The Cunning Treasure Hunter-Chapter 156: Shadows of the Little Heavenly Demon

The Heavenly Demon lives.

That voice echoed endlessly in his mind.

Ebon Akrest sat at his Clan Leader’s Office desk, clutching his head and groaning.

"Damn it..."

He should have noticed something was wrong earlier.

He should never have entered that place.

He should have forced his father to deal with it instead, no matter the consequences.

Even if he had been scolded for it—

At least, he wouldn’t have been tainted by Demonic energy and reduced to this state.

Grinding his teeth, Ebon Akrest slammed his fist onto the desk.

His nerves were frayed, sharpened by the corruption.

And just then—

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock came at the door.

It was Theron.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ebon Akrest forced his voice to respond.

"Come back later. Not now."

"...Understood."

Beyond the door, Theron narrowed his eyes before turning away.

He had sensed something in this room.

After all, Theron was a genius—

A man born with the talent and intuition to roam this era as he pleased.

And he was also the next Clan Leader.

’That was definitely Demonic energy…’

He knew of the sealed head of the Demonic Cult’s Young Lord in this place.

And he knew that the Clan Leader was tasked with watching over it.

But more than that—

He knew that his father was not the right person for such a responsibility.

This was not about martial prowess.

This was about whether his father was a man of unshakable will.

And in that regard—

Ebon Akrest was weaker than Theron himself.

Gazing at the Clan Leader’s Office, Theron turned away.

There was no affection left in him for his father.

A man who had spent his entire life jealous of his own son.

A man unworthy of respect.

Instead—

The one Theron remembered most vividly was not his father—

But the girl who had handed him his first defeat.

Never before had he believed someone of his age to be truly unbeatable.

The sheer, overwhelming gap in their skills had left behind something more than just defeat.

It had left behind admiration.

"...Vera."

Just speaking her name made his blood boil.

A single thought took root—

That he couldn’t afford to waste time idly resting.

Theron gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist.

The very blade that had accompanied him in every victory—

And every defeat.

"I should train."

Meanwhile, in the Clan Leader’s Office, a father listened to the sound of his son’s footsteps fading away—

And let out a breath of relief.

A proper father would not have done this.

The Sword Sovereign was still alive.

If he had told Theron, the Sword Sovereign Zephyrion Akrest would have come to deal with it.

But Theron’s judgment was correct.

Ebon Akrest simply did not want his weakness to be seen by his son.

If only that sentiment had come from fatherly love—

It would have been heartwarming.

But it wasn’t.

That was the tragedy of it all.

The reason he kept his condition a secret from Theron was simple.

He was afraid of being mocked by his own son.

His son, Theron—

And his father, Sword Sovereign Zephyrion Akrest—

The two of them had always understood each other since Theron was a child.

But Ebon Akrest had never been part of that.

Not once in his life had he received his father’s approval.

To the Sword Sovereign, he had always been lacking—

A son unworthy.

And so, he had sworn never to be the same kind of father.

He was not a genius.

Yes, he had reached mid-stage Transcendence Realm in his forties—

But that was only thanks to the endless elixirs and resources poured into him.

By comparison—

What about Theron?

It hadn’t even been half a year since his duel with Vera.

And yet, he had already surpassed the early stage of Peak Realm—

Now charging toward its pinnacle.

His hands had already touched the wall of Transcendence Realm—

And he was striving to break through.

At the same age, Ebon Akrest had merely reached Peak Realm—

And had struggled for years to progress further.

He simply could not understand his son.

And misunderstanding breeds fear.

All fear stems from the unknown.

Unknowingly—

Ebon Akrest had begun to avoid his son.

Like a king who banishes a brilliant crown prince, fearing for his own throne.

It was only natural for him to feel threatened.

But if he had been a man of greater character—

If he had reached out to his son, instead of letting his misunderstanding, fear, and prejudice dictate his actions—

His life might have been happier.

And far more peaceful.

Great Master Thorne’s Residence.

Three figures sat around a small table.

Great Master Thorne, Aiden, and Vera.

Beside them was a single ceramic urn—

An urn containing the ashes of Aetheris.

The white, powdered remains had been personally gathered by Great Master Thorne, placed into the urn with his own hands.

