by KSY
“Don’t worry. Brother still has near about three and a half months, so he can easily make a comeback if he wishes, but the chances of that happening are quite low. Brother will most likely spend his remaining time acquiring Heavenly Treasures that can increase his strength,” Blake said with a smile on his face.
The rest of his family members couldn’t help but agree with him. By now everyone was familiar with Ryan’s personality.
Ryan exited the Poison Meadow after seven to eight days of continuous traveling following which he entered the Metallic Sheen Mountain Range. The air there had a very thick Metal Attribute Elemental Energy in it, and the vegetation growing there was of Metal Attribute too. The mountain range was situated on a High-grade Metal Attribute Treasure land, and Ryan had gone there as he’d sensed Raban and the rest of the group-members in this region of Raspite with the help of the rune on his palm. Ryan continued to head in their direction at his top speed.
Ryan found a few participants on his way. They were in extremely bad condition. All of them were covered in severe injuries. If they didn’t get immediate medical treatment then their situation was bound to deteriorate, and they would be ejected from the Treasure Space. Because of that, they were extremely happy to see Ryan.
“Ryan, can you please help us out. We will give you everything that we have collected so far,” one of the injured participants said in a pleading voice. There was a big hole in his abdomen, and he was using some ointment to stop the bleeding. Ryan knew the guy: his name was Sherman, and he’d invited him previously to join his group. Sherman belonged to the Sixth branch of Heaven Sundering Family Clan. He had a young girl by his side, his fiancée, whose name was Rita. She was also from the Fifth branch of Heaven Sundering Family Clan just like Ryan, so she was like Ryan’s older sister of sorts. She was looking at Ryan with a hopeful expression.
“OK,” Ryan said, as he was unable to ignore Rita’s hopeful gaze. His positive reply immediately brought big smiles to the faces of Sherman and the members of his group.
“Thank you, Ryan,” Sherman said with a gaze full of gratitude. Ryan quickly got down to work but soon his expression changed as he checked the wounds of Sherman and the rest of his group-members.
“What did you guys encounter?” Ryan asked in bewilderment as he could tell that the wounds on their bodies were not simple. He was certain that they were caused by the Innate Ability of a powerful creature.
“Under Raban’s lead, a number of groups joined hands to get hold of Dark Star Ore from the clutches of the Metallic Hell Dragon, but we failed terribly,” Sherman said with resentment. He regretted his decision to join hands with Raban’s group.
Ryan facial muscles twitched on hearing him. Caius had previously told him that his group had joined hands with a number of other groups and were able to acquire a few Heavenly Treasures due to it. He’d had no idea about their present situation as Caius was no longer in Sundering Valley, because of which he had no idea about the happenings from the past few days.
Caius had left for Heavenly Forest, as he had sensed a weird energy that had recently started to emanate from its depths, which Caius was attracted to for some reason. Ryan didn’t stop him from going to Heavenly Forest as he felt that the energy Caius sensed could present him with a useful opportunity of some sort. He’d asked Caius to be alert at all times, though, and inform him if he was in any kind of problem.
“What about my group?” Ryan asked with a serious expression. He knew that none of them had been ejected as he could still sense their location with the help of the rune on his palm, but severe injuries couldn’t be ruled out.
“We are not sure, but they were able to escape in time, so they shouldn’t have suffered from any life-threatening injuries. Everyone ran haphazardly in all directions just to save their own lives after the Metallic Hell Dragon used its Innate Ability,” one of the members of Sherman’s group said.
“We are lucky that our entire group is still together, as many participants were separated from their groups at the time,” someone else said, as he vomited a mouthful of blood due to his resentment of the Metallic Hell Dragon. On hearing him, Ryan felt a little relieved.
“If my fellow group-members were able to escape in time, then how did you guys end up like this?” Ryan asked with curiosity.
“We were unable to retreat in time and by then the Metallic Hell Dragon had already used its Innate Ability. It was a completely one-sided slaughter,” Sherman said with a sigh.
