166 Old friend.

Zhi Rui couldn't help but feel intoxicated by the smell coming from the crown of the tree,thoughts blossomed on her mind. But afraid of waking any heart desire she tried to focus on the beasts coming on their direction attracted by the smell.

Roars and growls traveled through the forest as Zhi Rui tried to stifle her own impulse 'He! I promised to guard her, but I might just be the one to attack her first.'

It was already late in the morning. The sun would appear in one hour or so.

Zhi Rui sighed an released her own inner energy, any level three beast gave up instinctively.And they were too far away from abeast at the fourth level, so there was no need to fear it.

A loud gasp echoed and Zhi Rui shot up to the tree. But Ren zu was lying still without noise.

She spread her sense and saw it.

A group of three outer sect elders of the third level was looking everywhere in alarm.

"Huying elder, we shouldn't go on like this!

"Yes! Look at how crazy these beasts are tonight!"

The old man with an arched back looked them with a gloomy glint in his eyes,

"We're already this deep into the forest, and you want to quit now!? Don't tell me you expected a calm journey? This isn't a joke, I sighted that cave on a mission with an inner sect elder, two years ago. It's a place with an inheritance of fire I don't know which expert it was but certainly, it isn't a cheap thing!

I'm sure of it!I stumbled upon it and gained a key. Since then I kept it to myself. I was going to go when I reached the fourth level but with the geniuses coming. It's better to hurry, otherwise, Imight lose some benefits, they'll reward the most strong after all."

The others went quiet with doubt and uncertainty.

From the treetop, Zhi Rui smiled'An unexpected reward.'

Ren Zu opened her eyes slowly. Zhi Rui put her index in her mouth and made the 'shush' signal.

Morning came and Zhi Rui explained everything to Ren Zu after the elders were gone.

Ren Zu's eye shone in expectation of helping Zhi Rui on an actual mission.

"So what ability did you acquire? I didn't see you refining a core." Zhi Rui asked.

"Oh, the Etérnals acquire abilities from blood essence. I swallowed small flask with blood, it was from an ancient Predator bat. I can create a blood wing and fly now. Though I have to train with it."

"That's a good trait. it probably evolves with your strength." Zhi Rui smiled and said.

"Now let's go."

Flustered Ren Zu followed.

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Finally after half a day of following the cautious elders. They reached the place.

"Miss, we're going right after they open it?" Ren Zu asked.

"No. We'll fallow them, for safety. Its also a good chance for you to fight a real enemy."

"B-But they are all at the third levelwon't it be a problem if elders of the light sect were to die here?"

Zhi Rui laughed. "The only type of people that become a level, three outer sect elder. Is the ones that can't advance anymore. Either because of age or simply ineptitude. The sect couldn't care less once they're dead."

Ren Zu simply nodded.

Zhi Rui once again mused at REn Zu's confidence. She'll fight a person a level above hers, but instinctively she feels no threat or anxiety from none of those three men.

Like a predator, Zhi Rui stood watching them while hidden.Two of them cowered and one impatiently convinced them, in their journey it happened a least ten times already but it was always amusing for Zhi Rui.

The three men stood in front of a seemingly simple rock. the older one leading took out a bright red piece of rock and while burning his hand gently touched the rock with it. A wide door like hole melted into lava.

He laughed out loud, and slowly and turned around.

His two companions already expected that turn of events.

"The agreement was; I would take you both with me, and in turn, you would lead ahead of me inside the cave."

They grinned."As agreed, it is."

One walked forward another slightly behind.

The old man cackled while looking inside the cave as if he could see wealth and strength inside.

As one passed by him, he felt his knees buckle. He couldn't move, only their voice reached his ears.

"This sedative is really good. Look this instantaneous effect"

"Zao Wu,will you tie him up already! The sedative will only last three minutes!"

The shorter old man laughed an took some chains from his storage pouch.

"Oh, old man, you counted on the fact that we would be too cowardly to go back through the forest without you.So full of yourself."

Ren Zu and Zhi Rui watched from afar. The old man regained his ability to talk, but against the norm, he didn't plead or got angry, instead he just laughed and spoke of how foolish he was, offered to lead the way and offered to be the donkey and the horse.

