My crazy Cultivation Path

CHAPTER 119- abandoned

A few hours later.

Night had fallen over the island. It was the perfect time for Dina to go warn her three imprisoned friends.

In that darkness, she melted into the shadows that cloaked the island and headed toward the upper part.

She slipped easily inside the abbey. She checked for guards.

To her great surprise, it was empty.

She searched the entire interior, looking for the prison.

Stopping for a moment, she wondered if she hadn’t missed something.

There’s no prison building, not even guards… Where would be the perfect place? A place you’d be sure they couldn’t escape from, she thought.

Then she remembered where she currently was.

Right now, I’m inside the shadow. No one can see me; someone could walk right over me without knowing I’m here… so logically, they’re underground, she whispered to herself.

Just before she turned her attention to the door that had just opened.

A young woman stepped out. Holding a severed arm. Dragging a man across the floor.

When Dina fixed her gaze on the man on the ground, everything went black. Right in front of her, Tony was being dragged like a slave. And most of all, he was missing an arm.

Like a domino effect, Dina seized the shadows directly beneath the woman and shaped dozens of blades of darkness.

They were about to strike… she stopped herself. A part of her knew that if she attacked now, the whole plan might be ruined.

Shit, she thought.

Watching Tony, who looked unconscious, she slipped through the door within the shadows.

…

After inspecting the place, she quickly understood she’d been right: all the prisoners were here, in this underground complex.

Out of caution, she didn’t step out of the shadows.

As she descended deeper into the prison, she noticed the state of some of the prisoners, their ages. She didn’t feel any visible pity, but thought instead:

After spending so much time on this damn island, seeing stuff like this doesn’t even shock me anymore. Seriously, we should just rename this damn island “Human Decadence.”

Seeing perfectly in the dark, she still hadn’t found Asti and Simone.

But without realizing it, she’d been biting her finger ever since she’d left Tony behind.

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…

Reaching the end of the corridor, she checked every cell. And finally saw her two friends.

She entered their cell and noticed they were cultivating. And they weren’t alone.

The moment her eyes landed on the third man, she realized he was staring straight into her eyes.

“You know, you should really mask the aether around you. Otherwise you’ll get caught every single time,” Kurdes told her.

Showing no reaction, Dina observed before making any decision.

“Come on, you’re not gonna play mute. There’s been a change of plan. You’re not seven anymore. Now you’re twenty… So, do you really want to leave Tony rotting in this shit?” Kurdes exhaled.

Disturbed, Dina concluded that the other three had talked about the plan with this guy.

She stepped out of the shadows, startling Asti, who was sitting cross-legged.

“What—Tony?” Asti muttered.

Leaning forward, Dina whispered into Asti’s ear:

“You got the wrong person.”

Instead of being happy to see her, Asti stayed silent.

“It’s time, right?” he asked.

“No, but we’ve decided to move on the day of the prince’s execution,” she specified.

She noticed that, upon hearing her words, Asti had turned toward the mysterious man.

“Wait—so the one who’s going to be executed is him?” Simone asked.

“Yeah, but now it’s the whole floor too. That sicko really wants blood,” Kurdes declared.

“Alright Asti, explain to me how this guy knows our plan and why we’re suddenly twenty now.”

…

“There. Now you know everything,” Asti said.

“I don’t see a problem. But adding strangers could cause issues later. Who knows, some of them might just be completely insane,” Dina thought.

“I’ve got a suggestion to add,” Zina announced loudly.

“And you’ve got almost the same name as miss here,” Dina said.

“Miss? Like I’m some rookie chick. Call me Zina. Anyway, good, you’ve got the day of the attack. Now you need the exact time of day. And as you’ve probably figured out, darling, during the day is impossible. We’ll already be getting executed.”

“So what do you suggest?” Dina asked her.

“Nothing more logical than striking in the morning, right before sunrise. You’ve seen what kind of things happen on this island. And normally, members of the Payo clan are coming here to watch Kurdes get executed. So we wipe them all out in one go. Then we deal with whatever survivors are left,” Zina exclaimed.

“That’s a good idea. And you even know that a bunch of cultivators have arrived… almost like you’re psychic,” Dina questioned.

“Psychic? Laughs. Unfortunately no, I just deduce theories from the information I have. And I picked the most likely one. Plus, Kurdes himself said he wasn’t exactly loved in his clan. But instead of questioning me, you should be worrying about Tony,” Zina pointed out.

“What’s wrong with Tony?” Asti said, starting to call his name.

“No point doing that, Asti. My sister took him with her,” Kurdes declared.

“What… but…”

Cutting Asti off, Kurdes asked:

“Tell me, how long until my execution?”

“Starting now, four days,” Dina answered.

“Then you’re gonna have to leave Tony in my sister’s hands for four days,” Kurdes said softly.

Asti, standing right beside him, grabbed him by the throat. Kurdes didn’t react at all.

“You’re asking her to let Tony rot for four days with your sister—the one who’s been torturing you since childhood? You want to turn him into you, is that it?” Asti roared.

Looking at Asti like he was some agitated circus beast:

“First, I want the plan to happen. At least the first phase—the destruction of the island. Second, your dear friend already had the chance to save Tony… and she didn’t,” Kurdes declared.

Asti’s face tensed. Veins bulged.

“What the hell are you talking about? You’re not done playing Mr. I-Know-Everything, huh? Like you actually saw it!” Asti screamed.

Their answer: a combined laugh from Kurdes and Zina, mocking him without restraint.

“Seriously, Asti, didn’t it ring any bells that she showed up right after? She must have run into them at the door. And yet here she is, not even trying to defend herself. She put the plan before Tony,” Zina explained.

Face frozen, Asti asked Dina if it was true.

The only answer she gave him was:

“See you in four days.”

She vanished into the prison shadows.

Leaving Asti frozen. He understood that, even knowing Liara was a lunatic who loved torturing people… she had abandoned Tony there anyway. Sure, only four days—but four days that could very well break him.