God Of Crafting

Chapter 242 Lacking proper guidance (part 2)

"Oh right, we were talking about how we ended up reforming our bodies even though it shouldn't have happened," Claire pointed out, only to rest her elbows on my chest and then cup her hands, all to then rest her chin down on her cupped hands. "While I do agree with your point, I don't really get where you were trying to go from there."

'Yeah, we ended up straying off the topic, didn't we?' I thought, only to close my eyes and take several breaths in a bid to calm myself down and clear my thoughts, regaining the state of proper focus necessary for me to even venture into the realm of theorycrafting about cultivation.

"You see, I was just wondering… If we could go through the process of refining our bodies for the second time, don't you think it's kinda lazy to assume this whole stage was always about doing it once?"

Claire lowered her eyes down, locking them somewhere around my collarbone as she dove deep into her thoughts for a moment.

"What I'm trying to say, now that we can easily advance to the fifth stage, isn't it the most obvious thing to do?" I suggested, only to then shake my own head as I dared to venture out into the realm of ideas that were so far removed from the standard, they were as likely to be complete bullshit as they were to be a genius discovery.

"While that's the most obvious thing to do, who is it to say that it's also the most optimal path?"

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"Where the hell are they?!"

The feast hall turned silent, even though the morning after the feast was, according to the usual schedule, the time when people were free to relax and amuse themselves in any way they found fitting.

But right now, with the clan's patriarch fuming with anger on his elevated stand, sparks of raw spiritual energy snapping in the air around him…

Right now, no one was insane or daring enough to partake in any of the leisures and pleasures the clan provided for its valued members.

The steaming-hot breakfast was left aside. The corks still locked the necks of the bottles of precious liquors. Even the dancers, prideful members of the dual-cultivation sect that the patriarch himself paid to rent out for his clansmen's enjoyment… they were now cowering in the corners of the hall, trying to make themselves disappear in the crowd.

With the clan's patriarch angered to the point of actually revealing his wrath to those around him, even those uninvolved in the problem could only pray to be spared the patriarch's fury.

The whole of the feasting hall grew as still as it was silent.

BAM!

The side doors of the hall slammed open, revealing Chihiro's sweaty face as he ran into the room only to fall down to one knee and strike the ground with his fist as he bowed.

"I've checked the perimeter. Nothing crossed the innermost barrier!"

A moment later, two of the clan's elders ran in, all entering through different sets of hidden doors.

"We've checked all the covert hiding spots, they are not there!"

"I've checked the training grounds, they are not there either!" Your journey continues at empire

The patriarch's fury only grew stronger… Yet, as he turned around and looked at the empty face of his daughter…

"I only wanted them to get some breathing room!" With streaks of tears trickling down her cheeks, Leila sat curled up, with her knees directly pressing against her chest.

The patriarch took a deep breath… And turned back to his podium, back to facing the massive hall where most of the clan's members gathered.

"I will ask this only once. Whoever is responsible for the disappearance of those two, step out right now!"

From the look on the patriarch's face, it was quite clear he had no hopes anyone would step out to take responsibility for the mess. And yet…

"My name is Sienna Moore," a young, barely seventeen-year-old girl stepped out. She wore the simple clothing of the clan's servant and carried the look of absolute confidence on her face. "And I'm the one," her jaw slightly moved as if she was gritting her teeth, "who brought them into the cultivation garden without proper guidance."

If the hall was already silent, then now the range of noises within it reached negative levels.

The young girl then clenched her jaws.

"And this is my revenge for the death of my brother, Dorian Moore!"

With nothing but silence surrounding her, the girl's shout appeared all the louder, all the more decisive.

"You…" the patriarch squinted his eyes, holding himself back only out of fear that something as simple as slapping her face would, due to the difference in their strength, end up with him tearing her head off her neck.

Before the man could even figure out what to say next, though…

"YOU!" Leila screamed out in primal fury, rising up from her curled-up position and leaping across the hall in a streak of unleashed spirituality…

'An heir for an heir…' Sienna mouthed off right as Leila was about to reach out and claw her face off…

Only for Sienna's mouth to suddenly cover in white, bubbly foam, her eyes suddenly roll back, and her body lose all of its integrity.

By the time Leila landed by the girl, Sienna had already turned into a corpse, with the foam at her mouth indicating the reason for her death.

For a moment, Leila stared down at the corpse with all the hate she could muster in her usually cheerful soul, only to then turn on her heel and rush towards the doors.

"Lei!" Shouting out, Chihiro instantly gave chase after his wife, vacating the hall before anyone could even come up with a single word to try to stop the two.

"If they went to the garden without any guidance…" the patriarch muttered to himself, only for his face to then turn blank as all emotions washed out of his eyes, leaving nothing but simple shock and terror to linger within his soul.

The man then slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head, only to take a long, deep breath as he removed all of his emotions from the equation, reassuming the mental stance he was obligated to use while being the clan's leader.

As great and beneficial as this role was, it also came with a fair share of responsibilities. And right now, it was his duty to ignore his own feelings, ignore the awful consequences, and make the decision that would benefit the clan the most.

"Gather up the executioners," the patriarch ordered silently with a face as empty as a stone would be. "If there are any signs of the barrier faltering…"

The middle-aged man raised his eyes and looked at the group of the clan's elders gathered directly below the podium.

"Then have them kill those two off. And," the look in the patriarch's eyes sharpened as he locked his sights on one elder in particular, the man responsible for the death of the Moore clan's heir, "you better prepare to lay your head down to appease the sorrow of the grieving parents!"