Chapter 37: The Undying Warriors
"Crackle!"
The campfire blazed as Hiss, Linley, Sethler, and the five Barker brothers sat around it. Bebe was lying across Linley's thighs, while Hei Lu was sprawled behind Linley.
Spending the night in the wild was quite dangerous. But who would dare threaten Linley's group, especially when one of them was a Deity-level powerhouse?
"Why did you save us?" the eldest of the five Barker brothers rumbled.
Linley and Sethler also looked at Hiss, curious about the same question.
Hiss glanced at the five brothers, and instead of answering, asked, "What about your father? Your family?"
"Our family is dead. As for our father? We've been orphans since we were kids," the eldest, Barker, replied. They were all over thirty now, having grown up in the war-torn Eighteen Northern Duchies, so not having a father didn't bother them much. After all, under the constant warfare, there were many orphans in the Eighteen Northern Duchies.
"Orphans..."
Hiss let out a low sigh. "I never thought that after all these years, the 'Amanda Family,' once famous across the Yulan Continent, would have declined to this extent."
The five Barker brothers, Linley, Sethler, and the others all felt a stir in their hearts.
"Lord Hiss, are you saying that the five Barker brothers are...?" Linley guessed.
Hiss nodded. "Yes, the five of them are from the 'Amanda Family,' the Undying Warrior family among the Four Ultimate Warrior clans."
"Undying Warriors?" The five Barker brothers stared blankly at each other.
"Impossible!"
All five brothers stood up in shock. They had been orphans since childhood. How could they have imagined being part of an Ultimate Warrior family?
Linley had suspected as much when Hiss first mentioned the 'Amanda Family.' The book in his own family recorded the Four Ultimate Warrior families: the Dragonblood Warrior Baruch family, the Violet Flame Warrior Hyde family, the Tiger Stripe Warrior Poley family, and the Undying Warrior Amanda family.
Five thousand years ago, these four families were indeed renowned far and wide.
Apart from the War God and the High Priest, the strongest humans were undoubtedly the Four Ultimate Warriors. Although there were other so-called Saint-level pinnacle experts, those Saint-level pinnacle experts couldn't compare to the Ultimate Warriors.
Strength and insight—these were two complementary aspects.
For example, Linley currently had a very high level of insight, surpassing the 'force' stage and nearing the Saint-level pinnacle. However, his strength was pitifully weak. Naturally, his offensive power was far inferior to that of a Saint-level expert.
The third Dragonblood Warrior in the history of the Dragonblood Warrior family had used a heavy hammer as his weapon.
When he reached the Saint level, he was only at the 'lifting heavy as light' stage. Yet even so, his attack power was terrifyingly formidable.
This was because his own strength and battle qi were already terrifying.
One's own strength and battle qi served as a foundation. The higher one's insight, the stronger the attack they could unleash. For example, if the foundation was 100, a low insight might only unleash 50% of the attack power, while a high insight could unleash 100%. In exceptional cases, it could even exceed the norm, reaching 200% attack power.
As for the Ultimate Warriors, their foundational strength and battle qi were several times greater than those of other Saint-level experts. Even if their insight was weaker, their attacks were still terrifyingly powerful. That was the talent of the Ultimate Warriors!
There was no way around it—high talent was simply unfair.
"Your bodies are very strong, aren't they?" Hiss sighed.
The five Barker brothers looked at each other and then nodded. The second brother, Anke, nodded and said, "We can't cultivate battle qi, but relying solely on our physical bodies, we have the strength of an eighth-level warrior."
"A body at the eighth level. Apart from the Four Ultimate Warriors, how could an ordinary person break through the body's limits and reach this level?" Hiss shook his head and said.
Linley was now certain.
Only the Four Ultimate Warriors were unable to cultivate other types of battle qi and could only practice their unique battle qi manuals.
"Among the Four Ultimate Warriors, the Undying Warriors have the most formidable bodies. They are famous for their strongest defense and powerful attacks. However, speed is their weakness," Hiss remarked. "Barker, the five of you are so young, yet you've reached the eighth level through physical training alone. Apart from the 'Undying Warriors,' who have the strongest bodies among the Four Ultimate Warriors, who else could achieve this?"
Linley nodded as well.
That was right.
He himself was a Dragonblood Warrior, but if he were to train his body alone to reach the eighth level, who knew how many years it would take? Even his younger brother, Wharton, who was cultivating the "Dragonblood Manual," was only at the seventh-level warrior stage at seventeen.
"Aside from your family's ancestors, I am probably the one who understands the Undying Warriors the best. You are definitely Undying Warriors—there's no doubt about that," Hiss stated firmly. "Moreover, the five of you have high talent. If you had cultivated the 'Undying Manual,' you might have already stepped into the ninth level by now."
"The Undying Manual?" The five Barker brothers were very confused.
Linley interjected, "Barker, the fact is that the Four Ultimate Warrior families are resistant to other types of battle qi. They can only practice special battle qi methods. And your Undying Warrior family can only cultivate the 'Undying Manual.'"
"No wonder we could never succeed in cultivating battle qi," the fifth brother, Gates, sighed.
"If the five of you had the 'Undying Manual,' you wouldn't have been captured back then," Hiss sighed. "The Four Ultimate Warriors all have strong attacks, but the Undying Warriors have the strongest defense, the Tiger Stripe Warriors have the highest speed, the Violet Flame Warriors possess the mysterious 'Nirvana' ability, and the Dragonblood Warriors should be the most well-rounded—strong in attack, speed, and defense."
Hiss was a figure from the era of Delin Cowart.
He had lived during the time when the Ultimate Warriors first emerged.
"Lord Hiss, we still don't know why you are so... special to us," Barker asked curiously.
