The snake's cute eyes were glowing with intelligence. It was not hissing, nor did it coil in threat. Instead, it lifted its head, gazing up at her as though acknowledging her presence.

Immediately realized what was going on… "A familiar… Hmm… Spirit Beast?" she whispered.

The snake's tongue suddenly flicked, tasting the air, and for a moment she felt its aura brush against her own. It was faint but unmistakable…

It was the resonance of a contracted beast, one that did not belong to any ordinary student.

She crouched slightly, studying it. "You're not wild… you came here for something?"

The snake tilted its head, as if in agreement, then slithered forward just enough to cross the threshold of her office. Its presence was calm and strangely dignified.

Anya's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "So… What are you doing here?" She asked, though she prepared herself just in case she needed to escape.

She then closed the door gently behind her. The snake now inside had its gaze fixed on her teaching materials… before turning away and vanishing.

"What?"

Whatever this Spirit Beast's arrival meant, it was no coincidence.

'It must be another Spirit Guardian I haven't heard of…' Anya could only guess as she shook her head and returned to her work.

***

The snake slithered silently through the corridors of the Academy, unseen by most, until it reached the inner sanctum of Vale's office.

As it entered Vale's office, its body shimmered faintly, and the aura of shadow wrapped around it like a cloak.

Vale looked up from the stack of documents he was reviewing and turned to the snake who had certainly learned how to control its energy really well…

"Seven. What now?"

The snake lifted its head and hissed…

"Vale… I'm sure of it. I felt another Dark Path Immortal's aura around the professor. It was faint, almost fading, but it was there. It will probably disappear soon."

Vale relaxed in his chair as he put down the papers…. "They're not from Kaela or her circle?"

Seven shook its head…

"No… it's definitely not them. There's another Immortal of the Dark Path lurking around. Someone hidden, someone really careful. I don't know their intent yet, but they brushed against Professor Anya Hao's aura."

Vale tapped his fingers against the desk and nodded. He did not ignore Seven's words…

Seven was also a Shadow Immortal himself, and though he was currently trapped in the form of a snake due to a complication in his transformation, his senses were still sharp.

"Another Dark Path Immortal…" Vale muttered. "If they're here, they're watching and waiting for something. Do you think Anya is a spy?"

Seven coiled slightly before answering… "Dunno… But I don't like it. It feels… wrong. Whoever it is, they're masking themselves well. Too well."

Vale closed the last of his documents before finally stacking them neatly. His preparations were complete… the city had fully recovered from the recent turmoil, the Academy was ready to begin its classes, and the Arcane Towers were all in place…

"I'll look into it later, Seven. For now, help me observe the place."

Vale stood as he released a bit of aura to warm up his body…

"You want me to continue observing? Alright… Give me one more then." Seven said as Vale chuckled and gave him another high-grade Divine Crystal.

"Awesome!" Seven celebrated.

"Alright… Then we'll keep our eyes open. If another Dark Path Immortal is here, they'll reveal themselves eventually. For now, there's something else I must attend to."

Seven tilted his head. "Where?"

Vale's gaze turned toward the horizon beyond the window…

"The Chaos Immortal's domain. It's time I paid them a visit."

Seven's eyes glowed faintly. "Chaos Immortal… you think they'll cooperate?"

Vale chuckled as he didn't even mind if they didn't cooperate…

"Cooperation is not what I expect. But balance demands I speak with them. I just want this realm to be peaceful… I have to properly show my stance to them."

The snake coiled tighter, sensing the Vale's firm decision.

***

In the meantime, in Belial City in the western region controlled by the Chaos Immortals, Rhaziel stood outside the old mayor's office…

It was now repurposed into his personal rest house. Although he failed to protect Mennena's Red Crown due to Vale and the Golden Immortal's intervention before, he was still rewarded with a small territory after controlling the western part of the continent…

The city was lively even beyond the square. There were merchants and laborers moving under the watchful eyes of hired overseers.

Rhaziel himself had little interest in governance. He had appointed administrators to handle the mundane affairs of taxation, law, and order.

His concern was simple… resources.

Ore shipments, spirit stones, food supplies, and arcane reagents… All were funneled daily into his coffers to sustain his growing demands…

He stretched lazily as he tried to enjoy the beautiful garden outside his 'house'.

"Another day, another tribute. As long as the flow continues, this city will serve its purpose."

The western lands had become their domain after their failure to breach Vale's Shadow Domain.

Unable to defeat him, the Chaos Immortals had chosen instead to carve out their own quarter of the continent, ruling it with the purpose of getting their resources.

He turned to enter the rest house, expecting the usual reports and offerings. But as his hand touched the doorframe, something unexpected happened…

A chill swept through the house as shadows lengthened unnaturally, swallowing the light everywhere!

Rhaziel frowned as he realized that he was under a spell…

"What is this?"

Before he could react, the ground beneath him rippled like water, but it was darkness that surged upward, wrapping around his body!

His Divinity triggered instinctively, but the shadows were not ordinary!

They were dense, suffocating, and carried the unmistakable quality of another Immortal.

"Impossible…" Rhaziel exclaimed as he struggled to stop the void pulling him in. "Who dares—"

The last of his words were swallowed as the darkness consumed him entirely.

Everything happened so quickly, and it was also within a formation art, making it completely undetected by other Immortals.

"One down…"

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