by KSY
Ryan’s grandpas and grandmas were already expecting something like that to occur. One of Ryan’s grandpas quickly released powerful pressure which enveloped the Three-eyed Shadow panther and forcibly subdued it.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!” The Three-eyed Shadow panther became even more agitated and issued multiple roars after it was forcibly subdued. Ryan could see an extreme amount of hate for him in its eyes. Ryan somewhat felt sorry for it. If he had known that the side effects of Nightmare gas were that severe, then he would not have used it on the Three-eyed Shadow panther, as he’d wanted to capture it for Blake in the first place.
The Three-eyed Shadow panther was covered in a mysterious black aura soon after it was subdued. The mysterious black aura didn’t have any presence and was quite similar to that of ghosts. In the next few moments, the Three-eyed Shadow panther disappeared from the Living room which astonished everyone. Everyone present in the room quickly spread their Soul-senses to the max to find it, but it was of no use: they couldn’t detect it. Ryan’s grandpa who had subdued the Three-eyed Shadow panther had the most baffled look of all, as he couldn’t even tell when the Shadow panther had escaped the pressure which he had used to envelop it. He had never encountered such a situation before.
The Three-eyed Shadow panther had used its most powerful Innate Ability, Eternal Camouflage Innate Ability, which allowed it to become invisible and hide its presence to such an extent that even Immortal Saint Realm Martial Artists couldn’t detect it, even though it was still a Mortal Lord Realm Element Beast. But there was a price: it would lose ninety percent of its strength after activating this Innate Ability. This Innate Ability was the main reason why it was difficult to find Three-eyed Shadow panthers. They always used this Innate Ability the moment they sensed someone powerful coming in their direction, which made it extremely difficult to find them. Ryan was lucky that he’d encountered a Three-eyed Shadow panther that hadn’t fled on seeing him.
Ryan was not at all helpless even in this situation, unlike his grandpas and grandmas. He had activated his Asura eyes the moment the Three-eyed Shadow panther disappeared from the Living room, so he was able to see all its movements; in reality, it had never escaped the pressure that had enveloped it, until his grandpa had removed the pressure because he couldn’t feel the Three-eyed Shadow panther in it anymore, as a result of its Eternal Camouflage Innate Ability.
Once the pressure disappeared it was free to do anything it wanted, so it slowly and steadily walked towards Ryan with the intention of killing him. Generally, after using Eternal Camouflage Innate Ability a Three-eyed Shadow panther would escape, but because this Three-eyed Shadow panther was in berserk state, it chose to attack Ryan with only ten percent of its strength. Ryan slightly shook his head as it appeared in front of him and quickly caught it by its neck. The Three-eyed Shadow panther’s Eternal Camouflage Innate Ability lost its effect the moment Ryan touched it, which made it reappear in the Living room. Even so, the Three-eyed Shadow panther was still resisting Ryan’s hold and was still trying its best to hurt him.
Ryan’s grandpas and grandmas were alarmed by its stealth capabilities. It had disappeared in front of them, and they’d been unable to keep track of it. If Ryan had not been there, then it would have been a big problem, but they finally understood why this creature was so difficult to find.
One of Ryan’s grandma quickly stabilized the mind of the Three-eyed Shadow panther, using an Innate Ability of her Martial Spirit that allowed her to pacify other beings. The Three-eyed Shadow panther quickly calmed down and then fainted from overexertion. Ryan sighed with relief, and again placed it inside his Beast pouch.
“Ryan, what do you intend to do with this Three-eyed Shadow panther?” one of Ryan’s grandmas couldn’t help but ask.
“I captured it for Blake. I hope that he can form an Equal contract with it,” Ryan said as a smile crept on his face. Ryan’s grandpas and grandmas had ecstatic looks, as the chance of Blake forming an Equal contract with the Three-eyed Shadow panther was extremely high since he possessed Black Lightning tiger as his Martial Spirit, which was also from the cat family, as well as being a Divine Elemental Beast of Darkness. It could then increase its bloodline purity.
