Chapter 18: Moon Lake
"Linley, it's that bald man named Crompton. He's here too." Delia also noticed that familiar figure.
Linley clearly saw Crompton entering the metal lifeform along with the other demons. However, all those demons entered the front cabin of the metal lifeform.
"Those participating in the demon trials are all in the rear cabin. Those demons are all in the front cabin." Linley breathed a slight sigh of relief, but even so, he still felt worried. "What are these demons mixed in for?"
Linley didn't really care that demons were mixed in.
What he cared about was that among this batch of demons traveling with them, there was actually that Crompton.
Linley admitted to himself that he hated this Crompton. And in Crompton's heart, it was the same. If he had the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Linley to vent his anger.
"One Crompton. If it really comes to a fight, the three of us still have a sliver of hope."
Crompton had only reached Highgod by refining a divine spark. Even among Highgods, he was considered the weakest.
Refining a divine spark means the soul doesn't get nurtured and enhanced by the 'Laws of the Universe'. The soul's essence is somewhat weaker.
And although Linley was a Midgod, because he had fused two profound mysteries of the Laws—'Gravitational Space' and 'Earth Element'—his soul attack was ten times that of an ordinary Midgod. Linley's soul attack was enough to put Crompton's life in danger.
However...
Linley wasn't entirely certain either, after all, the other party was a Highgod. Having comprehended all the profound mysteries of an elemental law, even if he hadn't fused any of them, he couldn't be underestimated.
"To deal with this Crompton, if Bebe and I go all out, there's still hope. But... this Crompton isn't alone; he has friends!" Linley frowned. This was what worried him the most. "This isn't the city now. We're outside the city. There's no ban on fighting. Once that Crompton discovers the three of us, he might seek revenge!"
Thinking it over and over, Linley didn't know how to handle it!
"Damn it, with so many demons, how could it be such a coincidence that we ended up with that bald bastard!" Linley couldn't help cursing inwardly.
Although he was furious, he had to face it!
"No matter what, I can only hope now that that bald man doesn't find us." Linley silently wished.
It was possible.
After all, Linley and his group were in the rear cabin, and Crompton and his group were in the front cabin. As long as they didn't run into each other, there would be no problem.
"Linley." Delia looked at him, a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Don't worry." Linley said softly.
Bebe looked at Linley. Although Bebe was playful, he wasn't stupid. He also understood how bad things had become with that bald man mixed in. Bebe immediately sent a soul transmission: "Boss, if we really run into trouble, I'll deal with that bald man! Even if I'm not sure I can beat him, I'm confident I can hold him off for a while and keep my life."
Linley looked at Bebe with some surprise.
Bebe had only reached the Midgod realm a few decades ago, yet he dared to claim he could tangle with a Highgod? Even if the other party had refined a divine spark.
"Really?" Linley asked with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Hmph!" Bebe raised his head and transmitted mentally, "Boss, I'm the second Godeater Rat in countless planes! Don't underestimate me!" Bebe could easily digest divine sparks; how could he not have some special abilities?
The metal lifeform set off!
"Whoosh!"
Tearing through the sky, a massive purple-black phantom instantly vanished above the city gates of Diyi City. It was just a faint black dot on the distant horizon, and in the blink of an eye, it was completely out of sight.
Inside the metal lifeform, a large group of people looked out through the transparent windows.
"What's going on? They still haven't told us the trial mission." Bebe muttered.
"Don't rush." Linley said with a faint smile.
A silver-haired woman sitting on the other side of Linley spoke up: "These demon trial missions always have fixed locations, very far from Diyi City. The journey itself will probably take a long time. The people from the Demon Castle naturally aren't in a hurry to tell us the mission."
Linley nodded inwardly.
"My name is Linley." Linley greeted the silver-haired woman with a smile.
This silver-haired woman was also dressed in silver clothing, giving her a clean and sharp appearance. She glanced at him and said with a hint of a smile, "My name is Regina. Mr. Linley, these two next to you are with you, right?"
Regina also knew that in the demon trials, teaming up with others could significantly increase the chances of success. If she encountered danger during the trial, a little help from others could change her fate.
She now wanted to build a good relationship with Linley's group of three.
"Yes." Linley nodded with a smile. Beside him, Bebe's eyes lit up, and he leaned over to look at her: "Miss Regina, your eyes are so charming. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. You can call me Bebe."
Regina looked at Bebe, and his mischievous, lively eyes immediately caught her attention: "Bebe, your eyes are even more charming." Bebe's smile grew even brighter.
"Miss Regina, do you know why those demons are traveling with us?" Linley voiced his doubt. "This is a demon trial mission. Those who are already demons are coming along too..."
Regina shook her head and said, "I'm not sure about that."
"Oh." Linley could only bury his doubts in his heart.
The metal lifeform flew for an entire day. When the sky grew dim, the people from the Demon Castle finally came to the rear cabin.
"The people from the Demon Castle are here." Regina said.
Linley and his two companions immediately sat up straight and looked up at the three people standing at the front of the rear cabin. They were the organizers sent by the Demon Castle for this mission, led by the silver-haired old man.
"Everyone!" The silver-haired old man said with a smile, his voice clear, "There are a total of one thousand participants in this demon trial! As you all know, the demon trial process is extremely dangerous, with a very high mortality rate! Yet you all came... At the very least, in terms of courage, you are worthy of becoming demons."
