At the front stood a middle-aged man in a white robe, with a golden lotus


    embroidered over his chest.


    His features looked refined, and a mild smile rested on his face, but something dark and hidden still leaked through it.


    It was Cedric, the Vice Preceptor of the Hallowmere Order.


    Behind him stood 4 or 5 disciples of the Hallowmere Order. Every one of them was strong, all at or above High Immortal Realm Level Seven.


    Cedric looked at Jared and Evelyn inside the cave with a broad smile, as if he were meeting old friends again.


    "Young Master Chance, Miss Evelyn, you two really made me work to find you."


    His voice came out warm and easy, but there was a chill under it that crawled straight into the bones.


    Evelyn''s face drained. She moved on instinct and stepped in front of Jared.


    "You... how did you find this ce?!"


    Cedric smiled faintly.


    His gaze settled on Evelyn, and a sh of naked greed passed through his eyes. "Miss Evelyn, you belong to the Hallowmere Order. There''s a mark on you that only our order has. It doesn''t matter where you run. I can always find you."


    He paused, then shifted his eyes to Jared.


    Something strange flickered in his gaze.


    "What I didn''t expect was to find you with Jared. I heard he caused quite a scene at the Celestial Basilica. Even that old thing Cillian came out of it having taken a loss. Tsk. The Five-wed Golden Dragon Bloodline really is something else. No wonder you''re no ordinary man."


    Jared only looked at him in silence.


    The calmer Jared stood there, the less settled Cedric became.


    He had heard enough already.


    Jared''s cultivation might not be high, but his strength was monstrous. He had even killed an Elder in the True Immortal Realm.


    But looking at Jared now, Cedric saw the pale face and the weak, unsteady aura.


    The signs were obvious. Jared was badly wounded.


    Cedric settled at once.


    The smile on his face spread even wider.


    "Young Master Chance, Miss Evelyn,e with me. I can promise you this if you cooperate and behave, no one will hurt you."


    Evelyn clenched her teeth.


    "In your dreams! I''d die before I went back with you!"


    Cedric let out a sigh and shook his head.


    "Miss Evelyn, why make this harder than it has to be? I treated you well. I gave you resources. I gave you chances to cultivate. And still you couldn''t tell what was good for you. You ran off with an outsider instead. That really disappoints me."


    He paused again.


    The smile slowly left his face, and something colder took its ce.


    "If that''s how you want it—refusing a toast only to drink a punishment—then don''t me me for getting rough. Do it!"


    The second the words left his mouth, the Hallowmere disciples behind him all moved at once and rushed Jared and Evelyn.


    Evelyn''s face changed again as she yanked out her sword and met them head-on.


    But her own injuries still hadn''t healed.


    Against this many opponents, she had no chance.


    In only a few exchanges, they forced her back again and again.


    Each retreat came closer to disaster.


    Jared pushed himself to his feet, trying to go help her, but a wave of dizziness mmed into him and nearly sent him crashing to the ground.


    His injuries were far too severe.


    He had no strength left to fight.


    Evelyn was almost at her limit.


    A hard light shed through Jared''s eyes. He gritted his teeth, forced his spiritual


    power up, and prepared to risk everything in onest desperate move.


    Just then-


    Boom!


    A deafening st tore through the entrance of the cave.


    Broken stone exploded through the air, and dust rolled everywhere.


    The shockwave hurled several Hallowmere disciples backward.


    They hit the ground hard and spat out blood.


    Cedric''s expression broke. He quickly retreated several steps and stared toward the entrance, every bit of him on guard.


    Out of the dust, a dark figure slowly emerged.


    It was a woman dressed in ck.


    Her features were cold and striking, her skin pale as snow, her eyes deep as the night sky.


    A faint ghostly aura drifted around her.


    She carried herself with a strange nobility, distant and mysterious, like someone


    who had stepped in from another world.


    It was Lydia Wraithmoor.


    Lydia walked into the cave at an unhurried pace.


    Her cold gaze swept over Cedric and the Hallowmere disciples.


    That single look made Cedric stiffen.


    He took a step back before he even seemed aware of it.


    "You... who are you?!"


    Lydia didn''t answer.


    She only raised her right hand, and ck ghostly energy slowly gathered in her palm.


    Cedric''s face turned sharply.


    He could feel it clearly now. The auraing off this woman ran far deeper than anything he could stand against.


    "Retreat! Move! Now!"


    He shouted it and turned to run without another second of hesitation.


    The Hallowmere disciples didn''t dare care about their injuries anymore.


    They scrambled after him, stumbling and crawling as they fled the cave. Lydia didn''t chase them.


    She only stood there and watched until they had run far enough away, then turned and looked at Jared.


    Jared leaned against the stone wall and looked back at her, drained of color.


    A crooked, helpless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.


    "I... owe you again..."


    Lydia looked at him.


    Something unreadable passed through her eyes.


    "Your injuries are severe."


    Jared gave a small nod and didn''t deny it.


    Lydia walked over to him and ced a hand on his shoulder.


    A stream of pure ghostly energy slowly poured into his body.


    Jared only felt a warm current spreading through his meridians, mending the ces that had been torn apart.


    Some color slowly came back into Jared''s face.


    A momentter, Lydia pulled her hand away and said, "I can only keep your injuries


    stable for now. If you want to recoverpletely, it''ll take time."


    Jared nodded and looked at her. "Thank you."


    Lydia gave a small shake of her head, then let her gaze settle on Evelyn.


    Evelyn was covered in wounds, her clothes torn to rags, but she still stood nted


    in front of Jared, guarding him and watching Lydia without letting up.


    A trace of approval crossed Lydia''s eyes. "She''s loyal, at least."


    She paused, then looked at Jared. "What are you nning to do next?"


    Jared fell quiet for a moment before he answered. "I''m going back to Cloudhaven


    City."


    "Cloudhaven City?" Lydia''s brows drew together slightly. "What ce is that?"


    Jared said, "It''s a city on the edge of


    the Fourteenth Firmament. I have friends there. They can protect me while trecover. In the Luminous Sanctuary, theres no way I can heal in peace."


    Lydia nodded. "Then how are you getting back? People from the Celestial Basilica and the Hallowmere Order are both looking for you. They probably won''t let you leave that easily." ''


    Jared looked at Evelyn.


    Evelyn hurried to say, "Young Master Jared, I know a route. It''s a little dangerous, but it can get us around the Celestial Basilica and the Hallowmere Order''s pursuit and all the way to the city where the Teleportation Array is."


    Jared nodded, then turned to Lydia again.


    Lydia understood what he meant. "I can escort you part of the way."


    Jared looked at her and said with full weight behind it, "Thank you. I''ll remember


    this."


    Lydia shook her head and said nothing more.


    The three of them left the cave and disappeared into the endless mountain forest.