They laughed at the old man's act and put him in front of them. One step at a time they walked inside.

After a minute, two silent shadows waltzed in.

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"NOOOOOOHH!! PLEASE!! NOO!!!!"The old man yelled.

"SHUSh!" the taller man slapped his mouth but the old man didn't stop wailing.

The one holding the rope of the old man looked anxiously at his partner.

"What if we just shove this old man on the fire? He was the one with the key after all. Maybe it'll accept him as the sacrifice!"

The taller man ignored and re-read the inscription inside the stele.

"For the spirit of fire, a living burning soul is needed." He pondered over and over. The short man lost his patience and threw the old man inside the flame.

"W-WHAT!? ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Screamed the taller man.

"AH!!!" The old man yelled for a second and suddenly went still.

The small flame consumed him and became a two-meter bipedal elemental. It was alive but it didn't move.

They were at the end of the cave, it was hot, they were sweating buckets, strangely no traps were activated.

"Can we command it? It's a familiar so we should be able to, right!?" The anxious short man asked.

The taller man tried to comand it, and it suddenly took a step forward.

He smiled and turned to his partner. "UGh-"

His chest was opened like a flower.

The short man laughed. "This familiar is at least at the third level, and his aura alone can keep beasts of the same level away. Haha,since it moved at command. I don't need to share anything with you uggu!!-"

A hand tore through his shoulder. The taller man with a punctured chest smiled with malice

Zhi Rui with a stern gaze threw the man to the side of the cave, she threw a pill to the man with a punctured chest and put him beside the other.

She smiled at Ren Zu. "I'm sorry, I need to test something. I may have to use both of them."

"Miss shouldn't care at all." RenZu said blushing for Zhi Rui's small consideration.

The man who took the pill was feeling the fatigue of the healing he smiled wryly atZhi Rui.

"Saintly Zhi Rui, I thank you, without you, I would have died in the hands of this vermin."

With a simple gentle smile, Zhi Rui laughed. "That small hope of yours, you can shove it up to your nose, Just stay there quietly and it'll end quickly"

Appaled but not surprised, he laughed in despair.

Zhi Rui sat cross-legged and sough one remnant spirit from inside her core.

Towards the man whose shoulder was torn apart. Zhi Rui helped him bleed until he was within an inch of his life.

She sought his core and overwhelmed it with her dense inner energy, half of it was used until a small crack formed and she sent the remnant conscience inside coated with her own intent. She used her affinity with the ethereal to influence the battle inside.

Ren Zu grew anxious as Zhi Rui's nose started to bleed.

The healed men suddenly jumped. But Ren Zu's extended nails brushed pass his neck the effect was instantaneous and he fell back down immobilized. He could only stare at her in shock.

Ren Zu looked them with scorn, wanting to tear the man alive.

Then Zhi Rui twitched. Her eyes opened a the same time as the men in front of her. he was also bleeding through his eyes.

Her voice weak she spoke. "W-What is your name?"

"I-I'mSmall-grain... I'm from the barbarian land..." as his words finished, Zhi Rui felt his body ran out of the blood. He died. But Zhi Rui was smiling.

'It worked.'

She looked at the familiar who hadn't moved until now.

"M-Miss, I immobilized him but I don't know if he can still manipulate the familiar."

Zhi Rui shook her head, "It wasn't him that controlled it. His partner only thought so because of anxiety and rushed thinking."

Feeling everything about the burning being in front of her Zhi Rui smiled even more brightly.

"It's mindless. The sacrificed soul became a shell,a burning shell. Due to the consciousness of the sacrifice, it took the human form and by reflex, it stepped forward. But ultimately. It's hollow."

'What a gift.' She thought.

She closed her eyes and reached for her core again.

"M-Miss you're going to hurt yourself again!"

Zhi Rui extended her hand to the chest of the burning familiar. Her hand instantly turned to charcoal.

But then the flames stopped burning so wildly. Slowly the two-meter tall burning frame, diminished its size, into a two-meter-long burning panther.

Its eyes burned a bright orange when it looked at Zhi Rui.

Ignoring her burnt black hand Zhi Rui embraced the big cat.

"Welcome back, Blackie."