Eternal Thief

“Greetings, my lords.” Ace respectfully greeted the five half-abyssal kings before him.

The Duke with a snarling fiend motif mask and the one with a demon specter motif mask nodded in acknowledgement while the three remained standing still, neither acknowledging Ace’s presence nor ignoring him.

Dread Duchess’ eyes flashed with coldness as she looked at the three impassive half-abyssal kings. She knew very well who they were and their prejudice against her, especially the Duchess with the serene devil motif.

“What an interesting fellow.” An alluring woman’s voice, carrying a peculiar curiosity, rang from the figure with a demon specter motif mask.

The moment Ace heard this voice, his mind went blank for a moment before his primordial spirit Qi circulated on its own, and suddenly, his body jolted awake.

’A sound technique?!’ A hint of fear flashed past his eyes as she looked at the masked woman.

But the Duchess was also surprised when she saw Ace instantly break free from her small trick. Although she didn’t use her entire power and merely seemed to be testing Ace, she was still surprised by his powerful will.

The other Dukes and Duchess also noticed it, and they were slightly astounded as well since they knew how tricky this Demonic woman, known as the Enchantress Demon Duchess, was. Even Half-Abyssal Kings were always on guard against her because of the mysterious technique she practiced.

Nonetheless, the Dukes and Duchess’ impression of Ace improved slightly as they could only make sense of Ace’s powerful will because he was the disciple of an Abyssal King.

“Ahem, there’s no need to tease the young talent, Duchess.” The Duke with a black polished abyssal mirror motif on his mask spoke, his voice was aged, and eerily, “Young friend, Nomad, the Dread Duchess should’ve already told you how important this matter is for our council. The Dread Duchess trusts you, and the Council trusts the Dread Duchess.

“If anything goes wrong, the Dread Duchess will be held responsible, and you’ll have to come with us until your master personally comes to pick you up. So, let us, knowing the consequences of failure, are you still willing to go through with this?”

Dread Duchess coldly looked at the Darkwise Duke, the oldest of them all, and the only one who was infinitely close to the realm of the Abyssal King and had over 80% chance of passing the Abyssal Ordeal.

Furthermore, Darkwise Duke was also ranked first within the ranking of the King Circle, and his prowess was unknown because no one had ever seen him make a move and then live to tell the tale.

Ace also felt stared by a terrifying being despite the eyeless mask on the Darkwise Duke, and this feeling was almost like the gaze of the Wealth King. He instantly knew that this mysterious Duke was extremely powerful, at least more powerful than any Duke and Duchess present at this moment.

Nonetheless, he replied while suppressing the urge to confess everything, “I will take full responsibility for everything.”

The Darkwise Duke remained stoic for a moment before merely nodding and saying nothing. No one knows what he was thinking, nor do they dare question him.

“Alright, since little Nomad had given his assurance, let’s get this started.” The Duke, with a snarling fiend mask, spoke in a friendly tone despite his husky voice. He was the Corpse Duke, ranking lowest among the Dukes present here.

“This way,” The Midnight Duke, who was wearing the mask with a demonic visage, spoke impassively while beckoning the Dread Duchess and Ace.

The Dread Duchess nodded as the desolate air quivered as she stepped forward, her eldritch dress whispering against the obsidian platform.

Ace followed, his steps silent over runes that faintly pulsed underfoot. The five led the way, their cloaks trailing shadows like living things. As if a silent signal passed between them, the circle of cloaked Evernight Council members parted, creating a broad path leading deeper into the secret realm.

They descended a winding ramp cut into the very heart of the realm’s black cliffs, carved with ancient, abyssal glyphs that were so worn they seemed to bleed shadows. The grim sky above still seethed with charcoal mist, crimson lightning crackling like veins of rage.

Furthermore, as Ace followed them, he felt the pressure around him increasing at a startling pace. But he didn’t react as much as this was nothing compared to the pressure of the Heavenly Law Punishment that he had gone through recently.

The Dukes and Duchess didn’t seem to pay attention to this pressure either. Still, they were secretly monitoring the mysterious Abyssal Master, and the more they observed, the more astounded they became.

