WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

"Master, please… let me handle him," Cloudia whispered softly into Reon's ear.

Reon, who had just begun channeling Sword Aura into his blade to deflect the ambush, halted at her words.

"…Alright," he said calmly.

Still hugging Reon, Cloudia extended her slender right hand with effortless grace.

The dagger—coated in Pinnacle-Stage Green Dagger Aura—was just inches from Reon's neck… when it suddenly froze mid-air, suspended before Cloudia's delicate fingers.

"…What?!"

The man cloaked in dark robes stared, eyes wide in disbelief.

"H-How is this possible?!"

No matter how much force he exerted, the dagger refused to move past her hand.

His expression twisted.

"Urgh!"

A soft push from Cloudia sent him flying backward—

BOOM!

He crashed into a thick tree trunk with bone-jarring force, shattering it clean in half.

Even Reon, calm as he was, looked on in slight shock.

"…Cloudia, what did you just do? How did you stop such a strong attack so effortlessly?"

"Hehe~" Cloudia smiled brightly.

"Master, over the past week, I haven't just grown stronger in my Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline… but also in my Mist Cloud Fox Bloodline."

"I've fully awakened the Mist Aura from that bloodline and refined it all the way to 6-Star. I even gained a few new abilities from it~"

"…Really?" Reon blinked, stunned.

"Hehe, yes~"

Reon stared at her glowing face in amazement.

"Mist Aura? And perfected to Star-6… in just a week? That's nearly impossible!"

'A normal Mist Cloud Fox takes over a decade to merely awaken Mist Aura. Even the most gifted ones need at least a year. And perfecting it to Star-6? Most wouldn't achieve that in a lifetime.'

'So this… this is her true potential—as a High-Level Daughter of Heaven—finally revealing itself… ever since she awakened her Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline.'

He took a breath and spoke warmly.

"That's amazing, Cloudia. You've far exceeded my expectations. Your growth in just one week… it's truly incredible."

"Hehe~ Praise me more, Master~" she giggled sweetly.

"Of course. As much as you want," Reon chuckled, before turning behind him. "But first… we need to deal with him."

The attacker was already on his feet, charging again.

"Alright," Cloudia nodded and dashed forward like a streak of mist and moonlight.

Clang!

She effortlessly intercepted his strike, her hands coated in a barely visible layer of Mist Aura.

She moved like a phantom—dodging, parrying, and counterattacking with flawless grace.

Reon watched from behind, eyes gleaming with admiration.

'Woah… what beautiful movements. Cloudia's fighting style was always elegant, but now… it's something beyond elegance.'

Then his gaze sharpened.

'And this bastard… I recognized him even though he wore a cloak in the secret realm to avoid being noticed.'

'He is Meng Sing, one of the top Inner Disciples of the Azura Dragon Sect—an expert in assassination arts and sheath techniques, a masterful dagger wielder who has reached the Proficient Level of Dagger Adept.'

'In the novel, he was a Stage-1 Golden Core Realm when he fought Yang Lie… but now, he's Stage-2.'

'Yet even with that, he's struggling to keep up with Cloudia.'

Within moments of their clash, Cloudia had completely overpowered Meng Sing.

Reon calmly walked forward, his eyes fixed on the scene.

'He may be stronger overall,' Reon thought, 'but unlike Shen Zhi, he hasn't cultivated Body Energy. That makes him far more vulnerable to Aura-based attacks.'

'And with Cloudia having reached the Low-Ranked Demonic Elite Beast… not to mention awakening Mist Aura… he doesn't stand a chance.'

'Even without tapping into her Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline, he's already outmatched.'

As Reon stepped closer, he saw Meng Sing kneeling on the forest floor, head bowed in defeat.

Cloudia stood gracefully beside him, her aura still crackling faintly.

Reon slowly pointed his sword at the assassin's neck and spoke in a cold, calm voice.

"Meng Sing… I'll ask a few questions. If you answer truthfully, I'll grant you a painless death."

Meng Sing's eyes widened.

"W-What?! You… you know my name?!"

"Of course I do. Now choose… will you talk, or would you rather die screaming—burned to ash like Shen Zhi?"

Meng Sing's thoughts raced in panic.

'He even knows about Shen Zhi? Damn it! Shen Zhi should've been able to kill him easily, but this fox… she appeared out of nowhere.'

'She possesses monstrous strength… Golden hair, golden ears, two golden tails…and she can take human form without even reaching the rank of a High-Tier Demonic Elite Beast?'

'I'd wager she's at least of Noble Lineage… a Nine-Tailed Fox. And that Mist Aura… could she have a Dual Bloodline?'

'What an extraordinary and unpredictable variable!'

'I must report her existence to the Elders. For now… I'll play along and wait for the right moment to escape.'

"Hey. Why the silence?"

Reon's cold voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Alright… I'll answer whatever you want," Meng Sing replied reluctantly.

"Good. First question—how many of you infiltrated this Secret Realm?"

Reon's eyes narrowed.

'In the novel, it was six. Let's see how things have changed.'

"There are eight of us," Meng Sing answered.

'Just as I thought. Their strength and numbers both increased...'

"Second—are all of you moving in pairs like Shen Zhi and you?"

"Yes. Groups of two."

"Third… how did you manage to hide yourselves so well in the sect without anyone noticing?"

Meng Sing smirked.

"Hehehe… did you really think we had no backing in the Supreme Dao Sect? How foolish. We also used special artifacts to conceal our cultivation and pretended to be some of the weakest Inner Disciples."

'So… there were spies embedded deep within…'

"Fourth question. How many spies are among the Elders? And give me their names."

But this time, Meng Sing didn't answer immediately.

Instead, a wide, sinister grin spread across his face.

"Heh…"

Reon's eyes narrowed. 'No… he's up to something—!'

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted.

Swoosh!

In an instant, a thick, suffocating smoke engulfed the area.

"Damn it!" Reon growled. 'I can't see anything!'

His vision was completely obscured.

'Cloudia's Mist never affected me since I'm her master… but this… this is different.'

Swoosh!

Reon instinctively swung his sword, dark aura crackling along the blade.

But the dense smoke refused to clear.

'Tch! A high-grade smoke bomb. That was his backup plan all along!'

He gritted his teeth.

'Damn it. What now…?'