Chapter 267. Pagodas

The group headed deeper into the sect.

As they moved, the well-kept environment they had seen remained the same.

Suddenly, Aiden squinted his eyes.

An intermediate rank 3 chaotic beast was staring at them.

How was this possible?

They were wearing legendary rank 3 invisibility bracelets. So how was an intermediate rank 3 chaotic beast able to see them?

The creature which was looking at them was a very large fox. It roared. Several large foxes appeared around it. They were all intermediate rank 3 chaotic beasts.

"Guys, we have some trouble. I think our legendary rank 3 invisibility bracelets can’t function on this island," Aiden said to the group.

This was the only conclusion he could come to. There was no registered situation where chaotic beasts at a lower rank could nullify the effect of a weapon, alchemical product, or an accessory artifact like an invisibility bracelet of a higher rank.

The only possibility was that, for some reason, the effect of the invisibility bracelet had become ineffective.

"It looks like those intermediate rank 3 four-tailed foxes are staring at us."

"Aiden has a point. I have read that some electromagnetic fields can disrupt the functioning of some technological artifacts manufactured by the Artifact Engineers Association."

"It looks like it’s true. The electromagnetic field of this island has made the invisibility bracelets ineffective. This means we have to be extremely careful. We can no longer overtly cross territories where higher-ranked chaotic beasts are."

"Indeed. We will have to rely on Aiden’s scouting to prepare in advance to deal with stronger chaotic beasts using legendary rank 3 poisons."

"If we encounter any rank 4 creatures, we run."

"As for these intermediate rank 3 chaotic beasts, the intermediate rank 3 warriors among us can deal with them."

The group discussed among themselves.

Everyone took off their invisibility bracelets and put them in their storage bags. Aiden took off his own and put it in his storage bracelet.

The intermediate rank 3 warriors activated their affinities and shot towards the intermediate rank 3 four-tailed foxes.

The intermediate rank 3 four-tailed foxes had the light affinity.

The intermediate rank 3 warriors in Aiden’s group launched their affinities towards the creatures.

The foxes and the warriors clashed. They turned into different streaks of light as affinities and weapons clashed. The air resounded with terrifying shockwaves.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

In the span of a few seconds, the foxes and the intermediate rank 3 warriors—the Marcuses, the Bryans, the Moores, the Vincents, the Creeds, and Arica—had clashed on countless occasions.

Very soon, the sounds of flesh being pierced and weak howls resounded across the place.

The flashes of affinities and streaks disappeared.

Before the intermediate rank 3 warriors lay several ginormous corpses of the foxes in pools of blood.

Aiden quietly absorbed the blood essence of the dead intermediate rank 3 chaotic beasts.

The intermediate rank 3 warriors kept the corpses of the ginormous foxes in their storage bags.

After that, the group continued inwards.

Along the way, they encountered several beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, and legendary rank 3 chaotic beasts.

Aiden, Cosmo, and Pamela dealt with the beginner rank 3 chaotic beasts.

Aiden’s hammer moved with unnatural speed. It met the heads of several beginner rank 3 chaotic beasts, shook their skulls, crushed through them, and destroyed their brains.

Sometimes it would turn into another weapon of choice, mid-flight, and reap a life.

Cosmo and Pamela also unleashed devastating flame and gravity attacks with their weapons.

Each time the group encountered an intermediate rank 3 threat, the intermediate rank 3 warriors would deal with it.

Each time they encountered an advanced, expert, or legendary rank 3 threat, they would use advanced, expert, and legendary rank 3 poisons to deal with the threats. Because of Aiden’s enhanced senses, they were able to prepare for the intermediate, advanced, and legendary rank 3 chaotic beasts by preparing the poisons beforehand. By the time they would encounter the creatures, they would just release the poisons to deal with them before the creatures could strike them.

During this period, Aiden also kept absorbing the blood essence of any creature they killed. His range of vision, smell, and hearing was increasing, and he also felt stronger than he previously used to be. His power was still at the level of a beginner rank 3, but he felt like he had made considerable progress at that level, although he had not broken through to the next level.

The cycle of moving deeper into the ruins and killing dangerous chaotic beasts they encountered continued for a whole week.

Also, the environment of the ruins remained the same. No destruction. No humans. No corpses—except the corpses left behind as a result of chaotic beasts which had killed each other during some conflicts.

As for the corpses of the chaotic beasts the group killed, they kept them in their storage artifacts.

Eventually, the group came to a place where lots of waterfalls from different mountains ahead collided and gave rise to a large lake.

Surrounding the lake were several forests spreading endlessly towards several directions.

"This region was previously beyond the range of my enhanced senses even after my range of vision, smell, and hearing increased," Aiden thought, "but now, I can see further from here."

Aiden’s gaze stretched beyond the forests and the waterfalls. Beyond it was another part of the sect he could not previously see.

The place was full of large pagodas. Aiden’s gaze peered across the walls of the large pagodas. He saw several scrolls in several large libraries in each of the pagodas.

Several parts were labeled differently:

Cultivation manuals.

Movement techniques.

Affinity-related skills.

Aiden knew he could not use them since he was not a traditional cultivator.

He knew that before embarking on this journey. He was benefiting from absorbing the blood essence of creatures they killed, but his friends here, and Desmonda and the others back in the Iron Empire, were traditional cultivators, and these resources would be very important for their cultivation. The ancient sects were not as advanced technologically as the current era, but their cultivation techniques, movement techniques, and affinity-related skills served as the foundation of modern cultivation.

Some of them had been passed down from generation to generation. Some were discovered in ruins of ancient sects. A few were passed down through reclusive sects. Some had been modified for the current era through research; some of them had been made better and refined. There were, however, some which were better when practiced as they were found.

Aiden had a feeling that the Han Yi Ancient Sect’s manuals, movement techniques, and affinity-related skills were one of a kind. If his loved ones used the original texts to cultivate, they would grow exceedingly stronger in a short time. The stronger they were, the easier it would be to deal with the Order in the future.

"I’ve found some pagodas beyond the forests and mountains containing thousands of affinity-related skills, movement techniques, and cultivation manuals, but there are rank 4 chaotic beasts roaming the place rampantly. Also, the forests ahead are full of rank 4 chaotic beasts," Aiden told the group.