Chapter 346: Departure
Chapter 346: Departure
At the Stormveil Academy.
The night before Rhain’s impending departure had finally arrived.
Rhain stood quietly in the center of his inner chamber.
Standing across from him were Seris and Liana. Both of the girls already had the sorrowful looks in their eyes.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Rhain flicked his wrist, and a blinding flash of spatial light illuminated the dim room.
Dozens of jade bottles materialized in the air, hovering gently before the two girls.
An intoxicating medicinal fragrance instantly seeped through them, filling the entire chamber with dense essence.
"These are for you both," Rhain said, pushing them toward the two girls.
Liana was stunned. "Rhain... are these...?"
"Flawless Epic-Grade and Mystic-Grade pills," Rhain confirmed, his dark grey eyes shifting between the two girls. "I secretly refined this stash specifically for you before I leave for Basin. There are enough resources here to last for the three months of my absence."
He looked at them with a strict gaze. "While I am gone, you are to stay within the Academy and cultivate relentlessly. Do not slack off."
Seris stared at the mountain of priceless pills.
Any other cultivator would have wept tears of joy, but Seris did not even look at them.
She stepped forward, her delicate hands gripping the fabric of his dark robes.
"Husband..." Seris pleaded, "Please, let me accompany you to the basin. I won’t be a burden, I promise. I just... I cannot bear the thought of you facing that death zone alone."
Looking at her pleading face, Rhain felt a soft warmth in his heart.
He gently grasped her trembling hands.
"No, Seris," Rhain refused, his tone soft but unyielding.
"Why?" Seris pleaded, a stray tear sliding down her cheek.
"But husband!" Seris pleaded again. "The Royal Court’s executioners—"
"Listen to me, Seris," Rhain interrupted, his tone turning solemn. "We are only truly safe within the walls of this Academy because of the overarching threat of the Valdris Monarchs. The moment you step outside these boundary arrays, that protection vanishes."
A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes as he continued.
"Lucius is a venomous snake. He is undoubtedly watching my every move. If you come with me, you will become the primary target for him. I would be forced to divide my attention between saving my life and protecting you."
Rhain leaned in slightly, resting his forehead gently against hers.
"As long as I am out there, and as long as I am breathing, Valdris Academy will protect us, and Lucius will not dare to make an open move against this Academy or you. You are my greatest weakness, Seris. Keeping you here is the only way I can fight without looking over my shoulder."
"I swear to you, Rhain," Liana interjected, her voice suddenly firm with resolve. She looked at Rhain. "I will watch over Seris in your absence. I will not let anyone harm her, and I will cultivate with my life on the line so that I am never a burden again."
Seris closed her eyes, leaning against his forehead. She knew he was right, but it didn’t make the separation any less agonizing.
"I understand," Seris whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I will stay here. I will break through to the Core Formation Realm. Just... promise me you will come back. Because I know that you never break your promise."
"I promise," Rhain smiled faintly.
Liana stood a few paces away, looking at him with eyes full of longing, "We will be waiting for you, Rhain. Don’t do anything reckless."
"I make no promises on that," Rhain chuckled lightly.
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Next morning, the early sunlight spilled over the towering main gates of Stormveil Academy.
Rhain stepped out onto the sprawling stone plaza, his dark robes fluttering gently in the crisp morning breeze.
Standing a few paces away, waiting for him, was a breathtakingly beautiful girl with cascading crimson hair.
Lyra was dressed in a tailored, dark-red combat suit that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. A slender, high-tier rapier rested at her hip.
Hearing his footsteps, she turned her head.
Her arms were crossed firmly beneath her chest, and a familiar, haughty scowl was plastered across her face.
"You’re late," Lyra snorted arrogantly, "I’ve been standing here for half an hour."
I" didn’t ask you to come early," Rhain replied lazily, entirely unbothered by her attitude.
Lyra’s crimson eyes narrowed, her teeth grinding audibly.
Even after he had single-handedly humiliated the Royal Court and proved himself to be the legendary Grandmaster Korryn, his sheer, arrogant indifference still managed to infuriate her within seconds.
"Don’t flatter yourself," Lyra spat, lifting her chin. "I am not doing this to follow you. I am going into that wasteland strictly for Aunt Carmilla. If we find the mutated python, I will kill it myself and take the beast core. You just try not to get in my way."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Rhain said flatly.
He never cared about her prickly banter.
He knew perfectly well that beneath her haughty exterior, she was taking this mission as seriously as him.
Just then, a group of figures descended from the sky.
Dean Carmilla, Vice Dean Myrielle, Matriarch Seraphine, Seris, and Liana landed gracefully near the gates.
"Lyra," Seraphine stepped forward, her sharp eyes softening with maternal concern as she looked at her daughter. "Don’t squabble there like this. You promised me that you will listen to Rhain."
"I know, mom," Lyra replied frustratingly. It was the condition she had to resentfully agree.
Seris walked up to Rhain, her pale purple eyes red from crying the night before. She didn’t say a word, simply throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him with all her might.
Rhain held her tightly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"I’ll be back," Rhain murmured.
"Return alive, little thief," Carmilla chuckled weakly. "The Academy still needs its future Dean."
Rhain gave a polite nod.
With the final farewells concluded, Rhain and Lyra stepped onto the deck of a sleek, black-iron skiff provided by the Academy.
BOOM—!!!
The skiff shot into the sky like a fired arrow, tearing through the morning clouds at maximum velocity, leaving for the Sunless Umbral Basin.
-------------------
The journey took several hours.
As the skiff tore through the sky, the bright, azure brilliance of the morning sun gradually began to shift.
The air grew noticeably colder.
The vibrant blue sky was slowly swallowed by an oppressive gloom.
Standing at the forefront of the deck, Rhain looked down.
He remembered this place.
Months ago, when he and Seris had first traveled from the Outer Frontier to the Inner Province aboard Preceptor Fabian’s Crimson Bird Skiff, they had flown directly over this exact expanse.
Back then, Fabian had sternly warned them to stay inside their cabins, terrified that the residual shockwaves from the horrors lurking below would instantly pulverize them.
Now, he was marching directly into it.
"We are here," Lyra spoke, stepping up to the railing beside him.
Her haughty demeanor had completely vanished, replaced by a grave solemnity.
Rhain looked ahead.
Stretching out across the horizon was a gargantuan, pitch-black wasteland.
A thick, swirling dark miasma blanketed the entire expanse, rising so high that it completely blotted out the sun, plunging the region into a state of perpetual twilight.
The aura radiating from the depths of the basin felt as if a primordial beast had locked their souls as its prey.
It was despairingly ominous.