Tower of Heaven

Covering his face again felt strange after so long, but it became even more essential.

He started wearing it because of potential threats that he wasn't aware of. Now, his reason was the threat that was in front of his eyes.

The only thing he had was the fact that Dusk and other such organizations had no idea what his face actually looked like. It gave him a massive advantage, as putting the mask away was the final card he had to separate himself from the identity he'd built as Atlas Vaun or the Reaper.

The new mask was still plain white, but it possessed a new skill.

Unfortunately, Atlas couldn't buy the same mask a second time. After giving all of his Tower Points to the [Treacherous Phoenix], he only had a few Tower Points to spend.

The new mask still blocked perception, but that was the end of its abilities. Atlas had to say goodbye to invisibility.

Nevertheless, after tentatively searching the area beyond the formation, Atlas took his first step into the outside world in some time.

'Hm…'

He hummed as he tangibly felt the flow of time encompassing his body and bringing it back in tune with reality.

'The people who were searching this place are gone, but it doesn't seem like they have left completely.'

Instead, they were observing the cave system to see if anything would change after being unable to find the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda they searched for.

Atlas concealed himself and made his way out of the cave and into the forest beyond.

'The guards are quite relaxed. This is easier than expected.'

They had been sitting outside of the cave for the past month. At this point, they were not expecting anybody or anything to leave it.

Without worrying about them in the slightest, Atlas escaped their range and blended in with the ordinary Ascenders on the floor.

Taking out the token that Scarlet Fox gave him, Atlas found the location of the now-moved Heaven's Eye branch and went there without wasting a moment.

It wasn't a quiet journey either.

[Treacherous Phoenix is extremely curious about where you have been.]

[The Morning Star is extremely curious about where you have been.]

[Heaven's Forge is extremely curious about where you have been.]

[Prince of Darkness is amused, seemingly understanding what transpired.]

The Gods were observing him very closely. They lost the ability to see him the moment he entered the formation, only seeing him on their radars again when he exited back into the cave.

This month-long gap was an unexplained phenomenon. Not many of those existed in the eyes of these Gods.

They were already interested in Atlas because his life was always filled with exciting moments. He was the best entertainment they could ask for.

And when they realized that he was not only surrounded by excitement, but also by mystery, it was only natural for them to become even more interested.

Atlas ignored their messages. He had been pretending like he couldn't see them whenever it was convenient for him and it had been doing him well. He didn't think it was time to be interacting with beings he couldn't comprehend.

Instead, he reached the Heaven's Eye branch, entered the premises, requested Scarlet Fox, and waited.

It didn't take long for that now-familiar voice to appear behind him.

"You…are still on the 25th Floor? Where have you been?"

Her surprise was evident. Even her people lost track of him. The last they saw was him moving towards the Celestial Ladder.

Atlas shook his head dismissively.

"Just some secluded cultivation. No need to mention it. More importantly, have you acquired it?"

Scarlet Fox rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't easy, you know. I had to have it delivered from the 50th-floor storage specifically for you. I deserve at least a little bit of information, don't I?"

"What information do you want? I truly spent all of my time training. Genuinely, nothing of note happened."

He found out about the hidden schemes of the Immortal World, forged a bond with one of the Nine Heavenly Kings, got his hands on a Supreme Heavenly Treasure, and ascended to Sky Sage.

'Oh, there's also the jade slip Aeon left me that explains more about the Ten Supreme Heavenly Treasures. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.'

Truly, nothing much happened.

Not that Scarlet Fox believed him. She couldn't remember the last time the person known as Atlas Vaun had a day when nothing happened.

But, what could she do about it? If he didn't want to tell her, then she could only use her abilities to find out through other means.

Sighing to herself, she pulled out a spatial ring and handed it to Atlas.

"The Dragonroot we agreed on is inside. Also, there are some gifts I prepared."

Atlas raised an eyebrow and glanced at the internal space.

'Moonbloom Flower, Dark Spirit Grass…these are the secondary ingredients I need for the Devil Heart Pill.'

He smiled wryly. As expected, Scarlet Fox's means were no joke.

"I assume these gifts aren't free?"

"Naturally."

"Haa…is there anything you care about that isn't related to money?"

"Hmm…"

A sly smile appeared on her face.

"Well, if you didn't have assumptions about those ambitions, would you have started a partnership like this?"

Atlas smiled under his mask as well.

"So you are calling it a partnership."

He took another spatial ring out and passed it to her.

"This is the initial payment. It includes the cost of your efforts, gifts, and a little something extra. You know what to do next, I presume."

"It's not good to make assumptions."

"It isn't an assumption when we both understand that it's true. Or, are you backing out?"

They spoke in tongues, skating around the actual topic. In the end, though they were covered by a sound isolation barrier, but they were still inside a branch of Heaven's Eye. They could never know who was watching.

Nevertheless, they understood each other's words and implications.

Between them, a plan was being formed. A plan that relied on the ambition they both shared.

Atlas provided money, and more importantly, he was the very first customer in this new business.

Together, they would build that organization. An organization with information and means that could topple the current Tower's hierarchy.

At its current stage, the plan had no depth. Scarlet Fox had only received her very first investment. She would need to put in a lot of work behind the scenes to make things viable.

However, that was the ambition she carried with her and the reason why Atlas decided to put his trust in her.

As she took the spatial ring, a light of greed erupted in her eyes.

This was only a step in the path of Atlas' story, but it was just the start for the Scarlet Fox.
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Her story was also bound to be one that shook the Tower. They were all like that, weren't they?

The Tower of Heaven was a place where heroes and demons alike gathered together and aimed for the same goal.

The characters that rose from those struggles would always find a way to leave their mark on the world.

Such was the way of a cultivator.