“It’s a good thing that you got separated from your group after arriving at Raspite, otherwise, you would also have suffered from injuries unnecessarily,” another member of Sherman’s group said. Everyone knew that Ryan had joined Raban’s group, so many participants had questioned Raban and rest of his group-members about Ryan’s disappearance.
Raban and the rest of his group told them the truth: that Ryan hadn’t teleported to the same location as them after entering the portal. Many participants were stunned on hearing that, as they had never heard about something like that ever happening before.
“The wounds on your bodies can’t be treated by normal means. I will have to brew a medicine for you guys, and you will have to wait until then,” Ryan said as he took out a few Poison Attribute Plant Spirits from his Spatial pouch and a metallic container that looked like a pitcher, with a few runes etched on its exterior surface.
Ryan quickly extracted their essences and collected them in the pitcher, which was meant for trapping the essences of Plant Spirits. The extracted essences looked like colorful gases but they didn’t escape from the container even though its mouth was wide open. That was the specialty of the container.
Ryan started to channel his Poison Attribute Liquid Spirit Power into the container, and the essences of numerous Plant Spirits quickly liquefied under its influence. The container then contained a number of colorful liquids that were not mixing together, but soon under the influence of his Liquid Spirit Power, they started to mix together and a colorless liquid was formed inside the pitcher. This colorless liquid was the medicine meant for healing wounds. Ryan took out a small glass from his spatial pouch and poured some medicine into it.
“Drink it in one go,” Ryan said to Sherman as he moved the glass towards him. Sherman and rest of the members of his group were somewhat hesitant to drink the medicine Ryan had made as they had personally seen him make it, and had been able to identify some of the Poison Attribute Plant Spirits that he had used to make it.
Those Plant Spirits were so toxic that they would die even if they were just to touch them. Ryan could but naturally tell what was in their minds. He moved at lightning speed, held Sherman by his neck and forcefully made him drink the medicine. The members of Sherman’s group looked at Ryan with a horrified expression and wished to help Sherman, but they were unable to interfere because of their injuries.
Sherman had a pale expression afterwards as the medicine was quite bitter in taste, but the moment he opened his mouth to yell at Ryan, he felt a strange tingling sensation in his abdomen and the other parts of his body that were injured or wounded. He knew that this only happened during the healing of wounds and injuries. He was at a complete loss for words.
“Thanks,” Sherman said as he informed the members of his group about the medicine’s effects. They didn’t waste time then, and quickly gulped down their shares, and they too felt tingling sensations in their wounds. They were certain that they could completely recover within a week or two under the medicine’s effects. They also quickly thanked Ryan.
The reason Ryan’s medicine was not poisonous was because the essences of the different Plant Spirits neutralized each other’s toxicity. It was Raymond’s personal recipe.
“Thanks, won’t do,” Ryan said in a straightforward manner, as he could already guess the intentions of Sherman and his other group-members.
The faces of Sherman and his group-members became ugly on hearing Ryan’s words, as Sherman had initially said that they would give him everything that they�
��d collected since the start of the Divine Trials, but they were reluctant to do so now as those things were life changing opportunities for them. They’d also had to risk their lives to collect them.
Ryan knew that he would be ripping them off if he asked for all their stuff, and that his reputation would also take a hit. From the start, he’d had no intention of taking their stuff; he’d only wanted to direct the conversation towards something else.
“I don’t want the stuff you guys collected during the Divine Trials,” Ryan said with a sly smile on his face. Sherman and the others were relieved, but Ryan’s smile made them feel uneasy.
“Sherman, if I am not wrong, Ancestor Ron brought back a peculiar creature back from his journey to the Heretical Dark Region,” Ryan said with a big smile on his face. Ancestor Ron was Sherman’s direct Ancestor, and Sherman could tell what Ryan was implying.
“Absolutely impossible!! My Ancestor is an extremely stingy person. He would never give away that creature for free, even if you’ve brought me back to life,” Sherman said in a frantic manner. The other members of his group already knew what creature Ryan was talking about, as there had been rumors that Ancestor Ron had captured a young Darkness Attribute Ancient Elemental Beast, and that it was for his favorite descendant, so it was but natural that it would not be a normal beast.
