With the sound of clothes fluttering in the wind, the woman helped the injured man to sit down against a large tree. Due to the angle, William Clark could clearly see their faces.

“No wonder the voice sounded so familiar.”

The man sitting on the ground appeared to be in his early forties, with three long wisps of beard. He should have looked like an immortal sage, but at this moment his face was ashen, his chest stained with blood, making William Clark involuntarily gasp.

Henry Bolton, the instructor who had taught them the spiritual shield spell half a month ago, was said to be at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and one of the sect’s guardians.

As for the woman, William Clark recognized her too—Emily Carter, a senior sister who had joined the sect several years before him. Although they were of the same generation, she was already at the peak of the Spirit Movement stage, ranking among the top three among the junior disciples. If nothing unexpected happened, she might achieve Foundation Establishment in a few years.

Both of these people were important figures in the sect, so how did they end up fleeing back here in such a sorry state?

Moreover, judging by their expressions—furtive and on edge, like startled birds—they were already within the sect’s territory and shouldn’t need to be so cautious. Could it be that they were hiding some secret they didn’t want others to know?

In just a few seconds, William Clark had already analyzed the situation. With these thoughts in mind, although curious, he became even more careful to hide himself.

If the two really had a big secret and he happened to stumble upon it, they would surely silence him. The cultivation world was a place where the strong preyed on the weak, extremely cruel. William Clark had no desire to become a victim of misfortune.

Facing a mid-Foundation Establishment uncle-master and a senior sister at the peak of the Spirit Movement stage, even if both were injured, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

After correctly assessing their strength, William Clark held his breath, not daring to make a sound, only hoping they would rest for a moment and then quickly leave.

“Huh, someone’s here!”

Emily Carter’s low exclamation startled William Clark. Had she discovered him? But before he could react, he heard a miserable scream.

“You... you ambushed me?” The voice was both terrified and angry, tinged with disbelief. “Wh... why?”

“Hmph, Master, you needn’t waste your strength. This Golden Binding Rope was a gift from you—you should know its power. In your current condition, you can only muster twenty percent of your strength at most. There’s no way you can break free.”

Chapter 7: Spiritual Artifact

The sudden turn of events left William Clark stunned. Henry Bolton’s voice came through in broken gasps: “Fine, I... I misjudged you. You want to keep the treasure for yourself?”

“That’s right.” Emily Carter’s voice was still charming, but now carried a sinister, venomous edge. “Master, you’ve treated me well, but you should understand the saying ‘one who possesses a treasure is guilty of it.’ For the sake of our past relationship, I’ll leave your body intact.”

Listening to their conversation, William Clark was nothing but curious. So Emily Carter dared to commit the grave sin of killing her master, all to seize a treasure for herself. What kind of treasure could be so tempting? Though he was dying to know, he dared not act rashly.

This senior sister was ruthless and far stronger than him. William Clark had no intention of letting his curiosity put him in danger.

“Ah!”

A cry of grief and rage, blood splattering. Through a gap in the grass, William Clark saw Emily Carter had already pierced her master’s chest. A yellow orb of light emerged from Henry Bolton’s body, frantically trying to escape.

“Trying to let your primordial spirit escape? Don’t even think about it!” Emily Carter was prepared. She reached out her right hand, slender jade fingers instantly seizing the orb.

The orb struggled desperately, darting left and right, but it was useless. In despair, it began to beg, “Yaner, for the sake of how well I’ve treated you as your master...”

But Emily Carter was unmoved. With a slight squeeze, she crushed the orb, which dissipated into the air. William Clark felt a chill run down his spine. This senior sister surnamed Zhou was truly vicious. It was well known that all living things were made of “body” and “soul.” If the body died, the soul could still reincarnate. But if both body and soul were destroyed, there would be no reincarnation. Even in the brutal world of cultivation, people rarely destroyed another’s soul, even if they were enemies. Yet Emily Carter had shown no mercy to her own master.

After killing her master, Emily Carter’s expression remained unchanged as she began searching Henry Bolton’s body. After a while, her face lit up with joy. “Found it!”

Though he knew it was dangerous, William Clark couldn’t resist his curiosity any longer and quietly poked his head out. He saw Emily Carter holding a box the size of a fist, exquisitely carved from fine sandalwood. She gently caressed it, her face brimming with uncontrollable delight.

“Who’s there?” Suddenly, Emily Carter’s expression changed, her face turning vicious as she glared over. William Clark cursed inwardly. It wasn’t that he had made a noise, but rather that a wild rabbit had happened to pass by, drawing Emily Carter’s attention.

Man proposes, but heaven disposes—his luck was just terrible!

William Clark’s mind raced, his face darkening. Having just witnessed Emily Carter kill her master, he knew that begging or trying to talk his way out would be useless. Making a snap decision, William Clark leapt from his hiding place, flicking his right hand as several cold flashes shot toward Emily Carter.