Hearing this, Hiss couldn't help but recall events from the past. His expression shifted several times before he finally sighed and said, "Brother."
Amanda, the first patriarch of the Undying Warrior family and the first Undying Warrior.
"Over five thousand years ago, the Yulan Continent was probably the most chaotic era I have ever encountered in my life. At that time, the Four Ultimate Warriors appeared, the War God O'Brien fought a great battle with the High Priest that shook the continent, the empires split, the Pouan Empire fractured... and the entire continent was plunged into misery."
Linley and the others listened carefully. They actually knew some of this already.
"But that's just the surface."
Hiss smiled at Linley and the others. "In reality, that era was far more complicated than you can imagine. Not only were there experts from our Yulan Continent, but some powerful beings from other planes also descended upon the Yulan Continent."
"Powerful beings from other planes?"
Linley, Sethler, and the five Barker brothers were all stunned.
"Yes," Hiss smiled. "This might seem distant to you, but that era was truly chaotic. Many Saint-level experts fell. In that era, Saint-level experts weren't considered much, because many powerful beings descended, and quite a few were Deity-level."
"Quite a few Deity-level experts?" Linley felt his mind reeling.
"Yes."
Hiss nodded. "In fact, over five thousand years ago, some higher planes paid a great price to enter the Yulan Continent for a purpose. Linley, you have no idea how brutal the battles were back then. At that time, Amanda and I traveled together across the Yulan Continent. There were several times I almost died, and Amanda saved me. Of course... I also helped Amanda a few times."
Having said this, Hiss fell silent, as if reminiscing about the years he spent with Amanda.
Linley began to suspect something.
The Pouan Empire and the Yulan Empire had split over five thousand years ago. The War God had also stepped into the Deity level and become famous across the continent over five thousand years ago. The Four Ultimate Warriors had also emerged abruptly over five thousand years ago...
According to Hiss, powerful beings from other planes had also descended over five thousand years ago.
...
"Something major must have happened over five thousand years ago," Linley thought to himself.
"Enough. Once your strength reaches a certain level, even if you don't want to know, someone will probably tell you," Hiss smiled.
Linley suddenly felt that the Yulan Continent was not as simple as he had imagined.
"Actually, there's no need to force things too much. Take me, for example—I eat and drink as I please, enjoy women as I please, and live as freely and carefree as I want. How great is that? Look at 'O'Brien' and the High Priest. As impressive as they seem, they probably bear immense pressure," Hiss said with a dismissive pout.
Linley, Sethler, the five Barker brothers, Bebe, and Hei Lu all listened quietly.
Hearing a Deity-level expert talk about the continent's top experts gave Linley and the others a unique feeling.
"Only by reaching the Deity level can one have this kind of commanding boldness," Linley thought to himself.
Hiss glanced at Linley. "Linley, let me give you some advice."
"Please speak, Lord Hiss," Linley said humbly, like a student.
Hiss nodded. "I know you have a major conflict with the Radiant Church. But your strength is too weak right now. Even if you disrupt some of the Radiant Church's operations, at most you'll cause them minor trouble, not harm their foundation. I think your best course of action now is to train quietly. Don't aim too high—at the very least, when you transform, you should be able to step into the Saint level. That will be enough."
Hiss had already noticed that Linley's insight was very high.
As long as Linley's strength reached the Saint level, combined with his insight, even if he couldn't defeat a Saint-level pinnacle expert, he would at least have a decent chance of escaping.
"Understood." Linley nodded.
"Barker." Hiss looked at the five Barker brothers.
"Lord Hiss." The five Barker brothers were all very respectful. They now believed they were descendants of the Undying Warrior family, and since the man before them was their ancestor's sworn brother, they naturally showed him respect.
Hiss nodded. "The Four Ultimate Warrior families have all declined. The Amanda family has declined to the point of even losing their inherited manual. Fortunately... during the decades Amanda and I were together, I once left a copy of the 'Undying Manual.' It should still be stored in the main base of the Dagger Organization."
Upon hearing this, the five Barker brothers' eyes immediately lit up.
They had just seen Linley transform. All Four Ultimate Warriors could transform. Even without transforming, the five of them were already eighth-level warriors. Once they obtained the manual and could transform... their strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.
"But the main base is a bit far from here. I plan to go back and make a trip myself early tomorrow morning," Hiss said.
If the high-ranking members of the Dagger Organization, whom Hiss had trained, heard this, they would probably be shocked.
Old Instructor 'Hiss' was notorious for being lazy.
The main base was over ten thousand miles away. Going back and forth would be quite exhausting. For Hiss, with his temperament, to willingly make such a trip was truly rare.
"Thank you, Lord Hiss," the five Barker brothers said gratefully.
"No need. I hope you five brothers won't bring shame to the Undying Warrior name in the future." At this moment, Hiss was very sentimental. The years he spent with Amanda over five thousand years ago, facing life and death together, were truly the most unforgettable days of his life.
...
The night passed, and dawn arrived.
The campfire was reduced to a pile of ashes. Linley and the others stood up to see Hiss off.
"Lord Hiss, we will go to a small town on the outskirts of Basil Province City and stay there. You can find us there when you come," Linley replied.
Linley knew that Saint-level experts could use their spiritual energy to scan and search for people. As for Deity-level experts, as long as they were given a general location, finding them would naturally be easy.
"Got it. Haha, you kids work hard. I'm off now." Hiss had returned to his carefree demeanor, as if his sentimentality from the night before had vanished.
Linley, the five Barker brothers, Sethler, and the others watched as Hiss's figure streaked across the sky at incredible speed, disappearing into the horizon.
(Three chapters completed~~~)