Unsealing Emptiness

Chapter 441: Dangerous Man.

Lying comfortably in his room, Ozul thought about his newfound ability to boost the cultivator’s talents.

Raven, Blaze, and Zier never noticed the difference before because they slowly received the Scent over a long period.

He had to be careful who he used the Scent on now that he understood it not only swayed people’s feelings towards him but also assisted them in cultivation.

Since he saw no serious side effects of the Scent, he tried injecting the three of them with a few more traces, but it became apparent after a while that their bodies had reached the limit of how much they could contain.

’Good thing I have it under control now,’ he thought to himself, glad he found it as soon as he did.

The Scent’s mind-influencing effect was lacking compared to the boost in talent. Hence, he would only use it on an enemy for a short period before extracting it back. When he had no control over the Scent’s excretion from his body, it seemed like he was unconsciously helping everyone in his vicinity.

After the initial burst of spies infiltrating the estate and him plucking them out instantly, the number of people trying slowly declined. It got to the point that Ozul returned to his usual routine of taking naps every day.

But how could Ember let such a useful man waste his time all day long? True to her words, Rai was sent to fetch him later in the day.

These days, Jinx never left his side no matter where he went.

Finally alone with Ozul for once, Rai couldn’t help but satisfy his curiosity, "What is that cat? It’s not normal, and that I think, everyone can tell."

If Jinx exuded even a small amount of Spiritual Essence, her intelligent behavior could be justified. However, not even Ember’s Scarlet Eyes could find anything strange hiding within her.

In response, Ozul shrugged his shoulders as always before replying, "I will tell you when she tells me."

But Rai only thought that he didn’t want to talk about it, so he gave up trying.

They arrived in Ember’s office shortly after.

"You wanted someone dead?" Ozul asked as he entered the room following Rai.

"My my, It’s almost like you can see the future," Ember replied, leaning back.

"You told me yesterday." Ozul wasn’t amused. Lately, everything was getting on his nerves.

Sighing, Ember got straight to the point, "You see, I have quite a lot of enemies. But that isn’t the correct way to think about it. It’s better when you think that quite a lot of people have me as their enemy."

"And so, you want me to antagonize people for you? I can at most take on a man at the initial stages of the Transcendent Realm. You have people who can do a lot better, so why me?" Ozul knew Rai alone could do a hundred times better than whatever he was capable of right now.

"There are only so many Transcendents in the world, kiddo. If I send any of my people, their Spiritual Essence will be traced back to me sooner or later. I’d like to avoid it for as long as possible."

That is why Ember was so interested in him. Even people with rare artifacts that camouflaged their Spiritual Essence couldn’t hide it completely.

If he wanted to, Ozul could really become a ghost, killing whoever he wanted and disappearing.

"Alright, who do I have to kill?" He didn’t exactly like killing people, but he never felt anything wrong with it either. The only thing he felt wrong in killing was the pain, and so he never tortured people.

Doing Ember’s chores not only earned him her favor but also the experience that he needed, so he never refused her.

"Rai will guide you on that. Hurry up, before you miss the guy~" Ember answered before shooing us away.

...

Outside the estate, Rai flew with just enough speed that Ozul could keep up with him.

All the while, Rai didn’t utter a word and he never asked any questions either.

Rai only stopped when they were in the middle of the forest a few miles South of Phoenix City. It was getting dark as the Star began to set, but their vision was as good as in the day.

Stopping atop a thick canopy, Rai calmed his breath and his aura began to recede into him.

This kind of control over his Spiritual Essence wasn’t possible without decades of training and experience.

If it was anyone other than him or a Sage, they would never be able to sense him.

Rai began, "Soon, the man will be passing through here. He will most likely be alone, so you won’t have to worry about anyone else. He is one of Ryujin’s men leaving for the Immortal Sect, probably delivering some message."

"And you’re absolutely certain he will pass through here?"

