Chapter 65: Being hunted

Without Summer noticing, a faint, microscopic wisp of golden light slipped quietly out of Ophelia’s shattered skull.

It hovered for a brief millisecond in the cold air, completely untraceable by the surrounding dark mist, before shooting straight up into the ceiling and disappearing into the deep darkness above.

Summer remained standing over the blood-soaked stone floor, looking down at Maya, who stood waiting silently in her new zombie form.

[Little girl, that shit-haired girl’s guardian will receive the news of her death,] the system’s soft female voice echoed inside Summer’s mind, carrying a slight warning note.

Summer didn’t even blink. "So what?"

[...Together with exact memory fragments of how she died,] the system continued calmly. [And well... her background is not simple.]

"It doesn’t matter who her father is," Summer said coldly, her small face completely devoid of regret. "If he comes after me, I will kill him too."

"Hmph! Well said, little girl!" the Shadow laughed heartily inside her physical anchor, sounding thoroughly delighted. "A true heir of Chaos never bends her knee to threats!"

[I am just telling you so you stay alert,] the system murmured smoothly. [Her faction won’t be able to send high-tier powerhouses down here immediately, but they will certainly not sit still.]

Summer ignored their chatter, turning her attention to Maya. The newly converted healer zombie stood upright, her pale grayish-blue skin covered in pulsating purple veins.

Her glowing crimson eyes stared straight ahead, completely stripped of any human emotion or former fear.

"System, check her status," Summer ordered mentally.

[Target: Maya (Elite Puppet)] [Bloodline: Chaotic Corruption (Infected)] [Former Class: Light Healer] [Current Class: Corrupted Siphoner] [Skills: Dark Recovery, Essence Drain, Corrupted Shield]

Summer nodded in quiet satisfaction. Although Maya’s original light element had been destroyed and turned into dark corruption energy, her support capabilities remained intact, now transformed into dark healing and essence siphon.

"Strip their bodies," Summer commanded Maya.

Maya moved instantly without a single second of hesitation. She knelt beside the mangled corpses of Ophelia and Vespera, her hands working fast and precise.

She gathered the glowing storage rings, the shattered crest medallion of the Seven Palaces, and any high-grade mana cores left in their scorched pouches, presenting them reverently to Summer.

Summer took the storage rings and tossed them into her pocket.

"We are leaving," Summer said softly. Her massive black wings spread wide behind her back, brushing against the cavern walls.

Fwhoosh!

With a single beat of her wings, Summer lifted off the ground, shooting upward into the high tunnel network.

Maya followed right behind her, her dark corruption mana flaring beneath her feet as she leaped along the stone ledge with impressive speed, keeping pace with her master.

*

* *

Far beyond the mortal earth, located within a higher dimensional realm known as the Middle World, sat the majestic mountain peaks of the Seven Palaces.

Dense, ancient spiritual energy drifted through the clouds like white rivers, surrounding vast floating islands and towering golden palaces.

Deep inside the Sixth Peak, within a quiet, shadowy grand hall made of black obsidian, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged upon a floating jade platform.

He was dressed in luxurious dark blue robes embroidered with golden dragon threads. His eyes were closed in deep meditation, surrounded by a terrifying pressure that warped the very air around him.

This was Lord Dorian of the House of Vance, the Palace Master of the Sixth Peak and the father of Ophelia.

Crack!

Suddenly, a loud, crisp snapping sound echoed throughout the silent obsidian hall.

Lord Dorian’s eyes snapped open instantly. Two terrifying beams of golden light burst from his irises, tearing thin cracks across the obsidian floor beneath him.

He slowly lowered his gaze to a wooden altar positioned right in front of his jade platform. Resting on the center of the altar was a delicate soul jade slip carved in the shape of a lotus.

At this moment, the lotus soul slip belonging to Ophelia was completely shattered into fine, lifeless dust.

The atmosphere inside the grand hall froze instantly. The overwhelming spiritual pressure radiating from Lord Dorian’s body erupted like a sleeping volcano, causing the entire Sixth Peak to tremble violently.

