Chapter 14: The Scorching Volcano
Linley and the group were waiting outside Yilan City, while nearly ten million miles to the east of Yilan City lay a vast volcanic cluster.
The boundless volcanic cluster spanned a thousand miles, and the entire thousand-mile volcanic region was a dark red hue.
"Hisss—" wisps of white steam rose sporadically from the mountain range, and the thick smell of sulfur could be detected from afar. Scattered everywhere were corpses and bones of humans and beasts. Not a single blade of grass grew here—this was a notorious perilous land in the Infernal Realm:
The Bisi Volcanic Cluster!
Dozens of figures were flying above the Bisi Volcanic Cluster, their appearances somewhat disheveled.
"This Infernal Realm is truly chaotic. Can't even have a moment of peace," the leader cursed in resentment.
"Big brother, we'd better find a place to settle down first," a burly man behind him said in a low voice. "Try to find an inconspicuous spot, at least until we improve our strength. Then we can think about other things. There are too many dangers in this Infernal Realm."
"Mm," the leader nodded.
But at that moment—
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" ...
Thousands of rocks, ablaze with flames, suddenly shot up from the surface of the Bisi Volcanic Cluster at terrifying speed. The dozens of people panicked and tried to dodge, but those thousands of rocks could even turn on their own.
"Puchi!" "Puchi!" ...
In the blink of an eye, the heads of dozens of god-level experts were smashed to pieces. Their divine sparks flew out, and their souls scattered. One by one, they fell from midair.
Their bodies landed on the surface of the volcanic cluster.
"Hisss—" The volcanic cluster seemed almost alive, directly swallowing the spatial rings, divine sparks, and divine artifacts from the corpses.
The Bisi Volcanic Cluster remained eerily quiet, with no change except for the additional corpses on its surface.
The Bisi Volcanic Cluster was a perilous land, but how could those who hadn't read books or lacked experience know it was dangerous? Linley and the others only learned about such dangerous places after purchasing geographical texts.
Moreover...
In the Infernal Realm, many perilous lands had just formed, with no records in any books.
Dangers everywhere—that was the Infernal Realm!
A metallic lifeform flew rapidly toward the Bisi Volcanic Cluster and landed on the ground when it was still dozens of miles away. Three people emerged from it: Inigo and his two subordinates.
"Young master, are we stopping here? Why not fly closer to the volcanic cluster?" one of the high-level gods asked in confusion.
Inigo shot him a cold glance. "Hmph. Fly to the volcanic cluster? You're asking for death! The Bisi Volcanic Cluster is a major perilous land in the Infernal Realm. Do you think it's as simple as you imagine? Follow me." With that, Inigo strode toward the volcanic cluster.
"How dangerous is this Bisi Volcanic Cluster really?" the two high-level gods muttered. As high-level gods, there were very few places that could threaten them.
"If you don't want to die, don't act recklessly," Inigo said in a low voice. "I can't protect you here."
Although Inigo was only walking on the ground, the dozens of miles were covered in no time. He led his two subordinates to the edge of the Bisi Volcanic Cluster. Looking at the volcanic cluster, shrouded in white smoke, barren of life, and reeking of sulfur, Inigo couldn't help but swallow nervously.
"Lord Asquain, I am Inigo, the second young master of the Bifield family of Liang'an Prefecture. I humbly request an audience with Lord Asquain!" Inigo bowed respectfully.
After speaking, he remained bowed, waiting silently for a response.
"There's someone inside this volcanic cluster?" The two high-level gods behind Inigo were astonished.
They had heard of the Bisi Volcanic Cluster's danger but never that anyone lived inside it.
"The Bifield family?" A deep voice came from within the volcanic cluster, causing the entire volcano to tremble slightly. "Come in."
With that, a passage suddenly split open on the surface of the volcanic spring.
Inigo took a deep breath and walked toward the passage. The two high-level gods behind him were stunned.
"Hurry up and follow," Inigo ordered in a low voice.
"Yes, young master." The two immediately followed Inigo into the passage.
According to the rules of the Infernal Realm, becoming a Seven-Star Demon entitled one to challenge a Sovereign. Defeating a Sovereign would allow one to inherit the Sovereign's position. The former Sovereign would either die in battle or abdicate... Through repeated challenges and battles, the Infernal Realm naturally harbored many reclusive experts.
These reclusive experts were either former Sovereigns, Seven-Star Demons, or powerful individuals who had no interest in vying for the Sovereign's position.
But without exception, their strength was terrifying.
Ordinary people in the Infernal Realm had no idea of their existence, but some ancient families knew that certain reclusive, fearsome experts should never be provoked.
These two subordinates also realized: "It seems this Bisi Volcanic Cluster hides a peerless expert."
In the dim passage, the three continued deeper.
Suddenly—
"Hisss—" The stone walls beside the passage crumbled into countless fragments and burst forth!
"Ah!" "Ah!"
The two high-level gods were riddled with countless stone fragments, their divine sparks struck multiple times. They were instantly annihilated, body and soul!
Inigo's expression remained unchanged, thinking to himself: "I didn't expect that after all these years, Lord Asquain's pet is still as my father described. Hmph, these two will make fine food for Lord Asquain's pet."
Moments later—
Inigo reached the end of the passage. Following an underground lava river, he arrived at the volcanic cluster's core. The core was a vast, empty cavern, and at its center lay a blazing golden lava lake.
