"Master, I failed your task. I will accept any punishment."
When the Old Master returned back to his main body, he saw his Servant lying on the ground.
"Rise," he ordered calmly. "Tell me what happened."
"Master, your Disciple didn't comply with your request so I tried to complete the mission on my own. I underestimated the strength of the Elemental Bracelet and failed," the Servant announced as he stood up, his head still lowered.
"Hmm? How come?" the Old Master replied with a frown. "I already expected Little Liu to misbehave but to think you couldn't deal with him? How strong is he?"
"I doubt anyone in the Heaven Realm is capable of taking him down. He already has three Elemental Stones and mastered the usage of the Elemental Bracelet. I didn't stand a chance even after hiring tens of experts to assist me," the Servant explained with a sigh. "That's not all. He also has numerous Forbidden Arts as well as Fate Holder Abilities."
"I see. That's definitely more than what I expected," the Old Master replied deep in thought. "Did you discover what Fate Abilities he has? There is no way he also has one of the top ten, right?"
"This Servant indeed discovered it but I don't have good news. The holder of an Elemental Bracelet can manipulate time. I suspect he also has a high-ranked Fate Spirit which provides him with all the Forbidden Arts."
The Old Master paused, sitting in silence for a good minute.
"I think I remember now. I once knew a person who could manipulate time. It seems like he died trying to get the Elemental Bracelet for himself," the Old Master muttered. "Anyway, it seems like I will have to wait for him to enter the God Realm before I can collect the bracelet by myself. It's not that bad. It will give me more time to gather the rest of the Elemental Stones."
"I don't think Master will have to wait for long," the Servant informed. "The Elemental Bracelet Holder told me to pass Master a message. He said he will ascend to God Realm in a year and find Master. He was pretty confident he can achieve that."
"…" the Old Master turned speechless. "Either he is stupid or a genius."
"Master, I would bet on the latter," the Servant muttered cautiously. "He also has a lot of outside help like the Trade Union or the House of Dragons. I don't think it would be hard for him to accomplish this goal."
"Well, that would save me a lot of work but in one year I can at most get one more Elemental Stone. Hmm…" Old Master said quietly as he stood up. "Doesn't matter. I have to get the bracelet. There is no one who will stop me from seeing her again…"
The Servant remained quiet, already knowing when to comment and when to stay quiet.
"Anyway, I found the location of the next stone," the Old Master informed as he extended his hand. "Give me back my Godly Shield. I will need it."
The Servant suddenly paled and fell back to his knees.
"Master, I lost it. My Avatar got killed and the treasure got seized…"
"How...?" Old Master asked sternly, more in shock than anger.
"He was too fast, killing me before the barrier even spawned…" the Servant explained, expecting a punishment but his Master stayed calm, disappearing on the spot.
He appeared again next to his Avatar, far away from his hideout as if long distance was nothing to him. In front of him, a tall mountain covered in a dark red mist and a gigantic snake-like creature wrapped around its peak, seemingly sleeping.
His Elemental Stones shone brightly as he got closer, signaling the presence of another Stone.
"I will do anything for you, Samira… Wait for me…" he muttered under his breath before he launched an attack, waking up the beast.
———
"Babe, we are close to the Spirit Capital. Wanna come over to us?"
Sitting on top of the Flying Ship, Xuefeng focused on regenerating his lost Qi when Wuying came over and kissed on his cheek.
"Mhmm, one moment. I'm almost done," Xuefeng replied without losing his focus.
After the ambush, it took them few hours to regroup with everyone, and they immediately continued their journey, heading towards the Spirit Land Capital. Their original plan to visit the House of Dragons didn't change at all.
Although it got complicated after Sect Master Liu's betrayal, as long as he and Katherine were fine, Xuefeng was down to overlook it. Naturally, he would never treat him the same as he used to.
The trust was already broken.
"Go on. I will wait," Wuying said softly and sat down next to him, their knees touching.
As if an instinct, his hand shifted onto her thigh, rubbing it casually.
"How is the situation inside?"
They were finally all together but Xuefeng didn't stay with them. He was forced to take his time and replenish the Qi he used in battle. Because he basically emptied his Qi, he could only use Fate Stones as there was only one kind of Qi in the air.
He also wanted to give the girls time to get to know each other better.
"We have been chatting," Wuying informed casually, before assuring, "But don't worry, there is little tension. Katherine is quite understanding and Nuwa didn't explode too much."
Xuefeng sighed in relief, worrying about a certain wife with the biggest temperament.
"About Bella, we already knew she will eventually get closer with you so we already accepted her as our sister," Wuying added with a playful pinch. "If there is a lady who joins our group, she is bound to fall for your tricks."
"Ehem, I am not doing it on purpose. It comes out naturally," Xuefeng cleared his throat as he finally opened his eyes. "Anyway, I'm done. We can return."
He stood up while helping her as well when Wuying grasped his arm, asking softly, "Hey… You know there are many of us now, right? Can you give all your wives the love they deserve?"
Xuefeng paused but kissed her right after.
"I don't know if I can, but I will definitely do everything in my power to make you happy because you are my everything."
"Mhmm, I know you will," Wuying nodded in approval. "Just don't overwork yourself."
"Don't worry," Xuefeng assured, pulling her inside the Flying Ship and canceled the barrier protecting them from the wind.
Remembering about a certain dilemma, he pulled out the Godly Treasure he got from the Servant and wondered, "Who do you think I should give it? It can protect anyone who wears it."
"Hmm, it depends," Wuying muttered as she gave him a side glance. "Who do you want to protect the most?"