Chapter 43: Gathering in Bazel
That evening, Linley had dinner in the castle’s great hall.
“Keane, Jenny, come out for a moment.” After finishing his meal, Linley called out to them and walked out of the hall into the quiet back garden.
Keane and Jenny exchanged a glance, then followed Linley to the back garden.
The night garden was silent. Linley looked at Jenny and Keane with a smile. “Jenny, Keane, there’s something I have to tell you.”
Keane and Jenny looked at Linley with confusion.
“I have an irreconcilable, life-or-death hatred for the Radiant Church.”
Linley’s first words left Keane and Jenny stunned. They knew Linley was no ordinary person, but they never expected him to be opposed to the Radiant Church.
The Radiant Church—that was an absolute behemoth.
Lowering his voice, Linley continued, “Moreover, after an encounter five years ago, the Radiant Church should know that I’m in the O’Brien Empire. Five years ago, their people discovered the existence of the Black Panther. Based on that, I believe they’ve traced back to when I first came to Cerl County City with you siblings.”
Back then, a mysterious expert with a Black Panther had protected the Keane siblings, ultimately helping Keane secure the position of city lord.
This wasn’t a secret. If the Radiant Church couldn’t find that out, they’d be fools.
“I suspect the Radiant Church has already planted quite a few people in Cerl County City,” Linley said calmly.
He had been prepared for this ever since deciding to come to Cerl County City.
Stettler had already fought him. After that battle, the Radiant Church must have realized the threat he posed. If they didn’t send people to eliminate him, they’d truly be idiots.
“What do we do then?” Keane and Jenny were at a loss.
“Jenny, first I need to ask you: do you still want to follow me?” Linley looked directly at Jenny.
Jenny nodded without hesitation.
Linley nodded slightly. “I’m worried there might be spies from the Radiant Church in your castle, so I’m telling you here: I’ve decided to leave Cerl County City alone tonight.”
“What?” Jenny stared at Linley in shock. “Brother Lei, you’re leaving alone?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll just leave one after the other. I’ll arrive first at the provincial capital, Bazel, and stay at the ‘Nair Hotel’ in the eastern district. When you get there, you can find me.” Linley was confident he could handle the Radiant Church’s people.
But he couldn’t take Jenny and Keane’s group with him.
If he did, it would only harm them.
“The Nair Hotel in the eastern district—it’s a famous hotel. I know it,” Keane said with a nod. He had visited the provincial capital several times over the past five years.
Linley had already planned this out.
Killing Radiant Church members now wasn’t important. They were just small fry; eliminating them wouldn’t affect the Church’s foundation.
If he encountered them, he’d kill them. If not, so be it.
As for Jenny, once she reunited with Barker’s five brothers and Sesslar, the group would be strong enough that Linley wouldn’t fear any schemes from the Radiant Church.
“I’ll be off now,” Linley said with a smile.
“Now?” Keane and Jenny were taken aback.
“Leaving now means the Radiant Church won’t know,” Linley said with a grin. He then turned into a dark shadow, swiftly and gracefully disappearing into the back garden.
At almost the same moment, the Blackstriped Cloud Panther, Hei Lu, and Bebe also darted away.
*******
The twenty-meter-high city wall of Cerl County City was nothing more than three fleeting shadows that passed over it in an instant. The wall was effective against ordinary soldiers, but for a powerhouse like Linley, it was just a slightly high threshold.
Riding on Hei Lu’s back, the night wind howled.
“I’ve discovered I like traveling at night,” Linley mused, feeling the cool breeze on his face, which kept him alert.
Moonlight draped the earth like a veil, making everything seem dreamlike.
…
That same night, another person was riding a horse at top speed. This was the messenger sent to inform Lanlai. However, the small town where Lanlai was staying was over a hundred miles from Cerl County City.
Linley had arrived in Cerl County City in the early evening. The Radiant Church’s local leader received the news around six in the evening. By the time they dispatched someone, it was already seven.
Linley left Cerl County City a little after eight.
At that time, the messenger was still on the road. Nearing nine o’clock, the exhausted messenger finally reached the small town where Lanlai and her group were staying. The town had a few fires burning, and the man, who had been freezing in the November cold for two hours, finally felt a trace of warmth.
“Lord Lanlai.”
The messenger rode up to Lanlai’s lodging and saw her standing at the door. He immediately dismounted. “Lord Lanlai, important news! We’ve confirmed that Linley has arrived in Cerl County City.”
Lanlai, who had been standing coldly in place, suddenly had her eyes light up.
“Linley?” She was both surprised and delighted.
She had waited five years, to the point of numbness. And now, this news came out of nowhere tonight.
“Sack, Sack! All of you, come here!” Lanlai’s icy voice rang out, and the other five angels immediately gathered.
These six angels were all currently inhabiting human bodies. Their strength was limited to the level of a ninth-stage warrior.
But in essence, they were still angels.
They obeyed orders absolutely, ready to sacrifice their lives for the glory of the Lord at any moment.
