Chapter 975 Special Survey
"That's why we have to nip the religion in its bud before it has a chance to grow," Leon stated.
"Right!" Heinrich nodded seriously and said, "I will send some people to grab a few of these new believers to interrogate them immediately!"
"No, leave this matter to me, Father," Leon said with a shake of his head.
"Since this is a serious matter, I cannot ignore it. I am just letting you know beforehand, Father. With my ability, I can travel to the north and back quickly. Thus, I can also get us the information we need quickly."
"Alright, I will leave the interrogation to you, Son," Heinrich consented with a nod. Since his son had already said that much, there was no need to fight over this matter.
"Nevertheless, you truly surprised me, Father. I didn't think you would get father-in-law and mother-in-law to replicate the Demon Gathering Array and deploy them in Durham and Valaran. This was an oversight on my part," Leon admitted his thoughtlessness.
"I should have considered the people's situation in Durham and Valaran when I made the Demon Gathering Arrays."
"Don't worry about it, Son. These kinds of worries should be left for your father to manage. You've been traveling between places, even continents, and bringing back great benefits for the empire. So it's completely fine if you don't want to get involved in managing the empire," Heinrich stated.
Heinrich knew that this son was not interested in the throne. Thus, it was appreciative that his son was still helping out with empire affairs.
"Oh right, son. I have a piece of good news to share," Heinrich suddenly said just as Leon was about to leave with Faelyn and the two Paragon-level Winter Cats, Rainshine and Snowscar.
"Yes?" Leon looked back.
"Actually, no, never mind. You'll find out later, eventually. I won't spoil the fun," Heinrich changed his mind as he smiled mysteriously.
Leon was baffled, but he quickly put the thought aside.
"Then, I'll be off first, Father."
"Alright. Take care, Son."
Shortly after, Leon summoned the Dark Passage before stepping inside with Rainshine resting on his shoulders.
After Faelyn gave Heinrich a quick bow, she followed right after Leon, disappearing to the other side of Dark Passage.
Right after the black spatial portal completely disappeared, a sudden knock from the study room's balcony.
"Report," Heinrich stated.
"Your Imperial Majesty, we've found the bodies of the missing envoys. Additionally, a large group of envoys will be arriving after half a day's journey from now," a Transcendent-level shadow guard reported after receiving the order.
Shortly after hearing that, Heinrich took a moment to glance down on the side of his desk to stroke a sleeping Paragon-level Winter Cat named Aspenwind.
It was also another one of the frozen Winter Cats resuscitated and awakened by Leon. It has chosen to take up the duty of guarding Heinrich after swearing its allegiance to him.
"Let's hear the details then," Heinrich said shortly after easing his stress with some fluffiness.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!" the shadow guard complied.
…
…
…
North Reclamation Camp
After the past three days since the start of the north reclamation project, the hired laborers had cleared several dozen miles of trees from the misty forest.
However, the camp's location remained unchanged. It was still on the outskirts of Extreme Misty Forest.
This made it inconvenient for the hired laborers.
They had to manually move the extremely heavy coldwood trees compared to the blocks of ice across long distances out of the misty forest to turn them in at the camp.
Fortunately, a log transportation system was soon set up for their convenience, which also sped up the process of their work on the misty forest.
At that moment, huge mountains of coldwood logs are piled up outside of the North Reclamation Camp, still waiting for the completion of the new railway before they are transferred to New Capital.
Shortly after a group of old refugees turned in their coldwood logs as usual at the checkpoint, they prepared to drop by the bar for a break before resuming their work in the misty forest.
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"Just one moment, please."
"Is there a problem, sir?"
The hired laborers turned back curiously after being called out by the officials stationed at the log collection point.
"No, there is no problem," the official worker shook his head.
"His Imperial Highness has ordered the camp to conduct a survey to gather information on how to improve the wellbeing of all hired laborers working on the misty forest. If you are eager to partake in the survey, we will transfer you to the appropriate department to answer some questions."
"Of course, we have also prepared a small reward of five contribution points for each person participating in the survey as compensation for your time," the official worker added.
After hearing that, the hired laborers were astonished by the generosity of the compensation reward.
An entire coldwood tree was only worth five contribution points. And yet, here, they can earn that exact amount simply by answering a few questions.
It sounded too good to be true.
"Isn't that too generous of a reward for a simple survey?" a female laborer expressed her skepticism.
"This is the will of His Imperial Highness, the one who has been hailed as the Divine Doctor and performed many feats to let the empire become what it is today. You do not need to doubt His Imperial Highness's boundless generosity," the official worker confidently assured.
Leon wasn't just the imperial prince or a divine doctor; he was also a great hero.
"When can I take the survey, sir?"
"How long will the survey take, sir?"
"Are there a lot of questions to answer, sir?"
Several members in the hired laborer group immediately took the bait, expressing great interest in taking the survey after being persuaded by the official worker.
"Unfortunately, I don't have all the answers on me. Whatever questions you have will be answered by the officials in charge of the surveys at the site," the official worker replied.
"Of course, I can call the people to escort you to the survey location right now if that is what you all want."
"Please do."
Chapter 976 Crosscheck Interrogation Method
A short while later, several soldiers arrived to escort the hired laborer group to the back of the camp where newly-erected tents were located.
Each tent was a separate survey booth.
As such, the hired laborer group's members were all split into each unoccupied tent, which they thought was strange.
It became even strange when they noticed soldiers guarding the entrance, preventing them from leaving.
The solemn air immediately made it feel like an interrogation room rather than a survey.
…
"Sit," Faelyn instructed the female laborer from across the table.
Then, she took her seat without waiting for the female laborer and flipped open the document on the table containing a list of questions.
The female laborer was filled with suspicions.
But even if the female laborer was suspicious of the survey, there was nothing she could do but comply.
"What's your name?" Faelyn started with a casual tone.
"I… I am called Sorella," the female laborer nervously stuttered, despite Faelyn not putting any pressure on her.
It was as if Sorella could instinctively feel she was in trouble.
"What do you think of your present life in the North Reclamation Camp?" Faelyn asked with a warm smile to make Sorella feel more comfortable.
"My present life?" Sorella paused in thought.
"There's a bit of dispute here and there. However, the work is easy, and food is completely provided. We don't have to worry about our next meal. And if we wanted to, a luxurious meal only cost a few contribution points."
2023年の世界で最も売れた自動車トップ20のうち,半数が日本車で,1位の車種は64%の成長を達成しました.TOPSSEEK
"The price is very generous. Even the past sects might not have better conditions than the current North Reclamation Camp. Overall, my current lifestyle is much better than before," Sorella stated.
"I see. That's great to hear," Faelyn nodded before jotting down everything on paper.
"Do you feel any discomfort about anything related to your work? Is there anything you dislike in the North Reclamation Camp? What do you think the North Reclamation Camp is missing that could make your experience here better?"
Faelyn continued to ask Sorella normal survey questions.
The other group members in the other tents were also being asked the exact same question. However, the situation was completely different from Faelyn's tent.
"Y-your Imperial Highness!" the male laborer uttered with shock.
"Yes, I've heard you for the sixth time now. Can you just answer the survey questions normally, please?" Leon requested with a helpless look.
"Y-yes, Y-your Imperial Highness!" the male laborer answered.
"Enough. Take it that I'm begging you, alright? You don't need to keep addressing me so formally. Just answer the damn question," Leon was quickly losing his patience.
He wondered whether he should just skip the survey and move directly onto the main questions about the refugee's religion.
If he did not want to see whether the refugees could still be redeemed from the religion, he would not have made the extra effort to survey them.
Nevertheless, the situation was even worse for the other two tents, which were actually being managed by the two Paragon-level Winter Cats, Rainshine and Snowscar.
Bang, bang!
Snowscar slammed his paw on the metal table in frustration after failing to get the male laborer to cooperate with the survey.
"Oi, So-leh! I'm asking you a damn question, So-leh! For the love of God and nine generations of your ancestors, what is your name?!" Snowscar spoke in a deep and manly voice, unbefitting his adorable furry appearance.
They were still stuck on the very first survey question. The male laborer sitting across the table from Snowscar was simply too shocked.
Meanwhile, the official assigned to record the hired laborer's answers on paper for Snowscar could not help but smile wryly.
Anyone else would also be shocked if they were put in the same position as the male laborer.
Facing a Paragon-level Winter Cat was already quite the shock, let alone one that can talk in the human tongue so well.
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However, the most shocking of all was its deep and manly voice, which was comparable to the most alpha male they could think of.
"Y-you can talk!" the male laborer finally uttered some form of response.
"Of course, I can talk! Why state the obvious? You got a problem with that, So-leh?! So what if I can talk? This isn't a survey about me! It's a survey about you! What is your name, So-leh?!" Snowscar thundered.
…
Besides Faelyn, who was leading the survey, perhaps, Rainshine was the next to make the most progress in her survey.
"Can I pet you?" the female laborer assigned to Rainshine asked after recovering from her shock.
"Will you answer all my questions if I let you?" Rainshine replied in a soft, soothing, and cute voice that invokes fondness from those that hear it.
Even the official assigned to Rainshine wanted to pet her.
"Yes!" the female laborer nodded repeatedly.
"Great! This noble one will allow you to pet this noble one for each question you answer, human. Now, let us start over. What is your name?" Rainshine calmly inquired with a posh look.
…
Nevertheless, as time went on, everyone managed to pass the survey phase and proceed with the interrogation phase.
"Great. You have a positive opinion about the empire and the imperial family. So why did your faith into something else? Don't you think this is considered betrayal against the empire?" Faelyn asked Sorella with a stern look, catching her off guard.
