Yin & Yang Pleasures of Cultivation

Chapter 284: Rushing Right On Ahead

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami didn't immediately respond to the man. Instead, they intently watched as he made it within 100 feet of them. 

Once he had reached a hundred feet, the blue robe man stopped. He calmly stared at the trio, scrutinizing them with the same critical gaze. 

Seeing that he wasn't going to move anymore, Aniela tilted her head and spoke in a sharp tone, "Whether or not we have the appropriate strength isn't any of your concerns. And I'm sure you aren't here as a good samaritan. So, what exactly do you want from us?" 

Sometime in the past, Aniela would be the most welcoming to any type of new stranger. It perfectly accompanied her Light powers, being able to attract gazes on her and create an enigmatic charm. 

However, after the yellow-eyed woman incident, all Aniela could feel now was doubt and suspicions.

She never wants a repeat of that incident again, no matter how harmless any stranger seems. It was like that yellow-eyed woman instilled a permanent sense of distrust within her.

Although, Darcel and Masami's reactions weren't any better. Behind her mask, Masami looked like she was ready to pounce on a moment's notice. 

"Hey now, I'm just giving a fair warning."

Against Darcel's group intent gazes, the blue robe Mage nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. 

He kept calm and cool as he continued to say, "Honestly speaking, if you're here to become Mages, the chances are pretty low. All cultivators look hopeful when coming here but always leave disappointed."

Before responding, Darcel took a moment to think how odd this situation was. For miles they traveled in the Frozen Prison Domain without any sign of other life. 

And now, they suddenly encounter a Mage who's been around here several times?

It seemed highly suspicious to him. 

The cherry on top was the fact that this Mage was also trying to hide from their senses. If it wasn't for the fact his and the girl's Spirit Sense is especially keen, they might have ended up missing him.

Still, Darcel didn't disregard everything the blue robe man said. When recalling the history of cultivators trying to become Mages, it's commonly known that it's immensely difficult to do so.

Very rarely can one actually succeed. And even if they do succeed, their Magical Potential is among the worst. 

Considering all of this, this Mage had some believability on this front.

Although, Darcel still kept his tone entirely even when speaking up next. "Is that right? Well then, no matter other people's failures, we still need to try. Besides, you're not exactly in a trustworthy position."

"That may be so. But what if I tell you I actually have a direct path that will lead you to the Royal Mage orb much faster. It'll significantly shorten your time here and let the inevitable come sooner." 

The blue robe Mage explained with a thin lining smirk. 

"Heh! The inevitable, huh? Yea sure. Just get to the point; what the hell could you possibly want from us in exchange for your help?"

Masami didn't waste any time getting into the meat of their meeting. Truthfully, the more she spoke to the blue robe Mage, the more agitated she was becoming. 

There was something about that thin lining smirk that was testing the limits of her shorter patience. 

And right as the blue robe Mage was about to answer, Darcel suddenly cut him off, asking first, "Before you answer that, let me ask this first. Is flying in the sky dangerous here? Since it seems like you're experienced here, you should be able to judge it."

The blue robe man took a moment to think. He quirked his eyebrows, tossing his gaze towards the skies before lowering back on the trio. "It's very rare to actually see a sky Spirit Monster around here. The only occurrence would be a snow-white eagle. And those beats won't really attack unless you directly attack them. Some say those eagles are bound by the demon spirit around here. Still, if you want the minimal risk of danger, it's better to travel on foot less you know exactly where you're going."

"I see." Was all Darcel said as an idea quickly formed into his mind. 

"As for the other question-" 

The blue robe Mage couldn't finish his sentence. Not when his Magical Sense suddenly went off like a frantic alarm.

At the same time, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami also felt their Spirit Sense alerted them to several presences. The trio furrowed their brows; slight worry began to fill their minds over the power these presences possess.

'1st level Heavenly Kings!' Even this level of power caused Darcel, Aniela, and Masami to be a bit worry. 

They and the blue robe Mage snapped their attention to their right side, tracing exactly where the presences were coming from.

And over 800 feet to their right, they all spotted what appeared to be seven human beings rushing at them. 

Although Darcel, Aniela, and Masami think they're humans, each of them vastly differs from any other humans they saw.

