Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 2073 Heading Alone!

"Fine," Max said. "I'll take the other route."

Anna looked at him carefully. "And don't go looking for trouble on purpose along the way."

Max smiled. "Why would I do that?"

Anna sighed. "That answer doesn't reassure me at all."

The next morning came quickly.

Before the sun had fully risen over Bloodstone City, the three newcomers were already prepared to leave. The streets were quieter than usual at that hour. Shops were only beginning to open, floating signs slowly brightened above the buildings, and groups of cultivators heading out of the city moved toward the gates with their weapons and supplies ready.

Even so, Bloodstone City never fell completely silent, because there were always people returning from hunts, setting out for trials, trading information, or getting ready for another day in the outer layer.

Max, Damian, and Revona met near the entrance of the Primordial mansion, where Anna had come to see them off.

She looked between the three of them before speaking. "Remember what I told you. The moment you leave the city, don't assume anything is safe just because the surroundings look peaceful."

Damian nodded. "We understand."

Revona smiled lightly. "You've said that several times already."

"And I'll say it several more if it keeps you alive," Anna replied.

Her gaze eventually settled on Max. "You especially."

Max gave her a helpless smile. "I know."

Damian turned toward him. "Should we meet near the trial entrance?"

Max nodded. "If nothing holds us up."

Revona smiled faintly. "Considering who we're talking about, something probably will."

Max glanced at her. "You're starting to sound like Anna."

"That's not a bad thing," Anna said at once.

The three of them eventually left the mansion and headed for the city gates together, but once they were outside the main gate, their paths separated.

Damian and Revona took the more commonly used route toward the Ten Shadows Trial. Several other groups were already visible heading in the same direction, with some traveling through the air and others crossing the pale yellow land below.

Max stopped for a moment and looked toward the alternate route marked on his map. It stretched away from the main path and ran through quieter territory where the terrain slowly grew rougher. There were few established trails in that direction, and almost no cultivators could be seen traveling along it.

That suited him perfectly.

"See you at the trial," Damian said.

Max nodded. "Try not to show up too late."

Damian smiled. "You're the one taking the longer road."

Revona shook her head lightly. "Both of you just need to get there alive."

They parted soon afterward. Damian and Revona continued toward the main route while Max turned in a completely different direction, and the distance between them grew until their figures disappeared from one another's sight.

Max walked on alone.

Anna's reasoning made sense. After what had happened in the Battle Space, anyone who wanted to assassinate him, capture him, test his strength, or steal whatever secrets they imagined he carried would be waiting for a chance outside Bloodstone City. Traveling separately meant Damian and Revona wouldn't get pulled into a conflict that was meant for him alone.

More than that, Max preferred it this way. If trouble really did come looking for him, he wouldn't need to hide nearly as much.

With that thought, he followed the quieter path toward the Ten Shadows Trial, and Bloodstone City fell farther behind him with every step.

The alternate route Anna had recommended was much quieter than the main road. The dark red walls of Bloodstone City had already vanished behind the uneven terrain, and the land around Max had grown steadily more desolate.

Pale yellow earth stretched into the distance, broken here and there by jagged black rocks and low ridges that jutted from the ground like the remains of some ancient battlefield. The silence felt heavier here too. Apart from the distant cries of beasts and the occasional wind moving across the barren land, almost nothing disturbed the surroundings.

Max kept moving at a steady pace, and he didn't look the least bit rushed.

His destination was still some distance off, and taking the safer route meant he would arrive after Damian and Revona. That didn't bother him. Anna had specifically told him to avoid the busier paths, since anyone waiting outside Bloodstone City would naturally expect him to head for the Ten Shadows Trial by the fastest road.

For a while, Max thought her precaution might actually work.

Then his steps slowed.

His expression stayed the same, but his eyes moved quietly toward the rocky terrain ahead.

'So they found me anyway.'

Nothing had been obvious at first. There was no visible killing intent, no sudden attack, and no figures standing openly in his path. Even so, his Dimensional Sovereign Body had already picked up several disturbances around him. The movements were too controlled to belong to beasts, and the faint traces of aura hidden behind the surrounding ridges were clearly being suppressed on purpose.

Someone was following him. More accurately, several people had already moved into position around him.

Max walked another dozen steps as though he had noticed nothing at all.

Then the first figure appeared.

A tall devil stepped out from behind a black rock a few hundred meters ahead. His skin was dark gray, and two curved horns swept back from his forehead. Crimson lines covered one side of his face before disappearing beneath the collar of his black armor. He carried a broad saber over one shoulder and watched Max with a cold smile.

Another devil appeared on Max's left, then another emerged on his right, and more presences revealed themselves behind him. Within moments, Max was surrounded.

There were six devils in total, and they had positioned themselves carefully to block every obvious escape route. None of them rushed forward. Instead, they stayed spread out around him, keeping enough space between one another that a sudden attack couldn't catch several of them at once.

Max looked slowly from one devil to the next. His expression stayed calm, though his eyes grew a little sharper.

These were nothing like the three devils he had run into shortly after entering the Godslayer's Pilgrimage. Those had only been at the 2nd level of the Divine Lord Realm, and the weakest person surrounding him now was already stronger than them.

Max could sense two devils at the 3rd level of the Divine Lord Realm and another two around the 4th level, while the remaining pair were far more dangerous. One had reached the 5th level, and the strongest stood at the 6th.

Even in the outer layer, that was no longer the strength of an ordinary newcomer.

The 6th level Divine Lord Realm devil stood on a raised ridge behind Max. He was taller than the rest and wore dark red armor covered in faint black runes. A long scar ran across his cheek beneath one crimson eye, and two thick horns curved upward from his head. Unlike the others, he wasn't smiling. He simply watched.

The pressure coming off him was restrained, yet Max felt the difference immediately.

'A 6th level Divine Lord Realm.'

His gaze shifted briefly to the 5th level devil standing near the front.

'And another at the 5th level.'

This wasn't a group that had run into him by chance. They had come prepared.