Chapter 40: The Red Diamond Crystal, Appears!
Like a bolt of lightning, it streaked across the sky in an instant.
Clementine’s eyes were filled with wild joy: “Haha, I never expected that among the nine Paragons, I would be the first to discover it! Lionheart City—those three words were meant to hint at that story. To hint that the Red Diamond Crystal was hidden inside the body of a Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast.” Clementine was now absolutely certain.
Just moments ago, Clementine had spread his divine sense, searching the entire plane for Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beasts.
On the O’Brien Plane, there were a total of twelve Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beasts. Except for two that lived together, the other ten were all scattered. Checking the bodies of these twelve magical beasts was naturally quite easy. In just a short while, Clementine had thoroughly examined all twelve Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beasts.
Sure enough!
In the icy peaks and snowy regions of the northern Beast God Continent, three Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beasts lived. Among them, the strongest and largest one had a space ring inside its body!
If he had left the mansion immediately upon returning, the other Paragons would have easily suspected the place he had just visited. So Clementine waited an extra hour. Even so, the other Paragons might still figure it out. But Clementine couldn’t wait any longer, and he was also fully confident.
“Hmph, by the time those eight react, I’ll probably already be at the icy peaks. And in terms of speed alone, I rank among the top of the nine. I’ll get there first, and they won’t catch up even if they chase me later. Once the Red Diamond Crystal is in my hands, they won’t have a chance to get it.” Clementine was brimming with confidence.
As a Light-type Paragon, he was naturally skilled in speed!
A beam of light shot straight toward the frozen snowy region of the Beast God Continent.
Inside the library of the Warrior-Magic Academy.
Dozens of thick books were piled up nearby, all of them covering various aspects of Lionheart City. As the imperial capital, there were countless stories about Lionheart City! Among those books, some told of the countless heroes of Lionheart City over the ages, some recounted rumored secrets from the imperial palace, some specifically introduced the Warrior-Magic Academy, and some narrated the tales of the founding emperor…
Too many to count.
Linley and Bebe had no idea what special meaning the three words “Lionheart City” alone held. So they could only read these books, hoping that when they came across a certain story, something would click and they could guess the secret.
“Hmm?” Linley frowned, and Bebe couldn’t help but glance at him.
“Why is Clementine leaving Lionheart City?” Linley murmured.
“Clementine is leaving Lionheart City?” Bebe’s eyes widened. “Boss, Lionheart City is tied to the Red Diamond Crystal. Why would Clementine leave?”
“Logically, he shouldn’t leave,” Linley said, frowning. “Unless…”
“Unless he knows the true secret behind the three words ‘Lionheart City.’ He knows that the Red Diamond Crystal isn’t inside Lionheart City at all!” Bebe said quickly.
“Exactly. That’s the only explanation.” Linley nodded.
“Boss, aren’t we going to chase him? If he gets the Red Diamond Crystal first, what do we do?” Bebe urged anxiously.
Linley shook his head with a smile. “Calm down. Now isn’t the time to panic.”
“Not the time?” Bebe stared wide-eyed.
“Tell me, even if we chase him now, what good would it do? He hasn’t gotten the Red Diamond Crystal yet. How would we know where to go to get it?” Linley said.
Bebe was taken aback.
That was true. They didn’t know where the Red Diamond Crystal was. What was the point of just chasing Clementine?
“Besides, Clementine is heading north. Even if he gets the Red Diamond Crystal, he’ll have to take a long detour to reach the teleportation array to the Misty Continent. We can intercept him midway,” Linley said. “Clementine doesn’t know my true strength yet. ‘A Paragon is invincible among gods’—that’s an old rule. After he gets the Red Diamond Crystal, he’ll probably head to the teleportation array alone.”
If Linley were just an ordinary Paragon, Clementine would have nothing to fear.
“What do we do now?” Bebe was stunned.
“Sit here and read these books,” Linley said calmly.
“Oh.” Bebe could only force himself to stay calm and hold back.
“Clementine…” Linley’s gaze was cold and piercing, with occasional flashes of icy light. He seemed calm on the surface, but could he truly be calm? Delin Kewart had taught Linley since childhood, acting as both his teacher and his grandfather. Though his father was important, Hogarth hadn’t spent much time with Linley.
But Grandpa Delin had always been with Linley, guiding him… In Linley’s heart, Grandpa Delin’s status was on par with his father’s.
Especially Grandpa Delin’s death—it was a wound deep in Linley’s soul.
He wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice even one or two avatars, or even risk his life, to bring Grandpa Delin back. That showed just how much the Red Diamond Crystal meant to Linley.
“At all costs, the Red Diamond Crystal…” Linley’s divine sense was locked onto Clementine flying in the distance, but Clementine himself didn’t notice Linley—he only noticed the other seven Paragons. To avoid arousing Clementine’s suspicion, Linley occasionally used Sovereign’s power to probe, making the other Paragons think he was just checking in randomly.
“Boss, boss!” Bebe suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
“What is it?” Linley was startled.
“Boss, look at this story. Quick, look!” Bebe excitedly handed Linley the book he had opened. On the right page was an illustration showing a Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast being ripped open from the inside by a human.
Linley’s eyes swept over it, and he finished reading the story in an instant.
“A Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast, clutching its shattered heart, tearing out from its belly? That’s the origin of Lionheart City?” Linley felt as if struck by lightning.
Linley and his group had been wondering which creature the Red Diamond Crystal was hidden inside. Checking one by one would be like searching for a needle in a haystack—how long would that take?
But upon seeing this story, the Paragons would likely all realize the truth.
Linley and Bebe were jolted awake.
“Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast!” Linley’s divine sense instantly swept across the northern region of the Beast God Continent. Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beasts loved cold environments, and in the icy peaks of the Beast God Continent, there were three of them. In an instant, Linley examined all three.
