The wrinkles on the gaunt old man's forehead deepened even further.
"Fain of the Martial God Gates, and Lin Lei?" The gaunt old man's eyes flickered with a faint green glow as he pondered.
Those nine silver-robed men had all been brought over from the Gobada Plane Prison, and their strength was at the peak of the Saint Realm. Without Lin Lei's help, Fain alone would have had to give everything he had just to kill a single silver-robed man.
The stronger a soul was, the more troublesome it was to control.
Lord Beirut had destroyed one silver-robed man, and that was that — he wouldn't dare show the slightest dissatisfaction. But Lin Lei and Fain had also killed two important subordinates, and that did not sit well with him.
"Hmph, if I weren't occupied with something important right now, I would take action and control you two brats directly, making you obey me for thousands upon thousands of years!" The gaunt old man's voice was low and raspy. Then a cold light swept through his eyes. "Very well, then…"
"Yeru, come to me at once." The Great Sorcerer's voice transmitted directly into Yeru's mind.
"Yes, Great Sorcerer." Yeru didn't dare show even a trace of defiance.
Yeru was currently residing at a branch of the Dawson Trading Company, located in a large canyon in the southwestern region of the Baruch Empire. This was primarily because the location was very close to the three great empires — the Yulan Empire, the O'Brien Empire, and the Baruch Empire — making it possible to quickly transport slaves brought in by the three empires into the canyon.
As for the Great Sorcerer…
He resided in a secret chamber deep underground at the heart of the canyon.
Before long, Yeru arrived in the dim subterranean chamber.
"Great Sorcerer." Yeru respectfully knelt on one knee before the Great Sorcerer. In the Great Sorcerer's presence, Yeru's loyalty was absolute.
The Great Sorcerer nodded impassively. With a flip of his hand, a transparent bottle no larger than a thumb flew out. Inside the bottle was a small amount of liquid. The bottle shot straight toward Yeru, who promptly caught it with both hands.
"Yeru, mix the liquid in this bottle into a bottle of fine wine. Then take that wine to Lin Lei and invite him to drink… Remember, no matter the cost, you must make him drink it." The Great Sorcerer gave his command in a calm tone.
"Yes, Great Sorcerer." Yeru's voice held not the slightest hesitation.
Shrouded in the shadows, the Great Sorcerer nodded indifferently. "Good. You may leave now."
Watching Yeru depart, the Great Sorcerer sighed to himself. "Once he drinks this Soul Thread Poison, Lin Lei will surely die. What a pity, though — Lin Lei's family and friends will certainly not let Yeru, the 'murderer,' go unpunished. Once Yeru is dead… it seems I'll need to find someone else in the Dawson Trading Company to control."
The sky was pitch black, yet Yeru sat atop a Galewind Falcon, racing toward Dragon Blood Castle. Behind him flew two guards mounted on flying beasts. A hint of doubt lingered in both guards' minds.
"Why is the chairman in such a hurry? It's still the middle of the night."
"Who knows. These past few years, the chairman hasn't been his usual joking self. He's become much more serious."
The two guards murmured quietly among themselves, while Yeru kept a cold, expressionless face, staring toward the northeast.
By the next afternoon, Yeru's party finally arrived at Dragon Blood Castle, and their flying beasts descended.
"We're here." Yeru's gaze fell upon the castle before him, and a flicker of heartless indifference passed through his eyes.
Inside Dragon Blood Castle.
That day, Gates, Wotton, Cesla, and the others all felt a restless unease at heart. When Lin Lei had returned, he had told them in detail about the Dead City — that the silver-robed man had been the direct culprit responsible for it.
But the silver-robed man was controlled by a god-level powerhouse!
A god-level powerhouse!
Those four words alone pressed upon Gates and Cesla's hearts like a mountain. They all felt the weight of it.
After lunch, Lin Lei, Wotton, Gates, Cesla, and the others sat together in the rear garden, talking.
"Don't worry too much. Harry did say that the god-level powerhouse doesn't have time to deal with this right now," Lin Lei said with a reassuring smile, seeing how anxious the others appeared. "By the time that god-level powerhouse finishes whatever he's busy with, I'll probably have stepped into the god-level myself."
"Brother," Wotton pressed urgently, "first of all, who's to say that the god-level powerhouse won't abandon what he's doing to come after you? Setting that aside, what matters most is… even if you reach the god-level, can you really stand up to that god-level powerhouse?"
Wotton's worry ran deep.
If Lin Lei entered the Divine Realm, he would only be a newly ascended Lowgod. And their enemy? Who knew whether that enemy was a Lowgod or a Midgod? If the opponent was a Midgod, Lin Lei wouldn't have a shred of hope. Even if the opponent was a Lowgod… the gap between Lowgods could be enormous. Was a freshly ascended Lowgod anywhere near the level of a peak Lowgod?
After all, someone like Lin Lei in the Saint Realm could kill an ordinary peak Saint effortlessly.
It wasn't impossible for a peak Lowgod to dispatch a newly ascended divine powerhouse in one or two moves.
"Have a little faith in me." Seeing the worry etched across Wotton's face, Lin Lei was still touched at heart. He understood what his brother was thinking.
Cesla chimed in as well. "Don't worry too much, Wotton. In a little over four years, the Martial God and his group will return, and the situation will be different again. Besides, when has your brother ever let you down? You need to have confidence in Lord Lin Lei."
Wotton nodded.
He looked at his elder brother before him — the man who had slain the King of Fenlei, made a name for himself in the capital of the O'Brien Empire, fought the then-powerful Hadesen to a standstill, and now… through sheer strength alone, had ascended to godhood independently.