Just from the way they move, anyone could tell something very odd was wrong with them. They all moved too stiff and unnaturally. It was more like they were puppets running along the ice.

And not only were their movements weird, but their appearances were also concerning. Each of these supposed humans had a permanent blue color dying their entire skins. Their blueness almost had a unique shine about it, as if they were the same as the crystal ice.

However, the most creepy aspect that sets these beings apart from anything else were their eyes. Their eyes were all dead. None of them had any pupils, appearing precisely as dug-up corpses.

"This.what is this? These guys look like true monsters."

Aniela was calmly assessing the situation. These beings were creepy for sure, but they held minimal impact on her mind. 

"Not even monsters.they're like.ice corpses who suddenly sprang up to life!" Masami remarked while tensing her body for battle. She for sure thought a battle would be inevitable. 

In response to hearing Aniela and Masami's comments, the blue robe Mage slightly shook his head. "Those aren't corpses or any ordinary monsters. They're undead. And we're unlucky enough to encounter them. Be careful with these things. They're not too powerful but are tough to permanently kill off."

As the blue robe Mage explained, Darcel was analyzing their potential to win. In all honesty, if they stayed and fought, he believed they could win while experiencing only slight troubles.

And observing the undead creatures, each of their speeds was swift. They were akin to blue trails of lights, rapidly approaching Darcel's group within just seconds. 

If he was under better circumstances, Darcel would be inclined to fight and test out the limit of his combat prowess. 

However, as of now, he had entirely different plans. To become Mages, he won't even let a moment like this slow them down.

"This does look interesting, but sorry. We're on a tight schedule. We have no time to waste on matters like this." Darcel spared only a glance towards the blue robe Mage as he spoke.

Then, without bothering to see his reaction, Darcel exchanged looks with Aniela and Masami, telling them, 

"Let's go." 

"Ok." Aniela and Masami promptly nodded. 

Truthfully, Aniela didn't have much of a desire to fight, only being an intrigue about how such a creature could exist. While Masami did have the desire to fight. But, even she could see it would be more beneficial to simply leave at this time.

"Huh? Wait, you ca-" 

'Hua!' 

And right as the blue robe man turned over to them, his expression morphing into shock, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami already took off into the skies.

In a single instant, they explosively burst their speeds, going beyond that of a first-level Heavenly Transformation cultivator. Then, without stopping, the trio turned into trails of lights, flying off into the far distant horizon.

"Tch!" 

Watching Darcel, Aniela and Masami disappear into the skies, the blue robe Mage clicked his teeth. Instead of giving chase, he snapped his attention back towards the rushing undead creatures. 

His Magical powers instantly erupted, causing blue lightning energy to wrap over his hands. Crackling and popping sounds echoed out in the area from the abundance of lightning. 

Then, all in the same motion, the blue robe Mage snapped his lightning-covered fingers. 

'Zzzt!' 

Blue lightning chains burst out of the ground from in front of the Mage upon snapping his fingers. 

The lightning chains had then soared at immense speeds and wrapped up each undead creature near instantaneously. 

Once the creatures were chained up, the blue robe Mage turned his sights back towards where the trio flew off.

His eyebrows furrowed as a strange light crossed his eyes. "Unbelievable that I was really pointed in their direction. Hmmm.it seems like they will be kind of worth it."

.

In the crystal ice skies of the Frozen Prison Domain, three figures flying through at top speeds. 

Darcel stayed slightly ahead of Aniela and Masami as he led them towards the Magical treasure.

After leaving the blue robe Mage, Darcel gained confidence in freely leading them through the air. Because, just as the blue robe Mage described, barely any flying Spirit Monsters were in the air.

And whenever they would encounter the rare snow-white eagle, the trio simply avoided it. 

Like this, Darcel smoothly traveled through the skies, taking many sharp twists and turns.

Then, after an hour of flying, Darcel stopped, prompting Aniela and Masami to stop. Settling his eyes down below on a specific sight, Darcel told the girls, 

"Got here faster than I expected. This is where the Magical treasure is."

"Ehh? This is it?" Aniela and Masami simultaneously spoke in a slightly puzzled tone. 

Since everything seems so convoluted in the Frozen Prison Domain, the girls expected any difference that would hint that a treasure is nearby. 

However, what they hovered over was just another simple ruined Ice temple that plagued this whole area.