Chapter 130: Chapter 130: What Lies in Her Heart

Chapter 130: What Lies in Her Heart

"There is no Ashvele Clan anymore."

The words were spoken calmly, yet it struck everyone like a devastating thunderbolt.

"Rhain... you... do you mean... do you mean..." Harmon who was normally calm, stuttered in complete disbelief.

It was not that they did not believe him!

After all the logic-breaking miracles he had performed in Greymist Town, and after personally witnessing him incinerate a Core Formation Realm expert into ash before their very eyes, no one in the Azure Cloud Sect harbored even a single shred of doubt toward his words.

But the Ashvele Clan was a towering behemoth that had existed for centuries!

They possessed multiple Core Formation Realm experts!

To hear that such an unimaginable clan had been entirely destroyed...within a mere month.

It simply defied every boundary of their worldview.

Rhain looked at their petrified faces and merely nodded.

"I returned today to tell you exactly this," Rhain explained, "You no longer have to live in fear. The threat of the Ashvele Clan has been completely erased from this world. You can now have a peace of mind."

Ever since Hayden was killed, Harmon’s heart had been hung by a thread.

He had not slept a single peaceful night, frequently waking up from nightmares where the Ashvele Clan’s army descended to massacre their Azure Cloud Sect.

Hearing those words, Harmon felt a huge wave of relief filling his soul.

Because of this suffocating dread, he had already secretly sent his most talented disciples, like Victor, Bria, and a few others, to a safer, hidden location to preserve the sect.

Now, the heavy boulder pressing on his heart had completely shattered.

Even Great Elder Silas’s face still etched with deep awe. "Rhain... just how did you manage to topple such a behemoth in such a short time?"

Rhain casually waved his hand, his expression indifferent. "It is a long story, and it is not convenient to tell it all here. All you need to know is that the Ashvele Clan is nothing but ash now. They will never come to trouble our sect ever again."

Harmon and the other elders exchanged deeply emotional glances.

"Rhain..." Harmon took a step forward, and bowed, "You have saved our Azure Cloud Sect over and over again. The generations of our Azure Cloud Sect will forever remember your grace!"

Torin also spoke in a voice full of gratitude, and deep respect, "Supreme Elder! We truly do not know how to ever repay this debt of gratitude."

Maren, Thorne, Amos, and Silas followed suit, each bowing in unified gratitude.

"We thank the Supreme Elder for saving our sect!"

Rhain looked at Harmon and others bowing and waved his hand as he spoke politely, "Please rise, everyone. This is also my sect, and all I did was to keep the people I care safe."

Harmon slowly straightened his posture, and asked thoughtfully, "Rhain, what will you do now? Will you stay?"

Rhain shook his head.

"No. I have decided to go to the Inner Province next."

Harmon wasn’t much surprised after this answer.

"Inner Province..." Harmon murmured, his expression turning solemn.

"Yes," Rhain nodded. "Seris and I will not be staying in Greymist Town. Stormveil Academy in the Inner Province is recruiting disciples, and we have decided to go along with them. The stage there is too vast. And it is uncertain how long it will take for us to return from the Inner Province. It might be years. Or longer before we return to the Outer Frontier again. So, we two have also come to say our goodbyes before leaving."

Harmon slowly nodded.

Despite the reluctance of seeing Rhain leave, Harmon knew that Rhain’s strength had already surpassed the level of Outer Frontier.

His own strength was now far weaker than Rhain.

But this didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.

He had never set foot in the Inner Province himself, but he had heard enough to know it was an entirely different world.

He looked at Rhain with an expression of deep concern. "Rhain, Seris, if you are heading to the Inner Province, you must be extremely careful. Although I have never been to the Inner Province, but I know it is home to the mighty powers that are simply beyond the understanding of our power levels. Here in the Outer Frontier, you are invincible. But there... please, Rhain, do not recklessly make an enemy out of anyone."

Rhain listened quietly to the earnest warning.

He was also aware of this fact.

It was uncertain whether the outcome would have changed if he had not taken the path to slaughter, but this time, he was considering to not be anyone’s enemy in the Inner Province unless it’s absolutely avoidable.

Rhain offered a gave a polite nod. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"I will remember it, Sect Master."