"W-what do you mean by that?" Sorella asked with a trembling voice, intimidated by Faelyn's sharp gaze and suffocating aura.
The good impression Sorella developed disappeared in an instant.
"You don't understand? We know you have joined a religion of unknown and dubious background. If this is not an act of betrayal against the imperial family, then I don't know what is."
…
"Y-your wrong, Your Highness! It's not like that! This is different, Your Highness!" the male laborer defended himself after hearing Leon's accusation in his tent.
"How different? Now is your chance to explain to me about this religion," Leon pressed with a firm tone.
"Who knows, perhaps you can even convince me, the first prince of the empire, to become a believer of this religion. However, I must remind you that the others are also undergoing the same interrogation."
"If we see any discrepancy when we crosscheck your answers, we'll know if anyone is lying. And there will be serious consequences for that."
Chapter 977 Big Trouble
"Of course, you can choose not to answer," Leon continued.
"We can just get the answer from the other members of your labor group. However, if everyone stubbornly refuses to talk, I suppose we would be forced to use torture methods. And trust me when I say my torture methods will make you wish you were dead. None of us want that, do we?"
"So, will you talk? Or will you not?" Leon calmly asked.
The male laborer named Mervin didn't intend to talk at first, but he was conflicted at the same time.
After all, Deacon Artemise did mention not that they should not mention anything about the Church of the Sun God to the non-believers. They would most likely fail to convert the non-believers to the religion and even land themselves in trouble.
However, Mervin hadn't spoken a single word about the Sun God Church, but he was already in trouble!
Furthermore, there's even the risk of being tortured!
Three days of preaching by Deacon Artemise was far from enough for Mervin to develop a strong sense of loyalty to the Sun God Church.
Thus, after hearing Leon's torture threat, Mervin quickly spilled everything he knew.
Sometime later, Leon wore a grave expression after he finished listening to Mervin's talk on the Sun God Church.
It was a much more serious problem than he thought.
This wasn't just a normal religion that was recently born from the despair brought by the Cataclysm. No, Leon suspected it was an evil religion that had existed much longer.
Furthermore, this evil religion is being masked as something good!
"Fortunately, you chose to cooperate," Leon said to Mervin with a bit of relief.
It showed that the newly-converted people could still be saved from Deacon Artemise's brainwashing.
2023年の世界で最も売れた自動車トップ20のうち,半数が日本車で,1位の車種は64%の成長を達成しました.TOPSSEEK
"Am I still getting tortured, Your Imperial Highness?" Mervin asked nervously.
"Of course not. Since you chose to cooperate, there is no need for torture. Once I confirm your information with the others, you may even escape any form of punishment and be rewarded instead," Leon replied.
"Nevertheless, I must say that you are quite lucky. This Deacon Artemise was brainwashing you all into becoming demon worshippers—No, it should be called devil worshippers. The so-called Sun God is no god but a devil and especially powerful one with authority over the Wrath Law."
"This is something you will hear more about later," Leon stated.
Since he learned the details of Deacon Artemise's preaching methods, he understood which course of action he should take to stop her from spreading the religion.
Nevertheless, Mervin was stunned after hearing from the imperial prince.
"Does that mean I cannot use the Sun G—er, the devil sun's power anymore, Your Imperial Highness?" Mervin wondered.
Regardless of the truth, this was what Mervin really wanted to know.
Mervin was just learning how to use this power to fix his appearance. He didn't know what to feel if the imperial prince was to deny him and many others of this ability.
After all, their present appearances were truly hideous to look at.
"Of course not. I don't discriminate when it comes to cultivation methods," Leon said with a shake of his head.
"However, you need to understand that the Wrath Law is a dangerous power. It's what causes people and beasts alike to lose their minds. If you lose your mind due to this power and become a threat to everyone around you, we will have to execute you."
"I understand."
…
Sometime later, Leon met up with Faelyn, Rainshine, Snowscar, and their accompanying assistants before comparing the answers they recorded from the hired laborers.
"The answers are all the same. It seems like no one lied," Leon confirmed after perusing the papers.
It was impossible for the hired laborers to come up with a coordinated lie when they were interrogated separately.
As such, the zero discrepancies in their answers could only prove that they all spoke the truth.
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Shortly after, Leon glanced up and asked, "Was there any problems on your ends?"
"No, it went smooth for me," Faelyn answered.
"Same for me, my Lord. Everything proceeded without a problem," Snowscar replied shortly after in its deep and manly voice while standing on two feet like a human and proudly patting its chest with its paw.
"Somehow, I seriously doubt that," Leon smiled wryly before casting a glance at Rainshine. "You two are brothers and sisters, yet why do you have such a shocking difference when it comes to your voices?"
"Even if you ask that, my Lord, I don't know how to answer …" Rainshine scratched her head with bafflement.
"What should we do with the hired laborers we interrogated, Your Highness?" an official asked shortly after.
"Since they cooperated, give them the survey compensation reward and release them. Then, bring in the next group of confirmed believers to survey and interrogate. Of course, you'll be doing this on your own. I'll be returning to New Capital to report to my father," Leon stated.
"Understood, Your Highness," the officials complied.
After Leon finished issuing his instructions to the rest of the officials in the North Reclamation, he swiftly returned to New Capital with Faelyn and the two Winter Cats.
…
Inside Heinrich's study room, he immediately noticed Leon and the others stepping outside the Dark Passage the moment it appeared.
"Back so soon? Have you already learned about the religion, Son?" Heinrich asked with surprise.
"Yes, Father," Leon nodded solemnly before adding, "And it's a much more serious problem than we anticipated.
"The religion is called the Sun God Church. Furthermore, the people spreading the religion aren't normal priests but most likely devil worshippers. However, that isn't the most pressing issue we should be concerned about right now."
"It isn't?" Heinrich raised an eyebrow.
"It's not. These devil worshippers have learned how to use the power of wrath. Do you understand what that implies, Father?" Leon asked.
However, Leon didn't wait for an answer.
"If they devised a cultivation method based on the Wrath Law. Then, the abundant Wrathful Demon Energy in the world will become their most desired energy source for cultivation," Leon continued.
"Wrathful Demon Energy…? But then that would mean… Oh, no!" Heinrich immediately realized where the problem was.
Chapter 978 Faelyn's Concern
"Father, you should know how dangerous the Demon Gathering Arrays can be if they fall into the wrong hands, right? Have you assigned any experts to protect the Demon Gathering Arrays from getting misused or stolen?" Leon inquired.
"Of course, I have, Son," Heinrich confirmed with a solemn nod. He was not that thoughtless.
"However, I've only assigned two Transcendents to protect each Demon Gathering Array. If there's any problem with the Demon Gather Array, at least one of them will report the issue back to me."
"But you haven't checked on them ever since their deployment, have you? Father?" Leon asked.
"Yeah, and that bothers me," Heinrich nodded concernedly.
"I've been too busy managing various affairs in the empire that I didn't spare the extra thought to check on the management of these Demon Gathering Arrays. If there's a situation in which the Transcendents cannot report back to me, I will remain unaware of the situation."
"The Transcendents are only at the Preliminary Accession stage. Thus, if the devil worshippers have anyone stronger than… No, they definitely have experts stronger than Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendents."
Heinrich recalled the unknown murder of the Geyser Kingdom's envoys.
"In that case, we can assume that some of the Demon Gathering Arrays deployed to Durham and Valaran had already been compromised along with the Transcendents assigned to protect them," Leon stated seriously.
"Do you remember the precise number of Demon Gathering Arrays and which cities they were deployed to, Father? I will go ahead and check them out first while you organize the Transcendents to strengthen their protection, Father."
"Of course, I remember. I had it recorded down on a map," Heinrich sighed.
Heinrich pulled open a drawer before taking out the map marked with black dots and extending it out to his son with his hand.
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However, Leon did not accept the map in case his father needed it later. He simply scanned it and imprinted a copy in his memory and Archive.
"Keep for putting you through this trouble, Son. We wouldn't be having this problem if I didn't ask Amelia and Ignis to replicate the Demon Gathering Array and distribute them to Durham and Valaran."
"Perhaps, you overlooked it for this reason," Heinrich added.
However, Leon denied such credit.
"Don't worry about it, Father. You had good intentions. If anyone's at fault, it's the ones taking advantage of your kindness and having ill intentions on the Demon Gathering Arrays," Leon replied.
"Besides, I believe it's more productive to deal with the problems at hand rather than worrying about who's at fault. On that note, you have a big job to do, Father," Leon stated shortly after.
Heinrich was immediately taken aback.
"What big job do I have apart from gathering Transcendents to reinforce Durham and Valaran?" Heinrich wondered.
"Have you already forgotten, Father?" Leon asked.
"Since we know the devil worshippers use lies to preach about their Sun God Church, you need to educate the people with facts instead. As long as our people know the truth or are even aware of it at the very least, they will doubt what the devil worshippers preach."
"Furthermore, we already found the identity of the devil worshipper preaching in the North Reclamation Camp, Deacon Artemise. She doesn't seem to be local nor a person from Durham or Valaran."
"According to the people's description, she doesn't seem to be someone from the Ishaan Kingdom either. She is most like from the Geyser Kingdom. You need to assign high-level Transcendents to observe her, Father."
"It would be best if they are at least comparable to Rank 2 Transcendents for insurance," Leon added.
"Observe the devil worshipper?" Heinrich furrowed his brows.
"You mean we should continue to watch her preach her religion to our people, son? Wouldn't it be better if we just capture her for interrogation to find out the rest of the devil worshippers in our empire?"
