Chapter 637 - Invisible Pursuer (Patreon)

“Hehe. What’s wrong? Do you think it couldn’t be achieved?” Jade teased Leyvi.

Leyvi scratched his head, still looking a little stunned. “Well, I really thought most people would put their own self-interest first. I didn’t expect the numbers to jump so high so quickly.”

“That is certainly true.” Jade nodded. “But with the right method, you can change their minds.”

“What actually happened?” Leyvi asked, curious.

Jade smiled and told him everything that had taken place while he was in deep slumber.

“I see. Using the Protectors’ legendary fame to move the masses. I didn’t consider that aspect at all.” Leyvi said as he thought it over.

The reason it had completely slipped his mind was that he could not truly relate to it. He had no figure he looked up to in a way that could influence his own actions. He had always preferred to decide things for himself.

Still, he could understand why the approach worked so well. In Bara City he already had a group of people who idolized him. They looked up to him so much that they would follow almost any instruction he gave, sometimes without even questioning it.

If even he could produce that kind of loyalty, then the Protectors, who had been revered across the entire continent for centuries, naturally carried far greater influence. Their names alone carried weight that no ordinary decree could match.

In the end, this too was simply part of human nature.

Then Leyvi recalled something and his expression turned a mix of curiosity and amusement. “Wait a minute, Sister Jade. If all the Protectors had to go to various cities and give impactful speeches, doesn’t that mean Senior Java also had to do it? Did he actually speak out loud to millions of people?”

He was genuinely curious. Even now he had never heard Protector Java say a single word with his own voice. Whenever the man needed to communicate, he formed words with his Qi instead. That was how stubborn he was about speaking. Forcing someone like that to stand in front of an entire city and deliver a full speech felt almost unreal.

“Hehehe. Of course he did. No matter how reluctant he was, I made sure he delivered the speech properly.” Jade smiled playfully, clearly enjoying the memory.

“Did you blackmail him or something?” Leyvi asked. He felt it was the sort of thing Jade might do.

“How can you ask a woman about her secrets like that? Not telling.” Jade replied in a reprimanding tone.

Leyvi was speechless. How was that a woman’s secret?

“Also, what are you doing after this? You have time, right?” Jade asked.

Leyvi blinked. Why was she asking that? Was she planning to take him somewhere?

“I was going to help with the recruitment just now, but since it isn’t necessary anymore, I’m not sure what to do yet.” Leyvi replied.

“Then, didn’t you say you wanted to try fighting a General Level Demonic Beast? How about we do that? I’ll accompany you and make sure you’re safe.” Jade suggested. There was a clear note of excitement in her voice.

“Oh? That’s actually a great idea. So many things have been happening that I completely forgot I wanted to do that.” Leyvi’s eyes lit up at once. Fighting spirit surged through him so strongly that his skin tingled. He could already feel the urge to test himself against a real General Level opponent.

“Hehe. If that’s the case, then let’s go. Show your big sister how strong you are.” Jade said, the playful title rolling off her tongue without the slightest hesitation.

“Sister Jade, are you sure you can accompany me? If you leave the city for a while, won’t it cause trouble for the others? You’re the one who handles so many of the daily affairs, after all.” Leyvi asked, still a little concerned.

Jade rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you? There won’t be any trouble. Communication is easy now. If something comes up, they can reach me at once. Stop worrying about things that aren’t a problem.”

“Hahaha! I was just making sure.” Leyvi laughed. He knew the question would get under her skin a little, and he did not mind.

“Do you need to prepare anything first? If not, we can leave right away.” Jade said.

“There’s nothing to prepare. Let’s go!” Leyvi replied, already full of energy.

And so the two of them headed straight for the city gate.

After they left the city gate and flew several dozen kilometers, Jade suddenly informed Leyvi that she sensed someone following them.

This surprised him. Who was following them? Did someone have a problem with him? Could it be one of those arrogant young masters?