After what felt like hours under the crushing weight of the secret realm, the path opened onto a vast basin, encircled by jagged crystal spires and half-buried statues of unknown beings.

At its center lay a colossal, circular formation etched into cracked, pale stone—its runes burning with a faint, violet fire. Within this circle, strange monoliths stood in precise alignment, each crowned with chains of soul-iron inscribed with abyssal sigils.

Dark mist clung stubbornly to the edges of the formation, as if reluctant to be banished. Black crystal shards jutted at odd angles, half-swallowed by the ground, resonating faintly with the rhythm of the abyss itself.

Surrounding the basin stood dozens more cloaked figures of the Evernight Council, silently maintaining the formation’s power. Pale flames hovered above them, flickering like half-remembered memories.

Ace was again shocked after seeing the massive scale formation, and he could feel the oppressive and terrifying hidden might of that unknown formation.

On the other hand, the council members, each waiting to see whether he would truly deliver the Ghost King or suffer the wrath of the Evernight Council.

The Darkwise Duke suddenly raised his bony, claw-like, gloved hand, and the abyssal winds briefly calmed.

He said in a sharp and commanding tone, “The Abyss Wanderer, Nomad, will stand in the heart of the lure formation. When he activates the method given by the Moonless Wandering King and brings the Ghost King— and his entire hidden lair— into this realm, we must act fast. I don’t want any mischief, or I’ll personally banish everyone into the Evernight Purgatory!”

His words fell like hammers in the silent basin before his face shifted towards Ace, “You may start.”

Ace nodded as he stepped forward, approaching the innermost circle where runes twisted like living serpents. The formation hummed beneath his feet, its power ancient and mysterious, making him wonder if it was enough to bind a Ghost King.

Nonetheless, from the preparations the council had made, he could guess just how much the council was wary of the Ghost King, and he was looking forward to the misfortune of the Ghost King within his World Space Ring.

—

As the council prepared and runes ignited one by one, far beyond the basin’s edge, a figure stood in the shifting mist.

Half-shrouded by darkness, tall and motionless, its silhouette was barely distinguishable from the jagged stones. From beneath a shadowed hood, two devilish eyes glowed faintly—one a deep abyssal black, the other burning with eerie, molten crimson. This pair of eyes was unique and probably only this mysterious figure has it.

Those devilish eyes watched the gathering below with unsettling stillness, as if weighing countless scenarios at once.

Not a flicker of emotion crossed that hidden face. But the moment Ace stepped into the lure formation’s center, the watcher’s gaze sharpened—cold, ancient, and unblinking. This text is hosted at novel-fire.ɴet

As the wind stirred the black mist, a whisper, like the rustle of broken wings, passed unnoticed, “What an interesting little thing you have taken in, Moonless…but I still can’t understand your true intention, Moonless. Since when did you become so kind and charitable for a measly disciple…even I’m curious about him now…let’s see what you’re planning now…”

—

Ace was completely unaware of the fact that a terrifying existence had taken a keen interest in him. His entire focus was now shifted to the task at hand.

“Are you ready?” Ace quickly communicated with Pixy as he stopped in the heart of the lure formation.

“Hehe~ just waiting for your signal…” Pixy playfully replied, but her voice carried a hint of rare seriousness.

Ace took a deep breath and, without anyone noticing, the storage ring on his middle finger suddenly switched with the World Space Ring.

At this moment, a black palm-sized quartz with constantly twisting gray mercury in it appeared in Ace’s hand, and he was sure no one in the Abyss of Wandering Souls would recognize it unless they had been to the Mortal Ascension Heaven.

The reason he had taken it out was to make everything look as legit and mysterious as possible, and this quartz was actually a precious ’natural spirit treasure’ called the ’Yin Moon Crystal’, which was filled with the liquid essence of ’yin’.

Just as he suspected, everyone was closely watching his every action. The moment he took out the Yin Moon Crystal, no one was able to recognize it, and because of the formation, they couldn’t use their Law Sense, fearing they would ruin the process.

Ace also didn’t give them time and loudly declared in an agitated tone, “Everyone, I’m going to summon the Ghost King’s hideout!”