Chapter 11: So It Was Him
The sea surged. The green-haired man 'Gan Mengting' and the second chief 'Daiman' stood in mid-air, looking indifferently at Linley and his group.
"It's the leader of the Knife Blade Island." The mercenary 'Aichi' recognized Daiman at a glance. The others also identified him, and this realization made their hearts sink—Daiman, as the second chief of Knife Blade Island, was undoubtedly formidable.
Yet at this moment, Daiman seemed to be following the green-haired man like a subordinate.
"Boss, we're in trouble," Bebe transmitted mentally.
"Don't rush. Let's see what happens," Linley replied calmly, gazing at Gan Mengting. Linley's current strength was enough to contend with an average Six-Star Demon. Most importantly... Linley also had the power of a Sovereign. If he used that to attack, even a Seven-Star Demon would not be a threat!
"Hey. Leader of Knife Blade Island. I've forgotten your name, but didn't you run away last time? Why are you back?" The bearded 'Beitz' shouted discontentedly. "What, we spared your life last time, and instead of being grateful, you bring people here? Fine. Today, I'll finish you off."
Gan Mengting and Daiman remained silent.
Gan Mengting's green-glowing eyes swept over Linley's group. He carefully observed each person, trying to identify who the rumored expert might be. Frowning, he thought: "Apart from two Highgods, there doesn't seem to be a third Highgod!"
In the last battle, Bofei had lost his Highgod clone and was now only a Demigod.
There were only two Highgods in the entire group: one was Delia, the other was Beitz.
"This is bad." Gan Mengting, a powerhouse who had entered the Abyssal Realm, would not be careless. "This hidden expert—I can't even see through him. It seems his strength is not inferior to mine. At the very least, his ability to conceal his aura is impressive."
Gan Mengting's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision.
"Daiman. Which one is the soul mutant you mentioned?" Gan Mengting transmitted mentally to Daiman.
Daiman's only task today was to point out the soul mutant. He looked at Olivier and transmitted: "Lord Gan Mengting, it's that man with the black-and-white mixed hair, wearing the gray robe."
Gan Mengting's gaze immediately fell on Olivier, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.
Linley and the others were puzzled. These two had shattered their metallic lifeform and appeared, yet they stood there without saying a word—what were they plotting?
"Hey, green-skinned guy! You two are blocking our way—what do you want? Say it quickly! We don't have time to waste with you!" Bebe, wearing a straw hat, shouted boldly at Gan Mengting without fear.
Gan Mengting laughed.
"Hahaha..." Gan Mengting let out a piercing laugh, which eerily echoed within a few hundred meters around them, yet was completely silent beyond that range. The laughter drilled directly into the minds of Linley and his group.
"It's the 'Sound Mystery' of the Wind Elemental Laws," Linley judged instantly.
This Sound Mystery was a fusion of the 'Sound Wave' and 'Music' profound mysteries. Linley had already mastered it. Gan Mengting had launched a sudden attack, but clearly, the power of his laughter was not too great.
"So uncomfortable." Aichi, Taimu, and others clutched their heads.
Linley, Bebe, Delia, and Olivier were in better shape.
Gan Mengting glanced at those unaffected by the laughter, then smiled and said, "Everyone. I am Gan Mengting! I came here today only to take one person. I don't want to harm the others, and I hope no one will stop me."
Take one person?
Linley was puzzled: "Among us, who is worth a powerhouse of this level?" For Daiman to serve him, Gan Mengting's strength definitely surpassed Daiman's—likely a Six-Star Demon, or even a Seven-Star Demon.
"Take one person. Take who?" Bebe asked.
"Yeah, who do you want to take?" Aichi also inquired. Everyone felt uneasy, worried that they might be the target.
Gan Mengting smiled and said, "The person I want to take is him." As he spoke, he extended his right hand and pointed at Olivier!
Instantly, everyone turned to look at Olivier!
"Me?" Olivier's expression changed, disbelief in his eyes. He had only been in the Infernal Realm for a few hundred years and hadn't offended any strong experts—why would someone want to take him?
"Olivier!" Bebe exclaimed.
Linley and Delia frowned, while Aichi, Taimu, and the other Demigods breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why does this person want to take Olivier?" Linley's mind raced. Olivier had spent most of his time in the Infernal Realm with Linley in the Amethyst Mountains, never encountering any supreme experts. The only special thing about Olivier was—
His soul mutation!
"Could it be that he wants to take Olivier because he's a soul mutant?" Linley speculated inwardly.
"Hey, why do you want to take Olivier? Olivier is one of us. You can't just take him away—that's absolutely impossible!" The bearded 'Beitz' snorted. Beitz's words brought a surge of joy to Linley, Bebe, and the others.
"This Beitz is a decent person," Linley thought to himself.
Gan Mengting laughed heartily and said, "Oh, so this one is called Olivier. Let me make it clear to you..." His gaze swept over Linley's group, gradually turning cold. "Olivier must come with me today. Anyone who tries to stop me will face only one outcome—death!"
Gan Mengting's green-glowing eyes, purple lips, and icy voice sent a chill through everyone's hearts.
