The countless stars glimmered in the night sky like jewels, with the moon as their crown, giving a magnificent view to anyone who looked up.
The night looked so peaceful, with darkness covering the entire world.
In the midst of the darkness, a figure moved as if he were sliding forward, traveling at incredible speed.
Sometimes, he pushed off using one of his feet, and at that moment, his body was propelled much faster. He then let his body continue moving forward, maintaining a posture as if he were sliding across the water.
With his hands behind his back, he carried the bearing of a powerful master.
Despite moving at incredible speed, the wind seemed to have minimal effect on him.
Zayden had already left the abyss for more than half an hour and was moving toward the east.
He knew the direction by looking at the position of the stars.
His face was calm.
However, he remained wary of his surroundings. He sharpened his hearing and vision to catch anything nearby.
He did not use his spiritual sense to prevent himself from being detected by someone sensing his spiritual sense.
With his newfound power, there was one thing that he considered a weakness.
That was, everything about him was pretty much more overbearing than in the past.
His aura, his presence, everything.
Just like a dragon.
Why did he call that a weakness?
That was because once anyone detected even the slightest trace of his presence, it would become much more difficult for him to hide himself again.
Especially if they were cultivators at the eighth or ninth stage. They could instantly pinpoint his location from that single trace.
That was why he had to be careful when unleashing his spiritual sense at a time like this, when he did not know whether he would encounter stronger cultivators.
Moreover, he did not know the current situation of the continent after five years.
If the war was still ongoing, it would be bad for him if he attracted the unwanted attention of the five factions.
As Zayden kept moving forward, he felt that something was strange.
The surroundings were much quieter than he had expected.
In the past, every certain distance, there would always be a battle taking place.
Even if it was only between small groups from different factions.
With his sharp hearing, he should at least be able to hear something in the distance.
But he had not heard anything at all since he left the abyss.
’Had the war already ended during these five years?’
Zayden became even more worried. His uneasiness continued to grow.
What about his family’s fate? His parents? His siblings?
What about his wife and daughter?
Zayden quickened his pace.
His master remained silent despite sensing the turmoil within his heart.
However, the dragon, who merely continued observing, knew that Zayden had to prepare himself to face whatever reality awaited him.
’I hope that fate has been kind to your family. But if not... I hope you can control yourself when you face that cruel reality,’ the dragon thought to himself.
Zayden continued moving toward the east, where the Vermion Empire was located.
The distance from the abyss to the westernmost border of the Vermion Empire was more than five thousand kilometers.
Zayden’s current speed was two kilometers per second, much faster than his previous movement technique.
If he did not stop, he could reach the border in less than an hour.
And indeed, after a few more minutes, he finally caught sight of the Vermion Empire’s border.
He stopped on top of one of the tree branches and looked toward what appeared to be a long wall stretching from south to north.
That was the border wall of the Vermion Empire facing the direction of the abyss.
Built in the ancient past for defense against the other empires, this part of the border acted as the first line of defense.
Not far from the border wall was a city. It was one of the biggest border cities in the Vermion Empire.
Bakdum City.
He needed to visit the city first to learn more about the current situation before visiting his family.
He needed information.
Luckily, he had arrived near one of the border gates. In the distance, he could see a giant gate in the wall where many people and carriages were trying to enter despite it being night.
It was a sight that he had not seen since the Great War began.
In the past, before the Great War began, many people would still enter the empire through this gate.
But when the Great War began, activities along the border were drastically reduced.
Security was strengthened, and many people coming from other territories could no longer enter the empire.
Added to the fact that battles sometimes broke out near the border, or even within the empire itself, people became afraid to leave their own territories.
But seeing the long line of people who seemed eager to enter the empire, Zayden knew that a great change had taken place over the past five years, one that had given people the courage to travel once again.
’The wall is guarded by the troops from Bakdum, and if nothing has changed in the way they guard it, then there should be a seventh-stage cultivator serving as the commander responsible for this section of the wall. What was that man’s name again? Ah, yes... Eldric,’ Zayden thought as he continued observing the gate.
’If I simply use my movement technique to pass over the wall, I would most likely be detected by Eldric and all of the patrols. It looks like I’ll still have to enter through the gate.’
After deciding on his next move, the muscles on Zayden’s face suddenly moved in an unnatural pattern before his face transformed into a completely different one.
He became much older and less charming.
Body Transformation, First Phase: Changing Appearance.
Not only did his face change, but his body also became much different from his original one.
That was a transformation technique he had also learned in the subspace.
The first phase only changed the outer appearance.
There were other phases, and at those levels, even a person’s aura could be altered.
But Zayden had not reached that level yet.
After changing his appearance, he quickly approached the line of people waiting to enter the empire.
He simply walked over without drawing any attention and took his place in line.
He fully retracted his aura and acted like a tired middle-aged man.
A few people at the back saw him, but they ignored him.
The sight of someone like Zayden was common, so they assumed he was just another ordinary traveler wanting to enter the empire.
Zayden did not bother with them and simply stood there in silence.
"Hey, did you hear the latest report about the Battle of Red Diamond Valley?"
"Yeah, I heard it too. It looks like our empire’s forces are getting closer to the capital of the Relguis Empire. I think its fall is already only a matter of time."
Zayden suddenly heard the conversation between the two people in front of him.
He frowned deeply.
’The Battle of Red Diamond Valley? Are they talking about the Red Diamond Valley within the territory of the Relguis Empire? That valley is located near the imperial province where the capital of the Relguis Empire is situated. The war has already reached that far?’
He thought solemnly.
From what they had said, it seemed that the war was still ongoing.
He decided to walk over to the two people, who were still discussing the matter.
"Excuse me."
After hearing Zayden’s greeting, the two of them turned to look at him.
They only glanced at Zayden for a moment before one of them, a man with short brown hair, replied.
"Yes?"
"I’m sorry, but I overheard what you were talking about. Regarding the Battle of Red Diamond Valley, could you tell me more about the report you heard?" Zayden asked.
"Well, I heard from a merchant I met on my way here that news had come from Red Diamond Valley. The troops led by General Ansfil defeated the troops led by General Goward," the brown-haired man replied.
There was obvious excitement in his voice.
"It was said that the Relguis Empire’s forces suffered heavy casualties. Many of their seventh- and eighth-stage cultivators died."
Zayden’s expression turned solemn.
’To think that General Ansfil has already reached that far. That means the Vermion Empire’s forces have most likely already occupied most of the eastern side of the Relguis Empire. If that’s the case... does that mean the other three factions have already been defeated?’
Zayden thought that because the Relguis Empire was located on the opposite side of the continent from the Vermion Empire.
It lay in the western region of the continent, so reaching it required circling around the Abyss and passing through the territories of the other factions.
Zayden doubted that those factions would have simply allowed the Vermion Empire’s forces to pass through.
With the Heavenly Sword having fallen into the hands of the Vermion Empire, even he could imagine that the remaining factions would have formed a temporary alliance against the Vermion Empire.
"I think that’s thanks to His Highness, the Second Prince. Because he managed to gain the support of the Turkan Kingdom, which belonged to the Relguis Empire’s faction, the forces of the Relguis Empire were caught completely off guard by their betrayal."
The man beside the brown-haired man said.
The moment those words left his mouth, the two men suddenly sensed a change in Zayden.
A faint trace of his aura leaked out, and his expression darkened.
The two men were startled by the sudden change and unconsciously took several steps back.
It was obvious that Zayden was restraining his fury!