“Are Blake and Cris out of their Closed-door Cultivation session?” Ryan asked in an anxious manner, seeing as he had only about eight to nine days left until the day of his departure. If they didn’t come out in time, then Blake would have to wait until his return from the Heaven Sundering Family Clan in order to attempt forming an Equal contract with the Three-eyed Shadow panther, as most people on the Estate would not be able to help him a lot because of its bizarre Innate Abilities. There was a high chance it would escape successfully.
“They are still in their Closed-door Cultivation session, but they could come out any moment,” one of Ryan’s grandpas said with a little regret. They could already guess what exactly was going on in Ryan’s mind.
“Please inform me immediately if they come out. In the meantime, I will be cultivating in my Cultivation chamber,” Ryan said. He still had to increase his understanding in Fire Elemental Laws. Ryan talked with them for some more time before he returned to his Cultivation chamber, taking the Three-eyed Shadow panther along with him for safe keeping.
Just two days before Ryan’s scheduled departure to the Heaven Sundering Family Clan, Blake and Cris exited their Cultivation chamber. Both were shrouded in dark auras, and had big smiles on their faces. They had successfully absorbed True darkness, which is not at all easy to successfully do, even if an Ancestor Level Martial Artist is helping out. If your body is not compatible with True darkness, then you will fail to absorb it.
Cris’s and Blake’s affinity towards Darkness Attribute had increased by leaps and bounds as a result, which would, in turn, increase their cultivation speeds many times over. The dark auras surrounding them were the after-effects of successfully absorbing True darkness and would remain around them for the next few days. Their Cultivation Levels had also increased significantly. Blake was now a Late Mortal Elite Realm Martial Artist, while Cris was now a Mid Mortal Elite Realm Martial Artist. Before absorbing True darkness, Blake and Cris had had Cultivation Levels of Mid Mortal Elite Realm and Early Mortal Elite Realm respectively.
“You two rest for a few days. In the meantime, True darkness will slowly integrate with every part of your bodies, which will further increase your affinities with Darkness Attribute,” their grandpa who had helped them in absorbing True darkness said in an emotionless voice.
That grandpa’s name was Nerva, and he was Oscar’s great-grandfather, which also made him a direct Ancestor of Ryan, Blake, and Cris. Even though Nerva didn’t show any excitement on his face, deep down he was extremely excited as two more direct descendants of his would become powerful Martial Artists in the future. The last time he was this happy was when he’d heard that Ryan had been accepted by Raymond as his personal disciple, and the time before that was when Oscar had successfully absorbed True darkness tens of decades ago.
“Yes, Grandpa,” Cris and Blake said in unison. They were both unable to contain their excitement, and wished to inform their Grandfather and elder brother at the earliest that they’d been successful in absorbing True darkness.
A rare smile appeared on Nerva’s face upon hearing their excited reply, as he remembered the day when Oscar had successfully absorbed True darkness. Oscar had also answered him in a similar fashion.
Nerva then left for his own Cultivation chamber. He had expended a lot of energy in the past few months in helping them to absorb True Darkness, so he needed to enter a Closed-door Cultivation session to replenish his Spirit Power.
Blake and Cris ran towards the estate’s Living room, and could hear laughter and giggles as they approached it. Smiles slowly crept onto their faces. They liked the unruly natures of their grandpas and grandmas, and Ryan was no different from them. This made them at ease in their presence, especially Cris, as he’d had to leave the Eternity Family Cla
n as the grandpas and grandmas there were quite strict. He had pissed off quite a few of his Ancestors there by doing something which was against that Family Clan’s rules, because of which Oscar had had no choice but to bring him to live with him and the families of his eldest and second-eldest sons. Both the Eternity Family Clan and the Heaven Sundering Family Clan had stringent provisions to deal with people who violated the rules and regulations of their Family Clans., but most of those rules were not followed on this Estate.
Everyone smiled at Blake and Cris when the two of them entered the Living room. They could tell from the dark auras shrouding them that they had successfully absorbed True darkness.
“Congratulations!” all their grandpas and grandmas sitting in the Living room said in unison, and proud smiles appeared on Blake’s and Cris’s faces.
