Unexpectedly, the Ice Dragon suddenly laughed in despair and slowly shook his head. "Yes. It is really not necessary to fight anymore." He looked up at Rody and said, "First, you killed Amu. After that, you killed Ni Lin. Even if I challenge you, you will just send me to my death."

Rody coldly said, "Although I do not like indiscriminate killing, you all have just killed all my men. No matter what, you will not escape today!"

By the time Rody finished his sentence, he had already stretched out his hand and placed it on Ice’s head.

The Ice Dragon smiled. He closed his eyes and waited for his death.

…

"Looks like he is still a stupid boy." Seth sighed. "If it was me, I would have spared the Dragon and take him in as a subordinate. It would be very interesting to have a Dragon as a pet. How could a dozen warriors be compared to a Dragon with the rank of a Paladin?"

Old Mark gave a bitter laugh and said, "Perhaps this is the biggest difference between you and him."

At that moment, a strange gloomy white light suddenly appeared at Rody’s palm that was on Ice’s head. The light looks white but yet was gloomy and cold.

Rody drew his scimitar. The scimitar flashed and after a grating sound, Ice's head shot to the sky. The strange thing was that not a single drop of blood came out. It was as if this Dragon did not have blood. The moment the head separated from the body, the corpse fell to the ground. The light in Rody’s hand then gradually dispersed.

Rody then flicked his wrist and retrieved the light, then held it in his hand. The light was kneaded into a ball. He then gently stroked the scimitar blade. Gradually, the light was pushed into the blade of the scimitar!

Seth had sharp eyes. He saw and then laughed, "Good! Good one! Swords and blades have souls too! He actually took the Dragon’s soul to refine it as the blade’s soul. Kill a Dragon and get an artifact! That Dragon’s soul would live on forever in that blade. It has become the soul of the blade. This is truly a sinister method!"

Old Mark sighed. "That Dragon’s soul is forever trapped in that blade! This is truly a cruel punishment."

Rody slowly looked at the blade as the light in it gradually subsided. Only the engraved dragon spell flashed with a strange light. Rody sheathed his sword. He then turned back to look at the Black Veil Saint and smiled, "Alright. It is done now."

The Black Veil Saint had long stood up and looked at Rody blankly. Rody had unexpectedly mastered domain power and instantly defeated three Dragons. His extraordinary strength not only shocked her, it made her feel confused as well. At that moment, Rody smiled gently at her, his face no longer the same as when she was in the Northwest. However, his warm eyes and sincere smile were the same as in the old days.

The Black Veil Saint suddenly called out softly and moved a few steps forward to hug Rody. Rody was astonished for a moment and did not know what to do. He instinctively held Mouse and whispered, "My body is all bloodied."

Mouse raised her head to see an embarra.s.sed face in close proximity. She smiled sweetly and said, "I don’t care."

The two of them hugged for a long time and their feelings surged. They thought back to the day they separated in the Northwest and also the day the Tulip flower bloomed in the night sky above the Thunder City. They embraced each other and forgot about their surroundings for a moment.

The sorcerer Yin Xing was in a dilemma. He had been watching the fight from a distance. What he initially thought of as a hopeless situation had suddenly turned around. The Radiant Empire’s envoy unexpectedly had terrifying strength. The three Paladins from the Temple could not even parry one strike from him. However, as the situation turned optimistic, his position became more delicate.

He was initially dispatched to protect the envoy but in the end, the envoy protected him. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing if he should leave. After thinking for a moment, he walked forward and was about to say something when Augustine looked at him and shook his head. Augustine smiled and whispered, "Wait for a while."

Rody and Mouse finally stopped their embrace. Mouse turned around to see Augustine and Yin Xing looking at them with a weird stare. Even if she was the Black Veil Saint, she could not help blus.h.i.+ng. Then she said, "Let go of me."

Rody was also a little embarra.s.sed and gave a gentle cough. He then walked towards Augustine and softly asked, "Are you also a Paladin of the Temple?"

Augustine felt agonized and said, "I was a Paladin. Now…" He looked at the Black Veil Saint and sighed. "Now, it is hard to say…"

Mouse was apologetic as she said, "Augustine, if it was not because of me, you wouldn’t have…"

Augustine shook his head and replied, "Words are useless!" His voice sounded lonely. "I will report today's matter back to the Elder in the Temple. How they decide to punish me is something I will handle in the future."

Mouse frowned and asked, "Augustine, you still want to return to the Temple? Today, three Paladins have died. Do you think the Elder would spare you if you return to the Temple?"

Augustine looked perplexed. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "No matter what, I cannot become an apostate! Black Veil Saint…I envy the fact that you can leave! However, I grew up in the Temple. My entire life has already been given to the Temple. It is impossible for me to leave like you."

Before Mouse could say any more, Augustine waved his hand and stopped her. He then looked at Rody and took a deep breath. "Your Excellency is so powerful that I am too far behind you1! Today, the Black Veil Saint has become an apostate for you. The Temple is now her enemy. I hope that you can protect her in the future so that she would no longer suffer! Du…"

Rody immediately interrupted Augustine the moment he realized that Augustine was about to complete saying the last word. "No need to say more! I love Mouse and will definitely protect her!" Rody looked at Augustine’s face with a strange gaze.

Augustine was not a fool. After staring blankly a little, he realized that Rody did not want his ident.i.ty to be revealed. He took a look at Rody, unable to understand why Rody wanted to hide his ident.i.ty. However, Rody had saved both his and the Black Veil Saint’s lives. Since Rody did not want to reveal his ident.i.ty, Augustine would not speak a word.

Augustine pondered for a moment and quietly replied. "Don’t worry. When I return to the Temple, I will not speak of things that I should not."