Jade had disguised herself, so the target could not be her. More importantly, who would dare go after a Soul Transformation Realm cultivator? The target was most likely him.

“Since you’re going out to train, I’ll let you deal with it.” Jade smiled.

Leyvi nodded. He spread his spiritual sense outward in a wide sweep, searching the air and the ground below.

Nothing.

He was surprised. The sense should have caught any ordinary pursuer by now. Could the follower be using a stealth technique? If so, a normal sweep would not be enough.

He changed his approach at once. During his previous seclusion, his control over spiritual sense had improved tremendously. By compressing the sense into a denser form, he could pick up even the faintest movements and disturbances that a normal spread would miss. The trade-off was a much shorter range, but the sensitivity rose sharply.

Almost immediately he felt it. A small, rapid presence racing across the ground far below, moving with surprising speed but not in a straight line.

From the ground? He had not expected that.

But since he had already locked onto the target, it no longer mattered whether the person was invisible or not.

All-Seeing Eyes!

Complex patterns bloomed across Leyvi’s eyes. The world sharpened. Layers of concealment peeled away under the technique’s gaze, and the true form of the pursuer came into clear view.

It was not a human at all.

A small monkey was dashing through the forest canopy below, leaping from branch to branch with easy familiarity.

“Stripey?” Leyvi stopped midair, completely dumbfounded. Then it clicked immediately why Stripey was here.

Tal had come to Ultima City, so Stripey should be here as well. The last time he met Tal his mind had already been barely functioning, and the little monkey had completely slipped from his thoughts.

Not to mention, Stripey had always had a habit of wandering off on his own. It was no surprise he had not been at Tal’s side earlier.

Leyvi turned his head. Beside him, Jade was watching with a playful smile, clearly enjoying his reaction. She had known from the start.

He looked down again.

“Stripey. I already saw you. Show yourself.” Leyvi said using spiritual speech. His voice sounded directly beside the little monkey’s ear.

“Uaakk!” Stripey was completely startled by the sudden voice so close to him. His invisibility canceled at once.

A small monkey with stripes circling its face tumbled into view, rolling across the ground. He quickly stopped himself and looked left and right, trying to find where the voice had come from.

The next moment Leyvi had already descended beside him. Jade landed as well.

“Hahaha! What are you doing secretly following me again?” Leyvi asked while laughing.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him. He still remembered the time Stripey had followed him in secret into a forest near Mountain Dew Sect and ended up stealing peaches that were protected by a formation.

Many years later, the little monkey was doing it again.

“Umm Boss, how did you discover me? Was that your voice just now? How did you do that?” Stripey immediately hopped onto Leyvi’s shoulder and fired off questions.

“I’ve learned many things after you left. You can’t hide from me anymore. So, what are you doing? Why aren’t you with Tal?”

“Umm Boss, a mysterious person told me that you’re going to a dangerous banana forest to get a legendary banana. So I came to help.” Stripey replied honestly.

Leyvi immediately glanced at Jade. Who else could have told Stripey that if not her? It was far too obvious.

Jade poorly acted as if she had nothing to do with it.

“Really? A legendary banana? Can’t you pick a better lie, Sister Jade?” he said.

“Umm? A lie? No legendary banana?” Stripey’s eyes went wide. His whole body seemed to freeze. The idea that the legendary banana might not exist hit him so hard that for a moment he looked completely heartbroken.

“Look at this poor guy. He’s completely frozen from the shock. Why did you say that? Your big sister didn’t lie, okay? We’re really going to a banana forest in a humanless region to get a legendary banana. There, a General Level Demonic Beast is guarding it. That one will be your opponent.” Jade explained with a smile, still sounding completely unapologetic.

Leyvi was dumbfounded. So there really was a legendary banana? It had not just been a stupid made-up story to trick an innocent monkey?

Meanwhile, life returned to Stripey’s face. The heartbreak vanished as quickly as it had come. He was going to get that legendary banana for sure.