“You would not giving it for free: that creature will be my fee for treating you and your group-members,” Ryan countered.
“Please, Ryan ask for something else. Ancestor Ron will never agree. You can ask anyone about his nature. He would prefer to die than lose a single penny,” Sherman said. Ryan had known from the start that Sherman would say that. He’d wanted to lure him into a trap that he’d specifically designed for him and Ancestor Ron.
None of the participants knew that they were being watched, so he’d decided to use that his advantage.
“Then how about this. You ask Ancestor Ron to let my younger brother Cris attempt to form an Equal contract with that creature. If he succeeds, then my grandfather will pay for it,” Ryan said with a devilish smile. Sherman could tell that this was Ryan’s last offer, and he did want to be on good terms with him.
“I will ask him, but what if he refuses? He’d obtained that creature for my eldest brother,” Sherman said in a pleading manner. His brother was currently thirty-five years old and had previously been the winner of numerous Divine Trials. He was the hope of the Sixth branch.
“I am certain that your brother will be rejected by that creature,” Ryan said with a mysterious smile.
“How can you be so sure?” Sherman asked in an angry manner. His eldest brother was his pride, and he didn’t like the fact that Ryan was demeaning him.
“I think that you don’t know this, but the mysterious creature that Ancestor Ron has brought back from the Heretical Darkness Region is a young Night Fury Bird,” Ryan said but his words had shaken up Sherman and other members of his group.
“How can you be so sure that my Ancestor has brought back a young Night Fury Bird? No one knows about the species except for my brother and him,” Sherman countered Ryan’s claim with a mocking expression. He felt that Ryan was just doing some guesswork.
“Nothing can escape my eyes. I passed near Ancestor Ron’s house just before coming to Sundering Valley, ” Ryan said with a sly expression. Sherman and his group-members were agape as they looked at Ryan’s blood-red eyes. They knew that Ryan possessed special eyes, but they’d never expected that his eyes would be quite similar to the legendary All-seeing eyes.
“Night Fury Bird is an Abnormal Divine Elemental Bird. There are numerous reasons it would never accept your brother, the first and foremost being that your brother lacks a Darkness Attribute Martial Spirit that can increase its bloodline purity. My younger brother possesses Calamity Giant which is a Humanoid Martial Spirit. There is a high chance that the bloodline purity of that Night Fury Bird will increase if it formed an Equal contract with my brother”, Ryan explained.
A mocking expression appeared on Ryan’s face as he asked, “Now you tell me what the chances are of your brother being accepted by the young Night Fury Bird.”
Sherman didn’t retort as he knew that what Ryan had stated was true. Night Fury Bird is a Divine Elemental Beast Elemental Bird of Darkness Attribute. It is known for its tyrannical strength and bloodthirsty nature, and it is well known for being extremely choosy when deciding on the Martial Artist to form an Equal contract with.
“I promise that if my brother is rejected by the Night Fury Bird then I will go to any lengths to urge my Ancestor to allow your brother to attempt forming an Equal contract with it, provided your grandfather pays for it if he is successful,” Sherman said.
“I am OK with that,” Ryan said as a triumphant smile appeared on his face.
“Oh! By the way, where is that Metallic Hell Dragon’s lair?” Ryan asked out of the blue with a mischievous smile as he’d thought of forming an Equal Contract with it.
“What??!” Sherman and other members of his group said. All of them wore looks of disbelief. They could tell from Ryan’s tone and actions that he was up to no good.
“Ryan can’t you see what conditions we are in, and yet you’re trying to pick a fight with that Metallic Hell Dragon!” Rita said in a livid manner. She was unable to understand Ryan at all. But it wasn’t just her: the other members of Sherman’s group were also unable to understand Ryan’s thought process. Ryan could tell she meant well, so he didn’t retort in the same tone.
