Buckle.
The knees of all three cultivators buckled under them, the Core Elder nearly collapsing to the ground while the other two fared only slightly better with their higher cultivation base, yet it made little difference as they too were left entirely immobilized.
It made them feel a primordial dread, as though they were standing in the presence of a superior lifeform, the horror in their hearts palpable as they gazed at the figure before them, who at this moment appeared less like a heavenly beauty and more like a horrifying entity.
'How strong is she!?'
That was the thought that passed through their minds as they watched the beauty at work, the weight shifting from the previous almost suffocating pressure to one that carried with it a certain 'sacredness' and an all-encompassing quality.
At that moment it was like the Heavenly Dao itself had descended into the room, as if somebody were reading its tapestry and peering into its secrets…
Meanwhile, out of the cultivators' sight, Lady Divination's eyes had changed; her abyssally dark orbs remained untouched at their base, but atop those beautiful eyes a new purple ring had appeared.
A purple ring that carried with it an unimaginable weight, enough to shatter the mind of any too weak and unfortunate to behold them. At that instant the rings spun rapidly, her gaze growing hazy as she searched the vast cosmos for the secret she sought.
Spin.
The next instant the deadly yet mesmerizing purple rings whirled even faster before her mysterious smile deepened, as though she had uncovered some hidden truth.
A heartbeat later the rings faded, her eyes returning to their abyssal black as her gaze slipped back into reality, and she turned to face the three cultivators with an amused smile playing across her tempting purple lips.
"Sorry, I couldn't find the killer of your son, it seems that what you were searching for will remain a… mystery!" she declared in a casual tone, and if the amused curl of her lips was anything to go by, it was clear she wasn't sorry in the least.
"What!" The exclamation burst from Sect Master Qin, but Lady Divination remained entirely unbothered as she went on,
"It seems that the killer you are searching for is rather skilled in the Fate Dao, having mastered certain Cultivation Arts tied to this wonderful path, allowing him to shield his own secrets from prying eyes," she casually explained.
"Surely Lady Divination is jesting, how could somebody as powerful and majestic as you not be able to find this… rat!" Sect Master Qin spoke with barely controlled anger, his tone breaking as he spat out the last word in hatred.
Shrug.
Lady Divination lightly shrugged her shoulders. "It is what it is, this 'rat'..." a hint of disdain flickered in her eyes as she regarded the trio before continuing,
"...as you call him, is far more capable than you three could ever hope to be, and consequently I wasn't able to find him. Or maybe I did~ and simply don't want to tell you, who know~" she finished, her last words carrying a lighthearted tone with a hint of arrogance, punctuated by a playful giggle.
"This bi—"
The Sect Master was cut mid-sentence as the Grand Elder placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, signaling him to contain his anger.
"Even though this endeavor was unsuccessful, we are grateful for your precious time, Lady Divination!" bowed the Grand Elder and the Core Elder, forcing Sect Master Qin to follow along.
"Shoo, shoo." Lady Divination turned her gaze away from them, having lost all interest in the trio as she waved them off.
And on that note the three powerhouses were 'shooed' away, with the emotionally unstable Sect Master Qin only barely controlling his anger as a spike of hatred flared in his heart toward Lady Divination, convinced that she could have revealed Qin Lei's killer if she had truly wanted to.
Her casual dismissal certainly didn't calm the fire burning within him, and as he left with the Grand Elder and the Core Elder at his side, the hatred within him only grew stronger.
Naturally, with Lady Divination's power and experience, she noticed his emotions and the grudge forming against her but…so what?
What did the hatred of an ant have to do with her?
Lick.
A long, far longer than any human could hope to possess, purple tongue with a pointed tip slid out of her mouth as she licked her upper lips in an extremely seductive display, but fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—there was nobody present to appreciate it.
"Mikael… Angelini." The words escaped the beauty's mouth as an intrigued glint flickered in her eyes, "I wonder…"
She tilted her head, "...what should I do with you, little human?" Her tongue traced her lower lip as she pondered aloud, "Your original and acquired fate are rather… enticing, it would make a splendid meal, so… should I devour you?"
"Hmm… hmm, choices, so many choices." She tilted her head again, her thoughts drifting on the matter.
"Maybe I shouldn't… after all, you are a Probationary Chosen One, and devouring you…it could make the Records slightly upset."
One of her dainty fingers rested lightly against her lips, "But at the same time, it would be rather… distasteful if I simply ignored a meal served to me so openly, right beside me, without having even the slightest taste…"
"Mmmh~" She tilted her head once more as she considered the thought, before a faint light of realization appeared in her eyes.
"I know! Since eating him isn't really possible, I'll just contain myself to keeping an eye on you, Mikael… Angelini~, perhaps in this way I'll find some insights into the Fate Dao, and at worst it will be… amusing and—"
Slrp…
She licked her lips once more with her long purple tongue, and for a brief instant the purple rings in her eyes materialized again as she paused, seemingly peering into Fate once more.
Her smile widened, clearly pleased by what she saw. "...and if I'm lucky, and during the clash with this Varnari 'Genius' he falls, or later in his 'adventure' he dies, I could always jump in and enjoy a good meal, no?"
"If he's already dead, I'm sure the Records wouldn't mind if I devoured his little soul!"
"Fufufufufu, this is the most amusing thing that's happened in a while~" Lady Divination laughed to herself before leaving the old shack for a leisurely 'stroll'...
