Abyssal Awakening

After talking with Hualing and Xiao An a little longer, Alice wanted to try the Nine Sun's Liquor but both Jin and Xiao An advised her against it. At least for now since the city was still on guard thanks to her stunt.

"Urg… that's the main reason I stayed another day though." Alice complained, slouching over the table.

"But fine, I guess I did crash a wedding. While we're on the topic, why did you look like you were about to die? I thought the two of you got along pretty well." Alice asked curiously.

"Erm…" Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Hualing glanced up at Xiao An.

"It's not that I have anything against Xiao An but rather just the families involved." Hualing admitted as Alice raised an eyebrow before nodding.

"So what's your plan now then? I crashed your wedding and put a halt to things. Are they going to try again or leave things be?" Alice asked as Xiao An stepped up.

"The family won't be looking at the wedding for the time being. If they try again after both clan heads got knocked down flat by you, it'll be a little tone-deaf. Instead, they'll be putting their focus on the Demon Extermination Squad.

"They… Hmm… They say you might be a spy from the cult because you hold a unique energy from the Cult. But from what I've seen, I don't believe that's the case." Xiao An paused briefly before deciding to reveal some information on their end.

"That so? I've had some interactions with them before. Well, if they're who I think they are. But I wouldn't say I'm on their side." Alice was rather surprised.

She wasn't sure what he meant by the distinct energy of the cult.

But at least in her own body, there were four types. Abyss, Void, Holy and Eldritch. Considering Enris's nature… the likelihood of the energy being Holy was high. Even if they are bloodthirsty brutes.

However, if that was the case, then there should be plenty that have this form of energy.

So maybe it was something more distinct and easier to categorise.

And if that was the case, then what was it?

The more she understood about energy, the better she could utilize it. Thanks to the special nature of Cayla, perceiving energy was akin to cooking.

She could see the composition, texture and behaviour. All that was left was to understand and use it.

"That's a relief then. If you're not part of the Cult then there's no need for them to keep sending people to track you down." Hualing sighed in relief.

She wasn't scared for Alice but rather the alliance of Sects and houses at this point!

Seeing her power, even just momentarily, she understood what kind of monster stood in front of them.

If she wanted to, she could wipe out this city with a single flick of her hand.

Perhaps if it was in the Abyss, there might be someone to defend against her.

But a vast majority of people in the East focus on human to human combat rather than city scale attacks.

With such power at her disposal, there's no need for Alice to lie about who she's affiliated with.

"Huh? Why would I want that? I WANT them to come to me." Alice blinked her eyes.

Hualing's smile twitched as she understood what kind of person Alice is now. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

"But what about you? Now that the wedding's on halt, are you going to be working with the family to get revenge on me?" Alice asked with a grin.

Hualing was the first to showcase something beyond a weapon domain and it would be quite a waste for her not to fully train in it.

"I'm thinking of using this as an excuse to leave the family and go to the Demon Extermination Squad. At least it's a good justification so the Vermillion Clan won't blame my father." Hualing smiled awkwardly, not wanting to fight Alice since there was no need to.

"I'm also going to sign up for the Demon Extermination Squad. If the two of us go, they'll have no grounds to blame or force the wedding to go through." Xiao An added.

"This… Demon Extermination Squad. It's where that Qiu Qiu girl is right? What is the Squad even around for?"

To the public, the Demon Extermination Squad was simply made to keep the borders safe from the south. But Alice understood that this was just what they said to the civilians.

As members of the six houses, there's no doubt that Hualing and Xiao An knew more than the average person.

"Well… The Squad was made with three purposes in mind. First, a separate force from the Sects and houses. Two, to keep the Cult at bay while also acting as a defence against outsiders from overseas. And lastly… To act as a deterrent force for the three Sovereign sects.

"But that's kind of my own theory based what my impressions." Hualing shrugged.

As a member of the six houses, Hualing was familiar with how the three Sovereign sects acted. Each one has its own doctrine but in recent years, they've been exhibiting… habits that tie back to the Gods that interact with this world.

Therefore, the next generation needed to be able to keep up against the Sovereign Sects should they decide to try and offer the entirety of the East to the Gods.

'Jin did mention that each of the sect leaders belonging to the Sovereign sects could use the Absolute Zone with the fourth being unaffiliated. So it's safe to assume that the fourth is probably the creator of this Demon Extermination Squad.' Alyss spoke up as Alice paused before nodding her head.

Indeed, if the leader of the Squad wasn't as strong as the Sovereign sects, this unaffiliated party would've been taken over by now.

Exchanging information for a bit longer, Alice eventually bid farewell to the two for now, hoping to catch up and have a drink in the future.

Leaving the city, Alice noticed that Jin was quieter than usual. He would occasionally space out for a brief moment.

"Worried about the cult?" Alice asked out of the blue, surprising Jin.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Why else? You're spacing out after Hualing mentioned the Cult and coup. Then you went and released your killing intent. No matter how I'm talking to the voices in my head, it's not hard to detect what goes on around me. And third, I have some connections to it myself.

"I wouldn't say good connections but regardless, they're connections. And the philosophy behind your martial arts matches my thoughts and ideas on one of Enris's Apostles. With all of this, what makes you think I wouldn't form a connection between you and the cult?" Alice rolled her eyes as the lad in front of her was a little too naïve for someone who belonged to the Cult.

"Ahaha, it was a little too obvious huh?" Jin smiled awkwardly while scratching his hair.

"You don't say, so care to explain? I enjoyed having you as a travel companion…" Alice trailed off before her figure faded away.

"I'd rather not change that by making you the next victim." She whispered behind his ear as a blood needle was placed on his cheek, pointing directly at his eye.

Her spare hand was aiming at his lower back, ready to rip out his spine if he did anything funny.

Once again, Jin was reminded simply how ruthless Alice could be despite her lax attitude.

She could joke, drink and even drop her guard. But at the end of the day, she will still kill you without batting an eye in the most gruesome manner if you're her enemy.

Raising his hands slowly in surrender, Jin tried his best to keep his calm.

"You mentioned that you wanted to be my disciple when you first met me. I don't suppose that has anything to do with your relation to the Cult and this Trifecta coup?" Alice asked, narrowing her gaze at Jin who trembled under her scrutiny.

"It's the same answer as before. It's to defend myself. I wanted to be able to protect myself if anyone from the Trifecta was to come across me."

"And your parents?" Alice asked.

The last time she asked this question, he mentioned that they were dead without any emotion.

But now…

"They were killed by the Trifecta during the coup. I managed to escape the South thanks to their sacrifice." Jin replied.

Despite it supposedly being his 'parents' who died, he didn't show any kind of mournful emotion.

"Are you sure they're your parents? No rage? No sadness? I might as well call them strangers." Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, they're my parents."

[Ask him if they're his birth parents or people assigned to raise him.] Cayla suddenly spoke up.

Finding it a little strange, Alice asked Jin Cayla's question word for word.

Hearing this question, Jin was clearly surprised.

"I didn't think you were familiar with the traditions of the Cult. They're people assigned to me. I don't know my birth parents." Jin replied honestly.

He wasn't lying to her, he was simply answering her questions exactly as she asked them.

Therefore, if she asked if they're his parents, technically they are. But whether or not he felt a connection to them… then he could only say no. At most, he saw them as retainers rather than a familial connection. So, even if they're dead, he felt no pain.

[So that old tradition still lives. . . Alice, I believe this kid is part of an. . . Old ritual. Similar to the one that Ria was part of but more brutal.]