Watching the brilliant light begin to glow at the exit, both my face and Spike Viktor''s turned grim!


    "No!" I screamed silently inside.


    I spun toward Spike Viktor fast. "Go warn Senior Paul Randall right now and tell him to hide!"


    "What about you?" Spike Viktor questioned.


    I answered coldly, "I''ll figure out how to handle them."


    Spike Viktor was about to speak again, but I cut him off with a sharp yell.


    So Spike Viktor had no option but to follow my orders and get ready to alert Paul Randall.


    But right then, the zing light at the exit started dimming.


    Within seconds, the light vanishedpletely.


    "Huh?" Both of us whipped around to stare at the exit.


    "What the hell?"


    Spike Viktor and I stayed on high alert, watching the exit with tight faces, tension written all over us.


    Minutes ticked by, and the light stayed gone.


    "Weird, he actually called off the search." Spike Viktor muttered grimly.


    "Called off? How''s that possible?" I frowned hard.


    Spike Viktor guessed, "Maybe that mighty realm cultivator from before did something?"


    Hearing this, my face showed pure shock.


    If that was true, just how powerful was this mighty realm?


    ——


    Outside.


    Audrey Williams shook his head with clear irritation. "There''s no mystic realm here at all. I already checked."


    Garcia Coleman asked icily, "You''re not bullshitting me, right?"


    "Why would I bullshit you, Mr. Coleman? Remember, I answer to the higher-ups. I want Mason Raymond dead too." Audrey Williams replied with a stone-cold expression.


    Still, Garcia Coleman had his doubts.


    He stared at Audrey Williams without flinching. "Master Williams, you better not be ying games with me. I really can''t stand liars."


    Audrey Williams just snorted and kept quiet.


    "Mr. Coleman, Master Williams probably isn''t lying." Star jumped in.


    Garcia Coleman just grunted. "Then why did their energy signatures vanish right here!"


    Star suggested, "Maybe they used some hidden technique to mask their presence."


    Garcia Coleman didn''t answer that.


    He gestured dismissively. "Let''s move."


    The group cleared out.


    But after getting back to Capital City, Garcia Coleman wouldn''t drop it.


    He nned to bring another Mystic Realm Master to check the spot.


    His top pick was Spike Viktor''s Master.


    ——


    I stayed in the Mystic Realm for half a day.


    Only after making sure no one was outside did I carefully exit the Mystic Realm.


    Now I was getting even more interested in the Sean family''s Secret Realm.


    If Spike Viktor was right, that only a mighty realm cultivator could fix a mystic realm, then the Sean family''s Secret Realm was seriously beyond imagination.


    "What the hell is this Sean family Secret Realm..." I breathed deeply.


    After thinking it over, I decided to visit Jerry Sean and get some real answers.


    So I pulled out my phone and called Jerry Sean.


    Once the call connected, I asked where Jerry Sean was.


    From our talk, I learned Jerry Sean was in Sea City right now, so after hanging up, I immediately started for Sea City.


    Since I couldn''t use any transportation, I had to walk to Sea City.


    This was going to be a hell of a long trip, even for me it would take days.


    "Well, think of this as training for my mental toughness." I told myself.


    ——


    Meanwhile, the tension between this era''s martial artists and the Mystic Realm disciples kept getting worse.


    With the seven Martial Saints backing them, the current generation had basically no respect left.


    The massive sh between both sides exploded over resource disputes.


    Ever since someone broke into the Martial Saint Realm, tons of new cultivation resources started showing up in this era.


    One day, an incredible huge mine was found in a southern border city!


    Word was it contained a massive spiritual stone mine, and these stones could not only craft the finest magical artifacts but also be used for medicine or eaten straight!


    Every spiritual stone was packed with insanely powerful qi!


    Finding such an untapped mine naturally drew every faction.


    These forces included both this era''s martial arts families and the big families from the Mystic Realm!


    Martial Arts Forum.


    The day they discovered the huge mine, the Capital City Martial Arts Association made an announcement:


    This spiritual stone mine is unprecedented, and the Capital City Martial Arts Association will act as mediator to determine the mine''s ownership.


    But this statement got torn apart the second it went public.


    "What bullshit, Capital City Martial Arts Association and Mystic Realm are totally in bed together!"


    "For years, all the resources have been in your control, you think we''ll still trust you?"


    "Power gets taken by force, every revolution needs blood, we won''t let Capital City Martial Arts Association keep ughtering us!"


    Seeing all the hate, the Capital City Martial Arts Association was pissed but powerless.


    More and more martial artists rushed to the spiritual stone mine.


    In the shadows, at least hundreds of martial artists were hiding.


    And it looked like martial artists from the Mystic Realm and this era were about to start an all-out war.


    ——


    I spent two full days before reaching Sea City.


    Using the address Jerry Sean gave me, he was staying in a standalone vi in the suburbs.


    Compared to the Sean family Estate, this vi looked like a dump.


    But it was in this crappy ce that Jerry Sean started hiseback.


    I quickly got near the vi.


    I kept my hat pulled down low, while spreading my divine sense to cover hundreds of meters around.


    After confirming nobody was nearby, I carefully approached the vi.


    In the vi''s yard,


    Jerry Sean was watering nts.


    Seeing me arrive, Jerry set down his watering can.


    "Mason. Looks like everyone outside is hunting for you and Mabel." Jerry''s voice carried worry.


    "Is Mabel really with you? Is she alright? Any health issues? Where is she now? Is she safe?"


    Jerry Sean''s rapid-fire questions left me stumped for a second.


    "That''s actually why I came to see you." I took a deep breath.


    "Mabel got taken."


    Jerry Sean''s face went white!


    He grabbed my arm frantically. "Didn''t I tell you to protect her! What did you promise me!"


    I smiled bitterly. "Jerry, let me exin, she..."


    Before I could finish, my expression suddenly shifted!


    I felt ice-cold chills down my spine, even my hair stood on end!


    This was my body''s automatic reaction when danger was close!


    "Who''s there!" I spun around quickly and scanned everywhere.


    "Mason, I''ve been waiting for you..." a voice called out.


    Then Saumel Baton appeared with two Martial Saints behind him.


    I didn''t have time to think, nning to use the Character Xing form to escape right away.


    But Saumel Baton wouldn''t give me the chance, and the two Martial Saints quickly locked down the space.


    "I knew... you''de here!" Saumel Baton said with an evil grin.