The reason Michael left immediately after defeating the mage was that he knew there was a chance the battle would draw the attention of the Association members.
He didn’t think he’d be in trouble for fighting a demonic supernatural, but he doubted he’d be allowed to take the corpse himself.
What he didn’t know was that, shortly after he left, two figures appeared mid-air at the battle site.
Rank 4 cultivators.
The two arrivals were both men.
They scanned the surroundings before one of them spoke.
“There are multiple energy signatures here. It’s chaotic, but the dominant ones are fire and wood.”
“Should we track the lingering traces? I can sense dark energy as well, though faint.”
“There’s no need to waste time. The demonic supernaturals wouldn’t dare cause too much havoc. Though I don’t know why one fought here, it’s not our concern. Our priority is restoring order to the city. If we don’t do something about the chaotic energy in time, things will only spiral further.”
“Agreed.”
With that, the two men ended their discussion.
Rather than chase after a fleeing demonic supernatural, it was far more important to stabilize the situation.
If their negligence led to a disaster requiring a King-rank expert’s intervention, there would be nothing they could do—even as some of the strongest cultivators below the King level in Woodstone City.
Having made their decision, they immediately flew off in another direction.
Of course, things would have been different had they seen Michael—but they didn’t care enough to track down a vague trail.
Back at Michael’s Location – Moments Later.
Unlike when he had used {Slow Curse} on the first man, Michael didn’t bother doing the same for the remaining three.
All were given swift deaths—a single, precise strike to the back of the neck.
After finishing off the last one, Michael paused briefly before storing the four bodies in his storage space, recalling his Undead Phantom Morpho as well.
Though he felt a moment of unexpected discomfort, it quickly faded, replaced by growing excitement.
Initially, he had worried that due to the Supers Association intervening, preventing him from obtaining a demonic supernatural’s corpse, he’d return home empty handed.
Yet not only had he secured the body of a strong supernatural—he had also acquired four ordinary corpses.
Michael was quite satisfied with the outcome.
Of course, he wished he could revive one immediately and begin the process of evolving it, but he wasn’t in the right situation to indulge in such desires.
The city was still unstable, and he had a community to protect.
Besides, though physically unharmed, he was mentally exhausted. Some proper rest wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Just as he was about to leave, a series of notifications appeared before him—a familiar sight.
[You have brought peace to a Common ★ Level 3 Lingering Ghost.]
[You have gained 33 Experience Points.]
[You have brought peace to a Common ★ Level 4 Lingering Ghost.]
[You have gained 38 Experience Points.]
Michael didn’t need to think twice to understand which “ghosts” he had helped pass on.
His gaze shifted to the couple’s bodies on the ground.
After a moment of contemplation, he walked through the house and retrieved a blanket.
Just as he had done for the mother and daughter back in his apartment, Michael covered the couple’s bodies as well.
Unlike before, this didn’t cause a further drop in negative energy—it had already been diminishing from the moment the ghosts had been put to rest.
“Necromancer… Necromancy… there’s still a lot I don’t understand,” he muttered.
But that was fine.
Michael loved that he had things to look forward to.
“Whatever. Let’s get back home.”
With that, he stepped out of the building, greeted by a slightly brighter atmosphere.
After a long night of fighting, it seemed the sun was finally preparing to rise over this ruined city.
As Michael flashed from his spot, moments later, high in the sky, a group of people emerged from the crack.
Though they tried to contain it, their aura still leaked, causing the space around them to tremble.
It was evident who these people were—the King-rank Cultivators sent to resolve the Level 5 cracks in Woodstone City.
However, these supposedly dignified figures looked like a mess.
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Setting aside their strange armor and weapons, most were drenched in blood—some from the monsters they had battled within the cracks, and some their own.
One had even lost an arm, yet his expression remained indifferent, as if such an injury was trivial.
Among them, only a few remained relatively unscathed, aside from exhaustion.
One was Quiet Blade.
The other, both an expected and unexpected presence, was Brian, the newly ascended King-rank Cultivator—The Mad Phoenix.
Though he was grouped alongside Quiet Blade, it wasn’t due to lack of contribution he was unscratched.
On the contrary, he had shown faint signs of matching the strongest among them.
The gazes directed at him were now more serious—caution, respect, and something else.
Yet, Brian himself seemed unconcerned with their stares.
Sensing the crack he had just exited and those still remaining, he spoke.
“We’ve cleared a third of each crack twice. Though we’re close to completely clearing these artificial cracks, we have to admit we’re in no condition to continue—unless we’re ready to lose one or more of our own.”
The other Kings remained silent, but their expressions showed agreement.
Right on cue, Quiet Blade added,
“A lot is bound to change after this… but for now, let’s return and rest. With the cracks in their current state, we can afford to delay clearing them.”
********
Author’s note:
Last Chapter for the Month!
Hey guys,
Sorry I couldn’t pull through with the mass release, but I promise to make up for it in future chapters—no sneaky shortcuts, I swear!
I truly appreciate all the support you’ve shown. This month has been incredible for us. Not only have we made it to the Top 10 in the All-Time Best Ranking Novels (Monthly), but it also looks like we’ll be hitting Top 10 in Golden Tickets soon!
Thank you all so much! Let’s keep the momentum going and try not to fall off the rankings—haha.
See you next month with more chapters!