Chapter 577 - 41: Crimson Demon

Europe, near the Slovenia Mountain Range. A temporary Harmony Association hospital.

Rafael Grail, an Extraordinary Peak Cultivator of the European Union and one of the three greatest publicly known powers of the Harmony Association.

He was now quietly recuperating amidst the beautiful scenery, surrounded by lush vegetation and endless valley grasslands.

The white-haired old man sat in a wheelchair, both his legs wrapped in bandages and casts. Although the Self-Healing Power of the Extraordinary Tier was dozens of times greater than that of an ordinary person, this was precisely why his legs had to be properly set. Otherwise, the rapidly regenerating bones and muscles would grow back crooked, necessitating extra equipment to help.

’Sigh, I’m getting old. I put too much faith in my own experience...’

At this moment, the old man’s wheelchair was in the garden behind the hospital. Rafael watched the dandelion fluff drifting before him and couldn’t help but lament, "I suffered a huge loss at the hands of the Spirit Summoning Association this time. I wonder what kind of terrible consequences will follow..."

The old man’s worried words were immediately followed by the lively voice of a young girl.

"Don’t worry, Grandpa. It’s not like you’re the only one who took a beating. I mean, didn’t Uncle Oger and Grandpa Yilsen also take a beating? You’re all in the same boat. Besides, logically speaking, if everyone takes a hit to their reputation, it’s like nobody did. The public won’t single you out for criticism."

Beside Rafael, a young, brown-haired girl could be seen peeling an apple while comforting the old man next to her.

What was astonishing was that while it looked like the girl was controlling the knife in her hand to peel the apple, a Cultivator with Extraordinary Level dynamic vision would notice that her hand was actually just resting casually on the handle. The knife itself was what was truly moving!

Selos Grail, Rafael Grail’s granddaughter, a dedicated judge for the *Europe New Star Chart*, a special guest on *Stop at the Point*, and an Extraordinary Early Stage Cultivator.

Like Rafael, Selos cultivated their family’s inherited Sealing Skill, which originated from the Ancient Egypt Region. However, compared to her grandfather, who was better at sealing living things and Spirit Bodies to use for himself, Selos was more adept at sealing inanimate objects like weapons.

In the era of the Demon Tide’s retreat after the Divine Era faded, a Sealing Skill that could only seal inanimate objects was far inferior to one that could seal living things. But in the modern age, with the advent of weapons like firearms and cannons, the Weapon Sealing Envoy, who was originally at a complete disadvantage to the Spiritual Object Sealing Envoy, has surpassed them in terms of destructive power.

To give an example—a Weapon Sealing Envoy can keep a thermonuclear weapon in pristine condition indefinitely, without any worry about its shelf life. In a crisis, a Weapon Sealing Envoy could even seal a hydrogen bomb that is about to detonate, then summon and detonate it at a critical moment...

Of course, this method is rather inefficient. When a Sealing Envoy’s inheritance reaches the High-level Commander stage, they can directly store the energy of a nuclear explosion within their own sealing space. They can then release a portion of it as an attack when needed... Theoretically, this is possible, as long as the Sealer can withstand the force of the nuclear blast.

"Where on earth did you learn to comfort people like that...?"

Rafael had always been baffled by his granddaughter’s talent for saying the most infuriating things in an innocent tone. In his memory, his granddaughter had been a well-behaved and rather quiet girl. Heaven knows why she had suddenly changed so much in recent years.

She had become much more cheerful, but the direction of that cheerfulness seemed a bit off.

’Sigh, Selos’s parents are too busy. As directors of the Sealing Division, they’re always away on business and have no time to spend with their daughter.’

Rafael sighed inwardly, feeling rather helpless. As for himself? He was an old man in his sixties, and wasn’t he still fighting on the front lines?

A while ago, while handling a strange disappearance case in a small town in Eastern Europe, he was unexpectedly attacked by an unknown Leader from the Spirit Summoning Association. Not only was his private jet blown up, but he was also ambushed by a local Transcendent he had mistaken for an ally. If he hadn’t sealed a part of his own body to suppress his injuries, he might have died right then and there.

"It’s strange, now that I think about it. The Spirit Summoning Association’s strength is far greater than it was a decade or so ago when they were hiding and scurrying about."

He took the peeled apple from Selos. Although the higher-ups at the Harmony Bureau had repeatedly told him to focus on his recovery, the old man’s expression was still fraught with worry. "Back in the day," he said, "their Leaders were powerful, but it was obvious they lacked complete inheritances. They relied on their secretive methods and unique abilities to stir up trouble around the world."

"But recently, based on news from all over the world, every single one of these Spirit Summoning Association folks seems to have acquired a complete inheritance. And those secretive abilities of theirs, the ones that are almost like the Power of Essence, have been greatly enhanced too!"

The Power of Essence is what is called Divine Techniques in the East—a power originating from the essence of a person.

Each complete inheritance represents a full set of cultivation methods for a certain profession. It covers everything from combat, cultivation, and defense to concealment, weapon crafting, enemy tracking, and all other aspects. A complete inheritance has it all, enough to forge a person into a well-rounded warrior with almost no weaknesses.

This is where official Cultivators are stronger than cultivators from the general populace. They aren’t concerned about the spread and circulation of True Skills, because countless ’techniques’ are meant to be paired with the proper cultivation methods. Even an Inheritor of a complete inheritance with mediocre aptitude can defeat a genius Loose Cultivator by relying on a full set of complementary techniques.