2023年の世界で最も売れた自動車トップ20のうち,半数が日本車で,1位の車種は64%の成長を達成しました.TOPSSEEK
"No, if she's a devil worshipper with great control over the power of wrath, normal interrogation and torture methods might not work. Observing her might actually be better," Heinrich suddenly thought.
"Yeah, it's difficult for us to gauge what kind of mentality the true devil worshippers must have to control the power of wrath with their anger," Leon mentioned.
"At the very least, we can conclude that they aren't people with a normal state of mind. Although I am confident in my torture methods, I don't possess absolute certainty. Thus, it's not worth risking the loss of our only lead."
Against something Leon had yet to grasp fully, there would naturally be unknown variables. As such, he couldn't guarantee that he could torture answers out of the devil worshipper.
"So observing this devil worshipper is our best outcome, huh?" Heinrich uttered.
"Yes, Father. At least, I think so," Leon nodded before proceeding to explain, "There are two pros to this option."
"One, we find out when the devil worshipper comes in contact with the other devil worshippers hidden in the empire. Of course, the prerequisite for this is that our experts don't get caught monitoring her."
"Second, we can check whether our anti-spread method is effective or not once we educate the mass. I'm sure even you don't know all the details about the sun and Cataclysm, so I will transmit the knowledge to you now, Father," Leon stated.
Shortly after, Leon used the Spirit Transmission Art on his father.
Heinrich quickly learned about Empyrean Allheaven Wrath, True Divinity Soul Fragment Awakening, the Celestial Realms, the Wrath Law, and the truth behind the Cataclysm.
However, Heinrich was afraid that he would forget.
"Go, go. I need to write this all down," Heinrich quickly said as he pulled out a spare paper from the drawer to jog everything down.
Leon nodded with a slight smile.
Shortly after, Leon picked his first destination in mind and opened the Dark Passage. Faelyn silently bowed to Heinrich before stepping into the black portal with Leon.
Nevertheless, Faelyn had this helpless and concerned look on her face. She couldn't contribute to the conversation at all.
At the same time, Faelyn seriously contemplated what she could do to be useful to Leon.
Faelyn didn't want to be left behind by Leon and the others.
Chapter 979 Chosen Path
"What's wrong, Faelyn?" Leon asked after they stepped out from the other side of the Dark Passage, arriving in the first city of Durham.
At the same time, Rainshine and Snowscar also turned their heads to look at Faelyn from their respective positions on Leon's shoulders and in Faelyn's arms.
"I wanted to shoulder some of your burdens, but I feel like I am only adding to your burdens by following you," Faelyn said dispiritedly.
"Why would you feel like that? You did a good job with the interrogation earlier, no?" Leon replied with a smile.
"That's something anyone else could have done with or without me," Faelyn sighed before adding, "I'm not knowledgeable like Aria or powerful like Darlene and Lynne… So I can't contribute where it truly matters…"
After hearing that, Leon faced Faelyn seriously and held her hands to catch her full attention, which caused Snowscar to fall out of her arms.
Nevertheless, Snowscar found a spot some distance away to sit and watch the two. At the same time, Rainshine also hopped off Leon's shoulder to join Snowscar on the side.
"I'll be honest with you, Fae. You're not a fighter. Thus, you don't need to be powerful like Darlene and Lynne," Leon stated.
Faelyn's eye dulled with an even more dispirited look after hearing that.
"Furthermore, Aria's situation is special," Leon added.
"So you can't replicate her knowledge either—not unless you awaken the True Divinity Soul Fragment dwelling inside you and integrate with its vast knowledge. However, I hope that something like that doesn't happen."
"There's no telling what the True Divinity's soul fragment would do to you or if you would still be you after integrating with it," Leon sincerely stated with concern.
"Then what should I do? I feel so useless…" Faelyn stated with despair as tears quickly dripped from her cheeks. "Even when we have problems in Durham and Valaran right now, I am wasting your time with my insecurities."
Leon gave a soft sigh, not expecting Faelyn's self-esteem to be so low.
2023年の世界で最も売れた自動車トップ20のうち,半数が日本車で,1位の車種は64%の成長を達成しました.TOPSSEEK
Being one of Leon's lovers, Faelyn must have felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
However, at the same time, Faelyn also became self-conscious and felt pressured by everyone's transformation and impressive capabilities.
Leon quickly pulled Faelyn into his embrace and gave her back rubs to soothe her.
"Everyone has their own specialty; you just haven't found yours yet," Leon started to utter his honest opinion, "I don't know if you will enjoy it, but there is a specialty I believe you are most suitable in pursuing out of everyone."
"It is also something that the empire is in dire need of and will always be in demand throughout the ages to come."
"And what would that be?" Faelyn asked in a choking tone due to her crying.
"Alchemy," Leon firmly stated.
"Alchemists and cultivation pills produced through alchemy are things that will always be in eternal demand for any cultivation kingdom or empire, especially one that is rapidly growing like our current empire."
"And I believe you have the absolute talent to strive for the best in this field. The question is whether you, yourself, are willing to pursue this path. I have the skills but not the time to be refining pills for everyone in the empire. My disciple is shouldering this burden, but he, alone, is not enough."
"Thus, if you choose to embark on the path of alchemy, you will forever be an invaluable asset to me and the empire. But even if you don't want to pursue alchemy, you will still be important to me," Leon reassured.
"No, I want to do it!" Faelyn suddenly wiped her tears and said with determination.
However, her firm expression quickly deflated like a balloon in the next moment as she revealed her lack of confidence.
"But… I don't know much about alchemy… Is it really possible for me to become highly skilled in alchemy?" Faelyn asked without any confidence in herself.
"Everyone has the potential to become highly skilled in alchemy as long as they have the will to work hard and the opportunity to learn," Leon stated.
"However, only those with talent can improve their alchemy skills quickly. You don't have to worry about not having the talent with your wood ability. As for the opportunity to learn, that is something I can give you. Thus, the only thing you really need is the will to work hard."
"If you have that, you will become a great alchemist without a doubt. So, do you have that will?" Leon softly asked.
"Mm, definitely!" Faelyn answered with certainty, and her eyes brightened after she found her path.
Seeing that Faelyn's emotion improved, Leon cracked a smile and asked, "Not feeling sad and lost anymore?"
"No!" Faelyn responded with a charming smile.
She wrapped her arms around Leon's neck and drew her head closer. Within moments, her soft lips pressed against Leon's, and their tongue intertwined in a hot and passionate kiss.
"Ahem!" Snowscar coughed and turned his head away as he thought it was the appropriate thing to do.
However, Snowscar quickly noticed his sister, Rainshine, beside him, attentively watching the scene with her eyes wide open and without blinking, not wanting to miss a single detail.
Thud!
Snowscar gave Rainshine a quick whack on the head, causing Rainshine to grimace before she turned her head and gave him a grudging look.
"It's not appropriate to watch," Snowscar lectured.
"Hmph!" Rainshine pouted, shrugging her head away in a sassy and posh manner.
If their Lord didn't want them to look, he would have told them or at least given them a signal. However, their Lord didn't do any of that.
Furthermore, their Lord was kissing in a public place.
So what was wrong with her watching her Lord kiss? Only kids would react the way her brother did – Rainshine thought.
Nevertheless, Leon and Faelyn's hot and passionate kiss eventually ended as their lips separated.
Although Faelyn wanted to continue, she knew that they shouldn't waste any more time.
"We… we should get going," Faelyn said with a slightly red face.
"Un," Leon nodded and said, "But before that…"
Leon quickly transmitted a few alchemy techniques and knowledge to Faelyn in the next moment.
Chapter 980 Elizabeth's Burp
Faelyn was immediately engrossed in the wealth of knowledge pertaining to alchemy. Even so, it was only but a fraction of Leon's alchemy knowledge.
Being the only son of the Divine Medicine King, someone who has mastered alchemy and medicine up to the ninth tier, there was nothing that Leon didn't learn from his father in his past life.
Despite his impressive background, he could only reach the sixth tier in alchemy and medicine.
After all, knowledge did not equal mastery.
"This is just some introductory knowledge to alchemy. You can start familiarizing yourself with it, for the time being, Fae," Leon stated.
After all, they were still in the middle of a mission. Faelyn wouldn't be able to put her newfound alchemy knowledge to practice while they are moving around a lot.
"Mm," Faelyn quietly nodded.
Shortly after, they shifted their attention to the city ahead of them. It was one of Durham's border cities.
However, it was old and in poor condition, a complete contrast to the new and growing city back in the heart of the empire.
People wandered the streets and browsed the wares of the stores, busying themselves with their daily lives like any other day.
The heat from the sun and the stuffy smell in the air suppressed the city's liveliness. Still, Leon didn't see anything unusual from a glance.
"It's a different air out here," Faelyn softly commented.
"Yeah, the heat always has that stuffiness to it, and the spirit energy is still faint in this region," Leon replied.
"Nevertheless, given time, the spirit energy density will gradually increase and improve the air quality in this region. Even so, we can imagine the air quality to be even worse in regions the World Tree's spirit energy has yet to reach."
"Fortunately, my father has deployed the Demon Gathering Arrays. Thus, the worse has been avoided," Leon added.
Although people could still be harmed by prolonged exposure to the sunlight, at least they all kept their sanity.
2023年の世界で最も売れた自動車トップ20のうち,半数が日本車で,1位の車種は64%の成長を達成しました.TOPSSEEK
Heinrich's map marked the cities, but it didn't show the exact locations of the Demon Gathering Arrays.
Nevertheless, it wasn't difficult for Leon to find.
By spreading out his divine sense and following the direction of the faint Wrathful Demon Energy in the atmosphere that was being pulled, Leon soon arrived at the Demon Gathering Array with Faelyn and the two Winter Cats.
