Chapter 579: Silhouette

Despite the rare privacy, Rachel didn’t display any unusual behavior, albeit that was to be expected.

The Aetacia region was vast, but both Liam and Rachel had rank 3 weapons that allowed flight, greatly increasing their speed.

However, even Liam’s incredible body hadn’t saved him from the pressure that speed caused when he was a rooting expert. Rachel’s spear seemed to have functions to ease that issue, but she still had to pour her full attention into maneuvering it.

With Liam smoking nonstop, he also had a shield that kept others away, ultimately leading to a silent trip.

By the end of the second week of travel, the sand started to recede, replaced by barren soil and rocks. Rocky structures even appeared everywhere, together with something far more dreadful.

Liam couldn’t ignore it even if he tried. On the surface, death seemed to reign, but the area had far more than met the eye.

The air was thick with Qi, its density having risen sharply, and even more of it shone underground, suggesting the presence of the precious resources the southern region was famous for.

Life was also abundant underground, and it wasn’t weak. Liam felt it as clear as day. Monsters were hiding from the scorching heat, their nests acting as personal domains.

Then, Liam saw a sort of halo in the distance, a transparent curtain that was undoubtedly real and enveloped the world, making his hair stand on end.

Reaching the branching stage didn’t change that instinctive reaction. Liam was outclassed down to his very being, so his brain triggered fear. That was the only possible response before an overlord.

’There are actually two of them,’ Liam gasped internally, his expression going feral on its own when he noticed the second transparent curtain farther east.

Places earned the name of forbidden zones for a variety of reasons, but danger was their unifying factor. The why didn’t matter. Any overwhelmingly deadly area would obtain such a title.

In that forbidden zone’s case, the danger came in the shape of two overlords, level four magical beasts. Given what Liam had seen from leafing experts, those monsters were no different than walking catastrophes.

’And this is just the third Outer Circle,’ Liam thought. ’Will such creatures be nothing more than fodder deeper into the Kingdom?’

The future looked grim, but that was actually an improvement from what had once seemed completely impossible. Liam could see the path ahead. It was the reason why he had come to that forbidden zone in the first place.

Rachel lacked Liam’s superhuman senses, but she had also reacted to the arrival in the hostile area, showing rare wariness, even slowing her advance.

Yet, surprise arrived when Liam stopped following Rachel, starting to lead the way. The sun had begun to set by the time he came to a halt entirely, storing the pipe as he inspected the ground below.

"Big Brother," Rachel called, taking the pipe’s disappearance as her cue. "We should take shelter. Dawn and sunset have the highest magical beast activity. Little Sister can lead you to the closest mine tomorrow."

Liam kept looking down, but Rachel’s words did resonate with some of his thoughts.

The forbidden zone to the north allowed Liam to handle multiple goals at once. He could search for the Yellow Bush for Caspar’s Heavenly Blossom, plunder precious minerals for his commissions, and hunt magical beasts to refill his stashes of poisonous ingredients.

Yet, there were secondary objectives Liam could clear depending on how he approached the trip. He also had to spend some time experimenting since his solution to the Heavenly Blossom’s missing key ingredient wasn’t exactly orthodox or certain.

"You should rest," Liam responded, lifting his gaze at Rachel. "And don’t worry. I’ll bring you to safety at the first sign of the level four creatures moving."

Cultivators were resilient, but two weeks of nonstop flight while maneuvering a rank 3 weapon would be tough on any rooting expert. Rachel was putting on a strong front, but Liam was an expert in running himself ragged, and he could see right through her facade.

Rachel was clearly exhausted and scared. That wasn’t a place a rooting expert like her should ever visit, not with the intention of sticking around, at least.

Still, something else had accompanied Liam’s words, an insidious power that stunned Rachel for a second. His genuine, innocent care was a weapon even the sturdiest hearts had no protection against.

"Big Brother," Rachel pouted, diverting her gaze while playing with her braids. "Has anyone told you to watch what you say?"

"Actually, yes," Liam replied absentmindedly, delivering another attack without him realizing a thing.

Rachel’s gaze snapped back to Liam almost instinctively at the sight of his bare torso. For some reason, he had undressed, even summoning his huge sword.

"Was Big Brother doing it on purpose?" Rachel wondered, her cheeky smile returning. "Little Sister is already swooned-"

"Keep your distance," Liam ordered, his gaze going back to the ground. "This might get messy."

The serious tone forced Rachel to follow Liam’s gaze. He was inspecting an inconspicuous patch of sand in the mostly rocky surface. She didn’t feel anything, but Liam had to have his reasons, so she brought one of her bracelets to her eyes.

The world through the bracelet changed color. Rachel saw the actual Qi floating in the area, as well as the huge silhouette under the patch of sand. It was concealing itself, even suppressing its presence, but its energy revealed its level.

Hunts had rules Liam had mastered long ago, but he would break them all now. That was necessary to clear one of the trip’s secondary objectives, as well as the most important one for his cultivation journey.

Liam stored the fan and let himself fall. He landed on the rocky surface, but a few steps brought his feet into the sand.

After an additional step, the sand erupted, and a yellow shape flew at Liam. It was so fast that Lightning Step might fail to keep up with it, but he didn’t even try to dodge it.

’Now we are talking,’ Liam couldn’t help but cheer alongside his core when the shape’s sharp tip pierced his right shoulder.