Lucian’s gaze moved to Marcus, who was struggling against the four fire puppets that had surrounded him. His face was twisted with fear and desperation as he frantically dodged and counterattacked.
“In that case, Iris, you go ahead. I have some personal business to handle,” Lucian said, his eyes cold as he watched Marcus flail about.
She noticed his gaze and replied, “Do as you wish. It’s not like I care. But don’t take too long.”
But before she left, Lucian turned back towards Iris and suddenly leaned forward.
Kisssss~! smooch~~!
His lips crashed against hers in a deep kiss. Her purple eyes widened in embarrassment as only now she realized they were in full view of everyone. But she couldn’t bring herself to push him away.
Slurp~ sluuurp~ suck~ liiiick~~!
His tongue entered her mouth, tasting her sweet saliva. A soft moan escaped her throat before she could stop it, “Mphhh…chuu…”
At the same time, Fifth Prince involuntarily saw the scene between Lucian and Iris. His pupils contracted in shock, and his face twisted with a mixture of rage and disbelief.
He even ignored the fire puppets that hit his defensive treasure’s protective shield, causing it to flicker.
“How dare that lowborn trash touch her!” he roared internally, his fists clenching so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, almost drawing blood.
The sight of Lucian’s brazen display filled Fifth Prince with a murderous intent.
After a long moment, Lucian pulled away from Iris, his gaze met Fifth Prince’s. A mocking smile played on his lips, further enraging the prince.
“W-what was that for, y-you pervert?!” Iris stammered, her face now bright red.
Without waiting for his reply, Iris immediately moved, walking towards one of the paths leading up the cliff. No more fire puppets emerged to hinder her, as she had already passed the trial. Her curveceous figure soon disappeared into the mists shrouding the cliff’s top.
Meanwhile, Lucian moved with astonishing speed, ignoring the Fifth Prince’s murderous look.
Within a few steps, he reached where Marcus was still struggling against the fire puppets.
Marcus immediately noticed Lucian’s approach, and he displayed a ass-licking smile.
His voice trembling as he shouted out, “Nephew, quickly help me! These damned fire demons are too strong!”
The older man’s robes were tattered, and blood covering much of his exposed skin. Sweat poured down his face as he pleaded.
Lucian raised a brow, as he immediately understood that his “uncle” still thought that he didn’t know his real intentions.
And this was actually quite natural as without the System’s Side Quest description, he too wouldn’t have guessed.
“Nephew, what’re you thinking? Hurry and help me!” Marcus cried out desperately as he barely dodged another fiery attack. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire
Lucian gathered his thoughts and smirked, “Of course! Of course!”
With a flick of his wrist, Lucian’s halberd appeared in his hand. He stepped forward, swinging the heavy weapon in a horizontal arc.
Clang! Clang!
The blade sliced through two of the fire puppets, instantly dispersing them.
Marcus’s eyes lit up with hope and relief, “Good job, nephew! Now get the other two!”
Bang! Bang!
With a wave of his Halberd, the last two fire puppets had disappeared into wisps of smoke. Marcus breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was saved.
However, what happened next caused everyone who was watching Lucian to reveal shocked expressions.
Without pause, Lucian spun around, and thrusted his Halberd forward, and its blade pierced through Marcus’s defensive shield like it was made of paper.
The tip of the Halberd stopped just an inch from Marcus’s throat.
“What… What are you doing?!” Marcus cried out, his eyes wide with fear and confusion.
Lucian just smiled arrogantly, his eyes cold, “Did you really think I didn’t know about your intentions, dear uncle?”
Marcus’s face turned pale. He stuttered, “W-what are you talking about!?”
“I don’t have time for unnecessary explanation. You already know what’s this about!”
From the first moment he saw Marcus to the present, this was the only time where he had ever spoken to him.
Lucian directly severed Marcus’s legs with a swift slash of his halberd, causing him to collapse onto the fiery ground.
Chii! Puchi!!
“AAARGHH!” Marcus screamed in agony as his legs were separated from his body. Blood gushed out, sizzling as it hit the flames beneath him.
“W-wait… I’m still your uncle… you can’t do this!! I can explain…” Marcus pleaded, his face contorted with pain and terror.
