The Cunning Treasure Hunter

"…So, there was a cave like this."

Vera narrowed his eyes as he cautiously stepped forward. With a light clap of his hands, he listened to the echoes bouncing off the walls, roughly estimating the cavern's size.

If he wanted to explore every nook and cranny, it would take until dawn. But that was fine. Sleep was unnecessary.

For a master of his caliber, skipping a night's rest was trivial. A simple energy Circulation Technique could replenish his energy.

However, what truly worried him was not his lack of rest—it was something far more sinister.

Something had been sealed in this cave.

Not "is," but "was."

Vera instinctively knew that whatever had been imprisoned here had already been released. The Demonic Energy that clung to the walls and floor was merely residual traces.

"…What exactly was locked away here?"

Aside from the obvious conclusion that it was related to The Demonic Sect, he needed more clues.

Steeling himself, Vera descended deeper into the cave.

And then, he saw it—a massive wooden door, cleaved in two.

"…A single slash," he muttered.

There were unmistakable traces of swordsmanship.

And that sword mark—he recognized it instantly. It belonged to The Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword Technique.

Vera carefully scanned the surroundings.

Fragments of chains and Golden Seals that once reinforced the door were scattered across the ground. He cautiously stepped past the broken entrance and entered the chamber beyond.

What he found inside was chilling.

A blood-soaked altar.

A severed arm, its owner unknown.

A desiccated corpse, shrunken and lifeless.

"…Nothing good happened here."

The lingering Demonic Energy was thick, overwhelming even. Though its source had long since vanished, the sheer intensity of the residual aura exceeded that of the Demonic Beasts he had encountered in Shandong Evil Clan.

If even the lingering traces were this strong—then whatever had been imprisoned here had to be something of catastrophic power.

The worst-case scenario? It was something related to The Heavenly Demon, the former leader of The Demonic Sect.

The best-case scenario? It was one of The Left and Right Dharma Guardians of the Radiant Moon, high-ranking elders of the sect.

"But why… why was something like this sealed away by Mount Suncrest Sect?"

Vera narrowed his eyes.

After the fall of The Demonic Sect, The Martial Unity would have sought to dispose of their artifacts and remnants.

Anything that could be destroyed would have been obliterated.

Anything that could not be destroyed would have been sealed away.

It made sense for the sealing to be entrusted to a sect with a strong resistance to Demonic Energy, such as those of Daoist or Buddhist lineage.

But what exactly was locked away here?

And more importantly—who were these corpses?

Vera crouched and used the tip of his sheathed sword to flip the shriveled body over. Then, he carefully searched through its belongings. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire

Unfortunately, nothing on the corpse identified it.

But that didn't mean there were no clues at all.

"Mount Suncrest Sect's martial uniform… and a height slightly over six Crescent."

The tallest among the Third Generation Disciples of Mount Suncrest—such as Marcus, Ethan, and Jace—had yet to reach six Crescent in height.

Which meant that this corpse belonged to at least a Second Generation Disciple or higher.

If that was the case, then all he had to do was find out which senior disciple had gone missing from Mount Suncrest.

But that presented another problem.

If someone of such high standing had vanished, it would have caused an uproar. There would have been widespread searches. Vera would have known about it.

Yet, there had been no reports of missing people.

"But this arm… it's been severed for at least several days."

Had anyone recently suffered severe injuries?

Vera shook his head.

Ever since The Martial Unity established control over The Martial World, conflicts had been significantly reduced. Demonic Sect remnants and Unorthodox Sect fighters still stirred trouble, but even their numbers had dwindled since The Great Demonic War.

And to lose an arm… here, in a cave beneath Mount Suncrest's Southern Peak?

That wasn't something that happened under normal circumstances.

Frowning, Vera sighed.

"Why do abnormal things keep happening?"

This was frustrating.

With the limited information he had, his deductions could only go so far. Everything was still vague, with too many open-ended possibilities.

At this point, all he could do was bring his findings to someone who might know more.

At dawn, he would speak to Great Master Thorne, the senior brother of Mount Suncrest's Sect Leader. While there were things only the Sect Leader would be privy to, if Great Master Thorne didn't know, then no one in Mount Suncrest would.

Before leaving, Vera nudged the severed arm with the tip of his sword.

