Chapter 9: Boning
Above Tianshan Prefecture, a black sword-shaped metallic lifeform hovered in the air.
Linley, Olivier, and the other two stood inside the front section of the metallic lifeform, gazing through the transparent metal at the mountain range ahead.
"Yes, ahead is the Yushi Mountain Range!" Olivier's eyes lit up.
Throughout this journey, Olivier had been astonished by Linley's speed in controlling the metallic lifeform. In just one year, they had traveled from the Youlan Prefecture to the Tianshan Prefecture. He didn't know... that when Linley had traveled from the Netherworld's Jiuyou Domain to the Nether Mountains, covering tens of billions of miles, it had taken him less than ten years.
"Describe Dina's appearance," Linley said.
Olivier nodded. "Dina is slightly shorter than me, about up to my eyebrows. She has shoulder-length hair, dark green, almost black. In the castle within the Yushi Mountain Range, she is the mistress. It should be easy to find out."
"Mm," Linley nodded.
At the same time, the metallic lifeform dissipated directly. Linley and the other three stood in midair, with Olivier holding his son, Daiya's, hand.
"Wait a moment." Linley willed it, and his divine sense spread out, instantly covering most of the Yushi Mountain Range, naturally encompassing the castle as well.
There were 1,566 people in the castle, mostly men, with fewer women.
As for someone matching Olivier's description—shoulder-length hair, dark green—there was only one. On the balcony of a small building within the castle, a woman in a dark green robe stood quietly, gazing into the distance. She was the castle's mistress—Dina!
"Reya, my child... Mother is sorry for you," Dina whispered softly, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.
Ever since Olivier had stormed in over a decade ago and told her the news of Reya's death, Dina's hatred for Boning had only grown. Initially, she hated Boning for tearing apart her family; now, she hated him for breaking his promise and hunting down her son and husband, leading to Reya's death.
"Why did it come to this? How did things reach this point?" Dina closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Just then—
"Are you Dina, Olivier's wife?" A voice echoed in Dina's mind.
Startled, Dina snapped her eyes open.
"Who?" Dina quickly looked around but saw no one suspicious. The voice continued: "Don't worry or doubt. I am a friend of Olivier's. At his invitation, I've come to take you away."
Dina looked around but couldn't find the source of the voice. She calmed down and responded, "Yes, I am Dina! But I can't leave."
"Can't leave?"
"Yes, if I leave, the castle's lord, Boning, will surely kill Olivier and the others," Dina replied.
"He doesn't have that ability." A calm yet confident voice echoed in her mind.
Dina was about to speak again when a commotion arose in the distance. She looked out in confusion. On the castle walls, a group of guards flew up, shouting: "This is Daishi Castle! If you wish to enter, wait for us to announce you!"
The shouts continued, and some guards even flew forward with divine artifacts to block the intruders.
But four figures didn't stop, flying straight in.
"Olivier? Daiya?" Dina's eyes widened in shock.
Linley and the others advanced imposingly, ignoring the guards blocking their way. Most of the guards were only mid-level gods, with a few high-level gods. A wave of earthy yellow energy spread out, and the guards were flung aside like sand and stones washed away by a tidal wave.
"Huh?" Dina was astonished.
At that moment, the guards of the Yushi Mountain Range and Daishi Castle were shocked.
"Lord, those four are too strong. We can't stop them," the guards reported to a black-robed man.
The black-robed man's face changed. "It's Olivier!" Last time, Olivier had sneaked in and fought Boning, so many in Daishi Castle recognized him. The black-robed man quickly ordered, "Go find the lord immediately. He's elsewhere in the Yushi Mountain Range. Hurry!"
"Yes, Lord."
Immediately, twenty guards flew away from Daishi Castle to search for Boning.
"Four of you, please stop," the black-robed man called out loudly.
At the same time, a large number of guards gathered behind him, flying toward Linley and the others. Guards from all over the castle flew out to block them.
"Rumble—"
Linley and the others flew forward like a mountain pressing down. Any guards in their way were flung back by the earthy yellow energy. Linley and his group were unstoppable!
Seeing this, the black-robed man's face darkened. He could tell... the enemy was strong.
"If you don't want to die, stay back," BeBe shouted smugly.
"Four of you, if you advance further, we will attack," the black-robed man called out. But after witnessing what had just happened, he knew that killing them would be easy for the intruders. After all, killing a high-level god was simple, but pushing them back without harm—like Linley had done—was far harder.
Linley and the others flew directly toward Dina.
Dina watched the four figures approach, unstoppable against the castle's guards, and stood frozen.
"Mother!" Daiya was the first to shout, flying toward Dina. Olivier followed.
"Daiya." Dina's eyes reddened instantly. She rushed over and hugged her son. Though he had grown up, the familiar soul aura... Dina recognized it immediately.
"Dina," Olivier said softly.
Dina turned to look at Olivier. Without needing to throw herself into his arms, the couple was already overwhelmed with emotion and excitement.
Standing in midair, Linley and BeBe couldn't help but smile.
"Olivier, why have you come again?" Dina looked up at Olivier, her voice anxious. "You've been here before. You know Boning's strength. And Boning is domineering... It was lucky you escaped last time. This time, you... sigh!" Dina was deeply worried.