Beside him, Seris also bowed gracefully. "Thank you for your care, Sect Master Harmon."

Harmon smiled warmly, his cloudy eyes crinkling at the corners. "Good. Now, you two must be exhausted from your journey. Go inside and rest. Your courtyard has been kept perfectly pristine since the day you left."

Harmon then turned his attention to Vulcan, and Declan.

"Elder Torin! Elder Maren!" Harmon ordered briskly.

"Yes, Sect Master!"

"Quickly, arrange the best quarters in the sect for Senior Vulcan and Senior Declan! Ensure they don’t find anything lacking in our hospitality."

"Yes, Sect Master! We will arrange everything immediately!" Torin and Maren chorused hastily.

Harmon then shifted his gaze toward the massive blue eagle, whose sharp, intelligent eyes were currently sweeping over the Azure Cloud Sect’s inner courtyards.

"And do not forget Senior Kiki!" Harmon added. "Bring out the best spirit beast meat we have in our reserves!"

Hearing Harmon calling it senior, and the mention of the best meat, Kiki’s sharp eyes instantly brightened.

SCREEECH—!

Kiki let out a highly satisfied, ringing cry, happily raising its curved beak.

Vulcan let out a booming laugh. "You hear that, Kiki? You glutton!"

With the arrangements settled, the group finally dispersed to rest. Vulcan and Declan were respectfully escorted away by Torin and Maren, while Rhain and Seris walked quietly along the familiar paths of the Inner Sect, heading back to their private residence.

Stepping through the familiar gates of his courtyard, Rhain felt a rare feeling of tranquility.

The courtyard was exactly as he had left it before departing for Mirravele City.

The meditation room, the large bedroom with the comfortable bed and the simple furnishings.

Not a speck of dust.

Not a single thing out of place.

The sect had clearly ordered disciples to meticulously maintain the residence of their Supreme Elder every single day.

"We will stay in the sect for a few days before leaving," Rhain told Seris, leaning against the doorframe. "There is still almost a week before the Stormveil Academy envoys arrive in Mirravele City. Use this time to rest properly. You have been pushing yourself too hard."

Seris nodded, her pale purple eyes softening as she looked at his familiar courtyard. "Okay. You should rest too, Rhain. You have done so much more than any of us."

"I will," he replied with a faint smile.

Seris lingered for a moment longer, as if she wanted to say something else. But in the end, she simply gave a small, sweet smile and turned away, walking back toward her own quarters.

Rhain watched her leave before stepping into his bedroom.

He didn’t bother changing his robes. He simply collapsed backward onto the bed, his body sinking into the familiar mattress.

Closing his eyes, he let his consciousness drift, slipping into a deep sleep.

__________

Hours drifted by in silent darkness.

It was deep into the night when a faint sound pulled him from his sleep.

Knock!

Rhain’s eyes snapped open, his Spiritual Sense instantly identifying the figure standing outside.

He stood up, adjusted his dark robes, and opened the heavy wooden door.

It was Seris.

She was wearing a simple white sleeping robe, her silver-blue hair unbound and falling loosely over her shoulders.

She had her head slightly bowed, her slender fingers nervously twining together in front of her.

"Seris?" Rhain’s brow furrowed slightly in concern. "What happened? Why are you awake at this hour?"

Seris kept her eyes lowered, refusing to meet his gaze. "I... I couldn’t sleep," she whispered, her voice incredibly soft. "I’m... I’m not feeling very well."

Rhain looked at her carefully. With a single glance, his Eyes of Truth confirmed that her meridian channels were perfectly stable and her essence was flowing smoothly.

There was absolutely nothing physically wrong with her.

Which meant the problem was entirely in her head.

Rhain leaned gently against the doorframe, his dark grey eyes softening.

"Is it because of what happened at the Silvercrest Clan?" he asked quietly.

Seris’s delicate shoulders flinched.

She immediately shook her head from side to side in rapid denial. "No! It’s not... I just..."

But then her shoulders trembled.

She bit her lower lip hard, and after a long, painful silence, she gave a tiny nod.

Rhain looked at her drooping, sorrowful figure and let out a long, quiet sigh.

He stepped out of the doorway and gently wrapped his hand around her shoulder.

"Come with me," Rhain said gently. "Let’s take a walk. Perhaps it will make you feel better."