"Using the Sound Mystery again," Linley thought. "This person uses the Wind Elemental Laws at every opportunity."
Seeing that Aichi and the other Demigods seemed frightened, Gan Mengting smiled again and said, "Of course, if you don't stop me, I won't kill you. Now, I'll give you all a chance—except for Olivier, everyone else can leave safely. You may go!"
"Go?" The Demigod demons hesitated.
"I'll count to ten. If anyone is still here by then, they'll be my enemy. And the result will be—" Gan Mengting suddenly produced a green-glowing serpentine longsword in his hand. He casually and indifferently swung it to the side. The sword's shadow blurred instantly, and the entire world seemed to fill with beautiful music.
"Whoosh!"
A large 'crack' suddenly appeared in space, and countless wind blades carried by the sword shadow charged like a thousand troops into the sea below. "Boom!" The sea surface shook, and in an instant, a depression dozens of meters deep formed in the water within a few hundred meters. Moments later, the surrounding seawater surged back, creating a roaring wave.
Aichi, Taimu, Webern, and the other Demigods turned pale. Linley, Beitz, and the others also grew serious. The Infernal Realm was extremely stable—being able to tear a crack in it fully demonstrated Gan Mengting's terrifying strength.
"One!" Gan Mengting said with a smile. "Two, three..." He counted at a steady pace, his voice not loud but striking like a heavy hammer against the hearts of the Demigod demons.
The Demigod demons exchanged glances, hesitating.
"Don't waste your lives for me," Olivier said bitterly.
The mercenary Aichi was the first to turn to Olivier and apologize, "Sorry." Then he flew away. Once Aichi left, the other Demigod demons also flew off one by one. By the time Gan Mengting counted to 'eight', Bofei and Webern had also left. They were all Demigod demons and could offer no help here.
"Nine!" Gan Mengting's gaze swept over the remaining five. "Everyone, if you don't leave now, you won't get another chance." But the five ignored him.
"Ten!"
Gan Mengting reached ten. Still, five people remained: Linley, Delia, Bebe, Olivier, and Beitz!
Aichi, Taimu, Webern, and the other seven had flown to a distance, watching from two or three miles away. Aichi said quietly, "Don't worry too much. I suspect that the mysterious expert who set up the Blackstone Castle is one of Linley, Bebe, or Olivier. If that expert acts, they might be able to defeat Gan Mengting!"
The other six held onto this hope. In the Infernal Realm, few chose to walk into death willingly.
Their choice was understandable.
"I wonder which of them is that expert," Webern murmured.
"I hope he can defeat Gan Mengting," Bofei added.
At this moment, on the boundless Stellar Sea, Linley's group of five hovered above the sea surface, facing off against Gan Mengting and Daiman.
After counting to ten, Gan Mengting was displeased. Earlier, he had used the 'Sound Mystery' laughter to test Linley's group and suspected that the hidden expert was among the few before him. But now, none of them had left. His counting from one to ten had been useless—whether the seven Demigods left or not didn't matter to him.
What Gan Mengting truly wanted was for the hidden expert to leave!
He wanted to avoid a fight if possible. After all, he couldn't identify the expert's identity. Gan Mengting even wondered: "Could this hidden expert be a Seven-Star Demon? When they repelled the Knife Blade Island forces, did they hide their true strength?"
"Hmph. Whoever you are, hiding and skulking—you can't be that strong."
Gan Mengting, holding the serpentine green longsword, grinned and said, "I didn't expect the four of you to be so loyal, willing to die for this Olivier. Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish one by one." He smiled at Beitz. "You're pretty strong. I'll deal with you first."
Beitz's expression shifted slightly.
"Linley, if you don't act now, I'm leaving," Beitz transmitted mentally. "I'm no match for this guy!"
"Gan Mengting!"
A voice rang out, and a figure suddenly appeared in front of Beitz. The figure was covered in blue-gold dragon scales, dazzling under the blood-red sunlight, with dark golden eyes fixed on Gan Mengting. It was Linley in his transformed state!
"Gan Mengting. Leave today. I don't want to fight you," Linley said.
This battle, Linley wasn't entirely confident. If it came to it, he would have to use the power of a Sovereign, which he was reluctant to waste.
"So it was you!" Gan Mengting was startled, staring at Linley in surprise. Then he laughed loudly. "I didn't expect there to be a core disciple of the Four Divine Beasts Clan among you. I am Gan Mengting. And you are?"
"Linley!" Linley replied coldly and directly.
"Haha. Linley." Gan Mengting laughed heartily. "I came here today not for myself, but for my Lord Commander."
"Commander?" Linley's heart trembled, recalling the scene in the Amethyst Mountains with the purple beast. "Back then, that purple beast said he was a commander in the Abyssal Realm." A commander of the Abyssal Realm—Linley had never understood what that position meant.
But from the purple beast's strength, Linley could still infer.
"As a member of the Four Divine Beasts Clan, you surely wouldn't interfere with my Lord Commander's affairs, would you?" Gan Mengting said with a faint smile. He was confident—even the Patriarch of the Four Divine Beasts Clan would likely not want to offend his commander. He smiled at Linley.
"Gan Mengting, please leave," Linley said coldly.