Unsealing Emptiness

Chapter 436: Jinx’s Curiosity.

As the star began to set and dusk came near, Phoenix City remained lively.

Many people hadn’t even yet realized the fall of the Night Walkers and a new building had risen from their ashes.

Rai swiftly managed everything and before people could even marvel at the speed with which things were changing, all the Beastkin under Ember had already settled inside the new estate.

With Ember raising a new estate in the middle of the city in a single day, waves of unrest spread in all directions.

Those who remembered Ember could make vague guesses of what might have happened, but they wouldn’t believe it until they confirmed it with their own eyes. On the other hand, those who didn’t know her started investing in all the information they could get on her.

After all, the status of Phoenix City wasn’t anything to scoff at in the whole Realm of Abezan. It existed with an independent administration solely under the City Lord. No Kingdom or Empire held any sway in its matters.

Anything that happened within the territory of Phoenix City attracted unkind attention; be it drastic or insignificant.

Passerbys flocked to admire the estate that had been built before dusk took over the day.

Ozul received a room for himself and by Ember’s thoughtful orders, it was one of the most isolated rooms of the entire estate.

"I cannot sleep now..." he whispered to himself as he sat alone in his room, ’Not until I have everything under control.’

He would have normally ignored the happenings of his surroundings and just taken a nap, but he had recently begun feeling anxious. The feeling which previously didn’t even exist now gnawed at his mind.

’To test the effects of the Scent, I need people other than the Beastkin here in the estate. But I can’t pick random people on the street; it’s too dangerous.’

Until things settled down, he couldn’t even ask Ember’s help. Judging from her attitude toward him, she may stop everything to do him the favor, but he knew better than to interrupt her matters.

’It is better to test the Scent later then. So, I have two choices for now: get familiar with the city, or train by myself.’

*Meow~!*

Jinx scratched her head against his legs while purring every so softly.

"Hm? You want to roam the city? That’s new..." Ozul muttered the last words to himself.

From the moment he had found her, never once had she asked for something like this. Just like him, she always preferred to sleep than do something exhausting like this.

He didn’t have the heart to do it before, but he also didn’t like rejecting Jinx. It was also nighttime, so at least he wouldn’t have to deal with bright light.

"Alright, let’s go."

...

In the dark of the rising night, Ozul floated from one place to another with Jinx on his shoulder. No matter how fast he went, she never once flinched.

Even after he had gotten so strong and traveled across a whole new Realm, the black cat with a divine sense of balance remained a mystery.

Shifting his focus back to the city, there didn’t seem anything special in it.

He had traveled so much and seen so many extravagant capitals of grand kingdoms and empires that they didn’t seem so special anymore.

This one too, seemed more advanced and had more people than any he had seen in this Realm, but it was just that; more people and better structures.

Though he had to admit that its size was double if not triple that of the Capital of the late Blue Lion Kingdom.

’Yet a fight between just two Transcendents can turn it all into ruins and rubbles in a matter of seconds.’

He couldn’t help but be fascinated by the fragility of everything and by the fact that despite there being numerous Transcedents in the city, everything ran smoothly.

On one side of the city, an estate was reduced to debris, an organization that operated even in the continent’s lower regions vanished suddenly, and a new estate was erected over its previous headquarters.

People in the opposite corners, while clearly intrigued by what was going on, were not frightened. In fact, Ozul observed an unusual tranquility that enveloped the entire city.

’Now that’s odd...’

In no other place had he seen such carefree people. It was evident from their emotions that they didn’t expect anything unforeseen to happen.

’Are they just ignorant or have they never seen war and destruction in this Phoenix City?’ Ozul wondered as he flew aimlessly.

The city also had no restricting rules such as a ban on flying. He wasn’t alone in the air. Many cultivators who couldn’t do it solely with their cultivation, used artifacts instead. Amongst so many people, he didn’t stand out.

It was then that his eyes fell on the largest court in the city.

’That must be City Lord’s Hall?’

Even though he had spent these past few days sleeping, he still heard and remembered important pieces of information.

He had also come across another estate before which housed an individual at the Sage’s Realm. He didn’t go near the estate any more than that.

But this City Lord’s Hall didn’t seem to have any Sage housed in it.

’That City Lord isn’t here,’ he concluded. There was no doubt from all the decorations and the flags that this estate was the Hall.