"Greetings, Your Highness," two Earth Transcendents landed on the roof of the tallest building in the city to greet Leon.
Leon acknowledged their greeting with a nod.
"It seems like the Demon Gathering Array in this city hasn't been targeted by the devil worshippers. That's good," Leon uttered.
Leon approached the Demon Gathering Array shortly after and extracted every last ounce of the compressed Wrathful Demon Energy stored inside the crystal orb.
The Wrathful Demon Energy was all dumped inside Leon's Black Vortex for refinement.
Thanks to that, Leon received a sizable amount of demon energy and comprehension fragments of the Wrath Law, which he quickly absorbed.
The minuscule amounts of comprehension fragments strengthened his understanding of the Wrath Law.
On the other hand, the Tome of Eternal Darkness further refined the demon energy and improved his demon cultivation.
"Your Highness…?" the Earth Transcendents gazed at Leon with suspicion and doubts in regards to his action.
"The Demon Gathering Arrays will continue to gather and compress Wrathful Demon Energy so long as there are any to collect. There's a risk of it exploding if we don't empty it periodically," Leon stated.
"On another note, you two need to be more careful when guarding the Demon Gathering Array."
Leon proceeded to warn the Earth Transcendents about the devil worshippers. Then, he instructed them to hide and determine the enemy's strength first before deciding whether to confront them if they encountered them.
After all, it was better to abandon the Demon Gathering Array and report the information back instead of dying to the enemy.
To deal with the devil worshippers, intelligence on their activities was crucial.
"Understood, Your Highness. We've engraved your words in our hearts," the Earth Transcendent solemnly assured.
"Good," Leon nodded with acknowledgment before informing them of his departure, "Then, I'll be leaving for the next city."
Leon opened the Dark Passage and left with Faelyn and the Winter Cats shortly after.
In the following few hours, Leon made rounds through the cities of Durham and Valaran to extract the accumulated Wrathful Demon Energy from each Demon Gathering Arrays as he checked on the situation.
…
…
…
Inside King Lutheran's study room, the negotiation between King Lutheran and Elizabeth gradually finished.
Elizabeth did not need to wait for King Lutheran to summon people to gather the items for the exchange.
King Lutheran directly transferred the items to Elizabeth's interspatial ring from his own interspatial ring.
"Great. It looks like it's finally been settled," Elizabeth stated after confirming the inventory. "I trust you will be able to put the Demon Gathering Array to good use, King Lutheran."
"Naturally," King Lutheran nodded.
Once his runemasters finished studying and replicating the Demon Gathering Array, King Lutheran could ease the problem in the kingdom.
Furthermore, King Lutheran could also use the Demon Gathering Arrays to bait the devil worshippers out of their hidings.
"The Demon Gathering Array was just what our kingdom needed. Once again, I must thank you, Queen Elizabeth. You have my sincerest gratitude—or should I address you as Empress Elizabeth?"
"No need for thanks. We had a deal, King Lutheran. You may address however you see fit," Elizabeth calmly stated when she suddenly felt bloated. "Burp* Excuse me, this doesn't happen often."
King Lutheran's eyes narrowed before they flickered with an understanding look in the next moment as a smile hung on his face.
"Oh? Congratulations in advance, Your Imperial Majesty. I look forward to the next time we meet," King Lutheran said with a knowing look.
"As do I, King Lutheran," Elizabeth nodded after her initial surprise.
…
Sometime later, after Elizabeth, Darlene, and the Paragon-level Winter Cats all left, the smile was immediately wiped off King Lutheran's face, replaced by a cold expression.
"Send this to the Venerable Runemaster to study immediately. And get someone to summon my brother, Duke Flugerd, to the Great Hall right this instance!"
King Lutheran bellowed coldly.
Chapter 981 Venerable Runemaster
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the palace servants awaiting outside the study room answered very quickly after sensing the king's terrible mood.
"No, wait. I will send this item to Venerable Runemaster myself! Just summon Duke Flugerd to wait for me in the Great Hall!" King Lutheran suddenly declared upon second thoughts.
The Demon Gathering Array was far too important to the current kingdom.
King Lutheran wouldn't feel assured unless he handed the Demon Gathering Array to Venerable Runemaster with his own hands.
"Understood, Your Majesty!" the palace servants complied.
King Lutheran quickly stored the Demon Gathering Array in his interspatial ring, where it was safe, and headed outside.
Among the Geyser Kingdom's leading figures, Venerable Forgemaster and Venerable Runemaster were both Half-step Paragons and experts in the runic language.
However, their expertise was not the same. As such, their level of proficiency in the runic language was also not the same.
Venerable Forgemaster focused more on the art of forging while studying runes on the side only served to augment his forging profession.
On the other hand, Venerable Runemaster mainly focused on the study of runes while his side profession lies in arrays.
As such, Venerable Runemaster was the best candidate for King Lutheran to seek in regards to the replication of the Demon Gathering Array.
Furthermore, Venerable Runemaster was not situated far from the palace.
Outside the Geyser Kingdom's royal palace, which was grand and majestic, there were four enormous towers in the capital city that didn't pale in comparison.
One of these enormous towers precisely belonged to Venerable Runemaster.
2023年の世界で最も売れた自動車トップ20のうち,半数が日本車で,1位の車種は64%の成長を達成しました.TOPSSEEK
It was called the Grand Rune Tower, containing the Geyser Kingdom's vast runic knowledge that had accumulated over the past several hundred years.
Many people wanted to become a disciple of the Grand Rune Tower, but not everyone could. They didn't possess the qualifications or the talent.
Even so, the first floor was open to everyone.
However, King Lutheran didn't take the main entrance. He water-strode across one of the many water channels and fountains in the city. Then, he directly flew inside one of the open windows on the tower's top floor.
Crack!
Shattered glass, dropped books, and papers, among other things, quickly sounded on the top floor.
King Lutheran's dynamic and sudden appearance had startled Venerable Runemaster into dropping his research materials.
"Lutheran! Haiz, dammit! What did I say last time about entering through the windows without knocking?" Venerable Runemaster chided in his grumpy old voice while pointing an unsheathed sword at King Lutheran.
The unsheathed sword was very slim, unlike other normal swords, and the handle was a curled shape, which was also uncommon on a sword.
It was a special hidden sword masked as a cane.
"There isn't anything to knock on the window. And you can put that flimsy sword away now, Venerable Runemaster," King Lutheran casually said.
Venerable Runemaster sheathed his cane sword and softly sighed, "Haiz, I thought you were an assailant, coming to steal my research, Your Majesty."
"Surely you jest, Venerable Runemaster. Who would dare steal the research of a Half-step Paragon? They must be tired of living," King Lutheran commented amusedly before quickly shaking his head in the next moment.
"But never mind that or your research. I have something better for you to study, Venerable Runemaster. Furthermore, it's crucial to the kingdom, so I hope you can start replicating it as soon as possible."
"Oh? And what could that be? Let's have a look then," Venerable Runemaster said with interest.
It was rare to see King Lutheran putting such heavy emphasis on a mere object.
However, shortly after Venerable Runemaster started studying the black plate handed over by King Lutheran, his expression quickly turned serious.
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"Interesting… How very interesting…!" Venerable Runemaster exclaimed after a few moments of studying.
"You already figured it out, Venerable Runemaster?" King Lutheran asked with surprise.
However, Venerable Runemaster furrowed his brows, feeling mildly offended by such a question when he was a Tier-6 Runemaster.
"Who do you think you're talking to, Your Majesty? Did you think it would take me very long to figure out the functions of a mere Tier-3 Array?" Venerable Runemaster responded before asking, "Where did you get such a thing? Do you know who made it?"
"Only a Tier-3 Array? Did I get cheated?" King Lutheran furrowed his brows before saying, "Queen Elizabeth paid me a visit and sold it to me."
Of course, it must be reminded that Queen Elizabeth's initial intention was to gift the Demon Gathering Array.
It was King Lutheran's fault for turning it into a valuable exchange.
"Queen Elizabeth sold it to you?" Venerable Runemaster expressed his surprise.
However, Venerable Runemaster wasn't interested in learning how that happened. He was more interested in the inventor behind the Demon Gathering Array.
"Never mind the queen. Since she only sold it to you, I guess you don't know who made this Tier-3 Array," Venerable Runemaster said with a sigh.
"I don't know how much you exchanged for this, but whoever made this Tier-3 Array is truly impressive. Even I wouldn't have thought of such a runic combination. Haiz, it would be great if I could talk to this person and see how his mind works."
"Didn't you just say it's only a Tier-3 Array, Venerable Runemaster?" King Lutheran furrowed his brows with confusion and asked, "Why does it sound like you are praising the inventor to the high heavens?"
"Because I am!" Venerable Runemaster confirmed with a firm tone.
"This might only be a Tier-3 Array, but the way this person created such a complicated function in such a simple way is nothing short of a stroke of divine genius. Even a Runemaster with a solid foundation might not have thought up this combination of runic interaction."
"You must understand that anyone can become a runemaster given knowledge and time to practice. However, not every runemaster is equal, even if they are at the same level of proficiency. The most important aspect of a runemaster is their creativity."
"Only with a creative mind can a runemaster come up with innovative arrays like the one who made this Tier-3 Array," Venerable Runemaster said with heartfelt appreciation.
"No wonder you made the entrance exam for the Grand Rune Tower so strict, Venerable Runemaster. You were looking for people with creativity…"
King Lutheran finally understood why the Grand Rune Tower didn't just accept everyone that wished to learn.
Chapter 982 Duke Flugerd's Movements
"Naturally. Runemaster is a noble profession. If everyone can become a runemaster, it will diminish the prestige of runemasters," Venerable Runemaster responded to King Lutheran's statement.
