...…
If I'm correct in my deductions, then they were aiming to obtain this amulet… But what I can't comprehend is why they would want something that the Master called a 'Hand me down'.
Azmodeus thought the matter over again before letting out a soft sigh.
I don't own anything else as mysterious as the amulet, so it must be what they're after. There's just no way it could be anything else…
After coming to this conclusion, he moved his fierce gaze toward a few shadowy figures nearing his approximate location.
"..." He immediately went as quiet as he could while controlling the breathing of the girl lying against his chest.
The figures stayed around for a while before eventually giving up their search in this particular area as they moved onto the next stretch of land.
Azmodeus let out a breath of relief after they left. He was sure that those Foundation Establishment Realm Assassins would've found him with their divine senses if it weren't for his Stealth Trait.
It was after understanding this that he turned his softened gaze down at the tear-stained girl. She seemed to be having a bad dream while sleeping against him with her dainty hands tightly clenching his robes.
"This girl is special… Another mystery, huh?" He mused with a slightly exasperated tone.
Although Azmodeus had no clue how her existence was able to stay hidden even under the discerning eyes of Foundation Establishment Realm Assassins, he decided to spend the rest of the night in the tree trunk.
After all, the only reason they hadn't taken a stop yet was because he feared them being potentially discovered by the Assassins because of Yang Hua's lack of stealth attributes.
But in the end, it looked like she had some sort of passive stealth ability, so they would take a short break until resuming their escape.
And it was after this thought entered his mind that the fatigue that had been building up for a while now finally settled in.
It didn't take long before he fell asleep inside the tree trunk with a doleful girl in one hand and a sleek black sword in the other.
His chin quickly found itself laying atop the soft black hair of Yang Hua as his body seemed to unconsciously find that spot as the most comfortable location to be…
...
Three days passed like the passing of seasons as all of Spirit River City was thrown into pandemonium due to the recent upheaval of the Yang Sect.
All of the sect's direct disciples—Core Disciples, Inner Disciples, Outer Disciples, and even the Entry Disciples—were cut down to the very last person!
Even the chickens and dogs of the Yang Sect weren't spared from this brutal massacre conducted by an unknown organization in the dead of night!
The City Lord and the rest of the city's ruling forces were thrown into unrest after receiving this news. They feared that their respective sects and organizations would be next to be exterminated…
That wasn't to even mention the fact that multiple eyewitnesses had reported gods numbering in the dozens descending from the sky, seemingly looking for someone.
However, after waiting a few days and witnessing no such gods and seeing no sign of the assailants who destroyed the Yang Sect, life seemed to go back to the way it was for those who resided in Spirit River City.
They simply passed off the oddities surrounding the Yang Sect as nothing more than a bad dream. While they considered the 'gods' as little more than fantasies that they thought up in the midst of the tumultuous chaos.
There were, of course, those immense auras that pressed down on all of them, and there were those lightning storms lighting up in the clouds from beyond the heavens. However, when people were confronted with unbelievable and unexplainable things, they typically thought up every excuse to deny the authenticity of anything they couldn't comprehend…
***
Meanwhile, in a far-off location a few hundred miles away, a young boy was leading a girl around his age through the streets of a far livelier shopping district than the one that was in Spirit River City.
"Are you okay...?" Azmodeus asked with a raised brow, his gaze seemingly peering into the troubled girl beside him.
"...I told you that I'm fine. You really don't need to worry so much…" Yang Hua responded, her eyes appearing to have lost some of their previous shine.
Azmodeus looked down at the mildly begrudged look on her adorable face as he sighed a little before saying, "Well, then, let's head over to the Yellow Mellow Sect and apply to be Outer Disciples."
He had already checked up on Yang Hua, and although she didn't act like it, she was quite the genius when it came to cultivation. So the both of them should be able to make it into the Rank 2 Yellow Mellow Sect without much of an issue.
Your fate may be out in the wind, master, but the least I can do to pay you back for the Cloud Chasers Technique and all your teachings is to look after your daughter until we figure out your vital status…
Azmodeus may be many things in this life: cruel, psychopathic, merciless, emotionless, and oblivious to feelings. But the one thing he wasn't was someone who didn't know how to pay back his dues.
Although that master of mine is an old bastard, he's the old bastard who gave me a bunch of loot, and that's enough for me to owe him a favor or two.
He was a loot goblin by nature, and that hasn't changed one single bit after the destruction of the Yang Sect…
A few minutes later, Azmodeus and Yang Hua were walking up to large red gates that had a sign that read 'Yellow Mellow' in a bright yellow color on the front of them.
There were a few mountains, hills, and rivers around this area, as the part of Yellowcreek City in which the Yellow Mellow Sect resided was known to be quite tranquil and vibrant.
After witnessing all the lush and picturesque scenery in person, both of them couldn't help but agree with the rumors…
...…