Unfortunately, before Krune and Iem couldn't make any question, an employee of the Tribulation Fields came in.
"What are you doing here? Have you paid to use the tribulation field?"
Krune and Iem smiled bitterly. Around half an hour later, the two of them teleported back to Immai City, a few hundred Godly Stones poorer, though. Krune's restaurant was near, so he, Iem, and Zule went there to talk.
Fortunately, Krune had rented the place for an entire year. Thanks to that, he was still able to use it. Once inside, Zule came out of his concealment.
"So... how come you followed us?"
Once again, a small projection of a kid appeared in from of the Realm Barrier Dimensional Slasher.
"I'm not following the two of you. I'm only following Krune."
Krune and Iem looked at each other, not understanding why anyway.
Krune then looked back at Zule.
"Why me?"
Already expecting that obvious question, Zule began to explain.
"Because I have no other choice. My ability to create a Dimensional Realm that could hide from Heavens was damaged. That Dimensional Realm was the last one I could make with that feature. However, now that I cut the connection between me and the formations, that Dimension Realm will appear under Heaven's eyes once more. There was nothing I could do to prevent that. You could say that that was the price to get my freedom back."
Krune was still confused.
"But what does that have to do with me?"
Zule smiled as the Space Heavenly Fragment began to pulse with silver light. At the same time, Krune noticed the same call from his Heavenly Fragments as he felt in the Underground city. However, it was completely different from before. It was as if they were attracting each other. But before he could ask what Zule was doing, the later already started talking.
"As you know, without the power to hide from heavens, I'll be hunted down soon. If I want to avoid being seen, I have only one choice. I need to stay close to another Heavenly Fragment that is still covered by a Major Divine Soul. By using the cover of a possible fusion, your own Heavenly Fragments will hide me from anything that could be used to locate me."
Krune couldn't help but ask.
"Shouldn't it only be possible if you were a Heavenly Fragment who lost your Universe? I have fused with an ownerless Heavenly Fragment in the past, which had its own Universe destroyed. Only if such a thing happens can a Heavenly Fragment fuse with another Universe's one, no?"
Zule nodded and then shook his head.
"But I am an ownerless Heavenly Fragment. However, there is a difference between me and the one you fused with. My Universe back on the Lower Realms probably still exists. That being said, why do you think I became an ownerless fragment?"
Krune and Iem understood where Zule was coming from.
"I see... The Godly Path Realm is another Realm. Obviously, the Heavenly Fragments and Cores have lost their connection with you. As long as the Divine Soul where they are in is destroyed, they will become ownerless since they can't go back."
Zule nodded while showing a happy expression.
"It's good that you know. From now on, I'll be in your care. I already made a pseudo fusion with your Heavenly Fragments, and they accepted me. It's just that I will not complete this fusion so that I can live separated from them. As long as I don't go too far away, I should be fine."
Krune's mouth twitched. So that was the reason for the feeling he had earlier. It wasn't just a call. It was his Heavenly Fragments concluding that pseudo fusion Zule talked about. No wonder he could feel both sides' attraction.
"So you are saying you won't leave my side from now on, is that correct?"
Zule shook his head.
"Of course, not. This is just until I find a way of avoiding being tracked down. After I succeed, I will immediately leave your side."
Krune narrowed his eyes.
"And how long would it take?"
Zule looked away as if he didn't hear that question.
"That's quite a nice place you have here. What is it, a restaurant? I've never been inside one."
Krune mouth twitched twice now.
"Alright, get out! Who the hell would keep such a time bomb by their side? Now that your Dimensional Realm lost effect, I'm sure a lot of Nascent God Realm cultivators and demon beasts will come after you. I want to stay as far away from you as possible."
Zule then showed a sad expression.
"Look at me, I'm just a kid. Would you really leave me to fend by myself?"
"Where have you ever seen a kid over 50 thousand years old?"
