Back where Krune met that Primal God...

"This is the first time I'm seeing a junior cultivator be this arrogant in front of me." An ethereal blob said as it squirmed on the ground. Floating above it was the Primal God Krune and his group had encountered.

"How come I'm arrogant when I'm bowing to you?" Standing opposite the blob was the man with the crown, displaying a look of confusion as he asked.

"You clearly realized this was a place I'm resting in, yet you still dared to disturb me," the blob replied.

"Senior." The man with the crown pointed at the hole in the ground he dug out from before continuing, "I was tracking someone and ended up here."

"And..." He pointed the finger at himself as he added, "How am I supposed to even know of your existence? Look at me. I'm just a measly cultivator at the First Stage of the Godly Fusion Realm."

"Fine, fine." The Primal God smiled as he said, "It's also fate that you met me. Ask me one question. I'll answer it."

"That's great." The man with a crown laughed in response before deciding to ask his question. "The item carried by that cultivator named Krune, what exactly is it?"

"It's a law in its purest form. Through some mystical means, it has been stored inside the hilt." The Primal God smiled as he continued, "Though, as to what you are seeking, I cannot say if it's possible. Yes, Krune can awaken its equipment spirit, but only for the blade alone. Not only that but the spirit would be instantly annihilated by the hilt. If you're talking about awakening the spirit of the hilt, then Krune isn't capable of doing so."

"No, what I meant was..." The man with the crown smiled as he clarified himself, "At what cultivation stage would I be able to awaken the spirit of that hilt?"

"Hmm, even I cannot predict that." The Primal God resembled a naïve young boy as he shook his head. "After all, that law is the remainder of a God."

"Alright, thank you." The man with the crown nodded as he thanked the Primal God, turning around as he intended to walk away.

"Wait a minute," the Primal God said after a moment of thought, taking out a kettle from his spatial ring as he unleashed its equipment spirit before asking, "Can you subdue this?"

The man with the crown gazed at the figure of the equipment as he smiled soon after, walking away as he transmitted his voice. "I can."

"Curse this arrogant punk. I hate him." The ethereal blob snorted as he muttered, "I should just suppress his cultivation permanently to the First Stage of the Godly Fusion Realm."

"He can just die and revive once he leaves this place, you know," the Primal God said in response. "Besides, all you would do is annoy him. What if he vows to exact revenge on you in the future?"

"Bah, I'm a Primal God. Even after recovering his cultivation, he's only a brat in the God Core Realm. I can sniff him to dust instantly," the ethereal slob mocked.

"You won't get the chance, though." The Primal God smiled menacingly as he said in response, "I am not planning to allow you to revive."

"Damned are the heavens. Just why am I fated to this life?" the ethereal blob wailed.

…

"Where shall we proceed from this point onwards?" Krune looked at Xula and Yulian, asking for their expertise.

"If we want to get to the nearest city, then we have to pass through the Lawless Plains. It would be dangerous to cross it with our current cultivation bases, though," Yulian replied to Krune's question, looking at Xula to see her nod in confirmation of his views.

"What are your plans?" Vardin took the lead to ask Krune a question.

"I was planning to head to the Four Sectors' Border Region to train. I would have to stop by a city during the journey to replenish my God Stone reserves," Krune responded soon after.

"Do you have any reasons for it? Or are you pressed for time?" Vardin pressed forth in his queries.

"Not really." Krune shook his head as he replied, "I'm only in it for the battle experience. It's all to prevent my cultivation from stagnating."

"Hmm...I think it would be best for you to wait here until you recover your cultivation base," Vardin nodded as he replied, looking at Diana to see her nod in response. Soon after, a serious expression appeared on their faces as they looked in a certain direction.

"Are you planning to visit 'that place' because of that rumor?" Xula frowned after she noticed their change in expression, gazing at where they were looking at. From the faint fluctuation in their eyelids, she determined she had hit the truth. "I, too, am heading there. Time is running out. If we traveled using the caravan, we would have barely made it on time. But now, every minute counts."

"We can journey as a group, then," Vardin nodded in response to Xula's words, looking at Krune as he put on an apologetic tone, saying, "Sorry, brother. It seems we have to part ways here."

"It was nice while it lasted." Krune didn't offer any protest, smiling as he bode farewell. After all, it seemed like the Silver-Winged Mouse couple had to fulfill an agenda of sorts in the Four Sectors' Border Region with a set deadline. The same thing could be said for Xula.

