The Devil’s Cage

Ude was carefully shuttling the streets of E Block.

The last time he was here was 30 years ago, when he had just taken control of Sil Sect. Unlike this time, which he infiltrated the campus, the last time he was invited by the school to participate in the special expedition group to the Mystic State.

It was due to that event that his life changed drastically.

The secret techniques! The secret techniques that could change one’s body became his life-long pursuit.

However, 30 years had passed and his reward was only a handful.

Despair grew in his heart as his body aged day after day.

It was at this time, news about Sil Inner Sect came out from Theorate, it inflicted a heavy blow to Ude who had been Sil Sect’s overseer for over 30 years.

He became even more eager to find out the truth since he knew how the Inner Sect did things and the ways they fought.

He contracted the Ryde Family, paid them and initiated the deal.

It was normal for Ude to strike such a deal.

Although being called a master, Sil Sect’s way of battle was utilizing external items to aid them in combat, hence he was used to utilizing any kind of power that he could find.

His way of doing things was considered shameful for a lot of people.

“Complicated streets!”

Using his memories of the place, Ude turned into an alleyway and arrived at the branching path into another valley.

The branching path wasn’t part of his memories from 30 years ago, it was the information his spy sent back to him bit by bit.

His spy even setup the hidden lodging spot for him on this particular trip.

Of course, unlike those exposed Sil Sect spies, like Palreynold, this spy was an extra.

Never place all the eggs in the same basket, Ude knew it since he was young.

Ude stopped when he was in the middle of the branching path.

Before him was a storefront selling some daily supplies and groceries. The owner of the store was the extra spy Ude planted in the campus.

Ding Dong!

After sizing up his surroundings and making sure there wasn’t anyone around, Ude entered the store.

“Good day… Leader?!”

When the store owner heard the bell ring, he greeted the customer out of habit but when he saw the person was Ude, he went blank for a moment.

The spy posing as store owner did not think the overseer of Sil Sect would appear before him. At the very next moment, shock flashed over the store owner’s face.

The unusual expression caused an alarm in Ude’s head.

Ude didn’t turn around abruptly, he continued facing the store owner while he stepped back step by step, his hands were already holding his weapon.

“Tsk!”

A soft noise came from behind Ude, it sounded like a tease.

Ude didn’t care what the noise meant, the moment the noise entered his ears, he hurled the knife and fork behind him without even turning around.

Despite not looking at the person behind him, using echolocation, Ude was quite confident to hit his target. More so, the knife and fork weren’t some common tableware.

Bang!

Before the knife and fork hit their target, they exploded mid-air. Tiny silver dust burst out upon explosion and clouded everything behind Ude.

The silver dust would hit whoever stood behind him.

At the same time, an odourless gas started to fill the little store

Ude showed a confident smile, he thought his target was apprehended but his smile froze on his face at the next moment.

Bang Bang Bang.

Ude heard his tiny silver dust hit the wooden door and yet a palm suddenly grabbed the back of his neck.

Ude quickly conceded.

“What do you want? Other than my life, you can take whatever I have,” said the Sil Set overseer.

Ude chose to live over dying, and he could give up everything in order to breath.

His pride?

In Ude’s dictionary, pride was useless in front of death, staying alive was the only way to everything.

When he felt the palm let go of his neck, Ude heaved a breath of relief, he didn’t feel any hostile intentions from the person behind him, meaning there were still grounds to negotiate.

This was the best start Ude could ask for.

“I have enough cash in my backpack and some decent items, if you want…”

“You are really what Palreynold said, not just afraid to risk your neck, you even forget the true teachings of Sil Sect.”

While Ude was trying to strike a deal with the mysterious person behind him, a disdainful voice entered his ear and after the voice faded, the palm on released Ude’s neck.

Ude was shaken, it was just because of how simply the person released him, but also because what the person said.

Palreynold! The spy that he once sent out and a young man that he thought highly of but with the arrival of Sil Inner Sect, Ude had gotten detailed information from the Ryde Family about his spies. The young man that he thought he knew very well was clouded in mystery.

After the little scare and the name entering his ear again, Ude couldn’t hold back anymore. He stepped up and turned around quickly.

He saw a normal looking young man with a baseball cap in his sight.

“Who are you?” Ude asked.

“Who am I? Consider me your examiner, and you’ve failed again.”

“Oh and I have to tell you this is the last time you will ever be tested—you’ve gotten a lot of chances because of your overseer identity but not once did you seize them to your benefit.”

The young man smiled and wanted to leave.

Test? Examiner? Failed again?

Ude who wasn’t really an idiot reacted to the situation when his mind connected all the dots.

It was a test from Sil Inner Sect and yet he failed it, just like the last time!

More importantly, this was his last chance and he would not get anymore opportunities after this!

Ude stood at the spot blankly.

Ding!

The bell woke him up.

“Wait! Wait sir!” Ude called out loudly after he came back from his stupefied state.

The young man who opened the door turned around, answering the call.

It was at this time Ude finally got a clear look of the young man’s face due to the light from the outside—it was Lude!

The name entered his mind when he got a clear look.

Through the intelligence network in Theorate of the Ryde Family, Ude knew everything about the Index of Eat which caused quite the commotion a while back.

However, never he did expect the main character of the incident, Lude, was one of Sil Inner Sect, and even became his examiner.

Sil Inner Sect is much bigger than I expected!

Ude was in utter shock as he recalled the incident at Derton’s lab.

Based on all sorts of observation, Derton’s lab was obviously part of Sill Inner Sect and claiming a research lab as a child entity was definitely not something easy, only the renown families or sects could do it.