"Cough, cough... Anyway, if I'm captured, do you think I would go down alone? What if I let my mouth slip and tell about you two? I already completed my pseudo fusion with your Fragments, so I definitely can tell where you are."
Krune was taken aback. But just as he was about to ask Iem to give some help, he noticed the later sneaking out. The fusion was only made with Krune. Iem's Heavenly Core had nothing to do with it. That being said, the best option was to get as far away from Krune as possible.
Krune felt like crying after seeing that. So much for friendship, no? After what they passed through in the Underground City together, he still decided to abandon him as if nothing had happened.
'Is that how you play? Very well, then.'
Krune immediately grabbed Iem's shoulders just as he was about to leave the building.
"What you doing?"
"Aren't you running too fast?"
"So what? That's your problem, deal with it."
"No problem, I'll deal with it now."
Krune then looked at Zule in the distance.
"Hey, Zule! If you can make sure that you can also track Iem down wherever he goes in the Godly Path Realm, then I accept your idea."
Iem's eyes opened wide after hearing that. It was evident that Krune was planning to drag him down together in this shit situation.
Zule, on the other hand, laughed out loud.
"Don't worry, I already did that a long time ago. After all, Iem knows about me. That being said, I had to keep track of him, so I already marked him down."
Zule's Space Heavenly Fragment then pulsed with silver light once more. Right after, Iem's body seemed to react to that pulse, showing that something had been planted inside him.
Iem's expression went dark as he immediately contacted Harold.
"Can you get rid of this mark?"
Harold denied that idea straight away, though.
"With the support of your cultivation, I'm nowhere near able to do it. I'll need you to reach the Mortal Rejection Realm level at the very least. That's also why I couldn't even detect it was put in you."
Iem then looked at Krune as if he wanted to eat him alive.
Krune, of course, couldn't care less.
"Great, we can all be friends from now on. Hahaha!"
He then went back inside in light steps. It was evident that Krune was feeling very pleased with himself.
Iem could only sigh after that. In the end, he also walked back into the room with a dejected expression.
"Since you are sticking around for some time, does that me that we can use your power to do battle if necessary?"
Zule nodded.
"Of course. The only problem is that I already completed my pseudo fusion with your Heavenly Fragments. Because of that, my combat power has declined to something close to your own level. Fortunately, I marked Iem before that, so he shouldn't be able to get rid of his mark even though I'm weaker now."
Iem smiled bitterly but declined to comment on it.
Krune, on the other hand, nodded.
"That makes sense. Anyway, just make sure you don't appear in the open or leave my side. The last thing I need is some old monster feeling your presence. Since you are a Spatial Type Treasure, you should have no problem entering my Spatial Ring and staying there for the time being."
Zule agreed with Krune.
"Sure. By the way, when are we going to travel? Ever since I gained sentience, I had been in that damned tower. I want to see the world!"
Krune immediately shook his head, though.
"I'm not moving out anytime soon. Because of what you did, a lot of things got backtracked as well. I have to reopen my restaurant, call the guys back, cultivate, comprehend laws, digest the experiences I gained during the beast horde, etc..."
Zule didn't mind, though.
"Hum... fine. But I want one of those communicators that you are using. This technology thing didn't exist during my time, so I want to check it out. As long as you can provide me with those fun devices, I'll stay quiet in the Spatial Ring."
Iem then extended his hand in Krune's direction, which puzzled him.
"What is it?"
"It was your fault we got dragged into the Underground City. Now I'm stuck here with you and the time bomb. You won't make me pay for the electronics Zule asked as well, right?"
Luvile immediately agreed with Iem.
"He's right. It's thanks to your Law of Disaster that you got in this situation. I told you to stop practicing it."
Krune's expression sank.
"Who the hell is practicing the Laws of Disaster? First of all, does such a thing even exist?!"
In the end, Krune passed a few hundred Godly Stones for Iem to go buy those simple electronic devices.