“Thank you, Grandpas and Grandmas!” Blake and Cris said in unison as they started looking around the Living room for Ryan and Oscar. Everyone could already guess what was on their minds, as they knew how attached these two were to Ryan and Oscar.
“Both Ryan and Oscar are in Closed-door Cultivation sessions. Ryan will be departing for Heaven Sundering Family Clan after two more days so he can participate in the Divine Trials,” one of their grandpas, named Lanzo, told them. Lanzo was from the Third branch of the Heaven Sundering Family Clan. Blake’s and Cris’s expressions changed drastically, as they hadn’t expected that Ryan would be leaving for the Heaven Sundering Family Clan after only one month of his arrival at the Estate. They hadn’t even had time to properly catch up with their brother.
“What is the number of the Cultivation chamber allotted to our brother?” Blake asked in a frantic manner.
“He is cultivating in Cultivation chamber Number Three hundred thirty,” Lanzo said as a mysterious smile crept on his face, as he was sure that Blake would be elated after seeing the Three-eyed Shadow panther. He and the others just hoped that Blake would be successful in forming an Equal contract with it.
“Thanks, Grandpa,” Blake and Cris said as they charged out of the Living room. Lanzo and company smiled on seeing this, as they could tell that Blake and Cris seriously loved and cared for their elder brother, but they reverted to being unruly the moment Blake and Cris left. They only behaved well in the presence of Ryan, Blake and Cris, because that was one of the rules of both the Heaven Sundering Family Clan and the Eternity Family Clan, that was still followed on the Estate.
It didn’t take long for Blake and Cris to reach the gates of Ryan’s Cultivation chamber. They felt dejected when they saw it was sealed, but decided to leave a message for him.
Cultivation chambers have the means of allowing people outside to contact the Martial Artist inside. Blake pressed a White orb located on the Cultivation chamber’s gates and saved some mental-messages in it before he and Cris left. Ryan would come to know they’d left them for him the moment he woke up from his deep Cultivation-state.
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Meanwhile, the preparations for the Divine Trials were in full swing at Heaven Sundering Family Clan. A large number of the Eternity Family Clan members had travelled to the Heaven Sundering Family Clan since the Treasure Space was located within that Clan’s territory. Most of them were from the Younger generation who’d come intending to participate in the Divine Trials, while the rest were from the Senior generation, who’d come just to take care of their Clan’s participants. The Heaven Sundering Family Clan provided all of them with accommodation in Heavenly City according to their status.
The portal to the Treasure Space was located at the end of a valley located on the outskirts of Heavenly City. This valley was known as Sundering Valley, and it was entirely covered in lush green vegetation, which made it look like an Immortal Paradise. The portal was sealed with the help of a big circular metallic disc, which looked completely out of place in Sundering Valley. The Ancestor Level Martial Artists of Heaven Sundering Family Clan were pouring large quantities of their Spirit Power into the metallic disc, which had countless runes etched on it, some of which were shining brightly. Once all the runes were lit up, then the metallic disc would disappear and the portal to the Treasure Space would appear in its place. Currently, only half the runes had lit up.
“Ancestor Eadgar, how long will it take to open the portal?” a beautiful middle-aged woman asked. She was one of the Ancestor Level Martial Artists who’d been given the task of opening the portal to the Treasure Space. Her name was Frida, and her question attracted the attention of the other Ancestor Level Martial Artists who were quick to perk up their ears. The entire process of opening the portal to the Treasure Space was taking a toll on them.
“It will take around five to six days if everyone is diligent,” Eadgar replied, without looking at Frida. He was a handsome middle-aged man, the oldest and the most experienced person amongst all the Ancestor Level Martial Artists who’d been set the task of opening the entrance to the Treasure Space. The faces of Frida and the other Ancestor Level Martial Artists lost all color, but they knew that they had no choice. They just sighed and continued to pour their Spirit Power into the metallic disc, as that was one of their duties as Ancestor Level Martial Artists in the Heaven Sundering Family Clan. The Ancestor Level Martial Artists responsible for opening the portal changed every time, except a few people like Eadgar.