Rai smirked, "There is a reason that the only man who can make Lord Ember wary in Phoenix City is the Alliance Leader. That snake-like bastard has never been wrong in his information."

"If he has a scroll or a Spatial Ring, I trust you can secure that?"

"Hm," nodded Ozul before asking, "What if I fail?"

After all, he had only ever fought one Transcendent before. If this one was near her level, then he was confident in silencing her before the fight even began, but above that, he couldn’t be sure.

"That’s why I am here," smiled Rai as Ozul could feel his bubbling bloodlust.

He continued, "If you fail or it takes too long, I will intervene. However, it wouldn’t be ideal since there are high chances I leave behind traces of my Spiritual Essence. Lord Ember has faith in you and so shall I. She deemed you fit, so you won’t disappoint."

Ozul didn’t know what to reply to this strange man. He had never seen such a man before. He had so much bloodlust in him, yet he was one of the most composed men he had come across.

’He is dangerous...’ he concluded. The man who was able to tame such wild urges couldn’t be normal.

Ozul took his eyes off of him and focused on the ground as a soft wind whistled through him, and Rai disappeared with the wind.

’I can’t feel his presence anymore,’ Ozul thought before shaking his head.

A few minutes passed and he felt a presence rushing in his direction from the North.

’I have to watch my back from this Alliance Leader...’ Ozul made a note about him in his head.

He had already hidden blobs of Purity all over the place. If he was lucky, it would be over in a matter of seconds.

Since he had no Spiritual Essence, the man running in his direction didn’t feel anything was off and kept dashing across the trees, finding it safer hiding beneath the canopies.

However, just as he arrived in the range of Ozul’s Purity,

*Scii!*

A spinning lance of Purity cut through the air, aiming for that Transcendent’s throat!

But Ozul knew even before the lance hit him that it might not be enough so another hammer-like structure was also thrusted right behind it.

The Transcendent only noticed the lance when it was right before his eyes. He couldn’t dodge it, but a blinding light rose from his wrist at just the right time and a translucent shield appeared before him!

The lance was suddenly stuck in the shield, unable to move!

Just then, the hammer Ozul had thrown struck the back of the lance with enough force that the shield broke!

*Boom!*

The force behind the hammer was enough to cause an explosion as dust rose and the man was thrown several feet back.

’Shit...’ Ozul cursed his bad luck. He didn’t expect the man to have a life-saving artifact capable of bearing even the burnt of his lance.

Only after the push from the hammer did the artifact break!

Although he continued to push the lance, the Transcendent had gained enough time to protect himself.

The dark of the forest and the dust gave him yet another edge over the Transcendent.

He took advantage of it while he could and sent several spears shooting at him.

The man had barely regained his footing when he was forced to dodge them all. Unfortunately for him, however, it was easier said than done as a few of them left deep wounds on his shoulder and torso.

"Bastard! Show yourself! Do you know who-"

Ozul didn’t let him stall for time and struck him from all four directions again.

"Akh!"

The man barely managed to evade them all, but a spear suddenly rose from the ground and pierced his wounded torso again!

Once inside his body, Ozul further manipulated the Purity to soften and reach his heart. As it reached there, the Purity hardened and the Transcendent’s heart stopped at once!

Like a judge of death, Ozul stayed still on the canopy, watching as the Transcendent danced to his tunes until his last breath.

The dust had yet to settle down when he used the Purity to wrap the man’s body and disappeared from the scene.

From start to finish, it only took a few seconds and a Transcendent lost his life!

...

From afar, Rai observed everything, impressed as he muttered to himself, "That... couldn’t have gone any better. No wonder Lord Ember treasures him so much."

This level of efficiency even surpassed his, a fact he wasn’t embarrassed to admit.

He could finish the man in a single move, but he could have never done it without leaving at least a few traces of his presence behind.

"If he becomes stronger..." he muttered as the hair on his body stood up, the thought alone chilled his spine. Yet, his increasingly beating heart indicated otherwise.