Chapter 68: The Slaughter Ends
Chapter 68: The Slaughter Ends
Squelch!
Marvin’s head flew into the air, his eyes still wide with despair.
The slaughter commenced.
Unlike the Ironpeak Sect, where ordinary disciples were spared, the Barlowe family received no mercy.
They were a clan bound by blood. Leaving survivors meant leaving future enemies.
Swords flashed. Screams echoed.
Within half an hour, the lavish estate became a graveyard. No one was left alive.
Only Soren remained breathing. He was bound in heavy chains, his face pale with terror as he saw his kins being mercilessly killed, and then being dragged away by Azure Cloud elders.
In a single day, a bloody storm had swept through Greymist Town, erasing its two major powers from existence.
Rhain stood in the blood-soaked courtyard.
[Ding! Location Sign-In detected: Barlowe Family Estate.]
[Sign In?]
"Yes."
[Location Sign-In Successful!]
[Reward: Rare-Grade Weapon — Crimson Serpent Blade.]
[Item automatically sent to System Inventory.]
Rhain glanced at the notification.
Just one Rare-grade reward.
He tossed the dagger into his System Inventory and turned away.
"It’s all done," Harmon stated, wiping the blood from his blue sword, as he looked at the devastated compund.
There was no joy, just a bitter sympathy.
It’s hard to remain unaffected after killing so many people, but in this cruel world, if you show the slightest of kindness to your enemies, you will die.
The coalition gathered their spoils and marched back to Azure Cloud Sect.
____________
At the massive stone plaza just inside the sect’s main gates, a crowd of disciples had gathered.
Seris stood at the very front.
Rhain had sent her back early to spare her the sight of the massacre.
Suddenly, the heavy sound of footsteps echoed from the mountain path.
The coalition had returned.
Murmurs rippled through the hundreds of gathered Azure Cloud disciples.
They watched the procession approach.
Sect Master Harmon. Great Elder Silas. Second Elder Amos. Dorris Graves and his father, Kory.
Five Spirit Manifestation Realm cultivators, radiating a majestic, overpowering pressure that made the disciples want to drop to their knees in reverence.
Yet, walking casually among these titans, treated as an equal, was a youth in dark robes.
Rhain.
Less than a month ago, he was the sect’s punching bag.
A boy they had once mocked, bullied, and beaten in the dirt for entertainment.
Now, looking at his calm face, the disciples lowered their heads.
A heavy wave of shame washed over them.
They were no longer people of the same world.
Rhain’s eyes swept briefly over the crowd as he walked straight to Seris.
Her pale purple eyes were wide, scanning him from head to toe for any sign of injury.
"Everything is fine." Rhain reached out with a smile, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Seris let out a sigh of relief, her pink lips tucking slightly into a sweet smile.
Rhain lowered his hand and reached into his spatial storage ring.
A manual materialized in his palm.
"Take this and practice it." He shoved it directly into her hands.
Seris blinked, her beautiful eyes widening in slight confusion as she looked down at the ancient text. "What is this?"
Rhain leaned in slightly, lowering his voice so that only she could hear the shocking words. "An Epic-Grade Sword Art."
Seris blankly stared at the manual in her hands as if in a trance, subconsciously whispering, "Epic-Grade... It’s too precious."
"As long as it makes you stronger, nothing is too precious," Rhain interrupted her softly, with a pat. "Just practice it well."
Rhain turned to face Harmon, Dorris, and others, and spoke lightly, "These are for you."
With a flash of light, three more manuals materialized in the air, hovering quietly in front of the Spirit Manifestation Realm experts.
Harmon frowned slightly in confusion. He reached out and grabbed the first manual.
His eyes dropped to the cover.
[Epic-Grade Saber Art: Tyrant’s Destruction Saber Art]
Harmon stared at the other two manuals.
[ Epic-Grade Technique: Thousand-Roots Spirit Scripture.]
[ Epic-Grade Technique: Mountain Refining Art. ]
"Three...Epic Grade?" Harmon’s breathing stopped for a while.
Dorris, and others also took a glance, and then stared at Rhain with dumbfounded gaze.
Even those large families and clans in the Mirravele City only had one Epic Grade manual, and Rhain had given them three of them so casually.
"Rhain... you..." Harmon’s chest heaved violently as he gasped for air, "Where did you get these?"
"From the grand hall in the Hollow Realm," Rhain replied indifferently.
He didn’t have any use of these three Epic Grade Martial arts.
Star Treading Steps was the only one that he kept for himself.
"Consider them the new foundation of the Azure Cloud Sect," Rhain added calmly.
Harmon tightly gripped the manuals, his eyes turning red with gratitude and awe.
With these Epic-Grade techniques, reaching the Core Formation Realm was no longer a pipe dream.
"I will not forget this, Rhain," Harmon bowed deeply. For a Spirit Manifestation expert to bow to an Essence Condensation youth was unheard of.
The overlooking disciples could only gasp in shock, running their thoughts wildly to know what kind of ancient martial arts Rhain had given sect master to behave like that.
"Sect Master, Family head Dorris" Rhain instructed respectfully, "Take all the resources we plundered from the Hollow Realm, the Ironpeak Sect’s treasury, and the Barlowe family estate. Organize everything thoroughly."
"Yes, of course!" Dorris promptly nodded his head.
"Store the common and lower-tier items for the disciples," Rhain continued. "Sort out the highest quality pills, herbs, and weapons. Once everything is cataloged, I will take a look and see if there is anything worth keeping for myself. The rest will belong entirely to you."
Harmon nodded solemnly. "We will handle it meticulously. You have our word."
"Good." Rhain let out a slow, quiet breath.
He had fought Dorian Krath, unleashing the Epic-Grade Heavenly Severing Palm five consecutive times, and then immediately marched to annihilate two major factions.
Even with the astonishing recovery of the Abyssal Sovereign Physique, his body right now was severely overtaxed, and a deep ache of exhaustion had seeped into his bones.
"I am tired," Rhain stated simply. "I will take my leave now to rest."
He turned his head back to Seris, and said softly. "Go back to your quarters and rest."
Seris obediently nodded. "You rest well too, Rhain."
Under the awe-inspiring and astonishing gazes of the countless disciples, elders, and the Spirit Manifestation experts, Rhain strode away.
___________
Rhain pushed open the heavy doors of his courtyard, and stepped inside.
He walked straight into his bedroom and let himself fall backward onto the mattress.
Rhain let out a slow breath, assessing his internal state.
The Hollow Realm had been worth the trouble.
His cultivation had surged to the third level of the Essence Condensation Realm.
Aside from his cultivation, the hidden sign-ins had granted him two Heavenly Grade rewards:
Eyes of Truth.
Red Tribulations Heavenly Flame.
Rhain raised his right hand.
With a single thought, a cluster of fire ignited above his palm.
Red Tribulations Heavenly Flame.
The exact moment it appeared, the temperature in the room skyrocketed to a scorching extreme.
It was a flame born for pure destruction.
Perhaps, even if a Spirit Manifestation cultivator touched this flame, their hands would burn.
But in Rhain’s hand, it was as docile as a pet.
He casually tossed the fireball into the air, catching it effortlessly and letting the violent red embers dance between his fingers.
The bloody light illuminated his handsome face.
"A Heaven-Grade flame..."
Rhain watched the destructive fire curl around his fingers with a smile.
This is his greatest trump card currently.
"I’ll have to look for a suitable flame martial art later."
Rhain murmured to himself.
With a casual flick of his wrist, the red flame vanished without a trace.
Right now, he had no interest in cultivating or testing new powers.
He closed his eyes, allowing himself to finally relax.