“I have no intention of messing with that Metallic Hell Dragon. I just want to collect its feces and I am sure that there will be a lot of that around its lair. I can easily collect its feces without disturbing it,” Ryan said with a scholarly look. Sherman and his group-members looked at Ryan in a weird manner.
“You might not know this, but the feces of Metallic Hell Dragon are a prized alchemy material,” Ryan said with a smile. Sherman and his group-members wanted to retort, but they lacked words as none of them was an alchemist.
“It lives near the foot of the tallest mountain in the northern direction. You won’t miss it,” Sherman said in a helpless manner. He knew that Ryan would go looking for it, even if he didn’t tell him.
“Thanks,” Ryan said as he looked in the northern direction with his red eyes.
“Ryan, can you help us find a safe place where we can peacefully recover first? We will have a tough time finding it ourselves in our current conditions,” Rita asked. Ryan was unable to decline and quickly found them a cave which was located at the base of a small mountain. The cave belonged to a pack of Metallic wolves.
Metallic wolf is a Normal Elemental Beast and it looks no different from any other wolf except for its metallic fur which gives it an overwhelming defensive power, but that is not the end of its Innate gifts. Metallic wolf also possesses sword-like teeth and claws which can easily rip apart its prey.
Ryan charged at the cave of the Metallic wolves without fear as he knew that he could deal with them easily, and they immediately attacked Ryan the moment he came close to their cave.
Sherman and a few of his group-members had taken out hundreds of charms to support Ryan from a distance as in their current condition, they would be ripped apart by the Metallic wolves within seconds if they tried to fight one.
But they soon realized that Ryan alone was enough. They watched Ryan agape as he slaughtered the Metallic wolves with extreme ease. The weakest one’s were in Late Mortal Beast Lord Realm, and the strongest in Late Mortal Beast King Realm. It was not that Ryan’s fighting style was something eye-catching, or he was using some terrifying Martial Skill. The thing that stunned them was his bodily toughness and strength. The attacks of the Metallic wolves were unable to injure him but a single attack of his was sufficient to finish off even Late Mortal King Realm Metallic wolves. Even their strongest Innate Abilities had no effect on him. It took Ryan about half an hour to finish off them all.
Sherman and all the members of his group
thanked Ryan a lot after he’d dealt with the Metallic wolves before entering the cave to slowly recuperate to their peak conditions. Ryan then continued in a northern direction as he wanted to try making that Metallic Hell Dragon his Soul beast and also to get Dark Star Ore for Death Sword. Dark Star Ore could help Death Sword in his recovery.
So, how could Ryan give up on Dark Star Ore?
Ch.23
Sundering Valley was as lively as before. This time there were quite a number of former participants there that had been ejected by the Treasure Space due to their severe injuries. They had already recovered enough to move around, and were looking at the screens in a gloomy manner. Many of them had shown their pathetic sides during the Divine Trials, which were then seen by everyone present in Sundering Valley, and they’d been scolded by their parents and Elders in their respective branches.
The debacle of Raban and company was fresh on everyone’s mind which had made the Divine Trials unexciting, but suddenly they’d got a pleasant surprise in the form of Ryan. Everyone couldn’t help but commend his medical skills after seeing him prepare medicine for Sherman and the members of his group. Everyone was certain that he was bound to become a genius doctor in the future. Many people came forward to congratulate Ryan’s family, who couldn’t help but puff their chests with pride.
Things got even more interesting when they heard what Ryan wanted from Sherman for treating him and the members of his group. This time even the old fogies couldn’t help but commend Ryan after seeing his selfless attitude towards his family members. Many young kids were looking at Cris with an envious expression.
Cris, on the other hand, felt warmth surge in his heart as he thought of the words his brother had said to him previously. He was OK, even if he didn’t get an opportunity to form an Equal contract with the Night Fury Bird. He was already content with the fact that his brother was trying to find him a descendant of a Divine Elemental Beast or an Ancient Elemental Beast for forming an Equal contract with.
