However, the gap in status between the one-eyed man and Thomas was simply too great.

After giving a brief warning, the one-eyed man no longer engaged in conversation with Thomas. He simply stood there, continuing to wait for the barrier to naturally dissipate.

His mood fluctuated.

"An hour ago, when I called out, Brown and Brian were still alive. I suspected that the ghost spirit was in a dormant state and hadn't attacked them yet."

"The ghost spirit's barrier is supposed to dissipate within 24 hours, unless the ghost spirit stops its slumber and comes out to activate it again!"

This was knowledge that only a Silver-tier Hunter would know. After all, ghost spirits were high-level beings, and Ed wouldn't know much about the barrier.

Therefore, the one-eyed man's plan was simple: after 24 hours, the barrier would dissipate, and he could retrieve Brown and his disciple, Brian.

Even if the ghost spirit wanted to maintain the barrier, it would take time, and during that gap, the barrier would disappear, giving him enough time to rush in and slay the ghost spirit!

"With that in mind, Brown, Brian, and even Ed... they're all just trapped inside the barrier!"

"There should be no immediate danger to their lives."

He also had a communication device. His vice-captain, Reve, had contacted him to check on the situation, and the one-eyed man shared his thoughts with him.

Reve, relieved by the news, was a bit calmer. From the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's standpoint, Reve didn't want to see any of the three inside perish!

Now, the one-eyed man was eager, itching for the barrier to disappear so he could slay the ghost spirit, rescue those inside, and then report back to Reve!

...

Meanwhile, inside the barrier.

As time passed, more than ten hours had gone by.

Ed remained deeply immersed in meditation and cultivation. In such a highly focused state, time seemed to pass incredibly quickly!

Ed had no idea how much time had passed outside. He only occasionally opened his eyes to check on his current progress.

[Progress to breakthrough to Medium Quality Silver Rank: 10%]

[Moonstone Marks: 24 Marks]

"Progress is quite fast. If I could continue cultivating like this within the barrier, that would be perfect."

Ed smiled slightly. If he could shut himself in for a few weeks, even if the one-eyed man was waiting outside to kill him, Ed wouldn't be afraid because he knew he could directly defeat him in a head-to-head fight!

Just as Ed was about to continue his meditation, he suddenly noticed something was wrong. The aura of the barrier around him began to fluctuate wildly!

"Hmm? What's going on?" Ed's expression changed.

He reached out to touch the skull, inspecting the aura within it, and that's when he understood what had happened.

The barrier left by the ghost spirit was about to dissipate on its own!

"Will this barrier really disappear on its own? But now I have control over the skull, I should be able to create another barrier instead."

Ed furrowed his brow and immediately grabbed the skull, trying to summon the barrier again. With a grunt, the next moment, a black barrier appeared in front of him!

The texture and aura of this barrier were exactly the same as the one released by the ghost spirit itself.

However, there was one difference: its size!

"Huh??"

The barrier Ed had summoned was only a few meters long, forming a three-dimensional cylindrical shape. It seemed to be just big enough to trap one person inside!

Compared to the enormous barrier released by the ghost spirit, one large enough to encompass an entire village, this was like a miniature version, reduced many times over!

Ed's expression changed instantly. "No way. Are you kidding me?"

"I thought I had gained another powerful new ability, but this is all I get??"

However, after some careful thought, Ed could understand. The skull had come from the ghost spirit after its death, containing a portion of the power it had before it perished.

But ultimately, it was only a part of its power, not the whole thing.

Ed couldn't expect too much.

Realizing this, he immediately stood up.

"Since the barrier is about to dissipate, I need to prepare immediately!"

The first thing Ed had to do was cover his tracks. He tossed Brian and Brown's bodies into the cellar.

Then, he also pretended to be extremely weak.

There was no time for elaborate preparations. Ed was feeling quite anxious, unsure if he could fool the people outside.

Meanwhile, outside the barrier, the one-eyed man was still waiting. He had been waiting for so long, and his energy had been slowly draining because he had been blocking the moonlight the whole time!

Thomas was in an even worse situation. Without the one-eyed man's abilities to handle it, he had to tear off a few large banana leaves and gather some large stones, creating a makeshift shelter on the ground.

It looked a bit like a tent.

He crawled inside, just managing to hold out until now.

Now, seeing the barrier begin to fluctuate, the one-eyed man was instantly thrilled.

"Finally! The barrier is about to dissipate!" He widened his eyes, his mood soaring with excitement.

