Eternal Thief

Ace's movement speed became extremely slow, and the intervals of his soul Qi recovery because more frequent. Where he was required to recover his soul Qi every four hours now he needed to do the same thing every two hours. 

It was all because he was using a soul Qi barrier and heavenly sense to the fullest, even while recuperating he still maintained the soul Qi barrier to protect his physique. 

'Just how many people died in this damn place?' This question was plunging in his mind for a while now. 

Because he had seen hundreds of graves from the moment he entered this cemetery-like zone, and they were still increasing. His heart was heavy as a mountain because if there was a trigger to awake those puppet golems, then he didn't know if he could elude them.

Ace suddenly felt powerful Qi fluctuations way ahead of him. 

Since there wasn't any tree or any cave for him to hide, so, he hid behind a grave. He didn't touch anything and just use it to shield himself because something was coming in his way. 

Right after a few minutes, Ace saw a group of hundreds of speed golems closely following behind a human-like golem whose size was much smaller. 

Ace's eyes instantly narrowed as his brows knitted together because he could guess what that golem was, 'A full-fledged Speed Golem Leader, and it's at the peak of Qi river realm as well!' 

Ace's heart palpitated seeing hundreds of golems and the golem leader, he didn't expect to see them here, but he was also excited about something, 'It looks like I'm getting closer to the elemental orb since I encountered a golem leader.' 

Ace carefully keep his distance from the Speed Golem Leader, he didn't forget about the system's previous warning. 

The speed golem leader's eyes twinkle in emerald light before it moved to the other side with its group of speed golem. 

Ace sighed in relief when the golem leader moved on and didn't notice him, 'As long as I'm keeping a fifty-meter distance from it, I'm safe, just like the system said.' 

After making sure, that group of golems have left the area, he took the same path where the speed golem came from. 

However, Ace has just moved a few miles when he encountered another golems group with a golem leader. He only dodged them by the hair because of his late reaction. 

Ace was feeling the anxiety and even felt relieved about being alone because if he was with that group they might've not reacted in time, and they would have already faced hundreds of speed golems or even puppet golems. 

This time, Ace didn't move even five hundred meters when he felt incoming danger from behind. This unknown danger was directly coming in his way and at a fast speed. 

He quickly used lightning steps to run in the opposite direction before changing his direction again. After making sure he was out of the range of the incoming enemy, he waits for them to leave the area. 

Since Ace was hundreds of meters away from this group, he wasn't able to see that group because of his limited vision. 

After he encountered many groups of golems with golem leaders, Ace suddenly come to an astonishing conclusion. 

'These golems groups were moving in a pattern like they're patrolling just like soldiers. If they're patrolling, then who's controlling them and what are they protecting, the elemental orb?' Ace bemused. 

He knew the elemental orbs possessed consciousness, and they all had unique ways of protecting themselves. Seemingly, this elemental orb protecting system depends on these golems and emerald mist. 

'By the growing number of golems groups, I'm probably very close to the elemental orb, or close enough to stumble upon something related to it.' 

Ace calm his excited heart and go toward the last golem group, which seemed to go back from where they came from. 

'If I just had my normal heavenly sense and vision.' Ace cursed this fact extremely annoyed him, he can only see around fifty meters which was no way enough to observe a golem leader. 

'Hmm? Where did they go?' Ace suddenly halted in bewilderment because the group of golems he has been following has suddenly vanished from his soul sense. 

Although his senses were limited, the Qi fluctuations emitting from a Golem Leader were enough for Ace to followed them for hundreds of meters distance. 

But this sudden disappearance of an entire group of hundreds of golems was too suspicious, no matter how much he thought about it. 

However, to his shock, the very next moment after the group of golems vanished a new Qi fluctuation emerge from the very same area, and he could tell it was a new group of golems with a new golem leader leading them. 

Ace quickly hide far to let that group of golems leave since they were coming in his direction. After confirming no golems were coming or going in his way, he slipped toward the same area where golems were vanished and appeared abruptly. 

Ace cover a Five-hundred-meter distance in minutes and finally appeared close to the area where the group of golems vanished, and a new one appeared a few minutes ago. 

No matter how much he probed with the heavenly sense, he saw or felt nothing but emerald mist. 

Ace suddenly strengthen his resolve and move ahead toward the area where those golems vanished. 

For a few hundred meters he felt nothing, but after trading for a mile he suddenly walked out of the emerald mist sea and enter a new world! 

Yes, a new world! 

Those were the thought that came to Ace's mind when he unexpectedly walked out of the emerald mist. He never imagined there was something like at the end of the emerald mist sea. 

In front of his eyes was a spacious dome-like vacuity, there wasn't any emerald mist inside this enormous dome. For some mysterious reason, the emerald mist was like the wall and roof of this enormous dome. 

This enormous dome was lit by some kind of gentle green light. 

But Ace didn't have time to uncover this mystery because his eyes were widely opened and on the verge of popping out of their sockets as he looked right at the center of this dome. 

Right in the center of this dome was a towering volcano that was releasing none other than emerald mist as thick as clouds from its enormous maw. The cloudy mist was mixing right into the enormous dome but none of it spread inside the dome as if it has been controlled by something.   

But it wasn't the end of Ace's befuddlement because surrounding this huge volcano of emerald mist were armies of golems! 

Yes, armies of golems, like in thousands!

Ace's heart palpitated as his face turn ashen, he wanted to turn back and run like hell because there were thousands of golems and there was even a fifteen-meter tall white stone golem that he never encountered outside before and all of them were emitting the dreadful aura of Qi river core realm! 

All of these golems were tightly surrounding the volcano in neatly arranged rows. 

This grand army was probably enough to trample upon entire high-level lands, nothing can stop it except Qi Soul realm old monsters! 

Ace turned around to escape this place as soon as possible, when, 

=====

[System has detected {Nature's Earth Elemental Orb} in the area around the host!]

---

[Did the host want to mark the Earth Elemental Orb?]

{TP Required: 10,000 TP}

{Confirm?}

===== 

Ace clench his fists tightly and stopped himself from running after he heard the system's notification and saw the new option that hasn't appeared last time when he first time encounter the light elemental orb. 

He took a deep breath and calm his never; he was at least two miles away from that volcano and a mile away from the golem army, there wasn't anything between them besides some large stones. 

But he can't stay in this place for too long because he just saw a 'small' group of hundreds of golems led by a golem leader enter the dome and a new group of golem led by a golem leader exit the mist from five hundred meters away from his position.

The old group which just enter the dome quickly took the position which the old group left empty. It was like these groups took turns to patrol the mysterious circle. As for who gave them these orders, it was unknown.

Ace quickly hide behind a five-meter-wide stone, which was just a hundred meters away from his position. 

After making sure there wasn't any new group coming in his way or exiting the mist sea, he felt a little better, but the pressure of surrounding by an enormous army of monsters wasn't something that can be lifted. 

"Confirm." With a thought, Ace select confirm in the system's panel. 

Ace would see the position and then decide if he should leave or try his luck while stealing the Earth Orb like he stole the light orb last time!