Chapter 1884: A Chance

Kent allowed his mind to wander a little, recalling some events that had transpired in the past, most especially during his incarnation as the Bone Lich Undead Emperor.

Back when he and the Undead Monarch were in conflict, Sanders had actually sensed, on multiple occasions, an insidious presence working behind the scenes to influence events.

Most of the time, he felt as though the Undead Monarch was being influenced by them. Of course, he had no idea who or what was at work, but he knew for a fact that somewhere deep within the Undead Realm, something very rotten was slowly corrupting them.

Today, he seemed to have received confirmation of that. Though there was a question he had to ask...

Kent turned and looked at Athena. "You discovered the corruption, right? How did you manage that?"

Athena smiled and answered, "I have a natural affinity for nature."

Kent furrowed his brow, clearly not expecting to hear such an absurd statement from an undead. Nature energy wasn’t something undead beings with an affinity for Necrotic Qi were expected to possess.

In fact, access to Divine Essence, which comes from natural essence, wasn’t something undead beings were supposed to have an affinity for.

But Athena seemed to possess an affinity for it, and that was just mind-blowing.

Dominique smiled, seeing how shocked Kent had become after learning that Athena had an affinity for natural essence.

"Athena is a unique kind of undead. In fact, she doesn’t even have an affinity for Necrotic Qi like most of us. It baffles me sometimes how she even lives as an undead when the natural energy that sustains us isn’t something she possesses."

"That is indeed strange, but in a way, also great. At least with someone like her by your side, I wouldn’t have to worry about the corruption getting to you."

"She said the exact same thing to me." Dominique looked at Athena and smiled. "To be frank, she has been a blessing ever since she was summoned by me. Sometimes, I think she was a gift sent to be with me."

Athena smiled sweetly, her beauty further amplified.

Kent just nodded and asked, "Can you explain to me what you sensed..." Kent paused and turned into the distance, meeting Dia’s gaze. No words were exchanged, but the next second, Dia teleported and appeared beside him.

"You can speak now. Dia here is an expert when it comes to corruption."

Athena nodded and narrowed her eyes at Dia, perhaps because she could sense some form of power that went directly against her nature.

She didn’t react negatively, though, since she knew Dia was with Kent, and Dominique had a good relationship with Kent.

Saying or doing anything against her would provoke Kent’s wrath, and from what she knew of Kent, she had no plans to provoke him.

"I first sensed it when I travelled to one of the Undead Graves. Hidden somewhere deep within, there is a presence far more dreadful than any of the horrors living there.

This presence, from what I sensed, possessed some kind of power that, even by merely sensing it, tried to corrupt my soul. Luckily for me, I am not easily corrupted, so I managed to resist. However, the millions of beings living there aren’t like me.

Hidden within their souls, from what I could sense, were seeds of corruption that would one day bloom, and when that day comes, I am sure the Undead Realm will feel the wrath of that corruption."

Kent didn’t say much and instead closed his eyes and snapped his fingers, summoning a golden-red eye. The moment the Eye of Chaos appeared, Athena felt her mind clear and her senses open.

"Now, I want you to imagine what happened when you tried to sense the corruption back then."

Athena nodded despite having so many questions she wanted to ask first. She took a deep breath. Then, reaching into her memories, she began to recall the moment she sensed the seed of corruption, or perhaps the true corruption.

The moment she began, the space around them shifted, and a freezing atmosphere enveloped everyone. The feeling soon deepened when, out of nowhere, a howl came from in front of Athena.

The howl caused everyone inside the tower to pause their actions and turn to look at a monkey-like silhouette made of smoke. The moment the construct appeared, Kent formed a hand seal, and at once, a cage appeared around the shadow monkey.

"Dia, manifest it as a heart demon and send it into my soul."

Dia nodded and, without any hesitation, walked closer and grabbed the monkey by the neck. The monkey tried to resist, but before it could, she gave it a hard squeeze, and it exploded into a cloud of smoke that drifted into the air behind Kent.

The Eye of Chaos closed, and the coldness in the air also vanished.

"I will be right back."

Kent closed his eyes, and the next second, he was inside his Soul Sea.

Hades and Lady Kenzie stood before a pale, shadowy man with the features of a monkey.

"What’s this thing, Lord Chaos?" Hades asked, looking a bit disgusted by the presence of this being inside Kent’s soul.

"It is a manifestation of corruption I was hoping to study and, if possible, track its origin," Kent answered while getting a better look at the shadowy figure.

"It is horrible to look at," Lady Kenzie complained, and Kent just smiled. He knew she would hate it because corruption and life are enemies.

So, as someone who represents life, even if she wanted to, she would feel disgusted by the presence of this shadowy figure.

"Relax, guys. I just want to test something. Once I am done, I will put it down."

They nodded and stepped back for Kent to work. The earlier he got this thing out of his soul, the better for them.

Kent examined the shadowy figure for a few seconds. Then he stopped before it and asked, "You are in the presence of the Primordial Chaos Dragon. State your name and purpose."

The shadowy figure said nothing, not even flinching.

Kent didn’t mind the lack of reaction.

He even smiled.

Then he walked closer and pressed his finger against the shadowy figure’s forehead.

"Soul Search."

Kent invoked a soul technique, and at once, his face paled...