***
Meanwhile as this was happening, Mikael didn't have the slightest clue that he had just caught the attention of something, this something being an extremely dangerous and slightly unhinged 'woman'...
At that moment he was in a cave tens of thousands of kilometers away from the Savagefang Mountain Range, in this cave he was quietly meditating and healing from the injuries that using the Stage 2 of the Ferocity Mark III had given him.
As for worrying about the Flame Sovereign Sect finding him?
He wasn't the 'newbie' that had just entered the Cultivation World anymore, in truth he could even be considered a kind of 'expert' and consequently he took all the necessary precaution for this high risk actions of his of stealing the Flame Sovereign Sect.
To make sure it was foolproof he didn't even take the Core Disciples' storage rings, leaving their treasures to rot where they fell, even though he could have easily taken them.
He was cautious to the extreme, and because of that he knew the only real way he could be found would be through mystical means like fate reading, divinations, and similar domains but—
For those he wasn't defenseless either, as he had his 2nd layer Foresight of Heaven's Mandate which also offered a powerful protection against mystical means of 'reconnaissance.'
With it, he was practically 'unreadable' to all cultivators in the Foundational Phase, and even those in the first Realm of the Soul Phase weren't guaranteed to pierce through and discover his identity.
Knowing all that, he wasn't worried, after all it wasn't like he would be unlucky enough to catch the attention of an old monster… right?
Pop, pop, pop.
The sound echoed in the isolated cave as Mikael slowly opened his eyes and began to stretch.
After a couple of movements he confirmed what he had already been nearly sure of, "Fully healed!" he murmured with satisfaction, "and…it only took me five hours! Compared to the last time where I was left unable to move for days on end, that's certainly an upgrade!"
He murmured to himself while shaking his head in 'reminiscience' of the 'good old time' when he used Stage 2 for the first time.
Shake.
'Joke apparts, my first use of it really wasn't that bad, after all I met Yulan and Lifen so…yeah, it was definitely worth it!' he thought, a gentle smile making its way onto his usually indifferent composure.
Whoosh.
The wind howled in Mikael's ears as he stretched further, not because it was needed—it wasn't—but simply because he enjoyed the ritual.
'At the same time my fast healing isn't "magical" and makes perfect sense, not only is my base body stronger thanks to my Ninefold Impurity-Free Physique Method reaching Mastery but that isn't all!'
'Ferocity Art isn't behind either, as it also became far better passing from Mark I to III which lessened the strain, and considering that I didn't even use vitality-based herbs so…yeah, my 'good condition' is logical but—'
'It's still not enough!!!'
An excited glint passed in his eyes, 'Using Stage 2 still causes me injuries, and this is the proof that I need to continue to develop it up to a point where even using Stage 2 is effortless and doesn't injure me nor negatively affect me in any way!'
'At that moment the "ultimate goal" of Stage 2 would be reached, allowing what was once a "Secret Technique" to become a technique that I am able to use permanently, which would be a massive boost.'
This thought passed through his mind, filling him with excitement at the prospect, before he calmed himself and returned to his stretching exercises.
"Mmmmnnnhhh…" a small, relaxed 'moan' escaped Mikael as he finished stretching and his gaze landed on a special storage ring located on his index finger, just beside the one he usually used.
His Divine Sense entered the special ring and was immediately met with a sea of silver liquid, within which purple streaks of thunder crackled.
From this liquid surged an aura akin to a heavenly tribulation, giving him the impression that if he pushed his Divine Sense any closer, he would be electrocuted.
The instant he 'sensed' that 'medicinal fragrance,' every cell in Mikael's body seemed to split open, and a dreadful hunger crashed into him, so fierce it felt as though his flesh, bones, and even his marrow were screaming to devour it.
Every part of him longed to seize that Heavenly Wonder, a craving so absolute it carried the instinctive certainty that absorbing it would grant unimaginable benefits.
Smirk.
A mocking smirk crept across Mikael's features before he withdrew his Divine Sense, not intending to absorb the Thunder Vein Dew no matter how tempting it was or how much his body screamed to devour it!
'I control my impulses and certainly not the opposite, my impulses don't control me!' he thought, his mocking smirk deepening as he refused to let this 'hunger' dictate him while calmly withdrawing his Divine Sense from the storage ring.
It was clear that Mikael had no intention of consuming the Thunder Vein Dew right now, no matter how tempting it was or how much his body ached and burned to devour it!
'After all, absorbing this Heavenly Wonder right now without the adapted preparation would not only be more dangerous but would also drastically reduce the potential gains, and I took this much risk and put in this much effort…'
Mikael's expression grew slightly…weird, 'I don't know if "effort" is the right word, when it's my "friends" of the Flame Sovereign Sect that gave me the Thunder Vein Dew but anyways~'
'After all of…"that" I certainly aren't about to consume it right now, wasting a lot of my potential gains, which would be stupid beyond belief!'
'Now isn't consummation time but preparation time.' he thought before he began to make arrangements to hide the storage ring in which the Thunder Vein Dew was contained.
Author Note:
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———
"Phew!" Mikael wasn't identity wasn't discovered, it seems that his 2nd layer Foresight of Heaven's Mandate protected him, fortunately or else the problems that would have come…yeah he wouldn't have been ready.
But in his fortune there is also misfortune?(Maybe not who knows?) as he caught the attention of an entity called Lady Divination…
———
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— End of Chapter —