The taste of playing this game of schemers left a bad taste in Yan Zaizen's mouth, even if it was simply a small and minor interlude of his future dominance. A king schemes and plans, ruling all from the shadows and the light, but what of sovereign?
They plan and act, but do they need to stay in the shadows concocting plots? Do they need to hide their intentions under false masks and sly words?
No!
Sovereigns were absolute. Sovereigns were true rulers of their domain, now and till death.
Therefore, he decided to expedite this nauseating conversion and exchange. If it wasn't for the chance of rapidly increasing his strength, Yan Zaizen would've already taken action, but the image of Pinaka in his mind brought an unfathomable focus. If he had to stifle himself for this second, then as long as it meant increasing his chances of seeing her once more, then so be it.
However, only for a second.
That specific, nauseating, and stifling second was up the moment Iceborn replied to his question.
"In the Dusk Zone, there's an area called the Foregone Abyss. This piece of the inheritance key left me this message, likely leading to the final trial." Her words were calm, yet slightly urgent with a tinge of wariness within. Her words seemed to visibly leave her with an expression of helplessness, as if she had no choice in the matter.
Foregone Abyss?
Yan Zaizen slightly furrowed his brows, this location was listed as a forbidden zone on the soul jade given to him by Eshe. It was filled with untold dangers, high-level Yaoguai, and even mystic spots of the near-impossible. This is why it was named 'Foregone' and 'Abyss'. It held a tinge of endless despair that left one without a lifeline.
A single step into the abyss now, a foregone thought later.
He turned to Eshe, her expression filled with wariness but also a gaze of nail-biting decisiveness. She obviously didn't think Iceborn would say that location, but shockingly, her eyes revealed no shock or fear. Eyes sparkling, Yan Zaizen turned to Iceborn's fiery friend, her eyes suffusing with a deep, unfathomable fear and unwillingness.
With an inquiring tone, he directed a question towards Eshe: "Is this what your inheritance key says as well, Daoist Eshe?"
Hearing his question, Eshe hesitated with her eyes suddenly flashing with a trace of deep fear as if the thought of the Foregone Abyss was hell itself, she turned towards Iceborn but shook her head. "I don't have the final piece, so I don't know the exact details, but the pieces of my inheritance key does point there."
"Hahaha!" Abruptly, Yan Zaizen laughed and clapped three times. This laughter was filled with a serene feeling, as if the world had been lifted from his shoulder and he no longer needed to drag himself about. This laughter caused Iceborn and Eshe to stall in surprise, even the fiery woman was shocked, her eyes revealing a flash of profound light.
"You know," Yan Zaizen continued laughing, the twelve regalias blazed with brilliant silver light behind him, "I had the feeling that two was death and one was fortune, but I was wrong in my earlier thinking." He took a step forward, reinitiating his spatial technique that locked them in their position. A fierce, heart-throbbing, world-collapsing killing intent emanated from his amber-gold, brilliantly imperial gaze.
"What do you mean by this?! We're giving you all the benefits! There's always danger in hunting for an inheritance!" Iceborn shouted, her eyes revealing apparent confusion, but Yan Zaizen's killing intent only thickened, visibly so as the spatial force permeating within the air started to noticeably darken in shade as if light was being distorted.
Eshe was slightly calmer, but her voice was urgent as she hurriedly said in defense, "Daoist Ascension, I don't know what you're thinking, but we're willing to give you all of it. I can even swear a heavenly oath that, if I receive the inheritance, I will give you ninety percent!"
Yan Zaizen's laughter grew sharper. "Ninety percent?" This was utterly laughable. Yan Zaizen wanted to use this woman to attract her sister here, not share an inheritance, but when he heard the answer to his question and their responses, he felt that was already impossible to do so in a scheming manner. After all, the one thing he lacked in life was the ability to scheme too deeply.
He had always been direct. Perhaps he may lie, con others, but he always did so openly and in their faces. Especially in stealing, oh wait, 'claiming others offerings'.
As for ninety percent, he cared for it, he truly did. He needed to receive a bountiful amount of wealth, but it was impossible if he was dead. What was wealth, what was love, what was the future if he was dead?
And they wanted him to be that - dead.
Earlier, when Iceborn informed them that the inheritance key was in the Foregone Abyss, he had his suspicions, but Eshe's response sealed the deal. She initially had no fear in her eyes, just shock, but that changed quickly at his inquiry as if it was intended to be seen. More importantly, it was Iceborn's fiery friend's reaction. Her reaction was so intense, but the fear wasn't like Eshe's, it was filled with an unwillingness.
But why?
Why would she be so unwilling? Sure, the place was dangerous, but wasn't facing a group of equally talented cultivators not be the same? Yet, she survived and even had the ability to escape, meaning her abilities were top-tier like the rest in her cultivation level. She had already risked her life here, what did it matter to continue if it's a part of the inheritance? After all, the inheritance creator obviously set cultivation limits, why would he send everyone to certain death? What was to fear?
It was a little too inconsistent, no?
That and the other clue lead to this thinking, the next location - Foregone Abyss.
