Chapter 173: Death… Taking The Treasures… Chess Piece!

Kathryn just smiled at the sight, then her cold and intense gaze slowly turned to Aurora and Desmond, who were hiding in Kevin’s shadow.

The moment they felt her gaze, a chill ran down their spines. Sensing something was wrong, Desmond didn’t hesitate to flee, using the greatest speed he could muster to rush into the shadows of the trees not too far away.

However, just as Desmond entered the shadow of the tree, he felt something was wrong.

Normally, when he entered the world of shadows, his perception of the outside world would change. He would be able to see everything in black and white. However, now, everything still looked normal.

Desmond was horrified, and he quickly understood that the same thing that had happened to the unremarkable young man had occurred to him.

He had fallen under an illusion.

Desmond’s gaze quickly became wary as he stared at the darkness surrounding him.

Without hesitation, he decided to leave the tree’s shadow and enter another one. However, just as he made that decision, he saw the darkness surrounding him become suffocating.

“What?” Desmond muttered aloud, but even his words soon became muffled.

Desmond’s heart filled with despair as he stared at his surroundings.

His despair didn’t last long. Soon, he was submerged by the darkness, quickly turning into a mass of shadow.

Seeing Desmond disappear, everyone remained startled and continued staring at the tree’s shadow. They didn’t realize that Desmond had already died. It was only when they heard a scream that they turned their attention to the source of the voice.

“Arrrrrrrrgggghhhh!”

Aurora’s expression turned pale as she waved her hands about, trying desperately to free herself from the gigantic shackles attempting to bind her.

Although she knew these were illusions, she couldn’t escape.

“You… stop this immediately! If my master senses my death, she will never let you off!” Aurora screamed frantically.

She turned to Kranos with pleading eyes.

“Kranos! Quick, you have to help me! She has the Divine Illusion Eyes, one of the most terrifying divine eyes in existence. Using these eyes, she can create countless illusions, making them no different from the real world. Despite knowing that it is an illusion, there is no way to escape! Kranos, you could be next!”

Aurora screamed desperately, revealing all the information she knew about the Divine Illusion Eyes.

Kranos’s eyes flickered with thought. However, he ultimately decided not to help Aurora. It was still unknown whether both of them could fight against the Divine Illusion Eyes.

Besides, Kranos’s soul was still injured. Over the past days, he had felt his condition worsen.

He understood that he didn’t have much time left and had to get the soul treasure before it was too late.

There was also the fact that Aurora had previously wanted to devour him. This made Kranos extremely angered, and he felt this was the retribution she deserved.

As all these thoughts passed through his mind, he looked at her with a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.

Seeing this, Aurora got her answer, and her heart filled with despair.

She quickly turned to Luka, begging desperately for help as well. However, even though Luka cherished her beauty, he didn’t move to interfere.

In Aurora’s line of sight, gigantic shackles that pulsed ominously with dark energy shot rapidly toward her.

Just a single shackle could destroy her body and soul, and there were more than a hundred shackles surrounding her.

A grey aura materialized in her hand as she slapped toward the shackles repeatedly, trying desperately to escape.

Due to her effort, she was able to destroy some of the shackles. Unfortunately, they were too few compared to the main shackles surrounding her.

In the blink of an eye, all the shackles submerged her, destroying her body and soul.

Aurora’s eyes, filled with anger and rage, stared hatefully at Kranos, Kathryn, and the other two.

Just as her master had said…

The outside world was filled with danger. Aurora swore in her heart that given the chance, she would definitely destroy these four.

Images of her master surfaced in her mind during the last moments of her life.

“Master… in the end, I was too weak…”

She could only mutter weakly as she lost her breath.

Seeing that she was finally dead, Kathryn sighed in relief.

“Fortunately, she hasn’t fully discovered how to use the essence of nothingness. Then even my Divine Illusion Eyes would not stand much chance…”

After deactivating the eyes, she turned her attention to Kranos and flashed the group a sweet smile.

Seeing that she had no intention of harming him, Kranos let out a breath of relief.

