Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At the Saint Temple.
Zhao Tianyin, who had somehow managed to survive, awakened in confusion from a near-death coma.
An excruciating stabbing pain spread from his chest all over his body, making him quickly regain consciousness. His eyes opened wide abruptly and he screamed, “I did not lose!”
Pow!
A heavy palm slapped his cheek and a cold voice filled his ears. “You’re awake?”
Zhao Tianyin stared at the man before him and sobered up immediately. “Temple Master!”
The Temple Master’s face had an icy, dreary look. “Humph! Do you still have any regard left for me?”
“You didn’t listen to me in the arena, and you used the forbidden technique twice. Didn’t you know that the Saint Lady Temple Mistress and the Wang Clan Master could become suspicious? And did you know that the Sect Master could be watching at that time?!”
The Temple Master looked murderous. “I kept reminding you that practicing the forbidden technique of the wizards is a severe act of defiance and that once you were discovered, you would die a horrible death! Yet you were so consumed with pride that you used the forbidden technique twice!”
Zhao Tianyin argued, “But if I hadn’t done that, how could I defeat Su Yu? If I didn’t defeat him, how were we supposed to oppress the Saint Lady Temple?”
Pow!
Another slap was the response he received.
“Humph! You only thought of yourself,” the Temple Master berated him coldly. “Do you think I’m stupid? You just couldn’t bear the fact that Su Yu was stronger than you, hence you took the risk!”
Zhao Tianyin looked unrepentant. Stubbornness and arrogance were embedded in his bones.
Seeing that, the Temple Master said with disdain and sarcasm, “You think you really are an outstanding talent just because people compliment you?”
“Your strength was forcibly enhanced by practicing the forbidden technique, but in terms of true ability, you are no better than Wang Qingchen! You had better curb that pride of yours in front of me. Without me helping you with your practice of the forbidden technique, you would be no more than a puddle of slosh now!”
Zhao Tianyin’s face fell, a pallor creeping into his cheeks. His fists were tightly clenched, and his eyes blinked furiously.
Pow!
Another deafening slap hit his face, making his head spin.
“Kneel!”
With grievance in his eyes, Zhao Tianyin clenched his fists even more tightly. However, eventually, he rolled over, bent his knees, and touched the ground with his forehead.
The Temple Master questioned, “What now? Did you think you were so clever that you could defy me? Remember, all that you have, I have given it to you. If I felt like it, I could evict you from here anytime!”
With his head hanging low, Zhao Tianyin said, “Yes, sir.”
Only then did the expression of the Temple Master’s face soften. “Now you have a mission to execute. Take this item to the Black Forest beyond Fan City. It will deliver you to a location where a person will be waiting for you. Just hand this item to him.”
It was a sealed scroll, which contained the Temple Master’s sorcery energy. Only a force greater than his could open it.
Even if opened by force, the sorcery energy within it would detonate and destroy the scroll, so that it would never fall into the hands of outsiders.
“Yes, sir.” Zhao Tianyin accepted the scroll.
“Set off now. This can’t be delayed.”
Zhao Tianyin got up and left the great hall immediately.
The moment he left, an icy gleam flickered in the depths of his eyes.
The Black Forest sprawled between the Saint Capital and Fan City. Numerous wild beasts, among them powerful Level Three creatures, roamed it.
Ordinary wizards had slim chances of returning alive if they ventured alone into the heart of the Black Forest without the protection of powerful men.
However, on that day, two exceptionally handsome young men were strolling amidst the foliage in a leisurely manner, like two fairies from Heaven touring the mortal world.
“Brother Su, ahead of us is the military station set up by Fan City within the Black Forest. Quick-flying wild beasts, the wizard phoenixes, roam the place. It could help us save a lot of time and unnecessary trouble,” Xueying said.
Su Yu said, “I’ll just follow your arrangements.”
As Su Yu had listened to Xueying along the way and followed the route he planned, they had encountered very few wild beasts.
Su Yu felt that they had avoided the greater portion of the wild beasts’ territories. Xueying was, as the Saint Lady had said, familiar with the Fan City area.
Su Yu trusted him as well.
Xueying nodded, hints of uncanny delight flickering in his bright eyes.
Swish!
A while later, the two of them reached the station.
It was, in fact, more like a village in the forest than a military station.
Powerful restrictive barriers isolated the station from the dangerous Black Forest, prohibiting the entry of wild beasts.
Su Yu cast a glance at the station. It was quite populous. Most of the soldiers from Fan City were garrisoned here.
Another half of the people in the station were various wizards. Judging from the way they were dressed, they came from different clans and territories.
Xueying explained with a smile, “Although the wild beasts in the Black Forest are dangerous, their furs, bones, organs, and even souls are some of the greatest treasures in the practice of wizardry.”
“Because of that, many wizards from all over the Lost Nation venture into the Black Forest to take the risk and hunt for fierce beasts. However, the Black Forest is full of perils, with very few safe areas.”
“A station like this naturally became the top choice of a hunting camp for many wizards. That is why this place is so crowded.”
Su Yu thought about this. “Wasn’t the station supposed to be a military camp of Fan City, a private location? Wasn’t it a major breach of secrecy to allow civilians to go in and out at will?”
Upon hearing that, Xueying smiled bitterly. “Do you think nobody has asked this question before?”
“To obtain resources, the Chu Clan of Fan City allows the wizards who enter the Black Forest to hunt for goods, on the condition that they give away a certain amount of resources as a tax. In the long run, disasters are bound to take place.”
Upon hearing that, Su Yu said, “Birds die for food, humans for wealth. Fan City will suffer from its own carelessness.”
Meanwhile, the two of them walked up to the outer perimeter of the military station.
