The black flames howled as they rose up to the sky.
A large patch of land had been completely scorched, turning into a zone of profound grey death.
Gu Qing Shan lightly leapt forward and looked afar.
Not a single living being as far as the eye can see.
Suddenly, a figure appeared.
Reneedol.
She looked at the scene of carnage in front of her then asked: âRhode, were you fighting just now?â
âA bunch of refugee martial artists and weapon users, they wanted to eat me, so I had no choice but to kill them allâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
Reneedol looked at Gu Qing Shan for a bit and asked: âHow much strength did you use?â
Gu Qing Shan became cautious for a brief moment, but naturally made an expression of disdain and replied: âNot even 10%ââ they might be impressive while the Laws lost their effects, but once we can use the power of the Laws, both martial artists and weapon users are nothingâ
âNaturallyâ a male voice followed up.
Atley had also arrived.
He continued Gu Qing Shanâs words: âOur World Valley is definitely the strongest. If there hadnât been an issue with the Law Behemoths, no one would have been able to act tough in front of usâ
âânice support!
Gu Qing Shan silently praised.
Of course, this was also the truth.
The World Valley had always been known as the strongest.
Hearing their words, Reneedol couldnât help but nod in agreement, still with a bit of confusion on her face.
Gu Qing Shan glanced at her, then suddenly said: âReneedol, you startled me by suddenly appearing next to me, I almost attacked you since I thought you were an enemyâ
âThis was a kind of movement techniqueâ Reneedol explained.
âStrange, I donât remember there being such a movement technique in our World Valleyâ Gu Qing Shan mumbled.
Atley laughed and said: âItâs obvious, Reneedol must have taken an enemyâs ability againâ
âI did, itâs from that Red Wraithâ Reneedol replied.
ââshe just absorbed a swordsmanâs ability, but the situation suddenly changed once again and swordsmen are no longer very powerful.
That swordsman hadnât formed a covenant with a Law Behemoth, he couldnât even use world Origin power.
Even if that person was the 7th strongest swordsman in the world, if he doesnât know how to utilize the power of Laws, he could still not be considered a strong person in the truest sense.
Gu Qing Shan looked at her.
ââ-is she hesitating because of this?
Gu Qing Shan smiled and asked: âWhatâs the matter? Do you think that the swordsman called Red Wraith is able to go against the power of the Laws?â
âOf course not, Iâm just trying to think how powerful would the strongest swordsman in the world would actually beâ
She was gazing far into the distance and appeared lost in thought.
Gu Qing Shan slowly calmed his heart.
Reneedol is obviously looking down on the â7th strongest swordsmanâ.
At the same time, every time she looked at each of Gu Qing Shanâs abilities, she would subconsciously harbor this thought:
[Even an ability like this can only rank 7th among all the swordsmen in the world]
In Reneedolâs eyes, the only thing she needed to care about was âthe strongestâ, only the one at the very top.
ââdue to this prejudice, she would naturally not try to understand and utilize those abilities too deeply.
Gu Qing Shan followed up: âI think that in the long term, Shroud would definitely become stronger compared to that swordsman in the futureâ
Atley and Reneedol both nodded.
âRight. Although I have Red Wraithâs abilities, Iâve never really liked swords and swordsmanship, so I couldnât win against him, having no choice but to retreatâ Reneedol replied.
Gu Qing Shan slowly said: âYouâll need the type of ability that suits youâ
âLike your power of the Law of Death, or Shroudâs power of the Law of Radianceâ Reneedol commented
Her gaze faced Gu Qing Shanâs head-on.
Both of them fell silent.
Gu Qing Shan saw a crimson thread of death manifesting on Reneedolâs body, one end coiled around her hand while the other end had coiled around his hand.
Behind Reneedol, heavy and gloomy fluctuations began to manifest, as if something gigantic was moving within it.
This was a manifestation of Fate, Gu Qing Shan could see it, but Atley couldnât.
ââReneedol had resolved to kill.
Now that Shroud was heavily wounded, he wouldnât know what was happening here.
And with Reneedolâs strength, she would be able to easily conceal everything.
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
Reneedol narrowed her eyes.
She seemed to be preparingââ
âAhahaha...â
Gu Qing Shan abruptly laughed.
âWhat are you laughing about?â Reneedol asked.
Gu Qing Shan shook his head and continued to laugh.
ââif Reneedol could absorb the power of everyone to use as she pleased, why would she need to say anything at all?
When Reneedol was first taken away, she used those peopleâs powers to defeat each of them.
...
â...I felt that it would be too easy to kill them all, so I used the bossâ power to kill his aide, then the aideâs power to kill the squad leader, then use the squad leaderâs power to kill the minionsâ
...
She openly explained this to everyone.
She was toying with them while killing them.
ââthen, if she was toying around anyways, why didnât she just use the bossâ power to kill everyone, but slowly reduced in level?
Furthermore, she had definitely devoured the Grand Elder.
She had the Grand Elderâs power, but hadnât used it up to now.
From before, it might be because the Law Behemoths were fighting, but now that the Laws have returned, sheâs considering regaining the power of Laws from Rhode and Shroud.
ââwhy not just continue using the Grand Elderâs power?
The answer was clear.
She can only absorb and use abilities belonging to a single entity at the same time!
Having confirmed this, Gu Qing Shan continued to laugh and replied with a calm heart: âYou have no idea what someone would need to do after forming a covenant with the Overlord of Deathâ
Reneedol stopped.