Even though it had begun to decay, the hardened calluses on the palm were still visible.

This was the arm of a well-trained martial artist.

A man, judging by the thickness and structure.

"…Should I start looking for someone who recently lost an arm?"

It was probably a pointless endeavor.

Vera debated whether to spread word and gather information but ultimately shook his head.

The fewer people who knew about this, the better.

For now, his priority was informing Great Master Thorne, Aiden, and Damian.

Once they assessed the situation, they could decide on the next course of action.

With that, Vera turned and left the cave, stepping back into the darkness of the night.

"…Someone has been here."

The Young Lord murmured.

Gideon narrowed his eyes, his expression dark with discomfort.

It was an unpleasant realization.

"Only the Sect Leader and the Successor should know of this place."

"Are there truly any secrets in this world? Even without telling anyone, things have a way of being exposed."

It was a fair point.

No matter how well-hidden something was, coincidences happened. Places meant to be secret were sometimes discovered by sheer chance.

The only relief was that the footprints in the dirt indicated only one intruder.

Moreover—

Judging by the consistency of the footprints, the person had entered and exited within a short span of time.

This meant only one thing.

"…They did not uncover what lies here."

"The footprints are quite small. A woman. And one with small feet."

Just as Vera had deduced things at the cave, they too were capable of making similar inferences.

The Young Lord narrowed his eyes and measured the depth of the footprints with his fingers.

"Are there many women in Mount Suncrest Sect?"

"…Not many."

"How many of them are shorter than five Crescent?"

"Even fewer."

"And among them, how many possess high-level martial skills?"

Gideon's gaze sharpened.

Each question The Young Lord asked was eliminating possibilities, narrowing down their suspect pool.

Then, with the final question, the answer became clear.

There were women in Mount Suncrest, yes.

And there were short women as well.

But among them, how many could be described as highly skilled martial artists?

The only women who trained in martial arts in Mount Suncrest were the female disciples.

The kitchen staff, servants, and attendants were never taught martial arts.

And among those female disciples, how many were considered truly powerful?

None among the Second Generation Disciples.

For The Young Lord to call someone "highly skilled," they had to at least be at the Peak Absolute Realm.

And if there was one woman in Mount Suncrest who fit that description…

Only one name remained.

"We have our answer."

"Hah. Is Mount Suncrest so lacking in talent?"

"You speak with arrogance, Young Lord."

Gideon shot him a sharp look.

"For someone to be called highly skilled by your standards, they must have reached the Peak Absolute Realm, correct?"

"Judging by the foot size, they must be young. A girl at the Peak Absolute Realm?"

"Yes. There is one."

Gideon's gaze shifted toward the distance.

The Young Lord followed his line of sight until he saw a small, distant building—the Blooming Peak Pavilion.

"A Third Generation Disciple?"

"That's right. She was born with the Celestial Blade Star. Just like your sect's Heavenly Demon."

Gideon couldn't see it, but The Young Lord's lips curled slightly.

The leader of The Heavenly Demon Cult was known as The Heavenly Demon.

One born under the Celestial Blade Star, worshiping the unfathomable abyss between the stars—a malevolent deity whose true name only they could know, hear, and speak.

'This is getting interesting.'

One did not become The Heavenly Demon simply by being born under the Celestial Blade Star.

But The Young Lord was certain.

With his overwhelming, pure Demonic Energy, he could break that girl, tame her, and unearth her potential.

He would shatter her mind, spirit, and soul, piece by piece—

And use her as a crucial sacrifice in the ritual to awaken The Slumbering Heavenly Demon.

She would be worthy of such a role.

"Young Lord. I have a question."

"What is it?"

"The previous Heavenly Demon is dead. If The Demonic Sect rises again, will you be the new Heavenly Demon?"

At those words, The Young Lord let out a thunderous laugh.

Even Gideon, the Grand Elder of Mount Suncrest, instinctively took a step back in surprise.

It was a terrifying sound—a laugh that carried a feral, monstrous energy, so wicked that it barely resembled something human.

Only after laughing for a long moment did The Young Lord finally respond, his eyes gleaming with an ominous light.

"No."

"…What?"

"The Heavenly Demon is not dead, Gideon."