The O'Brien Empire's seven great provinces included the "Northwest Province," a vast expanse of territory home to tens of millions of residents. The provincial capital, Basil, was also the most prosperous city in the Northwest Province, with over a million people residing within its walls alone.
Basil was home to many ancient noble families.
Baron Perry, while not the most dazzling noble in Basil, wielded considerable influence among those old families. Add to that his reputation as a good-natured man who never competed for power, and it was no surprise that virtually every noble enjoyed a cordial relationship with him.
"My lord, you've returned." The guards at the entrance of the manor smiled and bowed respectfully.
Baron Perry was over two hundred years old now, his hair long since turned silver-white, though his handlebar mustache remained unchanged from his youth. He gave his guard a slight nod and said warmly, "Oh, you've had your hair cut. Nice job—done by old Rock, was it?"
The guard beamed at the compliment, his face practically blooming. "Indeed, sir. Mr. Rock's craft is truly excellent."
Baron Perry smiled and entered his manor.
"Baron Perry really is a good man," the guard thought to himself.
Baron Perry truly was a good man—this was virtually unanimous consensus throughout Basil. He detested killing and loathed foul language. His every gesture embodied the virtues expected of a noble gentleman.
Once he stepped into the rear hall, however, Baron Perry's expression darkened.
"What exactly is going on? How could so many things keep happening one after another?" He was deeply troubled. A few days ago, he had received word that Archbishop Lampson, along with several other ascetic practitioners and supreme deacons, had gone missing in Cher City. Then came the report that the squad escorting the two girls had been entirely wiped out, and the girls themselves had vanished.
Ever since Baron Perry had taken up his post as the Church of Light's chief representative for the O'Brien Empire's Northwest Province, he had not encountered any truly thorny matters for a very long time.
"I pray that Lord Lampson and the others are unharmed."
Perry's heart clenched with worry.
The two girls being rescued was one thing—it was no great loss. But Lampson and his companions were all ninth-level powerhouses, and what they were escorting was a ninth-level undead grand mage. This was by far the most critical incident he had faced since assuming his role as provincial director.
"My lord." A tall, thin man with a hawk nose and curly hair entered and bowed respectfully. "I've completed the investigation into the matter concerning those lords."
Perry looked up immediately. "Go on."
"According to intelligence provided by our brothers in other cities, those lords have not been seen anywhere since. Furthermore, our agents in Cher City have found no trace of them having left the city." The hawk-nosed man answered deferentially.
Perry's eyes widened.
"What?" His heart, which had been suspended in dread for days, lurched. "Lord Lampson and the others cannot possibly have remained in Cher City all this time. And judging by the traces at their lodgings, it's very likely they were attacked. They may well have scaled the city walls under cover of night to escape."
"But even so, Lord Lampson and the others should have surfaced in other cities by now."
For the first time, Perry felt genuinely alarmed.
A terrible premonition gnawed at him.
"Could it be that Lord Lampson and the others encountered a powerful enemy and were killed?" Perry could scarcely believe it. After all, the six of them possessed formidable strength. To slay them all, the opposing force would need several ninth-level experts of their own—or a Saint-level powerhouse.
Perry suddenly turned to the hawk-nosed man with a cold expression and ordered, "Go to old Poli immediately. Tell him to bring his three Green Wind Eagles to my study."
"Yes, my lord." The hawk-nosed man understood the gravity of the situation.
Perry strode briskly toward his study. That very day he composed three identical letters regarding Lampson and the others, dispatching the three Green Wind Eagles to deliver them to the Church of Light's current "Holy Island."
Since the holy city of Fenn had been destroyed, the Church of Light had established its new headquarters on an island not far from the Yulan Continent, which it publicly declared the "Holy Island."
In the quiet valley outside Cher City.
Four wooden cabins now stood there—one for Lin Lei and Bei Bei, one for Seisler, one for Rebecca and Lena, and one for Hei Lu.
Early morning, and the valley was perfectly still.
Two dreamlike beauties in white dresses chatted and laughed as they washed clothes one by one. The garments belonged to the four of them—Rebecca and Lena, along with Lin Lei and Seisler. Whenever they stayed in the valley, laundry and cooking fell entirely on the two sisters.
"Sister, do you think Grandpa Seisler gets tired cultivating in that cabin all day long?" Rebecca whispered to Lena.
Seisler's cabin was completely shrouded in dense black necromantic energy, so thick and menacing that neither Rebecca nor Lena dared approach it.
Lena furrowed her brow, her delicate nose scrunching adorably as she considered. "Maybe that's how the strong cultivate—diligently, without rest. But still, I think watching Brother Lei train is much more relaxing." She turned to gaze out over Blue Water Lake, and Rebecca followed her line of sight.
At the center of Blue Water Lake, Lin Lei stood upon the water's surface without sinking.
*Gurgle, gurgle~*
The water beneath his feet depressed several centimeters downward, and as surges of Battle Qi pulsed from his soles from time to time, ripples spread across the entire lake.
Lin Lei's right hand gripped the Black Jade Heavy Sword. At times he delivered a sweeping slash, at others a straight thrust... Each swing sent tremors rippling through the surrounding air, which thickened like mud. When the Black Jade Heavy Sword swept downward, it carried the sensation of splitting space itself.
"This Profound Truth of the Earth—sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't."
Lin Lei's brow furrowed deeply.
When he had killed Lampson, his strike had appeared to be nothing more than a single slash against the man's body, yet Lampson's surface bore not a single wound while his insides had been reduced to pulp.
In Lin Lei's understanding, the Black Jade Heavy Sword's third level of mastery was "Momentum," and the fourth level was this very "Profound Truth of the Earth."
Through the Black Jade Heavy Sword—a weapon of immense weight—Lin Lei could channel his partial comprehension of the Earth Laws. The attack worked by transmitting vibrations through to the enemy's body in a single instant.
Vibration transmission, taken to its extreme, could completely bypass any defense.
It must be understood that the Earth's Pulse had existed since the formation of heaven and earth itself. The mysteries it contained were profoundly deep. The most fundamental principle of the "Profound Truth of the Earth" was—