The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 179 - 178. Escaped?

Chapter 179: 178. Escaped?

"How about we swap opponents?" Tyler suggested, eyes glinting with mischief.

Lily glanced at Captain Silver Eye and then over at Lutz, who was wielding his staff with concentration. She scrunched her face in doubt.

"I have a feeling that’s not a good idea," she muttered. But despite her words, she moved, swapping positions with Tyler, ready to face Lutz.

Tyler stepped forward, now facing Captain Silver Eye, who eyed him with cold calculation.

Silver Eye’s frown deepened. "Last time you ran like a coward."

"-Bounced away like a rabbit," Tyler corrected mockingly, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Silver Eye remained still, his sharp eyes narrowing. He had witnessed Lily’s power firsthand. If she was only the Vice-Captain of the Blackwood Pirates, then Tyler, the Captain, must be even more dangerous. Caution filled his gaze as he readied himself.

If he knows Tyler’s real strength he would have already beaten him to death. But the fact that Stronger one won’t be subordinate to weaker one didn’t cross his mind.

Meanwhile, Lily was almost caught by Lutz’s Water Prison spell. She swung her whip through the forming sphere of water, breaking the spell before it could fully trap her, though beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

"Damn... he’s strong. He’s a Master-Level Mage," Lily panted as she moved back to stand beside Tyler. The two of them stood back-to-back, surrounded by their respective opponents.

"Master Level? He doesn’t seem that strong to me," Tyler said with a puzzled look. Despite being at just the Elite level himself, Lutz’s attacks hadn’t felt as overwhelming as he’d expected.

"Probably because he’s a water mage. His water attribute puts him at a disadvantage against you. There’s a saying: battle is like a game of rock-paper-scissors. If you find the right counter, you can win. You’ve got the Kun Peng inheritance, which makes you resistant to water attacks. And your Ice Attribute is strong against water," Lily explained quickly.

Tyler nodded, processing her words. "Should we swap again?"

Lily held up a hand. "Wait, let me try something first."

With that, she darted towards Lutz, leaving Tyler to face Silver Eye alone.

Tyler shifted his focus back to his opponent. His eyes sharpened as he prepared his next move.

*Brain Freeze.*

A mental attack, it sent sharp, icy needles directly into Silver Eye’s mind, aiming to disrupt his thoughts and slow him down. Silver Eye froze in place for a moment, a shudder running through him, but to Tyler’s dismay, he quickly shook it off.

"It’s not very effective, huh," Tyler muttered under his breath, realizing that stalling wouldn’t work for long. He needed to finish this quickly.

He cycled through his spells in his mind, and suddenly, black and white squares began to materialize on the ground beneath them.

*Chess Spell.*

It was a unique technique Tyler had acquired through a series of strange coincidences—a spell that could trap an enemy within a mental battlefield, forcing them to play by his rules.

"This... is this a domain?" Captain Silver Eye’s eyes widened. "No, something like a domain," he muttered in shock. From what he knew, only Grandmaster-level Immortal Practitioners could use domains, or at best, a pseudo-domain. To see something like this from someone at Tyler’s level was extraordinary. It meant Tyler was a rare genius who could potentially reach the Grandmaster level one day.

Silver Eye’s mind raced as he weighed his options. He didn’t want this fight to drag on any longer. "I don’t care about anything else. I just want the Orion Cube," he said, voice firm but tinged with a desire to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out a small communication charm, tossing it towards Silver Eye, who caught it on instinct.

"With that, you can communicate with anyone inside the Ruins. Use it to contact your subordinates and tell them to capture the Manhunter," Tyler said calmly.

Silver Eye gritted his teeth but nodded, deciding it was best to retreat for now. "Hmph... I’ll let you live today. We’ll meet again someday. And when we do, we can settle this properly." With that, he glanced over at Lily and Lutz, then turned away, disappearing into the distance.

Lily, who had been dodging Lutz’s attacks on her flying sword, landed next to Tyler.

"Hey, Captain, you managed to get rid of Silver Eye?" she asked while deflecting one of Lutz’s water-based spells with a crack of her whip.

"Yeah. We came to an understanding—for now."

