Chapter 252: Mr. Azik

Reighton's spirit, wandering in the Spirit World, was suddenly stirred; he stopped his forward movement and looked with slight curiosity toward the direction from which his inspiration had been touched.

Klein was conversing about something with a bronze-skinned man whose features were gentle.

As if disturbed by Reighton's gaze, that man looked up toward Reighton's direction, and a cold, indifferent gaze seemed to pierce through the Spirit World and see him.

Reighton stepped directly out of the Spirit World, his figure swiftly outlining itself opposite Klein and Azik.

Holding that peculiar crown covered in rust and bloodstains, he stepped forward two paces and smiled:

"Good afternoon, you two. It looks like neither of you was too badly affected."

"Not bad — just got hit by a meteor shower, chased by people, then got lost and stumbled into the True Creator's descent ritual."

After briefly recounting his encounter, even Klein himself felt that his experiences this afternoon could be called surreal and bizarre.

Azik glanced over Reighton, his gaze lingering briefly on that peculiar crown in his hand, then stared into Reighton's eyes for a long moment, as if recalling and confirming something.

Being watched by Azik — even though the other party had no ill intent and was not using any Beyonder ability — Reighton still felt his hair standing on end.

As expected of a pathway that could kill with a single glance; even though it was just an ordinary look, it still aroused my instinctive wariness.

"You seem to know me?" Azik said, his tone carrying a measure of certainty.

Reighton was taken aback for a moment, not expecting the other party to ask this question, and nodded gently:

"I know a high-ranking member of the Spirit Order; he mentioned you in a letter he sent me before."

"He told me that if I happened to encounter you, I should remind you: do not trust the people of the Spirit Order, especially the royal faction and the artificial Death faction. They may harbor some other purposes toward you."

Klein looked at Mr. Azik beside him with full surprise — the Spirit Order? Mr. Azik used to be a member of the Spirit Order?

Azik frowned slightly, as if searching his own memories, and after a moment spoke:

"The Spirit Order? I have no memory of them."

Reighton weighed his words and explained:

"That's quite normal; after all, they mainly operate in the Southern Continent."

"What you need to be concerned about is the leader of the Spirit Order's royal faction — He may be the Sequence 1 Pale Emperor, or He may possess a sealed item of a corresponding grade."

"Your pathway was modified by that former Death, and those of higher positions have absolute suppression over those of lower positions."

Saying this, Reighton thought of that Hell Admiral who had been suppressed by Mr. Azik and turned into a marionette, and sighed inwardly: the suppression of higher-sequence Death pathway beings over lower ones is simply absurd!

"Thank you for telling me."

After Azik nodded in acknowledgment to Reighton, he said in a flat voice without much emotion:

"I remember I once stayed at the Immortal sequence for a long time; looking at it now, perhaps my sequence is higher than I anticipated."

After a brief pause, he continued:

"I have forgotten some memories and am searching for my past identity. You seem to know something — could you tell me?"

Reighton nodded gently:

"I only know your most famous identity."

Under Azik's somewhat expectant gaze and Klein's curious eyes, Reighton continued:

"The Death Consul of the former Balam Empire in the Southern Continent — the child of that Death."

"Death Consul is both the title you held while helping Death rule the Balam Empire, and the name of the sequence you belong to."

"Anything more, I do not know."

Hearing this, Azik closed his eyes as if recalling; after a long time he reopened them, his gaze slightly stunned and doubtful, as if having recalled some memories beyond his imagination.

Then he spoke with a faint sigh:

"Thank you for telling me; this brought back some memories for me. Though not very clear, I may indeed be that Death Consul of the Balam Empire."

"It's just some unimportant information. Perhaps one day you will encounter an old acquaintance and learn more from them."

Reighton waved his hand gently, then let his gaze fall back onto that peculiar crown he held and said:

"I still need to deal with this, so I will take my leave first."

Saying this, Reighton extended his free left hand and made a grasping, turning motion in midair, as if opening a door.

A pale blue light rippled outward, and a "door" connecting to somewhere in the Spirit World was opened ahead.

After nodding in acknowledgment to Klein and Azik, Reighton stepped directly through, and the illusory "door" vanished.

Azik quickly withdrew his gaze and said in a flat voice:

"That peculiar crown in his hand is also an item at the level of a Grade 0 sealed item."

"But compared to that quill pen in the hands of Zinns Zangwill, what he holds is more like a pure angel-level Beyonder characteristic."

"A Grade 0 sealed item?"

Klein swallowed involuntarily; the Grade 0 sealed item he was most familiar with was 0-08, and that quill pen had shown him the eerie and terrifying nature of Grade 0 sealed items.

Then he turned his head to look at Klein and gave a reminder:

"You had best stay away from Backlund in the near future; Zinns Zangwill may use that Grade 0 sealed item to take revenge on you, relying on your pseudonym."

"As long as you do not operate in Backlund, there will be no problem; that sealed item's influence will not exceed a single metropolis."

Just as I guessed — it has a range limit, otherwise Zinns Zangwill would not have stayed in Backlund. After a brief contemplation, Klein asked carefully:

"Returning to Backlund briefly for a day, or half a day, would be no problem, right? I can change my identity and appearance."

"Not a big problem."

Azik nodded slightly, then turned back to gaze at the distant point that was already out of sight, and said in a very flat voice:

"I seem to have been targeted by a powerful existence of the Church of the Night; you had best not stay by my side, lest you be caught up in it."

"Heh — they are always very interested in Death-related Beyonder characteristics."

"Mm," Klein nodded heavily, then laid out his plan:

"I plan to go to sea, digesting my potion while searching for a mermaid — that is the ritual I need for my advancement."

Azik tilted his head, recalled briefly, and said:

"Mermaid? Could a mermaid that has become a death spirit work? I can find at least four."

"No," Kelei En shook his head helplessly.

Earlier, after inquiring about mermaid clues at the Tarot gathering and receiving an answer from Lei Ke Dun, he used a ritual to ask Hong Guang Aier·Mo Rui Ya this question, and the answer was:

A mermaid's song is a kind of neutralization, a balance, used to help ascendants resist the corruption of the Secret Idol Master's demon elixir on their own spiritual body line.

In theory, any sound or extraordinary ability with a similar effect can replace a mermaid's song, but those who haven't experienced it firsthand cannot discern the subtle differences.

The analytical and simulation abilities of the reader path might be able to create a sound that substitutes a mermaid's song, provided they have witnessed and analyzed a mermaid's song. Otherwise, this ritual can be easily resolved by asking A Er for help.

A Zi Ke nodded lightly, ceased mentioning the death‑spirit mermaid, and instead took from his coat pocket a glove so thin it seemed made of human skin, handing it to Kelei En and saying:

"This is a relic of that pirate general; I've already awakened its related memories and no longer need it. I've placed a seal on it—normally it does not hunger, but after each use it must be fed a human's flesh and soul."

"If there's anything, you can contact me via information."

Joewood District, Mingsike Jie.

Lei Ke Dun's figure flashed swiftly, outlining itself in the room.

He immediately fetched a small metal box, temporarily placed the Conqueror's trait inside, and isolated it with a wall of spirit.

Then he took out the pre‑prepared prophet demon elixir ingredients, slightly raised his right hand, and his palm swiftly formed a slowly rotating cluster of Star Sand.

One star after another materialized on the surrounding walls, dense and dazzling.

These stars shed one brilliance after another, constructing a barrier that separates the inside from the outside.

Next, he retrieved from a hidden pocket inside his coat a prophet trait encased in translucent amber; the outer layer of amber instantly turned into specks of light and vanished.

He lifted his hand lightly, and the crystal‑ball‑like prophet trait floated automatically into the air.

Immediately thereafter, the pre‑prepared ingredients rose one by one, mixing with the prophet trait, rotating and merging in the air, finally turning into a silvery liquid that fell into a transparent glass bottle.

Lei Ke Dun brought the glass bottle containing the prophet demon elixir up to his eyes and examined the elixir closely.

It was pure silvery white, with strange symbols constantly drifting within; these symbols intertwined and influencing each other, forming closed circular loops.

He delayed a bit, hoping the ritual's effect had not yet passed.

Lei Ke Dun murmured softly, then poured the demon elixir directly into his mouth.

The moment the elixir entered his mouth, Lei Ke Dun felt his mind become hazy; layers upon layers of things continuously flashed before his eyes, imprinting onto his mind.

It was a sensation more painful than the hidden sage's knowledge infusion; such infusions are always limited, yet at this moment Lei Ke Dun felt the entire world had changed before his eyes, every object reflecting corresponding information, striving to enter his sight and pierce his mind.

As his thoughts grew chaotic, a strangely familiar, unique, clear trace appeared before his eyes, encircling him like an invisible wall, blocking the invasion of the vast majority of information.

It was like a clump of black ink, darkening all colors that approached.

(End of Chapter)