Zed was like a broken rag doll, kneeling dazedly in the hall, completely lifeless.
When the dark guards left, they casually dragged him out. Zed didn't resist at all.
Nolan emerged from the hall, removed his black cloak, and walked toward Serena. Seeing Serena's concerned gaze, he said, "The Demon Sect has been destroyed. The Demon Sect Lord is missing. Everything of value in the Demon Hall has been burned to ashes."
In other words, those righteous sect members took everything they could carry, and burned all that couldn't be moved.
Even Jianghu heroes need to eat. Since they attacked the Demon Sect, of course they wouldn’t leave any valuables behind. Besides, even if they claim not to care about profit, they wouldn’t let valuable items remain for the Demon Sect to stage a comeback.
"And what about the thing you were looking for?" Serena knew Nolan wanted something from the Demon Sect, but she didn’t know what it was.
Nolan didn’t say, so Serena didn’t ask.
Nolan shook his head. "I didn’t find it."
"What about Sean? Could it have been taken by someone else?"
"No." Nolan hadn’t told Sean about the Nine Provinces Treasure Map, and none of those martial artists knew the Demon Sect had a map fragment.
"Then it must still be with the Demon Sect. The Demon Sect Lord is missing—if we find him, we’ll have a lead on what you want." After all the trouble they’d gone through, it would be a huge loss if it was all for nothing.
"Let’s hope so." At least they now had a clue about the location of this map fragment. Compared to the other pieces, whose whereabouts were completely unknown, this was already good news.
The Master of the Mystic Healer Valley took out a bottle of pills and handed them to everyone. "Anti-corpse poison. This place isn’t safe. Let’s get out first."
Only the Master of the Mystic Healer Valley would have such strange pills.
After everyone took the pills, they prepared to leave. Only then did someone notice: "Where's Dorian Owen? Looks like he hasn't come back yet."
"He’s just a child, don’t bother with him. Once we find the Demon Sect survivors, it’ll have nothing to do with us." Serena tried to persuade him.
Zed killed so many people and thought it was perfectly justified. He never considered how much pain he caused their families.
"Yeah, he's probably gotten lost again. We don't need to worry about him—he gets lost all the time, can wander for months even at his own doorstep." Dorian’s Master knew all about Dorian Owen’s legendary sense of direction and was used to it.
Serena was dumbfounded. "How did he ever make it to the Capital in the first place?"
"He had guide bees... and it still took him over three months." Dorian’s Master was embarrassed even to say it.
Nolan followed the sound and found a huge hole smashed into the farthest corner of the Demon Hall—Dorian Owen was nowhere to be seen.
Even with guide bees, Dorian Owen still took that long—his talent for getting lost was truly remarkable.
"Alright, let’s just leave him. Let’s go." Serena didn’t insist anymore. But just as everyone was about to get into the carriage, a scream came from inside the Demon Hall.
"Ahhh—help, help!" Immediately after, a bright flare shot up from a corner of the hall and soared into the sky.
"It’s Dorian Owen—he’s in trouble." Even Dorian’s Master, under Serena and the others’ influence, had stopped calling him by his formal name. Dorian Owen had protested several times, but to no avail.
"You all stay here. I’ll go check." If the Demon Sect Lord is still alive, there must be other followers around. For safety, they shouldn’t split up.
Although the dark guards didn’t agree with Nolan taking such risks alone, when they thought about the difference in strength between themselves and Nolan, they could only accept it.
"I’ll leave it to you," Dorian’s Master said gravely.
Nolan didn’t say anything, just glanced at Serena to reassure her before turning away. In a few swift movements, he disappeared from sight.
"I wonder what happened." The Master of Mystic Healer Valley was curious.
"Okay, I’ll go right now." Dorian Owen was obedient, but after just a few steps, Nolan called him back.
"Stop." Dorian Owen was notorious for getting lost—sending him to find a way out would just cause trouble.
"Hey—what are you doing, Nolan? First you tell me to scout, then you won’t let me move." Dorian Owen froze in mid-step, still in a running pose, turning his head to ask.
"I don’t trust you. Since you’re not in danger, just stay here. I’ll bring the others down." Nolan was brutally honest, leaving Dorian Owen no room for misunderstanding.
"You’re so mean! You actually look down on me." Dorian Owen puffed out his cheeks in anger.
"He’s just a child, don’t bother with him. Once we find the Demon Sect survivors, it’ll have nothing to do with us." Serena tried to persuade him.
Zed killed so many people and thought it was perfectly justified. He never considered how much pain he caused their families.
Now, with everyone around him dying tragically, he only knows how to hate others, never reflecting on how wrong his own actions were.
In the past, Serena might have taken the chance to lecture him, but now...
She was completely disappointed in Zed. She admitted her treatment had failed—his illness was too severe for her skills.
Nolan followed the sound and found a huge hole smashed into the farthest corner of the Demon Hall—Dorian Owen was nowhere to be seen.
Without hesitation, Nolan anchored his modified Tiger Claw Grappling Hook outside the hole, then leaped down.
The deep shaft was clearly man-made, dropping straight down with no obstacles. Soon, Nolan saw light.
He’d reached the bottom!
"Huh, another idiot fell down?" Dorian Owen’s voice came from nearby. Nolan retorted, "You think I’m as clueless as you?"
Even when insulting others, he included himself.
Thud—Nolan landed steadily, unlike Dorian Owen who had crashed in a heap. Nolan stood tall and elegant, the wind making him look like a jade tree in the wind.
"Ah, it’s Nolan! Did you come to rescue me?" Dorian Owen patted his butt and jumped up instantly.
"I don’t have time. Go check what kind of place this is and whether there’s a way out." Nolan still had the Tiger Claw Grappling Hook on his wrist, making movement awkward, so he ordered Dorian Owen to scout.
The area looked like a valley, probably fit for habitation.
"Okay, I’ll go right now." Dorian Owen was obedient, but after just a few steps, Nolan called him back.
"Stop." Dorian Owen was notorious for getting lost—sending him to find a way out would just cause trouble.
"Hey—what are you doing, Nolan? First you tell me to scout, then you won’t let me move." Dorian Owen froze in mid-step, still in a running pose, turning his head to ask.
"I don’t trust you. Since you’re not in danger, just stay here. I’ll bring the others down." Nolan was brutally honest, leaving Dorian Owen no room for misunderstanding.
"You’re so mean! You actually look down on me." Dorian Owen puffed out his cheeks in anger.
So what if he’s bad at directions? Is it really that serious?
"It’s your own fault for being useless." To be an assassin and still get lost—what a joke.
"It’s not like I want to be this way." Dorian Owen muttered defensively.
"What’s that got to do with me?" Nolan threw cold water on him again. "Just stay here. Until the others arrive, you stand right there and don’t move."
With that, Nolan used the Tiger Claw Grappling Hook to fly back up, leaving Dorian Owen alone, standing in a golden rooster pose, afraid to move. A leaf drifted down and landed on his head—he looked utterly miserable...