Chapter 36: The True Strongman
Stettler's sword strike had surpassed the level of 'force' in terms of realm. If the 'Earth Mystery' of the 'Black Dusk Heavy Sword' was a special type of attack, then Stettler's strike was simply one word: 'speed'.
"Die?" Linley felt a strong unwillingness in his heart. He didn't want to die yet; he hadn't achieved the goal in his heart.
But in this world, many people don't want to die when their time comes. After all, the world doesn't revolve around just one person. Many things are very helpless.
"Boss."
Bebe's tears flowed out.
But suddenly, Bebe froze.
Not just Bebe, but Hei Lu, Sessler, the black knight captain, the five Barker brothers, and even the large crowd watching from afar were all stunned.
"What's happening?" Everyone's mind was blank.
At this moment, Linley was on the ground, while Stettler was thrusting his sword at Linley from mid-air. The longsword was very, very close to Linley's brow.
Yet the two of them were frozen like that.
Even the blood dripping from Linley's right tiger's mouth was suspended in mid-air, motionless.
At this moment, the space where Linley and Stettler were seemed to have time stopped. Neither people nor objects could move.
Not just them, but Bebe, Hei Lu, Sessler, and the five Barker brothers, who were in the courtyard, were also completely motionless.
Silence!
A suffocating, terrifying silence.
Stettler's eyes also held unprecedented shock.
"Master Linley, long time no see."
A frivolous voice sounded. A man with loose black hair, wearing a loose robe, and looking to be in his thirties, walked over. He was still the same as before, as if he had just woken up.
"Stettler, right? You little fellows have all reached the Saint-level peak. If I don't make progress, I really won't have the face to see anyone." The lazy man in the loose robe waved his hand, and Stettler, as if struck by a mountain, flew out like a meteor.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" ...
Stettler's body smashed through more than a dozen walls before crashing to the ground.
"Linley, it's been over three years, hasn't it?" The lazy man looked at Linley with a smile. At the same time, Linley felt that he could move again. Bebe, Hei Lu, Sessler, and the five Barker brothers also regained their ability to move.
The terrifying pressure disappeared.
"Lord Hise." Linley bowed gratefully. Linley was more grateful to Hise than ever before. He had been completely hopeless just now. The other had saved his life; how could Linley not be moved to tears?
The newcomer was Hise, the King of Assassins.
Sessler and the others were dumbfounded. The scene just now was truly bizarre. Stettler had no ability to resist in front of this man.
The sound of rolling gravel was heard. Stettler crawled to his feet. Although covered in dust, he still walked over, looking at Hise in disbelief.
"You, you, this, this is..." Stettler was completely stunned.
"What is this? Haha, you tell me. What is this?" Hise looked at Stettler with a wicked smile.
Stettler had completely lost the aura of a strongman. He looked at Hise in shock, stammering, "God, God, God's Domain?"
"God's Domain?"
Linley, Sessler, and the others were also greatly shocked.
It was no wonder Stettler was so shocked. Being able to completely freeze everyone's movements in that scene just now was only possible with the legendary 'God's Domain'. And God's Domain was only possessed by those who had reached the Divine level.
Currently, the four peak strongmen of the Yulan Continent were: the War God O'Brien, the High Priest, and the two kings of the Dark Forest and the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts.
But now, the King of Assassins, 'Hise', actually possessed 'God's Domain'.
"Haha..." Hise laughed.
"Lord Hise." Linley and the others looked at Hise in shock.
Hise stroked his mustache with a smile: "Don't be surprised. Stettler, you guys are all so arrogant. I reached the Saint-level peak over five thousand years ago. My cultivation speed is much faster than yours. I am a genius."
Hise spat and snorted: "But I was stuck at the Saint-level peak for over five thousand years. If I didn't break through, I would have no face. So, two years ago, I finally broke through that little membrane."
Stettler, Linley, Sessler, and the others all remained silent.
Good heavens.
A Divine-level powerhouse had just been born.
Linley could understand. According to Grandpa Doehring, Hise was a figure from the same era as Doehring Cowart. He was already a Saint-level powerhouse back then. Over five thousand years later, finally breaking through to the Divine level wasn't too abrupt.
"Lord Hise."
Stettler immediately bowed respectfully.
Any Divine-level powerhouse was worthy of his respect. Once one reached the Divine level, they could ignore the existence of empires. They were at the very peak. A Divine-level powerhouse, even if seriously injured, could destroy the Radiant Church without much difficulty.
"Is there something?" Hise glanced at Stettler.
Stettler said respectfully, "Lord Hise, over the years, Lord Hise has had a very good relationship with our Radiant Church. I wonder if Lord Hise would be willing to join our Radiant Church? If Lord Hise is willing, I believe His Holiness the Pope would be willing to make any concessions."
A Divine-level powerhouse!
Even if they invited him to be the Pope, Heiting would probably be willing. After all, with a Divine-level powerhouse in charge, the Radiant Church's status on the continent would be distinctly different.
"Not interested." Hise snorted. "I've been too lazy to even manage my own 'Saber' organization for so many years, and you want me to work for you?"
Stettler laughed awkwardly.
Now, even if Hise pointed at the Pope's nose and cursed, the Pope wouldn't dare to say a word. That was the dignity of a Divine-level powerhouse.
"Since Lord Hise is unwilling, we won't force it. But this Linley... has killed many people from our Radiant Church. Can Lord Hise..."
