The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Chapter 82 The Fiery Blade's Fall

Slice—

The sword energy was incomplete.

Though it extended beyond the blade, granting it the semblance of Sword energy, it lacked clarity and solidity.

True Sword energy could cleave through Ten Thousand-Year Coldsteel, Darksteel, or even Blacksteel.

But Vera's Sword energy fell short of such feats.

And yet, did it matter?

The flesh and bones of the Demonic Sect member before her were not made of coldsteel, darksteel, or blacksteel.

In an instant, the arm holding the sickle was severed, flying through the air. Blood sprayed everywhere.

The cultist, however, reacted unnaturally.

Instead of reeling back in pain, he opened his mouth wide and lunged at Sylvia's neck, attempting to bite her.

A human would hesitate when losing a limb. Yet, this women moved without the slightest pause.

But his opponent was a Celestial Blade Star.

A being who could take life without hesitation, even when it came to the innocent.

"Stay still."

The swirling Sword energy condensed once more into a radiant light.

With a step back, she pivoted and struck downward.

Slice—

The sound of flesh and bone being split rang out.

The severed head rolled across the ground, glaring at Vera with lifeless eyes. Its mouth opened and closed as if trying to speak.

But without lungs, there was no air to push through its throat.

Of course, no sound came.

Vera narrowed her eyes, unperturbed by the ghastly sight, and turned to Valen.

"What should I do with this head to kill it completely?" she asked calmly.

"Leave it. It'll die on its own soon enough. Filthy Demonic Sect scum," he muttered.

The cultist's partial transformation due to Demonic energy explained his grotesque vitality. Lower-ranking members of the Demonic Sect often met their end when left to burn or decay.

But Valen wasn't focused on the cultist. His eyes were on Vera.

Her technique was undoubtedly incomplete, but it was still Sword energy.

Had she already stepped into the early stages of Supreme Martial Mastery at just fourteen years old?

"She should've died the moment her neck was severed. How strange," Vera murmured as she kicked the severed head into the flames.

The cultist's body, engulfed by fire, writhed in silent agony before succumbing.

"That's what happens when someone is consumed by Demonic energy. The Demonic Sect uses such energy to fuel their martial arts," Valen explained.

"They're insane," muttered Ethan, his voice trembling.

"Ethan, remember who's in front of you," warned Marcus, though his own gaze was unsteady.

Unlike her senior brothers, Vera remained composed. She approached Sylvia, who had collapsed unconscious, and helped her up.

Valen quickly took his niece into his arms, holding her tightly. He turned to Vera and bowed deeply.

"...Thank you. Thanks to you, my niece is alive."

His brother, sister-in-law, and even his own son had been murdered.

Now, only Sylvia and Alec remained of his direct family.

"She fainted," Vera remarked.

"She wasn't raised as a martial artist. She's only fourteen," Valen replied softly.

Unfortunately, Sylvia had witnessed the horrors firsthand—the severing of a head and the blood gushing from a decapitated neck.

Even if she had been trained as a martial artist, such sights were too much for a girl her age.

The others glanced at Vera.

She was also fourteen.

Yet while one fainted, the other had created that gruesome scene and remained unfazed.

It was an unsettling contrast.

"Are you alright?" Valen asked gently.

"I'm fine. Please focus on caring for your niece," Vera replied, suppressing the storm within her.

Valen's concern for her struck a nerve.

She recalled the man who had burned her parents alive.

She had been only nine years old then.

Vera turned her head to hide her clenched jaw.

Should she have saved them?

The thought whispered insidiously in her mind, tempting her with the notion of vengeance.

But she steadied herself, summoning the Black dragon within.

Growl—

The low rumble, audible only to her, resonated through her meridians. The energy of the Soul Harmony Realm Arts flowed through her eight extraordinary meridians, reaching her Crown Energy Point at the crown of her head.

In that instant, all chaotic thoughts dissipated.

The effort to master the Vital Harmony Vessel had been worth it.

"...Hah," she exhaled quietly.

"Vera, are you sure you're okay?"

"Do you want me to carry you if you feel faint?" added Ethan, grinning sheepishly.

"I'm fine, Senior Brother. There's no need for that—ah."

Ignoring her protests, Ethan hoisted her onto his back and nodded smugly.

"Alright, rely on your senior brother as much as you need!"

"...Put me down," she said flatly.

"Eh?"

"Put her down, Ethan," Marcus ordered, smacking the back of his head.

Only then did Ethan set her down, rubbing his head with both hands.

