Eternal Thief

Ace saw the three red fate points and couldn't help but frown because the terrain where this silver fate location was starting was actually inside the left mountain wall.

Furthermore, it was a straight passage, and those three red fate points were all together in this passage. Nevertheless, he was still going to check this place out since it was a silver-fate location.

Ace then made his way toward the passage while keeping an eye out for some other anomaly, but he didn't encounter anything as he reached the entrance. But to his surprise, there was only a mountain wall like the rest of the rift.

If not for his compass, he would've missed this place.

Ace then carefully started to examine the wall; no matter how much he examined, it was a solid mountain.

However, Ace quickly stopped touching the wall because one of the red fate points suddenly moved in the fate map. It was coming right this way, and the speed was quite terrifying.

Ace was completely caught off guard, and he didn't have time to prepare as a powerful soul sense suddenly enveloped the area.

He quickly activated his heartless stealth and used a concealment treasure to conceal himself. Ace then moved as far as he could from the passage.

The other party was probably an early-stage manifestation realm cultivator.

The Soul Manifestation Realm was divided into four stages, Early, Middle, High, and Peak. And each stage could make a world of difference in this realm.

The Soul Manifestation Realm was a massive milestone for any cultivator, and only someone with a peerless foundation has any chance of entering this realm. In contrast, someone with a perfect foundation has only a 5% chance with a stroke of heaven-defying luck in the mix.

In this realm, the lifespan of a cultivator would increase up to 5000 Years!

(AN: Natural Lifespan of 2nd Realm Cultivator = 250 Years / 3rd Realm = 500 years / 4th Realm = 1000 years / 5th Realm = 2500 years / 6th Realm = 5000 Years / 7th Realm = 10,000 Years.)

In the soul manifestation realm, a cultivator could make their soul manifestation anywhere outside their body within their soul sense or marital sense range for a short time, and those manifested souls can be used to attack.

However, this will also expose a manifestation realm cultivator to a bigger risk because if that manifestation soul gets destroyed or wounded, it will be akin to death in the former case and mortal soul injury in the latter.

That was why they would never expose their soul out in the open unless they confirmed that the other party was not a cultivator of a stage higher than them.

Because these manifested souls could only be wound by law-imbued attacks, not with the normal element Qi.

The difference between an Early Stage and a Middle Stage Soul Manifestation Realm could easily be detected from their law comprehension. Because to progress in the soul manifestation realm, one needed to comprehend the same innate Element Law.

Lastly, the sword intent cultivators were dreaded by soul manifestation realm cultivators, and it was taboo to manifest their soul in the presence of a soul cultivator, even if that person was just a Qi soul realm cultivator.

Because sword intent was something that had the Law of Sword in it, and it was the easiest and most difficult form of a law intent. Easiest because a Weapon Intent can be cultivated with a deep understanding of a weapon.

Difficult because comprehending a weapon's intent couldn't be done on a whim like other element laws just because you wanted to comprehend it. Or everyone would be walking on the path of a weapon cultivator in this world.

Sometimes a cultivator who devoted his whole life couldn't cultivate a weapon intent, and sometimes they simply develop it in the moment of battle.

Ace might be strong enough to fight or snuck up on an Early Stage Soul Manifestation Realm cultivator. But a soul manifestation realm with its soul or martial sense active was another story!

He could only hide since a soul manifestation realm, soul sense, or martial sense was quite prone to ill intent.

Ace stopped fifty meters away because that soul sense had become more powerful, and movement within might expose him. Since the other party hadn't discovered him in his stealth, it meant he should be fine as long as he won't make some excessive moment.

If push comes to shove, he could always use a space-step talisman.

But he didn't feel much threatened because of his cultivation rise. If he was still in the Qi sea realm, he had no choice but to run with his full might under the soul sense of a soul manifestation cultivator!

Ace was completely hidden within the darkness as he held his breath while he felt the soul sense still scanning the area.

A soul manifestation realm cultivator's sense rang 10 Miles. It was quite hard to get away from one if they locked on someone.

Furthermore, if they deem you a harmless threat, they can easily manifest their souls as long as you are in the range of their senses and kill you!

Ace was also looking at the fate map, and he could clearly see that whoever this was, they were already standing at the entrance. But he didn't see anyone coming out.

Soon, the soul sense dissipated, but the red fate was still at the entrance.

'Why is no one coming out? Is he wanted to bait me out of hiding by dissipating his soul sense?' Ace's lips curled slightly, 'It is indeed a good plan, but even my thief sense could feel danger, much less the fate map, which is showing me exactly what the other party is doing.'

Ace decided to remain stoic. He could guess that the other party didn't want to reveal the secret passage since it was hard to detect a soul sense or martial sense medium unless your sense was stronger than the other party.

Whoever was behind the passage only scanned the surroundings, and after not discovering anyone, they tried another method.

This only made Ace more curious about what was within the mountain.

Ace was calmly waiting while the live fate map was still on when his thief sense suddenly stirred as his entire body trembled in trepidation.

Because at this moment, he felt impending danger approaching, and when he looked at the live fate map, his heart turned cold because a black fate point had entered the life fate map range, and it was heading in his way.

Most importantly, there was a red ring around this black fate point, which meant an enemy!

Furthermore, the entire area suddenly turned into a black fate location, except the silver fate location!

Without hesitation, Ace activated a space step talisman and teleported himself into the hidden passage.

Although it was dangerous but not as deadly as that black fate point which had turned the entire terrain into black except this hidden passage!

His thief sense was still ringing like morning bells. He had never felt this kind of danger except for the heavenly punishment before.

At this moment, just as he appeared at a 10-meter-wide cave passage, a ghastly pressure suddenly descended, which made Ace's heart tremble because he had felt this pressure before.

'The hidden expert of Demon Temple, but how did he discover me?!' Ace's scalp tingled with trepidation when he suddenly remembered something, 'Shit, could it be I took out that key and jade slip out? That's how he discovered my location?!'

This was the only possible explanation that could make sense, or it was all but a big coincidence, and this person might have been drawn here by the heavenly punishment and decided to check the entire area.

Ace thought that after the scepter was destroyed, it would be safe to take out that key and jade scroll, but if his guess was correct, he had invited the disaster himself!

Without hesitation, Ace ignored the pressure and headed deep within the cave passage since it was still silver. But his luck turned from bad to worse when a soul sense so deadly that he couldn't even move to comprehend the other party's strength locked on him.

Furthermore, those remaining two red fate points were heading his way.

Without hesitating, he commanded grimly, "System, activate Devi's Horn quickly!"

=====

[Devi's Horn has been summoned!]

Devi's Horn (Intermediate)

-Description: Able to summon Horns of Devil Horn Dark Owl!

-Ability: Undetectable Stealth in Mortal Sky Heaven!

-Status: Active

-Time: 00:00:59

=====

After his breakthrough, his summon abilities also upgraded. But the Devil's Horn ability didn't increase its activation time but only experienced a decrease in its cooldown time by five days.

Still, it was too long, and Ace didn't want to use it, but right now, this was the exact situation where if he didn't use it, he'd better prepare for death.

Suddenly, a pair of ethereal black horns started to form on Ace's forehead, and they were 1 meter long and shaped like a crescent moon.

The moment those horns manifested, Ace experienced that the danger he was feeling vanished, and the soul sense also lost its target!