The scouts patrolling the perimeter had already noticed the two of them. Upon ensuring that they weren’t demonic beasts in disguise, the guards relaxed and yelled, “You know the rules, right?”
Xueying retrieved two valuable beast bones and tossed them over to the scouts.
One of the scouts reached out and caught them, his eyes gleaming. “What a top-grade beast bone! This can be used to craft top-notch wizard tools. Alright, you may come in now.”
Su Yu could not help but shake his head at it. This level of defense was practically useless.
If anyone meant to harm the station, they would not find it very difficult.
“Hey, another one.” The moment Su Yu and Xueying set foot in the station, another wizard came from the Black Forest.
He was clad in a black robe that covered his face, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.
Without saying a word, he stepped forth and presented a valuable beast eye.
“Haha, another treasure! Get inside.”
Su Yu furtively glanced at the newcomer, and his eyes narrowed. Then he turned away, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Having noticed Su Yu’s suspicious glance, Xueying wanted to turn around to look as well, but Su Yu caught his arm and they scurried swiftly towards the buildings inside the station.
“Brother Su…” Xueying attempted to speak.
Su Yu made a gesture for him to keep quiet. Giving him a troubled look, Xueying hesitated for a second and fell silent, following Su Yu’s hint.
Before long, a figure in a black robe walked past the narrow alley where they stood motionless.
It took just one glance for Xueying to recognize the person, and surprise filled his eyes.
When the black-robed figure was completely out of sight, Xueying let out a long breath. “The Saint, Zhao Tianyin? Why is he here?”
Su Yu’s gaze turned solemn. “Is it unusual for the Saint to leave the Saint Temple?”
“It’s not unheard of, but definitely not usual! Without the permission of the Saint Temple, the Saint is not allowed to take a step out of the Saint Capital, and the same rule applies to the Saint Lady Temple.”
Su Yu was taken aback. “Is that so? This is not the first time the Saint has left the Saint Capital, however. Two years ago, he even left the Lost Nation and headed for the Ancient God Realm.”
Upon hearing that, Xueying was stunned. “How is that possible? Two years ago, the Saint Temple declared to the public that the Saint was training in isolation. How could he have been in the God Realm?”
After a moment, Su Yu went on. “During that time, I had incidentally discovered something.”
“Your Saint apparently bribed many God Realm citizens and soldiers so that they would help him collect souls in order to practice some forbidden technique of the Wizard Tribe.”
“Forbidden technique?” Xueying was baffled. “According to what I know, the sorcery of the Wizard Tribes was all inherited from the Wizard Ancestor. There are no forbidden techniques.”
Oh? Su Yu was slightly surprised.
If the forbidden technique that the Saint practiced was not of the Wizard Tribe, then what kind of technique was it?
“Shall we follow him?” Xueying asked.
Su Yu pondered for a moment and nodded. “We don’t have to follow him together. Just wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
With a shift of his thoughts, Su Yu concealed his form and scent and trailed Zhao Tianyin soundlessly.
Xueying’s bright eyes flickered and he muttered under his breath in shock, “His Divine Paths are getting more and more advanced! Back at the ruins of the Ice Sealed River, I could still see through his invisibility, but now I can’t see anything.”
How could he know that there was a Fragment of Law in Su Yu, merging into his body at all times?
Having experienced the refinement of the Law, his Divine Paths became even more concrete and profound, vaguely carrying hints of the Law. It was quite natural that Xueying couldn’t see through his disguise.
After following him for some distance, Su Yu found that Zhao Tianyin arrived at a concealed hut in a quiet area of the station.
Through his Transparent Eye, he saw Zhao Tianyin handing a sealed scroll to a mysterious man similarly dressed in a black robe.
The other man left the place without saying another word right after he received the scroll.
Zhao Tianyin lingered for another moment and then left as well.
When Su Yu returned to the alley, Xueying was leaning against the wall in boredom, twirling his hair around his finger as a girl would and humming to a brisk rhythm.
Su Yu stared at him in surprise. Xueying’s behavior looked very much like a female’s at that moment.
Xueying was startled by his Su Yu’s sudden reappearance. He yelped, and his voice sounded very feminine as well.
Suspicion flashed across Su Yu’s mind.
Xueying looked frantic for a moment, but he recovered his composure very quickly. His voice returned to normal as well. Concerned, he asked, “What did you discover?”
“Zhao Tianyin seems to have come here to meet up with someone. He handed something to another person,” Su Yu said.
Xueying mused for a moment. “Did you recognize the person he met?”
“No, he was all covered up. He seemed like a wizard to me, though,” Su Yu said.
Xueying contemplated this for a second and said, “Inform the Saint Lady Temple Mistress about this. Let them investigate. Let us not waste any more of our time on it.”
Soon after, the two of them left.
What they did not know was that soon after they were gone, a black-robed figure appeared at the same place where they were a moment ago, making no sound. His arrogant, domineering posture was quite typical of Zhao Tianyin.
He held a golden, shining miniature figure of a man in his hand. It looked very similar to the Sect Master’s Oracle.
The difference was that this object was not meant for delivering commands. Instead, it had a powerful ability to detect non-wizard creatures.
“Su Yu? What a surprising discovery!” Zhao Tianyin remarked coldly, his eyes blazing with hatred.
Having lost terribly in the Saint Lady Temple’s Son-in-Law Recruitment, the reputation he upheld over the years had crumbled and his confidence was all but gone.
It was all because of Su Yu!
“What a coincidence that I happened to run into you! In this case, I’m no longer in a hurry to get back to report about my task,” Zhao Tianyin muttered, his eyes glinting dangerously.