"Furthermore, resources are limited. If we distribute too many resources into teaching the untalented, how are we supposed to nurture those with talent and creative minds? That's why the entrance requirement is strict."
"Listening to you put such heavy emphasis on creativity, you've also made me curious about the inventor behind this Demon Gathering Array," King Lutheran mentioned.
"Not only does the empire have many powerful experts, but they are also not lacking in talents. The inventor shouldn't be someone unknown… I wonder if we can poach him."
"Someone like that would be treasured by the empire, without a doubt. You can try, but I doubt you will succeed, Your Majesty. It's great enough if I could meet this person and exchange ideas," Venerable Runemaster stated.
"Nevertheless, you do not worry about this Demon Gathering Array. I have already figured it out. You can sit back and wait for the good news, Your Majesty."
"Since I've understood the logic behind the Tier-3 Demon Gathering Array, I won't just replicate it. No, I will improve it and produce a Tier-4, Tier-5, or even a Tier-6 Demon Gathering Array depending on our needs," Venerable Runemaster claimed.
"Oh? That's perfect," King Lutheran uttered with a smile.
"Then, I will leave the Tier-3 Demon Gathering Array in your capable hands and take my leave for now. There is still some unfinished business I need to take care of."
As King Lutheran said that, his eyes flashed with coldness.
Venerable Runemaster noticed King Lutheran's terrible mood, but he refrained from commenting on it.
Venerable Runemaster wouldn't interfere with the kingdom's affairs unless it affected the Grand Rune Tower's interests.
…
King Lutheran left the same way he came in, out the window, and through the sky by striding on water that can be found throughout the big city.
2023年の世界で最も売れた自動車トップ20のうち,半数が日本車で,1位の車種は64%の成長を達成しました.TOPSSEEK
Having spent roughly an hour at the Grand Rune Tower, it was more than enough time for Duke Flugerd to arrive at the Great Hall.
However, King Lutheran immediately frowned at the empty hall upon his arrival.
"There you are, Your Majesty!" a palace servant quickly rushed over hastily with a piece of urgent news to report.
"As per your orders, I went to the Duke's manor to pass your words to Duke Flugerd. However, Duke Flugerd was absent from his manor, Your Majesty."
"What?" King Lutheran's frown deepened before asking, "Where did Duke Flugerd go?"
"Upon investigating, this servant found out that Duke Flugerd had already left the city the other day," the servant reported.
"Furthermore, this servant found several other nobles have also been reported missing from the capital city, Your Majesty. Marquis Raygor, Earl Blavier, Earl Almeric, and Earl Bendro were some of the names on the list."
"What!" King Lutheran's eyes widened with outrage.
The names listed were all members of the supremacist faction.
Their collective disappearance wouldn't be as simple of a matter as taking a tour outside the capital city.
"Where are they now?!" King Lutheran bellowed with fury.
The palace servant fearfully trembled under the king's extreme anger.
At the same time, the king's oppressive aura suppressed the palace servant to the point that he did not dare look at the king directly.
"T-this servant doesn't know, Y-your Majesty!" the palace servant replied fearfully.
"H-however, there was an unconfirmed rumor that Duke Flugerd decided to visit the west as an envoy. There was another unconfirmed rumor that he brought many nobles and several hundreds of Transcendent-level troops along for protection, Your Majesty!"
After hearing that, King Lutheran's already terrible mood took a turn for the worse.
"A load of horse sh*t!" King Lutheran thundered at the nonsensical rumor.
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No such envoy needed an entourage of several hundreds of Transcendent-level troops for protection.
That was no longer an entourage; it was an army!
If King Lutheran couldn't figure out what was going on after learning about that much, he would be unfit to rule the kingdom.
"Notify all the Law-punishing forces near the borders immediately! They must stop Duke Flugerd from leaving the kingdom with his people at all cost! There mustn't be a war between the two countries!"
King Lutheran bellowed his orders.
As much as King Lutheran hated it, the kingdom couldn't afford to lose so many experts in a hopeless war—even if the ones leading all those experts could be considered traitors.
"Y-your Majesty, it has been a day since the rumors appeared! Duke Flugerd and his people must have left the kingdom by now! I fear it's too late to stop them from leaving!" the servant alerted.
"Then instruct the Law-punishing forces to head out and bring them all back by force! If they can't do it, stall Duke Flugerd and his men until I arrive with reinforcements!"
"You're heading out yourself, Your Majesty?" the servant asked with shock.
"Obviously!"
Duke Flugerd was a Half-step Paragon.
How could King Lutheran expect anyone else besides the Venerables, Sea Emperor, or High Priest to stop the person?
However, an unexpected guest obstructed King Lutheran at the Great Hall's entrance.
"Old Thunder," King Lutheran greeted with surprise, taken aback by Old Thunder's appearance.
Why was Old Thunder in the capital city when he should be on the floating temple high above the Geyser Kingdom in the Neutral Zone?
"The High Council of Elders is aware of Duke Flugerd's action and those in support of the supremacist faction. You are not to interfere in this matter at this point in time and just let nature run its course, Your Majesty," Old Thunder directed.
"Are you telling me to just let my blood brother, who came from the same womb as me, get caught up in the supremacist faction's scheme and die a meaningless death?" King Lutheran said in a low tone.
"If that is what it takes for the rest of the people in the kingdom to wake up from their overdue arrogance and realize the empire's strength. The Crawford Empire's rise is unstoppable."
Old Thunder calmly stated.
Chapter 983 Late-stage Heaven Ascension
"Do you understand the severity of what you are saying, Old Thunder? If we let conflict break out, not only would my blood brother die, but the rest of the kingdom will be dragged into a war that we don't want!"
King Lutheran stated gravely.
Even if he was the king, he still had to answer the people's outrage if the empire killed several hundreds of Transcendent-level experts from their kingdom.
Otherwise, King Lutheran would lose the heart of the people!
However, the empire had five Paragons! And that was only a glimpse of the empire's strength! Who knew how many more Paragons the empire had!
Thus, ultimately, King Lutheran would still decide to go against the people's wishes and deny the war to the best of his power and authority.
Even if it means going down in history as a coward!
"Of course, I understand what I'm saying," Old Thunder calmly said. He completely understood the weight of his words.
"The High Council of Elders had deemed the current Crawford Empire's rapid growth beneficial for everyone. And by everyone, I'm talking about both humans and beasts alike, whether they are inside the Human Domain or outside of it."
"The stupidity and blind greed of the supremacist faction is an excellent excuse to bring the Geyser Kingdom under the empire's rule and unite the entire Human Domain. We need this kind of preparation and unity if we are to stand strong on the day the demons above descend upon us."
Hearing about the demons above, King Lutheran quickly calmed down before seriously asking, "Is the day drawing closer, Old Thunder?"
"Indeed it is," Old Thunder nodded and said, "The subsequent Cataclysms have weakened the spatial layers. The world doesn't have much time left before those vile creatures descend upon us."
The Cataclysms were only the appetizers; there was still a Doomsday.
"Nevertheless, I have already delivered the temple's opinion. So I am returning to the temple. No one from the temple will interfere if you still want to save your brother despite everything I said, Your Majesty."
Just as Old Thunder prepared to leave after saying that, he abruptly recalled something and paused his steps.
"Oh, right," Old Thunder turned around and said, "You said your brother got caught up in the supremacist faction's scheme. However, that is incorrect."
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"Duke Flugerd is your blood brother; he is not stupid. Furthermore, he is a Half-step Paragon. It would be wrong of you to think that Duke Flugerd had absolutely nothing to do with the supremacist faction until a few days ago."
"In fact, Duke Flugerd has been secretly involved with the supremacist faction right from the start. Haha, you can even say Duke Flugerd was the very reason the supremacist faction was formed, Your Majesty."
"Haiz, everyone has their own ambitions," Old Thunder sighed and said, "Alright, I believe I've said enough. I'm truly leaving now."
Shortly after, Old Thunder took off and shot into the sky, quickly disappearing beyond the clouds like a flash of lightning.
King Lutheran remained frozen on the spot, stunned by Old Thunder's parting words.
Many issues he had subconsciously pushed aside resurfaced in King Lutheran's mind before he raised his head to the sky and let out a long sigh.
"So you always wanted the throne, huh? If you had just asked me, I would abdicate the throne to you… Is the throne more important than blood?"
King Lutheran shook his head with disappointment.
"I've been considered a wise king all my life, but unfortunately, I will have to make an unwise choice this time. No matter what, he is still my brother," King Lutheran softly muttered.
Alas, such is what it means to be the older brother.
Even if what King Lutheran's little brother does makes him furious and want to choke the living sh*t out of his little brother, he would still find it in his heart to forgive him.
After equipping his armor, King Lutheran took off from the royal palace.
…
…
…
Durham Territory
After visiting over twenty cities and towns in Durham alone, Leon didn't encounter a single problem with the Demon Gathering Arrays.
There were only a few cities left to visit before Leon was done with the Durham Territory.
However, Leon could conclude early that the devil worshippers hadn't targeted the Demon Gathering Arrays in Durham.
Glaucoma and cataract can disappear! And vision can return quickly (Stop Doing This)visionntie.com
On the other hand, Leon had accumulated so much demon energy from the Demon Gathering Arrays that he had reached a critical point.
As such, Leon was forced to temporarily stop his travel to sit down in meditation and make the breakthrough in his demon cultivation.
Faelyn and the two Winter Cats, Rainshine and Snowscar, guarded Leon as he absorbed the last bit of demon energy for his breakthrough.
Swoosh!
The moment Leon condensed the last bit of demon energy into the black revolving core, his aura slightly surged, marking his successful advancement to the Late-stage Heaven Ascension Realm.