"I didn't expect such a sinister thing underground." Inigo's face changed.
"Gurgle, gurgle—" The golden lava churned continuously.
Inigo's facial muscles twitched twice, and he quickly left the area along the path. He arrived at a luxurious, spacious underground hall. At the deepest part of the hall, a figure shrouded in a black robe sat on a throne, holding a golden-furred cat in his arms.
Inigo immediately bowed and said, "Inigo Bifield pays homage to Lord Asquain, and on behalf of my father, sends his regards."
"Mm." The figure in the black robe responded indifferently. "Inigo, your father has mentioned you. What brings you to me this time?"
Inigo smiled slightly and said, "Lord Asquain, I recently spent a long time leading over a hundred high-level gods on a major endeavor. But in the end, after spending a fortune and losing many subordinates, I still failed."
"Get to the point!" The figure in the black robe snorted in displeasure.
Inigo quickly replied, "Yes, I'll be direct. Some time ago, the Boy family collapsed, but two old servants of their family fled with the Boy family's immense wealth accumulated over countless years. I've been monitoring them, even chasing them from the Bifu Continent to here. Finally, I've found them!"
"The Boy family?"
The black-robed figure was finally stirred. "You mean the Boy family, which was on par with your Bifield family?"
"Yes," Inigo nodded.
The black-robed figure let out a cold, sinister laugh. "Haha, Inigo, the Boy family's wealth is an astonishing sum. Such a good opportunity, and you come to me? Why not go back to your Bifield family? I can't help but doubt your intentions."
Inigo quickly explained, "Lord Asquain, there are two reasons I didn't seek my family's help."
"First, to find experts in my family, I'd have to return to Liang'an Prefecture in the Bifu Continent. The distance is too great, and I might lose track of the target along the way." Inigo continued, "As for the second reason, I'm not afraid to admit it, Lord Asquain."
Inigo laughed self-deprecatingly. "Lord Asquain, you know that my elder brother is the family's eldest son and will inherit the position of family head. As for me, I'll probably be sent to some remote place in the future, with far less power than I have now."
The black-robed figure chuckled darkly. "You're quite clever, boy. Alright, tell me about the Boy family. If I obtain this wealth, I won't treat you poorly."
Though immensely powerful, the wealth of a massive family was enough to tempt him.
"Uh, this..." Inigo hesitated.
The black-robed figure sneered, "I know what you're thinking. Fine, let's make a Sovereign's Contract. If I obtain the Boy family's wealth, I'll give you ten percent of it. How about that?"
The power of contracts was terrifying.
Contracts like the master-servant contract or equal contract between humans and magical beasts. Even metallic lifeforms were controlled through contracts.
The Sovereign's Contract was an extremely serious type of contract.
"Yes." Inigo was overjoyed. Ten percent of the wealth!
If he reported this to his family, they might reward him, but how much? This was the entire wealth of the Boy family. His family might give him a ten-thousandth at most. There was no way they'd give him ten percent!
Inigo and the black-robed figure immediately established the Sovereign's Contract.
"Hisss—"
Two streams of black light flew into the brows of Inigo and the black-robed figure, merging into their divine sparks and souls.
Only then did Inigo feel completely at ease. He smiled and said, "Lord Asquain, this time, the other side ostensibly arranged for two old servants to hire a group of demons. Now, one old servant is dead, leaving only one."
"Is the wealth with that old servant?" the black-robed figure asked.
Inigo shook his head. "Not necessarily, Lord Asquain. Among the hired demons, I saw someone who is very likely a member of the Boy family. I suspect... the wealth might be with him."
"Mingling with the demons?" the black-robed figure nodded slightly.
"Lord Asquain, rest assured. When the time comes, I'll follow you and point out that person," Inigo said quickly.
The black-robed figure said calmly, "Very well, Inigo. You handle the arrangements. Just notify me when needed." Inigo then respectfully withdrew.
After Inigo left, the black-robed figure stood up, revealing a pale face. Asquain smiled faintly to himself: "Since we've made a Sovereign's Contract, the boy wouldn't dare deceive me. It's worth making a trip."
Asquain had worried that Inigo might play tricks, but now there was no need for concern.
"Puslow, let's prepare to go out." Asquain stroked the fur of the little golden cat in his arms.
"Meow," the little golden cat responded.
The demons waited quietly outside the city.
"That kid is really hardworking, always training."
"Probably because he's encountered danger repeatedly and is afraid of death."
The three Edward brothers chatted and laughed softly among themselves, occasionally glancing at Linley, who was in the distance, testing his swordsmanship. Linley had been testing his swordsmanship for eighteen days straight. Over these eighteen days, he repeatedly experimented, constantly refining his ideas. Theory and practice were always somewhat different.
Linley swung his Purple Blood Soft Sword once more. As the sword slashed out, the blade's shadow blurred, seeming both infinitely fast and infinitely slow—a bizarre temporal illusion. With one slash, the space around it rippled sharply.
"Hisss—" The ground split open.
This was merely the effect of spatial fluctuations.
"That's it." Linley's eyes lit up. He was only using ten percent of his strength in this test, yet the power was already astonishing.
A smile spread across Linley's face. "Almost there. This technique, Phantom Shadow, is finally perfected! If I use full strength, especially combined with the immense power and speed of my Dragonform state, the power... will be dozens of times greater than this!"