Chapter 504 - 207: I Remember...

Wei’en frowned at Clelia. "Has your power increased?"

By his estimation, Clelia’s strength was somewhere between Minister Level and Director Level. Her actual combat effectiveness, however, depended on whether an enemy’s Extraordinary traits could counter her puppets.

But regardless, there was no way she could have taken on five Twilight Secret Cultivators.

Forget fighting—it was debatable whether she could have even escaped unharmed.

And yet, here she was, having turned those same Twilight Secret Cultivators into her puppets...

"Oh, Captain, are you all done?" Clelia turned, and upon seeing Wei’en, a seductive smile once again graced her stunningly beautiful face, but she didn’t answer his question.

After killing the pirate, the five Twilight Secret Cultivators beside her retracted the tattered strips of cloth and wrapped them back around themselves, hiding their withered, grotesque bodies. The menacing, phantom heads also grew calm and slowly receded back into their torsos, as if sealed away by the fabric.

"Captain."

"Captain!"

"Captain..."

Wei’en nodded and scanned his surroundings. He noted the mangled corpses of over twenty pirates scattered across the deck, along with the bodies of hundreds of deep-sea abominations. He understood then that the battle had not gone smoothly before his arrival.

What’s more, even Clelia was covered in bloody marks...

Seeing this, he leaped down from the crow’s nest and landed in front of Clelia. His gaze fixed on the Twilight Secret Cultivators as he asked calmly, "Tell me what happened here."

"It’s as you see. We were just visited by a band of pirates," Clelia said, pointing a finger at the shifty-eyed man and the others standing before the ship’s cabin. "The *Golden Dis* came looking for the Second Officer."

"My apologies, Captain," Ronan hesitated before bowing his head. "This is what happened. After night fell, the *Golden Orchid* from the Golden Dis Pirates found us..."

Apparently, after Clelia’s arrival, their captain, a woman named Stacy, boarded the *Leonard* directly.

The battle started poorly. Even with the ship’s Rune Array activated under Clelia’s command, the pirates couldn’t fend off the frenzied attacks of the deep-sea abominations.

But just then, Clelia—

"If it weren’t for the First Officer, we would’ve been defeated long ago. Back then..."

"That’s enough. I’ll take it from here," Clelia said, raising a hand to cut Ronan off.

"Ah, yes, ma’am." Ronan glanced at Wei’en. Seeing no objection, he visibly relaxed and silently retreated to join the other pirates.

"It’s just as you suspected. I just had a breakthrough and my power increased, which is how I was able to bring them under my control." The smile vanished from Clelia’s face, and her expression grew complex as she looked at Wei’en. "As for the rest... can I explain it to you when we get back there?"

"Alright." Wei’en gave Clelia a deep look and nodded.

’Although I’m not entirely sure how an Extraordinary’s power increases, a rapid breakthrough in the middle of such a tense battle must have involved unconventional methods.’

’Even a Wizard like me, who has the help of a system panel, would still choose a secluded place to advance.’

’It seems Clelia has quite a few secrets of her own...’

At this thought, Wei’en waved his hand. "Ghost."

"Adagua!"

Four heads opened their mouths wide, devouring the corpses of the abominations on the deck, along with the body of the invading Pirate Captain.

[You have used Soul-Devouring Magic to devour the source of Stacy Bonilla. Your source has been enhanced. Evaluation: A woman, surprisingly... Special Reward: Source +2.]

[...]

[You have used Soul-Devouring Magic to devour the source of a Deep Sea Abomination. Your source has been enhanced. Evaluation: Every little bit adds up. Special Reward: Source +0.01.]

Once that was done, Wei’en ordered Ronan and the other pirates, "Second Officer, take some men over to that ship and see if there’s any loot. Also, have everyone clean this deck, and make it quick."

"Yes, sir!"

Ronan hurriedly set the pirates to work washing the deck, then led a group of men over to the *Golden Orchid*.

"Let’s head back... Hm?"

Wei’en detected a strange fluctuation in his spiritual senses and turned his head to gaze at the distant sea.

The feedback wasn’t clear, however, and he couldn’t pinpoint the source of the disturbance.

"What is it?" Clelia noticed his movement. She followed his gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Is something wrong?" she asked, puzzled.

"Nothing."

He activated his talent: Spiritual Conversion.

Spirit Level increased!

In his mind, Wei’en raised his Spirit Level to ten thousand, drastically expanding the range of his senses.

As the fluctuations grew clearer, he finally realized what he was sensing. Beneath the waves lay a pyramid-shaped structure, much like the one he had seen on Dakman Island.

[You have entered a place that houses the endless killing intent of an unknown existence. As your Spirit Level is above 5000, you have successfully resisted the erosion of its Spiritual Power. Evaluation: Merely a collection of peculiar trinkets. Compared to the authority of the rules, they are nothing! Special Reward: Survival Points +20, Spirit Level +2.]

’A place that houses killing intent?’

’So it really is one of those Pyramids!’

"Wait here for a moment."

"Oh."

"Secret Master!"

"Fluo, Yize, Orella!"

Invoking the Secret Master, Wei’en chanted the incantation for Shadow Step, and his figure vanished from the deck of the *Leonard*.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already passed through the viscous membrane and arrived in the Realm of Death.

This time, however, he didn’t look toward the slumbering divine body, nor did he dare spare a glance for the Corpse Mountain and cloud of blood in the distance. He turned immediately to look back at the outside world, his gaze fixed on the Pyramid’s location.