Chapter 363 - Conversation

Chapter 363: Chapter 118 ConversationThe Teleportation Scroll was left behind by Earl Ci Pu as he departed, and it was imbued with ample magic power, essentially providing Lu Hong with a life-saving charm. Yet, in reality, considering that his opponent was Zun Long, this charm was nearly as good as a decoration; Zun Long was a Space Archmage, and the idea of safely opening a teleportation gate to escape in his presence was pure folly.

However, for the moment, it served as an excellent tool to leave the shattered plane.

As for where the destination was, he had no idea.

With his vision blurring for a moment, Lu Hong stepped onto the soft grass, finding himself amidst a boundless grassland, encircled by hundreds of Third Transition combatants standing at the ready.

Lu Hong swept his gaze around warily and refrained from any hasty actions. Since Ci Pu had made promises on behalf of Nuoshan, it was unlikely he would harm him.

True enough, in less than a minute, space beside Lu Hong ripped open and Duke Nuoshan crossed over, greeting Lu Hong with a friendly smile, "Baron Yitian, you’ve worked hard."

Lu Hong also let down his guard, "Your Grace, those are your generous words. It’s merely a small fry trying to survive."

The servants following Duke Nuoshan quickly pulled out a sunshade, two armchairs, a round table, a teapot, and other such items from a Space Ring.

Then, with a slight flick of Duke Nuoshan’s index finger, he dismissed all the surrounding fighters, explaining to Lu Hong, "These were intended to deal with Zun Long."

"But these men seem a bit lacking," Lu Hong bluntly said. "Zun Long is a super warrior at the Third Transition Peak. Your followers here, at best, seem to barely reach the Third Transition Level Ten, right?"

"True, but I didn’t have much of a choice," Nuoshan nodded and continued, "The Nuoshan family’s top warriors are all known to Zun Long. If they were to ambush him, we might succeed, but we might also fail. Success would be fine, but if we failed and Zun Long escaped back to the Xinlei family, Duke Xinlei would surely learn everything I’ve done in the dark. Then, not only Xinlei, but Chen Hui would pursue me, and Lei Shan, eager to expand, certainly wouldn’t miss the opportunity."

"Even so, these mid-to-late Third Transition warriors can’t solve the problem," Lu Hong said, taking the tea handed over by a servant and drinking it in one gulp. He felt a stream of refreshing energy flow into his heart, subtly nourishing his depleted vitality. It seemed the tea was not so simple.

Nuoshan smiled, "Isn’t that what I’m placing my bets on you for? Zun Long is a Space Archmage, if he had won completely, he wouldn’t have given you any chance to open a teleportation gate and flee. Therefore, if you were able to come here through the gate, Zun Long must be injured."

Good grief, Lu Hong curled his lips; Nuoshan had factored him into his plans: "Duke Nuoshan, you’re truly far-sighted. I admire that!"

"Haha," Nuoshan laughed, "Don’t be unhappy, you chose to collide with Zun Long yourself. I didn’t set this up; if anything, I’m helping you."

"Unfortunately, Zun Long didn’t die," Lu Hong said with slight regret. "I sealed him in the shattered plane, but he’ll break free in about half a month."

Upon hearing this, Nuoshan was momentarily stunned, also looking very regretful, "Then never mind, the chance is gone."

"What? Why not send someone to kill him?" Lu Hong asked, puzzled. Zun Long in petrification posed no defense; Lu Hong, with his vitality drained, wasn’t confident he could break the petrification and ensure Zun Long’s death, but the peak warriors of the Nuoshan family certainly could. The Raven would be the perfect candidate.

Nuoshan shook his head slightly, "The Xinlei family has mastered a secret technique, Time Retrospect. Although it’s not offensive, if this secret technique is cast on someone, upon that person’s demise, everything that happened in the last ten minutes prior to their death can be presented in a magical projection on Xinlei’s magic mirror. The Raven couldn’t circumvent this technique. Only you can kill him without implicating the Nuoshan family."

"Ten days..." The ultimate contest was seven days away, and within those seven days, Lu Hong would be unable to recover to his peak. The Heavenly God’s descent had lasted too long; he wouldn’t be able to use it again within this month. Meaning, he couldn’t kill the petrified Zun Long.

"Let’s let it go," Duke Nuoshan, a man of free spirit, said, "Let’s consider it his good luck and spare him. Without Zun Long’s return, Xinlei wouldn’t dare make a rash move. We just need to continue hiding Zun Long’s whereabouts. It might turn out to be a blessing in disguise."

"Then please have your people go to the shattered plane and take Zun Long away," Lu Hong said, channeling his Pure Steel Battle Energy to manifest the coordinates of the Seven Layers of Outsider Fragmented Planes, "This is where Xinlei used to hide the Lion Blood Group."

"My friend," Nuoshan smiled, "During your confrontation with Zun Long, that awe-inspiring slash made headlines in the Seven Layers of Outsider. Before Chen Hui could investigate, I had already ordered people to twist the surrounding space, hiding it beneath the Star Sea. No one can find it now. You don’t have to worry about this."

Crap?! Lu Hong was taken aback. Nuoshan had really arranged everything neatly. Being around someone like this made Lu Hong feel very insecure, always sensing that he might be manipulated at any moment. The promises that Ci Pu had originally brought now also felt somewhat unreliable.