"Nonsense."
Hise kicked Stettler in the stomach, but this kick clearly didn't use much force. "Linley is a master sculptor, on the same level as Master Prux. I don't have many hobbies in this life, one is beautiful women, and the other is sculpture. You want to kill Master Linley? Dream on."
Stettler didn't dare to say anything more.
Stettler was very annoyed inside because his mission this time was to escort the five brothers to the Radiant Church. Those five brothers all had bodies at the eighth rank. Once the angels descended, they would become five Saint-level peak powerhouses.
"Lord Hise, fine. Our Church will give face to Lord Hise." Stettler squeezed out a smile. "However, those five people are essential to our Church. No matter the cost, we must take them back. I hope Lord Hise will agree."
"Oh, the five people. Take them away. I don't know them anyway." Hise said casually.
The Radiant Church had been very good to him over the years, and Hise was willing to give them face.
The five Barker brothers were shocked.
"Lord Hise." Linley urgently spoke up.
"Linley, do those five people have a very important relationship with you?" Hise said with a pout. "It seems you don't know them, so don't bother. Just be comfortable yourself. Who cares about the life and death of others?"
That was Hise's personality, carefree and alone.
"Thank you, Lord Hise." Stettler was overjoyed.
Hise nodded with a smile, then turned to look at the five Barker brothers: "Let me see who these five people are that the Radiant Church values so much." Hise's gaze fell entirely on the five Barker brothers.
The five Barker brothers were too conspicuous. Their height of over two meters and their terrifyingly strong bodies made them look like bears.
"You five, it's best not to resist." Stettler walked over, while Sessler and Linley wanted to block him. But Stettler just gave them a cold look, and Sessler and Linley could only smile bitterly in their hearts.
How could they block a Saint-level peak powerhouse?
Linley had used the hidden killing intent of the Violet Blood Soft Sword and the strongest attack of the Black Dusk Heavy Sword. Even then, he had only caused some superficial injuries.
"Linley, no matter what, we five brothers thank you." The eldest of the five Barker brothers, 'Barker', said loudly.
"These five people are quite big." Hise's frivolous voice sounded.
Stettler immediately responded: "They are relatively strong."
Hise looked at the five Barkers. His originally frivolous expression gradually changed. His face darkened, and he even walked step by step towards the five Barker brothers.
"What are you doing here?" The third of the five Barker brothers, 'Black Shark', growled.
"Third brother, don't be rude." Barker growled in response.
"Big brother." Another strong man said discontentedly.
But Hise silently stared coldly at the five brothers. Stettler, standing nearby, was somewhat surprised and asked in a low voice, "Lord Hise, what is this?"
"Stettler, you can leave." Hise said indifferently.
"Then, Lord Hise, I'll take my leave." Stettler said respectfully, then shouted at the five Barker brothers, "You five, walk ahead."
"I said you leave. They five stay." Hise said coldly.
Stettler was stunned.
Linley and Sessler, standing nearby, were also stunned. Even the five Barker brothers were shocked by these words.
"Lord Hise, you?" Stettler looked at Hise in shock. Hise had just agreed to let him take the five brothers away, but in the blink of an eye, it had become like this.
Hise's expression was unprecedentedly cold as he stared at Stettler: "Stettler, listen carefully. Go back and tell Heiting. If your Church's people ever try to make a move on these five brothers again, don't blame me, Hise, for being rude. I'll go straight to your Holy Island and kill you all."
Stettler was greatly shocked by these words.
"Leave now, and I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise..." Hise's gaze flashed with cold light, and a terrifying killing intent spread out.
Hise was originally the King of Assassins, skilled in the art of assassination.
And now, Hise was a Divine-level powerhouse.
Once Hise decided to deal with the Radiant Church, he could simply assassinate them. He could probably kill all of the Church's Saint-level powerhouses without taking a single injury.
The Church, no matter what, would not dare to offend a Divine-level powerhouse, let alone a Divine-level powerhouse skilled in assassination.
"Fine." Stettler's heart was full of bitterness.
He was also very angry inside, angry at Hise's tyranny and excessiveness. But Stettler understood that the other was a Divine-level powerhouse and had the right to be tyrannical. He didn't dare to get angry or resist.
"Lord Hise, I'll take my leave then." Stettler bowed slightly, then turned into a blur and disappeared into the crowd.
Linley, Sessler, and the five Barker brothers all looked at Hise in confusion.
"This Hise is usually carefree and always looks lazy, but when he saw the five Barker brothers, he became so serious?" Linley was also very puzzled.
Hise glanced at Linley and the others: "Everyone, let's leave here first. There are quite a few onlookers here. And... I estimate that some Saint-level powerhouses should have sensed the intense battle fluctuations here."
Deck County City had no Saint-level powerhouses nearby.
The nearest powerhouses were nearly a thousand miles away. Even for a Saint-level powerhouse, flying a thousand miles would still take a while.
Linley and the others immediately followed Hise and quickly left the battle site. That night, they left Deck County City and arrived in the wilderness. Only then did Hise let everyone stop to rest.
"Let's spend the night here." Hise said with a sigh.
At this moment, Hise no longer had his usual carefree and unrestrained demeanor. Instead, he had a sense of vicissitude. Linley, standing nearby, felt that Hise must have some connection with these five brothers.
(Second chapter here, as usual, there's a third chapter~~~)