The other five angels were thrilled to hear that Linley had arrived in Cerl County City. Their mission was to kill him.
“Let’s go. We’re leaving immediately,” Lanlai ordered.
“Yes!” The other five didn’t hesitate.
Lanlai and her six companions ignored the messenger and set off on foot, sprinting toward Cerl County City at top speed. As ninth-stage experts, their speed was undoubtedly much faster than any horse.
…
The next morning.
In an ordinary courtyard in Cerl County City, where Lanlai and her group had arrived the previous night and were now staying.
“What? Linley is gone?” Lanlai glared coldly at the white-robed man before her.
The white-robed man quickly replied, “Lord Lanlai, the person we planted in the city lord’s castle didn’t know anything until this morning. It seems Linley and his two magical beasts have disappeared—likely left Cerl County City.”
“Boom!”
Lanlai slammed her palm onto the stone table in front of her in fury. The entire table shattered into powder. The other five angels were equally enraged.
They had spent five years waiting, only to get news and then have him vanish again.
The white-robed man stood nearby, trembling. He knew these six were formidable—even the Radiant Church’s overall leader in the Northwest Province had to obey their commands.
But he had no idea they were angels.
Unless they were on the verge of death, Lanlai and her group would only reveal their angelic power when fighting desperately.
“Investigate. Find out where Linley has gone. And mobilize everyone in the entire Northwest Province. We must find him. He has to be somewhere in the Northwest Province,” Lanlai said coldly.
“Yes, my lord,” the white-robed man replied immediately.
For five years, they had been unable to find Linley. Lanlai had even worried he might have left the O’Brien Empire. After all, without locating him, they couldn’t be sure.
Now, at least they knew he was in the Northwest Province.
Just as Lanlai and her group were fuming in frustration, on the morning of the third day, they received news from the provincial capital, Bazel.
“Linley has appeared in Bazel.”
Upon hearing this, Lanlai and her six companions were overjoyed.
“My lord, let’s set out now,” the other five said, looking at Lanlai. She was the leader of their six-member team. Even among the Radiant Church’s divine descent angels, Lanlai was well-known.
Because, with only ninth-stage warrior strength in their descended forms, most of their true bodies were the weakest two-winged angels. Among the ninth-stage angels, only three had true bodies that were four-winged angels. Lanlai was the only female among them.
“McKensie is in the provincial capital.”
Lanlai frowned. “McKensie has been at the saint domain for sixty years. According to our intelligence, his strength should be at the mid-stage saint level. If he interferes, things will get complicated.”
“My lord, if we fight desperately, killing McKensie wouldn’t be hard,” said one of the angels, Sack. “That’s right. When we fight with all we’ve got, we can ignore our bodies collapsing and unleash our original energy. The five of us are two-winged angels, and you’re a four-winged angel. Even if it’s only for a short time, it’s enough to kill Linley.”
Hearing this, Lanlai hesitated.
Indeed, if the angels disregarded their bodies’ collapse, they could briefly unleash their original power. But they’d likely only manage two or three attacks before being annihilated.
A four-winged angel and five two-winged angels, fighting desperately without caring about their bodies, using an angel battle formation—even a mid-stage saint domain expert might fall.
“Not yet,” Lanlai said calmly. “Everyone, stay calm. Fighting to the death is a last resort. Remember, when Linley doesn’t transform, his strength isn’t that impressive. We can find an opportunity to kill him while he’s in his normal human form.”
“My lord, what do you mean?” the other five looked at her.
“Linley doesn’t know any of us six,” Lanlai said, a cold smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
…
That same day, Lanlai and her six companions, led by the white-robed man, mounted horses and departed from Cerl County City.
“My lord, the convoy ahead belongs to the city lord of Cerl County City,” the white-robed man said in a low voice, glancing into the distance.
“Oh? The Keane and Jenny siblings?” Lanlai glanced at the distant convoy.
She was well aware of the relationship between Jenny, Keane, and Linley.
“Do you have people mixed in with the convoy?” Lanlai asked quietly.
“Yes, my lord,” the white-robed man nodded.
Lanlai smiled faintly. “Good. We don’t need to bother with them for now.”
Lanlai’s group was clearly faster than Keane and Jenny’s convoy, quickly overtaking them. Keane and Jenny were also heading to the provincial capital, Bazel, for the family’s annual gathering.
*******
Lanlai’s group and Jenny’s group were all on their way to Bazel, while Linley was already staying peacefully in a hotel in the provincial capital. He was living in an independent courtyard behind the hotel.
“I’ve appeared openly in the provincial capital. The Radiant Church probably knows by now. I wonder what kind of people they’ve sent this time.”
Linley wasn’t worried at all; in fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it.
“I haven’t yet had a real fight where I use the Black Heavy Sword to unleash the Earth’s Profound Truths—the Hundred-Layered Wave.”
PS: Third chapter delivered. Fifth day of the burst release completed.