Chapter 133

Chapter 133

By now, James had no choice but to come clean. "The king really does see everything coming."

He turned to Noe, who looked totally lost, and explained, "My real name is James."

The others started giving their real names one by one.

Noe let out a breath and looked at Evelyn with a sad face. She pointed at her and James. "So you two aren't really married?"

James said it straight, "The marriage part is real."

Noe looked ready to cry. "You guys really let me down. I actually bought your fake names."

Everyone who got called out looked away, feeling awkward.

Beck asked why they stayed. James said it was to return a favor. The people who stole Umbral Infusion showed up first, and they came to Uruguay later. Beck probably already guessed how things would turn out when he heard they were being hunted.

James asked Beck if he was scared. "Nightmare" had a bad rep and had pissed off people from the Hidden World. As the ruler of a small country, wasn't he worried?

Beck caught what he meant. "Mr. Smith has friends in the Hidden World too, right?"

James paused for a second, then smiled lightly. "You mean White Owl?"

Beck nodded.

James leaned back in his chair and exchanged a look with Chris.

"Umbral Infusion is supposed to be some legendary Cultivation Technique. They say it can push past the peak of Cultivation Level. Have you tried it, Your Majesty? Do you know what it really does?"

Beck shook his head and said it was all just rumors.

James told the king that the people outside eyeing Umbral Infusion were all Dark Cultivators, and he called out their so-called "backup" for what it really was.

James's eyes shifted. He looked toward the hall outside. The moment he entered the palace, he'd felt some kind of pressure. At first he thought it was nothing, but now he realized it was the Dark Energy inside him stirring. "Your Majesty, is there something in the palace that holds back Dark Energy?"

If there wasn't, those people would've already broken in instead of hanging around outside.

Beck froze, thinking hard. Suddenly his eyes widened. He stood up and pointed at the throne. "The palace has been renovated plenty of times over the years, but that throne has never been touched. It was passed down from my ancestors, so I never dared to move it. Is the thing you're talking about inside it?"

James stood up. "Mind if I take a closer look?"

Beck stepped aside. "Go ahead, Mr. Smith."

James didn't hold back. He walked up the steps and stepped onto the throne. Right away, he felt the Dark Energy in his body start to churn. He smiled and nodded at Beck. "You were right. That's what it is. It's keeping them from entering the palace."

James went back to his seat and looked at Manuel. "Do you know anything that can counter Dark Energy?"

Manuel tapped the table with his fingers. "There's an old story about a gem called 'Demon Soul' that can suppress evil. Whether that's what's in the throne, I don't know."

Beck sat back down, looking a little calmer. "Either way, as long as it's here, they won't dare to force their way in."

He turned to James. "White Owl was right about you. Mr. Smith always knows how to make people feel at ease."

James didn't really agree or disagree. He just said, "Your Majesty, this is just a guess. But since we're here, even if they do break in, we've got the strength to fight."

After they finished talking, everyone left. Before walking out of the hall, James glanced at Beck again.

Manuel caught the look and raised an eyebrow. "He was talking about White Owl?"

Back when they were mercenaries, they used to be friends with White Owl.

Manuel looked James over. The others might not know, but he did—James sensing something under the throne wasn't just a guess. "You were near the 'Demon Soul.' Are you okay?"

James shook his head. "Last night, those two forces crashed and caused an explosion, but it helped. The Dark Energy in me has mixed with my own power. It doesn't affect me much. If anything, it feels like my thoughts are being held down a bit."

He looked outside the palace and said slowly, "At least now we know what they're most afraid of—'Demon Soul.' There are already this many Dark Cultivators."

The Cultivation Techniques Dark Cultivators use are forbidden arts. They're rare but not impossible to find. There aren't many Dark Cultivators in the world, not just because the forbidden arts are hard to get, but because the conditions for training them are extremely strict.

Manuel let out a breath and patted James on the shoulder. "They won't make any big moves for now. Noe made it back safe, so their plan's already blown. Let's rest first. I'll check the area and see if I can set up a formation near the treasury."

James nodded and watched Manuel walk off.

Coldwater City.

Hayden got Evelyn's message that she was safe, but his brows stayed tight. From the start, he'd been against her going to New York. Even knowing James was with her, his worry didn't ease. He had to call Aiden to ask what was going on, but Aiden said it was best to stay out of young people's business. Hayden had to let it go.

After hanging up, Aiden didn't feel any lighter. James never brought something up for no reason. Like the thing about losing his Cultivation Level—if he mentioned it, it usually meant he was in trouble. Aiden felt uneasy and could only flip through books, looking for similar cases.

He turned off his phone and went back to reading. Worrying more wouldn't help. All he could do now was wait for news.

While everyone was worried about James and the others, things in Lunaris were tense. People were scared Parker's anger would land on them.

Parker slowly fixed his cuffs and looked coldly at the middle-aged man standing in front of him, head bowed.

"Xander, I gave you a chance. The Soul Snatcher Pill thing, I can let it slide. Someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, so I'll call it a moment of carelessness."

A cold smile tugged at his lips. "But Beatrice—why did that go so badly? A regular person with no fighting ability, and with so many experts watching her, she still got away. How exactly are you people doing your jobs?"

Xander felt a chill down his back. His legs wouldn't stop shaking. Any excuse now would only make him look useless.

"I messed up. It looks like someone was helping Miss Grace in secret, covering her tracks. We searched all of Coldwater City and couldn't find her. Maybe she's already been quietly sent out of the city."

Parker gave a soft laugh and looked Xander over. "Are you telling me this because you want me to tell you what to do next?"

His tone was calm, but Xander felt like he was hearing the devil whisper. Cold sweat soaked through his back. Parker was always polite and steady, but Xander had seen him kill people—taking lives while chatting like it was nothing, like some demon from hell.

Even though Xander had reached the peak of Lower Five Realms, he knew that against Parker, he wouldn't last long.

"Please, spare me. I'll order a search right away, starting from Coldwater City and spreading out. We'll bring Miss Grace back safe and sound!"

Parker chuckled and casually flipped open a file beside him. "Alive or dead, it doesn't matter. A body works too."

Xander nodded over and over and backed out respectfully.

The second he stepped outside, his whole body went weak. He leaned against the wall, breathing hard. What kind of Lower Five Realms peak expert ended up looking this pathetic?

His subordinate came over, looking worried. "Are you okay?"