Vera stepped forward, addressing Valen directly.

"Valen."

"You called?"

He didn't look at her, preoccupied with wiping soot off Sylvia's face.

His niece was clearly precious to him.

For a moment, Vera felt a familiar surge of bitterness rising within her.

She swallowed it down.

"With the branch family in this state, the main house is unlikely to be safe," she said.

"You're right," he replied grimly.

"You should protect the young lord and the youngest daughter of the branch family, Great Hero," Vera said firmly.

Valen's brow furrowed slightly. This child...

She was suggesting that they go to the main house on their own.

"Are you planning to head to the main house?"

"Yes. That is the destination of my escort mission."

"If you go to the main house now..."

It would be worse than here.

There might be even stronger Demonic Sect members.

The Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan had long been the ruling force in Eastern Mountain .

While Eastern Mountain was known to have remnants of unorthodox forces, the Fiery Blade clan had maintained control over the region.

Especially with Valen himself having served as the Heavenly Net Commander of the Martial Unity, the clan wielded authority and influence comparable to the Five Great Clans within Eastern Mountain .

Yet, the branch family of such a powerful clan had been destroyed so thoroughly? Using infiltrators planted in advance, no less?

And the Demonic Sect had brazenly revealed their identity?

If infiltrators had been placed in the branch family, there was no guarantee they hadn't also infiltrated the main house.

The main house would undoubtedly be in equal—if not greater—danger.

Perhaps the name Demon-Cleaving Spear held a deeper meaning.

"I understand what awaits at the main house," Vera said, her voice calm.

"I see. But I cannot assist you," Valen replied.

Though both families were of the Fiery Blade clan, the rift between the branch and main families had long grown wide.

The fact that Valen used the Blazing Dragon Sword Technique instead of the Fiery Blade clan Spear Arts was evidence enough.

Moreover, he had to ensure the safety of Alec and Sylvia.

"You should protect them, Great Hero. We will go to the main house."

"…Don't die."

Vera hesitated to answer.

Hearing such words from him was suffocating.

He had forgotten about her entirely, even though she could never forget the look in his eyes.

Her father had begged for her life, bowing his head in desperation.

But Valen had set a cold condition:

He had to watch his wife burn alive, ensuring that he would never again dream of defying the heavens.

Her father's wrists had been bound, his knees forced to the ground, and his mouth gagged with a white cloth.

And she had watched.

She had watched as her parents burned alive.

Even their charred corpses had been decapitated, their severed heads placed in a box to be reported as trophies to the Martial Unity.

The only thing left to her—a lone daughter—was to bury her parents without their heads.

She knew why Valen had acted so indifferently.

She knew why he had forced her to witness the execution of her parents.

It was law.

A rule set by one tyrant under the guise of righteousness.

The fact that he had forgotten her meant that he had done this countless times before.

He had lived as an enforcer of unjust laws without a second thought.

To hear him tell her not to die now...

The very thought was an unbearable insult.

"I don't plan to die," Vera replied, her voice sharp, before turning away.

Marcus and Ethan followed her decision without a word.

They were disciples of Suncrest Sect.

Fleeing from injustice and oppression was not permitted.

Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan's Main House

The inner chambers where the head of the Fiery Blade clan and his family resided.

Regis, the leader, could not believe the current situation.

"…Why? How? Since when...?"

His mind was in turmoil.

It had all begun with a servant bringing water for his feet.

A servant he had known for ten years, taken in at the age of ten and now twenty.

The boy was so diligent that Regis had considered raising his status.

And yet...

"I owe you much, leader."

"What?"

"The Heavenly Demon shall return. Ten Thousand Demons will rise."

Those words.

That incantation.

And then, the boy smiled—a bright, radiant smile unlike anything Regis had ever seen.

But it lasted only a moment. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Blood-tears flowed from the boy's eyes.

Black Demonic energy seeped from his nose and mouth before—

Boom!

An explosion.

Regis had heard of such things.

Forcing inner energy to flow backward could cause the body's meridians to rupture.

That was why the martial arts of Central Plains and the unorthodox arts of the Ten Thousand Mountains couldn't be practiced together.

If energy flowed naturally, Demonic energy would cause the body to explode.

If energy flowed in reverse, inner energy would cause the body to explode.

But to witness such an explosion firsthand...

To see his own servant self-destruct before him...

It was incomprehensible.

The explosion had been a catalyst—a signal flare.

Suddenly, flames erupted throughout the entire household.

Chaos reigned.