Chapter 589: Leaving the Riftlands

Maximilian’s words caused an immediate reaction from Vyomendra, his eyes widening. The dragon already knew that he was about to ambush him. Vyomendra had two choices now: either attack him right now or listen to what he was actually plotting.

"As you say, my Lord," he replied, choosing the second option.

"A wise choice," Maximilian nodded. His eyes scanned the battlefield as he asked, "Could you tell me what exactly occurred here and how the Goddess Gumiho suffered such injuries?"

Vyomendra and Vyaghra exchanged glances, wondering how much they should reveal to him.

With a brief sigh, Vyomendra explained how Gumiho had been captured and tortured for years by the Ancestor of the Fox Clan and the whole reason for the war. He deliberately left out the information about Gumiho’s reincarnation from their ancient scriptures.

Maximilian couldn’t help but feel pity for the poor girl as he looked at Gumiho. Just from the terrible scars across her body, he could tell that she had suffered torture worse than death. And if that wasn’t enough, the only anchor that had kept her alive, the hope of reuniting with her parents, had been nothing more than a fleeting moment. Before they could even have a proper reunion, her parents had sacrificed their lives to protect her.

Truly a tragic fate.

Thankfully, for some reason, the other dragons hadn’t noticed her cries. If they had sensed her, she would have either died or been taken as a slave by them.

From his storage pouch, Maximilian took out a dozen jade bottles.

"Once Gumiho wakes up, feed her these Soul Cleansing Pills and Myriad Life Pills from the six bottles," he said, pushing the bottles toward the duo through the air. "You may keep the other six for yourself."

"S-Soul Cleansing Pills that can consolidate the cultivation base after a breakthrough and Myriad Life Pills that can heal all mortal wounds?" Vyomendra gasped, recognizing the precious pills. Even the Tiger Clan, one of the major beast clans, only possessed one or two such pills, yet this dragon gave them away as casually as if he were handing out candies in the market.

"My Lord, they are too precious," he said, shaking his head. "I’m afraid that we cannot accept such treasures."

"Just think of it as my token of friendship," Maximilian replied, waving his hand. The wings at his back expanded as he moved into the air. "I shall take my leave now. Oh, and one more thing. Tell her that she should keep her divinity hidden from the dragons until she grows strong enough to protect herself. Till we meet again."

He gave them a salute before vanishing into the portal just as he had come.

"Father, could you tell me who exactly was that person?" Vyaghra asked, confusion clear on his face.

"Y-you should be glad that he was a bit different from the others," Vyomendra muttered, releasing a sigh of relief. "Or the entire Tiger Clan might have been wiped out today."

"Y-you mean..."

"He was a dragon, a being of the Upper Realm and a member of the race that rules over Vyoman," Vyomendra revealed.

---

"I came in a hurry without informing Wukong of anything," Maximilian murmured as he settled on a nearby peak and took a few pills to regain the Soulforce he had lost from the relentless teleportation. "I will come back after leaving a message with Vivi. For some reason, I feel connected to Gumiho. I need to observe her further."

It took him eight hours to restore his Soulforce and another five hours to return to the spaceship. Since he wasn’t in a hurry to return, he avoided using Celestial Soulforce to open the portals for most of his journey.

Naturally, the moment he returned, he was bombarded with questions by Wukong.

Maximilian only gave him a vague explanation, saying that he had discovered some unusual phenomenon and gone to investigate it.

"Even when Vivi reaches the Celestial Realm, she will not be able to escape from here without my help," Maximilian muttered to himself. "I can leave a message in the Control Room, asking her to send me a talisman once she comes out of her cultivation, but the talismans won’t be able to reach all the way to the Lower Realm. Or I can check on her once every six months, but the back-and-forth travel from the Riftlands will consume a lot of my lifespan."

His voice grew louder in frustration as he continued, "I don’t wish to make her feel that I left her alone when she comes out. Isn’t there a method that could inform me when she is about to reach the Celestial Realm?"

AINOS has a method for long-distance communication.

The AI’s mechanical voice echoed as the translucent display materialized before his face.

"You do?" Maximilian demanded, grabbing the display with both hands. "Tell me!"

From the floor beneath, a platform emerged. Atop it, a hand-sized badge was placed, bearing the face of a dragon.

This badge is connected to Cultivation Room B. Once the Vice-Master reaches the final stage of her breakthrough, this badge will start glowing.

"Will it be affected by the distance?" Maximilian asked as he picked up the badge.

As long as it remains within a radius of five hundred thousand kilometers, it will work.

"Incredible!" Maximilian exclaimed, his face brightening. "This is exactly what I needed."

"Brother Max, could you tell me what exactly is going on?" Wukong asked, having watched him act strangely from the side. "Are you going to leave again?"

"Hm," Maximilian nodded, turning to him.

Wukong’s brows furrowed at his answer. He had only parted his lips to say something when Maximilian continued, "Would you like to see the world outside?"

"H-huh?" Wukong tilted his head, his brows rising in confusion. "The Death Demons cannot leave the Riftlands."

"Ordinary ones cannot," Maximilian corrected him. "As for you, who have gained enlightenment, you can leave these lands without having your body disintegrated into nothingness."

"I-if that is true, I would really like to leave this place," Wukong replied, his black eyes brightening with excitement. "I always wanted to see the world that you and Sister-in-law told me stories about."

"That’s what I wanted to hear. Prepare yourself," Maximilian ordered as he covered Wukong’s body in his Death Lightning.

"R-right now?" Wukong asked, a bit flustered.

"Better now than later."

He turned to AINOS and continued, "Put maximum priority on the safety of the Vice-Master."

Command received.

Maximilian grabbed Wukong by the back of his collar and moved outside the Control Room through the opening at the front.