Chapter Thirty-One: God-Level Expert 'Muba'
The southwestern region of the Baruch Empire — a vast canyon cutting through a range of continuous mountains.
This was a major branch of the Dawson Trading Company. In the past, many people had been stationed here, but after Lin Lei killed the Great Sorcerer, Yeru naturally ordered that no more slaves be transported here. The number of people garrisoned at this branch had dwindled sharply. Now only a few thousand remained, mostly to keep the business operations running.
Night fell.
Life in the canyon for the Dawson Trading Company personnel had become quite comfortable. In the evenings, many of the men would gather together and drink heavily. By the late hours, they would stagger off in small groups, weaving their way back to their quarters.
"Things have been a lot easier these past six months," declared a brawny young man reeking of alcohol. "A few years ago, living in this Yan Mountain Canyon felt like being stuck in some ghost realm. Really, it was…"
"Exactly. Back then I didn't dare step outside at night. Too many people were dying — I lost count of how many bodies I handled," recalled a middle-aged man with golden curly hair, the memory clearly still shaking him.
During those days, tens of thousands of corpses were carted out every single day.
The Dawson Trading Company members living in this canyon had lived with their nerves on edge the entire time.
The three men walking shoulder to shoulder froze in shock — they found themselves completely unable to move. The surrounding air had turned into something like solid steel walls, pinning them in place. They couldn't even open their mouths. All three could do was widen their eyes in terror.
Then, emerging from the darkness, a figure cloaked entirely in black robes appeared before them.
The sight of this mysterious black-robed person sent tremors through all three men's hearts. They understood — the reason they couldn't move, couldn't even speak, was almost certainly the doing of the mysterious figure before them.
"How long has it been since you stopped transporting slaves through this canyon?" came a low, hoarse voice from the black-robed figure. "Talk. Don't bother screaming — no one will hear you. And if anyone screams and angers me, I'll kill them."
Those ice-cold eyes swept across the three men. Sweat instantly beaded on their foreheads and backs. At the same time, they realized their mouths could move again.
"Speak," the mysterious black-robed figure said.
"Half a year ago," the golden-curled middle-aged man replied — he had slightly better composure than the other two, who had been scared witless.
"Half a year ago? What happened half a year ago? A major battle?" the mysterious figure asked.
"There was — there was a big battle," the brawny young man had recovered too, and hurriedly added, "It was half a year ago, in the dead of night. That time, two Saint-level experts fought. The ground in our canyon shook, and a lot of buildings were destroyed."
"The ground shook?"
The mysterious black-robed figure seemed to ponder this. "Continue. Describe the scene in detail."
The young man with the close-cropped hair also chimed in: "We were there at the time. At first we didn't see who was fighting. We just felt the earth shaking, then buildings exploding. That's when we all ran out in a panic. We could see two experts battling above the canyon. One was a Dragon Blood Warrior, and the other was a person in black robes. Oh, and he used a huge black scythe — that scythe was enormous, at least ten meters long."
"That's right, really long. And in the end we saw nine of those black scythes," the brawny young man added.
They didn't know that those were the Great Sorcerer's attacks formed from materialized spiritual force. Since it was dark, even though there were torches on the ground, they could only barely make out what was happening above. But the enormous black scythes that had condensed in the air were perfectly clear.
"Scythes?" The mysterious black-robed figure fell silent for a moment.
"What was the final outcome?" the figure continued.
"The battle was over so fast. We just saw the black-robed person turn into bits of mush in the end, while the Dragon Blood Warrior landed on the ground. The Dragon Blood Warrior won. Our chairman told everyone to go back to their quarters, and he stayed with that Dragon Blood Warrior for quite a while," the brawny young man said nervously.
The mysterious black-robed figure immediately asked: "That Dragon Blood Warrior — was his name Lin Lei?"
"Yes, it must have been Lord Lin Lei. Lord Lin Lei and our chairman are on very good terms," the golden-curled middle-aged man said.
"Very good." The mysterious figure nodded with satisfaction. "Your answers please me."
All three men quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
*Tsss tsss —* A faint sound, and the three men's bodies instantly crumbled apart, dissolving into three small piles of powder.
"He really is dead." The mysterious black-robed figure was seething with anger. "He didn't even finish refining the Soul Gold Bead he promised me, and now he's dead." This mysterious figure was none other than Boment, the one who had tasked the Great Sorcerer with refining the Soul Gold Bead.
"Lin Lei?"
Boment's eyes glinted coldly. "To think he reached the God-level in such a short time — and even survived the Great Sorcerer's ultimate technique."
He knew the Great Sorcerer's ultimate move all too well. It was a self-destructive technique that harmed the enemy at great personal cost. The fact that a newly ascended God-level expert could withstand it left even Boment shaken.
"As expected — worthy of being called a peerless genius by the people of the Yulan Continent," Boment thought. Deep down, though, he was filled with resentment. The Soul Gold Bead was enormously important to him. Refining just one would bring tremendous benefits — not only would his soul grow stronger, but his cultivation speed would increase dramatically in the future.
"Hmph. Lin Lei."
Boment murmured the name, then let out a cold laugh before dissolving into a black afterimage and vanishing into the horizon.
Yulan Calendar Year 10040, December 29th. It had snowed all through the previous night, and when the snow finally stopped during the day, the entire Dragon Blood Castle had been transformed into a world of white. Under the sunlight, the snow gleamed like pearls. Even Dilia had temporarily put her cultivation on hold.
After all, the Yulan Festival was just around the corner, and in a few days the entire family would gather together.
Outside the Dragon Blood Castle.
A middle-aged man with silver hair cut to shoulder length, wearing a thick white robe, trod through the snow and arrived at the castle's entrance. A faint smile lingered on his face, and his eyes were like polished black jade.
"Halt. State your business," the Dragon Blood Castle guard stepped forward immediately.