Hearing Kaal's voice, a teen with brown hair and sharp fox-like features appeared. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, full of mischief.
"Young master, your acting was superb. Even I was fooled!" Lauren grinned, mimicking Kaal's dramatic collapse. "Assa— the assassin is here!" he added, performing an exaggerated reenactment.
Seeing Lauren's antics, Kaal's eyes twitched. That was embarrassing... He calmed the urge to punch Lauren's fox-like face.
"Enough. Did you do what I asked?" Kaal asked, cutting him off.
Lauren instantly stopped mimicking and replied, "I left traces in the Death Forest, making it look like the attack came from the Jeral Clan. Shouldn't be too hard for the general soldiers to find the clues unless their brains are made of sh*t," he added, flopping onto the bed.
"And what about your end? Did you gain anything? That Rakshya Flower Poison nearly cost me a fortune..." Lauren grumbled.
If it hadn't been for his betrayal of Raven, Kaal wouldn't have managed to kill him, at least not without sacrificing a shadow guard or risking Raven's escape.
That thought hit Kaal hard. In this world, without power, even your closest friend could become your enemy. Setting the thought aside, he replied casually, though a glint flashed in his eye.
"Do you even have to ask? I never let my prey escape. But tell me, why did you betray him? Raven was your childhood friend..."
Lauren froze for a moment, caught off guard by the question. But soon, his expression returned to indifference.
"The deal you offered my grandfather was worth it," he said with a shrug. "In this world, there's no such thing as eternal friendship or eternal enemies—only benefits matter. For the benefit, a friend can become an enemy. Or an enemy... a friend."
"Enough about me," Lauren said quickly, trying to shift the topic. "What did you gain?"
Kaal's eyes narrowed slightly. His wariness toward Lauren grew. "Raven had eaten a Millennium Crimson Red Fruit—a lucky find, but ultimately a wasted effort. Still, we achieved what we needed: weakened Elder Alvin's influence and halted his momentum. Now, Elder George holds the upper hand."
Lauren felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart.
The Millennium Crimson Red Fruit—a heaven-sent treasure formed from ten thousand years of gathered Heaven Qi—could refine the body to near-spirit beast levels and even raise one's talent. But it was almost impossible to obtain or consume, existing only for one incense's time (15 minutes) wherever it appeared. To eat, it was said to be harder than reaching the Truth Realm.
"Lucky dog died too easily… wasting such a treasure," Lauren muttered bitterly, questioning Heaven's fairness. Why Raven… and not me?
Kaal continued, "Elder Alvin will quiet down for a while. He lost his final hope—his talented grandson. That was our plan from the beginning, so it doesn't matter what we gained or lost. But remember this—" Kaal's voice turned cold, and his aura surged.
"You and Elder George made a promise to support me for the Clan Leader position. Break that promise, and I'll show you what's worse than hell."
The pressure from Kaal's aura made it hard for Lauren to breathe. He nodded quickly.
"We will. But you must keep your side of the deal—the Shadow Sword Art technique..."
"No need to wait." Kaal raised his hand, withdrawing a scroll from his spatial ring. He tossed it to Lauren, who caught it, barely able to hide his excitement.
Lauren took a deep breath and opened the scroll. As he read, the intensity of his breathing filled the room.
Several minutes later, he closed it reverently.
"I'll inform my grandfather of your goodwill and update the clan on the assassination. They should arrive by tomorrow." With that, Lauren disappeared from the room.
In the Kilvish Clan, there were only three main secret arts reserved for Blessing Realm experts who brought glory to the clan or showed exceptional talent. These arts were handed down only to direct descendants of the clan leader or those belonging to one of the three great factions:
Dark Legion
Shadow Sword
Shadow Elite
Each faction had its unique secret art:
Dark Emperor Sword – A sword technique that amplifies darkness into blade form. At its peak, it could cut through or create black holes. Practitioners often awakened darkness or gravity-based soul abilities in the Blessing Realm.
Shadow Void – A movement technique. At the highest level, one could travel through the void in an instant, leaving no trace. Users typically awakened space or shadow-based soul abilities.
Shadow Infinite – A deceptive shadow-based technique. Masters could use shadow clones, replacements, and unpredictable tricks. Practitioners developed mutated shadow abilities in the Blessing Realm.
These secret arts almost guaranteed a powerful soul blessing, which is why Lauren was willing to betray even Raven for them.
Kaal understood their value, but he also knew that the Myriad Thousand Demon Body was beyond any clan technique. That's why he never told Lauren about the soul exchange with Raven or the Green Bead Seed—a treasure now bound to his soul, emanating an ancient, mysterious aura.
"Now... It's time to return to the clan," Kaal said, gazing north, toward the land of the Kilvish Clan.