But Lucian didn’t care. With a powerful kick, he sent Marcus flying into the sea of fire.
Agonizing screams filled the air as Marcus’s body was engulfed by the flames. Within seconds, only ashes remained.
At that moment, Lucian heard the familiar System’s notification in his mind. He opened the System’s semi-transparent panel,
—
[Ding!]
[Sub Quest(s)]: 1
[> Kill the hidden threat, protect what’s yours]
[Reward]: 500 Fate Strands
[Status]: Completed
[New Sub Quest(s)]: Searching…
[Fate Points]: 500 Fate Strands
—
He waited, but there was no additional notification.
Previously, when he killed Justin, System absorbed Fate Points from the opposing side. However, it now appeared that killing someone involved in a Side Quest would not result in any extra Fate Strands for him!
‘So far, killing all those Cultivators didn’t give me any Fate Points. It seems I can only test my theory by killing the life of someone of great significance, like…,’ he turned to Fifth Prince, but stopped himself.
Lucian’s eyes moved from Fifth Prince to the red-haired young man from Azure Sword Sect. He remembered this disciple had looked at him with killing intent before.
“Perfect test subject,” Lucian thought.
He strode towards the red-haired cultivator, who was still fighting four fire puppets.
However, as a Fire Element cultivator, he fared much better than Marcus.
Lucian casually waved his halberd, destroying the remaining puppets.
The red haired man’s gaze widened in terror as he recognized the figure who had suddenly appeared. He had just witnessed this guy effortlessly kill Marcus, and now he was in his sights.
“W-what do you want?” he stammered, taking a step back.
Lucian didn’t bother to reply. His halberd flashed out, aiming for the cultivator’s neck.
The red-haired man barely managed to raise his sword to block.
But Lucian’s strike was too powerful and fast. The sword shattered, and the halberd continued its path.
The red-haired cultivator’s eyes widened in horror as he realized he couldn’t dodge in time.
The halberd cleaved through the red-haired man’s neck, severing his head in one clean stroke. Blood sprayed into the air as the head rolled across the fiery ground.
Puchiii~!!
“Curse you!” were the man’s final words as his life faded away.
Lucian didn’t even glance at the corpse. His focus was entirely on the System’s new notification that appeared in his mind.
—
[Ding!]
[100 Fate Points has been successfully absorbed!]
[Fate Points]: 600 Fate Points
—
“Indeed…” Lucian mused, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. His theory was correct – killing someone who was not involved in a quest would still earn him Fate Points, in addition to completing the System’s Quests.
He closed the semi-transparent screen and turned his attention to the two rugged paths leading up the cliff.
Choosing the same left path that Iris had chosen previously, Lucian began his ascent.
Soon, he reached the cliff’s top. The moment he stepped onto the summit, he felt an incredible surge of energy!
The air here was thick with Spiritual Qi, more concentrated than anywhere he had ever experienced before. Each breath he took caused his Spirit and Mind to feel refreshed and invigorated.
Before him stretched a beautiful lake of crystal-clear water.
In the center of the lake stood a small temple, its doors were tightly shut.
Behind the temple, a massive waterfall cascaded down.
Lucian’s gaze traveled upwards, and to his amazement, the water seemed to come out from the void!
Moreover a thin layer of blue energy enveloped the entire lake, creating a translucent dome that stretched from one end of the lake to the other.
Right now Iris stood near the bank, sensing him, she turned to look. Her purple eyes sparkled as she saw Lucian approach.
Lucian calmly walked towards her.
Although he knew about the lake from Alisa’s information, he still asked Iris in case she knew any further details. After all, Alisa didn’t tell him about the temple in the center of the lake.
“This lake is quite special. But few people know its true value,” She paused, and then continued, “But few people know its true value. It’s divided into inner and outer parts. If you look closely, you can see that the colour of water around 100 meters of the temple is deeper!”
“If you try to break through to Golden Core within the outer zone, you’ll encounter no bottleneck and it won’t take weeks to complete your breakthrough,” Iris continued to explain,
“Moreover, you can break through without any fear of attack. Within this blue shield, you’re protected by the Secret Realm. If anyone tries to harm you, they’ll be instantly dispelled.”