Eternal Thief

"The Scared Latus King last sane words wasn't about just the fast cultivation, there were more…" Old Luke carefully remembered what was written in the old records before speaking, "Oh, they were: This forest is like a natural fortress as if it is protecting something!" 

"Strange." Alvin mused but no matter how much he mulled over it these words made little sense to him at all. 

However, Ace who has been listening to them earnestly all this time showed opposite emotions to his usual composed self. His eyes were twinkling with ecstasy and his breath become a little rugged!

A startling thought has completely taken over his mind the moment he listens to this last line of Scared Latus King and it just won't go away. 

'AN ELEMENTAL ORB!' 

Ace circulate the HD-Qi to calm his frantic heartbeat because he knew this was just his opinion based on a madman's words. So, losing his calm over a mere guess and stimulating these three powerful experts' suspicion wasn't worth it. 

'This Earthen Mist Forest, I have to check it myself!' Ace makes this forbidden zone his top priority because just this mere possibility of having an Elemental Orb was enough reason for him to go there. 

One had to know, Ace can't reach the higher realm without absorbing these Elemental Orbs and he knew they were very hard to find. But the system has given him enough hints and now he found a place that was completely matched some of the system's signs. 

Ace never thought this misfortune of being captured by Alvin and then his decision to stick with Alvin would give him a probable location with an Elemental Orb. 

If Ace didn't learn from his previous experiences, he might leave everything and go to that forest whenever he gets the first chance. 

Now that he knew all these dangerous facts about that forbidden area he won't go until he was completely sure of coming back alive. 

'At least now I know where to look after I reached the end of Heavenly Foundation Realm.' Ace ecstatically thought. He wasn't in the hurry to go there and he'll wait until he believed he was ready.

'These organizations have many astonishing secrets. I should also clean their libraries. Who knows, I might find more clues about elemental orbs.' Ace took a mental note for the future. 

"But I didn't see any mist in our way here? Why is that?" Alvin spoke at this moment, he has taken a great interest in this forest, and if not for Finn's presence he might start to explore the outskirts of it.

"Hehe, that why I said without this ghost crane, we have to cross the forest on foot but I would also be without any dangers since that path is very safe. It just takes us far longer than on the sky." Old Luke pridefully stroke the Ghost Crane.

"You still didn't answer my question?" Alvin pursed his lips.

"Oh, please forgive me. It is because this fully mature Ghost Crane can fly at a very high altitude and the Emerald Mist can't reach this high up. But don't take this in the wrong way and imagine you can reach the core area with this method. Trust me, many tried this method, and probably all of them are nine feet under." Old Luke chuckles coldly. 

Alvin's face darken because he was thinking about using this method but Old Luke pour cold water on his fantasy. 

"Brother, let's forget about this forest. Don't you find it strange that no one ever tries to investigate this matter even after a Grand Beastmaster and a prodigy die there?" Sofia's face was filled with anxiety and fear because she knew what her brother was thinking and tried to talk reason with him.

"Don't worry I won't go there. But I'll have to talk about this with Father and ask for his opinion." Alvin stiffly retorted to Sofia and then looked at Old Luke, "Tell me everything you know about this forest and I'll put some word to the Grand Beastmaster for you." 

Luke's eyes shimmer with excitement, he didn't expect this Flame General would take a deep interest in this mystery. But Luke didn't miss this opportunity and spoke about everything he knew.

Ace on side sudden discover something and this heart sank to rock bottom, 'Wait a minute. He's asking everything in front of me without even caring about I would divulge this information!'

Ace quickly glance at Sofia and this time she coldly grinned at him like she was looking at a dead man! 

Even she has noticed this peculiar behavior of her brother and she knows Alvin would never make any mistakes. 

'This bastard will kill me the moment he considered me useless!' Ace's heart turn cold the moment this thought surfaced in his mind. 

'Heh, let's see if you can kill me first or… hah. But because of your vanity, I'll know about this forbidden zone as much you do.' Ace coldly sneered in his heart and pretend like an ignorant Finn and closely listen to their conversation.

He knew he was safe as long as Alvin didn't confirm his guess and that would be when they reached the Damien Kingdom. 

---

One week has passed since Ace's group of four began their journey to the Damien Kingdom.

In this week nothing special happened besides the information about Earthen Mist Forest. Now everyone on Ghost Crane knows as much as Old Luke about that forbidden zone. 

Ace was now doing nothing, and all the time he was just pretending to cultivate. But he wasn't doing anything since his cultivation technique wasn't something he could show in front of these three experts. 

His only option was just to pounder over his sword technique but he can't immerse himself into it because if he somehow managed a breakthrough then everyone will be able to feel the technique's power or if he fell into a trance that would also be not good for him since this kind of profound techniques didn't exist in the middle-lands either the geniuses that can cultivate them. 

Ace didn't want any of this to happen at all costs. 

Suddenly Ace felt as if his mind become clearer and lighter, and a comfortable feeling wash over him. 

"Heh, you feel that, right?" Old Luke's amusing voice sounded at this moment. 

"Yes." Finn nodded in confusion.

"Hehe, we just enter the 2nd-Grand lands and what you felt is the abundant Qi density." Old Luke grin. 

"Oh, we already cross the large 3rd-Grade lands?" Ace was astonished since it was too fast! 

"Don't be surprised this Ghost Crane reputation for being the faster areal demonic beast in the Qi River realm wasn't just for show!" Old Luke grin pridefully.

"I understand." Finn nodded with reverence-filled eyes. 

"I want to see the Emerald Mist." Alvin's authoritative voice sounded at this moment. 

Old Luke's face twisted in fear the moment he heard about this and Sofia's expression wasn't good either. 

Ace was also stunned, he didn't what this guy has been thinking for seven days and now that he finally opens his mouth he made an extravagant request that could put everyone's life in jeopardy. 

"F-flame General, please re…consider." Old Luke suggested in a supplicating tone. 

"Yes, listen to this Old Man!" Sofia quickly backed Old Luke.

"I only want to see it and we can do it by flying hundreds of meters above it right?" Alvin pulled a long face seeing everyone is looking at him as a madman. 

He just wanted to evaluate the famous Emerald Mist, even he knows better now that going there was suicidal. 

"Oh, we can do that but only if the winds were not too strong that time." Old Luke sigh in relief and so does everyone else.

"I understand." Alvin merely nodded. He knew if winds were too strong that mist can reach quite high and that would put all of them in danger. 

---

Fifteenth Day, 

"We're flying above the Earthen Mist Forest." Old Luke's grave voice awakened everyone from their meditative state.

Ace gravely looked around, yet he saw nothing but golden sky and clouds. As for below, everything was blurred. If he wanted to observe down below he had to use his heavenly sense that he can't because of obvious reasons.

"Can we go down now?" Alvin pensively asked.

"No, we should wait to cross the most dangerous area, and then we'll be safe to fly over the Emerald Mist. If anything happened that time we just have to protect this Lad." Old Luke gravely stated. His tone was clearly of someone's unnegotiable!

"Fine. Do as you see fit." Alvin nodded. He could sense the firm resolve behind Luke's words and he knew this guy won't gamble with his life. 

Truth to be told, Ace also wanted to see this mist now because in these fifteen days he had conjured up a theory that he can only confirm after he comes in contact with this Emerald Mist. 

Alvin has just given Ace the chance to test this hypothesis!