The discomfort Amon felt every time he heard of the Creator was there again. For an evil man like him, the existence of a being that knew his every move was a terrifying reality. He never liked the idea of an omnipotent deity, because that would imply there was an entity he was powerless against.

’No,’ he thought. Even if that entity existed, he would find a way to defeat it!

"Amon, did you hear what I said?" Xlasstazh asked.

"Yes. You said my surviving the purging hole is a miracle, and you should now be able to convince the elder council to cooperate with me."

"That’s right, and your timing cannot be any better. Our supreme leader has just returned. I will take you to him and..."

"This is impossible!"

A loud voice interrupted them. Amon looked up and saw two other Hyanids he knew. Ublaith Kahn and his follower, Arrasixx. The two landed next to Amon and Xlasstazh.

"How did you survive the purging hole?" Ublaith asked.

"I was saved by the Creator," Amon answered.

This caused Ublaith to turn to Xlasstazh, who chuckled in response. Amon couldn’t tell if Ublaith was annoyed by his statement or took it seriously. He had trouble reading a Hyanid’s facial expression.

"Master, the purging hole is no more," Arrasixx reported. She was looking down at the hole at the center of the pit.

"What’s down there?" Ublaith asked Amon.

Amon shrugged. "A big cavern. Nothing special aside from the bones of the beasts that fell into the purging hole in the past. You can go down there and see for yourself."

Ublaith signaled to Arrasixx, who jumped into the hole without hesitation. Amon was impressed by the female Hyanid’s loyalty toward her master.

"I will be taking him to see your father," Xlasstazh told Ublaith.

"Nonsense! We can’t let a suspicious human like him anywhere near our supreme leader," Ublaith protested.

"He is not a suspicious human. He is someone prophesied by the Creator who will help us gain our territory in the mainland. We must cooperate with him if we wish for a better future. Plus, he has already fulfilled the requirement we set for him."

"What are you talking about?"

"We agreed eight years ago that if he passed the Worthiness Trial, we would cooperate with him."

"He didn’t pass."

"Maybe not the one from eight years ago, but he passed the one that was held just now."

"Don’t be ridiculous. He was never the participant."

"He entered the purging hole as a participant. He came out again when another trial took place, and he defeated all the beasts in this pit. Everyone up there can be a witness. In my book, that was passing the trial."

Ublaith looked at the Hyanids above. He already knew what Xlasstazh said was true. He had heard the report on the way here. Currently, several Hyanids who had spectated the trial were on their way to report to the other elders. He believed the council would be convening soon, and he knew they would decide in Xlasstazh’s favor.

Arrasixx reappeared from the hole. She reported, "Master, there is nothing but a normal cavern down there. I cannot sense the energy that is usually emitted by the purging hole. It is completely gone."

"Mm..." While he didn’t like the idea of cooperating with a human, he couldn’t deny that Amon’s situation was nothing short of a miracle. He had stood close to the purging hole before. There was one time when he almost fell into it. From the energy he sensed from the purging hole, he knew with certainty that it would be a guaranteed death if he fell into it.

He was like Amon. He disliked the idea of an all-powerful deity that influenced their lives. However, Amon’s situation began to sway him into an acceptance that, probably, there was indeed a Creator who was in favor of their plight. Maybe cooperating with Amon was the right course.

He told Xlasstazh, "Very well, but I will inform my father before he meets this human."

"Alright," Xlasstazh didn’t object.

Ublaith glanced at Amon before leaving with Arrasixx. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

After they left, Amon asked Xlasstazh, "So, do I wait here until I get the summons to meet your supreme leader?"

"We wait, but not here. Come, follow me."

Xlasstazh flew out of the pit. Amon followed him under the gaze of many Hyanids. Xlasstazh brought Amon to a chamber that looked like the workshop of a pill master. Many Hyanids were working there, concocting different kinds of pills.

Xlasstazh explained to Amon, "Many Hyanids are masters of flesh altering thanks to our past. Flesh alterers can perform better if they are supported by the various medicines produced by pill masters. That’s why a good portion of our population studied to become pill masters, including yours truly."

Amon was impressed by how diligent the Hyanid pill masters were. As he had witnessed from the common Hyanids when he first entered the Hyanid City, no one was slacking off. The workshop was like a collection of well-oiled machines. As he surveyed the place, his eyes fell on one of the ingredients used by the workers.

"That fruit..." Amon approached the table where the ingredients were placed. A Hyanid guard blocked his path when he was about to grab the ingredient.

Xlasstazh gestured at the guard, and he moved to the side. Amon proceeded to grab the ingredient. It was a fruit with a shape and aura he knew well.

"I see you are interested in the Black Aetherium Fruit," Xlasstazh said.

"Do you have the Black Aetherium Tree?" Amon asked. The fruit in his hand was identical to the Aetherium Fruit, with the exception that its skin was black and the aura it emitted contained infernal aether.

"You know of the tree?" Admiration was in Xlasstazh’s tone.

After thinking for a while, Amon said, "Let’s make a trade. I will trade you this fruit for this one."

An Aetherium Fruit appeared in Amon’s hand. "I believe you have some Hyanids who can only practice the divine cultivation, don’t you. This fruit will speed up their cultivation."

"Alright. I accept your trade. However, why don’t I give you something better? This is what we make using those fruits."

Xlasstazh picked up a small pill and handed it to Amon. After observing the pill, Amon could guess what the effect of this pill was. It was similar to the Inheritance Pill, except this contained the infernal aether.

"... Thank you for the offer, but I prefer to take the fruit. However, can I ask for the recipe to make this pill?"

Xlasstazh was surprised that Amon chose the fruit over the pill. The pill was more effective than the fruit. That’s why they bothered to turn the fruit into a pill. Nevertheless, he didn’t reject Amon’s request for the fruit.

"I don’t mind sharing the recipe with you, but are you a Master-level pill master? Or can you get the service of one such expert?"

The Infernal Inheritance Pill was a low-tier ancient pill. Only a pill master with at least master-level expertise could concoct this pill.

"I am not, and I don’t, but I will manage," Amon said. He stored the Black Aetherium Fruit and was about to walk away, but he thought of something. He asked Xlasstazh, "Can I hire one of your experts here?"

"Hire?"

"I want to enlist one of your master-level pill masters to work for me. I will pay you for his service. Name your price."

Xlasstazh chuckled. "You don’t need to pay anything. I will gladly help you because I know you will pay me back by helping my people win the mainland."

"You truly have faith in your Creator, don’t you?"

"I do!"

Amon snickered inwardly. Since it was the Creator who gave Xlasstazh the promise, he had no obligation to respect it. Then again, even if he were the one who made the promise, he would still feel no remorse when he betrayed the Hyanids.

"As I said, I don’t mind lending you one of my experts," Xlasstazh said. "But how are you going to hide her? I take it you want to bring her back to the mainland, don’t you? You should know, your kind won’t tolerate her presence, even if you tell them she is your captive, and I can’t agree to lending her to you if you are going to treat her like a captive slave."

"Don’t worry. I have a secret method to hide her. No one will notice her."

"Really?" Xlasstazh sounded unconvinced.

"I give you my word," Amon assured him.

After a brief contemplation, Xlasstazh called one of the Hyanid experts working there. The one who responded was a female Hyanid. When she arrived, he spoke to her at length using their language. Amon didn’t interrupt them. He sensed that her cultivation level was at the Intermediate Fiendish Stage.

After they were done conversing, Xlasstazh introduced the Hyanid expert to Amon, "This is Yeresdyx. She is a master-level Pill Master who can speak human language, so she is the most suitable I can offer."