Being hunted in a large and unfamiliar

  city was something Sebastian had already experienced once, he wasn’t

  interested in doing it again. Even though he was much stronger now, he

  knew that he couldn’t truly stand against the full might of the Shattered Earth Sect. If

  they were anything like the Profound Sky Sect—and they likely were—then

  they had at least a couple dozen people throughout the sect stronger

  than him. They probably weren’t all in this city at the moment, but all

  it took was one, especially with an army to help them.

  He immediately turned and ran out the same way he came into the city.

  A group of guards leaped out to stop him. Walls of earth

  rose from the ground to stop Sebastian’s escape and spires of stone

  sought to impale him. The guards activated numerous Skills, all of which

  failed to stop Sebastian.

  A [Quickstep] brought him over the erupting Skills and

  directly into the middle of the group of guards. His rage hadn’t yet

  subsided, but it wasn’t directed at these guards just doing their jobs. He didn't want to kill them, but he couldn’t let them stop him.

  With the sword he stole, he slashed and swiped with

  precision. Each time, a limb went flying. Only one of them had time to

  react, sending a punch toward Sebastian. He ducked under it and severed

  the punching arm before it retracted.

  Ignoring the screaming behind him and before anyone else

  could come running, Sebastian dashed out of the city. The mark on the

  back of his hand evaporated with a push of his essence.

  Since he had to continue east to meet up with his unit,

  he circled the city, giving it a wide berth as he went. His [Fleeting

  Cloud Step] was pushed to its limits, more so even than after he woke up after his long hibernation.

  As he ran, Sebastian couldn’t help but think about what

  just happened. His cultivation steeled his mind, and it was already

  quite solid to begin with, but clearly he had hit his limits. Everything

  he had kept buried for years had broken free in mere moments.

  He had thought he could keep it all under control for as

  long as he needed, only releasing the pressure when absolutely

  necessary, years from now when he finally confronted his enemies in a

  cathartic climax. He was wrong.

  Perhaps the effects of cultivation

  on my mind don’t work as I expected. All this time I thought that it

  calmed me, kept me in control and capable of enduring mental stress and

  trauma beyond my normal limits. Maybe it just sharpened my mind,

  emotions and all. The calms calmer and the extremes… extremer.

  There was also the matter of how he felt about what he

  did. He had killed before—both monsters and people, albeit mainly in

  combat when it was him or them. He had even liked it at times. Or

  rather, he hadn’t liked the killing itself so much as the feeling of

  power that accompanied the act.

  The same was true now.

  He didn’t feel good about killing those five young nobles in a fit of rage—although he didn’t feel bad about it either—but he was filled with a deeply satisfying feeling.

  They, like the heroes who almost killed him, thought of

  him and of the so-called mortals he traveled with as less than human,

  vermin to be eradicated if they dared offend them with their mere

  presence.

  People like that only respond to one thing, power. Something he needed more of.

  Sebastian was torn from his thoughts

  when a powerful wave passed over him. It wasn’t a physical force, or

  even one of essence. At first, he wasn’t sure what he had sensed, but it

  stopped him in his tracks and forced his attention back to the city in

  the distance. It didn’t take long to process.

  Although it hadn’t been physical, he could swear the air itself trembled as power radiated from the city.

  It was a force of will. A message. A powerful, murderous intent directed at Sebastian.

  Someone very powerful had expressed their intention of hunting him down and killing him.

  Not interested in finding out who, or just how powerful

  they were, Sebastian continued running. He ran east, without any further

  direction or goal. The eastern continent was a mystery to him, so he

  didn’t have much of a plan beyond putting as much distance between him

  and Lumeria—and now this new enemy—as possible. A reunion with his unit

  was weeks, or likely months away.

  After running at top speed for hours across snow slushed

  fields and forests, Sebastian came across a checkpoint, or a guard

  station.

  It was similar to the one he passed through

  on his way into Shattered Earth Sect, only simpler. Where that one had been a

  checkpoint for entering the sect’s territory, this was likely just a

  toll station for regional travelers. The guards didn’t have any emblems

  or other marking signifying whether or not they belonged to the

  Shattered Earth Sect, which made it difficult to tell if Sebastian was

  still in their territory or not.

  Regardless, this time he had given up on the idea of following any procedure.

  He sneaked up, hidden behind the trunks of barren trees

  nearby, not too close but just enough that his senses could pick up some

  information about where he was and where he was going.

  The small group of guards were inspecting a merchant’s wagon.

  One of the guards pushed the merchant, a middle-aged man,

  up against the wagon while holding a stone which projected an image up

  next to his face. Sebastian squinted a little to see what was on the

  image. Even with his powerful senses, it was hard to see, but once the

  guard took a step to the side, he got a better angle.

  It was a drawing of him, his face, in remarkable detail.

  A wanted poster, already? How did

  they even get such a detailed image of my face? That’s not good. This

  means I need to avoid people until I get farther east.

  Wait… Is the Twilight Serpent Sect

  part of the Great Martial Alliance? Chuwon said it’s mostly the western and

  central sects who came together to form the alliance, but I don’t even know where the Twilight Serpent Sect

  would fall on a map.

  “Damn it, rookie!” An older guard walked over. “We know

  the guy is at least a First-rate martial artist, maybe even higher.”

  With one hand, he grabbed the poor merchant by the collar, picked him up

  nonchalantly and shook him, while the man’s family was on their knees

  on the cold ground beside him. “Does this look like a First-rate to you,

  huh? If this were him, we would already be dead! The only one here who

  could deal with him is the captain. If we suspect someone, we report it.

  Don’t play at being a hero, dumbass.” He dropped the merchant onto the

  ground and smacked the rookie over the head.

  Anger boiled up in Sebastian. It took a great deal of

  self-control not to rush over and give them a taste of their own

  medicine, but he took a deep breath and pushed it down.

  He now understood that suppressing his emotions, like he

  had done all this time, wasn’t sustainable, but to attack here would

  mean informing the Shattered Earth Sect where he was and possibly where

  he was going. He chose to ignore it and went the long way around the

  checkpoint.

  When night fell, Sebastian decided to make camp. He

  could, as he had in the past, run throughout the night, but he felt it

  best to be careful. There might be patrols and guards keeping watch. A

  strange figure running through the night might catch unwanted attention.

  Having found a decent place to settle down for the night,

  a clearing within a dense cluster of trees on the side of a hill,

  Sebastian took out his badge and sent a message to Marion.

  Marion, I’m moving east, but I’ve hit a snag. How are you guys doing?

  It took a few minutes, but the badge glowed as Marion sent a reply.

  We noticed. All good on our end, for now, but the Great Martial Alliance has put up wanted posters of your face, everywhere. Twilight Serpent Sect not safe in the long term.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Sebastian sighed, things were getting worse. Now it

  wasn’t just Lumeria who was hunting him, the Shattered Earth Sect had

  involved the Great Martial Alliance, sending the entire alliance after

  him, as well. Though painful, he took a deep breath and made a decision.

  Marion, I’m being targeted by too many enemies. The border to Calindor shouldn’t be as heavily guarded after all this time. I think it’s time for all of you to go home to your families. I’ll handle myself.

  Thanks for everything.

  Respectfully sir, I already gave them that same offer months ago. I have nothing waiting for me, so I was staying regardless, but I told the rest of them to go home. They all refused. The Valyan Claw is all that remains of the corps. Nobody is going anywhere without you.

  Sebastian blinked in surprise, a wave of warmth rolled over him.

  Thank you. In that case, any ideas on where we can go? You guys have been here for a few months, you should have a decent understanding of the eastern continent by now. We need to stay away from the Great Martial Alliance, so I guess we need to go farther east.

  We’ve been talking about that, sir. Our best bet is probably gonna be the Barren Wastelands. It’s an enormous area several territories farther east still. Since there are no monsters there to hunt or really any resources to gather, none of the bordering Groups want to claim it for themselves. Though they also

  refuse to let anyone else claim it. I don’t know the whole story, but from what I understand, there are mostly low-leveled people there. A land of so-called “mortals”.

  Sounds promising, the Barren Wastelands it is. Go there and get settled, I should arrive in about a month or two.

  Having landed on a plan for his reunion with the surviving members of his unit, Sebastian settled in for the night.

  He sat down, legs crossed, and sunk into his cultivation.

  His Core was making constant progress, but it was slow. His long,

  uninterrupted cultivation for the past half a year had pushed his

  progress far, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be complacent.

  That diligence wasn’t only for his cultivation and

  training, he also made sure to keep his senses in the physical world

  extended as he cultivated to look out for any dangers.

  It paid off quicker than he expected.

  Less than an hour into his cultivation, his eyes shot

  open. Without hesitation, Sebastian rolled backward. He grabbed his

  stolen sword with one hand and pushed off the ground with the other.

  Moments after he jumped into the air, an arrow tore

  through the ground where he had just sat. His [Mind’s Eye] extended as

  far as he could push it, revealing five figures surrounding him.

  With their initial surprise attack failing, the figures

  walked closer and made their presence known. Each one wearing black

  tight-fitting uniforms embroidered with the same turtle he saw in

  Jigusi, the symbol of the Shattered Earth Sect.

  Sebastian could sense that the group was of a similar

  level to the hunters in Luxendorf. All of them were either at the cusp

  of Major Accomplishment, or just above it.

  His blade held out in front of him, his senses sharp, and essence roiling within his meridians, Sebastian readied himself.

  “It’s gonna take more than that to kill me,” he called out.

  The one Sebastian assumed was the leader—based on his

  level, which wasn’t quite up to 60 but not too far from it—laughed in

  response. “We’re not here to kill you, fool. You killed the youngest son

  of the first elder. Your life and death belongs to him, and I doubt he

  will allow you to die any time soon.”

  They intend to catch me, alive. This

  is good. If they can’t kill me, they’ll have to hold back. I should be

  stronger than any one of them so if they have to hold back on top of

  that, the odds are in my favor.

  Sebastian visibly relaxed at the realization.

  Observing each of them through his [Mind’s Eye], he determined that the one behind him was the weakest. It’s always best to take out the grunts before fighting the boss, he thought.

  A [Quickstep] brought him most of the way to the man

  behind him. Upon planting his foot on the ground, Sebastian seamlessly

  switched to the footwork of his [Intergalactic Sword Art] and pounced.

  He thrust his sword at the man, but before he could reach

  him, a small canister attached to the front of the man’s uniform burst.

  It wasn’t a powerful explosion, but it wasn’t meant to be. Four prongs

  attached to thin strings shot toward him, not unlike a TASER device.

  Having barely any time to react, Sebastian stomped his

  front foot into the ground, twisted his body, and swung his sword to

  deflect the prongs. Although he managed to avoid the surprise attack,

  two of the other attackers had already fired their bows in that fraction

  of a second.

  Sebastian had no choice but to jump back to evade the incoming arrows.

  Through his [Mind’s Eye], he saw them coming and managed to dodge, but it stopped him from reaching his intended target.

  As all this was happening, he noticed that the remaining

  two men were jumping around, tossing multiple devices all around the

  clearing. As soon as Sebastian’s attack failed, his original target

  joined the two in tossing out traps, as well.

  Although he could see each of the devices, he had no idea

  what they were or how they worked. His spiritual sense was powerful,

  but it couldn’t read the functions of enchantments on the devices. Much

  like the canister that almost caught him, he had no way of knowing what

  any of those things could do.

  The group also didn’t give him time to think.

  Both bowmen continued firing arrows at Sebastian, jumping

  around the clearing—and in and out of the surrounding trees—to shoot

  from different angles.

  Damn! I need to catch one of them, but they’re all jumping around, and they’re covering each other perfectly.

  Sebastian changed his approach. Rather than rushing in to

  catch one of them up close, he followed their example and began

  launching ranged attacks of his own with his [Crescent Cloud Slash]. His

  target was still the same as before, the weakest and slowest of the

  group.

  Of the three who were throwing out their traps, one had

  taken out a bow and joined the other two to shoot arrow after arrow at

  Sebastian.

  There were countless arrows of essence flying at him at

  every moment. He could barely keep track with his [Mind’s Eye],

  especially when he was also following his target to launch his own

  attacks whenever he could.

  None of his attacks hit; the arrows kept him from aiming properly.

  As he dodged another arrow, Sebastian stepped back. His foot landed directly on a trap.

  It burst open, unleashing a slimy material which would

  have caught his entire foot if not for a hasty [Quickstep]. The

  distraction, however, led to an arrow digging into his back.

  Fuck! There’s too much going on.

  Even though I can see it all, I can’t keep track of everything at the

  same time. I need to take back control, break their momentum.

  He switched tactics yet again. Using his [Fleeting Cloud

  Step], Sebastian dashed across the clearing. As he moved, it was as

  though reality itself failed to recognize his presence. The Movement

  Technique allowed him to step on traps without triggering them, as

  though he stepped on the mere idea of them rather than the physical

  object.

  His target noticed the shift, as did the rest of them.

  Without a word, they all changed their targets. Instead

  of aiming for Sebastian, suddenly they shot at the traps on the ground

  in front of him. Triggering them with expert timing as he came close.

  His [Fleeting Cloud Step] didn’t only affect the ground, however. He

  slipped through explosions and prongs firing at him as he continued his

  relentless chase.

  The flash of fear on the man’s face as he turned and used

  some Skill to run into the forest filled Sebastian with satisfaction.

  Through his spiritual sense, he knew the others were hot in pursuit. He

  didn’t care. In the moment, nothing mattered beyond catching his prey.

  THWACK

  The air in his lungs was expelled as Sebastian was thrust onto his back. The fuck?! he thought before a powerful pressure across his chest and limbs bound him to the ground.

  His [Mind’s Eye] finally revealed what happened.

  Invisible ropes anchored him to the earth. Their existence had been

  completely hidden until the very moment they activated, even to his

  spiritual sense.

  He had been clotheslined by a trap installed between two trees and then bound before he could react.

  The five hunters from the Shattered Earth Sect walked up,

  their pride at yet another successful mission blatantly on display.

  Even the weakest, Sebastian’s target. His previous fearful expression

  melted away, indicating that even that was another layer of their trap

  to lure Sebastian right where they wanted him.

  Their leader squatted down and looked Sebastian in the eyes with a grin on his face. “Predictable, like all prey.”

  not

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