As for him, he had no such thing on his mind. All he had set out to accomplish was to harden himself through battle. But that didn't mean he wished to plunge himself into needless risks. Just the name of the Lawless Plains was enough for him to realize just how terrible the place would be.

Unless he recovered his cultivation base, he didn't wish to take another step from the place. As long as he put his mind to it, he would be able to hide from danger. Besides, if someone tried to ambush him, he could always run back to the Immortal Severance Zone. That way, he would be able to fight his enemies on equal grounds and use his advantages to kill them easily.

The Immortal Severance Zone was less than a kilometer away from him. So, it was easy to make a break for it. All he needed to do was to use his Balance Laws and shields so he could send himself flying towards it.

"If we meet in the future, let's team up once again," Xula said her piece as she accompanied the Silver-Winged mouse couple. They then broke into a sprint before eventually disappeared from view.

Krune didn't try to stop them from leaving. Even though he and the Silver-Winged Mouse couple were part of a Mercenary Team, it didn't mean much after they had abandoned their mission.

Moreover, judging from his tone, Vardin seemed hellbent on rushing towards his objective. As for Krune, he didn't wish to do so. He had a rather good impression of the Silver-Winged Mouse couple and would also move in to save them in times of need. But whether he would voluntarily risk his life for them for no reason, Krune wasn't inclined to do that yet.

Besides, if Vardin had asked for his help, then Krune would have still decided to accompany them. After all, he was their team leader, and his objective was to gather experience. So, he would just consider it a reason to involve himself in their matter.

But since neither Vardin nor Diana had asked for his help, he judged that it was something they didn't wish to involve him in. So, he decided to not poke his nose in a place he didn't belong. As they had respected his secrets before, he too decided to respect their secrets and choices.

"I guess it's just you and me for the time being, Yulian." Krune sighed as he stretched his limbs, feeling his cultivation gradually return to its previous level. He judged that he would recover a stage in cultivation every 4-5 hours. It was a lot slower, but at least he wasn't suppressed to the First Stage of the Godly Fusion Realm for all his life.

He didn't even have a Spiritual Incarnation to commit suicide and easily revive later. He only had one chance in life.

'I guess that's another reason I should obtain that Predominated Fruit,' Krune thought to himself, accompanying Yulian as they moved to a more hidden location.

Half a day passed as Krune was preparing a dish, planning to show off his skills as a Spiritual Chef. Yulian, on the other hand, was above a rock, staring off into the distance while acting as the lookout. He hadn't managed to spot any other cultivators in their vicinity.

Krune used a rather flat stone as a chopping block as he diced the ingredients, infusing his Godly Energy into them in the process. He was immersed in the act of cooking, feeling all his tension wash away.

It was a feeling of zen that he hadn't experienced for a long time. After a series of tense situations, he was finally at some momentary peace without any sense of urgency.

"Oh no, you don't! He's coming! Gotta run before he catches you~" A playful voice resounded in his ears as Krune's enjoyment was stopped midway. He immediately slashed his knife in the air as he said, "Materialize if you dare, Little Cally. I'll chop you into a million pieces and make soup out of you!"

"Ahh, I love the God Realm. I have a lot of variables to use to pull your leg. On top of that, everything works at a low-cost, low-effort scheme. It's a lot of fun, haha," Little Cally's amused voice soon resounded.

Nevertheless, Krune's focus wasn't on its words. To be more exact, he no longer had the mood to cook. Krune felt his heart speed up, thumping in an agitated state as he could hear the heartbeats in his ear.

'Something's definitely up.' Ever since his understanding of the Calamity Laws had deepened, he was able to sense the approach of danger…that Little Cally had obviously concocted. So, Krune immediately realized that if he wasted any more time, his life would be in danger.

"Yulian! We have to leave!" Krune shouted at the top of his lungs, "Something feels off!"

Without even bothering to place the ingredients he had taken out back into his storage ring, Krune dashed forth immediately. While on the run, he took out some Rank One God Stones and piled them up in his pocket, activating the Mind Splitting Technique as he concentrated on siphoning a thin stream of Godly Energy into himself.

This way, he ensured his expenditure wouldn't become unsustainable as he used the Godly Energy to recover from his fatigue. Without delay, Yulian chased after Krune instantly, soon catching up to him.

They sprinted at their maximum pace. As for Yulian, he didn't know the reason, deciding to just trust in Krune's instincts. Besides, his job description was just to protect Krune's life. With that, the moment Krune began to run, he had to chase after him whether he liked it or not.

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Author's note: I released a new project called The Ascension Age, check it out if you like this type of work.