Chapter 1643: Marlin and Lady Azure

“Go ahead and kill me, you brat!” Even restrained and powerless, Marlin shouted defiantly, her eyes showing no sign of fear.

Karter, Lancer, and Pation exchanged puzzled glances. They knew Marlin well—she had never exhibited such bravery or resolve. Truthfully, they had all expected her to beg for her life, to plead desperately to avoid death.

Yet now, faced with imminent doom, she seemed utterly unafraid. For a brief moment, the trio considered that perhaps they had misjudged her true character.

Cain, however, remained unmoved. His eyes narrowed as he gazed coldly at the restrained woman. “Enough with this charade. You may have fooled these three, but not me. Reveal your true form!”

The instant Cain uttered those words, his eyes ignited with blazing scarlet flames. An invisible wave of heat surged forth, enveloping Marlin completely.

Under the stunned gazes of Karter, Lancer, and Pation, Marlin’s flesh began to burn away—not in flames, but evaporating rapidly like mist, revealing an entirely different person beneath.

In mere seconds, the beautiful female figure vanished, replaced by the thin, pale body of an unknown man. It was only now, as the trio stared in disbelief, that they finally understood what had truly occurred.

The genuine Marlin had never been present in the Pool of Golden Blood. Instead, she’d cleverly left behind a carefully constructed clone, crafted from another person’s body and infused with her power to disguise its identity.

Cain calmly observed their shocked reactions before speaking in a cold yet appreciative tone. “I must admit, it was a clever scheme. You sought to detonate the Pool of Golden Blood, making everybody believe you perished, hoping to trick me so I would not hunt you anymore.”

Cain paused briefly, nodding slightly as if acknowledging Marlin’s intelligence. Then, he continued in a dismissive voice, “However, your deception couldn’t fool the Gu Sect’s defensive formations, and your Law of Life is far too inferior to deceive my Concept of Life.”

Indeed, Cain had perceived the truth the moment he stepped foot into the chamber, hence his earlier subtle head shake directed at Karter. The Flow clearly showed that Karter spoke sincerely—but that was only because Karter truly believed Marlin remained in the Pool of Golden Blood. Unbeknownst to him and Lancer, they had been deceived from the very start.

All traces of defiance and arrogance on Marlin’s false visage disappeared instantly, replaced swiftly by palpable fear. Yet moments later, disdain and contempt once again surfaced in her expression as she responded through the vessel, her voice dripping with malice.

“Hmph, so what? Even if you figured it out, I’ll simply hide away for a hundred thousand years, emerging as someone else entirely. The Everstrife World is boundless. Even if you mobilize the full might of the Gu Sect, you’ll never track me down.”

Karter, Lancer, and even Pation couldn’t help but agree silently. The Everstrife World was indeed immense, especially for Third Realm Masters, whose powers freed them from geographical constraints.

Given sufficient determination, Marlin could easily cross vast oceans, traversing half the world to hide indefinitely. Searching for her over such a vast and perilous world, even for Cain, would be like searching for a needle in a cosmic haystack.

Cain did not display anger or frustration at her taunting. Instead, a confident, faintly amused smile appeared on his lips. “You’re correct; the Everstrife World is enormous. However, tracking abilities come in many forms. My Alter-Ego can sense and track life essence the way a predator tracks its prey. All I require is a piece of you to serve as a medium—and I already have it.”

Marlin’s vessel sneered, clearly unconvinced. “If you seriously believe I would leave any vital part of myself in this disposable puppet, then you aren’t nearly as intelligent as you think.”

Indeed, Marlin had learned one vital lesson from her earlier encounter with Cain: never underestimate an enemy. She had ensured that this temporary clone contained nothing substantial enough to aid Cain in locating her true self.

Cain’s smile grew broader as he casually waved his free hand, summoning forth a radiant crimson cocoon that unraveled instantly, revealing the unconscious form of Lady Azure within.

Marlin’s face instantly paled with shock and terror, her eyes widening in horror. “You…you knew?”

Her reaction surprised Karter, Lancer, and Pation. Confused, they turned their questioning gazes toward Cain, waiting for an explanation. Cain didn’t leave them wondering for long.

“Lady Azure isn’t a true person—at least, not in the traditional sense. Marlin split off a portion of her soul and, using her mastery of Laws, inserted it into the body of an infant, replacing the child’s original soul. Over decades, she carefully nurtured that tiny fragment, cultivating it until it reached Peak Divine Transcendence.”

Cain’s words illuminated the situation, answering questions while raising others. Creating such a sophisticated clone undoubtedly demanded significant resources, and the potential gain seemed minimal. Why would Marlin go through such extensive trouble?

“The Gu Contest,” Pation muttered quietly, realization dawning upon him, turning to gaze at Marlin’s vessel with genuine astonishment.

Cain nodded approvingly at Pation, confirming his deduction. “Exactly. If my hypothesis is correct, Marlin intended for Lady Azure to win the Gu Contest. Once the Anima absorbed all the spiritual and cosmic energy offered by the Gu Insects, Marlin planned to reabsorb that immensely empowered fragment of her soul. The reunion would dramatically accelerate Marlin’s cultivation, potentially advancing her power by leaps and bounds.”

Cain had discovered the truth during his earlier battle when Lady Azure attacked him using a soul technique, and he felt Marlin’s aura in it.

Suddenly, everything fell into place. It explained why Marlin—a dignified Third Realm Master—would attack Cain after he backstabbed the Anima. Moreover, it also explained Lady Azure’s strange indifference toward her own life when facing Reverend Madness. She was never truly a separate entity but merely a piece of Marlin herself.

Having exposed the entire intricate plot, Cain turned back toward Marlin’s trembling vessel, his smile turning colder, more ruthless. His eyes held the certainty of a hunter who had finally cornered his elusive prey.

“Now then,” Cain spoke calmly, savoring the moment, “tell me, Marlin: do you think this meticulously cultivated fragment of your soul—prepared explicitly for reabsorption—will suffice as a medium to track you?”