The Estate of Alexis and Blasius had many guests staying over. All of them were Emilia’s in-laws, and they had specially made a trip to the Heaven Sundering Family Clan just to meet Ryan. Most of them were Ryan’s Ancestors, while the rest were from Ryan’s immediate family, like his paternal grandmother, Julia, uncles, aunts, and cousins.
The ones who were most excited to meet Ryan were his cousins. Ryan had a total of sixteen cousin-brothers and -sisters, excluding Blake and Cris, and they were eagerly waiting for him. Earlier, they’d had no interest in the Divine Trials as none of them were eligible to participate but now things were different. Their elder cousin-brother would be participating, so this made them look forward to the Trials.
In order to participate in the Divine Trials, a Martial Artist must have a minimum Cultivation Level of Early Mortal Lord Realm, but it mustn’t exceed Late Mortal King Realm. Most of Ryan’s cousins were quite young, less than fourteen years of age, because of which their Cultivation Levels were quite low. Ryan was the eldest at fifteen years of age, and turning sixteen soon. It was quite rare for someone to become a Mortal Lord Realm Martial Artist at such an age. This fact made the heads of Ryan’s cousins swell with pride. They’d always heard their friends boasting about the achievements of their elder brothers or sisters and had had nothing to say in return, but now things were different. They could also now boast about their elder cousin-brother. This fact made them giddy deep down.
Currently, Emilia and Julia were sitting on the veranda of the Estate, sipping tea and conversing.
“Emilia, when will Ryan arrive?” Julia asked in an impatient manner. It was clear that in the past few months the relationship between the two of them had improved significantly. Emilia was no longer apprehensive in Julia’s presence, and she also liked Julia’s frank and loving nature. She knew that the only reason Oscar and Julia were living apart was due to an incident that had taken place about two decades previously. That incident was also the reason for Oscar’s banishment from the Eternity Family Clan, as well as the early demises of Emilia’s husband and brother-in-law.
“He will arrive within two days,” Emilia replied, and a smile crept on her face as she thought about her son. She hadn’t seen him for nearly a year, because of which she was really looking forward to meeting him again.
“So, I will have to wait for two more days,” Julia said with a gloomy expression. She wanted to meet her eldest grandson at the earliest. Initially, she had requested Emilia to call Blake and Cris to the Heaven Sundering Family Clan as well, but gave up on that request after Emilia informed her that they were busy absorbing True darkness. She knew it was
a critical time for them: their futures depended on it.
“It can’t be helped,” Emilia said with a giggle. She could tell how impatient Julia was to meet Ryan, and this fact made her happy. She had always wanted Ryan to be surrounded by loving family members. She understood Ryan the best, and knew that he loved being in the presence of his family members. If someone from the family were to have bad intentions towards him, then it would bring him a great deal of sorrow.
“I am looking forward to his performance in the Divine Trials. He should be able to attract the attention of someone from the Main branches of our Family Clans,” Julia said with a big grin. Julia was being a typical loving grandmother, who naturally wanted all the best fortune to land in Ryan’s hands.
“It won’t be easy in these Divine Trials. This time the participants are some of the best in the past millennia, because of which it won’t be easy for him to attract the attention of the Main branch. Ryan’s Cultivation Level is also quite low in comparison to that of others, so it won’t be easy for him to outdo them,” Emilia said with a grave expression. Julia also had a change in expression on hearing on Emilia’s words as she knew that Emilia was not speaking without logic.
“All that matters are his potential and talent,” Julia said, who was confident about Ryan’s talent and potential. It was not that Emilia wasn’t confident about Ryan’s talent and potential, but that his competitors were also more or less as talented as he was, if not more so. That wouldn’t allow him to stand out amongst all the participants during the Divine Trials.
“Let’s hope for the best,” Emilia said as she sipped her tea in a calm manner, but deep down a turbulent storm of worry was brewing in her heart. Julia didn’t retort as she knew that Emilia’s calm expression was just a façade. She now knew about Emilia’s secretive nature after having been in contact with her for the past few months.