He was not far from the Truth Manifestation Realm.
Nevertheless, the energy requirement for the next breakthrough had drastically increased once again.
It was new territory from the Peak-stage Heaven Ascension Realm onwards.
How much energy was needed to make the core germinate?
Leon did not know.
But he was sure of one thing; he won't be shattering his core to enter the Void Realm like in his previous life.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, my Lord," Rainshine and Snowscar congratulated with their heads lowered subserviently.
"Un," Leon acknowledged them with a nod.
The breakthrough was unexpected and had delayed our trip again. Nevertheless, we've almost finished visiting all the major settlements in Durham. Let's quickly wrap things up here and check on Valaran after," Leon stated.
"Yes!" Faelyn and the two Winter Cats answered.
Shortly after, Leon opened the Dark Passage before everyone stepped inside and moved to the next city.
Fortunately, Leon's group swept the remaining settlements with Demon Gathering Arrays in Durham without a problem.
As Leon suspected, the devil worshippers did not touch a single Demon Gathering Array in Durham.
However, that could also mean that the devil worshippers concentrated on the Demon Gathering Arrays in the Valaran Territory.
"Let's hope the situation isn't too bad in Valaran…"
Chapter 984 Ruthless Intrusion
Somewhere in the Valaran Territory, not far from the Geyser Kingdom's border wall, a large group of Transcendents traveled together after crossing the border.
The group belonged to none other than Duke Flugerd and his people from the supremacist faction.
Their original goal was to head straight for one of the designated cities near the heart of the empire, which they had marked as strategic cities.
However, Duke Flugerd came to a sudden stop as they were passing through the first city of the Valaran Territory.
"Why did we stop, Lord Flugerd?" Marquis Raygor inquired.
"You don't sense it, Lord Raygor?" Duke Flugerd replied while casting a short and casual glance at Marquis Raygor.
"Spirit energy from the World Tree hasn't covered this region, but the air quality around this city is much better than any parts we can find back in the kingdom. Don't you think there's something special about this city?"
"Something special about this city…?" Marquis Raygor muttered with furrowed brows.
Marquis Raygor and the other nobles and Transcendents quickly focused on the city ahead of them after hearing from Duke Flugerd.
However, they didn't notice anything special about the city in and of itself.
The city was not very populated.
Furthermore, the buildings lacked just about everything, whether it was art, design, maintenance, or even quality materials used in their construction.
Marquis Raygor and the three other earls could see that it was a poor city and frowned when they failed to see what made it special.
After studying the poor city in-depth, looking past just its appearance, they started to see the peculiarities.
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Just as Duke Flugerd mentioned, the air quality was much better despite the absence of spirit energy.
"The foul energy in this city is very faint. But this could also be due to the World Tree's spirit energy pushing all the foul energy away from the region," Earl Blavier speculated.
"Oh?" Earl Bendro narrowed his eyes with a sharp look and thought, "If that's the case, wouldn't that mean the World Tree is at fault for the high concentration of foul energy in our kingdom?"
"Isn't that another reason for us to demand sky-high compensation from the Crawford Kingdom?"
Earl Almeric rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "I reckon they will quickly give in to our additional demands if we pressure them with a show of force."
"Perhaps. However, I think you all missed the main reason for this city's air quality," Marquis Raygor informed.
"If you look observed more carefully, you'll notice that the foul energy isn't being pushed away. In fact, it can't be pushed away by spirit energy if there's no spirit energy to push it away in this area."
"Oh? Lord Raygor is right. The foul energy is actually… gathering towards the city?" Earl Blavier was surprised upon realization.
"Let us enter the city and figure out the source of this phenomenon," Duke Flugerd calmly stated before adding, "If the underlying cause is due to an artifact or treasure, it will benefit the kingdom greatly once we bring it back."
Although Duke Flugerd seemed calm on the surface, his heart was set ablaze by greed.
If Duke Flugerd could really bring back an artifact or treasure that resolves the problem back in the kingdom, his public image would improve in the eyes of all Transcendents in the kingdom.
"Halt! This area is off-limits!"
A Preliminary Accession-stage Earth Transcendent quickly stepped out and obstructed Duke Flugerd's large group from approaching the Demon Gathering Array as they arrived.
"Step aside, insect. Who are you to block this Duke's path?" Duke Flugerd nonchalantly replied.
In the next instance, Duke Flugerd casually waved his hand, but the Earth Transcendent felt like his inner organs were slammed by a sledgehammer.
All the fluids in the Earth Transcendent's body flowed in reverse, causing his face to pale as his body flew out of Duke Flugerd's path.
The Earth Transcendent coughed up blood and laid weakly on the ground, having suffered multiple tears in his organs and ruptured meridians.
In a single instance, the Earth Transcendent had suffered severe injuries, and death loomed over him.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been easy for Transcendents to control the elements in another person's body due to the clash of their wills.
Unfortunately, the power difference between the Earth Transcendent and Duke Flugerd was too significant.
"Oh? This is perfect. It's an array. The kingdom will be able to mass-produce this array once we hand it over to the runemasters to study." Duke Flugerd's eyes quickly brightened after a close look at the Demon Gathering Array.
"However, seeing as this array is guarded by a Transcendent, the array clearly has some importance to the Crawford Kingdom. I'm afraid they will take kindly to our actions once they learn what happened here," Marquis Raygor mentioned.
"It doesn't matter. We are just grabbing interests ahead of time," Duke Flugerd calmly stated.
"So what if the Crawford Kingdom doesn't take kindly to our actions? What can they do about it? It seems like they have grown a fair bit to designate a Transcendent all the way out here. However, they are still incomparable to our Geyser Kingdom."
"They have no choice but to give in to our demands. This is what it means to be strong," Duke Flugerd said overbearingly.
"Nevertheless, it will diminish what we can extort from the Crawford Kingdom if they were to learn what happened here. Thus, the best course of action is not to let them know what happened here."
Shortly after saying that, Duke Flugerd shot a cold look at the Earth Transcendent on the ground.
Duke Flugerd clenched his fist mercilessly, causing the severely-injured Earth Transcendent to erupt with countless blood and other fluids shooting out of his body.
The Earth Transcendent did not live past that.
Swoosh!
The other Earth Transcendent, who had been hiding nearby, failed to contain his shock due to his partner's gruesome death and accidentally exposed his location.
As such, the Earth Transcendent immediately chose to flee.
"Kill him," Duke Flugerd issued the cold command.
The Earth Transcendent did not make it far before Marquis Raygor, who acted the quickest, mercilessly hunted the person down.
Chapter 985 Priest Merkkon
"Are we still following our original plan, Lord Flugerd?" Marquis Raygor inquired after cleaning up the corpses.
"Considering the value of this array, we can, more or less, complete our goals by just bringing this back to the kingdom."
"On the other hand, if we continue to follow the original plan, we might be able to gain more. But the consequences might not be worth the extra bit of gain. We could be sanctioned or, even worse, charged with treason and executed."
"Sanctioned? Maybe. Treason? We are not rebelling against the kingdom. We are bringing glory to the kingdom!" Duke Flugerd said firmly.
"When the people cry out names with adoration, when the children sing praises of our feats, and when all experts in the kingdom look at us with acknowledgment, we will be revered as heroes."
"No one would dare to charge us with treason. Not the Sea Emperor, nor the High Priest, and certainly not my brother, the king. Otherwise, they will have to answer to the people's outrage for villainizing their heroes."
…
In the corner of an alleyway in the city, roughly nine hundred yards away, several pairs of eyes secretly watched Duke Flugerd's group surrounding the location of the Demon Gathering Array.
"Kekeke, to think Duke Flugerd would bring so many Transcendents with him on this trip. Not bad, not bad. The more casualties there are, the bigger the chaos. Once the two super countries are at war, it will be our Sun God Church's chance to thrive," said one of the hooded people in the alleyway.
"Although Duke Flugerd made his move earlier than anticipated, everything is still proceeding according to plan. Duke Flugerd might have regarded himself as someone with both wisdom and power, but his grand ambition and greed blinded him from making proper choices."
"No matter how great a person is, they cannot make good choices if they lack crucial information. Duke Flugerd is just an overly-ambitious fool. To think he would take the bait so easily."
"Right," another hooded person agreed.
"It was the right choice not to touch the Demon Gathering Arrays in the border cities, Priest Merkkon. Once we secretly spread the news and let it reach King Heinrich's ears, things will quickly play out the way we want."
As the hooded person mentioned Priest Merkkon's name, the other two devil worshippers in the alleyway also focused their gaze on Priest Merkkon and awaited the person's following instructions.
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However, just as Priest Merkkon was about to speak, his pupils quickly shrank into slits at the sight of incoming water projectiles.
"Evade!" Priest Merkkon bellowed.
Swoosh!
The devil worshippers scattered from the alleyway without further thought.
They didn't even understand why they needed to evade. Their bodies simply reacted according to Priest Merkkon's movements.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In that instance, the alleyway quickly fell under the heavy barrage of black water lances. The nearby buildings collapsed, and several unprepared residents died under the weight of the rubbles.
At the same time, one of the devil worshippers didn't make it and was blasted full of holes, killing the person on the spot.
Before the Priest Merkkon and the remaining two devil worshippers could relax, more black water lances were shot their way.
However, they were already forced into the open.
The incoming black water lances were clearly seen and evaded successfully, but only due to the distance that existed between them and Duke Flugerd's group.
"Unexpectedly, your senses are very sharp, Duke Flugerd. I've underestimated you," Priest Merkkon stated.