Inside one of the Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beasts was a space ring.
“That’s it!”
Linley stood up abruptly, his eyes blazing like fire. “Bebe, let’s go!”
“Let’s go.” Seeing the story, Bebe had also guessed the secret.
Immediately, Linley and Bebe vanished from the Warrior-Magic Academy’s library with a flicker, then transformed into a streak of green light, speeding fiercely northward.
“Linley is leaving too? Have they all discovered the secret?”
The Wind-type Paragon, Bayer, also flew out of Lionheart City in an instant.
Not just Bayer—the other six Paragon-level experts no longer hesitated. They all flew out of Lionheart City, heading in the direction of Linley and Clementine. The three words “Lionheart City” were tied to the secret of the Red Diamond Crystal. Logically, they shouldn’t have left the city. But in just one day, Clementine had left! This had already made the other Paragons suspicious and doubtful. Then, after a while, Linley had also left Lionheart City.
Two consecutive departures greatly shook the other seven Paragons.
So, they all rushed after them.
Linley and Bebe flew at high speed through the sky of the Beast God Continent.
“Boss, aren’t you going at your fastest speed?” Bebe urged anxiously. Even at this point, Linley was only using Wind-type Sovereign’s power, not his fused divine power. Using Wind-type Sovereign’s power, Linley’s speed was about the same as the other Paragons. This was Linley hiding his strength! But at a time like this, why still hide it?
“If my speed suddenly increases several times, they’ll definitely get suspicious and alarmed. That could cause problems,” Linley transmitted. “The most important thing is that Clementine started flying much earlier than us. He’s already entered the icy peaks. Even if I increase my speed several times, I can’t reach that Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast before him.”
Even at top speed, he couldn’t catch up, so it was better to keep his strength hidden for now.
If Linley didn’t reveal his power, Clementine would still believe that a Paragon was invincible among gods. Then Linley would surely find an opportunity.
If Clementine learned of Linley’s true strength, he would take precautions, and Linley’s chance to seize the Red Diamond Crystal would be slim.
“Clementine has already reached the location of that Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast,” Linley thought, feeling some anxiety inside. But to get the Red Diamond Crystal, he had to stay calm.
This was the coldest region of the Beast God Continent, covering an extremely vast area, spanning tens of millions of miles. Legend had it that in these icy peaks lived ancient races like the Ice Giants, as well as terrifying cold-attribute Saint-level magical beasts like the Deep Sea Lion Beast, the Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast.
This place was rarely visited by humans.
Even experts on trials rarely came here—it was simply too cold.
Snowflakes swirled, and the wind howled like knives.
A Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast, the size of a small mountain, was lying in a large cave on a towering iceberg. As a top-tier magical beast, no other magical beast dared to come within a hundred miles of it.
“Whoosh.”
A beam of light shot down from the sky into the cave.
Thick, long white breath shot from the Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast’s nostrils like two pillars of mist. Its huge silver eyes stared at the newcomer—a blond man in a loose white robe, Clementine.
“Who are you?” The Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast sensed that the visitor was extraordinary.
Clementine smiled and spread his divine sense, completely sealing off the surroundings. With a Paragon’s divine sense, if Clementine deliberately blocked it, the other Paragons couldn’t penetrate the barrier to see what was happening inside.
“Did a god-level expert once give you a space ring?” Clementine asked. As he spoke, he released his aura.
A wave of pressure burst forth!
The Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast trembled, its four legs buckling as it knelt. It stared in terror at Clementine. Earlier, Clementine had suppressed his aura, but now that he released it, the Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast felt like an ant before a dragon.
“Yes, my master once gave me a space ring,” the Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast quickly said. At the same time, it opened its mouth, and a black, gleaming space ring flew out.
Some magical beasts stored items inside their bodies.
Like dragons, or some massive magical beasts, they had a stomach-like organ inside them for storing items. They usually kept things inside their bodies and rarely used space rings, unless they took human form.
“Actually, the space ring isn’t very useful to me. If you want it, sir, I’m happy to offer it to you,” the Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast said, quickly canceling its ownership. It had never been so terrified before.
The pressure from this person was thousands or even tens of thousands of times stronger than its original master. The Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast even felt that this person was like the infinite universe itself—a single thought could kill it.
“Then I’ll take it.” Clementine took the space ring, immediately performed a blood oath to claim ownership, and then scanned it with his divine sense.
“This…” A hint of wild joy appeared in Clementine’s eyes.
Sure enough…
The space ring was empty except for one item—a Red Diamond Crystal. The life force emanating from the Red Diamond Crystal was clearly detectable by Clementine’s divine sense.
“Haha, it’s done at last. Hmph, eight people competing with me, but it’s still mine.” Clementine smiled slightly, then vanished in a flash, heading swiftly toward the Misty Continent.
Clementine had actively blocked his divine sense, so the other seven Paragons couldn’t see anything. But Linley had witnessed the entire scene clearly. Especially Clementine’s ecstatic expression, which confirmed Linley’s certainty.
“Whoosh!”
Immediately, the seven Paragons, along with Linley and Bebe, slightly adjusted their flight paths, intending to intercept Clementine midway.
“Clementine must have gotten the Red Diamond Crystal! We can’t let him escape!” a deep voice transmitted into the minds of Linley and the others.
“Before Clementine set up his divine sense barrier, I checked that Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast. There was indeed a space ring inside its body. But now… it’s gone. Clementine must have taken it,” Linley transmitted to the other seven Paragons. “Everyone, spread out and surround him from different directions. Don’t let him get away!”
The other Paragons immediately responded.
At this moment, they were all working together to block Clementine!
Eight streaks of light scattered, streaking across the sky to intercept that single beam of light.