*Meow!*

"You want to go near?" puzzled, Ozul asked to confirm. But the resolute look in Jinx’s eyes made it clear that she meant it. "Okay... but just so you know, we will not trespass."

Since the Sage wasn’t here at the moment, he could go near the estate. And so, he began to descend slowly. But there were still two Transcendents in the estate; he would be in trouble just as easily if he made any mistake.

As he neared the estate, something peculiar finally caught his eyes.

In the middle of what looked to be the main court’s yard stood a beam-like structure as tall as a two-story building and as wide as a room.

The beam itself had a red-orange color mixed in with little patches of white everywhere. On a closer look, he could see different engravings made with a golden material. The beam stood alone at a distance from everything else. Even grass weeds didn’t make it near its base.

It seemed nothing less than ethereal when gazed at directly.

’It lacks Spiritual Essence as well,’ Ozul couldn’t help but be intrigued by that fact.

He didn’t need to trace Jinx’s gaze to realize that she too was intently staring at that structure.

*Meow!*

But Ozul shook his head this time, "I told you, we will not trespass into the estate. There are too many unconventional artifacts that will alert them."

*Meow!*

Still, Jinx continued to protest. There was even harshness in her voice this time. But no matter how much she insisted, he couldn’t just enter the City Lord’s Hall without permission.

He didn’t feel good rejecting Jinx, but there was nothing he could do.

"Later, I promise you," he spoke softly and turned around. Luckily for him, she calmed down the moment he promised her.

They gave one last look at the tower-like beam and flew away.

Only they couldn’t roam around the city anymore as Ozul felt an oppressive spike of Spiritual Essence behind him.

’That’s where the new estate is...’

The amount of Spiritual Essence was considerably more than the woman he had fought. If he had to guess, it belonged to someone at the peak of the Transcendent Realm.

With Ember and Rai in the estate, he didn’t have to worry about the trio’s safety, but he still had to be there just in case. And so, he sped toward the newly built estate together with Jinx.

. . .

[A few minutes before]

Everyone was settling quite well. The people Rai had brought took charge of everything and had things done swiftly as if they had been doing it for decades.

It wasn’t surprising since these people were just reassuming their responsibilities from when Ember hadn’t lost her cultivation yet.

Raven, Blaze, and Zier were peacefully cultivating in a secluded garden as Ember walked about discussing certain matters with Rai as he reported them.

It happened suddenly when Ember and Rai stopped walking, both grinning at the same time as they looked up at the sky.

"We just moved to a new house and there are guests already," Ember quipped.

"Our first guest is the Phoenix Lord himself. How flattering," Rai beamed with sarcasm as well.

And in a moment’s notice, blurs of shadow quickly approached, morphing into the image of two men.

One stayed behind the other in a respectful stance, but both had the same coldness with which they gazed down at the estate.

"If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would’ve continued believing you had succumbed to old age, beastkin," the leading man spoke with glaring spite.

Ember didn’t back down either, "Who would’ve thought the Phoenix Lord would be such a racist?"

At the mention of ’racist’, the City Lord cringed and quickly changed the topic, "I have yet to investigate the disappearance of the Night Walkers and you have already built an estate atop their graves. Do you mean to take responsibility?"

"I don’t know... I don’t see the connection. Is he stupid?" Rai muttered aloud as if he was solely talking to himself.

"Watch your tongue!" The man behind the City Lord unleashed his Spiritual Essence in a fit of fury.

Rai didn’t back down either. He too stopped restraining his Spiritual Essence.

It was then that everyone in the estate realized they had uninvited company. All the Transcendents quickly gathered behind Rai and Ember, ensuring the security of the rest.

Only now did the trio break their cultivation session as they were caught in the power struggle of two Transcendents.

"Even after doping your son with so many rare treasures, he barely reached the peak of Transcendence recently. You sure have talent in your bloodline, Ryujin," Ember taunted, not helping Rai as he was more than enough on his own.

"Enough," the City Lord raised his voice, stopping his son from acting out before he glared down at Ember and Rai, "You might have recovered your cultivation, Ember, but know this: I am the Phoenix Lord now. And you will regret this."

"Hm? You seem to have a lot of resentment for me. Why don’t we just duke it out here and now. Isn’t it easier?" Ember again taunted with a smirk on her face.

But the City Lord remained quiet.

"What? Afraid of incurring the Phoenix’s wrath? What kind of Phoenix Lord are you?"