It was an eerie sight.
Aetheris, coming to Blooming Peak Pavilion this early in the morning?
Even if it weren't morning, he had no reason to visit Blooming Peak Pavilion anymore.
He no longer had any disciples to teach from the Three Great Disciples.
Yet, Vera could see it in his eyes.
He was not here for Jace.
He was not here for Dylan.
He was here…
For her.
A foul stench emanated from Aetheris.
A putrid, nauseating odor—
The stench of blood mixed with sothing rotten…
The sll of a corpse.
At that mont, Vera knew.
This was not a living person.
But she could not draw her sword here.
Being so close, she could sense it.
A deep, overwhelming Demonic energy swirled within this body.
If she were to cut him down now, the energy would burst forth.
And when that happened, it would flood all of Blooming Peak Pavilion, consuming every Three Great Disciple in its wake.
The lucky ones would survive with minor injuries.
The unlucky… or the weak… would be devoured by Demonic energy or fall into energy Deviation.
"Do you have sothing to say to ?"
Vera asked calmly, bowing her head slightly.
But Aetheris did not respond.
Instead, he rely stared at her for a brief mont longer…
Then turned around and walked away.
Watching his retreating figure, Vera forced herself to remain composed.
She had seen his corpse in that cave.
Then how…?
And suddenly, she rembered.
The Cult Leader had once been cut into pieces, yet even then, he did not die.
The righteous sects had to divide his remains and seal them separately.
But… was it possible that the Cult Leader had taken possession of Aetheris?
No.
She had seen the corpse long after the Cult Leader had already died.
That could only an one thing—
Soone within Mount Suncrest…
Soone whose body had been taken over by the Cult Leader…
Had resurrected Aetheris.
Vera's hand slowly moved to the hilt of her sword.
Should she cut him down now?
That thing…
It was nothing more than a puppet, moving according to the orders it had been given.
Neither alive nor dead.
But at that mont—
A hand pressed gently on the end of her sword hilt.
"Vera."
"Senior Brother, that thing is—"
"I know. But wouldn't it be wiser to inform Master first?"
Vera bit her lip.
That thing was undeniably a moving corpse.
A puppet of the Cult Leader, steeped in Demonic energy.
And yet, such an abomination was walking around in the guise of Aetheris, freely entering Blooming Peak Pavilion…
How could they possibly leave it be?
It could attack the Three Great Disciples at any mont.
If that happened, would they even have ti to react?
Who would suspect anything?
Yes, there was sothing unsettling about him.
One sleeve hung limply—because his arm was missing.
But who would dare pull back his sleeve to check?
At most, they would find it odd.
His gait was different than before.
His expression was darker, devoid of any emotion.
But unless soone knew the truth, they would never suspect the horror lurking beneath the surface.
"…I understand."
"Good."
Vera turned to look around.
There were still many Senior Brothersin Blooming Peak Pavilion.
She knew—she had no obligation to protect them.
And yet…
She didn't want to leave them unguarded.
Mount Suncrest may not have aided her family because of the Sect Leader's decision.
But Aiden, Damien, Great Master Thorne, and all the others…
They were still part of Mount Suncrest.
"Then go to Master first."
"What about you, Senior Brother?"
"I need to stay and watch over the disciples. Just as I always do."
Marcus shrugged.
Vera looked at him for a mont, then nodded.
And then—
She pushed off the ground, dashing toward Aiden's residence.
Aiden's Residence
It did not take long.
Vera's Lightness Skill was already well-refined.
And now, pouring all her energy into her movent, her speed was unmatched.
She landed softly in the courtyard and walked toward the old house without hesitation.
Reaching for the rusty door handle, she knocked.
"Master, are you inside?"
A voice answered from within.
"It is not ti for you to co… what has happened?"
"Yes. Sothing has happened."
"Hoo…"
The sound of Aiden rustling into his robes ca from the other side of the door.
It wasn't long before he erged, dressed in pristine white martial robes.
Vera was already kneeling in front of him.
"Speak."
He reached out, pulling a small tea table closer, and began preparing tea.
As if he expected her explanation to take a while.
"Aetheris just visited Blooming Peak Pavilion."
"…Yes, Aetheris ca to—"
And then he froze.
Nearly dropping the teapot.
