Eternal Thief

Riana was flabbergasted by Ace's words, "S-Sky Stealer? We've… met?"

She was extremely confused and more afraid because this person was overwhelmingly powerful than her, and she was clearly not on equal terms to talk with him, yet he was willing to reveal himself. This made her nothing but appalled.

"Oh, this might help you understand." Ace suddenly chuckled before revealing his face.

Riana's heart skipped a beat when she saw this person's handsome yet scar-riddled face as his long white hair draped on his shoulders. She instantly remembered this face as she had been hunting him for quite some time after their first meeting.

"Y—you… are you really someone from the other side of the world boundary?" She had to ask, as everyone was presuming Ace was someone from the other side of the Qi radiation wall after he suddenly vanished.

But his existence was forgotten and buried under the sudden events that took place in the Sky Heart Plains. But Riana was always curious about the other side of the world boundary. She was one of the few who even tried to travel through it, but she failed miserably and barely escaped with her life.

When Ace appeared, she saw another hope to escape her density, so she searched for him desperately, yet she failed, and the imperial family didn't let her continue this quest for long either.

But now, that same man had appeared right in front of her and in the place where she had least expected him to be. Not only that, but his power was unfathomable.

Ace grinned before he nodded, "If that's what you called the other side, then I'm indeed from that place. But sadly, that place is not nothing but a graveyard."

A hint of coldness crept into his eyes when he thought about the Curse of Destruction that killed every living being in cold blood.

Startled, Riana felt a chill running down her spine. She didn't dare ask what Ace was implying, as she was not an idiot. But still, she felt relief when Ace confirmed that there was really another place out there other than the Sky Heart Plains.

'She didn't lie to me!' She thought with a hint of elation, but it died down when she looked at Ace's nonchalant smile. She knew it would matter nothing if she couldn't pass through this man.

"Forgive me, Lord Sky Stealer, if I have offended you in the past. Please state your purpose, and I'll try to help you to the best of my abilities." Riana respectfully spoke with a hint of agitation.

She wasn't a fool, and she knew that since he had revealed his identity, he wanted something from her, so her life wasn't in danger for now.

Ace's lips curled up, "Truth be told, I was curious about that light you were calling Holy Light because I wasn't able to use one of my abilities on you with it. But now that it's gone, I finally understand!

"You are a peak Soul Law Comprehension Realm Cultivator now. But when you first entered the Sky Abyss Secret Realm over three months ago, you were just an intermediate-stage law awareness realm cultivator. It seemed you had quite a fortuitous encounter there."

He mysteriously stated. Riana trembled, feeling extremely uncomfortable. It was as if her every secret was being exposed in front of this man.

When she entered the forest, Ace happened to come in the same direction after dealing with a minor issue in the capital after gathering the house members. Ace became curious, and when he sensed a familiar soul signature from Riana, he didn't pay much attention to it.

However, upon discovery she was going towards the same hidden passage that he used to exit the underground cavern, he was shown, and his interest was finally piqued.

Furthermore, Ace discovered another thing: Riana's fate point was dyed a glittering silver color, which clearly wasn't the case before. So, this gave him even more reason to follow her, and it wasn't like they were going in separate ways.

He even tried using the soul probe but surprisingly failed because of the white compass in her hand. He then used his eye skill on her but wasn't able to see through her disguise.

After observing her all night and even witnessing that compass leading her to the same pathway as the temple, he couldn't watch anymore. He didn't want her to alter the others by entering that pathway, as he knew she was seeking her death by going there.

So, here they are, and once the protection of the white light vanished, even her late-stage Law Comprehension Cultivation wasn't enough to hide under Ace's scrutiny. He was really astounded when he found it was Riana, of all people.

"Lord Sky Stealer seems to know quite a lot. So, do you want to know what I got from the Secret Realm and how I achieved this strength?" Riana asked while trying her best to keep her wildly beating her as calm as possible.

She was finding this man in front of her even more terrifying. She couldn't help but feel the imperial family was really nothing but all talk, as they couldn't even tell when someone was watching their every action and unraveling their secrets.

"Well, that is one of many things I wanted to know. But what I want to know about is that white light and Holy Mother. You seemed to have been planning this for a very long time, and I know you didn't intend to join the imperial family.

"I know how they deal with people who can outshine them, but here you are, not only able to betray them but even discover their most hidden secret. So, you have someone to rely on, and the only power that could achieve all this is Otherworldly Power!

"If I'm not wrong, you are in contact with someone from outside the Mortal Sky Heaven. Don't try to deny it, for I can sense that white light is not an elemental power but imbued with a unique law."

Ace's words made Riana pale with terror. She took a step back as if she were seeing a devil who could read her mind.

Ace didn't mind as his expression grew stern and certain the moment Riana reacted in this way and declared while releasing his sword intent.

"Lastly, since that power leads you here, and now you are at the stage where you can break free from this heaven, you are here for the Ascension Altar. So, if you can tell me everything, especially how you were planning on ascending, I might just let you live and help you with your problem!"