Chapter 238: Thorough End
There was no dramatic preamble or buildup. The Ancestor had genuinely believed he was on the verge of victory, raising his hand to bring Uhtred down, when a terrifying wave of energy — one that made every last bit of hair on his body stand up in danger — blasted straight through his torso.
The attack completely disintegrated his entire midsection, erasing everything from the center of his chest down to his knees in one single go.
Shock was written in the old man’s eyes. The prior madness in them disappeared, replaced by the horror and realization that he was dying. He opened his mouth to speak — perhaps to curse at Uhtred, or maybe to cast the soul attack he had threatened to — but all that escaped his mouth was a fountain of blood.
Uhtred, whose fist was still extended from the execution of the strike, drew his hand back and straightened his posture.
He let out a heavy sigh, looking down at the mangled remains of the Ancestor. The old man’s wide, unblinking eyes stared straight at him as the light within them rapidly faded.
Uhtred watched the life leave the old man’s body with a flat, detached expression. Once he confirmed the Ancestor was truly dead, he scoured the corpse for any spatial storage or valuables, then covered up all traces of the body with Earth magic, burying him deeply in the hard packed ground.
At the corner of his eye, he could see his chat window popping off with messages.
His multiversal audience were discussing among themselves, trying to re-classify and re-categorize how powerful the spell that he just used was.
It was his signature Unified Elemental Strike. That was perhaps the most powerful spell he had in his arsenal — the same one he had learned directly from the memory shard of the Sovereign of Chaos, Drakgon.
Throughout the fight, he hadn’t used it once against the Ancestor in the hopes that by the time he did, it would take the old man completely off guard, and it worked exactly like he had planned.
The version he had used just now wasn’t even at full power. His essence reserves of other elements were largely depleted, save for the fire and water essence he had absorbed before the Ancestor arrived.
They had been the only major elements that fueled the Unified Elemental strike for the most part. That was why Uhtred had chosen those two elements specifically. They were opposing elements, which made for a more chaotic result.
Of course, the Unified Elemental Strike had still incorporated trace amounts of his other elements, but they were vastly outweighed by the fire and water elements.
It was also why he didn’t need as much buildup time compared to when he charged the spell to its full might.
Even so, it was a great feat.
Through precise planning and flawless execution, he had just eliminated a powerhouse many levels above his own.
Subconsciously, Uhtred half-expected the System to award him a title for the kill.
The System had been very stingy with giving titles for a while now. Uhtred had only received some minor titles here and there over the past year, even back on Earth.
And even when talking about fighting enemies many levels above himself, just like now, it was the same thing. Uhtred had fought some high-level beasts back in the forests of Zone 2 on Earth, yet he hadn’t gained any significant title.
The System no longer rewarded every feat or level gain as it had in the beginning. Perhaps the next major title would come only when he reached the realm above the Nascent Realm first.
He let out a tired sigh, turning to walk back toward the hidden crevice where he had placed Nayu An.
Fortunately, she was still tucked safely out of sight, completely unconscious.
Uhtred slumped down to the ground, resting his back against the wall. He knew he needed to recover his strength with some essence crystals, but he also knew he couldn’t take too long.
Despite how much faster he and the now-dead Ancestor had been compared to the elders of the An Clan, they would all be here in an hour or slightly more.
Of course, that was enough time to recover his strength to an extent, but not enough that he was confident to forge into the lands of the Demonic Cult.
Based on what Zara had told him back in the interview waiting room, the lands he was about to enter were rife with violence and bloodthirsty dark cultivators.
If he were traveling solo, he would have been confident moving with whatever strength he regained after an hour’s rest...
But he was dragging Nayu An along — a living target whose body held something extraordinarily valuable. Uhtred couldn’t afford to let her be spotted. He didn’t fully understand the nature of the thing inside her, but he knew her grandfather had been deeply involved with it.
Considering the dark soul-targeting technique the old man had threatened to use, Uhtred preferred to err on the side of caution. The anomaly within Nayu An could easily be connected to dark cultivation methods, much like her grandfather’s hidden art...
.
.
Forty-five minutes later...
Uhtred, still bruised and weary but with a solid portion of his essence restored, moved across the desolate wilderness like a phantom. With Nayu An’s limp body slung over his shoulder, he activated Slipstream Stride, blurring across the landscape at terrifying speeds.
His senses were at full alert. Now that he had entered into the lands of the Demonic Cult, there was no second of rest any longer. Anything could happen at any moment.
Of course, these were only the fringe edges of the Demonic Cult lands, but Uhtred wasn’t dumb enough to think that meant he was safe.
He already felt a subtle prickle on the back of his neck, as if invisible eyes were tracking his movements — though for the most part, he simply thought it was his own paranoia at play. Even with his reduced speed, no one below the level of the Ancestor should be able to track him as he used Slipstream Stride.
Just as Uhtred’s mind rapidly analyzed his current situation, at the edges of his spread-out senses, he picked up something.