Sitting in the presence of the dead—

The air grew needlessly solemn.

Even Vera found himself hesitant to break the silence, merely sipping the Imperial Green Tea that Great Master Thorne had poured for him.

Aiden was no different.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Great Master Thorne broke the silence himself.

He wished to discuss what lay ahead.

"So, what do you plan to do about Aetheris?"

He wasn’t asking about burial or cremation.

Officially, Aetheris still existed within Mount Suncrest.

Though now, he was nothing but a corpse.

And yet, for the past several days—

No one had seen him.

Even Aiden hadn’t.

Something had clearly gone terribly wrong during that time.

Over the past two weeks—

Aetheris had disappeared.

Vera had discovered a cave tainted with Demonic energy.

And the body of the Demonic Cult’s Young Lord had escaped, finding a new vessel.

"I need to think about it carefully. If handled correctly, we may be able to use this incident to our advantage."

"Use it?"

"Yes. There is a way, even without informing the Sect Leader."

Vera glanced at Aiden.

"What kind of plan allows us to bypass both Senior Brother and the Sect Leader?"

"We spread a rumor."

Vera tilted his head.

A rumor?

Surely, such rumors would eventually reach the Sect Leader anyway.

But what rumor was he suggesting?

And how would it be spread?

"If we aren’t careful, we might end up being the ones accused instead."

"That won’t happen. Because the rumor we’re spreading—

Is the truth."

Aiden shrugged.

"We will simply state that Aetheris has been missing recently—

And no one knows where he has gone."

Great Master Thorne raised an eyebrow.

It was a solid plan.

Aetheris’s disappearance was an indisputable fact.

And it wouldn’t be suspicious if Aiden, Vera, or even Great Master Thorne brought it up.

This was Mount Suncrest, a sect where everyone lived together.

If someone who was regularly seen suddenly vanished—

Wouldn’t it be natural for people to start talking?

And if the rumor gained traction, both the Sect Leader and Aetheris’s master, Magnus—

Would be forced to respond.

Otherwise, it would be seen as evidence of their utter neglect toward their own disciple.

"Once the rumor spreads… they will have no choice but to react."

Aiden drained the last of his tea and set his cup down.

Then, he rose to his feet.

Great Master Thorne smiled at him from his seat.

"Don’t be too hasty."

"Honestly, how could I not be?"

The Young Lord of the Demonic Cult —

A being often referred to as Little Heavenly Demon.

He had awakened from his long seal—

And now he was creating puppets to do his bidding.

Whether he was operating in secrecy, or with the Sect Leader’s silent approval—

Either way, it was a serious problem.

If the former—

Then the Sect Leader was incompetent.

If the latter—

Then he was a traitor.

Both were grave offenses.

And then, there was still the matter of Tianzheng’s warning—

A matter they had yet to fully investigate.

The Akrest Clan’s tragedy in Eastern Mountain could happen here as well.

It was only a possibility, but—

It was one they couldn’t afford to ignore.

And if that possibility became reality—

Then Mount Suncrest would burn.

To kill the Sword Sovereign—

Mount Suncrest needed to remain standing.

A final duel was inevitable.

But before that—

His forces needed to be dismantled.

That could only be achieved by equal force.

A weakened Mount Suncrest would never stand a chance.

It had to be whole.

Only a whole Mount Suncrest could shatter the heavens.

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They would have to rely on the righteousness of the brave.

But history had proven—

That righteousness alone rarely accomplished anything.

"…Let’s go, Vera."

"Yes, Master."

The Young Lord of the Demonic Cult had thrown everything into chaos.

Initially, they hadn’t even considered the Demonic Cult as a major factor.

They had assumed it to be nothing more than the scattered remnants of the fallen Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

They had never thought they would pose a real threat.

But whether it was due to someone’s incompetence—

Or some fool’s ambition—

Little Heavenly Demon had returned.

And as if on cue—

Light Emperor’s Envoy had appeared as well.

And Demon Blade Lord Valen had joined forces with the Demonic Cult.

Ignoring them as variables—

Would be a failure as a strategist.

Aiden clenched his fists.

He needed to find Aria Everstone—

And adjust the plan.