Chapter 38: The Church's Countermeasure
When Hystler left, Lin Lei and his group set out early in the morning toward the provincial capital of Bazier. This time, no one was in a rush. The newly joined Buk five brothers were all eighth-level warriors, so their traveling pace was still fairly quick.
By evening of the second day, Lin Lei and his group arrived at a small town on the outskirts of Bazier.
"This town is called Cloud Peak Town," Saisler said with a smile. "I once lived here for over a decade. The residents are simple folk, and this isn't really a major trade route. Very few people come through here — it's quite peaceful."
Lin Lei nodded.
Peace was exactly what he wanted. His recent clash with Stehler had nearly cost him his life, and he had made up his mind: at the very least, he had to train his normal human form to the ninth level of warrior strength. That way, in his dragon-transformation state, he would be a fledgling Saint Realm powerhouse.
"If I reach the early Saint Realm, and given a few more years of insight into my swordsmanship, plus my speed advantage, even if I run into Stehler again, I should at least be confident enough to escape even if I can't win."
Lin Lei knew full well what he was as a variant Dragon Blood Warrior.
Having devoured the living blood and the dragon crystal of the Spiny Iron-Armored Dragon, this variant Dragon Blood Warrior possessed the strengths of that very dragon — speed and defense.
The Buk five brothers gazed at the tranquil little town, their eyes resolute.
"Someday, we will avenge our poor wives and sons," the five brothers said. They were well aware of the relationship between Lin Lei, Saisler, and the Church of Light.
Without question, their group now looked to Lin Lei as their leader.
Every member of this small circle harbored a deep grudge against the Church of Light.
At the westernmost edge of Cloud Peak Town, Lin Lei and the others negotiated with the local nobility and then spent ten thousand gold coins hiring a large number of workers to begin constructing an estate.
Ten thousand gold coins was more than enough to build a lavish manor out in the countryside.
The next day, Lin Lei brought sisters Rebecca and Rina here, and from then on the entire group settled down in peace, devoting themselves entirely to cultivation.
*Boom!*
Waves crashed violently against the shore, sending spray flying in every direction. At the far end of the sapphire-blue sea, a lone figure came hurtling toward the coast from the distant horizon. In just moments, the figure alighted on the shore. It was Stehler.
"This time, things have gotten complicated." Even Stehler was troubled.
The Church valued those five eighth-level bodies immensely — they would likely be willing to sacrifice a Saint Realm powerhouse or even offend the O'Brien Empire just to obtain them. Haitings, just to be safe, had sent Stehler himself.
But the result…
Stehler's gaze locked onto the towering Church of Light cathedral in the distance.
With a deep breath, Stehler flew straight through the air. The cathedral knights standing guard around the Church of Light saw someone flying toward the building and tensed up immediately. Once they recognized the newcomer as Stehler, they all relaxed.
The ninth floor of the Church of Light.
"Stehler has returned." Haitings had already spotted Stehler flying back from the window. "What happened? Why did Stehler come back alone?"
A bad feeling crept into Haitings' heart.
The door creaked open without any announcement. Stehler walked in, cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.
"Stehler, what happened? Where are the others? Where are those five eighth-level bodies?" Haitings furrowed his brows and immediately asked with urgency.
Stehler shook his head. "Your Holiness, we will not be obtaining those five eighth-level bodies."
"What happened?" Haitings' face darkened.
To the Church of Light, an eighth-level body was the equivalent of a peak Saint Realm powerhouse.
Stehler's voice was low and heavy. "Your Holiness, I and the others were escorting the five brothers onward. But once we reached and settled in the city of Deko, we encountered two people."
"Which two people?" Haitings didn't believe anyone could have stopped Stehler.
"Lin Lei and Saisler." Stehler's voice turned frigid.
"Lin Lei? Saisler?" Haitings froze.
That Lin Lei, who had vanished over three years ago, had resurfaced?
Memories from three years ago flooded back into Haitings' mind. He had been very reluctant to kill Lin Lei, that extraordinary genius. But he'd had no choice. However, after Lin Lei disappeared from Hesse City three years ago, no one had ever spotted him again.
But how had this Lin Lei ended up with Saisler?
"Are you saying that Saisler was rescued by Lin Lei?" Haitings' eyes lit up.
Stehler nodded. "Yes. This Lin Lei has become very, very powerful. Below the Saint Realm, absolutely no one is his match. Only a Saint Realm or higher-level powerhouse could hope to defeat him."
"He killed six ninth-level warriors? He could do that?" Haitings found it hard to believe.
Stehler said gravely, "Your Holiness, I must make this clear. First, Lin Lei has two extremely formidable magical beasts — both should be at the peak of the ninth level. Second… Lin Lei himself has reached a level of comprehension that is approaching the peak of the Saint Realm."
"Approaching the peak of the Saint Realm?" Haitings was greatly shocked.
He knew that advancing in the realm of comprehension was extraordinarily difficult. Some people couldn't make progress even over several centuries.
"Yes. Lin Lei has already surpassed the stage of drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. His attacks are now extremely peculiar and unique. However, I could sense that he has only barely grasped this new level of understanding. And yet, even so, he managed to inflict a minor injury on me." Stehler recalled Lin Lei's "Earthen Dao" attack and still found it bizarre.
"I have never encountered an attack like this before. It isn't battle qi, and it isn't simple brute force. It's… for the moment, I can't put it into words."
Hearing Stehler's account, Haitings was deeply alarmed inside.
For someone to inflict even a minor injury on Stehler, a peak Saint Realm expert — that was already astonishing.
"Where exactly lies the special nature of his attacks? How do you defend against them?" Haitings pressed immediately.
Stehler nodded. "His attacks can penetrate through the surface muscles and reach deep inside the body. In other words, no matter how strong your outer defense is, it's practically useless."
"Hmm?" Haitings frowned.
"This technique targets the internal organs directly. The best way to defend against it is to use battle qi to shield the organs, layering as much battle qi as possible on the inner surfaces."
In truth, when Lin Lei's vibration wave traveled through matter, it did lose some of its power.
But because it was a form of vibration transmission, even if your external defense was extraordinarily high, the energy could still pass through. However, if the opponent's body was similarly filled with dense, layered battle qi for protection, the vibration wave would be weakened again and again. By the time it reached the organs, its power would be significantly diminished.