Chapter 717: Radiant Temple (1/2)

Two signals were better than nothing, but it also meant that yet another one of their squad was down for the count. Only a month had passed, yet they were approaching the average 50% casualty rate for the Twilight Ascent. This trial was bound to be a bloody chapter in the history of the Twilight Harbor.

“Where do the signals from?” Zac asked as he scanned the surroundings for enemies.

“Half a day away, toward where the Living Pulse will emerge,” Catheya said as she started to move in that direction. “They must have figured I’d appear somewhere close to the outlet.”

Zac nodded and followed suit, and they started to make way through the dense underbrush of the ocean. Luckily, the area was full of seaweed growing over two meters wide and fifty meters tall, providing them with ample cover as long as they hid their energy signatures. That along with Catheya's node-empowered nose, they didn't encounter any trouble until they reached the spot.

It was a nondescript part of a ridge that ran along the direction of the living pulse, with neither any entrances nor cracks to show for it. Catheya was still sure it was the right spot, and she walked over and knocked with a certain pattern on the stone. A door appeared out of nowhere a few seconds later, and Qirai peered outside.

“It’s good that you’re fine,” Qirai said with relief before she shot a glare at Zac. “You’re still around?”

“Still around,” Zac smiled as he looked the Titan up and down. “You look worse for the wear.”

It was true, the Titan looked like she had been through a few tribulations to match Zac’s own. Qirai sported a nasty burn on her left cheek, and it looked like it stretched down beneath her clothes all the way to her left hand. Her aura was also a bit unstable, and Zac guessed her soul was slightly wounded.

“Are you alright? What’s going on?” Catheya asked with worry. “And where’s Varo?”

“Varo’s inside, sealed,” Qirai sighed. ”He’s hurt pretty bad.”

“Who did it? Sharpo?” Catheya asked as they stepped inside the hideout, a hint of killing intent leaking from her body.

“No. She’s either dead or escaped,” Qirai said with a shake of her head as she sealed the door behind them. “You think she was the traitor?”

“Probably not. We got dragged beneath the surface,” Catheya said. “We met Yod there. If not for Mr. Black here, I would be dead.”

“Oh?” Qirai exclaimed with surprise, her previously hostile gaze making a drastic turn. “Thank you.”

“Nothing to it. I got caught in his trap as well, after all,” Zac smiled.

“Take me to Varo,” Catheya urged. ”I'll see what I can do.”

There were just two rooms in the dugout, with Varo being in the inner one. He was lying in a coffin that reminded Zac a lot of the one he had gotten for Alea back then. His state was in even worse shape than expected, with extensive burns covering his body. His left arm essentially looked like a scorched twig, and Zac wasn’t sure that was something that could be restored with healing pills, no matter how good they were.

Not only that, but there was a blistering heat coming from within Varo's body, no doubt from some fire-aspected Dao hidden inside the assassin's body. Zac figured the two must have met an incredibly powerful fire-based cultivator, considering he could cause such extensive damage even inside an ocean that should weaken his or her attacks a bit.

“Who did this?” Catheya asked again, the room temperature decreasing by a noticeable margin.

“After the ship broke apart, the two of us and the ghost found ourselves next to the Living Pulse without a ship,” Qirai sighed. “Sharpo wanted to split up, but how could we let her just slink away? She might have been the traitor. We caught her and started making our way here. We figured that you’d appear around these parts one way or another as long as you survived getting dragged away by the stream.

“But this section is ultimately controlled by the living, and no one who has made it this far already is a weakling,” Qirai continued with a grimace. “We got ambushed by a trio from the Kalvan Clan but managed to kill one and chase the other two away. We weren’t as lucky when we ran into a group from the Radiant Temple.”

“The Radiant Temple? Not one of their Subsidiaries?” Catheya exclaimed with surprise. “How..?”

Zac knew what she wanted to ask. The Radiant Empire was different than The Undead Empire in that it was a relatively small force. Certainly, they had billions and billions of members, but that was still nothing compared to the endless citizens of the Undead Empire or even the Havarok Empire.

The Radiant Temple rather ruled over tens of thousands of subsidiary clans, empires, and sects than having direct control. They only set up Subsidiary offices called Temples of Radiance in the subsidiary sectors, though it was more apt to call them tax collection agencies. Altogether, they controlled an area over fifty times the size of the Zecia sector, but those who were actually part of the Temple were vanishingly small in number compared to the actual number of cultivators within their domain.

The Radiant Temple used those subsidiary sectors for two things; generating resources through taxes and treasure collection, and to scout for talents. Most peak talents of the subsidiary factions were absorbed into the Temple, while the elders of the subsidiary faction got a hefty reward in return. That way they maintained control, while also got talented seedlings sent to them from left and right.

That also meant the true members of the Radiant Temple were the best of the best in not only a B-grade Empire, but also dozens of subsidiary Sectors. The Havarok squad they met could have been anything from some lowly clan to just soldiers in the Havarok Army, but members of the Radiant Temple were all the real deal.

How were Qirai and Varo still alive if these kinds of people came for them?

“It was luckily just a scouting party of three members, two of which were employed locals,” Qirai said. “It was the real members who unleashed an attack that destroyed everything when we needed to flee. It was like a supernova that went off. I managed to block out most of it, but I think Sharpo got swallowed entirely. Varo is as… You can see.”

Catheya nodded heavily as she took out a stopper and poured its contents over Varo’s body, causing them to emit sizzling sounds. After that, she placed an ice-blue gem on his chest, and the fiery energy coming from his body was quickly getting suppressed.

“He’ll heal, but he’ll be out for a while. Even then, he might have to make a transition,” Catheya sighed before she turned to Zac. “Do you have any means to help?”

The transition Catheya mentioned was either to shed his mortal coil to become a specter or become a Corpselord. Both came with demerits though. Few cultivator’s classes skillsets were meant to be used as ghosts, and you’d lose a chunk of your power that way. Reaching Hegemony would become a lot harder as well.

Meanwhile, adding outsiders’ body parts to your own unavoidably created some issues with affinities and rejection.

“I have some good pills I Bought from the Karabas Pill house, but that’s about it. My only healing skill is the one I got at your place,” Zac said with a shake of his head.

Truthfully, Zac did believe that it might be possible to use his Mark of Creation to fix Varo’s arm. The Revenant was in a coma, and his will shouldn’t impact the process of creation unless he woke up. But Zac had already exposed two of his major secrets in just a few days, and he definitely wouldn't expose the third just to speed up Varo's recuperation.