“It’s time to take the treasures, right?” Luka interrupted them with a laugh.

Kathryn and Kranos nodded simultaneously.

“Yes, it is time to take the treasures. However, Luka, we have something to do, so after taking the relics, you’ll have to excuse us,” Kathryn said after some thought, flashing Kranos a knowing look.

Kranos immediately understood that she was talking about healing his soul.

At this thought, he nodded in agreement.

Luka just smiled. “I was only passing by casually. Since you want to do something after taking the treasures, I’ll leave as soon as I get mine.”

After concluding everything, the group slowly walked to the treasure box not too far away.

Seeing that everyone was silently staring at the treasure box, Luka chuckled, then walked forward and quickly opened it.

Swoosh.

Without hesitation, the box opened with a bang.

A glowing light immediately hit their eyes, almost blinding them.

Kranos and Kevin were stunned, and so was Luka. However, Kathryn looked at everything as though she had expected it.

“Take what you need. Leave the rest for the three of us. After that, you can leave,” Kathryn said calmly to Luka.

Luka’s eyes flashed with understanding. “In that case, I won’t be polite.”

As he spoke, he reached into the box. Within it were spatial rings numbering up to thirty.

Luka thought for a moment and ultimately decided to carry just seven spatial rings. He was feeling generous, so he didn’t take much.

After taking the spatial rings, he glanced around but didn’t notice anything more.

With that, he turned to Kranos and the others, then waved his hand.

“How do I leave this place?” he asked, recalling that they were mysteriously brought here without their permission.

At those words, Kathryn replied, “Head over there. There should be a portal nearby. Entering that portal should lead you out of this secret realm.”

Hearing her words, Luka quickly bid them farewell and, using his Heavenly Movement Technique, disappeared from their line of sight.

Noticing that his aura had vanished, Kathryn breathed out a sigh of relief, then turned her attention to Kranos.

“Now to healing you,” she said with a happy smile, taking out an object from her spatial ring.

Seeing the object, Kranos felt a refreshing sensation wash over his soul.

Kranos was stunned. The treasure looked like a peach fruit, extremely smooth, and around it were faint light spots dancing vividly.

The treasure felt alive.

“This is the Soul Cleansing Fruit. By taking it, even an immortal will be healed.”

Hearing her words, Kranos nodded in understanding. It seemed the relic would be enough to heal him this time.

He sighed, then quickly turned his attention to the fruit. He was waiting for Kathryn to demand something in exchange. However, Kathryn just gave him a warm smile and tossed the treasure to him.

Kranos caught it, startled.

His gaze was filled with confusion.

Kathryn simply smiled again, her expression even gentler.

“We’re friends and have been traveling together for a while. It’s normal for me to want my friend to be healed. No strings attached.”

At Kathryn’s words, Kranos felt stunned. He hesitated, many thoughts running through his mind.

After a while of silence, he ultimately decided to take the Soul Cleansing Fruit.

“Thank you,” he mouthed. He didn’t know how many times Kathryn had helped him.

He couldn’t tell why she was helping him, but Kranos decided that as long as it did not endanger his life, he would definitely help her obtain what she needed.

Without further hesitation, Kranos took a bite of the peach.

It felt silky and extremely smooth in his mouth. The moment the bite entered his throat, a wave of euphoria passed through him.

Kranos felt a wave of comfort, and he faintly sensed that something within him was becoming whole again.

His mind became clearer, and his perception grew drastically.

Kranos was stunned by the feeling, but he did not stop. Knowing the treasure was beneficial, he took multiple mouthfuls, and soon the Soul Cleansing Fruit had been completely devoured.

Kranos felt at peace the moment he finished eating.

Everything was going smoothly, and he no longer felt that lingering weakness that had been holding him back. He could faintly sense that his strength had increased.

Just then, a playful voice resounded in Kranos’s ear. It sounded melodious, like the gentle rustle of peach blossoms.

“Finally, I no longer have to keep up this facade.”

“So? Kranos, how does it feel to be my chess piece?”

The words sounded as though they came from the goddess of death.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep