"An inch away from death."

Those were the five words that swirled within Rati's mind as her eyes fell upon those nine bolts that would have undoubtedly driven her into an early grave. No, she wouldn't die, but getting crippled was a must.

With her third layer Seer's Vision and Truth Seer status, even with the Forest's restrictions, there was simply no way her awareness should have fallen to such a laughable level. But when the Essence Nurturing Forest's pressure mixed with that Rudra's overpowering presence, it became a whole other matter.

Fortunately, the scourge also turned out to be an impregnable shield. Otherwise...well, best not dwell on sordid matters. Breaking the kiss, Konrad held Rati within the gentle, yet firm grasp of his right arm while shifting his gaze toward the distant trees whose shadows concealed nine figures Rati was now familiar with. Even before they revealed themselves, she knew those arrows couldn't have other owners.

"How entertaining. It has been centuries since anyone dared sneak attack my imperial self. Ignorance surely is bliss. Show yourselves."

Konrad began with a jovial tone Rati couldn't help but find bone-chilling. And once the three words "my imperial self" echoed, she was again reminded that the man in whose arms she now lay was none other than the sovereign of the Chthonian Realm. The knowledge brought no reassurance.

Nine green leaf whirlwinds soared from the shadows, dropping from above and surrounding the Konrad-Rati pair with nine slender figures. The nine Nature Spirit Elders and Guardians on Rati's trail. To say nothing of here, even in the outside world, with the backing of her mirror and own battle-power, Rati couldn't win that fight.

Nature Spirits were a primordial race whose existence predated the demons and devas. Though they still belonged to Flawed Bloodlines, their only flaw lay in reproduction abilities. In terms of strength, Royal Blooded Demons and Devas weren't their matches. Although Rati's bloodline strength trumped that of her peers, before the combined strength of those two elders and seven great guardians, she couldn't raise any storm.

But within Konrad's eyes, no hint of apprehension lay. It was almost as if a bunch of mischievous rats decided to bar his path. At first, Rati hoped the nine could help her get a better understanding of that man's strength. But now...the thought seemed laughable.

In tandem, the two tribal elders stepped forward and with clasped hands, bowed toward Konrad.

"Your excellency, we mean no offense. That woman is of great importance to us, we must capture her to ensure our survival. Please do not block our path."

The tribe's second elder began in a courteous tone that made Rati's eyes narrow with puzzlement.

"Why are they already so wary of offending him?"

She wondered. But little did she know that in the past three days, Konrad's ladies and Silent Blades had wreaked unthinkable havoc within the Essence Nurturing Forest, turning all the male devas into corpses while capturing the devis. Initially, the Nature Spirits only planned to kill the non-Royals. But little did they expect that this new force would outpace them at every turn, and mince their targets before they could make a move!

It was downright frightening!

Worse, they no longer had any bargaining chip to negotiate with the Deva Primogens. Once they attacked to avenge their kin, who could save them? For all those reasons, Rati's value in their eyes had skyrocketed. Alas, they could see things Rati couldn't!

The Forest spoke to them. This man was no deva, but the leader of that horrendous force now plaguing their land. When the subordinates were already that dreadful, how mighty could the leader be? Unless necessary, they didn't want to make another enemy!

A pity that man proposes and Konrad disposes.

"I'm afraid we have a problem then. I insist on blocking you. Ahh...what a dilemma."

Konrad replied in that textbook leisurely tone that put legions of men ill-at-ease. Instantly, the elders and great guardians' green eyes chilled, and their cultivation bases erupted.

The air rippled, the ground crackled, the trees quivered and squalls of wind rose as the nine spirits rose to challenge the invader.

"That being the case, don't blame us for being merciless."

The elder declared, and as if to echo his words, dreadful Nature Laws erupted from the nine spirits, gushing alongside a surge of green light as trees sprouted from the ground and myriad of exotic flowers bloomed to turn the area into a floral paradise.

But a paradise it was not. Contrarily to their ensnaring appearance, those flowers all released waves of numbing pollen that coalesced into a grand formation. The dozens of trees turned into vine beasts with their branches becoming great forest-green spears as they encircled Konrad.

The seven guardians bared their bows and magical quivers, all aiming at Konrad while the elders summoned green daggers, and alongside their Nature Beasts, hurtled at Konrad.

To the onlooker, their move was akin to teleportation. However, in Konrad's eyes, it was but a torturously slow offensive. The elders drove their daggers in frontal thrusts, one aiming at the spot between Konrad's eyebrows while the other stabbed at his heart. In the back, their guardians fired thousands upon thousands of green bolts that magically moved past the elders to target only Konrad.

His lips curved into a smile and he raised his left hand. With that one move, the world stopped and all came to a halt! The millions of arrows in the sky, the tribal elders and guardians, the nature beasts, the formation, all stopped as if anchored in that present.

Konrad's hand blurred, the arrows vanished, the trees, beasts, and flowers collapsed in light particles. Meanwhile, the chests of the seven guardians alongside one of the two elders burst in an eruption of blood fountain!

Only then did the world again start spinning, and the surviving elder was startled to find his neck land right in Konrad's left hand!

Rati's eyes widened in disbelief!

"Oh, I forgot to mention. One of the reasons for my presence in this land is...to put your lives to good use. How about giving me your bloodline?"

Konrad chortled as he clutched the Nature Spirit's neck within his hand, and to Rati's stupor, the man's skin greyed while his body atrophied at a rapid pace, going from a slender but well-built middle-aged man to a mummified sack of bones in less than five seconds.

All the blood in his veins, all the resources his body contained, flawlessly slid into Konrad's Chthonian Heart, adding the previously unavailable Nature Spirit Blood to the mix.

Having no further use for him, Konrad tossed the man to the ground like a heap of trash, and he died soon afterward. Again Konrad waved his hand, collecting the fallen Nature Spirits in his Infinite Void Space for later use.

His eyes then lowered toward Rati, but having witnessed this scant display of might, it was with gravity that she met his gaze. Two half-step Legendary Gods, seven high-level Ancestral Gods, executed in a single hand gesture. Although she'd long since placed Konrad's strength at the level of Dolgron or even the Warden, knowing was one thing, seeing, another.

But as waves of apprehension welled up within her heart, Rati didn't expect Konrad's next words to be:

"Oh, are you scared? Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

And instantly, dread made place for a flurry of indignation.