Nuoshan seemed to have read Lu Hong’s thoughts and spoke up, "Young friend, there’s no need to worry. The internal forces within the Eagle Alliance are complex and intertwined. The four Dukes appear to be harmonious, but behind the scenes, there’s no telling how much undermining there is. If it were not for my thorough considerations, I fear the Nuoshan family would have long been ruined by Xinlei’s schemes."

"So it all comes down to Duke Xinlei being too sharp. Why doesn’t Your Grace join forces with the other two Dukes to eradicate her?"

"Hehe." Nuoshan took a sip of tea and said, "Young friend, don’t stir trouble. Duke Xinlei is, after all, a part of our alliance’s forces. To completely destroy her family would mean hurting the enemy by a thousand and ourselves by eight hundred. By then, it would be the Sacred Empire taking advantage of our alliance."

"But now is the opportunity!" Lu Hong was persistent and continued to persuade, "Look, the Sacred Empire is currently restrained by the sea race. Your Grace could join forces with Chen Hui and Lei Shan to eliminate the Xinlei family. Even if the loss is great, there’s no need to worry about threats from the Empire. Why doesn’t Your Grace seize this opportunity?"

"Young friend." Nuoshan took out a report from his pocket and pushed it toward Lu Hong, "The Empire has long ceased to be the Alliance’s number one enemy. This, right here, is!"

Opening the investigative report, every word and line sent shivers down Lu Hong’s spine.

An unknown, mysterious organization had called upon thirty super-powerful individuals, and within three months, they had made seventeen assassination attempts on the hidden Empire Tower Masters. Although they had failed, the Tower Masters had been significantly injured, with the White Tower at risk of falling at any moment, the Master of the Black Tower losing all combat ability temporarily reduced to helplessness, and the Master of the Green Tower sustain a strange sword wound that could not be healed by healing spells, causing their combat abilities to decline.

According to the investigation, even the Master of the Sky Tower was nowhere to be found; rumors had the Blue Tower Master appearing at the Dark Temple. By the time we arrived, the Blue Tower Master had vanished, and signs of a fierce battle were left in front of the Dark Temple. It was speculated that the Blue Tower Master was overwhelmed and captured alive by the mysterious powerful individual.

The investigative report given by Nuoshan mentioned many things, each of which was a major event that happened after Lu Hong’s arrival to the Eagle Alliance, filling in the gaps in Qing Ling’s investigations.

"Now you should understand, right?" After Nuoshan allowed him to finish reading the report, he spoke in a solemn voice, "Who would have thought that under the Star Sea, such a powerful force lay hidden, capable of hunting the Empire Tower Masters. Following this logic, the three Guardians of our Alliance would not be their match either."

"If that’s the case, why doesn’t Your Grace unite with the Empire to fight against this mysterious force?" Danni was severely injured, news that made Lu Hong incredibly anxious as if he wished he could sprout wings and fly to her side.

"The Empire also faces crises. I even can’t stop a crusade, how can we negotiate for the Alliance to join hands with the Empire?" Nuoshan said helplessly, "When this message was sent back to the Alliance, Xinlei made up her mind to obtain powerful secrets from the Great Bright Realm."

The Great Bright Realm!

Lu Hong’s brows furrowed, "So, you mean to say you’re all aware of the ancient demon hidden in the Great Bright Realm?"

Nuoshan nodded, "The Holy Court widely accepts believers, and it’s not hard to plant a few of our own people there. If I can know, so can they. At that day’s meeting, I subtly probed them. While they seemed completely unaware on the surface, their expressions did not show the slightest peculiarity, they were simply feigning ignorance. Even Lei Shan probably has his own special channels, having placed informants within certain families to steal information."

"You are courting death." Knowing there is an ancient demon in the Great Bright Realm and still stubbornly wanting to break the seal—isn’t that a death wish?

Faced with Lu Hong’s rebuke, Nuoshan countered, "But what if we could join hands to subdue this ancient demon?"

"With the enemy’s strength close to the Heavenly God Realm, what will you use to subdue it?" What a joke!

"As long as it is not a god, there are times when it will be exhausted." Nuoshan spoke indifferently, "As long as we capture this creature and find out the secret to its millennia of immortality, the Eagle Alliance will undoubtedly become the only force under Star Sea."

At that moment, the aged Nuoshan revealed a sharpness that had been hidden.

Indeed, after all, Nuoshan was one of the leaders of the Eagle Alliance. If he could make it stronger, why would he let go of such an opportunity?

As for why Nuoshan was delaying the breaking of the seal, he must have other plans, but those, he surely wouldn’t disclose to Lu Hong.

"That’s enough." Nuoshan lightly patted the table and, with the help of his servants, stood up and smiled at Lu Hong, "Someone will take the young friend to rest shortly. Before the final battle of the Eagle’s Conquest begins, I hope you won’t wander about aimlessly, to avoid mishaps."

It was unclear whether this was well-meaning advice or a veiled warning from Nuoshan, but Lu Hong nodded in acknowledgment.

Just then, he saw a black crow flying from afar in the sky.

Alright, it was clear—it was a warning.