Lily smirked but quickly turned her attention back to Lutz. She swung her whip again, but a water shield blocked her strike. Her frustration mounted.

"Tsk..." she clicked her tongue, trying to think of a better way to break through.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. "Hey, Lutz!" she called out mockingly. "Did you notice that your ’mommy dearest’ who’s currently using your lover’s body has disappeared?"

Lutz hesitated, his eyes widening as he glanced around. She was right.

Evergreen—who had possessed Astrid’s body—was nowhere to be found. She had vanished without a trace.

"Chance..." Lutz barely registered the word before Lily’s whip struck. The next thing he knew, everything went dark.

Lutz hit the ground, knocked unconscious by Lily’s swift attack. As he collapsed, ice began to form over his body, freezing him in place. Tyler walked over to him, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of Evergreen.

Lily landed beside him, letting out a breath. "Where’d she go?"

Tyler’s serious expression faded as he looked around in disbelief. "The heck... she’s really gone."

Evergreen had escaped.

Tyler’s frustration was palpable. He knelt beside Lutz’s frozen form, muttering curses under his breath. "We had her, and now she’s just... gone. Vanished like smoke."

Lily crossed her arms, equally irritated. "Well, she’s a tricky one. You should’ve expected this from her."

"Yeah, but I thought we had more time," Tyler grumbled, still scanning the surroundings as if Evergreen would reappear any moment.

Lily glanced at Lutz, then back at Tyler. "What now?"

Tyler stood up and dusted off his hands. "First, we need to wake up Lutz. He might know where she went."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "And if he doesn’t?"

Tyler sighed. "Then we’re back to square one. But one thing’s for sure—we can’t let Evergreen keep control of Astrid’s body. We have to figure out how to separate them."

Lily nodded in agreement. "Right. But it’s not gonna be easy. Evergreen used some ancient method we don’t know the details. We’ll need some serious help to break her hold."

"I was thinking the same thing. I sent Mana to stay with Silvia before this whole mess started. She might know how to fix this."

"Mana, huh?" Lily smirked. ".Good idea. If anyone can come up with a solution, it’s her. But too bad she is not here."

Just then, Lutz stirred, groaning as the ice began to crack around him. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at Tyler and Lily, still dazed from the blow.

"W-what happened...?" he muttered weakly, trying to sit up.

Tyler crouched down to face him. "Evergreen escaped. Do you have any idea where she might be?"

Lutz blinked in confusion, his gaze darting around in panic. "I... I don’t know... Tyler please save her."

Lily let out a sigh. "Well, that’s not helpful."

"All right, Lutz, I don’t really want a time bomb with us. Your mother can easily manipulate you, so you’re not coming with us," Tyler said, removing the restraints from the young mage.

Lutz looked down, his face etched with guilt. "I understand," he sighed, knowing he couldn’t argue against the truth of Tyler’s words.

Tyler handed him a small communication charm, its surface glowing faintly in the dim light. "Use this if you find Astrid. We’ll come back for her."

Lutz nodded and pocketed the charm, though the weight of the situation seemed to press heavily on his shoulders. He looked up at Tyler. "Thank you... for trusting me this much."

Tyler offered a tight smile, but before he could respond, the ground beneath them began to rumble. The low tremor quickly escalated, causing the water to ripple.

Tyler’s eyes widened in alarm. "Uh... that can’t be good," he muttered under his breath.

Lily, who had been eyeing Lutz cautiously, groaned in frustration. "What now?"

The rumbling intensified, and in the distance, an ominous light began to shine, casting eerie shadows across the room of Memories. The light pulsed rhythmically, almost like a heartbeat, filling the space with an unsettling energy.

"Whatever it is, we better deal with it fast," Tyler said, the tension in his voice sharpening his resolve.

Lily cracked her whip, her gaze focused on the glowing light ahead. "Agreed. Let’s get moving before this place comes crashing down on us."

The two of them readied themselves, but the trembling continued to grow stronger, now accompanied by a faint, unsettling hum that reverberated through the air.

Ahh... Ann.. aaaan

They heard someone moaning?

And that voice is familiar to them.

Tyler and Lily looked at each other and thought at the same time , ’Mathilda?’