Tower of Heaven

They definitely wanted to do exactly what Atlas said. The problem was that he was standing right next to the treasure chest.

"Y-you aren't going to go back on your word, are you?" Jason said.

"If I was going to do that, then wouldn't I have done it by now?"

"But maybe you'll kill us when you see what's inside the chest…"

"If I was going to do that, then I would've opened the chest myself?"

"Right…"

Jason still didn't seem to quite trust him, as he eyed Nadia and had her put a barrier over him before he approached closer and grabbed the chest.

It seemed their battle together hadn't bred any trust, not that it offended Atlas in any way.

He stayed where he was and watched from afar as the group crowded around the chest and put a barrier over themselves.

With an excited expression on his face, Jason took out a key that he had earned previously through a different trial in this realm. It fit perfectly into the small keyhole on the front of the chest.

When it opened, the excited faces of the group…quickly crumpled into confusion.

"This…what is this?"

"I don't know. I mean, the gold is nice, but…"

"Why is this in a treasure chest? I thought we would be finding an artifact or something."

Curious about their reactions, Atlas opened [Intrinsic Foresight] to peer through the box and see what was hidden within.

For a moment, even Atlas was stunned. After that moment passed, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Pfft…!"

His sudden expression attracted the attention of the befuddled group.

"What is it?"

For the first time, someone other than Jason spoke to him. It was Nadia, hissing spitefully.

Atlas shook his head. He didn't know how old they were, but interacting with them felt like leading a group of little ducklings who didn't know anything.

"You are acting so depressed for what reason? The herbs in that chest are quite the treasure, you know," he said.

All of their eyes suddenly widened.

"You can see it?"

"I can."

"You know what it is?"

"I do."

The six looked at him with the eyes of children asking their parents for their favorite treats. Their cautious attitude from before was completely gone. It was another matter for laughter, but Atlas only shrugged.

"I can tell you, but…"

"We'll do anything!"

"That's not something you should promise so easily."

Atlas was planning to tease them a little, but what could he do? They were just a little too airheaded. It was easier to just tell them what they wanted to know.

"That is a bushel of six Weeping Spirit Bellflowers. If you can gather the supplementary ingredients and find a proper alchemist, that is the key ingredient for the creation of a Serene Sage Ascension Pill. I'm sure you're aware of it?"

Most pill names were ignored by cultivators. They only needed to know what they were used for. If a pill's name was known in the world, that was because its effects were something many cultivators specifically desired.

The Serene Sage Ascension Pill was one of such pills. It had one ability. It allowed one to ascend a single realm immediately without any consequences. As they were aware of this, Jason's group's eyes bulged out of their heads when they heard its name come out of Atlas' mouth.

To have the main ingredient of such a pill presented in front of them was a huge blessing for the group. It was something even Atlas would covet.

'Luckily for them, the Serene Sage Ascension Pill is only useful within the Sage Realms, as its name suggests.'

Atlas was already on the edge of Law Sea Realm without much distance separating him from his breakthrough. To him, a Serene Sage Ascension Pill was worth almost nothing.

To the six of them, however, it was different. As they were still Earth Sages and Sky Sages for the most part with only two true Law Sea Realm cultivators among them. A skilled alchemist could turn that herb into a maximum of four pills, so it really was as if this encounter was fated for them.

"Keep it well. If you have a container with gentle energy, you can maintain its efficacy for the longest time. If you do not, then keep it in your spatial storage and find an alchemist as soon as possible when you leave this realm."

Atlas gave them tips that they wholeheartedly followed. Though their life-or-death battle did not breed trust, it seemed that this interaction did.

Well, the reason was simple.

The battle only bred fear in them. Because when they first faced the beast, they almost died to it. Nadia's barriers and their quick decision to retreat were the only reasons they survived.

Then, they found Atlas, and in another hour, the beast that almost killed them all was dead. It happened so quickly that they found it hard to believe.

It was even harder to believe that Winter didn't have to do a thing. None of them were injured in the slightest.

The aura coming from Atlas' body was clearly that of a Sky Sage, but in terms of power, he surpassed even the Law Sea Realm practitioners among them. How could they not be cautious and wary?n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Atlas' willingness to provide them with information without asking for anything in return overwrote some of their fear and allowed them to see him as a person. That was why their attitude changed.

Nevertheless, Atlas was planning to leave them behind and continue on his journey. What else was there for him to do?

However…

"Let us come with you!"

"Why would I do that?"

"We won't be a burden! We'll help you do whatever you want to do!"

"I doubt that."

"I promise!"

Atlas didn't know what they saw in him, but they all had the same desire to follow him. Jason wasn't good at explaining it either. The most he could say was that they "wanted to repay the favor" or that they "felt like they could learn something if they were near him."

They were reasons that nobody with common sense would accept from any other cultivator with common sense.

He was a bit curious about it, but thinking about it, their presence would be annoying more than it would be fun or helpful.

Still, seeing their gazes, he felt bad turning them down directly.

"Fine. Follow me if you can, but I won't stop for you and I won't help you. If you get lost, that's your own fault."

Their spirits were high when they heard those words, but they dropped the instant they understood the meaning behind them.

Atlas dashed away at a speed that they couldn't possibly follow. He disappeared into the distance as if he was laughing at their wish to follow him.

And that should have been the end of it. He was faster than him, so they shouldn't have been able to catch up to them.

But, obviously, as it was still being described, that was not the end of it.

Atlas' encounters with this group of six would not end at any time soon.