While his lovers were cultivating, Ryker took the chance to look for any resources in the area. The reason he chose the spot was because of the high-energy density, which would allow them to increase their cultivation while refining the effect of the pills more efficiently.
This also means the likelihood of precious natural treasures and resources is high, and the fact this place was labeled as a dangerous zone by the nearby nation, which is a County, meant that there are no other humans in the area, except for some really brave adventurers.
He was not worried about the so-called danger zone as he had met with the beast that caused the designation first and promptly erased its possibility of causing his lovers any harm. The beast was a mere Tier 8 Genesis Beast, so it was not much of an issue for him to handle.
The County in question also has experts in Genesis Lake, with none of their top experts being at the Genesis Sea so he was not scared of them.
His searching also bore him fruitious results, his Soul Sense helping him in detecting the place with the highest chances of natural treasures being 'born' there.
After collecting enough to last his group for some time, he wondered how his lovers were doing. He planned to check on them when he sensed something coming his way. Using his mastery of the Law of darkness, he hid and moved to a different place, observing what would happen.
Not a few minutes later, two women emerged from the bushes, clothes tattered as they seemed to be running from something.
Correction, they are running from something or a group of someone, he realized as he could several people chasing after them.
He could tell the cultivation realm of both the pursuers and the targets. He also could tell the targets would not be able to escape the coming pursuit as one of the pursuers is a Genesis Lake expert while the targets are only at the Genesis Core realms at best.
He wondered if he should interfere when he watched the men surround the two people, glaring at them as they slowly closed in on them.
The two women, one with blue and another with brown hair glared at their hunters. "Come and stop this nonsense already Eris," one of the men said, the oldest of the group if one did not count the Genesis Lake expert.
"Nonsense? You are the one that tried to force me to marry someone, how is that acceptable?" the blue-haired woman, Eris, spat at the man, glaring at him with enough hatred that if the look could kill, the man would be ashes by now.
"It is just an arranged marriage dictated by the family. It would give us boons that would allow us to rise in this County, maybe even replacing the ruler of this nation," the man tried to persuade the woman though she merely scoffed at the statement.
"Do you think it is so easy for someone to replace the ruler of the nation? Unless one performed a coup and won, then the chances of it happening are simply impossible. And while the Kingdom might not care for the internet struggles of its vassal, it would still react for a coup or any significant changes its vassal will partake in," Eris reminded the man, not realizing that one of the hunters slowly sneaking up on them.
He decided to help them, moving away as he targeted the biggest threat in the entire area.
-x-
Eris glared at the man that supposed to be her uncle. While she was not close to the man, she still did not expect them to do such a thing behind her back.
To force her into this arranged marriage is both humiliating and hurts her dignity and pride, one of the reasons for her to run away from home.
She and her servant had planned their escape expertly, avoided most of the sentries in her family estate, no, the Luren Family estate, she had no desire to call it her family any more, not after this and many other spats before.
In truth, she had never felt at home with her birth family as she was seen by most, if not all of them as tools to ascend on the social ladder. Even her parents were the same, causing her to hate them even more.
So deep was her thought that she did not realize one of her pursuers suddenly dashing towards her and grabbed her.
"Hey!" she yelled, trying to escape the grasp of the man but the difference in strength, with one being at the Genesis Core while the other is a Genesis Spring is too much of a gap.
Her servant was not able to help her, being restrained mere seconds after her own capture.
"Looks like you will not come peacefully, Eris. Then I hope you are prepared for the consequences," the man sneered. "All of you will have a chance to taste the slave. I do hope you will break her while at it," he told the lackey, all of them looking at her servant with a perverted look.
She wanted to scream at the man but she was gagged. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the fate of the one person who was the closest to her in the entire family being defiled right in front of her.
However, the man seemed to not want that as her cheek was squished and her eyes opened, forcing her to see the lackeys rip the clothing of her sole companion.
Her eyes shed tears as she was forced to watch her servant, no, her friends about to be raped. She prayed for some miracles even if she knew it was impossible to happen.
Just as she prayed, she heard a rustling and then something hitting the ground next to her. The thing must have shocked the man as she heard the sound of the man falling, breathing loudly.
She turned her head and saw something that caused her blood to freeze. Besides her supposed uncle, the body of one of the Family Elders, a Genesis Lake expert, was near him, losing its head and some limbs.
"N-no, did the beast already here?" the man asked himself, causing her to shiver. She knew of the danger of the area and knew of the beast the man spoke of.
The beast was an infamous creature that had terrorized the County for a long time, or the capital to be exact. If not for the Genesis Laked experts of the County working together, the beast would likely not have repelled during its previous attack.
However, it did cost the County greatly, losing two Genesis Lake experts in the process. The last sighting was a century ago and it is likely the beast was bidding its time, maybe even breaking through and becoming a Tier 9 Genesis Beast.