Grade. Of the three spirit stones, one was low grade while the other two were mid grade.

Any ordinary Spirit Platform Realm martial artist would have been delighted to acquire such resources.

Unfortunately, Xavier was hardly an ordinary martial artist.

After receiving numerous system rewards over the past few days, he had accumulated more high grade elixirs and spirit stones than he could reasonably use. Adding a few more to his collection made little difference.

He quickly dismissed the keys as well. Without knowing which locks they belonged to, there was no point wasting time on them.

As for the monster carcasses, he had no interest in carrying them around. He certainly was not short of food, and he was not about to risk handling unknown creatures that might contain something poisonous.

That left the martial arts manual. Xavier picked it up and examined its cover.

Devouring Demon Art. 6th-Grade martial arts manual. Complete edition.

His eyebrows rose slightly. Now this was something worth a second look.

The Devouring Demon Art was apparently the very technique Selene had intended to cultivate. It allowed its practitioner to consume the bodies of powerful martial artists and absorb their strength, making it a particularly dangerous method of advancement.

Nevertheless, Xavier quickly lost interest.

"Shame it’s a demonic technique," he muttered, tossing the manual back into the spatial ring. "I have plenty of ways to improve my strength without resorting to something like this."

If he really wanted to become stronger, he could simply devote more time to cultivating the Star Tempering Body Technique. That was a 7th-Grade martial skill, after all.

Although the version he possessed was incomplete, it was already more than sufficient for his current needs.

There was no reason to risk the consequences of cultivating an evil technique when he had a better option available.