Kael and Arjun looted with ruthless efficiency, wasting no time.
After all, harvesting the Essence of the Earth was merely a bonus—Kael's true prize was the Water Dragon's legacy.
"Such a massive Essence…" Kael's eyes suddenly blazed. One puppet soldier's forehead bore an exceptionally large crystal, its energy purer and denser than any he'd seen.
This Essence radiated a deep earthen glow, embedded prominently in the puppet's brow, impossible to overlook.
"This single piece surpasses the combined value of all the Essences we've collected so far!"
Kael's pulse quickened. While the Essences were already treasures, this one warranted immediate action.
"Storm of Thunder!" Kael unleashed the spell. Above him, clouds churned, lightning weaving a net of blinding radiance.
The thunderbolt struck true. The puppet howled—a bestial, guttural roar—yet dared not retaliate, constrained by its terror of the stele.
Kael smirked. Seizing the moment, he chanted faster—
Hand of the Thunder God!
The colossal palm slammed down, lightning shearing through the puppet's neck like parchment. Another flick of Kael's wrist, and the Essence flew into his grasp.
"This one is different!"
Astonishment flickered across Kael's face. The Essence pulsed with primordial energy, its purity defying belief—a concentration of the earth's very essence.
"How? How does a mere puppet carry something this potent?" This level of refinement could solidify his foundation, even fuel another breakthrough.
But now wasn't the time for absorption. The broader mission took precedence.
The energy contained within this Essence of the Earth was terrifyingly potent—even rarer and purer than the Millennium Ice Soul Kael had obtained during his academic travels.
A single absorption might propel him past the threshold of Level Nine!
Yet the bitter lesson from the Millennium Ice Soul lingered. Kael resisted the urge to use it immediately, storing the Essence carefully instead.
Arjun's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets at the sight of such a treasure. But at this point, his awe for Kael had eclipsed even envy. The man was an enigma—master of all trades, luckier than fate itself.
"Enough looting. Let's move," Kael urged. Lingering risked unnecessary complications.
Nodding, Arjun pocketed his final Essence, grinning ear to ear. Without Kael, he'd never have reaped such windfalls.
"Hah! This expedition's been legendary. Selling just half these Essences would make me filthy rich—they'll fuel my cultivation straight to Level Nine!" His satisfaction was palpable.
Kael's haul dwarfed even Arjun's. The Darkmoon Godplate, the Arcane Crystal Cannon, and countless relics from the Water Dragon's treasury were already priceless.
Add to that dozens of Essences and the extorted materials from earlier—the total value staggered imagination.
Five million gold coins minimum—and that's not counting the irreplaceable artifacts.The calculation flashed through Kael's mind. A king's ransom indeed.
"Water Dragon's treasures, here we come!" Arjun cackled, already envisioning mountains of glittering spoils beckoning him forward.
Still levitating the stele with magic, Kael and Arjun sped away, their figures vanishing from sight in moments.
"Damn it! They actually got away!" The onlookers erupted in disbelief.
"Idris..." Number One's jaw clenched, his gaze burning with enough fury to flay Kael alive.
Not that Kael spared him a backward glance.
The duo's silhouettes soon disappeared into the distance, leaving the black-armored faction gnashing their teeth in helpless frustration.
Only after putting fifteen minutes and countless obstacles between themselves and the puppet army did Kael finally lower the stele with a relieved exhale.
"Carrying this boulder was no joke," he remarked, rolling his shoulders.
"Brother Idris, your mana reserves are... monstrous," Arjun muttered, awestruck. The fact that Kael had sustained such exertion without even a hint of exhaustion defied all logic.
Kael merely smiled before his eyes sharpened on the path ahead. "There's an illusionary magic array here. If we bypass it, the Water Dragon's trove should lie beyond."
His prowess extended beyond mana—his spiritual sense had detected the anomaly with ease. Given his experience in ancient ruins, such traps were child's play.
Leading the way, Kael breached the array. Light exploded before them like a lantern igniting in darkness.
What unfolded was a vast plain—but one saturated with dense magical elements, its very fabric distinct from the outside world.
At its heart stood a crumbling magic tower, its structure so eroded it was barely recognizable.
Kael frowned. Any mage's tower was constructed from premium materials—let alone one belonging to a legendary figure like the Water Dragon. Even after millennia, such structures should remain intact.
The Eternal Tower of Orlando stood as proof. After three thousand years, it still dominated the Sacred Council's heart.
Yet this tower before them was far too dilapidated—utterly unbefitting its supposed owner.
"Brother Idris, could we be mistaken? This doesn't look like the Water Dragon's work," Arjun muttered, eyeing the crumbling edifice skeptically despite the thick magical energy saturating the air.
Kael shrugged. "No idea. But we're alone here—might as well investigate." With no competitors around, time was on their side.
Arjun agreed. They stepped inside, their footsteps echoing through the hollow interior. Dust coated every surface; the tower seemed barren of anything valuable.
"Strange."
Kael's frown deepened. By all logic, this should be the Water Dragon's inner sanctum—his legacy's resting place. So why...?
Splitting up, they combed through each of the tower's nine precarious levels, mindful of its instability. One wrong step could bring the whole thing down.
"Wait—found something!" Kael's gaze sharpened. Amidst the debris lay a tattered book.
A spellbook, its bronze cover dull with age, its pages brittle and yellowed.
As Kael carefully opened the ancient tome, his eyes gradually brightened with realization:
"These are the Water Dragon's personal notes!"