Xandros halted in the middle of two vacant swimming pools and, with a serious expression on his face, nudged both of them to get in.
Rowan and Riela gazed at the swimming pools for a few seconds, taking a closer look at the clear liquid in them before stepping inside.
Once their feet made contact with the liquid, a peculiar cool sensation steadily flowed through their bodies from their legs upward.
The sensation proved difficult to describe, being neither uncomfortable nor entirely comfortable.
Rowan frowned at the sensation, yet Riela experienced its reverse, she adored it as she gradually subrged herself in the swimming pool, she closed her eyes after offering Rowan a charming smile and comnced ditating.
She could sense the pure mana within the swimming pool resonating harmoniously with her mana core as she began ditation.
Rowan observed her for a few seconds, his face wearing a composed, calm expression.
"It appears she adores the pure mana; I sincerely hope it does not disrupt her mana core and magic cultivation," Rowan mused.
As long as Riela remained comfortable ditating, Rowan was unbothered.
"Stop fretting over her and comnce ditating, for she is going nowhere; likewise for you and every soul in this place right now," Xandros scoffed at Rowan, clearly exasperated by his affectionate gaze towards Riela, utterly beyond his patience.
In that mont, Rowan felt an intense urge to curse Xandros profusely, yet he had no option but to comnce his ditation as well.
[ Unique mana detected ]
[ Running analysis]
[ Analysis complete: Mana is safe ]
Thankfully, the system proved sufficiently effective to detect and analyze the mana within the swimming pool.
Rowan finally eased his mind upon hearing confirmation that the mana in the swimming pool was safe for cultivation.
With his mind relaxed, he gradually began ditating, steadily absorbing the mana from the swimming pool.
Xandros scrutinized both of them for a few seconds, examining their forms and rate of mana absorption.
He maintained this observation for nearly a minute before snapping his finger and teleporting from the room with a single thought in his mind, "Ti to deal with that traitorous bastard!"
A few seconds after Xandros vanished, the others, who had been feigning ditation earlier, quickly opened their eyes and faced the direction of Rowan and Riela.
"Who do you suppose those two are?" one of them murmured softly to another.
"I have no clue, yet judging by the manner that devil treated them, they appear to be special."
Murmurs also emanated from other corners as they could not contain their curiosity.
So speculated that Rowan and Riela might be mbers of the cult, which is why Xandros conversed with them.
However, others quickly disagreed, reminding their companions of the specific cult under discussion indeed.
"The cult of Ember Justice does not have ex-mbers.
Once you are initiated, you beco a permanent mber until you die.
I even heard that if you had offspring prior to your death, they would be initiated into the cult upon your passing!" one of them whispered.
"I heard that as well, I also heard that Xandros and Alister beca mbers of the cult right after they were delivered as babies. Apparently, their father died before they were born so the cult didn't waste ti before imitating them." Another added.
Those gathered around the conspirators could not help but wonder just how corrupt the affairs of the cult were to uphold such a rule.
According to the conspirators, joining the cult was no different from completely forfeiting your fundantal rights and free will in exchange for power and valuable connections!
In another dim section of the cult's hideout, within a tiny, grim confinent, a badly bruised Dragun could be seen bound with chains protruding from the ground.
His face was nearly unrecognizable owing to the severe bruises and dried blood that ford a thick layer over his skin.
At first glance, one might even assu he was dead, for his breathing was so slow that it could truly easily go unnoticed.
Concealed beneath the layer of blood stains were his feeble eyes, fixed ahead with almost no detectable emotion whatsoever.
A slight disturbance in the wind occurred, and in the next mont, Xandros appeared, wearing his signature grin but now imbued with hatred and lethal intent.
His presence was promptly noticed by Dragun; he shivered briefly as his eyes lifted to et the cold gaze of Xandros, who was already slowly strolling toward him.
"Your son and his wife are now awake, they've already entered the mana garden, and very soon, they will be cooked and prepared alongside the other candidates for the dark seed ritual as ordained by fate."
While I can assert that they are doing well presently, I cannot claim the sa for you, Dragun.
The ti I have spent chasing after you, finally capturing you, and having to spend months pretending to be your devoted fan rely to keep vigil over your village truly.
The ti I spent should have been dedicated to more productive tasks, yet you single-handedly ruined it all by stealing and betraying the Cult.
However, you need not worry, for now that you are in my grasp, I shall reclaim that ti by inflicting upon you unbearable pain.
You belong to now, no one can co save you.
Xandros laughed bitterly as he arrived before Dragun.
He squatted and seized the neck of Dragun, causing him to flinch.
It turned out that his neck had been broken.
Dragun's eyes conveyed only fear and regret as he stared at Xandros.
The torture he had endured since his arrival continued to haunt his mind, intensifying his dreadful feelings even further, profoundly so.
Xandros, on the other hand, relished the helplessness of his subjects, as it filled him with thrill and bolstered his maniacal ego.
"We shall comnce with today's punishnt. I do not have enough ti to spend with you, as the Cult has important assignnt for , so I will leave you with this."
In Xandros' hands, a glowing red and black insect materialized, it resembled both a scorpion and a caterpillar simultaneously and appeared truly deadly, especially due to the red aura emanating from it in truth.
Dragun shivered and recoiled, utterly scared shitless.
But Xandros seized him by the neck and pulled him closer before prying his mouth open and inserting the deadly insect inside.
The insect swiftly crawled inside and entered Dragun's stomach.
A few seconds later, Dragun began coughing up blood.
The sound of the insect devouring from the inside reverberated across the small cell.
"Hehe"
Xandros savored the scene for a few seconds before departing.
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