The Withering Leaf Sect Headquarters?
Daneel had just been there 2 months back, and there had been no movements at the place for months before that. Suddenly, someone had reached it?
Due to the nature of the many traps placed inside the Valley, only someone who had knowledge about them, or someone who was powerful enough not to care about them would be able to reach the headquarters.
In the first case, it could be a member of the sect who had survived.
Back when he had forced the sect to flee, he had killed off a large part of them, but of those who escaped, only a part were accounted for. They had infiltrated the palace of Lanthanor and slaughtered innocent, before paying the price of their actions by turning into pools of blood.
The rest were still out there, and they had always been on the back of Daneel's mind. After all, the grudge he had with them was something that could only be resolved by death.
So, the main purpose of the trap was to notify him if someone came back for the techniques. If they did, he could kill them and decrease the length of his list of enemies in Angaria.
However, if it was some Champion who was there for a different reason, Daneel might well get himself killed.
Still, there was no hesitation in his decision. He had to go.
Because the system was upgraded, he at least had a hope to escape before dying in case he really did meet someone he couldn't handle. Hell, he could even call on Marcus as a last resort, as the man had promised to keep him safe for 6 months.
Besides, he was quite frustrated with these attempts to get into the Warrior realm. By all accounts, the best method was the last one, but it wasn't working.
Clearly, something was missing.
Deciding to think more on it after returning, Daneel told Stefan that he had to go handle some urgent business.
Hearing this, Stefan sighed.
"Kid, all of us like you. You have a singular determination, just like that ass-, cough, I mean, that master of yours. No matter what he did, he saved our sect. We have already given you all the information we can. The rest is up to you. If you wish to resume the attempts with us, come back any time. Here. These are our communication trinkets. If you are in danger, do not hesitate to call on us. Just…get to the Warrior realm fast, and be sure to tell your master that you couldn't have done it without us. Got it?"
Understanding that he had given these 5 some very deep trauma, Daneel nodded and accepted the trinkets.
Having a bunch of Warrior level assassins to call on was definitely a plus.
Lead out by the reptilian who had helped him enter, Daneel made sure no one was watching him before teleporting away to get to the Valley.
He had debated whether to visit the Watcher, but the man would also definitely be bound by strong oaths to not reveal anything regarding training technique. So, he felt that it was useless.
After reaching the outskirts of the Valley of Mist, Daneel felt that something was wrong.
Many times since he had transmigrated to this world, his guts had saved his life by giving him timely warnings regarding things he was going to face.
Right now, they were screaming at him to turn around and run.
The border of the Valley felt like the gaping maw of a gargantuan beast that wanted to swallow him whole, and as he took a few steps forward, it seemed to lean forward, eager to get started on its meal.
For the life of him, Daneel couldn't understand what was going on. 2 months back, he had felt no such thing, except that small tingle in his back which was probably due to the existence of very dangerous traps.
Once again, he debated whether to enter.
He had all kinds of trump cards and now, even Warriors to call on, so it seemed foolish to turn back without at least investigating.
After all, the fewer variables there were, the better.
So, ignoring his guts which were still raging at him, Daneel stepped into the Valley and asked the system to activate the Hidden Item Detection tool as usual.
However, when he saw the message it showed, he felt shocked before quickly moving forward as if everything was normal.
[Host under surveillance. Direction of surveiller: North. Method of surveillance: formation maze. 2 formation mazes discovered in host's path. First maze has been laid down for a long time. Second maze has been laid down recently. The purpose of the second maze is to alert an individual about the whereabouts of a person using their presence. Second maze is at the Champion level.]
Cold sweat appeared on Daneel's back as he realized that he wouldn't even have been able to detect the second maze if the system hadn't been upgraded.
Clearly, someone wanted to track his movements in the Valley of Mist in the most covert way of possible. Usually, this would be enough to work on anyone in the Central Continent, including the Warrior level assassins he had just conversed with.
Of course, Daneel was different.
The one watching him couldn't know that they had been found out, so Daneel acted as if everything was normal. He started to evade the traps in the Valley while moving towards the sect headquarters.
Even he didn't dare to teleport inside the Valley, as the formations here were rigged to attack the moment space elementary particles were agitated to cast a spell. With the sheer number of traps around, almost anyone would be consumed before they would teleport away.
While walking, Daneel decided on his next step.
One thing had become clear: this was a trap.
The fact that this change had occurred in the Valley only after his trip meant that someone had planned it using all this time.
Who could it be? Was it a member of the sect who had seen him?
Regardless, the fact was that he was on someone else's turf. Even though he had the system, he had to be as careful as possible.
First things first, he didn't like that he was following someone else's plan. If he continued, there would definitely be a surprise waiting ahead.
So, he started to devise a plan.
….
The sect leader of the Withering Leaf Sect had his eyes closed while controlling the formation maze which was tracking the King of Lanthanor's movements.
He had waited so long for this day. Since that fateful moment in the Valley when those who had taught and raised him had perished in front of his eyes, he had vowed to take revenge.
Now, it was finally time to appease them.
Slowly, he started to move to intercept the King.
His appearance was even more shoddy from before. What was most strange was that along with the red, bloody marks on his hands, there was a red stain around his mouth which looked eerie.
His face had an even more crazed look than before, but he was in full control of his faculties right now, poised, waiting to strike.
A single blow from a Warrior should be enough to put an end to an Exalted Human. Especially in the case of a Warrior in his present state, there was no chance of survival.
In just one minute, his target would be at the optimal distance for him to attack. However, at this point, the King of Lanthanor stopped for a moment before continuing onwards again.
Although the sect leader got a slight feeling that something might be wrong, he fully trusted the detection formation he had obtained after much difficulty. There was no way in hell that a mere Human level boy could fool a Champion level formation.
So, telling himself that the pause was nothing, the sect leader resumed waiting.
As the seconds ticked by, his heart started to beat louder in his chest, and he took out a trinket shaped like a needle before squeezing it and enlarging it.
It really was a large, thick, needle-shaped object with a sharp end. On its other end was a handle, making it appear like some sort of weird weapon.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Now!
WHOOSH!
With blinding speed, the needle glowed a faint red before being thrown in a specific direction.
In a fraction of a second, the sound of it hitting its target could be heard, making the sect leader jump forward in glee.
However, what he saw made him rip off his hair in frustration.
The needle had indeed hit its mark, but while he watched, the King of Lanthanor's body dissipated. It had a smile on its face, as if it had accomplished some sort of mission.
NO! His plan had failed!
Well, it was a good thing that he had made many, as this was his only shot.
Taking out a trinket, he said, "Plan B. Now."
…..
Meanwhile, Daneel was standing at a specific spot in the Valley with a small smile on his lips.
[Surveillance Dissonance Spell Developed to counter the Formation Maze is active.]
Indeed, he had simply used the system to fool his enemy for a very specific reason.
"Is the simulation ready?"
[Affirmative. Using the attack sustained by host's clone, system has created a simulation with the approximate power level of target. Estimated Power Level: Eminent Warrior.]
Hearing this, Daneel was surprised but not shocked.
However, just as he was about to ask the system to activate the simulation, a message sounded in his head which made slight worry appear on his face.
[System has detected that individuals have activated Champion level attack formations on the borders of the Valley of Mist. Controller of the formations must be killed for system to obtain control of these formations.]
Wait…he couldn't go out without killing the controller?!
Clearly, the enemy's planning had gone above and beyond what Daneel had expected.Their intention was to trap him inside, like a lamb for slaughter.