Chapter 24 Cesler
The sky gradually darkened. Lin Lei remained hidden beyond the courtyard wall, having waited until now without finding any way to approach the mysterious old man unnoticed.
"From what I overheard in the tavern, the Church of Light must have had some of its strong ones killed trying to capture this old man," Lin Lei frowned in thought. "This old man's strength is at least that of a ninth-level powerhouse."
"But he probably isn't a Saint Realm powerhouse. To deal with a Saint Realm powerhouse, even many ninth-level powerhouses would at most force a Saint Realm powerhouse to flee in panic. It would be extremely unlikely to capture him."
Although Lin Lei wasn't entirely clear on the mysterious old man's strength, there was no doubt that the old man possessed the ability to deal with several ninth-level powerhouses.
"The Church of Light expended so much effort; this old man must be very important. Then I'll ruin the Church of Light's plans." A cold gleam flashed in Lin Lei's eyes. "However, killing all six ninth-level powerhouses to ensure none of them leave Chier County City will be difficult."
Now that Lin Lei was living here in Chier County City, he didn't want his whereabouts revealed. If he struck, he had to kill all six ninth-level powerhouses.
"Me, Bei Bei, and Heilu... I have complete confidence in dealing with three ninth-level powerhouses. Six... with some effort, it might still be possible. But it would be more certain to release that old man and have him join me in the attack."
Lin Lei was familiar with the 'Forbidden Magic Handcuffs'.
The Forbidden Magic Handcuffs were valuable for their intricate and peculiar magic-restricting array, while the material of the cuffs themselves was only considered relatively good. Although the handcuffs contained a peculiar magic power and were quite sturdy, Lin Lei was fully confident he could break them.
Lin Lei wasn't in a hurry. At the same time, he sent a soul transmission ordering 'Heilu' to come over from the canyon outside the city.
Humans and tamed magical beasts shared a soul connection. The stronger the master and the beast's mental power, the greater the range over which they could communicate via soul transmission. For instance, Lin Lei and Bei Bei could communicate via soul transmission over a range of several hundred li. Beyond that, it was impossible.
However, some weaker, ordinary nobility who used a Soul Contract Magic Array to form a contract with a second- or third-level magical beast might only have a soul transmission range of a few hundred meters.
It primarily depended on mental power.
Lin Lei and Heilu could also communicate over a range of several hundred li. But if the distance was too great, soul transmission was impossible; they could only vaguely sense each other's general direction.
Darkness fell, the time now around nine o'clock at night.
Dressed in a black warrior's tight-fitting attire, Lin Lei stood with Bei Bei and Heilu, who were similarly clad in pitch black, outside the courtyard wall, quietly awaiting their opportunity.
"Bei Bei, Heilu, you two stay here. I will use a soul transmission to signal you when to move, and only then should you act," Lin Lei instructed.
The black-striped cloud leopard 'Heilu' and Bei Bei both nodded to Lin Lei.
Lin Lei immediately removed his black upper garment. Instantly, black scales surfaced across his entire body, a black spike grew from his forehead, and a row of spikes sprouted along his back. His dragon tail silently and soundlessly pierced through his trousers. His pupils turned into a cold, emotionless dark gold.
"Remember, wait for my command," Lin Lei reiterated to Bei Bei and Heilu before his feet pushed off lightly and he floated into the courtyard like a specter in the night.
Having comprehended 'Force', Lin Lei could move without causing the slightest sound of wind.
The main building within this courtyard was a two-story small building. To the right of this building were three additional rooms. The mysterious old man was clearly being held in the middle of these three rooms, as two men in black robes stood guard outside this specific room.
Lin Lei crouched behind the decorative rockery, motionless, patiently waiting for an opportunity.
"I don't believe you can stay vigilant without a single moment of relaxation," Lin Lei possessed ample patience.
At that moment, the two black-robed men were chatting quietly and boredly.
"Big brother, once this mission is over, we'll get to have a good rest. These past two years have been exhausting for me—constantly on edge, not daring to relax even a bit," one of the black-robed men sighed.
"Yeah, this time two ninth-level ascetics died, and three ninth-level special executives also died. The eleven of us attacked together, even using poison, and still five of us died. This old geezer is truly abnormal."
Both black-robed men felt relatively relaxed at heart.
Their group had been dispatched by the Church of Light the moment they received news of the mysterious old man, pursuing him relentlessly. They crossed the O'Brien Empire, passed through the forty-eight duchies of the Chaos Dominion, entered the Far East Grasslands, fought with the old man for several months, and finally captured him in one of the duchies within the Chaos Dominion.
As long as they had captured this old man, any sacrifice was worth it.
Their return journey had been handled with great care, fearing detection by the powerhouses of the O'Brien Empire. But now they had traveled more than half the distance. The remaining route consisted only of small county cities, devoid of any significant powerhouses, so there was no longer any danger.
Naturally, Lanson and his group felt somewhat more at ease.
"Big brother, I need to use the latrine first. You watch here for a moment; I'll be right back," one of the black-robed men said.
The other black-robed man chuckled: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought about it. Now that you have, I kind of need to go too. You go first, I'll go in a bit." Although they felt a little more relaxed, they still didn't dare both leave their posts. After all, if this old man escaped, their punishment would be severe.
Hiding behind the rockery, Lin Lei saw that one of the black-robed men had been persuaded to leave, and a glimmer of joy sparked in his heart: "Only one left now. Killing one gives me complete confidence. It's just... I can't let him make a sound."
Lin Lei narrowed his eyes and simultaneously recited a magic spell—a support magic 'Rapid'.
At this moment, Cassart was standing outside the door, slightly alert and watching his surroundings. In a county city, Cassart, as a ninth-level powerhouse, still held absolute confidence.
Suddenly, a flash of black light caught the corner of Cassart's eye.
"What is that?" Cassart immediately turned his head to look.
He saw a massive bluish-black sword instantly fill his vision. What terrified Cassart the most was that this bluish-black greatsword seemed to compress the surrounding space toward him. The entire space had completely solidified!
A complete lockdown!