The Cunning Treasure Hunter - Chapter 145

Chapter 145: The Young Lord’s Awakening
Even as Vera listened, he struggled to follow the conversation.

It wasn’t just because he didn’t understand.

It was because he was grappling with the sheer absurdity of the Demonic Cult’s sorcery—how it completely defied common sense.

They had dismembered a man, sealed his limbs in different locations…

And yet, each severed part retained a shared consciousness, capable of reviving itself by using a host?

Frankly speaking, it was beyond imagination.

Who could have possibly foreseen that such a thing was even possible?

“Vera, are you alright?”

Aiden had noticed the growing pallor on Vera’s face.

Vera barely managed to nod, lowering his head.

From across the room, Great Master Thorne gazed at him silently before speaking in a low voice.

“…Are you troubled?”

“…Yes.”

“What troubles you?”

“The very thought of what they must have done to develop such a technique… it’s horrifying.”

Just how many atrocities had they committed?

Even though he couldn’t picture them clearly, his stomach churned at the mere thought.

Great Master Thorne let out a bitter chuckle and handed Vera a cup of cold water.

“Then, Aiden, what do you plan to do?”

“For now, all we can do is observe… But if we detect someone leaking demonic energy, we’ll need to root them out.”

“They won’t be exposed so easily.”

“No, they won’t. Whoever the host is, their consciousness has likely been overtaken.

In other words, our enemy isn’t a Suncrest disciple—it’s the Demonic Cult’s Young Lord himself.”

Aiden’s fist clenched tightly.

The Demonic Cult’s Young Lord…

A man known as Little Heavenly Demon.

A figure who once stood second only to the leader of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains…

“…Have you ever seen the Young Lord before?”

“The Young Lord…”

Great Master Thorne stroked his beard thoughtfully.

Then, he took a slow sip of medicinal tea he had prepared in advance.

The tea had been steeped with ten times the recommended amount of licorice root, making it surprisingly palatable.

“…Yes, I’ve seen him.”

“What was he like?”

“The Young Lord of the past and the Young Lord of today are not the same person.

He’s had time. Time to grow more cunning… and he certainly hasn’t grown weaker.”

Both Aiden and Vera nodded in agreement.

Right now, all they were dealing with was a single severed left arm.

At worst, maybe a left arm and a left leg.

Even if he had recovered two out of five body parts, his true strength still resided in his core and his head.

That was where his dantian and spiritual consciousness were concentrated.

But he had been sealed away for decades.

And not just sealed—split apart into separate entities.

If he wished to reunite his consciousness, he would stop at nothing.

And if that were to happen…

The martial world would soon be drenched in blood.

“…When you say he’s ‘grown more cunning,’ you mean…?”

“He’s had time.”

“Time?”

“He didn’t die.

For decades, he was trapped in that place, awake but unable to move.

What else would he have done during all those years?

He sharpened his hatred.

He sharpened his blade for vengeance.”

Great Master Thorne’s voice carried a somber weight.

Vera slowly took a sip of the tea placed before him, then set it down carefully.

“…Then we must stop him.”

“Yes. Stopping him is the only option.

If we can root him out before he escapes Suncrest, we can still end this here.

The real problem is… we have to do it without the help of Sect Leader.”

Both Aiden and Vera nodded grimly.

They couldn’t trust Sect Leader.

Not because of his past actions.

But because the underground prison beneath Southern Peak—the place where the Young Lord had been sealed—was something he should have known about.

Yet, he had failed to guard it properly.

Whether it was due to negligence, incompetence…

Or whether he was the one who broke the seal himself…

They couldn’t risk involving him in this matter.

“…So we have to handle this alone.”

Great Master Thorne’s voice carried a trace of concern.

“Isn’t there anyone else we can trust?”

For a moment, Aiden remained deep in thought.

Then, his gaze sharpened as if he had found the answer.

“There is someone we can trust.”

“Oh?”

“And his closed-door training should be coming to an end soon.”

Great Master Thorne and Aiden exchanged a knowing look.

But Vera, completely lost in their conversation, furrowed his brows.

After a moment of hesitation, he quietly raised his hand.

“…Who exactly is coming out of training?”

“You should have heard about him before.

Unlike me, my Junior Martial Brother was born with extraordinary talent.”

“…Ah.”

It was a memory from long ago.

Back when Vera had only just begun training under Aiden.

There had been a conversation—one where Aiden spoke of his own perceptive abilities, the ability to analyze and unravel things…

And of his Junior Martial Brother, who had an innate genius for martial arts.

A man named Kael.

A martial prodigy who had earned the title “Suncrest Sword Dragon”—the most exceptional talent of his generation.

