Judging by the twisting Head Void's visage, there was a rage boiling deep within him.

'If I push him too far, he won't care about Aki anymore even if it means his death.' Dyon silently judged. 'However… That might change if he sees Aki personally.'

Suddenly, Head Void began to laugh. "What a joke. I haven't seen that grandchild of mine in more than a year already, but I'm supposed to believe that he's in perfect condition? These sorts of dirty dealings, is this the way the Elves negotiate?

"Not only have you taken the faith seed of our clan, you've kidnapped three of our young geniuses, and now you're asking me, Akuno Void, to back down?!"

A wave of energy erupted from Head Void, smashing into Dyon's body and sending him careening through the floors.

The stone cracked apart, pressing Dyon body so fiercely that a human shaped indent formed. His bones creaked and his organs almost gave way, but he was finally able to survive in the last moments.

'He survived?' Head Void's brows furrowed. The energy he sent was more than enough to kill an essence gatherer, why was he alive? Not only was he alive, he didn't even spit up any blood?

Head Void stretched his arm outward, causing a dense wave of energy to pick Dyon up. In the next moment, Dyon's body flew up and into the sky just for Head Void to grasp his neck.

Seeing Head Void's curiosity, Dyon's nervousness was replaced with deadpan eyes.

Head Void lifted a finger toward Dyon's arm, coating it in an eerie fog Dyon immediately recognized as Void will before he pressed forward.

However, seeing that not even a dent was left in the wake of his probe, his curiosity grew fonder.

3rd will level… 5th will level… 8th will level… The power increased slowly, but steadily. Still, Dyon's arm showed no signs of giving way. It wasn't until Head Void pushed it to the first intent level that faint white marks began to appear on his skin.

"Do you expect me to believe that you're just a normal servant with a body this powerful?" Head Void's anger disappeared as he smirked toward Dyon's expressionless face. He almost took Dyon's change in demeanor as a victory.

"What can I say?" Dyon struggled to speak with the vice grip around his neck. "One needs a powerful body to satisfy all those noble women. They're pretty pent up after a day of pretending to be prudes."

Bang

A solid fist collided into Dyon's abdomen, causing his body to curl and spittle to fly from his mouth.

"Interesting…" Head Void mused. "Still no blood. Not only is your body powerful, it exceeds most celestials by far…"

Dyon coughed, slowly regaining his wind. "Nothing is better for a man's health that entering between a woman's legs. You should try it sometime, you're giving off massive sexual frustration vibes."

Dyon's words were only answered by yet another, much firmer strike to the gut that silenced his petty quips.

"Search the island." Head Void said firmly. "I don't believe that they'd leave behind such a talent. It's more likely that they're hiding."

The seven kitsune dispersed immediately after hearing their family head's words. Since their senses were poor, it was better that they searched personally.

"What a bountiful trip this has been." Head Void laughed to himself. "Not only did I lay eyes on an ancient treasure ripe for the picking, I've also found such a great cultivation technique. Tell me boy – be careful with your next words if you'd like to live – where is the cultivation technique you used to gain such a powerful body?"

Despite being beasts, kitsune were actually quite lacking in the body path. Their true forms were very small, and as such, they didn't gain the boost in power other beasts had. In return, though, they gained excellent affinity for certain elements. While other beasts were the embodiment of abstract paths like 'sovereignty' or 'wisdom' or 'slaughter', the kitsune became the embodiment of the elements themselves.

However… If he could lay his hands on the technique that made Dyon's body so powerful, not only would his battle prowess gain a huge boost, but he'd also be able to expand his meridian vortexes as well.

Just like Ri, all Void kitsune with deep enough bloodlines, learned the [Void Energy Cultivation] technique that allowed the replacing of meridians with mini-blackholes. However, due to the weaknesses of their body, many were forced to limit the size of these vortexes.

The only way to increase this size was to either gain great control over void will, or increase the strength of your body. There was a third way as well, but that was restricted to those who gained Kukan's faith seed. With Dyon's technique, Akuno would be able to fulfill a lifelong wish of his.

Just with these two treasures, Dyon's cultivation technique and the Mino ruins, Head Void was certain that the kitsune would gain a leg up on the Shruti and finally be rid of them.

'Foolish Shruti. You had such treasures right under your noses, yet you let them go.' Head Void laughed to himself. 'My Kitsune Clan will rise again!'

Dyon's eyes feigned nervousness. "This technique is a bloodline technique… I can't simply transfer it over… You aren't human, you can't use it."

Head Void snorted. "Then I'll simply begin to follow the human path even if it means relinquishing some of my cultivation. Give me the technique, boy."

Dyon frowned. After hesitating, he slowly raised his hand to Head Void's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Head Void tightened his grip on Dyon's throat.

Dyon coughed violently, trying to intake air. It wasn't until Head Void realized he couldn't answer that his hand loosened.

"I told you," Dyon said through coughs, "It's a bloodline technique. How can I transfer to you if not through your Mind's Eye?"

Dyon had just found his path to victory.

Head Void's frown deepened as he scanned Dyon cautiously. Opening up one's Mind's Eye to someone else wasn't a joke. Not everyone had a domineering toddler in theirs like Dyon did.

On top of all of that, beasts were known for their weakness in the soul path. It was even more detrimental to them to do something like this.

However, when Head Void thought about how weak Dyon's energy cultivation was, he relaxed. Clearly this boy spent all of his time on the body path, making his other paths significantly weaker.

"Begin." Head Void said sternly.

Although Dyon was still hesitant on the outside, he was jumping for joy on the inside. He was absolutely certain that his Head Void's soul was no match for his. Even if, by some miracle, Head Void had broken into the dao formation level with his soul, Dyon's own soul path prowess was comparable to a dao formation expert's.

Dyon's hand laid itself upon Head Void's forehead, steadily streaming his thoughts toward the kitsune head.

The moment the first words of Demon Emperor's Will began to form in Head Void's mind, a faint excitement came over him.

'Divine Grade technique! Definitely a divine grade technique!' His kitsune clan didn't even have a single technique of such caliber. Only by bringing their bloodline back to its origin did they have a chance at learning such astounding techniques. However, those who could do so were a pitiful few, which was why their faith seeds were so important to them.

Dyon lulled Head Void into a false sense of security, breaking down his barriers one by one and lowering his guard further. Head Void's only complaint was that for a divine grade technique, this pace was too slow. At this rate, it would take weeks for Dyon to finish. However, he forced himself to calm down. He assumed that this slow pace was due to Dyon's poor soul cultivation, which only lowered his guard even more.

Just as Dyon was beginning to feel that it was about the right time to make his move, a stream of celestial energy carrying a message entered Head Void's Mind's Eye.

"Family Head, we've found traces of destroyed Mystical World entrances. It's more than 90% likely that the elves escaped into these worlds."

Dyon's heart seized when he heard this message. He normally wouldn't have heard anything, but now that he was connected to Head Void's Mind's Eye, he could.