Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Growth
Meanwhile.
Vahn and Lilith traversed the dangerous terrain for another few dozen miles, moving with maximum speed, Vahn’s new Spirit Sense constantly sweeping their ten-meter radius.
Suddenly, both figures came to an abrupt halt. They simultaneously sensed the danger. A torrent of raw, high-level spiritual pressure closing in with frightening speed.
"Someone’s coming.."
Vahn informed while remaining calm even though the energy signature was leagues above the Sky Level Rock Giant.
Lilith, however, wasn’t too worried. Her silhouette remained perfectly relaxed. With her Spirit Sense she already saw who it was and why is he here.
Very soon, Patriarch Dalian of the Infernal Clan approached them. He didn’t bother with the ground; he descended from the sky, landing a few hundred meters behind them in a crimson flare, completely enraged.
"You dare kill my son and flee!" Dalian roared, "Now you die!"
He didn’t waste time on questions.
His attack was immediate: Infernal Storm Art.
Buzz!
A massive, blazing wave of crimson Incinerating Fire erupted from his body, rushing toward Vahn and Lilith like a tidal wave of destruction.
Vahn was instantly overwhelmed by the Infernal Storm. The intense heat pressed in, threatening to vaporize his skin and boil the blood in his veins. There was simply no way a Qi Refining Cultivator could contend against a Golden Core Cultivator; the difference in power was astronomical after all.
But even as the Incinerating Fire was mere inches from his face, Vahn’s heart was unexpectedly calm. He felt a profound, absolute certainty: Because Lilith was there.
He was sure she wouldn’t ignore this threat, not when it was a direct assault on her chosen apprentice and ally.
And to his relief, she acted this time.
Swoosh!
Lilith moved with a speed that transcended the concept of motion. One moment she was beside him, the next she was a swirling vortex of absolute shadow positioned between Vahn and the incoming firestorm.
She didn’t use flashy Arts. With her Darkness Arts, she simply thrust her empty hand forward.
The action was deceptively simple, but the result was earth-shattering.
The vast, blazing Infernal Storm hit her wall of shadow and was instantly and utterly consumed.
"Puff!"
The fire vanished, leaving behind nothing but cold air and a profound, echoing silence.
Dalian’s eyes went wide with disbelief at the instantaneous nullification of his fire power.
He didn’t even get time to process the shock.
Lilith’s counterattack was already underway.
A needle-thin thread of pure, dark energy shot from her fingertips, bypassing Dalian’s spiritual defenses with contemptuous ease.
The darkness didn’t harm him physically; it targeted his core and his will.
Patriarch Dalian felt a sensation of absolute spiritual violation.
"Thud!" His knees buckled instantly, and his powerful aura collapsed under the weight of the oppressive darkness.
With just one strike, the formidable Golden Core Patriarch was silenced and brought to his knees, reduced to a helpless duckling.
His throat felt choked by an invisible force. Only then did he look up at the veiled woman in horror.
"Cough! Who are you? Why would someone as esteemed as you harm my innocent son? Do you not have any humanity left in you?"
Hearing him, Vahn wanted to laugh. Just what kind of humanity the nobleman was taking about? Everything felt absurd.
It was Damien who attacked first, and got his karma as a result.
Lilith stood over the humbled Patriarch, her shadow-veiled form radiating an aura of chilling, primordial power.
She didn’t even bother to answer other party’s foolish questions.
Instead, her command was transmitted directly into Dalian’s terrified mind with absolute spiritual authority:
"You will forget the path you took here. You will forget the face of the one who killed your wretched son. You will retreat and never seek out the beings you encountered this night. Your vengeance ends here."
Dalian, paralyzed and unable to resist, felt his memories rearrange and his fury drain into cold dread.
Lilith then glanced back at Vahn.
"Vahn. The world is full of fools blinded by their own power. So, do not rely on others. They will not always be present."
With that, She retracted her dark energy, leaving Vahn contemplating what she said.
On the other hand, Dalian instantly sprang to his feet, gasping for air, confusion written all over his face. He looked around wildly, saw the flattened forest, but had no memory of the attack, only a vague, overwhelming fear.
He instinctively turned and fled back toward Fire Cloud City with even greater speed than he arrived, desperate to escape the place that terrified him so utterly.
Vahn then spoke,
"You said you would interfere when I am on the brink of death. I was merely holding onto that deal."
Lilith sighed, resuming her march deeper into the forest.
"Yes. You’re right about that. If I had allowed a Golden Core attack to land on your Qi Refining body, the resulting wounds would have placed you beyond the brink of death.
But as you said, I was merely keeping my keeping my end of the deal."
"Tsundere..."
Vahn grinned, a thrill running through him.
He knew better. She had protected him not just because of some conditions they set on.
This small act of care was a victory far greater than killing a Rock Giant.
Emotional Connection: 15.0% (↑5%)
Physical Connection: 33.0%
Vahn checked their relationship status. The emotional connection had reached a nice, round number. But their physical connection had crossed 1/3 of total milestone.
He was getting closer to his goal very fast.
---
After that small episode, their training resumed without pause.
The days in the Starless Forest blurred together, swallowed by endless combat and the roar of beasts. Time lost its meaning amid the clash of claws and the surge of spirit energy.
For the next three days, Vahn fought relentlessly. One spirit beast after another fell before him, yet Lilith never once allowed him to relax. Whenever he stumbled, she was there, her cold gaze sharper than any blade, forcing him to rise again and again until his arms trembled and his breathing burned like fire.
By the end of it, his body was covered in dirt and blood, his spirit energy nearly drained to nothing. But in that exhaustion, something remarkable had changed.
Vahn was no longer the pampered boy who once hid behind excuses. His stance was now steady, his eyes sharp and fearless.
Each movement now carried refined cold temperament. The forest wind itself seemed to acknowledge him, brushing past with quiet respect.
Lilith watched from a distance, her expression unreadable beneath the veil.
She had to admit, he had grown far faster than she expected.
Vahn, however, couldn’t resist flashing her a grin as he wiped sweat from his brow. The mischievous glint in his eyes was still very much alive.
No matter how much he changed, that part of him remained untouched.
He had become a warrior in every sense of the word... but his perverted nature hadn’t decreased in the slightest.