And the very same man who, upon reaching the threshold of transcendence, had sealed himself away for three years in a cave for closed-door cultivation.

“Has he reached the Transformation Realm?”

“He hasn’t.”

Aiden’s question was met with Great Master Thorne’s firm shake of the head.

The ability that Great Master Thorne and Aiden shared was their discernment of people.

Especially when it came to talent and potential.

To Great Master Thorne, while Kael was undoubtedly one of the greatest martial artists of his generation…

He did not possess the level of talent needed to reach the Transformation Realm by his thirties.

There was only one person in the current generation who had the potential to reach the Transformation Realm in their twenties.

That was Theron, the Young Lord of the Akrest Clan, and grandson of the legendary Sword Sovereign, Zephyrion Akrest.

And beyond that…

If there was anyone in the world who could reach the Transformation Realm before even turning twenty…

There was only one person.

Their disciple.

The monster of the Celestial Blade Star—Vera.

“…Even so, that brat should have at least reached the peak of the Supreme Realm or somewhere close, right? He’ll be a valuable asset.”

“At the very least, he’ll be more useful than me.”

Aiden’s self-deprecating remark made Great Master Thorne chuckle softly.

Then, with a weak fist, he lightly knocked Aiden on the forehead.

“You have no shame, do you? Talking like that in front of a half-dead Great Grandmaster and a disciple who’s practically a newborn?”

Vera’s eyes widened.

‘I’m not that young…’

But after glancing at Great Master Thorne’s age, he quickly sealed his lips.

After all, he was only fourteen.

To someone like Great Master Thorne, he might as well have been born yesterday.

“…So, you’re planning to seek Kael’s help?”

“It’s not a bad idea, is it?”

“Yes. First, we need to identify the host, but after that, we’ll need to subdue them… and we don’t know what might happen.”

“Exactly. If the host turns out to be someone from the Elder ranks or even a First Generation Disciple, it’ll be troublesome.”

The worst-case scenario would be if the host was an Elder who had at least reached the entry level of the Transformation Realm.

Even the First Generation Disciples were mostly Supreme Realm experts, so that would be just as difficult.

And since the host was a vessel for the Young Lord’s body, they would have access to Demonic Energy as well.

“…Vera.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Until I call for you, stay by Great Grandmaster Great Master Thorne’s side.”

Vera glanced between Great Master Thorne and Aiden.

He understood what Aiden meant.

Right now, Great Master Thorne was just an ordinary old man.

If he got caught in a battle between Supreme Realm masters or higher…

He would die without a doubt.

“Aiden.”

“Great Grandmaster… Please don’t refuse. This is truly dangerous.”

“I know that.”

Great Master Thorne looked at Vera silently for a moment before speaking.

“…But Vera is already a warrior standing at the peak of the Supreme Realm.

Wouldn’t it be better to use him as a combat asset?”

Vera immediately understood the meaning behind his words.

He was being told to fight.

“…I will do so willingly.”

“Then, who will guard Great Master Thorne?”

“You, of course. Or are you planning to throw yourself into the battle between Supreme Realm masters?”

Aiden fell silent.

But that was simply the reality of the situation.

Even though Aiden had reached the entry level of the Supreme Realm…

He was still only at the threshold.

He had yet to even fully manifest his sword aura.

If he ended up in direct combat with the host of the Young Lord…

The main fighting force would undoubtedly be Vera, Kael, and Damien.

If they were lucky, perhaps one or two other First Generation Disciples or Elders would secretly assist them.

That… was Great Master Thorne’s task to handle.

“I’ll try to persuade some of the other Elders. Those who might be willing to assist us without alerting the Sect Leader.”

“…Are you sure that’s wise? There’s a risk involved.”

“These are men I’ve spent fifty years living alongside.

At the very least, I know who hates whom.”

Great Master Thorne let out a dry chuckle as he cleared the tea table.

The tea had gone cold long ago, and the leaves had lost their flavor.

But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that this conversation had given them an opportunity—a chance to prevent an irreversible disaster from falling upon Suncrest Sect.

“…Alright. Just remember—we cannot allow ourselves to be exposed.

Under no circumstances can the enemy realize that we know the truth.”

If that happened…

They would have only two options left.

At Great Master Thorne’s words, Vera tilted his head slightly.

“…Two options?”

“They could either hide and flee…”

Or—

Aiden had already anticipated the next words.

Great Master Thorne hesitated for a moment.

Should he really speak of something so cruel?

Then again…

Vera had always lived a life of cruelty.

If he withheld the truth now, how could he expect him to stand alongside them in the battles to come?

“…Or they could try to burn Suncrest to the ground.”