The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6593

Jared looked into Cedric's eyes.

There was no evasiveness in those red-gold eyes. No guilt. Only a kind of honesty so complete it almost looked real.

But Jared knew Cedric was lying again.

A soul crystal really was a rare treasure, but compared to it, the sword was worth even more.

There was no way Cedric would give up the soul crystal and settle for only the sword.

Unless there was something wrong with the soul crystal.

"Master Blackwell is being awfully generous. I'm embarrassed to accept."

Jared's voice stayed even. "You keep the soul crystal, Master Blackwell. I'll just take the sword."

Cedric's smile froze.

He looked into Jared's eyes and found no room there for negotiation.

Silence hung between them for a moment.

Then Cedric smiled.

"Mr. Chance, the soul crystal really does have a problem."

There was a trace of bitterness in his voice. "That soul crystal doesn’t just contain that being’s memories and cultivation insights.

It also contains its obsession.

"If someone absorbs it directly, that obsession will eat away at them. At best, they’ll lose control and fall into deviation. At worst, they’ll be body-snatched."

"The Abyssal Exchange has a way to purge the obsession from the soul crystal, but it takes a long time. And you don’t have that kind of time, Mr. Chance. You also don’t have the means."

He paused, looking straight into Jared’s eyes. "I’m not trying to harm you.

I just want your help retrieving the soul crystal."

"Once we have it, I’ll take it back to the Abyssal Exchange and have it purified. When that’s done, I’ll personally deliver it to you. If you don’t believe me, I can swear on the heart of the Way."

A vow on the heart of the Way.

For a cultivator, there was no oath heavier than that. If it was broken, the heart of the Way would shatter, and their cultivation would be ruined.

If Cedric dared swear to that, then this time, he wasn’t lying.

Jared was quiet for a moment, then gave a small nod.

"All right."

A flicker of delight flashed through Cedric’s eyes, but it vanished almost at once.

"Then I’ll be in your debt, Mr. Chance."

By then, the giant skeleton had fully risen from the rubble.

It stood roughly 100 yards tall, its dark-gold frame stark against the gray sky.

Ghostly green flames roared in its eye sockets, like twin will-o'-wisps flickering in the dark.

Its jaws opened in a soundless roar, and the vibration turned into a tangible shockwave that blasted outward in every direction.

Where the shockwave passed, the ground peeled up, broken stone was pulverized, and the spiritual essence in the air was thrown into chaos.

Cedric withdrew with the cultivators of the Abyssal Exchange, leaving the field to Jared.

Jared stood before the skeleton with the Dragonslayer Sword across his body, violet chaos-flame streaming along the blade.

The skeleton lowered its head and looked at him. The ghostly green flames in its sockets flickered once.

Then it lifted one massive foot and stomped down on him.

The descending foot blotted out the sky, like a small mountain dropping from above, carrying enough force to crush any cultivator below the Golden Immortal Realm into paste.

Jared didn’t retreat.

The Dragonslayer Sword slashed upward, and a violet sword-arc crashed into the descending foot with a shriek of metal on metal.

The strike carved a deep mark into the foot, but it didn’t sever it. It only knocked it slightly off course, and the stomp slammed into the ground beside Jared instead.

"Boom..."

The impact blasted a pit several yards deep into the earth. Broken stone sprayed everywhere, and a tower of dust roared into the sky.

Jared seized the opening and shot forward, racing up along the skeleton’s leg.

Chaotic force gathered underfoot, letting him run over bone as if he were on level ground.

He moved fast—so fast that in the blink of an eye, he had already reached the skeleton’s waist.

The skeleton seemed to sense where he was. Its enormous hand came slamming toward its own waist.

Jared sprang clear of the descending hand and landed on one of the skeleton's ribs.

Jared leaped out of the collapsing skeleton, landed in front of Cedric, and held out the soul crystal to him.

Cedric took it, and a hot gleam flashed through his red-gold eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Chance."

He couldn't quite hide the excitement in his voice.

"I'll purify the soul crystal as quickly as possible and deliver it to you."

Jared gave a small nod and said nothing.

His gaze dropped to Gloamdeep in Cedric's hand.

Dusky-gold light shimmered along the blade under the sun, throwing off a strange, unsettling sheen.

That sword was even stronger than the Dragonslayer Sword.

But Jared didn't want it.

Because it was a sacrifice—an offering prepared for some unknown being.

Whoever held it would draw that being's attention.

If Cedric wanted that attention on him, that was his business.

Jared didn't.

And there was one more reason.

Clara was inside the Dragonslayer Sword, and in Jared's heart, she was no mere sword spirit anymore.

Clara was his woman.

No matter how precious the prize, he would never trade his own woman for it.

"Master Blackwell, where are we headed next?" Jared asked.

Cedric put away the soul crystal and Gloamdeep, then drew out the jade slip from his sleeve. He sent his spirit sense into it, and a moment later looked up and pointed southwest.

"Five hundred miles to the southwest, there's a tomb left by one of the ancient mighty ones. A Voidrealm master's remains are buried there. Among the burial goods should be a Storage Ring, and inside it there ought to be a large amount of emberstone crystal, healing elixirs, and arcane implements."

Five hundred miles.

Another full day on the road.