"Where is he?"

Xue Yin inquired Ye Shou as the old man visited her to inform the entirety of the situation. While the investigation remained at a preliminary stage, the City Lord's forces already acted with extreme caution and secured all the information without the illicit acts of the Sacred Family getting leaked! The fact that Shen Hong displayed two martial spirits belonging to Shen Kin and Shen Mao already made the spectators numb. Ye Zong already expected the Sacred Family's infamy spread within the public.

As Yin learned more about the situation, Ye Zong interrogated Nik and Shen Xiu to ascertain the extent of their knowledge regarding the matter.

"First time hearing about it."

Nik remarked as he kept a straight face while She Xou remained silent the whole time, unwilling to let up even a single word.

Ye Zong's expression grew dark as he countered, "Then why were you willing to kill Shen... Hong."

Ye Zong determined to call the traitor his current name. Why a traitor? Because Ye Zong received information that most of the elders of the family are poisoned by Corrosive Soul, a concoction used by the Dark Guild exclusively.

"I did not try to kill him," Nik matched Ye Zong's gaze and decided to ride the glory of his previous kill. Though underhanded, Nik did defeat Ye Zong, and the fact made him shoot up to the level that Ye Zong stood at. At this moment, it was more interesting to see how long he could utilize the glorious kill to twist the situation, "I did kill him. Twice, if someone's keeping the count."

Oh, yeah, the fact that Nik had another martial spirit hidden from the word made Ye Zong all the more cautious of Nik.

"That's a crime."

"So is Rape, Bribery, and underground Slavery. I mean, isn't this the opposite side of the same coin that the Snow Wind Family is?"

As just and peace-loving Ye Zong grew to be, he failed spectacularly to spread equality within the City with his own family slowly eating the City from within. In fact, every nobility produced a bad seed or two that they had to look away from. 

"Watch your mouth, boy."

Ye Zong warned darkly. The Snow Wind's family corruption was a sensitive topic for the City Lord as Nik raised his hand and apologized with an impassive expression, "You misunderstand my intentions," He spoke before exhaling softly, "I am not trying to counter you, but making you understand that anything I, or Xiu, knows will not be divulged."

"That is not up to you."

"Anything and everything you need belongs in here."

Nik produced a spatial ring and then placed it on the desk, "All I wish is to request for your leniency and clear out Xiu's and Shen Yue's name. How you do it is up to you, but keep in mind that not all within the Sacred Family knew of Shen... Mao's schemes and they needn't be implicated thoughtlessly."

Ye Zong looked at the ring before looking towards Shen Xiu, "I fail to believe that she was not aware of everything."

"And I fail to see the point of tooting your own horns," Nik's expression grew sour. Ye Zong was like a stubborn girl, unreasonable and yet, his desires written all over his face.

He wanted the ring but also gain a moral high ground.

"Now, if you want this ring, pay for it."

Nik snorted as he eyes Ye Zong and smirked, "Or try and snatch it from me."

Shen Xiu looked sideways, slightly embarrassed by Nik's acting. She was more than willing to inform everything and save her and Shen Yue's name. It was Nik who asked her to keep her quiet.

If anything went wrong, even if her heart belonged to Nik, she would still give everything she had on Shen Mao and save Shen Yue.

***

"Gu Jue, shouldn't we have acted and saved Shen Mao?"

Flashing past the safest route mapped out within the Star Dou Forest, the man in hooded robe asked a dark-haired youth as the youth in question shrugged and yawned, "Why? He may have saved the Leader's life, but he never saved my ass. No need for carrying hundreds of years of burden alongside. It is quite a shame about that Shen Yue. He is really an appropriate vassal even by Demon Lord's standards."

Gu Jue muttered in distress as they soon escaped beyond the scope of the City.

"But that Nik is a surprise."

Gu Jue mumbled in wonder.

Meanwhile, within the City, Nie Li's lips trembled as he walked out of Du Ze's room only to hear Shen Hong's death.

Holy!!

Nik's whole body felt slightly relieved, unable to understand how much now changed due to Shen Mao's untimely death.

[Shen Mao killed. You gained 5.68% world root.

Total World Root: 6.98]

[You gained a Dark Purple Medallion.]

Nik looked at the notifications as Ye Zong rotated the handle of the safe of the treasury, and with a rusty creak, the treasury was opened to Nik and Shen Xiu. As Nik's brightened with his imagination running wild, picturing a safe full of gold and treasures, it did not take long for his expression to fall.

What appeared in Nik's gaze was a room layered with dust as most of the items in the place were neatly placed on wooden shelves and unmoved for years! Instead of gold, it was rust that greeted his eyes!

"As you asked, I will allow you to take one treasure from the City Lord's Treasury."

Ye Zong spoke with what seemed to be a smug smirk. The City Lord's treasury was only abundant in the eyes of commoners for the most valuable items have long since been stocked by the various ruling families.

Instead of anger, it was frustration that filled Nik. It was hindsight from his sight, and he could only suck it up instead of baby-raging. Anyway, all of Shen Mao's treasure already belonged to him, and what remained within the spatial ring were pieces of evidence of Shen Mao collaborating with the Dark Guild. Only Shen Mao, though.

With a soft sigh, Nik entered the treasury, and instantly, the three spirits within his body yelled out— Take dat Egg!

Nik felt his consciousness buzz for a moment as he regained his composure within a few moments and scanned a slightly rotting egg placed on the corner top shelf. Then, he gazed at other items while inquiring the most sociable of his spirits.

'Asmodeus, is that Egg a baby of one of you guys? If not, then why such enthusiasm?'

Asmodeus gave a bright laugh and practically screamed in excitement, 'A spirit is being nurtured within that Egg! A spirit!

What's more, it has no consciousness. Heck, we can do so much if we have four spirits! We can finally play in a team of two!'

'Don't listen to this harebrained bimbo,' Lilith cursed and continued, 'You could have more spirits aside from this one, but most of them will be like us— Intelligent. And while we are nurtured alongside you and have great affinity, others might not. Heck, would you enjoy a male's presence within your spiritual world?'

Nik grimaced at the thought, but that wasn't the primary concern.

'Why do you want another spirit?'

'To grow,' Sky replied this time as her soothing voice cleared Nik's inquiry, 'Four Spirits can officially craft four gates of the spiritual world and start building it as existence. Of course, this world will primarily depend on our primary attributes, and the best part is...

Well, I can finally eat something other than spirit rings.'

Nik sighed. Of course, he understood nothing from her words. How would they create a gate? How can a world exist within himself? 

All these questions wreaked havoc within his consciousness as Sky finally pondered and spoke up, "The spirit within the Egg will grow based on your thoughts. So it won't definitely be a male, and, in fact, this spirit will act as your true spirit."

Sky remarked with a sour expression as Nik placed down the pair of swords and then looked towards the rotting Egg with an amused expression, 'Is that envy?'

Sky turned silent and then decided to reply and humor her host, 'More than envy.'

Nik reached out for the Egg and placed it within his spatial ring, or at least, that's what he showed as a greenish, palm-sized egg materialized within his spiritual world right over the border separating the two lands.

'Mine!'

In a twister of the crimson blaze, Lilith declared once again as Asmodeus screamed, 'Like hell, Vitana is mine!'

Asmodeus had already decided the name of the spirit. Of course, none entertained her.

In the real world, Nik smiled towards Shen Xiu and spoke with a gleeful tone as if he had found a great treasure just to make it sting on Ye Zong, "Xiu, your turn!'