Yan Zaizen wasn't a fool.
Firstly, the sixth piece. Why place it in a certain death zone for those with their cultivation bases? Perhaps if it was the final piece, but this was the sixth piece, not the end goal. The current location could easily be overcome by second-floor experts, but not the sixth?
Either the creator of this trial-like scavenger hunt had a screw-loose and simply wanted to waste everyone's time, or it was a plain and simple lie. A lie he, as a new person in the Dusk Zone, would easily fall for due to ignorance.
However, he had to give the two, Eshe and Iceborn, earnest praise. Their acting from the very beginning to now was impeccable, almost as if it was rehearsed before he even arrived. Yan Zaizen didn't find a single thing wrong with it in retrospect, even if he did, a normal person couldn't disregard an inheritance trove just like that. Not even him.
Normally, these two clues were irrelevant and couldn't be tied to anything truly. They could be passed off as being too cautious or just overthinking matters. After all, he didn't know the true, concrete details of the Dusk Zone and its dangers or the person who set up the trial.
However, who was Yan Zaizen?
He was a Non-Entity with a ridiculous intuition that was heaven-defying and nearly prophetic. Two choices led to death and the other to fortune? This was when it struck him…
What if Eshe or Iceborn wasn't the fortune? But…
His eyes turned towards Iceborn's fiery friend, Katniss, his eyes exuding boundless killing intent. "Are you even needed?" He coldly smiled, his hand was slowly gripping towards the fiery woman, as if slowly sliding his powerful fingers around her delicate neck.
A cold sensation erupted in Katniss's heart, her beautifully slim and delicate neck felt a tightening that nearly caused her very soul to escape her body. She tried to resist but to no avail. The cold sensation in her heart felt like it was burning, burning with unwillingness and hatred.
Katniss wasn't a simple bystander, and she didn't want to die like this. She looked towards Iceborn, tears of rage slowly developing in her eyes as soft grunts of struggle resounded.
Her expression seemed to stir something within Iceborn. She hurriedly shouted, "She's a friend, Daoist Ascension, must you take it this far?!" Her words were filled with urgency.
Yan Zaizen kept his eyes on Eshe as he took action, seeing her visibly lose her composure. Her eyes flickered incessantly with internal debate clearly visible, but in the end, she remained silent.
With sparkling eyes, Yan Zaizen smiled. "So that's truly the case. Here I thought death was in the journey, but it was on the very first choice in the story." His words startled Eshe, Iceborn, and Katniss. The stranglehold around Katniss lessened.
No longer having a reaper at her throat, she felt relieved after a bout of coughing. "So, I'll give you two a choice." Yan Zaizen continued smiling, his words directed at Eshe and Iceborn, "The first one to tell me the truth, the method to obtain the Hexagon Emblem, gets to live." His words were said casually but it was like a hammer of judgment.
Iceborn panicked, her words filled with hints of stuttering, "Daoist Ascension, I-"
"I gave you your choice. Choose." Yan Zaizen coldly interrupted, his gaze shifted towards Katniss. This girl's unwillingness wasn't because she was being dragged to a death zone for a treasure trove, but that they already had all the pieces and were unnecessarily risking their lives!
Katniss was already in possession of the sixth piece, which both Eshe and Iceborn already knew of, but he didn't. They intended to drag him about, acting peacefully in the light, but leading him to a bottomless hole to eternal darkness. If he had agreed, continued playing their little game, he would've already lost from the onset.
Who knew the myriad of methods and allies these two had outside?
Eshe and Iceborn was visibly shaken, but by Yan Zaizen's perception and his nearly impossible deduction. In truth, without his intuition, he would've fallen prey to it. The only complaint he had was the unreliability of this ability. It was vague and inconsistent. A perfect example was Ezekiel's chase and Eshe's intentions to use him as bait, both of which could've led to his demise, but he felt nothing.
Eshe and Iceborn hesitated, looking at each other, but before they could speak, Katniss shouted, "I'll tell you everything, as long as you let me go free! We have no enmity or grudges between us, neither did I try to trick you!" Katniss hastily said, even though the offer wasn't originally extended to her.
Yan Zaizen calmly smiled, he truly enjoyed conning people. From the beginning, since his thoughts formed to this conclusion, he wanted Katniss to spill it all. He couldn't trust the other two, but if he showed that, who knew if this girl would say god knows what!
Eshe and Iceborn tried to speak, but Yan Zaizen immediately locked up their ability to do so, his eyes holding a smile. "Let's hear it then."
A few minutes later, Yan Zaizen's smile turned into a grin. In his hand was an emblem. This emblem was hexagonal with the color of red covering one-sixth of its body. The expressions on Eshe's and Iceborn's faces were ugly and pale.
This emblem was physical, not a projection.
"You..I told you everything, will you let me go?" Katniss cautiously asked. Yan Zaizen ignored her, turning towards Eshe. "You can spend the next one hundred thousand years in isolated torment before death, or tell me how to bring your sister here, then you'll both die together quickly. Choose."
Eshe's face became like pale-white ash, filled with unwillingness, fear, deep regret and the shadow of death.