The silver-haired old man's expression turned serious: "But courage alone isn't enough. You also need strength!"
"This trial location is a place called Moon Lake, over thirty million miles away from Diyi City! Based on the metal lifeform's speed, it should take about a month to reach the destination." The silver-haired old man announced loudly.
At this moment, the rear cabin of the metal lifeform was completely silent.
The thousand Midgods participating in the demon trial listened carefully.
"It's important to note that this demon trial mission was not deliberately created by our Demon Castle." The silver-haired old man's voice echoed through the rear cabin. "Those familiar with demons should know that demons can accept missions at the Demon Castle! These missions are classified by rank!"
"As for your trial mission, we selected it from a large number of missions—a one-star mission suitable for you!"
The silver-haired old man said solemnly, "As long as you complete this mission, you will naturally become a one-star demon!"
"As for the detailed explanation of the mission, Lorraine, you take over." The silver-haired old man stepped aside. This woman named Lorraine was the enchanting beauty in a black robe.
Lorraine's voice was clear: "Mission location: Moon Lake! On this Moon Lake, there is an ancient castle. The master of this ancient castle is incredibly powerful. He has one steward, ten Black Armored Guards, and several hundred Gold Armored Guards!"
"Your mission is to kill a Gold Armored Guard. Remember... After killing a Gold Armored Guard, bring the Gold Armored Guard's spatial ring, the 'Moon Ring', to the Demon Castle. Only this Moon Ring can prove that you have completed the mission!"
"Of course, the property stored in the Moon Ring, you can take for yourselves." Lorraine said with a smile. "I'm done."
Immediately, the entire rear cabin became noisy, with everyone discussing among themselves.
"Quiet." The silver-haired old man announced loudly.
The noise died down.
"If you have any questions, you can speak up." The silver-haired old man said.
A burly man in a green robe, who was at least three meters tall, stood up and said in a booming voice, "Sir, you said the proof of completing the mission is that 'Moon Ring'. Do all Gold Armored Guards have one?"
"According to intelligence, all Gold Armored Guards should have one. Even if the spatial ring on their finger isn't a Moon Ring, there should be a Moon Ring stored inside the spatial ring." The silver-haired old man said with a faint smile. "But we can't rule out special circumstances."
"So, if you kill a Gold Armored Guard and find that he doesn't have a Moon Ring, then you're just out of luck. Without a Moon Ring, you won't get recognition from our Demon Castle." The silver-haired old man said teasingly. "However, cases where a Gold Armored Guard doesn't have a Moon Ring are certainly rare."
The burly man sat down.
The silver-haired woman, Regina, sitting next to Linley, stood up: "Sir, you said the castle master is so powerful, and he has a steward and Black Armored Guards! You only told us to kill Gold Armored Guards. Won't those Black Armored Guards and the castle master just let us act freely?"
Linley's heart stirred.
In fact, not just Linley, but others in the rear cabin who had noticed the demons traveling with them had also guessed the answer.
"Traveling to Moon Lake this time are not only you all, but also some three-star and four-star demons, and even a five-star demon squad." The silver-haired old man said with a faint smile. "I imagine you noticed when we set off that a group of demons also came."
"Just as I thought!" Linley had already confirmed the answer in his mind.
The silver-haired old man continued, "The mission they accepted is to deal with the Black Armored Guards, the steward, and the castle master!"
Based on the Demon Castle personnel's introduction, Linley and the others guessed that the Gold Armored Guards were at the Midgod level, while the Black Armored Guards, the steward, and the castle master were all at the Highgod level. After spending a full thirty-two days in the metal lifeform, they finally arrived at their destination.
"After you go out, head south for a few miles, and you'll find Moon Lake."
The silver-haired old man announced loudly in the rear cabin, "This isn't Diyi City. Life-and-death battles can happen at any time. Everyone, be careful. We'll wait here quietly. If anyone successfully obtains a Moon Ring, they can return to the metal lifeform."
Everyone remained silent.
Everyone felt a sense of oppression!
Of the thousand people who came to participate in the demon trial, how many would make it back alive? The data from previous demon trials had already shown how dangerous this trial was.
Since the Demon Castle chose this mission as the trial, the difficulty definitely wouldn't be low.
"The people in the front cabin have already disembarked. You all should go down too!" The silver-haired old man said indifferently. "And one more piece of advice: not only must you be careful of the people from Moon Lake, but also of the other demon trial participants. I've seen many people who didn't die during the mission but were killed by other trial participants."
Linley's heart trembled slightly.
Indeed, if someone else didn't get a Moon Ring but you did, and they ambushed and killed you to take it, that was perfectly normal.
After all, this wasn't Diyi City!
"Let's go." Linley, Delia, and Bebe followed the crowd through the corridor, gradually making their way outside. A large group of people bustled and jostled as they slowly descended from the metal lifeform.
At this moment, on the vast land outside the metal lifeform, two or three dozen demons were gathered there. Among them, the bald man 'Crompton' stood in front of his friends, casually looking around. But then his gaze suddenly stopped moving.
"Hmm?" Crompton stared at the exit passage of the metal lifeform.
A smile spread across Crompton's face: "I didn't expect the three of them to be in this batch of demon trials. What a coincidence."