The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1708: Chapter 1805: Demon Beast Emerges from the Abyss

Ever since that great battle in the Extreme North Land, the Hidden Kill Hall seemed to vanish without a trace, neither reappearing nor taking any action.

In the battle at the Extreme North Land, several Longevity Realm masters from Hidden Kill Hall perished, leaving only the Green Robe Guest as the sole survivor.

Moreover, Nangong Shoujian dismantled many of Hidden Kill Hall’s secret bases across the Nine Countries, dealing a heavy blow to their strength.

Yet, both the factions of the Nine Countries and the Sky Swallowing Palace understood well that Hidden Kill Hall wouldn’t be so easily suppressed. Their temporary silence could very well be the prelude to a greater eruption.

After all, the enigmatic Hall Master of Hidden Kill Hall had yet to show themselves. No one knew exactly what kind of person the Hall Master was or how terrifyingly powerful they might be. Perhaps only by forcing the Hall Master to reveal themselves would Hidden Kill Hall truly face their moment of life or death.

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In the countryside, the grass hut remained standing, the rattan chair still there, but the person who once sat on the chair, sipping tea and basking in the sunlight, was no longer around.

A figure clad in a green robe walked through the embankments between the fields, slowly arriving beneath the grass hut.

“I’ve come to see you.” Green Robe Guest walked to the rattan chair, staring absentmindedly at the empty seat.

In the Green Robe Guest’s memories, there should have been a weathered old farmer lying in that rattan chair, who would, upon seeing him approach, snarl in his toothless way and spout not a single kind word.

But alas, that old farmer was no longer alive.

Green Robe Guest chuckled bitterly and sat in the rattan chair himself, listening to its creaking sounds as his thoughts wandered to places unknown.

“I remember back when we both had just joined the Hidden Kill Hall—you were the pitiful man abandoned by your sect, and I was the stray beggar wandering the streets. You mocked me for being scrawny, and I despised you for looking like a piece of charcoal.” Green Robe Guest murmured, his expression seeming to return to those long past years, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing his lips.

“We suffered torment in Hidden Kill Hall, almost losing our lives. You even tried to escape Hidden Kill Hall. If I hadn’t stopped you, you, the charcoal, would’ve already died long ago.”

“Later, during your first assassination mission, you failed. If I hadn’t arrived in time to kill the target for you, you wouldn’t have survived no matter the circumstances.”

“You said you didn’t want to be an assassin. Your greatest wish was to return to the countryside to farm. Back then, I laughed at you endlessly and mocked you mercilessly, but now… I find I can’t laugh anymore.”

“Farming? What’s so great about that? Day in and day out doing the same tasks, wasting your life away in these fields—it seemed utterly meaningless to me. Yet you always persisted, saying you wanted to return home and farm. And now, you actually did come back.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you because, seeing you here, you appeared to live peacefully. No scheming or betrayal, no struggles of life and death, no bloody killings—free of all that. Even I began to envy you. This kind of life, indeed, is a hundred times better than being an assassin.”

“If only I hadn’t sought you out back then, you probably would have still been living quietly here, undisturbed by anyone.”

In the midst of his self-reflections, Green Robe Guest didn’t even notice that his eyes had become misty with tears. The death of his old friend made him drown in self-reproach and left him deeply troubled.

“Old companion… in the end, you still died for me. How ironic that I realized this so late, not noticing at first that you willingly chose death—for me to keep on living. If I had known you’d do this, I would’ve punched you half to death so you couldn’t end things yourself.”

“I’ve come back to see you. For people like us, once part of Hidden Kill Hall, there’s no turning back. You’ve found your freedom, but I must continue walking this path.”

Green Robe Guest rose from the rattan chair, his expression already calm as he turned and left.

Behind Green Robe Guest, the grass hut erupted in flames. Billowing black smoke rose into the air, consuming every trace of the place, as well as Green Robe Guest’s sole tether to his memories.

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In a deep, icy gorge, the silence was absolute. No sound of any kind existed, nor were any birds or beasts seen setting foot here.

Thin streaks of visible gray mist drifted throughout this gorge, their presence enough to claim the lives of any wildlife that stumbled into this place.

Green Robe Guest arrived at the edge of the gorge, gazing at the gray mist within with a complicated expression.

“It’s still some time before the Hall Master truly awakens. More vitality must be found to hasten the Hall Master’s revival. As reluctant as I am to take this step, it’s a path that must be walked.” Green Robe Guest spoke softly as he stepped into the gorge.

The boundless gray mist did not approach Green Robe Guest but instead parted to form a road, allowing him to proceed unharmed.

Walking all the way to the deepest part of the gorge, Green Robe Guest looked up and saw Hidden Kill Hall’s concealed weapon stored here.

It was a colossal statue with a hideous, grotesque face. Ten massive arms stretched outward, and on its oversized head rested an eye so gigantic it occupied nearly the entirety of the head.

Though the statue’s form resembled a human’s, its surface was covered in countless strange markings, resembling the swarm of tiny insects crawling across its entirety. It was enough to make anyone shudder at just a single glance.

Yet, as Green Robe Guest observed the statue, his demeanor remained composed, as if he were merely looking at an ordinary sculpture.

The giant eye suddenly flickered with a glimmer of light before abruptly swiveling, its crimson gaze locking firmly onto Green Robe Guest.

“I’ve come to set you free,” Green Robe Guest said softly, placing his hand on the statue.

Buzz!

A faint sound echoed as cracks spread across the surface of the statue, as though it were about to shatter.

Beneath the cracks surged a boundless vitality. Green Robe Guest leapt backward, soaring into mid-air, looking down at the statue from above.

At this moment, the statue completely crumbled, unleashing the hideous figure sealed within. It roared ferociously, shaking heaven and earth, as its mouth spewed torrents of lethal gray mist, threatening to blanket the entire land.

“Countless lives will be lost again,” Green Robe Guest remarked coldly, his gaze tinged with complexity but devoid of regret.

Releasing the demon beast would indeed bring devastation and countless deaths, but Green Robe Guest deemed it necessary—for the sake of Hidden Kill Hall, for the sake of the old farmer who had died, and for himself.

The demon beast bolted out of the deep gorge, its ten savage arms swinging wildly while the monstrous eye atop its head gleamed brutally.

The gray mist spilled outward in all directions, enveloping all living creatures—whether birds, beasts, fish, or the Human Clan—in agonizing death.

Green Robe Guest cast one final glance at the demon beast before vanishing into the heavens.

On that day, the Nine Countries suffered their first great calamity!

ps: Fourth update complete. More tomorrow. Time to grab dinner!