CHAPTER 54: THE HUNT!

A devilish grin crept to the lean angel’s handsome face as he said, "Of course!"

His voice was cold, confident, and unwavering.

Despite all these, they both knew the subject at hand wasn’t some mere mortal. He was a God—and by no means, an ordinary one.

That alone made things complicated. He would surely be troublesome to deal with when the time came, but the mission had already been declared—there was no going back.

Being a god, his cultivation would be millions of times faster than the average being. His growth would be heaven-defying, unnatural—an absurd leap in power none could match unless they were equally prepared.

Kane swallowed hard when he heard the certainty in his friend’s voice. He knew what that tone meant.

His friend wouldn’t stop—he’d pursue this bounty to the end, no matter how long it took or what stood in his way. And Kane himself wasn’t any less serious. He, too, felt the pull. The weight of the voice that commanded them. The promise attached to it.

Why wouldn’t he?

The reward came from the strongest, the oldest, the most revered of all gods—the God of Qi and Dao. Their creator.

Even if the reward remained undefined, its value was unquestionable.

And so, with no hesitation, they both steeled their hearts and locked their resolve.

They would be ready.

They would get the job done.

"All we have to do is wait," the lean angel muttered. "After a million years, we begin our search. Hopefully, he will have reincarnated by then."

Kane nodded slowly.

A soul doesn’t just get reincarnated immediately. Before that, it must pass through the Realm of the Dead—a quiet place where departed souls rest without fear of being hunted. A temporary sanctuary for all spirits.

But the journey to that realm wasn’t without danger.

Some souls didn’t survive the path. One percent of all souls perished before even reaching the realm, especially if they had powerful enemies still alive. Those enemies could easily snuff out a soul the moment its body fell.

And even within the realm, the time spent in rest before reincarnation wasn’t fixed. It depended entirely on the soul’s strength and power before death.

For mortals, that rest could last as little as half a century.

But a god’s soul—especially one like Ileus—would rest for no less than a million years.

And sometimes... that wait could stretch up to a billion.

That’s why the two angels decided: they would begin their search after a million years. And when the time came, they would find him—no matter what form or disguise he had taken.

The seal placed upon his soul couldn’t be hidden or removed. Not when it was branded by the God of Qi and Dao himself.

That mark was absolute.

He was the only being who existed outside the rules of the universe. The only one who had created both Qi and the Divine Dao. There was no escaping his will.

After their discussion, the two angels took different paths—silent, firm, and certain.

Their mission was clear.

When the time came... they would kill Ileus.

But until then—they would cultivate. Harder than ever. Stronger than ever.

So that by the time fate circled back to them, they would be more powerful than their current selves could ever imagine.

Elsewhere...

A similar scene unfolded in an unknown region of the world.

A man sat silently, his entire body radiating raw energy.

His hair was completely white—from root to tip—tied in a long ponytail that flowed gently behind his back. His eyebrows, too, were white—clear indicators of his old age.

But despite his aged features, he was still far younger than the God of Qi and Dao, whose youthful face appeared to be that of a man in his late twenties or early thirties.

The age difference had nothing to do with appearance or luck—it was the result of cultivation.

The God of Qi had transcended far beyond the known realms, entering stages of existence that others could only dream of.

In the world of cultivation, it was well-known—every breakthrough extended one’s life.

A normal mortal, if free of war, hunger, or disease, might live up to two centuries.

But cultivators? They were different.

For each cultivation realm they broke into, an extra thousand years was added to their lifespan.

For example, someone in the Qi Absorption Realm could live up to a thousand years.

So why then, did this old man show such visible signs of aging?

Because he was reaching the end of his lifespan.

He sat cross-legged in a lotus position—deep in meditation, trying desperately to break through and add another millennium to his life.

Ten meters around him, a red, transparent barrier pulsed—clearly designed to shield him from distractions. It was meant to keep his focus unbroken.

His location?

Unknown.

He had chosen it on purpose.

He was in seclusion, isolated—so that nothing could interfere with his breakthrough.

Or so he thought.

And yet...

He was wrong.

His aura climbed higher and higher, rising like a wave about to crest—he was just moments away from achieving a breakthrough.

But then... it stopped.

In the blink of an eye, all of it vanished. No trace remained.

His eyes opened.

And they were cold.

Filled with rage.

The aura of cultivation that had once surrounded him was replaced with a sharp, deadly killing intent.

He clenched his fists, knuckles cracking.

"Just when I was about to break through this damn bottleneck... he decides to send his nonsense message!"

He hissed the words like venom.

"Now my chance is ruined. And there’s nothing I can do. He stands at the peak of all cultivation—a place I can only dream of. I broke into the Supreme Demigod Realm, and now... my life is nearly over."

He grit his teeth.

"I’m nothing but a bottom-feeder."

Even with his impressive cultivation, he knew where he stood.

The Supreme Demigod Realm wasn’t the end.

Not even close.

It was the beginning.

Compared to real powerhouses... he was still crawling.