Theron pulled out an item he had taken to calling the King Soul Lamp. With it in his control, he could communicate with all of the souls that were once under Patriarch Nightingale's control.

In truth, this was dangerous. He wasn't as powerful as Patriarch Nightingale, nor was his network of information nearly as vast or deep. But he had already let one of them know that he had possession of the King Soul Lamp.

Although that man had called out Patriarch Nightingale's name, when given enough time to assess the situation, he would feel that the soul in question wasn't Theron's own.

So, Theron made an assessment.

He needed information about this world and his body wasn't in the best condition right now. He had access to the brain space of cultivators far more powerful than himself, so why wouldn't he use them?

Plus, if he wasn't going to destroy the so-called Hall of Ice and Heart, then he might need to rely on these men and women even more than Patriarch Nightingale had.

He had decided.

Theron pulled out the exact same Soul Lamp he had communicated with the first time. It was the Soul Lamp of the weakest of the cultivators here. But from what Theron could tell, even though they were the weakest, they were still a Fourth Resonance Cloud Realm expert, or in other words, a First Resonance Ascending Cloud Realm expert.

This person's cultivation was one Resonance or maybe two beneath that of Patriarch Nightingale. However, to Theron, this difference hardly mattered. This was still someone who could snap him out of existence in a flash.

"I wondered when you would make contact again. Four days… how patient. I assume Caulderone finally bit off more than he could chew?"

The voice was much calmer now than it had been before, but it also seemed filled with resignation.

Maybe to the group of men and women under Patriarch Nightingale's control, it was only a matter of time before this happened.

Their souls weren't under their control, and Patriarch Nightingale was bound to make a mistake eventually. Things were fine now as they still felt like they had a chance to surpass him enough that they could have their revenge in the future.

But what would they do if their souls landed in the hands of someone beyond the Cloud Realm?

"I killed him," Theron replied simply.

Theron could not only hear and see everything the man on the other side was saying and doing, but he could feel the fluctuations in his emotions, maybe even more sharply than Patriarch Nightingale ever could.

Even with his senses so dimmed, Theron had a level of talent Caulderone couldn't fathom.

But he didn't need to be able to feel the man's emotion to hear the laughter.

"I can't believe it. He was still targeting children. But this time, he targeted one even better than us."

The man immediately heard the immaturity in Theron's voice, but even if he hadn't, the youth of Theron's aura would have been a dead giveaway. This was why Theron didn't bother to mask his voice.

While this King Soul Lamp gave him control over these men and women, it also required his soul as a medium. If he was too careless, he would end up being read by these powerhouses.

Luckily, his control over his soul was impeccable.

"So what are you going to do, kid? I can't imagine that after taking four days to contact me again that you'll be so kind as to release us."

"I will. Just not now," Theron replied calmly.

The man didn't seem surprised, nor did he believe Theron's words.

"Whatever you say, kid. So long as that bastard is dead, I'll sleep with a grin on my face. Hypocritical son of a bitch." He sounded like he would piss on Caulderone's grave if he could make it there in time. "Alright, kid. What do you want from me? At least for now, I'm in a good mood. I can't guarantee I won't start cursing you as much as that old piece of shit in another month or two though."

"I need information. Your name, Sect, and its relation to the Nightingale Sect."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Interesting."

"I am Uslim, the current newest elder of the Splitting Bamboo Sect. I guess I'm technically the seventeenth elder, but who has the time to list out numbers like that?

"The Splitting Bamboo Sect isn't under the territory of the Hall of Ice and Heart like the Nightingale Sect is. It's in the territory of the Trickling Crystal Sect."

"Why would he go after you if you're outside his sphere of influence?"

"How would I know? That bastard never communicated with us unless it was to give highly specific tasks."

"What are the tasks he gives you?"

"Random things. I'm sure that 90% of them are red herrings so we can't piece together what he wants to do."

"What's the last thing he had you do?"

"He had me go to an inn and sexually harass the dancers. When I was belligerent and drunk enough, I paid the innkeeper a tidy sum and fucked his daughter silly. Then I patted my ass and left in the morning."

Theron's eyes narrowed.

He could feel Uslim's soul fluctuations as clear as day. There was no lie detector more effective than this. There was exactly zero chance that Uslim could lie to him.

"I'm sure you've remembered and documented every task, right? Tell me about them all."

Theron waited patiently as Uslim listed everything. There seemed to be a task a month at the slowest, once every other week at the fastest, and each one seemed disconnected and disjointed, not carrying the slightest hint of rhyme or reason.

By the end, Theron made a decision. Until he understood more about the world around him, there was no way he could pick out Patriarch Nightingale's intentions with just this information alone.

So, he pivoted.

"Please explain your understanding of the Bronze Resonance Realm to me."

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