When Sackla saw Lin Lei step forward, his expression shifted slightly. He knew full well that the man before him was powerful, and if Lin Lei intervened, today's affair would become unpredictable. Sackla spoke in a frigid tone: "Today my Bagshaw Family will kill Xisai no matter what. Do you really want to die alongside him?"
Lin Lei and his companions showed not a hint of retreat.
"Lin Lei, O'Brien, Bei Bei." Xisai looked at them and shook his head slightly.
"Haha…" O'Brien let out a hearty laugh, then turned to Xisai. "Xisai, we've been alive for so many years—what haven't we seen? Life is important, but sometimes there are things that matter even more! If we live today, we live together. If we die, we die together!"
Xisai faltered, looking toward Lin Lei and the others.
Lin Lei and his companions simply smiled.
"Sackla!" Lin Lei turned his gaze toward Sackla. He could see that Sackla was wavering. In Lin Lei's view, if they could avoid fighting, all the better. He spoke: "Sackla, what grudge could you possibly have with Xisai that you insist on driving a man to his death? Why don't we all take a step back!"
If anyone else said those words, it would be courting death.
But when Lin Lei said them, it was a different matter entirely—because in Sackla's mind, Lin Lei was very likely a Seven-Star Demon!
"What grudge?" The mere thought of it made Sackla's fury flare even hotter. "Ask him!" Sackla pointed angrily at Xisai.
"Me?" Xisai looked genuinely puzzled.
Sackla's face turned purple with rage, but could he possibly bring this matter out into the open? Could he just announce that his wife was carrying another man's child? If word got out, Sackla would be the laughingstock of everyone for the rest of his life!
"Hmph!" Seeing Xisai's baffled expression, Sackla let out a cold laugh.
"Is this about Lily?" Xisai sneered. "Unless it's about Lily, why would a young master of your stature come looking for me?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Hearing the other man call her 'Lily'—that intimate address—Sackla's fury only intensified. "You have no right to call her that!"
"Haha…" Xisai burst into wild laughter, staring straight at Sackla. "I have no right? Fine, Lily and I were together once—but so what? Ever since you two got married, we haven't seen each other even once! What, just because you got married, you're going to kill every man your wife ever had feelings for?"
Immediately, murmurs rippled through the island-guarding warriors in the sky and throughout the courtyard below.
Gods had limitless lifespans, and it was perfectly normal to have had multiple love affairs. If Sackla truly intended to kill every man his wife had once been involved with, that was going too far.
"So that's what this is about!" Lin Lei was somewhat surprised. He had heard about Xisai and that woman—their last meeting had been the day before her wedding, and they had never seen each other again afterward.
Even Lin Lei felt sympathy for Xisai.
But who could have imagined that Sackla would still come to kill Xisai over this!
"Enough talk!" Sackla was seething. The real reason for his fury was something he could never speak aloud—having to admit such a humiliating fact was worse than death itself!
"I'll ask one last time—are you going to interfere in this matter or not!" Sackla stared daggers at Lin Lei, not sparing so much as a glance for Xisai. He didn't regard Xisai as a threat at all. Killing Xisai would take but an instant once he moved.
The only one he was worried about was the man standing before him now!
"Why does Young Master Sackla place so much importance on this mid-stage god?" The chiliarch and the others were baffled, and even Tarosha and Dilin were puzzled by this.
"I am."
Lin Lei said calmly, "Even setting aside our past friendship, I cannot stand by and do nothing. Moreover, Xisai saved my life." Lin Lei's expression was tranquil, but inside, his energy churned and surged, ready to strike at any moment.
Sackla's eyes narrowed slightly, a cold gleam flickering within.
"Quick—go notify my father. A suspected Seven-Star Demon has gotten involved in this matter." Sackla immediately sent a sound transmission to one of the black-armored warriors behind him. The warrior's expressionless face flickered with a trace of shock before he instantly darted away.
Seeing this, Lin Lei furrowed his brow.
"Haha…" Sackla suddenly erupted into manic laughter.
"Kill!" Sackla bellowed without warning.
The surrounding island-guarding warriors had clearly been prepared in advance. The instant Sackla gave the order, every single one of them moved simultaneously. It was obvious that Sackla wanted to launch a surprise attack, catching Lin Lei off guard and seizing the opportunity to kill Xisai in one decisive blow first.
However, the moment Sackla had sent the black-armored warrior away, Lin Lei was already prepared to act.
At the very instant Sackla's shout rang out—
Hummmm~~~
A hazy, earthy-yellow glow burst to life centered on Lin Lei, extending to a diameter of three hundred meters. That three-hundred-meter radius encompassed a massive number of surrounding island-guarding warriors, including the leading chiliarch and Sackla himself. The hemispherical dome of light descended over them all.
Blackstone Space!
Maximum gravitational pull!
"Ah!" Some of the warriors flying overhead—not very high up—were caught within the affected zone and plummeted toward the ground. Sackla, who had been standing on the ground, felt his body forced downward, though he immediately straightened back up.
"Not good!"
Sackla's face changed drastically, because he could see Lin Lei charging toward him at blinding speed!
Seize the leader to capture the bandits!
Lin Lei had already made his calculation: "Escaping from Miluo Island is nearly impossible, and this Sackla is clearly a key figure. If I can get him in my grasp, I can threaten and intimidate them—the situation will improve enormously!" The instant he activated Blackstone Space, Lin Lei surged toward Sackla.
"What terrifying gravity!" Sackla's face drained of color as he immediately retreated.
"Young Master!" The two black-armored warriors at Sackla's side threw their lives to the wind, instantly positioning themselves between Sackla and Lin Lei. The two of them blocked Lin Lei's path by brute force.
"Die!" Lin Lei's eyes turned frigid.
BOOM!
Lin Lei's clothes exploded outward as his body underwent instantaneous dragon transformation. Cyan-gold dragon scales blanketed every inch of his form, and his dark-gold eyes regarded the people before him with cold indifference. The metallic-sheened dragon tail lashed behind him.
At the sight of this, every one of the island-guarding warriors, Sackla, the chiliarch, and the black-armored warriors felt a tremor run through their hearts.