"This Duke knew a sewage rat when this Duke smelled one. Did you think you could hide from this Duke, devil worshippers?" Duke Flugerd coolly said with an unhurried look, unconcerned with Priest Merkkon's group possibly fleeing.
"Let this Duke guess; you were all thinking that this Duke was dancing right in the palm of your hands since you knew about this Duke's secret ambition. Unfortunately, you are sorely mistaken if you all thought you had seen through this Duke."
"This Duke did not move according to your Sun God Church's calculations; your schemes simply pushed forward this Duke's plan," Duke Flugerd stated with an aloof and proud look.
"Oh, how leisure of you to be wasting so much breath on meaningless drivels. That arrogance will be your undoing one day, Duke of Leviador," Priest Merkkon stated.
"Perhaps. However, that day won't be this day, and it certainly won't be done by your hands. After all, you will all be dying here," Duke Flugerd sentenced the devil worshippers to death with a single order, "Kill them!"
Swoosh!
The several hundred Transcendents behind Duke Flugerd and the other nobles immediately rushed forward.
However, Priest Merkkon waved his hand, sending out a blood-crimson ray of light that whipped through the ranks of the Transcendents, directly bisecting three dozens of them in two.
The rest of the Transcendents quickly halted their advancement with shocked looks.
"By throwing fodders at us, Duke Flugerd is looking down on us. Why don't you both show them what the Sun God's worshippers can do?" Priest Merkkon calmly suggested to the two hooded people behind him.
The two hooded people glanced at each other and understood what the Priest Merkkon wanted from them.
They immediately tore away their hooded cloaks and revealed their hideous appearances with black and greenish skin.
Their bodies started squirming with protruding veins when the sun quickly shone on them, and their eyes revealed their extreme and uncontainable rage.
Roar!
The two devil worshippers growled with inhumane and raspy voices as their bodies grew, doubling… tripling… quadrupling their former sizes!
Their muscle mass grew exponentially, and so did their strengths!
Before long, the two devil worshippers had transformed themselves into giants. Their greenish-black skin glowed with a crimson hue, and steam emitted from their pores.
"W-what the hell is those things?!"
The Transcendents at the forefront cried with alarm, intimidated by the devil worshippers' drastic transformations.
"Ahhh—!"
The two gigantified devil worshippers charged into the ranks of frightened Transcendents.
They tore Transcendents' bodies apart and mawed them like savage beasts, instilling greater terror in the rest of the Transcendents.
Duke Flugerd witnessed the disorderly mess in the ranks of the Transcendents and frowned.
Chapter 986 Black Flood Dragon Attack
The two devil worshippers' initial strengths were only around the Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent Realm.
However, after undergoing gigantification, the two devil worshippers' brute strengths surged to the Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent Realm!
The ordinary Transcendent-level troops were not their match!
Duke Flugerd flew into the sky and prepared to slay the two gigantified monsters before sustaining any further loss of Transcendent-level troops.
However, several blood-crimson rays whipped toward Duke Flugerd, interrupting him from saving his troops.
Duke Flugerd was forced to black water from his interspatial water storage to conjure a shield to defend himself.
He might be a Half-step Paragon, but his body was still weak, even against ordinary knives and swords.
"Since you decided to throw fodders my way, why bother saving them?" Priest Merkkon casually said.
The blood-crimson rays quickly retracted into Priest Merkkon's hands, but their forms were clearly seen for a moment.
They were actually Priest Merkkon's blood, veins, and muscles, yet they moved like snakes, completely under Priest Merkkon's control.
"What kind of abomination are you?" Duke Flugerd focused on Priest Merkkon with his gloomy eyes, no longer paying attention to the Transcendent-level troops.
Marquis Raygor and the other three earls had jumped into action to save the troops from the two gigantified monsters.
With their collective strengths of one Peak Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent and three Late Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents, they should make quick work of the two Rank 2 Transcendent-level gigantified monsters.
More importantly, Priest Merkkon was the biggest threat out of the three devil worshippers.
"What abomination am I?" Priest Merkkon chuckled and said, "The words of an ignorant person. The bodies of Sun God's worshippers can be freely controlled and transformed according to our whims. Of course, a non-believer like you wouldn't—!"
Swoosh!
Before Priest Merkkon could finish speaking, Duke Flugerd abruptly lunged forward and fired several black water lances at him, all aiming at his vital areas.
However, Priest Merkkon reacted quickly, parrying away a few black water lances and evading the rest.
Even so, a Half-step Paragon's attack wasn't something Priest Merkkon could parry completely.
The tremendous force broke his hands and blew Priest Merkkon some distance away, knocking his hood back and revealing his appearance.
"How rude. Don't you know it's bad manners to interrupt when someone is talking?" Priest Merkkon casually said as his broken hands fixed themselves back into shape in an instance.
At the same time, Duke Flugerd narrowed his eyes.
"This Duke knows the face of every Peak Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent in the kingdom, and you are not one of them. Who the hell are you? Are you from the outside the kingdom?" Duke Flugerd interrogated.
"Who I am or where I come from isn't important. Besides, you didn't bother answering any questions of mine, yet expect me to answer yours? You should apologize first if you want any answers," Priest Merkkon said dismissively.
Of course, Priest Merkkon wouldn't answer even if Duke Flugerd apologized.
Duke Flugerd knew that, and his gaze became colder.
"You're right. It's a waste of time to try and pry any information out of you. All devil worshippers should be put to death on the spot for the crime of destabilizing the kingdom!" Duke Flugerd said firmly.
The weather rapidly changed as grey clouds gathered in the skies above the city, and water drops formed from the very air en masse.
At the same time, all the black water in Duke Flugerd's interspatial water storage flowed out and mixed with the surrounding newly-formed water drops.
All the water in the surrounding space quickly gathered, forming an enormous body of water that soon took the form of a black flood dragon.
"Rejoice, knowing this Duke will kill you at full power!" Duke Flugerd declared before suddenly attacking without warning.
Duke Flugerd will not give Priest Merkkon the chance to gigantify and drastically increase his strength like the other two devil worshippers.
"Yoohoho~! Isn't this overkill, Duke Flugerd? Don't you care for the people living in this city?"
Priest Merkkon replied slightly nervously while creating distance from the descending black flood dragon.
However, the enormous black flood dragon drew closer rather than further from Priest Merkkon.
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Priest Merkkon could not outrun the black flood dragon!
Boom!
The enormous black flood dragon slammed into the surface of the land, destroying all buildings and other obstacles without resistance.
"Nooo—!"
Many people had long evacuated from the battlefield, but they couldn't escape the black flood dragon attack range.
It was like an inland tsunami that threatened to swallow and drown the entire region!
However, it was more destructive than a natural disaster and even louder than the wrath of the heavens.
The black flood dragon attack wiped out one-third of the city and everyone and everything beyond it, including all trees and forms of vegetation.
The land was drowned in a black sea.
However, the black flood dragon attack didn't end there.
The powerful momentum of the attack continued to carry the enormous body of black water to devastate several dozen miles of land further to the north.
Duke Flugerd watched the outcome of his own making with cold eyes, not caring about the hundreds or thousands of lives he may have snuffed out.
"This Duke does not care for the lives of those that do not belong to the kingdom!" Duke Flugerd coldly stated.
Furthermore, they had to be at the Transcendent level, at the very least, for him to care.
"We might have gotten away with just the array and the death of the two Transcendents. However, there's no way this level of destruction will go unnoticed, Lord Flugerd," Marquis Raygor mentioned his concern.
The previous two gigantified monsters had been swiftly dealt with, and most of the Transcendent-level troops had been saved.
However, now they have a bigger problem on their hand.
Even if they made excessive demands of the Crawford Kingdom, there's no more they would give in so easily now that so many people died.
Marquis Raygor feared the Crawford Kingdom might take this matter very hard and wage an all-out war on the kingdom, disregarding whether they could actually win against the kingdom or not.
Boom!
A towering water column suddenly erupted from the flood region in the distant north, causing Duke Flugerd's gaze to turn serious.
Chapter 987 Ninefold Gigantification
"Too bad, Duke Flugerd. You almost succeeded, but alas, even your strongest attack failed to kill me," Priest Merkkon's voice echoed in the distance.
After the column of water dropped, Priest Merkkon's broken body was revealed floating in the air.
All his bones shattered, his organs mushed, his skin lacerated with countless cuts and holes, and even his neck was bent at a weird angle.
Any normal person would have died from such serious wounds. Even most cultivators would have died.
Yet despite the odds, Priest Merkkon survived with his powerful vitality, which could be comparable to a Paragon-level body cultivator.
At that moment, Duke Flugerd and the others watched with solemn expressions as Priest Merkkon's broken body reconstructed itself.
"I offer my body to the Sun God. Fill this servant's body with thy divine strength; transform, grow, and reforge this mortal body so that the Sun God may use it to unleash thy wrath upon the heretics," Priest Merkkon prayed.
Not long after, veins protruded across Priest Merkkon's body before it similarly grew in size to the previous two gigantified devil worshippers.
"Lord Raygor, take this and lead everyone back to the kingdom," Duke Flugerd solemnly handed the Demon Gathering Array over to Marquis Raygor.
"You're going to stay back and fight that thing, my Lord? That's not possible. That thing survived your most powerful attack! Now that it's transforming, it'll become even more powerful! You have to flee too, my Lord!"
Marquis Raygor accepted the Demon Gathering Array, but he didn't recommend Duke Flugerd should stay behind.
"Someone has to stay back and buy time, and it can only be me! None of you will be able to do anything, so leave now! This Duke will not repeat a third time!" Duke Flugerd bellowed.
"Let's go!" Marquis Raygor barked at the Transcendent-level troops without further delay.
