A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5840

"The Thousand-Year Frostblood Lotus springs from the Blood-Soul Frostpool buried beneath the Eternal Ice Plains at the pole of level ten. It drinks a thousand years of frozen venom and subterranean lifeblood, flowering for only three days each century."

"The Jadeheart Marrow dripped once in ten millennia from the molten crystal veins at the pit of level eleven's Infernal Lava Abyss, tempered by the purest earthfire and soil spirits; it anchors body and soul alike."

"The Nine-Orifice Divine Soul Herb sprouted only inside spectral caverns or dreambound labyrinths of level twelve, each blade opening nine tiny vents that breathe raw soul force—an unrivaled tonic for the spirit."

Any one of those treasures could launch wars. To seek all three was to wade into a storm of blood.

Vermilion was a stranger on level ten, his power merely middling here. Alone, he would be swallowed before he ever glimpsed the first bloom.

Jared met the demon lord's expectant gaze. "You want me to hunt these ingredients."

"Exactly."

Vermilion bent forward, urgency carving new lines into his ageless face. "I know it is a task fit for legends. I have no other path. Selene is running out of time. Help me, and I swear on my heart-demon—through fire, steel, or void, I will serve at your side. Every resource I possess will be yours if it means winning her a single breath of tomorrow."

The mighty lord who once commanded storms of war started to kneel in humble supplication. Jared grabbed him by the shoulders before his knees could touch stone, lifting him with quiet strength. "There's no need for that."

Jared felt a quiet reverence stir in his chest whenever he recalled the bond between the Vermilion Demon Lord and Selene Moonridge—a love so fierce it dared to bridge the chasm between light and darkness, between righteous creed and forbidden path.

More than once, the Demon Lord had stepped from the shadows to shield Jared when blades closed in, and hope ran thin. By any measure—gratitude, honor, or the simple debt of one soul to another—Jared knew he must answer the call now placed before him, whatever the cost.

"My friend, spare me the formalities," Jared said, voice low yet unwavering as he turned toward the crimson-armored figure. "The bond between us is worth more than flesh or bone. If shattering my own body is the price, so be it—I will help you."

He paused, drawing a thoughtful breath. "That said, my knowledge of level ten is far from complete—especially when it comes to the ancient, world-born treasures we need."

A spark lit behind his eyes. "But there is someone, perhaps, who can guide us along the trail."

The Demon Lord leaned forward, tension sharpened by hope. "Who might that be?"

"Linden Cloudridge, Sect Master of the Mystic Sky Sword Sect," Jared replied.

"The Sword Sect's roots run deeper than any other order on level ten. They have chronicled every valley, every relic, every whispered secret. That includes the Eternal Ice Plains where the Thousand-Year Frostblood Lotus is said to bloom."

The Demon Lord's hard features eased into an eager smile, then tightened again with a flicker of unease. "That is great news—yet I remain a demonic cultivator. If I stride unannounced into their sacred mountain, they may answer with steel."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify