Chapter 95: Hidden Faces II

Chapter 95: The Hidden Faces II

Nyren’s gaze turned toward the distant horizon.

"I don’t know."

The pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

But its effects remained.

Everyone inside the vehicle was now alert.

No one spoke for the next several minutes.

——————————

Several hours later, the convoy finally reached the military research base.

The base had been constructed a few kilometers away from the ancient structure that had appeared in the center of Country B. Tall walls surrounded the facility, while watchtowers had been positioned at every corner.

Numerous soldiers stood along the walls, their weapons aimed toward the distant ruin.

Several defensive formations had also been carved into the ground surrounding the base.

Despite the precautions, the atmosphere remained tense.

The ancient palace could be seen clearly from the research base.

It towered over the distant landscape, its black walls rising above the ruined city like a mountain made by human hands.

Even from several kilometers away, the palace gave off an oppressive sensation.

It was not an ordinary building.

It was like something that had been placed there long before the current age.

Something that had been waiting.

Inside the main command building, four figures sat around a circular table.

General Vaelric Ashford sat at the northern end.

Across from him sat Lemo Drackar, the head of the Heavenly Thunder Sect.

Estelle Argon sat to Lemo’s left, her fingers lightly tapping against the table.

Roan Blackwood sat opposite her, his expression calm but watchful.

A holographic image of the Ancient Palace hovered above the table.

The image rotated slowly, displaying the palace from different angles.

"The younger generation should have arrived by now," Lemo said impatiently.

General Ashford glanced toward the door.

"They’re here."

The door opened.

Nyren entered first, followed by Oren, Adrian, Asher, and the younger cultivators from the four sects.

The moment they entered the room, Lemo’s gaze swept across them.

He nodded faintly when he saw Justin and Jules enter behind the others.

Justin walked with a calm expression, his purple lightning contained beneath his skin.

Jules, however, wore a confident smile. His eyes immediately moved across the room, analyzing the younger generation from the other factions.

When his gaze fell on Adrian, his expression darkened slightly.

Adrian noticed but didn’t bother responding.

Nyren walked toward her father and stood behind him.

Oren followed, positioning himself beside her.

The four faction leaders looked over the assembled cultivators.

Estelle’s three daughters stood behind her, each wearing flowing robes designed for movement. Their hair had been tied with jade ornaments, and faint streams of wind circled their bodies.

The youngest daughter, Arvessa, stood at the back.

Unlike her sisters, whose Qi was entirely related to Wind Manipulation, faint traces of heat occasionally flickered around Arvessa’s fingers.

The combination of Wind and Fire made her the most dangerous among the three.

Roan stood with Adrian and Asher behind him.

Adrian’s clothes were mostly silver and black, and several metal weapons hung from his waist.

Asher wore darker robes, and the sword at his side remained completely motionless. However, the sharpness hidden within his aura made it clear that he was no ordinary swordsman.

General Ashford’s other son, Oren, stood quietly beside Nyren.

Although no weapon hung from his body, the air around him constantly trembled. Small objects near his feet occasionally shifted without being touched.

Lemo Drackar’s sons stood behind him.

Justin’s purple lightning flickered faintly around his sleeves.

Jules, meanwhile, looked far more arrogant than his older brother.

"This is everyone?" Lemo asked.

"Everyone from the four sects," General Ashford replied.

Lemo leaned back in his chair.

"And the unaffiliated cultivators?"

General Ashford didn’t answer immediately.

That pause caused Lemo’s expression to darken.

"You said this expedition would be controlled by the four great sects."

"I said the four great sects would form the core of the expedition," General Ashford replied calmly. "I never said no one else would be allowed to participate."

Lemo’s fingers tapped against the table.

"Then what exactly are you planning?"

Before General Ashford could answer, a series of engines roared outside the building.

Everyone inside turned toward the entrance.

Another group of military vehicles entered the base.

Lemo’s face immediately became unpleasant.

"More people?"

The vehicles stopped near the main building.

One of the black vehicles opened.

A young woman stepped out.

She wore a light-green silk robe, and her long hair flowed down her back. Her face was beautiful and composed, while her posture carried a quiet confidence.

A young man stepped out from the opposite side of the vehicle.

He wore a deep-green robe, and faint dark-green lines moved beneath his sleeves like living vines.

"Elder Sister," he said, looking toward the ancient palace. "What do you think we’ll discover inside?"

The young woman stared at the palace for several seconds.

"I don’t know."

Her voice was soft, but a faint pressure spread through the air around her.

"But something inside has already noticed our arrival."

The young man’s smile widened.

"That makes it more interesting."

The woman was Elowen Serath, a cultivator from the Serath Family, who had become famous after saving an entire refugee convoy from a swarm of flying beasts.

Her ability was known as Windthread Manipulation.

She could create almost invisible strands of compressed wind that sliced through flesh and restrained enemies. During the early days of the apocalypse, she had used those threads to sever the limbs of a Level 5 mutated beast before it reached the refugees.

The young man beside her was her younger brother, Caelis Serath.

Caelis possessed Venomvine Manipulation, allowing him to create poisonous vines that could grow through cracks in concrete and spread beneath the ground.

He had once destroyed an entire zombie nest without entering it by filling the underground tunnels with poisonous roots.

The two siblings were not members of any major faction.

Yet their names had become known throughout the surviving settlements, which had elevated the Serath Family name.

Behind them, several other independent cultivators stepped out of the vehicles.

Among them was a tall man with a lazy smile and silver-colored hair.

"Morran Bale," Adrian muttered.

Morran Bale was a rogue cultivator who possessed Quicksilver Manipulation. He could liquefy metal and control it as though it were water.

He had gained fame after fighting a Level 5 mutated bear alone and surviving despite suffering severe injuries.

Another person stepped down from the vehicle.

She was a small woman with dark hair braided tightly behind her head.

"Selia Finch," Adrian continued.

Selia possessed a strange ability known as Airborne Echo.

By reading disturbances in the air, she could detect movement and sound from extremely long distances. She had warned several survivor camps about approaching zombie hordes before the creatures ever came into sight.

The last person to leave the vehicle was a young man carrying a large medical case.

"Kaelis Orlov," Adrian said.

Kaelis had no powerful family or sect behind him.

His ability, Vital Pulse, allowed him to stabilize injuries by manipulating the flow of energy through a patient’s body.

He had saved dozens of wounded soldiers during the first month of the apocalypse and had become one of the most respected medical cultivators in the region.

Lemo’s expression grew darker as more people entered the building.

"This expedition is becoming a circus."

Elowen Serath entered the room with Caelis and the other rogue cultivators behind her.

She bowed slightly toward the four leaders.

"Apologies for arriving late."

Lemo leaned forward.

"You were not invited."

Elowen calmly looked at him.

"And yet we were allowed through the gate."

Lemo’s eyes narrowed.

"This ruin is located within the Drackar-controlled region. You cannot simply arrive and claim a place in the expedition."

Caelis chuckled.

"We’re not claiming anything."

His fingers moved slightly.

A thin green vine emerged from his sleeve and wrapped around his wrist.

"We’re simply going inside."

Jules Drackar scoffed.

"You think entering the ruin makes you qualified to share its treasures?"

Elowen turned toward him.

"No."

Her expression remained calm.

"I think surviving inside the ruin makes someone qualified to decide what they deserve."​