Arion enjoyed the sight of the city, as if he was a child that was in a city for the first time. They tried many local delicacies. Arion especially tried the sugary items. His sleek coat and shiny armor attracted a lot of attention and admiration from ordinary people. In their eyes Maxwell was a noble cultivator that belonged to a family that kept them safe from Spiritual Beasts.
They entered a street that had lights shining on the other end. Maxwell looked around and found himself in a covered area lit up with dim lights.
'What is this are? A market?'
As they headed in further, they realized what they had stumbled onto, it was a red-light district. There were scantily dressed workers who could be used as cauldrons to improve cultivation. It was quite a busy area.
"Arion, I don't think we should be here."
Arion looked around for half a minute before turning around to leave with Maxwell.
"I don't like this place. There may be beautiful ladies, but they are shameless." Arion huffed with distaste.
"This is their job. Some of them were forced to take this job."
While leaving, they were stopped by a lady who wore clothes that looked as if they were falling off.
"Why are you leaving so fast? Come on have some fun."
"No, bye." Maxwell sharply cut her down and continued walking ahead.
The woman tried grabbing Maxwell's hand only for him to swiftly get out of the way. She got annoyed and nearly raised her voice before realizing she would spoil her image if she did that. Sour, she walked away.
"Hahaha, you should've seen her face when you rejected her. She probably wanted to get rich by leeching off you."
"It's your fault we're here, I let you lead the way."
"You can't blame me. I don't know the city and it's not safe for me to release my divine sense."
"It's time to go get the information, come on."
Maxwell led Arion through narrow alleys to their destination. They found themselves in front of an old building covered in vines and overgrown plants. It still stood but it was abandoned with no sign of any habitation for a few decades. It had was two-storied and on top of the building, in the shadows there was a man resting against the wall.
"You're here." A voice spoke, changing with every syllable. It would be impossible to recognize the mysterious man in a cloak based on his voice because of his technique.
"Do you have all the information?"
"Yes, there's also some extra news."
Maxwell took a jade slip from him. It was engraved with a formation that contained all the information that would flow into Maxwell's brain once he used it.
"What about the payment?"
"It has been settled."
The man then disappeared before Maxwell could realize.
'What was that? It was almost like he used space qi.'
Arion had been waiting below and he too had been alarmed by the speed. Even as a peak Level 5 Spiritual Beast he could barely track the man who looked like a grey blur. Since the sky was already turning dark, they returned to the sect to review the information.
Arion entered Maxwell's house, but it was quite cramped with how large he was. Maxwell poured his qi into the jade slip and information flowed through his mind as text. There were many different parts to it, each containing a separate piece of information.
Maxwell reviewed the extra news. It contained information about a secret realm that was going to open. Secret realms were shrouded in mystery, and they were extremely dangerous. They would be filled with valuable treasures. Most secret realms open once a century or even longer for the larger ones. Some must be forcefully opened by experts just for a few days of access.
The secret realm that was going to open was one of the larger ones called the Ethereal Spectrum Realm. The sky in that secret realm was multicolored and impossible to fly in.
It was in the White Tiger Empire to the west of the continent. It was very close to the Forsaken Lands that occupied the center of the world. It got its name because of the never-ending desert with deadly climate and disasters. Misfortune could occur at any moment there and it was rumored to have demons.
It would open in a year and only Soul Transformation Realm cultivators and below were allowed to enter. Maxwell had more than enough time to reach the 20th Stage of Foundation Establishment if he continued to make progress at the same rate. He estimated that he would be halfway through Core Formation Realm by then.
The information Maxwell had requested was mainly about items related to Space and Lightning elements. He was not disappointed in the quantity and quality of the information either. Everything was organized and detailed with some having rough maps for the location. A lot of the locations were inaccessible with Maxwell's current strength. All the locations were very scattered, and most belonged to a major power. There was only one Maxwell could access easily that was also in proximity. It was a valley filled with lightning beasts and the valley had stormy weather all the time.
It would help Maxwell and Arion cultivate using all the beast cores they could get from the beasts. To go there they would need to prepare well, especially with Maxwell being targeted. Maxwell cast away any plans of going there after considering the advantages and disadvantages. It was way too risky for him, and he could already cultivate quickly.
"Arion, if you want to, you can go to the Valley of Thunder and kill Beasts for their cores to cultivate, you might even breakthrough."
"Huh, you don't want me. How could you Maxwell? It was an accident."
"Stop being dramatic and answer."
"Of course, I'll go. Once I breakthrough I can transform into a human. I will get the hearts of so many beautiful maidens."
"Sure, you will."
"Don't get jealous when I get the attention of everyone around you with my looks."
"Why would I be jealous?"
"You know the answer to that. Anyways, give me some supplies to use."
"You're leaving now?"
"Yes, anyways I can't protect you against anyone strong."
'If Arion leaves now, he can reach early in the morning. The night will also give him good cover.'
"Let me put a formation on your armor to hide your coat, it's too white."
"Okay, do it quickly. I need to take advantage of the night if I don't want to get targeted by many beasts. Those pesky birds love picking at my coat."
Arion continued to grumble about how he had been mistreated by a flock of wild birds.
***
In a dimly lit room that was clad in extravagant décor and furniture were 2 people. One was sitting on an exquisite armchair made of a very rare fabric. He was talking with his subordinate who was wearing black clothing and a mask.
"As expected, the assassins failed. Who killed them?" The man questioned his subordinate.
"The boy killed them alone."
"Such useless assassins. Send a Martial King."
"But sir, the inner sect has Martial Kings, won't they protect him."
"Send him, they can't match his abilities."
"Are you sure sir?" the voice nervously asked.
"You dare question me? Just do what I say, pay him how much he asks." The man raised his voice, causing his subordinate to shudder in fear. He wasn't that strong, but his methods were terrifying. He had vast influence and wealth. He had elite squadrons of cultivators that protected him all the time. He was after Maxwell to increase his wealth and triumph over his competitors with Spatial Artifacts. He didn't care how many people were sacrificed in his desire for power.
***
5 Martial Grandmasters were running for their lives from a mass of red that looked like blood corrupted by something. Vine-like projections grappled after them, trying to suck out their blood. It slid on the ground effortlessly.
"Run faster! It's coming." One of them shouted while panicking. They had just come to investigate the disappearance of some villagers and now they were running away from a weird creature that could easily overpower them. No matter how much they attacked it, the cuts always healed in a few seconds. It could also attack them with nearly unlimited projections it could control freely. Every time any of them lost blood, it would get absorbed by the monster and strengthened it. They tried locating its core, but to no avail. Instead, they suffered a lot in the process.
"We need to report this to someone. It's too powerful."
"I'll hold it back. I'm almost out of qi anyways. You run."
"We can't leave you to die."
"It's all of us or only me. I'm going to save you."
He stopped running and got the attention of the giant red monster. He ran the other way to get some more time for his companions and if he was lucky, they could get someone to save them.