Eternal Thief

Ace suppressed his excitement and curiosity about the Dark World Traversal, for there was still no time.

He immediately compressed the space toward Eva’s location, but this time something unexpected happened. The moment he attempted to compress the final distance, Darkness spread over his body automatically.

His existence grew thinner and thinner, then almost nonexistent; it was as if space itself lost the ability to distinguish between Ace and the darkness surrounding him.

Ace’s pupils shrank. ’This...’

He understood because Space Law had merged with his Darkness Order; the movement wasn’t simply spatial compression anymore. Instead, it had become Darkness-assisted Spatial Compression.

The compressed space itself was hidden beneath Darkness as if the distance had been stolen from reality without leaving behind evidence.

Ace’s heart trembled before a faint smile appeared. ’So this is the space law fully corroded by the Darkness. It’s like a tailor-made thief’s movement technique...perfect!’

---

Far away, within a hidden spatial fold, Eva quietly stood alone.

She had been waiting for the Heavenly Punishment; waiting for the terrifying phenomenon that should have descended after Ace’s breakthrough.

But to her shock, a terrifying Abyssal Ordeal descended instead of the Heavenly Punishment, and she almost thought that it was here for Ace.

After all, since he was in the Abyss, encountering an Abyssal Ordeal instead of Heavenly Punishment should be normal. But what surprised her even more was that the Abyssal Ordeal wasn’t there for Ace; instead, the Corpse Governor, the highest-ranking member of the Corpse Clan, was breaking through into the Abyssal King Realm.

In the end, she had already ignored several messages from her Master, and even ignored the command to retreat. Eva knew perfectly well that this was reckless, but she had no intention of leaving without Ace.

But strangely enough, the Abyssal Ordeal ended up retreating, and she had a strong feeling that it was related to Ace. She even thought it was because of Ace’s Heavenly Punishment; nothing happened while the Abyssal Ordeal was almost gone.

Her expression remained calm, but the slight tension in her fingers betrayed her thoughts: ’Why hasn’t he appeared yet?’

She had already sensed the Evernight forces retreating, and knew her Master was probably furious. She also knew she should have returned immediately, but she had deliberately stayed because leaving Ace alone in this secret realm didn’t sit right with her.

Just when she was considering if she should call Ace while risking disturbing him at a critical moment, right at that moment...

’Ripple...’

Eva’s eyes sharpened as she felt the space move, and her expression immediately changed. Her bloodline was strongly related to Space Law, and beyond that, that’s why her sensitivity toward spatial fluctuations was naturally far superior to any Abyssal Being in the First Abyss.

Yet, she couldn’t detect anything, making her eyes narrow.

”...”

Suddenly, a faint spatial ripple appeared several meters away, and Eva instantly turned, but there was still nothing. She instantly released her real perception hidden behind her disguise, but still nothing.

Thereafter, another ripple appeared, and this time closer, making Eva’s pupils contract.

’Impossible...’

She felt someone was approaching, and she knew it, but she couldn’t determine where, for even her spatial perception couldn’t lock onto the fluctuation.

The space around her seemed completely normal, yet something was moving through it, something that even space itself refused to reveal. Eva’s expression became solemn.

At that moment...

’SHUA!’

A tall figure suddenly appeared directly in front of her.

Eva instinctively stepped back, her eyes widening, but her killing intent was instantly replaced by astonishment when she saw the person standing before her, wearing Kharon’s disguise and that familiar smile.

Ace looked at her with a mysterious smile as he said, ”Were you waiting for me?”

Eva stared at him for several breaths before her expression changed from anxiousness to annoyance as she replied with pursed lips, ”No, I was searching for treasures.”

Despite her annoyance, Eva quickly examined him from head to toe, and there were no injuries from Heavenly Punishment, no weakened aura, and no signs of failure.

In fact, his aura had clearly undergone another profound transformation, which she couldn’t detect, but the confidence he was emitting was a dead giveaway that he had progressed further.

Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she asked, ”What happened? Did you suppress the Heavenly Punishment?”

She had been expecting a terrifying Heavenly Punishment, and even prepared herself to intervene if something went wrong. Yet Ace had simply appeared in front of her.

Ace smiled as he replied, ”No, I’m now an Ascension Grandmaster!”

Eva’s eyes flickered. ”Then where is the Heavenly Punishment?”

Ace only smiled mysteriously. ”It seems I have a privilege in the Abyss to avoid the Heavenly Punishment. I’ll tell you more about it, but for now, let’s go!”

He glanced into the distance and said sternly, ”Right now, we need to get inside that fortress.”

Eva stared at him with bewilderment, but when she remembered that she and her Thief Acolytes also didn’t encounter any Abyssal Ordeal, she mostly guessed what he was referring to.

Her eyes glowed with delight before she sighed softly, ”You really know how to make people worry.”

Ace chuckled, ”Sorry to make you worry.”

He turned around and said, ”Come.”

Eva didn’t question any further and followed. But as she walked beside him, she couldn’t help glancing at Ace, as there was something different about him.

It was not merely his cultivation, but something about the way he moved, something she couldn’t understand.

For someone with her bloodline, Space should have been nearly transparent, yet she had barely detected Ace’s arrival.

Eva’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she thought with a complicated mood, ’What exactly did he comprehend, and how strong is he now? And just when I thought I caught up to him!’

---

At the entrance of the enormous Realmbreaker Conquest Ark, four figures remained.

They were the Evernight Dukes, and they were the last ones outside, as the others had already entered, and the enormous ark behind them continued flickering as if ready to depart at any moment.

Yet one person still hadn’t moved; it was the Dread Duchess, as she stood silently within the mist-filled battlefield. Her eyes remained fixed on the distant region of space.

The Enchantress Demon Duchess finally couldn’t endure the silence, and she looked toward the Dread Duchess and asked solemnly and said, ”Still no reply?”

The Dread Duchess’s expression darkened as she knew what the Enchantress Demon Duchess was referring to.

She had already sent several messages, but had received no response, as if her disciple were ignoring her. That alone was enough to make her mood terrible.

”She’ll be here.” Her voice was cold.

The Enchantress Demon Duchess hesitated. ”But His Majesty’s command...”

The Dread Duchess turned her head, and her eyes became frighteningly cold. ”I’ll wait. ”If she doesn’t come...”

A terrifying aura slowly spread from her body. ”I’ll personally go look for her.”

The Yin Duchess’s eyes flashed with a hint of gloating, but she wisely remained silent as she had no desire to provoke this madwoman.

The Enchantress Demon Duchess sighed helplessly, ”But the King’s command...”

The Dread Duchess’s expression didn’t change as she resolutely stated, ”I’m not leaving without my disciple!”