Eternal Thief

Ace's party of nine was following Crosby for half an hour. As they all moved in this particular route, the humidity was increasing. One can see dense clouds in the sky. 

"It's going to be heavy rain." The girl with the sword said while frowning. Her name was Pearl, she was a lesser noble's daughter and came from Ale Province.

"I good if it's poured down heavy since it will clean this damn air." The boy with a mean face shouted. His name was Ramiro, and he was a commoner from Vin Province. 

"No, it is not good at all. The rain will make it more difficult to move and many poisonous demonic beasts can easily sneak up on us with all the water in the way. I heard the black water swamp can easily flood the middle area of the forest in heavy rain. We don't want to be that swamp!" Lilith gravely speaks at this moment. 

Everyone expression stiff hearing this because Lilith was stating the obvious and they all speed up their movement. 

Ace on the other hand was ecstatic and wholeheartedly wish for heavy rain because the rain can moderately hinder that damn martial sense! The water will create small ripples in the Qi of this atmosphere that was already full of water element Qi. 

This will give Ace some chance to use his abilities freely! 

Now he just had to wait for the rain to start.

"We're here!" Crosby's excited voice sounded after half an hour. 

Everyone looked at the area and was astonished because there were many fifty meters tall purple trees with needle-like purple leaves which were one meter long. 

Ace's eyes narrowed because he wasn't like the others seeing with just naked eyes, he was observing with soul sense. He found many tiny demonic insects on those trees. 

'This might be a hunting place for Phantom Horn Lizard. Since it's two feet long and enjoys praying on small demonic beasts.' Ace thought with ecstasy, 'If I can get one I don't need to be on edge all the time and I can leave this place for good.' 

"Everyone please be careful of those trees are extremely toxic and if those needle-like leaves or the tree bark itself even faze you, you'll be dead in two hours!" Crosby grimly warns everyone. 

Everyone's excitement dies down the moment they heard Crosby's warning. They tend the way more carefully in high alert now. 

Just like this, they disappear into the forest of those poisonous trees, and an hour passed, but they didn't find any trace of Phantom Horn Lizard. 

However, everyone's complexion was pale blue since this area's air was much poisonous than outside air. 

"I… I thi…think… we should leave this place." The little shy girl spoke in a mosquito-like voice at this moment. Her name was Natalia and she was a commoner of Capital City. 

Natalia's personality was shy and she speak very little and only listen to everyone else like an obedient little child. She was the youngest in the group only 13 years old.

Although Natalia's voice wasn't loud, yet everyone hears it since they were all cultivators. 

"I'm agreed with Little Natalia." The girl with an average face instantly agreed with Natalia. Her name was Ashly, and she was a commoner from ale province. 

"We can't just give up after coming this far." Ramiro instantly retorted with an angry face.

Little Natalia was scared and quickly hide behind Ashly. 

"Hey, you can't take with her like this." Nola rebuke Ramiro and said, "I know how you're feeling but we can't stay here for too long or we'll die before we could find those damn lizards!" 

"But leader we can't just go back after we've come this deep and our target may be just around the corner!" Crosby said gravely. He was unwilling to leave. 

"He had a point." Dewan nodded with a grim face. 

"Oh, it seems you didn't cherish your life." Lilith speaks with a sneer at this moment, "Look at your face it is already this pale if you go deep you'll die maybe in three more hours and those weaker than you had little time either. Now decide if your life is more important or this competition?" 

Dewan finally closely looked at his hand and was shocked after seeing his blue skin with small black dots on it. 

"We're leaving!" Nola decisively said after noticing her beautiful skin turning into this hideous blue and spinning around. 

"Hah, they finally couldn't take it anymore!" At this moment a contemptuous voice of a male resounded from the shadow of the trees.

Nola and everyone's faces fell after hearing this voice. 

"Who are you, show yourself, coward!" Ramiro yells with anger. 

"Oh, this one is still lively." A sweet voice scoffed at this moment from the opposite direction to that male voice. 

"We've been surrounded." Ryan calmly said at this moment, he was the only one who wasn't surprised by this sudden ambush. 

Ace has long sensed this hidden party after they enter this part but didn't point it out since it would look suspicious. After all, some commoner like him can't sense someone's presence from twenty meters away from him by normal means. 

So, he could only wait and see how this thing would play out while watching the sky. 

'Just fall already!' Ace bitterly thought. 

"Please, we don't want to fight. Just let us pass." Nola said gravely. She knew no one in the condition of an all-out fight because if they waste anymore Qi the poison will penetrate their defense and enter their internals. 

And when it happened, it will be over for everyone! 

"Hehe, you don't want to fight, you say? It's more likely you can't fight." 

At this moment a tall skinny boy walks out of the tree's shadow with a mocking smile on his face. 

Thereafter, eleven more youngsters walkout from their hiding spots. This new group wore lavishing robes and the most shocking part about them was their complexions were perfectly fine with no trace of toxicity! 

"Y-you how did you're fine!??" Dewan was shocked. 

"Hehe, a mere dirty commoner like you don't have the right to know." The skinny boy disdainfully said. 

Dewan's face turned unsightly hearing this answer. He hated these nobles for their ego and haughty attitude.

Nola and other expressions were also not good. 

At this moment in everyone confusing and shocking eyes, Crosby moves toward the party of aristocrats with a crooked smile on his face. 

"My Lords, I've done what you asked for. Now can you give me the cure, I'm almost out of Qi." Crosby said while kneeling in front of the skinny boy. 

"Brother Crosby, YOU!??" Dewan's face turned bloodless pale seeing the person who he considers a friend turning into a traitor instantly. 

The remaining party members also show the same expression as Dewan, except for Ryan. 

Ace knew this guy was up to no good from the start when he lies about his background and lures everyone into this forest. But he didn't point it out for obvious reasons. 

He felt sorry for the poor guy Dewan; he was always on guard against him but never suspected the closest person, who was pulling his chain all along.

"You, traitorous bastard, you sell us down the river!" Ramiro clenched the two axes in his hand as the fire of hatred burned deep in his eyes. 

He wanted to attack Crosby but Nola stop him and stiffly said, "You'll die!" 

"Hehe, listen to this whore. She is telling the truth in this condition I can just dodge and you'll be helpless after your Qi run out." At this moment, the bulky boy ridicule while glaring at Romero's pale blue face. 

Nola show killing intent hearing that boy calling her whore but didn't attack. 

However, a spear moves in a lightning speed at this moment with no warning and its target was none other than kneeling Crosby's head! 

This attacker was none other than Dewan who was blinded by rage and just wanted to kill this traitor. 

"NO!" Nola finally saw Dewan moving without caring about the consequences but it was too late to stop him. 

Crosby also saw Dewan coming and sneer as he looked at the skinny boy without moving from his position. He had no intention to dodge. 

The skinny boy sneered and swept his sleeve nonchalantly. A white barrier suddenly appeared between Dewan's spearhead and Crosby's head. 

'Clang' 

A metallic voice sounded when the spearhead touched the light barrier and Dewan blew backward because of the shock wave created by this collision. 

Dewan's face was bloodlessly pale as he struggles to stand up and suddenly vomit a mouthful of blood. His eyes were almost listless.

Ace's eyes contracted after seeing this light barrier and gravely thought, 'An array barrier treasure!' 

His knowledge about runes was not so shallow anymore, and he instantly found out the nature of that light barrier. 

Ace didn't use his runic eyes because he didn't want to active Light Soul Qi and cause unusual soul ripple in the air. 

But he could tell because that brat can't control a formation barrier with his fifth Qi gate cultivation, and besides formations cannot be bought at markets like candies!