The moment the Great Sorcerer fell, not only did Yeru regain his senses, but so did the heads of the Yulan Continent's other two great trading companies — the Snow Island Trading Company and the Ger Trading Company. All of them realized the foolish things they had done over the past six years.
"The Great Sorcerer is dead! Ha ha, he's finally dead!"
In a desolate wilderness, two silver-robed figures laughed madly, their voices wild with glee.
"How many years has it been? We're finally free of that devil's control." The two silver-robed figures simultaneously tore apart their robes with a sharp *rip*, and the silver fabric burst into countless shreds that scattered in every direction. "Just looking at these robes makes me sick." Both of them changed into different clothes.
Their bodies trembled slightly from the sheer intensity of their emotions.
Of the two silver-robed figures, one was a human, and the other was a leopardman.
"Finally free, finally free!" Tears glistened in both their eyes, their excitement barely containable. Over all these years, every single thing they had been forced to do under the Great Sorcerer's control, they remembered with perfect clarity.
As long as the Great Sorcerer lived, they would never taste freedom.
"Who killed the Great Sorcerer? I really ought to thank him properly." The leopardman was still unable to contain his excitement.
"What, Wigen? You actually want to go and show your gratitude?" the human powerhouse said with a sneer.
The leopardman chuckled and shook his head. "Of course not. I've had more than enough of being a mindless puppet all these long years. Whoever killed the Great Sorcerer didn't do it for us. Lagman, what do you plan to do now?"
"This is my homeland." The human powerhouse surveyed the desolate wilderness and sighed deeply. "I haven't set foot on the Yulan Continent in eight thousand years. Eight thousand years. Ever since I was trapped in the Gobad Plane Prison and came under the Great Sorcerer's control, my strength hasn't advanced a single step. I'm going to travel the continent for a while, then find a place to train in peace."
"Wigen, you want to visit the Tomb of the Gods?" The human powerhouse looked at the leopardman.
"The Tomb of the Gods? The Yulan Continent…" The leopardman let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Back then, I followed my master to the Yulan Continent, hoping to obtain the treasures inside the Tomb of the Gods. Who could have imagined that the Violet Blood Demon was there too? The people from that era either died or were imprisoned. I no longer dare to have any grand ambitions for this continent."
"I've had enough of being a puppet with no will of my own, following someone else's orders. I'm going to find a quiet place and live in peace for a while." The leopardman smiled bitterly. "In today's Yulan Continent, even with our peak Saint Realm strength, it's better to keep a low profile."
The human powerhouse nodded.
Then the two powerful figures parted ways and vanished into the landscapes of the Yulan Continent.
Those who have never been controlled by a Soul Seed can hardly imagine what it feels like. Once a Soul Seed takes root, the person becomes utterly loyal to their master from the deepest recesses of their soul. The master's orders become the supreme principle governing all their actions. If the master commanded them to kill their own parents or slay their loved ones, they would not offer the slightest resistance.
While under control, they felt nothing at all.
But once they awakened, the memories of those years under control were enough to drive them mad.
"What… what have I done?" Yeru's heart was wracked with agony.
After falling under the Great Sorcerer's control, Yeru had begun employing bloody and ruthless methods, sending large numbers of slaves to be killed and harvesting their souls to offer to the Great Sorcerer. During this process, some high-ranking members within the Dawson Trading Company had tried to resist Yeru. Those who could be suppressed, he suppressed. Those who couldn't, he simply slaughtered without hesitation.
Among them were his own clansmen from the Dawson family!
These brutal measures, especially with the aid of the silver-robed figures to back Yeru up, paradoxically gave Yeru absolute authority within the Dawson Trading Company — a power paved with rivers of blood.
"All of you, go back," Yeru said, looking at the large crowd surrounding him.
"Chairman, should we post some people here?" a white-haired elder beside him suggested.
"No need, Uncle Aibotsi," Yeru said sincerely.
Aibotsi froze. Ever since Yeru had become cold and ruthless six years ago, imposing iron-fisted rule throughout the Dawson Trading Company, he had never once called him "Uncle Aibotsi." Hearing those words now, Aibotsi felt momentarily dazed, his mind flooding with memories of the past.
"Uncle Aibotsi, I'm sorry. For these past six years, I'm truly sorry," Yeru said in a low voice.
"Chairman… Young Master Yeru." Aibotsi's face trembled with barely suppressed emotion. Yeru had come back — the Yeru of six years ago was back!
"All right, everyone, go back and get some proper rest," Aibotsi called out loudly to the crowd around them. It was the most vigorous and confident his voice had been in six years.
"I owe far too many people," Yeru knew just how many terrible things he had done over these six years.
"And there's Third Brother." Yeru turned to look at Lin Lei, who was kneeling on the ground in visible pain.
Lin Lei's condition was very poor. His soul had suffered severe tremors — and one had to remember that an ordinary soul would simply dissipate from even moderate impact. As a god-level powerhouse, Lin Lei's soul was certainly much more resilient, but he still felt awful, his entire being dazed and muddled.
Lin Lei forced his eyes open and looked at Yeru before him.
Seeing the concern in Yeru's eyes, a wave of relief washed through Lin Lei's heart.
He had risked his very life, and in the end, the Boss Yeru of the past had returned.
"Third Brother." Yeru knelt down beside Lin Lei, steadying him. "Third Brother, are you all right?" His heart was flooded with boundless guilt.
"Yeru, I'm fine. Just give me a moment."
Lin Lei managed to force out those words before settling into a cross-legged position. The soul essence from the Coiling Dragon Ring — the golden liquid — was continuously releasing wisps of golden mist that streamed into Lin Lei's soul space, where his soul devoured them ceaselessly, like a man drinking water after wandering a desert.
The twenty million units of soul essence in the form of golden liquid that had belonged to the Great Sorcerer had suddenly vanished — Lin Lei had used the Coiling Dragon Ring to seize them directly.
For the Great Sorcerer, refining this soul essence golden liquid into Soul Gold Pearls had been necessary before it could be properly absorbed.
But Lin Lei, possessing the Coiling Dragon Ring, could absorb massive quantities of soul essence with ease. As the sword-shaped soul continued to drink it in, its glow grew ever more brilliant, and its size expanded ever so slightly.
"How wonderful," Lin Lei murmured inwardly, a wave of comfort spreading through him.