They didn't try to leave the Demon Beasts' forest. Instead, the Laan City experts built a few simple structures just for their ordinary people to stay. Even though the majority was at least at Foundation Establishment, there were also a few under this level. This was still the Core of Jiran Forest where Stage Four Demon Beasts lived, after all.
As the twins saw the Laan people preparing to start discussing their next steps, they couldn't help but think about what they learned this time around.
'Sister Orb, Soul Gem was not a system, but a cultivator, right?'
[You know I can't talk about it.]
Rean shook his head.
'There is no point in hiding this fact since we already found it. You could just confirm it with a simple yes or no.'
[Still can't. It's the Soul Gem System's rules. You will need to increase the Authority Level if you want to know more about it.]
Roan noticed something strange, though.
'Now that I think about it, the Soul Gem System didn't give any mission, nor did it say anything during the time we were in Laan City. I thought that such close involvement with what happened in the past would make the System react somehow.'
Rean agreed with Roan.
'That makes sense. However, it might also be because the System doesn't allow us to learn more about the past that it also didn't bring any quest up.'
[There isn't much of a point in thinking about it. After all, the System won't answer. Besides, you are forgetting an important part in all of this.]
Roan nodded.
'I know what you're talking about. Indeed, there is no proof that what the Artifact Spirit told us is the truth. He could be tricking us from the very start. However, nothing can prove if the Soul Gem System is telling the truth or not either.'
[I won't deny that. I can't give you any proof to confirm the integrity of what you learned from the Soul Gem System. Still, if my word means anything to you, I can guarantee that the System is not lying.]
Rean and Roan shook their heads.
'So the system is most likely lying as well.'
"Yep. No doubt about it.'
Sister Orb would cry if she had eyes now.
[Are my words that unreliable?]
'Uh-huh!'
[Fuck you!]
Rean and Roan ignored Sister Orb's sadness and continued. And just like that, a few more hours passed. All of a sudden, another Spiritual Sense fell over everyone as they looked in a particular direction. Whoever it was, he or she wasn't trying to hide their presence. Even the low-level cultivators noticed it.
Tiria and Juvian looked at the newcomer and sighed in relief.
"We pay respects to Ancestor Zuan."
Although Zuan was far away, taking care of Droman, he was still inside the Dalamu Territory. Naturally, he was the first of the Jialin powerhouses to reach this place. Talking about Droman, the guy was also there with Zuan.
"Rean, what did you get yourself into this time?"
Rean shrugged his shoulders.
"Master. It's not like we asked for all of this to happen, you know? We told Elder Hulian that we would be going out to do some missions to train and check that possible inheritance we found. But, well, things obviously went out of control, as you can see."
Zuan ignored the two. He then asked Tiria and Juvian about everything. He had received Mia's message to come to this place as soon as possible, but he knew little about the situation.
Tiria and Juvian then compiled everything they knew and passed the information through Spiritual Sense to Zuan and Droman.
'What? Lost City? Artifact Spirit? How come everything these twins get involved with turn out into such a big mess?'
Rean helplessly laughed as he told Roan through their Soul Connection.
'Perhaps we have the protagonists' power.'
*Pah!*
'Protagonists' power, your head!'
Rean rubbed the back of his head, feeling like he had been wronged.
Zuan then looked in the direction of the Laan City experts as he narrowed his eyes. As a Saint Realm expert himself, he obviously noticed Fuka and Nefere, but that wasn't all. There were also 12 Soul Transformation Realm experts and more than 40 Nascent Soul Realm experts among them. Perhaps only the Royal Family would have the power to contend against the Laan City experts on its own.
The Laan experts also noticed Zuan's arrival, but they didn't come out and continued their discussion with everyone.
"Do you think I should go there and talk to them?"
Tiria and Juvian shook their heads.
"Because all six powers of Jialin are here at the moment, we had to tell the truth. Otherwise, the other one would reveal the fact that we were lying. That being said, we already told them everything that should be said. Even if Ancestor heads there right now, it won't make much of a difference. Instead, they might find it rude that you interrupted their meeting."
Zuan nodded as he accepted Tiria and Juvian's opinion. Zuan then looked at the Umbral Sect members and snorted. Slowly, he began to make his way to where they were staying.
Obviously, the Umbral Sect members noticed it and began to feel nervous. In front of a Saint Realm expert, they were nothing more than ants. Let alone the fact that they were inside the Dalamu Sect's territory.
"So... I heard that some people sent a few idiots to kill our sect members. Not only that, but it was a mayor of one of the cities in our territory who opened his mouth. I wonder what I should do with people who come to kill my sect members. What do you think?"
Furen immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Elder Zuan knows very well that our sect is on edge because of Rean's healing ability. Umbral Energy is just too important for us. So I won't deny that we really did send a small group to try and get rid of them. However, not only did they fail to do so, more than half of the group died in your twins' hands. I hope Elder Zuan can take it as our punishment and not make things more difficult for us."
Zuan laughed after hearing that.
"Sure! I won't make things difficult for any of you. I'll simply kill everyone, and then there will be nothing difficult to deal with anymore."
Zuan raised his hands as Fire Element in the surroundings began to gather around it. Furen and everyone else immediately felt the pressure. Even Nascent Soul Realm experts were nothing more than ants in front of Zuan's power. Before they could even react, their surroundings ignited, preventing any of them from escaping.
Roan looked at that but didn't bother to say anything. Even Rean, who wasn't that keen on killing as Roan, refrained from opening his mouth. Those guys came to kill them. It wasn't as if they fought because of some other reason, like treasures.
Furen and the other Nascent Soul Realm experts immediately enveloped everyone with their Spiritual Energies as they tried to resist the flames. Zuan snorted once again and increased the power of flames once again. He wanted to slowly cook these guys so that the Umbral Sect would think twice before sending someone to deal with the twins once again.
However, someone from the Royal Family Experts stepped forward.
"Senior Zuan, could you please let them go just this once?"
Zuan looked at who talked to him and saw that it was Xansio.
"Hehehe! And why should I do that?"
Xansio then looked at the experts of Laan City before saying.
"It would look too brash if we start killing each other here, no? We still don't know what the Laan City experts will do. It would be better to not give them a reason to doubt our words after they decided what to do."
Zuan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Laan City members. They didn't look like they were paying attention to this place, but Zuan could tell that at least the Saint Realm experts had an eye on him.
"Hmph!"
Suddenly, the Fire Element around everyone from the Umbral Sect disappeared. However, just as they were about to sigh in relief, several fire snakes shot from the ground, piercing through the dantians of all the cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm. In less than an instant, they all became as weak as ordinary humans.
"Consider yourself lucky. This Zuan left you alive and didn't cripple your Nascent Soul Realm experts."
Furen bitterly smiled as he looked at Lian and the rest. They had no right to complain since they did really come here to kill the twins.
Roan, who watched all of that, approved of Zuan's actions.
'That's how things should be done.'