His hand trembled, but sohow, he managed to avoid spilling the tea.
However, the tea had missed the cup entirely, soaking the table.
Yet Aiden did not even attempt to clean it up.
Instead, he asked again, his voice tight.
"…Didn't you see Aetheris's corpse in that cave?
Wasn't he—torn in half?"
"Yes."
"…Ha."
He let out a heavy breath.
"This is beyond us. We must go to Great Master Thorne.
He knows more about the Demonic Cult than I do."
Vera nodded.
After a mont's hesitation, Aiden pulled out a sheet of paper.
He dipped his brush into the ink and quickly wrote sothing.
Then, taking a small needle, he pinned it to the door.
It was a simple ssage:
"I will be away for a while. Listen to Senior Brother's instructions and continue your training."
And with that, they left.
There was no need to search for Aetheris's whereabouts.
He was already here.
Standing in front of Great Master Thorne residence.
Great Master Thorne imdiately saw through his true nature.
"A puppet, I see."
Clicking his tongue, he watched as Aetheris's stiff body staggered forward into the courtyard.
With just a single motion of its hand, it could end Great Master Thorne, who had long lost his energy and martial arts.
And yet, Great Master Thorne remained unshaken.
"What business does a corpse have here? You have nothing left to gain from this old man."
But Aetheris did not answer.
That was the nature of Demonic energy.
Demonic energy did not resurrect the dead or reverse decay.
It simply forced the corpse to move—dead and rotting.
And so, a foul stench clung to Aetheris, an unbearable mixture of blood and decay.
His Demonic energy, twisted and tangled, pulsed unnaturally.
How had he co this far without being noticed?
He must have taken paths where no one would see him.
"Aetheris."
Even at his call, there was no response.
To be precise…
Aetheris's corpse was incapable of responding.
It was nothing more than a mindless puppet, moving according to its master's will.
A flicker of sorrow passed through Great Master Thorne's eyes.
This child…
He was never ant to fall this far.
Though his nature had been flawed, he had not deserved such a cruel fate.
"Tsk. If only I had been the one to lay you to rest…"
A deep sigh escaped Great Master Thorne's lips.
He already knew who had sent this corpse.
It had to be the Cult Leader.
Hiding sowhere within Mount Suncrest, wearing another's flesh as his disguise.
But it seed he had not sent Aetheris here to kill him.
That much was clear.
The corpse stood still, unmoving.
As if waiting.
It wasn't difficult to guess who it was waiting for.
Vera.
The one who intrigued the Cult Leader the most.
A child in Mount Suncrest's robes, yet born with the Celestial Blade Star of the Heavenly Demon.
One who had, in an impossibly short ti, reached an overwhelming level of martial skill—
The prodigy who had defeated the grandson of the Sword Lord himself.
And in the distance—
Two figures soared toward them.
Great Master Thorne clicked his tongue.
"He sent it here knowing they would co. How predictable."
With that, he calmly took a seat on the veranda, pouring himself a cup of green tea.
Just as expected.
As soon as Aiden and Vera arrived, their hands imdiately went to their swords.
"…Grand Elder, are you unhard?"
Aiden positioned himself between Great Master Thorne and Aetheris, sword leveled at the corpse.
Vera took up position at a precise angle—
Far enough that if her energy beca unstable, neither Great Master Thorne nor Aiden would be caught in its path.
"I am fine. It has not hard ."
"What is the aning of this…?"
Aiden gritted his teeth.
Vera, however, slowly took a deep breath.
With each inhalation, the energy in her core surged through her Eight Extraordinary ridians.
Her energy flowed through her delicate arms, wrists, and fingers—
Filling her Falling Blossom Sword to the brim.
As her dark blade pulsed with energy, a dazzling, multicolored light shimred across its surface.
There was no point in speaking.
That corpse was incapable of conversation.
Leaving it to wander was far too dangerous.
And she knew why it was here.
The Cult Leader wanted to test her.
The very idea disgusted her.
But more importantly—
This was a corpse that needed to be laid to rest.
If they did not stop it now…
It would only rise again.
And again.
"…No words are needed."
Vera muttered under her breath.
At that mont—
Her Falling Blossom Sword, wrapped in Sword energy, clashed against the blade in Aetheris's lifeless grip.
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