"Ophelia..." Lord Dorian whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and explosive, bloodthirsty fury.

Before the soul dust could scatter, a tiny speck of golden light flew out from the debris, floating directly into Lord Dorian’s forehead.

Bzzzt!

A series of vivid, terrifying memory fragments flashed directly inside his brain.

He saw the subterranean tunnel. He saw Vespera’s body crushed against the stone. He saw Ophelia crying out his name, desperately holding up the crest medallion of the Seven Palaces.

And finally, he saw a small zombie girl with a pair of massive, light-devouring black wings.

He watched in helpless rage as the small monster flayed his daughter’s leg with her black feathers, ignored the prestigious name of the Seven Palaces, and brutally crushed Ophelia’s skull into the ground.

"AAAAAAHHH!"

Lord Dorian roared in pure agony and fury, his voice shattering the heavy stone pillars lining the obsidian hall. The shockwave surged outward, forcing nearby disciple guards stationed outside the palace to drop straight to their knees, vomiting blood under the immense pressure.

"A zombie! A mere mindless, undead mutated creature from the lower realm dared to slaughter my bloodline?!" Lord Dorian screamed, his eyes completely bloodshot.

His body hovered off the jade platform as dark lightning danced around his fingertips. He wanted nothing more than to tear open the dimensional void right now, descend upon that filthy lower realm, and crush the entire subterranean world into cosmic dust along with that small zombie girl.

However, as he raised his hand to tear space, a golden, invisible array pattern materialized in the air above him, emitting a heavy, restrictive hum.

Bzzzt!

The ancient laws of the realm pressed down upon his shoulders, forcing his surging spiritual power back into his body.

Lord Dorian spat out a mouthful of warm blood, his expression twisting in frustration.

The Dimensional Laws established by the World Consciousness strictly forbade high-tier cultivators of the Middle World from personally descending to the lower mortal worlds with their true bodies.

If he forcibly broke through the dimensional boundary, his presence would immediately trigger the realm’s judgment lightning, drawing the attention of rival Palace Masters and ancient guardians who were constantly looking for a reason to tear down the Sixth Peak.

He could not descend personally—not right now.

Lord Dorian took deep, heavy breaths, slowly suppressing the chaotic mana raging inside his chest, though the venomous hatred in his eyes only burned hotter.

"Someone come in!" Lord Dorian bellowed, his voice echoing cold and sharp through the broken hall.

Swish!

A dark shadow materialized instantly in the middle of the hall, kneeling deeply on one knee. "Palace Master!"

"My daughter Ophelia has been murdered in the lower mortal realm," Lord Dorian said, his tone dropping into a terrifyingly quiet whisper.

The shadow guard trembled slightly, shocked to his very core, but kept his head bowed. "Who... who could have done such a thing?"

"A mutant possessing abnormal shadow properties," Lord Dorian answered, his hand clenching into a tight fist until his nails cut into his palm. "Because of the dimensional barrier, I cannot descend. Contact our sub-branch of the Seven Palaces stationed in the lower world immediately!"

"Understood, Palace Master!"

"Pass down my direct order," Lord Dorian’s eyes flickered with ruthless killing intent as he spoke every single word. "Order the Elder of the lower world branch to mobilize every available hunter, shadow assassin, and elite squad under our payroll. Send them into that dungeon sector immediately!"

He paused, a dark, twisted grin appearing on his bloody face.

"Tell them I do not just want that creature dead. I want her captured alive. Bring her to me in chains, or bring her bare core to my altar! Anyone who brings me that small monster will inherit the full backing of the Sixth Peak!"

"It shall be done immediately!" the shadow guard responded loudly before vanishing into the darkness like smoke.

Left alone in the silent, shattered hall, Lord Dorian turned his gaze toward the lower world’s direction.

"No matter where you hide, small monster," Lord Dorian growled into the empty air, "you will suffer a fate ten thousand times worse than death."