Chapter 57: Darius Ironstar and Siel Blackjade

Kael and Seraphine were, each in their own way, extraordinary figures within the Fallen Sword Sect.

Kael had a powerful physique, an Earth-Level foundation, and attribute points far beyond what his cultivation level should have allowed.

As if that weren’t enough, he also had combat experience equal to decades of training.

Seraphine’s bloodline and spiritual roots were sealed, but her cultivation foundation was still extremely solid. Her physique wasn’t built for combat, yet it was far superior to that of any ordinary human.

That was the main reason they had been able to kill that boar.

Elsewhere on the island, things had gone very differently.

Shortly after arriving in the secret realm, the young cultivator from the Ironstar Family—who was at the first stage of the Golden Core Realm—managed to gather a group of just over thirty disciples.

Many of them were members of his own family. They had been given specific instructions to meet him at a location agreed upon in advance.

Gathering them was one of the main reasons it had taken him so long to reach the heart of the island. But it was also the main reason he was still alive.

Partway there, three spirit beasts ambushed the group. One of them was a peak Lower-tier Spirit Beast.

All three were only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but they were extremely powerful.

If he had been alone, that Ironstar cultivator would certainly have died or, at the very least, been forced to flee in disgrace.

Luckily, he had his companions by his side.

While they held off the other two beasts—screaming and taking turns to avoid being crushed—he faced the strongest one alone.

Even though it was only in the Foundation Establishment Realm, that creature had power rivaling that of a Golden Core Realm cultivator.

They won in the end, but the casualties were terrible.

By the time they reached the heart of the island, only ten of his subordinates were left.

Still, he made it to the summit of the enormous volcano.

The air up there was thick and hot, heavy with the sharp smell of sulfur, and the black rock beneath his boots was warm to the touch.

Gasping for breath, he looked up. His eyes filled with bitterness when he saw the figure standing on the far side of the crater, which was shrouded in a sea of gentle mist.

There, having arrived at almost the same moment, stood the young master of the Blackjade Family.

His journey had clearly been uneventful. There wasn’t a single speck of blood on his clothes, and fifty subordinates stood behind him.

The two young men couldn’t have been more different.

Siel Blackjade carried a saber. He was refined, handsome, and slender, and his green robes fluttered in the hot wind rising from the crater.

His family was wealthy, thanks to the jade mine they controlled.

Darius Ironstar, on the other hand, was a rough-and-tumble young man.

He stood nearly two meters tall and weighed over one hundred and fifty kilograms, all of it muscle.

He fought with his own fists and a gigantic steel mace. At that moment, the mace rested on his shoulder, still stained with the beast’s dried blood.

The two stared each other down coldly as the mist drifted slowly between them.

"What’s the matter, little star? Did you suffer a bit to get here? Fufufu~"

Siel let out a girlish giggle, covering his mouth with his fingertips—a gesture that didn’t suit his mustache at all.

Darius clenched his jaw. His fingers tightened around the mace’s handle until his knuckles turned white.

It took every bit of his self-control not to explode at that smug son of a bitch.

"I ran into a few minor complications along the way, but nothing major," Darius replied in a low voice. His gaze drifted to the only tree on the mountaintop.

The fruit was gone, but he said nothing.

Siel looked at the tree as well.

His reaction was identical to Darius’s.

His smile faded just a little, and the two exchanged a suspicious glance, silently accusing each other.

After all, who else could have gotten there so fast?

"We can call a temporary truce," Darius said. He lowered the mace from his shoulder and set its head on the ground with a dull thud.

"Once we enter the lower part of the palace, we’ll each go our separate ways. In the name of the friendship between our families."

"Of course." Siel smiled, adjusting the sleeve of his robe.

He didn’t like conflict, and this really was the most sensible choice.

Without hesitation, the two leaped into the crater, and their subordinates followed close behind.

Just over sixty figures plunged through the white mist. The heat clung to their skin as they fell, until they landed in the palace courtyard below.

They didn’t waste any time there.

They headed straight for the central hall, their footsteps echoing off the ancient walls. From there, they made their way to the gate leading to the lower level.

The gate was completely sealed. As far as they could tell, no one had tampered with it.

As the leader of the strongest group, Siel took the initiative. He stepped forward and reached toward the gate with his fingers.

Nothing happened.

"Huh? That’s strange." Siel leaned in and furrowed his brow, then tapped the cold surface lightly.

"Get out of the way, chicken," Darius grunted, shoving Siel aside with his shoulder.

He placed both hands on the gate, one on each side, planted his feet firmly, and pushed.

Power surged through his body. Veins bulged along his arms and his muscles swelled beneath his clothes. The gate let out a long, deep groan, and a little dust drifted down from above.

But it didn’t budge a single centimeter.

Breathing heavily, Darius stepped back, and his gaze settled on the ash scattered across the floor.

Siel’s eyes followed his.

There, pressed into the ash, were two pairs of footprints. They didn’t belong to either of them or to any of their followers.

Two people had arrived before them!

In an instant, killing intent surged through both young masters.