Chapter 416 From that day forward, I was exposed...
At that moment.
High above, on the floating island in the northern sky, Grand Tutor Gilbert, the second most powerful man in the Emerald Empire, sat quietly at his desk.
His adopted son poured him some tea.
"Adopted father, please have some tea."
"Yes."
Gilbert nodded slightly, then frowned and asked, "How is Sunshine Mansion faring these days? Phil is about to open the Heavenly Path Psychic Sanctuary. It's been two years; if Blackwood wants revenge, they should be making their move soon, shouldn't they?"
As he spoke, he looked towards the Psychic Sanctuary in the distance.
Blackwood Benjamin was cultivating psychic powers inside, his energy extraordinary.
The young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, replied respectfully, "Adopted father, news from Sunshine Mansion says that Blackwood Nathan has been hiding among the Druids. He revealed himself when he broke through to the fifth level, Basic Mastery. He practices the Corpse Control forbidden technique from hundreds of thousands of years ago."
"He possesses a high-level psychic equipment and has spent many years refining a Zombie Emperor. He recently killed 'Shane,' a Druid elder of the Basic Mastery realm. He is truly extraordinary and will likely reach Advanced Mastery in the future, perhaps even higher."
"Oh?"
Gilbert's interest was piqued.
"You have such a high opinion of him? This Blackwood patriarch is truly a dark horse."
"Indeed, Adopted father. Nathan rose from humble beginnings. He was but a slave, a farmer by birth. To have come this far, he must be truly blessed by the heavens."
The young man glanced at the increasingly dense psychic energy emanating from where Benjamin was cultivating his psychic powers.
He asked with a puzzled expression, "But Adopted father, there's something I don't understand. Why are you so concerned about that small place, Azure Cloud, and the feud between Blackwood, Heavenly Path, and the Druids?"
"How can I not be concerned?" Gilbert held his teacup but did not drink.
He stared at the steam rising from the hot tea and murmured, "The empire is filled with those who only seek power and profit. The princes within the empire are constantly fighting for the throne, truly believing that His Majesty is about to ascend to immortality. Lance is far too rebellious. They are like birds in a cage; no matter what they do, it amounts to nothing."
"The Blackwoods are righteous. They dare to fight the Druids, Lance, and even the ancient gods."
"Heavenly Path..."
Gilbert blew on his tea, watching the ripples on the surface.
"Heavenly Path also dares to fight, to fight against people, against heaven. It is often only such people who can defy fate and possess unparalleled talent."
The young man frowned.
Hearing the Grand Tutor's words, it seemed he was very familiar with the ambitious Heavenly Path Venerable.
Grand Tutor Gilbert took a sip of tea and waved his hand at the young man.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Benjamin is a good lad. His ninety-nine thunder tribulation is now stable. Go to the warehouse and fetch a drop of ancient god blood for him. Consider it a gift from his godfather to celebrate his breakthrough."
"Yes, Adopted father."
...
"Grand Tutor Gilbert?!"
On Crestwood Hills, Nathan heard a name from Austin that sent a chill down his spine.
"Yes."
Austin didn't seem to notice Nathan's astonishment.
His voice was heavy.
"I met Grand Tutor Gilbert when I was truly desperate. Countless people within the empire wanted me dead, hoping to curry favor with my master. But the Grand Tutor offered me a way out, and I became his... adopted son."
"At that time, he was already leading the northern expedition to slay demons and expand the empire's territory. I became one of his soldiers. I truly believed he admired me. He saved my life and even spared no expense in teaching me and gifting me rare treasures from this world, even... ancient god blood."
Ancient god blood!
When these three words were spoken, both Nathan and Ethan's expressions changed.
Austin continued, "Everyone who consumes ancient god blood experiences different effects. Those who are unworthy will surely die. I consumed the ancient god blood and cultivated the 'Grand Dream Ancient God Technique.' I dreamt for a thousand years, and my cultivation base soared!"
But when he spoke of his cultivation base soaring, Austin showed no joy, only a wry smile.
"However, I served under him for so long that I forgot that everything we gain comes at a price. I also cultivated my master's technique. I once tried to calculate my fifth level Basic Mastery tribulation, and I could sense that ever since I consumed the ancient god blood, a pair of eyes had been watching me!"
"It was as if... those eyes were delighted by the items purchased with a shopping list. That's when I knew Gilbert wasn't saving me; he was choosing a perfect vessel for those eyes!"
At this point, Austin's face was contorted with rage.
"That's why I fled. I created my own magic formula. I am worthy of the title of Rising Stars. I was born to defy the heavens! This is the Heavenly Path!"
"I reincarnated and cultivated again. I wanted to spread my projections throughout the land and one day take my revenge. But I never expected..."
"My projection, Michael, clever as he is, would take advantage of my inattention during each reincarnation and try to make the Rising Stars consume the ancient god blood. He wanted to seize the body of a Rising Star who had consumed the ancient god blood, break free from my control, and even become the original. But he never expected that there was a spy from the Oracle Chamber by his side!"
"From that day forward, I was exposed..."
Austin said, looking at the pale-faced Nathan with a sardonic smile.
"It was you Blackwoods who forced my hand. Your biggest mistake was letting Joseph, who had consumed the ancient god blood, enter the Heavenly Path Psychic Sanctuary. Everything about me was exposed to those eyes. You left me no choice. You ruined my millennia-long plan!"
...
Silence hung heavy over Crestwood Hills.
The Heavenly Path Venerable, who the Blackwoods believed to be incredibly powerful, who had orchestrated the downfall of Sunshine Mansion for millennia and even driven all of Blackwood to despair with his projections throughout the Emerald Empire, now had a ferocious expression, as if silently railing against the injustice of fate.
Nathan remained silent.
After a long while, Austin sighed.
"It was you Blackwoods who forced me into a corner. I could have had more time. Perhaps in another thousand years, two thousand years, I would have become even stronger and escaped the Grand Tutor's notice. But you forced my hand and exposed me completely. I had no choice but to jump from the frying pan into the fire."
"Lance."
Nathan uttered a name without hesitation.
Above the entire empire, besides the ancient gods, there were only two individuals who sat at the pinnacle of power, manipulating everything within the empire.
From the moment they ascended to their positions, they held the authority of heaven in their hands.
"Hahaha, Lance!" Austin laughed maniacally.
"I had to exhaust every means to please him. Do you know what he sees me as? He sees me as a dog, a dog that can be discarded at any time! I've done so much for him, yet he's always wary of me..."
"And the things you've done for him include that day you intruded upon my Glory City?"
At this point, Nathan's anger seemed to have dissipated.
There was a time when the Blackwoods viewed the Heavenly Path Venerable as an insurmountable mountain, an invincible being.
Now it seemed they were all wrong.
Heavenly Path was no different from anyone else.
He was just stronger, his psychic cultivation techniques more unorthodox.
"I've done so much for him, yet he wants me to reveal the location of all my projections. He wants me to swear an oath on my core, to serve him loyally for all eternity!"