On top of that, Lude’s strength!

Despite Lude barely being of age, the strength that he displayed had exceeded the powerhouses that Ude knew or heard of.

The realization added a sense of frustration on top of his state of shock.

Why didn’t he pass the test? Not just this one but the previous ones as well!

Ude recalled the peculiar incidents throughout his life, the more he pondered at the incidents, the more he assumed they were the tests from Sil Inner Sect and yet he chose wrongly without fail every time.

As for whether or not Sil Inner Sect really existed?

When Lude easily grabbed him and had the chance to snap his neck but didn’t, Ude already bought the lie and believed in the existence of the Sil Inner Sect.

The reason why he had never discovered the inner sect was because Sil Inner Sect was too secretive and powerful, it was out of his league.

And now, after verifying Sil Inner Sect’s strength, Ude had decided to join said sect!

Pak! Without a second thought, Ude knelt down.

“Sir, please let me join the inner sect! I know I failed the test, so you don’t need to give me an official identity, I just need to be an outer rim member, that will be enough,” Ude kowtowed as he begged.

Lude, actually Bloody Mary in disguise, curled its lips when it saw Ude’s kowtow.

It knew it had completed its task.

Ude had completely believed in the existence of the Sil Inner Sect, despite there being some abruptive holes, Ude would fill them in using his own imagination.

This was the reason why Bloody Mary chose to appear with Lude’s face, not Palreynold.

Firstly, it was necessary to display how strong the Sil Inner Sect was. Though a single person could never bear the weight of being truly powerful.

Secondly, Ude was very familiar with Palreynold, despite with the hidden identity of the Sil Inner Sect, Bloody Mary was afraid that Ude might notice some clues that would expose it. Bloody Mary might as well use a person that Ude wasn’t familiar with.

The delight in its heart did not affect its performance. It pretended to be arrogant and cold.

“Do you think the Sil Inner Sect is as simple as you think?”

“If you can get in by begging, there isn’t any meaning in our continued existence! Really… A bunch of bloody bastards!”

Bloody Mary changed its words into cursing before it dashed out from the storefront and vanished from sight.

The Superior Demon caught Ude off guard.

The Sil Sect overseer was stunned for a moment before he too dashed out but Bloody Mary was long gone from the alley.

Frustration was smeared all over Ude’s face but he quickly recalled the anger he sensed from ‘Lude’.

“What happened? What angered the sir from the inner sect…”

“Maybe this is my chance!”

Ude clenched his fist and turned around to the store owner.

The store owner was still paralyzed by [Paralyze Ball].

“Find out what is going on, with all means necessary.”

Ude smeared something under the store owner’s nose to help him recover from the paralysis.

“Yes, leader,” the store owner recovered and nodded.

Those who could become spies and agents were all cautious and smart people. When ‘Lude’ appeared before him, the store owner already knew the disguise he used against Palreynold, which he thought was flawless, had been exposed under the eyes of the Sil Inner Sect.

Palreynold’s multiple tests for him might even be the real ‘tests’ and unfortunately, he failed like his leader.

But there was still chance!

The thought in his head drove the store owner to move out faster than anytime before.

As a great spy, the store owner didn’t just possess decent hiding abilities, he also had a rather large intelligence network, or at least he thought he had one.

Soon, some news entered the store owner’s ear.

Without further ado, the store owner delivered the news to Ude.

“A battle broke out in the garrison?” Ude frowned.

His eyes then shined.

“So this is what’s going on!”

…

Kieran used the power of the contract and allowed Bloody Mary to ‘teleport’ in a short range.

After it left the store, Bloody Mary appeared around the security garrison in Palreynold’s face.

It sized up the surroundings before looking at a single direction.

Under the aerial view of the Fire Raven, there was a group of fully-armed men waiting at that direction, or more precisely, they were there to receive someone.

Though Bloody Mary didn’t think the person the group of men were waiting for would show. Anyone who goes against its boss would barely be alive.

Its boss wasn’t just powerful, the cautious and decisive manner far surpassed common men also.

Hence, Bloody Mary obediently carried out its task every time, this time included.

As Bloody Mary was setting up, a sudden explosion sent it flying away as if it was hit by a rampaging rhino. Bloody Mary was flying uncontrollably towards the group of men in ambush.

“There is another ambush?!”

“But do you really think you can defeat me with this kind of cheap move?”

Bloody Mary adjusted its body in mid-air, allowing itself to land firmly. It then glanced over the other ambushers who were in shock.

Bloody Mary chuckled and disappeared from the ambushers’ bare eyes.

The whole process was less than 2 seconds.

The ambushers looked at each other and were completely baffled by the sudden outcome.

Then, the alarm sounded.

Groups of security guards then arrived outside the garrison and were moving towards the group of ambushers.

“Fall back!” The leader of the ambushers ordered.

All the ambushers then started to fall back but they obviously incorrectly estimated the mobility and the numbers of the security guards.

Two minutes later, the group of ambushers suffered severe damage and completely lost their abilities to resist.

After getting the news, Professor Tyrese stood up and walked to Kieran who was sleeping.

“The guards caught a group of armed men coming for you, wanna have a look?” the professor asked.

“Not interested,” Kieran didn’t even open his eyes since he already knew what had happened.

“But the guards got something about Sil Inner Sect from this group of men,” the professor added.

The moment the professor’s voice faded, Kieran jumped up.

“Sil Inner Sect?” Kieran asked and showed a perfectly timed expression of shock.