Way of the Knights

Chapter 739

"Only thirty years has passed, and you two already forgot about me…I'm hurt." Raven dramatically said while ending his meditation. 

"Wait!" The Sect Master's eyes widened as soon as he heard Raven's voice. "Is that you..?"

"Oh! It's the Brat. I thought it was someone else." The Grand Elder cracked-up as he retracted his killing intent. 

"Yes, it's me." Raven chuckled, "I'm back. Sorry it took me a while." 

Raven heard the Sect Master sighed out loud and say: "I'm glad to have you back." 

"Tell me, did the others thought that I died in there?" Raven asked as the two elders went inside their office.

"Some definitely did, yes." The Sect Master admitted as he sat down on a chair. "If it weren't for the fact that your Avatar remained in your estate, all of us would've thought that you really died."

"It took you 30 years to clear all your trials. When I had mine, I finished within a year and half. What happened there?" The Sect Master asked. 

"Way too many things…" Raven exasperatingly said, "It'll take ages to tell you all of it. I've taken 9 really time-consuming trials. But, I guess it's all worth it. I made it alive after all." 

"Indeed." The Grand Elder said, "Better alive than not. Well? Don't you need to rest? Or do you want to announce your return?" 

"Neither." Raven chuckled, "I'm still energetic enough and I don't really feel like troubling everyone for a welcoming party. I'm just waiting for you two to come back to let you know I've returned."

"Now that I've done, I'll probably run some errands that I had no choice but to postpone before entering the platforms. Mainly re-forging the seal on the Devil Emperor's Pagoda, freeing Gaia, and It's also probably time to deal with that little prisoner of ours."

"Mn." The sect master nodded, "You probably have gotten way stronger during these past 30 years. Still, caution before anything else. Don't overdo things. You just returned, have some rest first." 

"I'll keep that in mind." Raven nodded while standing up. "Well then, I should return to my estate first."

The Sect Master and the Grand Elder nodded. Raven tore a spatial tear and walked through it, leaving them behind in their office. 

The two went silent of a bit, still looking at where Raven disappeared to. After that, the Grand Elder spoke: "I recall this place having a spatial lockdown included in the formation. Aside from us, nobody else can open a portal here. That brat…"

"Indeed." The Sect Master smiled in relief. "I've been trying to gauge his cultivation base since I saw him but I can't pinpoint exactly how strong he is. On one look, he feels like a mortal but at a closer inspection, he is a slumbering giant."

"Not only that." The Grand Elder added, "He's a half-Celestial now too."

"Yes, I am aware." The Sect Master nodded, feeling relatively pleased about this incident. "He must've been through a lot, else they wouldn't allow him to reach that stage."

"We aren't even close compared to him." The Grand Elder laughed, "We only received a few drops of the Celestial Bloodline, yet the kid legit became a Half-Breed! How insulting but also gratifying at the same time."

"You took the words right out of mouth." The Sect Master chuckled. "We're a little too blessed to have him."

—

"Young Lord!!" 

Kyrie was shocked, she immediately fell to her knees but an invisible force prevented her from doing that. 

"No need for that." Raven smiled as he saw Kyrie. "I'm back, Kyrie. It's been hard on you."

"No! Not at all Young Lord." Kyrie panicked a bit. 

Thirty years isn't too long for any cultivators of their age but considering how much Kyrie had gotten used with Raven's presence, these past years had been a really long one. 

"Relax." Raven chuckled, "Hardly anything changes with my return. If anything, now that I'm back, things should go rather smoothly. Just continue doing what you could. We'll be fine." 

"Right, Young Lord!" Kyrie replied, a tad bit emotionally.

"Oh uh, can I trouble you to give me a brief overview of what happened when I was gone? Just the important events, my Avatars will give me detailed version after all. I just want to see things from your point of view. I'll go chill on my room, you can give it to me there." 

"Understood, Young Lord." Kyrie nodded, "Would you also want some food and drinks as well?" 

"Sure. Just send it to my room." Raven said as he started walking towards to his room. 

Kyrie nodded and began handing out orders to the helpers. She also started writing down her reports…though she's a bit distracted because she's still surprised by Raven's very sudden return. 

She calmed down her mood and started writing her reports earnestly. 

Whatever she's feeling…it's best for it to stay onto the side.

Back in his room, Raven took a good look around him. 

With Kyrie's efforts, this place was well kept. Not even a trace of dust can be seen. He jumped out of his uniform and went straight to the bathroom. 

If there's one thing he deeply missed about a calm and leisurely life, it would be taking a hot bath. With all the years he spent clearing the trials, the amount of times he can actually relax and take it easy are too far in between. 

Now that he has returned, he might be feeling rather energetic, he still wanted to relax a bit so that's what he will do. 

Time passed and Kyrie soon arrived with her reports as well as the food and drinks. He placed them on the table as Raven dried himself and placed on loose robes. He sat on the table, eating and drinking while he read the reports Kyrie made for him. 

Basically, nothing much happened since his disappearance. Aside from a few attempts of the enemies to crack down their barriers, none of them succeeded. 

Raven also got the detailed report from his Avatars and it basically confirmed everything that Kyrie mentioned on her reports. 

As for their enemies, Raven's Avatars that were tasked to continuously monitor them stated that their numbers grew ridiculously huge. They went past millions and reached billions at this point. On the other hand the sect stopped recruiting so their numbers remained static. 

That being said, Raven's reforms already took effect. Their numbers might not be as great as their enemies but they were clearly stronger. This is evident by how much Merit Points rose in value over the time he was gone. 

Basically, the price tags didn't change, however the amount of Merit Points they can get were lessened. This is due to how easier it got to hunt down devils. 

Raven's re-forging of the seals weakened the devils and slash their numbers but the ever-so-resourceful Devil Emperor had a few tricks up his sleeve. 

It actually managed to find a loophole for to abuse. Unbeknownst to the poor fool, Raven left it there purposefully in order to weaken the Devil Emperor even further. 

Hook, line and sinker really…

Aside from the absurd numbers of their enemies, the avatars also reported that their enemies had numerous war weapons. Based on their observation, these war weapons were strong enough to break the seals placed by Raven. 

Not all them though…he did make 33-layers of them after all. 

Still, there 20 or so years before the war between forces erupts. That's plenty of time for Raven to do something to neutralize everything. Keep the playing field even, per se. 

He wasn't really trying to stop the war all by himself. This sort of tribulation is needed for the disciples to grow stronger and mature even more. He wouldn't stop it even if he could. 

The Devil Emperor on the other hand. That thing needs to go. 

It has overstayed it's welcome. It's about damn time to get rid of it once and for all. 

Its disappearance will cause numerous reforms to take place for the sect but all of it were welcomed changes. Raven wasn't planning to drew this status quo any longer that it should, it already went past it's time. Everyone has to move-on. 

Raven finished reading the reports and eating his meals. He kept the report on his spatial ring and proceeded to lay down on his bed. 

He missed the softness and scent of his bed. He was really upset that he ruined the mattress he often used back at the trials. He had to endure sleeping on a less comfortable bed, sometimes he didn't even sleep due to how busy he was. 

Now that he's back to his heavenly bed, he felt whole again. He wasn't sleepy at all, he just really wanted to lie down. 

Raven has no plans for the rest of the day other than to rest and settle down the on the feeling of returning to the real world. 

He just stayed on his bed, observing things from afar. He slowly got used to the feeling of returning, and by Midnight, he decided to sleep.