Chapter 398: The Guardian That Would Not Be Fooled

"Carp Demon, I’m back for revenge."

Marcus muttered the words under his breath as he guided Blackie toward the familiar pond. The Carp Demon he had provoked earlier had already crawled out of the water and now wandered calmly across the surface as if the lake itself were solid ground. Ripples spread beneath its heavy body, yet it moved with unsettling ease, completely unbothered by the chaos Marcus had caused before.

Behind him, a violent pressure cut through the air.

The Shadowstone Windracer burst free from the Bodhi Grove at terrifying speed, gliding low across the sky and locking onto Marcus with relentless precision. The distance between them vanished rapidly, the guardian clearly unwilling to abandon its pursuit.

"Too late," Marcus said with a grin.

He was already a hundred meters above the Well of Earth. Just a little farther and he would enter the Carp Demon’s attack range. That was exactly what he wanted.

"Nine Leaf King Flower."

He shook the flower again. Pale light blossomed from the petals, and the familiar fragrance spread around him. His body faded from sight as the concealment effect activated, and his movement slowed to that unbearable crawl once more. Ignoring the sluggish pace, Marcus carefully drifted toward the well.

Let the Windracer chase all it wanted. The treasure came first. He would grab the Divine Water, escape, and worry about consequences later.

But almost immediately, unease crept into his chest.

Something was wrong.

He was invisible. The Nine Leaf King Flower was active. Yet the Shadowstone Windracer did not hesitate, did not search blindly, did not lose track of him. It continued flying directly toward him as if his position were marked with a glowing beacon.

Marcus frowned and checked everything instinctively. The flower was still glowing faintly. The fragrance remained. Below him, the Carp Demon showed no reaction despite him already entering its territory. If the flower had failed, the demon would have attacked instantly.

So why could the Windracer still see him? Had it somehow evolved into a Divine Beast?

Impossible. Evolution was rare even for Mythic Beasts. That kind of leap did not happen overnight.

’Don’t panic. Maybe a coincidence.’

He forced himself to keep moving, inching closer to the Well of Earth despite the growing knot in his stomach. The Windracer’s killing intent pressed closer with every second, turning that unease into certainty.

’Trouble.’

He was only thirty meters from the well when the guardian closed the gap entirely. At that moment, Marcus understood. The Nine Leaf King Flower was working perfectly on everything else, but on the Shadowstone Windracer, it might as well not exist.

"Earth Dragon Arrow!"

The bowstring snapped like thunder.

A black arrow wrapped in swirling yellow light tore through the sky, its energy twisting into the shape of a massive earth dragon roaring toward him.

’Wait. What?’

It could still attack him?

’Seriously?!’

Marcus had been focused on the treasure below, convinced his invisibility guaranteed safety. By the time danger registered fully, it was already too late to react. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

BAM!

The Earth Dragon Arrow struck him head on. The impact erased his health instantly, killing the would be thief before he could even dodge.

In the fading moment before darkness took him, the earlier system message echoed clearly in his mind: The Shadowstone Windracer will pursue you using the Bodhi Stone’s energy.

’Of course...’

The guardian was not tracking him. It was tracking the Bodhi Stone sitting safely inside his inventory.

"Damn it..."

Frustration surged through him as consciousness returned.

Ding!

[Player Stonehaven, you have been killed by the Shadowstone Windracer. Your Ring of Resurrection activates. All stats restored. You are invincible for the first three seconds.]

Three seconds was more than enough.

There was no way he was abandoning the Bodhi Stone just to grab the Divine Water. Priorities mattered.

"Wanderlust!"

Protected by temporary invincibility, Marcus cast one last regretful glance toward the Well of Earth. The treasure lay painfully close, almost within reach, yet completely unattainable.

Arrows crashed around him in rapid succession as light engulfed his body.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The teleport activated, and Marcus vanished from the battlefield, reappearing at his secondary Wanderlust marker at the entrance of Mystic Turtle’s Tomb Level Two.

Escape successful. He spun around immediately, eyes shining with anticipation.

Come on, Windracer. Follow me.

Marcus quickly stored the Nine Leaf King Flower and stared into the dark passageways of the tomb, waiting for the guardian to arrive. A new idea had formed during his escape, bold enough to make his heart pound.

If the Windracer chased him here, everything could still work.

Thirty minutes passed, then an hour.

He paced restlessly like a trapped animal, glancing back toward the tunnel every few seconds.

"Hurry up..."

An hour and a half passed, still nothing.

Two hours...

Three hours later, Marcus stopped pacing and sighed heavily.

"This is ridiculous."

At the Windracer’s speed, it could have hunted him down, killed him again, and returned to Level Four long ago. The only explanation was that the guardian could not leave its assigned floor. Its pursuit range was limited.

So much for that brilliant plan.

Frustration settled heavily over him. He stared into the depths of the tomb, searching for alternatives, but none came. Without knowing the situation on Level Four, charging back blindly would be suicide.

The Divine Water and the Stone Milk Nectar would have to wait. There would be another opportunity someday.

Turning away at last, Marcus descended toward Level One, navigating the twisting maze until he located the spinning yellow portal that marked the exit.

His original strategy replayed in his mind as he walked. The idea had been simple. Lure the Windracer down to Level Two, then teleport back to Level Four while the guardian struggled to return, creating a window to steal the Divine Water safely.

A good plan. Just not one the system allowed. He shook his head and chuckled softly.

"Next time."

Beside him, the Seven Colored Divine Eagle fluttered proudly. Marcus reached out and stroked its radiant rainbow feathers, admiration clear in his expression. Only now did he fully appreciate how powerful the creature truly was.

Thanks to the eagle’s Divine Sight ability, he could see more than fifty meters ahead through the tunnels. The dense black stone walls offered no obstruction to his vision, turning what should have been a dangerous maze into a straightforward journey.

Less than five hours later, the spinning yellow portal finally appeared ahead.

’Definitely Divine Beast level perception,’ Marcus thought with satisfaction.

Holding the Mystic Turtle’s Tear firmly in his hand, he gave Blackie the signal. The mount surged forward, carrying him through the portal and out of Mystic Turtle’s Tomb.

"Ha ha!"

Bright sunlight greeted him outside. Fresh air filled his lungs, and a gentle breeze brushed against his face. After the tension and danger of the tomb, the open sky felt unbelievably refreshing.

The expedition was over, the mission was complete. And more importantly, successful.

Marcus immediately pulled the Bodhi Stone from his inventory, eager to examine the prize properly. Anything guarded personally by a Mythic Beast was guaranteed to be extraordinary.

The dark stone rested heavily in his palm, faint energy flowing within it like slow moving currents beneath solid rock.

—

Bodhi Stone: Divine grade item. Originally a seed from a Bodhi tree. The environment inside Mystic Turtle’s Tomb could not sustain its growth, so instead it absorbed immense Earth energy and the essence of surrounding stones, eventually maturing into this condensed stone form within a grove rich in spiritual power.

Effect: Extremely versatile. Can be used in weapon and equipment forging or high level alchemy. Retains remnants of Bodhi fruit properties, including repelling evil energy, neutralizing poison, enhancing clarity of mind, and serving as a consecration catalyst.

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