Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!
Chapter 20: Leaving the Island

One additional day of cultivation or training on the island would be entirely futile for them, and they were both exceedingly eager to depart from it. Despite the uncertainty of the future and the fact the island no longer posed danger to them, they didn't want to stay.

The dangers Violent Lake seemed to be more than they could handle, so the idea of staying behind and not joining Demon Gate didn't sound good at all.

After visiting the island's coast in the past days to check out this possibility, the two were sure that joining Demon Gate was the least worst of the paths ahead of them.

Running through the island, they soon reached the southern coast. There, they spotted the same boat that had left them, now moored to a small wooden jetty built between the sandbars.

The same masked men in black awaited them.

Liam stepped forward, pulling Mary along.

"Think we'll have trouble?" Mary asked, eyeing the men warily.

"I doubt they'd harm us after raising our spirits. They won't be friendly, but if we play it safe, we should be fine," Liam reassured her.

They approached the pier where a man sat on a wooden stool, an old book on his lap.

"Names," the man demanded without looking up, showing no surprise at their cultivation level.

As a Spirit Master in the third realm, he could easily tell the cultivation level of these two, but he could also look down on them.

"Liam Porter."

"Mary Hill."

The man jotted down their names and tossed them two small bronze-colored metal plates, each shaped like a shield.

Liam picked up his plate and noticed inscriptions on it.

{Outer Member}

{Demon Gate}

Alongside his name, several runes adorned the small shield, now his identification item.

"Keep your IDs safe. Lose them, and you'll lose your registration. Replacing them will cost you," the man warned dryly, without looking at them.

Liam and Mary clutched their IDs, curiosity sparking in their eyes as they wondered what lay ahead.

"Get on the boat and stay quiet. We leave once the other three survivors join us."

Without question, they boarded the boat.

During their weeks as prisoners of the Demon Gate, they had learned the futility of asking questions.

Once aboard, memories of their journey and their stay on the Eternal Doom Island flooded back, mixing with the anticipation of what was to come.

Liam looked out over the seemingly calm waters of Violent Lake and sighed as he closed his eyes, remembering the hard journey here.

'Time for me to get to know this continent better.'

He thought about the many things he didn't know that had puzzled him during his four months in Twin Land.

His predecessor was no fool, but as a young mortal and servant of the Porter family, Liam Porter knew almost nothing useful about the path of the Spirit Masters. The young earthling who now possessed this body had much to learn on his path.

'The most important thing now is to survive the journey to the Demon Gate. I don't know where the sect is located, but we will definitely have to travel for a few days after we leave Violent Lake.'

Every journey through Twin Land was dangerous. Since it was the continent of beasts, aside from the human cities, almost the entire rest of the territory was the domain of beasts and creatures that didn't treat humans and Spirit Masters well.

'I have to adapt to the sect and learn how to grow within it. I can't fight it for now; the only option left is to grow within it... When I get some freedom and power, I'll plan my escape.'

His eyes narrowed at the thought. Though he couldn't fight or escape from Demon Gate now, that didn't mean it would always be this way.

Knowing that Demon Gate was replete with internal and external problems, he resolved to bide his time until he found his chance to escape.

'When I manage to do that, I'll return to the Porter family, settle my predecessor's affairs, and tell them what happened,' he decided.

Even though an earthling now controlled Liam Porter's body, the original owner had left traces of himself behind. Liam sensed his predecessor's powerful feelings towards certain members of the Porter family—feelings that needed resolution before he could continue his path in Twin Land.

For Liam, these feelings were a nuisance, causing confusion. Sometimes he even wondered if he wanted to visit these people for his own sake, not just to honor his predecessor's wishes.

'Once I'm done with this, I'll live my own way.' He smiled at the prospect of freedom.

Liam envisioned a life without ties to Demon Gate or his predecessor, a life where he could enjoy his new existence on his own terms.

He waited in silence next to Mary for the next 40 minutes until the three survivors, besides the two of them, arrived in this area to join them.

The same people they had seen a week ago were given their IDs before boarding the boat.

The man who had registered them rose from his seat, summoning his demon spirit. With a flick of his wrist, the wooden pier sank, controlled by the demon's power.

"Five new sect members out of a group of twenty-nine. Not bad. Behave yourselves, and when we join the sect, you'll get your entrance fees. Until then, don't speak unless spoken to," he commanded.

Then he turned, ordering his men to take them back to the shore they had left three months ago.

As they departed the Eternal Doom Island, the three other survivors approached Liam and Mary.

"Seniors, it's good to see you well. My name is Seth, and these are Amias and Ajax," said the strongest of the three, addressing the couple. "Do not hesitate to order us to do anything for you. We'd be happy to help."

Liam stared at Seth in silence, wary of their motives. Mary managed the interaction more smoothly.

Growing up in this world, uninfluenced by Earth culture, she found it easier to navigate the social dynamics and recognize that these men sought their protection.

In a hostile and uncertain environment, the weak would always lean on the strong, agreeing to serve them in exchange for the crumbs and protection guaranteed by the strongest!

Liam remained silent, his mind racing with thoughts of escape and survival. Mary, sensing his unease, took the lead. "Thank you, Seth. We'll let you know if we need anything."

The three men smiled before sitting down on the floor next to the couple, believing they would be allies from now on.

"They are on our side. You can trust that. But if they have to choose between us and their lives, they'll betray us, so don't trust them completely." She said softly in Liam's ear, already realizing her lover wasn't like the others.

On the one hand, he seemed tough and difficult to deal with. On the other hand, he seemed unable to take advantage of certain opportunities because he was overly suspicious of others.

But since she had experience in dealing with men since her youth, she knew better how to take advantage of opportunities for him.

He just nodded at her and went back to watching from the sidelines until the end of their trip. But later that day, they would finish the journey at Violent Lake, where the Demon Gate group was waiting for them!