31 A Single Reques (1/2)

”Tch, why are there so many guards?” I mumbled under my breath.

I was deep inside the palace, having used my new speed and my increased time in the Shadow Realm I had managed to infiltrate directly into the heart of the palace.

There were patrols of black-cloaked Cultivators strolling through the halls in squads of four, I wasn't sure if these squads were all the same as they all had cultivation levels at the same realm so I couldn't tell between their auras.

”When will the boss be out of seclusion, any idea?” I eavesdropped onto the conversations of some of the patrols passing through and it seems like their Leader had entered seclusion to breakthrough to the next realm – that was most likely the second breakthrough I had felt before.

I could still feel the tremors below my feet as the ground vibrated from the intense rush of energy moving towards him in the atmosphere.

I spent about another ten minutes sitting on a beam in the ceiling listening to their conversations – it was nice to be outside the Shadow Realm sometimes, where else would you feel the air on your skin or hear the sounds of the world?

I sighed softly thinking about how much simpler life used to be for him: Parties, drugs, women and money.

The whole scumbag routine from inheriting money – 'Maybe my brothers were right to frame me?' The thought crossed my mind, reflecting on myself then and now: Hardworking? No. Scum? Yes.

For once in the short time, I had been privy to this world the revenge I had yearned for, revenge against my brothers and that woman… Was slipping away from me ever so slowly, were they really worth killing?

My mind was in turmoil at the thought, my entire reason for growing stronger to free myself from this 'prison' was slowly slipping from my mind.

'No!' I screamed in my mind, this wasn't me – what they had done to me, their own sibling, had thoroughly branded my soul. The pain I had gone through mentally would never leave me for as long as I lived.

A coolness rushed through my body as I circulated the energy from my core, I could only glare at the Abyssal Daggers on my waste in frustration – if it wasn't for my deep seeded want for revenge I might've truly lost myself just now.

The first thought that came to mind was switching weapons, but it was only due to these blades that I was able to injure that monkey at the Core Gathering Realm at all, their sharpness was unparalleled.

Even now if I tried to pierce my own skin with a normal dagger it wouldn't go through, only the uniqueness of the materials the Abyssal Daggers were made of allowed me to slice through like a hot knife and butter.

”As long as I don't lose myself to my emotions I'll be fine…” I mumbled, I just had to be careful not to allow strong emotions to surface in my mind or the daggers would make use of them and intensify them like just now.

”I WON'T DIE!” A voice echoed through the hallways of the Palace causing the place to tremble from the sheer power behind it.

I was dumbfounded in an instant, so it really was a person breaking through that had caused all this? I had still been skeptical at first but there was more proof here than I had imagined.

”It's the former king apparently, Leader summoned him before going into seclusion – shortly after the old fellow decided to try and breakthrough.” The patrols of black-cloaked figures below gossiped, naturally I was listening in on their conversation with interest.

'If he's going to die, wouldn't that give me a perfect opportunity to gain some more XP?' I grinned malevolently as I thought of the XP someone at the fourth realm could provide me.

Sadly the XP wouldn't allow me to breakthrough to the Pinnacle, hopefully, this damn overflow would prove useful in the future or else wouldn't I be wasting a god-sent opportunity? I wanted to cry at the thought of the wasted XP but no tears would come, 'Looks like I can't fake cry after all.'

I laughed bitterly at my own misfortune.

”I suppose we'd better get this over with then.” I dropped from the wooden beam I was standing on and decapitated the four Pinnacle Mortal Leaving figures in an instant and began strolling towards the source of the voice at a leisurely pace.