At the same time, he readied his hands, prepared to draw his swords at any moment because there might be a fight ahead!

"I didn't let the vice-captain down. I'll finally be able to bring both my disciples back. I hope my disciple Brian is okay and hasn't been too badly hurt."

The one-eyed man muttered to himself.

Hearing the noise, Thomas popped his head out of the tent, his face filled with shock.

"What! Is Lord Ed about to come out?!"

About ten minutes later, the barrier completely vanished!

The ghostly energy that had covered the entire Nightmare Wasteland also disappeared, and the sky returned to its normal state, no longer affected.

The one-eyed man stared intently at the inside of the barrier, unable to suppress his desire to rush in.

But the next moment, instead of seeing the three figures he had been hoping to see, there was only one person standing inside after the black mist dissipated.

That person had their head lowered, clearly marked by signs of battle. As soon as the black mist disappeared, they suddenly collapsed to their knees, looking so weak that it seemed they might faint at any moment!

"Ed!?" The one-eyed man's expression changed.

Thomas rushed forward, shouting, "Lord Ed!" As he called out, he tried to reach out to help him up.

However, Ed's body was incredibly heavy, and Thomas couldn't lift him. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that Ed was so exhausted that he could barely even open his eyes!

"Lord Ed! What happened to you? Did you fight the ghost spirit? And were you tormented by the moonlight the entire time? Should we get you to my cabin to rest?" Thomas said, his eyes filled with concern, afraid that Ed might die.

But Ed couldn't respond.

At that moment, the one-eyed man stepped forward quickly and shouted, "Ed, where are Brown and Brian?"

Ed slowly lifted his head, struggling to appear weak. He spoke in a faint, broken voice, "They... both died in battle."

"What!" The shock of those few words hit the one-eyed man like a thunderstrike.

"Tell me what happened! Why are you alive, but they're dead?" The one-eyed man immediately drew his steel sword, demanding answers.

"This... it's a long story... cough cough cough!" Ed's body felt incredibly heavy, and his voice was weak.

The one-eyed man wasn't wasting any time. He immediately tossed a bottle of potion to Ed. "Drink this. It will help restore your strength and remove any negative effects!"

Ed took the potion, sniffed it, and immediately felt a surge of excitement. "Good stuff! I'll gladly accept it."

He then did as instructed, swallowing the potion in a gulp.

The next moment, Ed felt an immediate improvement. His mind felt incredibly sharp, and his body became light, as if he could run a marathon without tiring!

It was as if he had just woken up after sleeping for over ten hours, his whole body feeling relaxed and refreshed.

"This is the power of magic potions?" Ed was astonished. He had never felt so good before!

Seeing that Ed had recovered, the one-eyed man immediately frowned and asked, "Now you can talk! Tell me, what exactly happened inside the barrier?"

"I thought that once the barrier disappeared, my Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association would be able to take all three disciples, but now, besides you, the other two are dead!"

The one-eyed man's voice was filled with pain. The moment he learned of Brown and Brian's deaths, his mind began to buzz.

This was going to affect how he reported to Reve, after all. If the two of them were to be blamed for anything, it would directly fall on the one-eyed man's dereliction of duty!

And because his mind was preoccupied with these thoughts, the one-eyed man missed some subtle flaws in Ed's expression and gaze.

At this moment, Ed, after hearing what the one-eyed man just said, was quickly turning things over in his mind:

"What did that mean? The Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association was planning to take me as a disciple??"

To Ed, he was the one who had been sold into slavery, framed, but survived, and then returned stronger with a thirst for revenge!

If the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association knew about his existence, shouldn't they have immediately eradicated him?

But now it seemed that the association didn't have that intention, and in fact, it looked like they didn't even realize he was one of the previous otherworldly travelers!

"Could it be that they really didn't recognize me??" Ed found it hard to believe. Then, recalling how Brown and Brian had tried to kill him on sight, he seemed to understand.

These two probably never told the one-eyed man who he truly was!

With that realization, Ed smiled. Before coming out, he had prepared a whole set of stories, planning to decide whether to use them based on the situation outside.

After all, if people immediately came at him with hostility, his first instinct would be to run!

But now, it was clear he had a chance to argue his case.

"Once the barrier descended inside, the ghost spirit fell into a deep slumber, and only I, Brown, and Brian were left inside."

"With our lives in danger, we couldn't afford to fight. All of us were only thinking about surviving."

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