ââthatâs true, Iâll be able to obtain everything from him, including his covenant.
But if I accept his covenant, I would have to accept the terms of the covenant as well, since the power I obtain would come directly from the Overlord of Death.
This is karma.
Karma is a part of Fate, even I wouldnât be able to escape it.
âWhat does the Overlord of Death want you to do?â Reneedol asked.
âI was only interested in killing at the time, thatâs why the Law of Death is suitable for meâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
Reneedol asked while surprised: âYou mean your powers require killing in order to activate?â
âThatâs right, I need to provide sustenance for Death in order for Death to grant me powerâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
As he said so, a cluster of profound dark flames flickered behind his back.
ââReneedol and Atley both turned to look at it.
The Laws resonated with Rhode.
This proves that Rhode is telling the truth, and that the covenant he formed was indeed what he said it was.
Reneedol pondered, then shook her head.
I can obtain Rhodeâs power, but this power came from the Lawsâ-
And the price for using it was killing.
This greatly limited its usage.
However...
A certain thought flashed through Reneedolâs mind.
The thought was unclear, but it was making her hesitant to simply give up.
Finally, she looked at the scorched land in front of them and leisurely said: âWeâve seen the power of the Law of Deathââ this is very terrifying, Rhode, perhaps one day, you will surpass Shroudâ
âI canât compare to Shroud. Heâs the strongest, and will continue to be the strongestâ Gu Qing Shan said that as a matter of fact: âHis talents far surpasses mine, and heâs much more hardworking tooâ
Reneedol slowly gave up her intentions, her killing intent also faded away.
She turned around and returned.
ââfor a certain dream, goal, or wish, if an individual wonât even think about striving for it and instead actively gives up on it...
Then they would truly be unable to achieve it.
This was something that Reneedol understood.
Gu Qing Shan watched as the thread of death that connected him and Reneedol slowly broke away.
âCome, since youâre already here, help me huntâ he suggested.
âI canât, I came running because I thought there would be a problem, but since thereâs no issues here, Iâll return to take care of Shroudâ
After saying that, Reneedol disappeared.
Atley shrugged: âRhode, Iâll go back as well, I need to continue cultivating myselfâ
âAlright, do as you likeâ Gu Qing Shan smiled.
Atley flew away.
ââ-both of them had left.
Gu Qing Shan stood still for a while.
It was only when a gust of wind blew past that he realized he was soaked in a cold sweat.
When he looked down, he found that the colorful snake in his hand was still alive, but it was squeezed so hard that it had fallen unconscious.
âTch... so I was cornered to this degreeâ
Gu Qing Shan silently thought.
Reneedolâs Fate ability is truly terrifying.
My spirit sense could clearly feel that it didnât care about any difference in strength.
As soon as it appeared, it was already impossible to resist.
Gu Qing Shanâs strength was considerable, but he understood very well that while the current Shroud could fight with him on even grounds, he still hadnât actually exerted all of his strength.
In fact, he could still summon the pixies and Law Behemoths to aid him.
He displayed this capability when he saved Reneedol.
The power of a Law Behemoth cannot be disregarded.
The Grand Elder of the World Valley would definitely be stronger compared to Shroud.
And yet, even a Combatant of that level couldnât resist the Fate ability, he was devoured and turned into a substitute body.
Then, how would Gu Qing Shan fare?
Gu Qing Shan stood still.
The sky was already growing gloomy as the sun was setting.
The howling of the wind became increasingly more harrowing.
Rain began to fall.
Gu Qing Shan continued to stand still for a few moments, only after he couldnât sense any inner sight peeking at him did he finally mutter: âShe had always needed [Longing]...â
As he recalled, Reneedol had needed Fei Yueâs Fate ability for a very long time.
But now, she had already obtained it from me.
She simply doesnât know that yet.
ââ-my soul has been released, so my capabilities are too varied and complicated, she has most likely still not discovered this ability.
â...I canât let you discover this ability...â
Gu Qing Shanâs gaze became firm.
If Reneedol had the power of [Longing], everything she wanted to do would become a smooth sailing endeavour.
As she currently was, her only issue was that she was restrained by her lackluster understanding of the world, but in truth, no one could stop her Fate ability.
âThen... I have no choice but to force you to give up my abilities...â
Gu Qing Shan disappeared.
At the same time, another him appeared where he was and began heading into the wilderness once again.
ââShannu had disguised herself as him to continue hunting.
Gu Qing Shan put on his Samsara Wicked Mask and concealed his presence to its very limits, then hid in the dark clouds to ensure that he couldnât be detected.
Very slowly, he moved within the clouds towards the tree.
ââ-the tree where everyone else was resting.
Closer.
And closer.
Reneedol remained crouched next to Shroud, meticulously caring for him.
She was hoping from the bottom of her heart that Shroud would survive, grow stronger, and become the strongest.
Gu Qing Shan stopped briefly to observe the situation below.
A second later.
Reneedol looked down at her arm.
A crimson thread had silently tied itself around her wrist.
âHuh?â she exclaimed in confusion.
Right at that moment, Gu Qing Shan formed a hand seal.
He dived directly down.
Reneedol unleashed a gigantic sword image without hesitation.
Gu Qing Shan swiftly dodged it and pointed two fingers towards Shroud.
Two flying swords shot downwards, slashing at Shroud.
âRed Wraith, how dare you!â
Reneedolâs face abruptly changed as she shouted.