Boning was strong, and he had the backing of the Tianshan Prefecture Lord.
"Don't worry," Olivier said with a smile.
"Mother, don't worry. Uncle Linley is here," Daiya added. The cold, aloof boy had turned into a child again upon seeing his mother.
"Linley?" Dina looked up in confusion at Linley and BeBe hovering in the distance. "Them?"
"Mm," Olivier nodded with a smile.
"But behind Boning, his father is even more terrifying. He's not only the Tianshan Prefecture Lord but also a Sovereign's messenger. He even has a Sovereign artifact. He's very strong," Dina said quickly. In Hell, there were 108 Prefecture Lords, but not all of them had Sovereign artifacts.
Olivier thought of Linley's strength and smiled. A Sovereign artifact?
Even if someone had three Sovereign artifacts, against a Paragon, the Paragon couldn't be killed but could be banished into spatial turbulence.
"Uncle Linley is a Paragon," Daiya said.
"A... a Paragon?" Dina blinked in shock. The word "Paragon" stunned her. A Paragon... was a legendary existence. Among gods, they were invincible!
"Dina, where is that bastard Boning?" Olivier's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"He..." Dina hesitated but then said, "He went out to gather Mistblood Flowers. He should be somewhere in the Yushi Mountain Range."
"Mistblood Flowers? What are those?" Olivier asked, confused.
"Nothing special, just a type of flower," Dina said, clearly unwilling to elaborate. "Never mind that. We want to find Boning, but the Yushi Mountain Range is vast. How can we search?" High-level gods had a divine sense range of only a thousand meters. Searching a whole mountain range was impractical.
At that moment, Linley, high in the air, spoke up: "Olivier, I've already found the one called Boning."
Dina, Daiya, and Olivier all looked up at Linley in surprise.
"The castle's guards found this Boning..." Linley said with a faint smile. He had also overheard the conversation between the small squad and Boning, so he knew Boning's identity. In fact, it was easy to identify Boning. Although there were many people in the Yushi Mountain Range, Boning was accompanied by ten subordinates, all high-level gods.
In the Yushi Mountain Range, only Boning could command such a force.
"Follow me," Linley said with a faint smile.
Olivier immediately took Dina and Daiya and followed Linley and BeBe out of the castle. The castle's servants and guards could only watch helplessly as the mistress left, powerless to stop them.
In a certain area of the Yushi Mountain Range.
Boning was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, nearly two meters tall. His face was handsome, with thick black eyebrows and bright, piercing eyes. As he looked around, his domineering aura naturally emerged. At that moment, Boning was holding a flower. The flower appeared hazy and faintly red.
Mistblood Flowers were beautiful, but only for ornamental purposes.
"What did you say?" Boning's face changed.
"Lord, it's that Olivier. He's come again, and he brought people!" the guard quickly reported. "The people he brought are very strong. Our guards couldn't stop them at all. They stormed straight into the castle. We were ordered to inform you."
"Bastard!" Boning's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "That waste. I spared his life last time. Instead of running away, he dares to come back!"
"Follow me," Boning ordered.
"Lord!" The leader of Boning's personal guard, a cold-faced man with white eyebrows, urgently said, "Olivier saw your strength last time. If he dares to come again, he must be prepared. The guards said they couldn't stop his people... That person's strength might rival a Prefecture Lord. If you go, the consequences..."
Boning stopped.
He clenched his fists, bending the stem of the Mistblood Flower in his hand.
"Am I supposed to let them take my wife like this?" Boning was frantic.
"Lord, your life is more important. The lady... we should first find the Prefecture Lord and decide what to do," the guard advised.
But at that moment—
"Don't bother advising. It's too late." A calm voice echoed in everyone's minds.
"Huh?" Boning and the others' faces changed dramatically as they looked into the distance.
Five figures flew toward them at incredible speed. Boning immediately spotted Dina and Olivier, holding hands as if very close. Seeing this, Boning's blood rushed to his head. His face turned red, and his eyes glowed with rage. He pointed at the sky and roared, "Olivier, let go of my wife!"
"Your wife?" Olivier's eyes also burned with fury.
"Dina!" Boning roared angrily. "Have I ever disrespected you all these years? Why do you always act like this? You tell me to do this, and I do it. You tell me to do that, and I do it. You wanted to see Mistblood Flowers, so I personally led people across the mountains to find them! But you—"
Dina was stunned for a moment, then said coldly, "Boning, I am Olivier's wife, not yours! And you sent people to kill Reya... Do you think I could ever forgive you?"
"But, but you married me first!" Boning roared.
Dina just shook her head and said nothing more.
Boning looked down at the Mistblood Flower. He had searched the entire mountain range just to make Dina happy. When he found the flower, he had imagined her smiling.
"Haha, women... haha..." Boning laughed in fury.
"I, I give up!" Boning stared at Dina and Olivier. "You two are happy together, aren't you? Then I'll make you die together!"
"Boom!" A black halo spread from Boning's body.
PS: Chapter three is here. Continuing to write, chapter four is coming.