"Dead?" Ning asked with surprise. "I was told the lizard was alive just a few years ago."
"Yes, senior. It happened only a couple of months ago. There was a fight where the city and sect were infiltrated by people from another city."
"At the time, the fight got so bad that senior Lizard had to step in, but even he couldn't win. He struggled until his last breath and managed to kill the intruders, but his wound was so bad that he died just a couple of days later," the sect leader said.
"An invasion?" Ning asked in surprise. 'Is that why these people are so stressed?' Ning thought.
"Yes, senior. We were attacked by another city from the next empire, so we are a little scared to let just anyone in. Which was why these guards stopped you. I hope you don't mind," the sect leader said.
"Sigh, it's fine. Urghh," Ning felt tired. After coming all the way, only to find out that the beast was dead.
"I came here to bring the beast back to his family. Now that he is dead, I will have to bring it back even if it's just its bones. Can you show me where its grave is?" Ning asked.
"His home? Not even the senior lizard knew where his home was. How do you know, senior?" the sect leader asked.
"His home is in the Central Continent, but he never searched for it there, so he wouldn't have known," Ning said. "I came to the southern continent to find another spider, and he told me the lizard was here."
"I see," the sect leader said. He was still very suspicious of Ning, but given the strength, he showed with his divine sense, it was unlikely any of them could fight against him or deny him what he wanted.
The city lord walked forward and said, "Senior, would you like to come to stay in our city for a while? It would be our honor to serve you."
"Uhh… maybe nex—"
"Yes, we would love to," Dahlia said from behind.
Ning looked at Dahlia disapprovingly. "What?" she asked. "It was you who said we need to spend a few days somehow. Let's just stay in the city. I want to look around too. Please~"
Ning sighed and shook his head. He turned around to the city lord and said, "Alright, we'll say."
"Great!" the city lord exclaimed. "Please come with us, senior."
The two of them then went into the city and were taken to stay at the city lord's place. They introduced themselves to the group of people that followed, who were surprised to learn they were from another continent.
Ning and Dahlia stayed in the city lord's manor for a few days. In those days, Dahlia went out to the city and roamed it with a few disciples from the sect that were left there to look after the two.
Ning on the other hand simply stayed behind and enjoyed some semblance of free time. He took the opportunity to think about what he was going to do next after he left for the northern continent.
He wanted to live a normal life or at least one that felt like it. He wasn't sure how someone that wasn't even a human could do that.
"Whatever, I will just go check the Origin for now. If I can get Hyesi, Anya, and the rest to that place, then my job on this planet will be over," he thought.
Now he simply needed to take some time to fly around the entire planet looking for the Origin in the ocean. Aside from that, he also needed to make his new body.
As for Jha'Akim, he wasn't really worried about him doing any harm, despite how strong he could be. Once Hyesi and Anya quickly broke through to the Spirit Transformation realm, they could easily defeat him.
"I guess I don't really have any problems then," Ning thought with a sigh. This also meant that his time to leave the place was going to come soon.
Ning was then taken to the grave of the lizard, and he took away the entire land along with the bones, leaving a massive opening in the middle.
Once he was done, it was soon time to leave.
"I hope you've had your fill with the city cause it's time to leave," Ning said.
"Aww, okay," Dahlia said.
Without waiting, Ning caught her arm and teleported the two of them into the dungeon underneath the Grider family's home.
"I've been waiting for you guys," the spider said. "Where's the lizard?"
"Unfortunately, the Lava Lizard died a few months ago in a city invasion. I could only bring back his bones," Ning said.
"Is that so…?" the spider said with a saddened voice. "I had just seen him a few years ago. To think he died already."
"Yeah, it's quite sad," Ning said. "Anyway, are you ready to leave?"
"Yes," the spider said. "I've said my goodbyes already. Let me just tell them I'm going."
After a few moments, Bertel and his father came down to say their goodbyes.
"You!" Bertel said with surprise. He couldn't believe that the people that came to take away their guardian was the two people from the competition.
"Hello," Dahlia said with a smile.
"Bye, I'm leaving now," the spider said to them.
The two of them seemed to have been prepared for it, so they didn't try to stop him or anything, but the Bertel kid kept staring towards them.
"Hey! It's rude to stare at a lady like that," Dahlia said jokingly.
Bertel got flustered and started apologizing.
"Keep learning Alchemy. I will see how much you improve if there is ever a competition next time. Only that time, I won't hold back," Dahlia said.
"Alright, let's go," Ning said and with a single grab of the spider's leg, they vanished.
When they reappeared, the three of them were flying in the air above the Grime oasis.
"Do you see that tomb over there?" Ning said while pointing far away, "That's your home."
