Chapter 287: Prey

"Hey! Take your fight somewhere else!"

One of the six cultivators harvesting herbs stepped forward—Mana Heart Rank 6, Early Tier 4 physique. His face was red with anger. Behind him, two more cultivators nodded vigorously.

"You’re destroying the herbs! These are irreplaceable cultivation resources!"

Gorff glanced at them. His expression was indifferent.

"I am a Draven," he said. "I will compensate you for any losses."

The cultivator who’d stepped forward opened his mouth and closed it. His eyes flickered. The Draven name carried weight. Even in the Void Realm, even among cultivators from different sectors, the Draven clan’s reputation was well known.

He stepped back.

The other five followed suit. They returned to the herb plots—harvesting quickly.

Kael smirked.

He turned back to Gorff as he immediately rushed forward.

WHOOSH.

He closed the distance in a single stride—Shadow Slayer blade sweeping upward in a diagonal arc. Gorff raised his curved blade—CLANG—and caught the strike as spark flew in the air. Their blades locked against each other.

"First Form—Falling Star."

SLASH!

Kael’s second blade came down. Gorff’s eyes widened—he wrenched his first blade free and raised both curved swords in a cross-guard. CLANG! The impact launched him backward with his feet skidding across the garden floor

Three ranks below me and he’s pushing me back?

Gorff stabilized. His eyes narrowed. Then he moved.

"Force Steps."

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Gorff’s feet shattered the stone floor with each step—force manipulation propelling him forward at explosive speed. He became a blur—whoosh—closing the ten-meter gap instantly.

Kael activated Lightning Body.

CRACKLE.

White electricity consumed his form. ZIP. He became a blur as well—matching Gorff’s speed.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Their blades met four times in a single second. The cultivators watching could barely track the exchanges—two blurs colliding, sparks erupting like fireworks. Clang-spark-clang-spark. The shockwaves from each clash ripped through the garden—whuum-whuum—scattering soil and uprooting herbs.

Gorff growled. He gathered force energy into both blades—vvvvm—condensing it along the edges until the air itself warped.

"Draven Force Art: Force Amplification."

SLASH-SLASH!

Both blades came down simultaneously—carrying tripled striking power. The force energy behind them distorted gravity itself.

Kael smirked.

Orbital Deflection.

WHUUUM.

The gravitational field around Kael rotated—micro-layer lateral distortion. The force-enhanced blades hit the field and bent—screee—their trajectories twisting sideways. Both strikes passed harmlessly past Kael’s shoulders. Afterall, this was one of the main reasons he learnt this technique after clashing with Cassius on Planet Lumethia.

Gorff’s eyes widened.

What—

Kael stepped inside Gorff’s guard. One Shadow Slayer blade thrust forward—SHHK—and pierced Gorff’s right shoulder.

HNNN—!

Gorff winced as pain lanced through his arm—his grip on his right blade weakened. Blood welled around the wound—drip—and the Shadow Slayer drank it. Blood Harvest activating and he immediately jumped back.

Kael pressed forward giving Gorff no breathing room.

Both blades infused—Slaughter Intent, soul power, darkness. The metal turned black-red-purple—three energies coiling around the Blood-Iron Alloy like serpents.

"Sky Rending Technique—Fifth Form: Starfall Cascade."

SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH!

The first strike hit Gorff’s crossed blades—CLANG—and triggered the second. The second deflected into the third—clang—which became the fourth—CLANG—each hit cascading into the next like stars falling in sequence. An interconnected constellation of blades—each strike faster and heavier than the last.

Gorff activated another treasure. A shield talisman—CRACK—materialized around him. The Starfall Cascade struck it.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-BOOM!

The barrier shattered—piece by piece—each cascade breaking through one layer before hitting the next. The final strike—sixth in the cascade—punched through the last barrier and sent Gorff flying.

WHOOSH—CRASH!

Gorff crashed across the garden. BOOM. Rubble exploded outward as dust filled the air.

The six cultivators watching froze. Their eyes were wide.

That was a Mana Heart Rank 7 Draven. And a Mana Heart Rank 4 just sent him flying.

Kael walked toward the rubble. Both blades dripped with Gorff’s blood. His expression was cold.

He reached the crater where Gorff lay. The Draven was broken—his shoulder wound gaping, his chest plate shattered, blood streaming from multiple cuts. His curved blades lay three meters away—scattered.

Kael raised both Shadow Slayers.

This ends—

Gorff’s hand shot into his storage ring. He pulled out a talisman—Rank 6, inscribed with spatial runes. Flicker.

CRACK!

Space tore open around Gorff. His body dissolved—whoosh—sucked through the spatial gate. The tear sealed behind him as he appeared three kilometers away from the pagoda.

...fizzzt.

Kael’s blades passed through empty air.

SHING.

Kael clicked his tongue.

Tsk.

His prey had escaped. A Rank 6 teleportation talisman. It seemed Gorff had been carrying it as a last resort.

He’s still in the Void Realm.

Kael sheathed his blades and stored them.

No matter. I’ll take his head before this realm closes.

Meanwhile.

Cliff Pyrebrand crawled toward his token.

His body was ruined—claw marks covering every inch of skin. His left arm hung useless. His Pyrebrand combat attire was shredded. Blood trailed behind him—drip-drip-drip—across the garden floor.

His fingers closed around the token. Click. He activated it. The extraction process began—bzzzt—a pillar of light forming around him.

Almost—

"STOP."

Rue’s voice hit him like a hammer.

Word Magic.

Cliff’s body froze—completely, absolutely. His mana circulation halted. The extraction pillar flickered—fzzzt—and died. The token couldn’t function while the user’s mana circulation was forcibly paralyzed.

Rue walked toward him slowly. Her nine tails swayed behind her and her golden eyes were cold.

"You said I was yours," Rue said quietly. "Right?."

Her foot pressed down on his back. Creak.

"Are you trying to run from me now. That’s very rude. So I’m going to teach you some manners."

Cliff’s eyes widened. He tried to speak.

CRACK.

Rue’s foot crushed his spine.

Kael walked up to Rue. She was dusting her hands—pat-pat—her expression satisfied. Behind her, what remained of Cliff Pyrebrand lay motionless on the garden floor.

"Your prey escaped," Rue said.

Kael smiled. "No worries. He’s still in the Void Realm. I plan on taking his head before this realm closes."

Kael turned toward the six remaining cultivators on the sixth floor. They stood frozen near the herb plots—harvesting tools in hand, eyes wide with fear.

They looked at Kael.

Most of them were Mana Heart Rank 5 to 7. Their body cultivations ranged from Peak Tier 3 to Early Tier 4. Against Kael—Peak Tier 4 physique with the battle prowess of a Late Mana Heart veteran—they were nothing.

They backed away.

Kael didn’t acknowledge them. He turned to the remaining intact herbs—those not destroyed by the fight—and carefully harvested them using soul power to extract the roots without damage.

Each one went into his system storage. A total of fourteen rare herbs. A substantial haul.

He turned toward the stairway to the seventh floor.

One of the six cultivators spoke up. His voice was careful and filled with respect.

"The seventh floor’s pressure is very intense." He paused. "Three of us tried. None made it past the third step."

Kael glanced at him. "What’s your body cultivation?"

"Peak Tier 3."

I guess that’s to be expected.