However, a sudden voice grabbed everyone's attention.
"Who the hell can tell me what is going on here?" Leon's voice shortly echoed across the region after he arrived with Faelyn and the two Winter Cats.
One-third of the city was gone, two-thirds of the people were grieving, large portions of the northern part of the region were devastated by floodwater, and many foreign Transcendents were present.
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Leon's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and authoritative; there was hidden power behind it that made sure it reached everyone's ears.
'A Paragon!' many Transcendents thought.
"Your Excellency, you've arrived just in time. We need your help! This devil worshipper is transforming and is about to rampage!" Duke Flugerd informed.
Vaguely sensing Leon's Paragon-level strength, Duke Flugerd did not see Leon as a young man.
Instead, Duke Flugerd immediately assumed Leon was an old powerhouse who had rejuvenated his youthful appearance.
However, Leon ignored Duke Flugerd and shifted his gaze to the Demon Gathering Array in Marquis Raygor's hands.
At the same time, Leon's divine sense spread out, covering a wide area of the city and overhearing the people's cries.
After piecing the clues together, Leon understood the gist of the situation.
His gaze quickly glistened with coldness.
Swoosh!
Leon's figure disappeared from his location on the flat roof of a three-floor building and appeared next to Marquis Raygor in an instance.
Everyone's expression immediately changed.
Marquis Raygor sensed the danger and quickly retreated while storing the Demon Gathering Array in his interspatial ring.
However…
Puchi!
Leon sliced off Marquis Raygor's arm with a chop infused with dark energy before retrieving the Demon Gathering Array from the interspatial ring on the detached arm.
"Arghhh!" Marquis Raygor cried.
At the same time, everyone distanced themselves from Leon's new location, which was in the midst of their ranks.
Duke Flugerd's expression darkened with gloominess.
"Your Excellency must be someone from the empire. In that case, This Duke completely understands your anger. We were in the wrong for stealing an array from your empire," Duke Flugerd quickly apologized.
"However, this is not the time for that! Us humans must unite our strength to defeat that devil worshipper! His transformation will turn him into a powerful gigantified monster on par with Paragons!"
After so much delay, Priest Merkkon had already finished his gigantification.
However, Priest Merkkon's size was even more impressive than the last two devil worshippers. He had increased his overall size and mass by ninefold!
At the same time, Priest Merkkon's strength rose exponentially. Even Early Paragons might not be his match!
"Dammit, we wasted too much time! The devil worshipper already finished his transformation!" Duke Flugerd frowned when he was suddenly alarmed by the danger coming from his side, "Hm—!?"
Duke Flugerd quickly conjured a water shield, but it still broke under Leon's casual smack.
Bam!
The excessive force sent Duke Flugerd crashing into the ground.
"Lord Flugerd!" Earl Almeric shouted before shooting a glare at Leon in the distance. "What the hell are you doing?! Can't you see the bigger threat before you?! That is our enemy!"
"Our enemy, you say? The audacity that you people have," Leon sneered.
"You dared to intrude on my empire, steal my empire's Demon Gathering Arrays, devastate the land, destroy people's homes, and kill my people. And you think we are on the same side just because we have a common enemy?!"
"To me, you are all my enemies and equally deserve death!" Leon barked as his eyes exuded strong killing intent.
Earl Almeric's expressions and the others all changed.
"This is bad. The Crawford Kingdom's Paragon wants to kill us all!" Earl Bendro cried with fear.
"But this doesn't make sense! How can the Crawford Kingdom have a Paragon?! Just a few months ago, they barely had any Transcendents!"
"Is this really the time to be worrying about that right now?" Marquis Raygor bellowed while clutching his shoulder to stop his bleeding.
Roar!
Priest Merkkon gave a shocking and mighty raspy-pitch roar in the distance before focusing his hostile gaze, full of madness, in their direction.
It was clear that Priest Merkkon had already lost his sanity to the power of wrath he absorbed from the sun.
Chapter 988 Successive Rounds of Shock
Swoosh!
Being the closest person within the crazed Priest Merkkon's sight, Leon became the target of the over fifty-foot tall giant's charge.
Boom…! Boom…!
Priest Merkkon shook the ground with every step he took, which was big, heavy, and very quick. Several buildings collapsed before he closed the distance on Leon in a heartbeat.
"Piss off!"
Leon quickly drew his Tier-7 White Spear from the Worldspace and infused it with his dark energy.
Then, he immediately cleaved the Paragon-level gigantified person in half with a clean swing right as the Paragon-level gigantified person reached him.
The might and sharpness of the Tier-7 White Spear were undeniable.
No matter powerful Priest Merkkon's body had become, it was still within the Paragon level. It cannot withstand the blade of a tier-6 weapon, let alone a tier-7 one!
After all, whether it was a tier-6 or tier-7 weapon, they were already divine-tier weapons. Only Celestial-level beings would have the power to resist their sharpness.
Duke Flugerd vomited some blood while being supported by a few Transcendents when he witnessed the scene.
The shock written across his face was evident.
Nevertheless, it wasn't just Duke Flugerd. Marquis Raygor, the three earls, all the remaining Transcendent-level troops were also shocked by the scene.
"When did the Human Domain have such a powerful Paragon with such a young appearance? Wait, no. It's not his strength alone; it's that spear!"
"What kind of divine spear can cleave another Paragon with powerful vitality and defense in two? It must be at least tier-6 or even tier-7!"
"Just where did he find such a divine weapon?!"
The Transcendents exclaimed with shock.
Even if Venerable Forge Master and Venerable Runemaster joined hands, it would take them months or even years to successfully create a tier-6 divine weapon.
Of course, that is also under the assumption that they had tier-6 materials to work with and Venerable Pill Master's heavenly flame to refine the material.
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They were all regarded as tier-6 of their respective professions, but they lacked the cultivation base and ability to create any tier-6 products on their own.
Nevertheless, the Priest Merkkon didn't die from just a single attack.
It might have been a mortal wound to others, but it was only a superficial wound at best to Priest Merkkon.
Leon frowned when he saw how Priest Merkkon's bisected body pieced themselves together.
It reminded him of the fleshly abominations and mutant humans he once encountered in the subterranean regions.
In fact, the current gigantified monster was not much different from the fleshly abominations if Leon was to ignore its humanoid form.
Priest Merkkon had achieved his transformation through the rapid proliferation of his bodily parts on a cellular level.
Puchi! Puchi!
Leon hacked the giant body into multiple more pieces before watching their reconstruction in awe.
Priest Merkkon's powerful regeneration and lifeforce were truly impressive.
Alas, it was only borrowed power, and the price was too great.
Furthermore, it was questionable whether such a forceful method of gaining power would allow future breakthroughs in cultivation.
It was no different from overdrawing one's potential for an immediate power boost.
Nevertheless, Leon continued to dice up Priest Merkkon's body.
Then, Leon quickly discovered that Priest Merkkon's body was reconstructed at a much slower rate when it had more parts to reconnect.
"Hm?" Leon noticed the Geyser Kingdom's people trying to slip away during the chaos.
However, Leon immediately shot them a glare and declared, "Don't think about leaving this place alive."
"Dammit, we are going to die!" Earl Blavier cried hopelessly with despair, succumbing to his inevitable fate.
If a Paragon wanted him dead by sunset, he would not live to see the sunrise.
Many felt the same way.
However, Duke Flugerd and several others were unwilling to give up hope.
Suddenly, Duke Flugerd's eyes lit up with an idea.
"Quick, capture the elf! The Paragon came with an elvish beauty. She must be someone important! If we can use her as a hostage, we can get away from this place!" Duke Flugerd quickly directed.
All eyes were immediately fixed on Faelyn like numerous pairs of eyes from hungry wolves, causing Faelyn to feel unsettled and intimidated.
She was just a single Transcendent, while Duke Flugerd's Transcendent-level troops numbered in the hundreds. They were still one marquis and three earls at the Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent Realm.
However, the moment the Transcendents rushed at Faelyn, Snowscar suddenly woke up in her arms and glared at the incomers.
"Reow!" Snowscar roared like a mighty lion.
Boom!
It was like an explosion had gone off in everyone's head, catching them off guard and shocking them silly.
No one expected the cute little and adorable thing to have such a ferocious and powerful voice.
However, the most shocking realization was that the was a Paragon-level beast! A Paragon-level Winter Cat being treated like a household pet!
The Transcendents immediately halt their charge, frozen in terror.
The first to reach the elvish beauty will die without a doubt.
In fact, it doesn't matter how many of them there are. If the Transcendents rushed at the elvish beauty together, they would die all the same!
"Another Paragon…" a Transcendent fell back on his rear after feeling weak in the knees with a pale face filled with despair. "Is this the end for us?"
"Two Paragons wants us dead… how do we survive? No, wait a minute…" the Transcendents suddenly glanced back at the other Winter Cat on Leon's shoulder.
"Reow!" Rainshine hissed at them, appearing fierce yet cute.
However, no one had the heart to adore Rainshine when they sensed her Paragon-level aura.
Boom…
Duke Flugerd and his people suffered another subsequent round of shock.
"Three Paragons… How can this be?" Duke Flugerd uttered with an incomprehensible look.
Duke Flugerd did not understand how the struggling kingdom, which didn't even have a single Transcendent a few months back, suddenly grew to the point that they could even tame Paragon-level beasts.
Alas, Duke Flugerd had a bigger problem on his hand. Leon abhorred cowardly acts like using his loved ones as hostages against him.
"Go, die!" Leon spat, raising his spear and gathering dark energy to the tip for a single attack at Duke Flugerd's heart.
"Wait! Spare his life!" King Lutheran's desperate plea came in the nick of time.