Rody was relieved. He said, "That would be best!" He then frowned, "Mister Augustine, if things do not work out, please remember that you have friends here!" He then went up to Augustine and softly said, "If it were not for you, something bad would have happened to the Black Veil Saint. If things don't work out, I will be waiting for you in the South!"

The Black Veil Saint was smart too. She was watching the two men whispering to each other when she saw Rody stop Augustine from saying the word ‘Duke’. She immediately knew that Rody was keeping his ident.i.ty a secret. Although she did not understand why he changed his appearance and ident.i.ty when he came to the Roland Continent, she did not ask. After all, it was not a good place to talk about such things when the Great Sorcerer Yin Xing was still around.

The three of them exchanged words for a while. After that, when Augustine was about to take his leave, the Black Veil Saint, with a complicated expression, seemed to advise him against it.

But he waved his hand and no longer spoke. Although Augustine had some injuries, he turned and walked unyieldingly. He only left behind deep footprints and faint bloodstains as his stubborn figure vanished into the woods.

The Grand Sorcerer Yin Xing then smiled and said, "Your humble servant was sent here by the Sorcerer’s a.s.sociation to meet the envoy. Now that the escorts and the Imperial Guards had all died, let me escort you to the royal city!"

Rody remained silent and walked up to the fallen warrior in front of the cliff. There were hints of anger and hatred in his eyes. The Black Veil Saint sighed. She knew Rody’s temperament since their time in the Northwest. She gently pulled Rody’s arm and then waved her hand. Some flames shot out from her hand and engulfed the corpse of the warrior. It gradually burned until there was nothing left.

Rody took a deep breath. He then looked at Mouse and forced a smile. "Thank you."

Rody gently released Mouse’s hand. He suddenly looked up the cliff and shouted, "Seth, have you watched enough? If so, come on down!"

Yin Xing and Mouse were astonished. Rody suddenly took out his scimitar and slashed across at the cliff...

Boom! A huge wind blade blasted out from his sword. The wind blade fiercely cut through the rocks of the cliff. The cliff face that was cut by Rody then tumbled down in a loud crash. Rody held the Black Veil Saint with one hand and quickly retreated. Yin Xing had naturally already fled to a side. They then saw the precipitous mountain split open. Rock fragments fell in succession and dust filled the sky...

In the dust-covered sky, two figures jumped down. It was an old man protecting another person with one hand. His fighting energy protected them from the falling rocks. Rody and Seth then landed with a crash in front of Rody.

The dust made Seth choke and cough a few times. He then pushed off Old Mark’s protective hand and dusted his body. After that, Seth smiled wryly and asked, "Boy, when did you notice me?"

Rody did not give him an answer. Instead, he frowned at Seth and said, "I was wondering why you came to the Roland Continent."

At that moment, the dust gradually dispersed. Seth had wiped the dust from his face and revealed his distinct face. Yin Xing did not show any reaction but Mouse was astonished when she saw that face.

The young man was a dazzling blond. He had a pair of dark blue eyes and an extremely handsome face. This was remarkably like the appearance of the Duke of the Tulip Family that she saw in the Northwest.

Mouse was alarmed. She could not help but look towards Rody. Rody gently pulled her hand and whispered, "It is a long story. I will tell you about it later."

Old Mark stepped in front of Seth and frowned at Rody. "Boy, you forced us down here. What do you intend to do?"

The Black Veil Saint could not help but ask, "Rody, who is he?"

Yin Xing was the most astute. He could tell that the old man standing in front of the young man had extraordinary strength. He hid his hand back into his sleeves. The two newcomers had been hiding on the cliff. Only G.o.d would know if they were friends or foes!

Rody stared at Seth as if afraid that the moment he looked away, Seth would disappear again. Rody had an extremely complicated feeling about the person in front of him. On one hand, Seth created a huge plot in the Radiant Empire. Without his manipulation, Rody who was at the bottom of society would not get to where he was now. At the same time, Seth was also someone who infuriated him. Seth had almost subverted the entire Radiant Continent with his conspiracy. More importantly, there was a faint hatred in Rody’s heart. When he saw Seth, he was reminded of the pitiful and detestable Empress and also…Master Autumn!

At the same time, this loathsome person was Nicole’s younger brother. Nicole could already be considered his wife. No matter what, they already shared a relations.h.i.+p as relatives. No matter how much Rody hated him, he could not do much. Rody also understood how formidable the person in front of him was.

He remembered the books he read in the Duke’s Mansion and Seth’s notes in them. It could be said that all of Rody’s wisdom and knowledge were obtained from those books and notes. This included all the treasonous ideas and thoughts.

Rody smiled with a complicated feeling and said, "This guy? He is a person who likes to manipulate people like puppets!"

Seth seemed to laugh bitterly and replied, "You praise me too much. If I like to manipulate people like puppets, what about you? Are you the one that cut off the puppet strings?"

Rody shook his head. When he looked at the person in front of him, he felt like he had a headache. "Seth, why are you here?"

Seth glanced at Rody and lightly replied, "I go where I want to go. Do I need a reason?"

Rody lightly smiled and said, "You don’t? It seems like something big happens wherever you go." Rody then laughed and continued, "Old Mark, your duty is to ensure his safety. So, you will not interfere unless his safety is threatened?"

Old Mark gave him a supercilious look.

Seth then warily asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Rody sighed. "Nothing! Just that there was a woman back there crying day and night as she thought about her child’s father. It was extremely troublesome. I suppose you will not run away and avoid taking responsibility! I just feel like dragging you back there."

Seth stepped back and smiled wryly. "Can I not go?"

Rody then laughed. He unexpectedly laughed cunningly like Seth and then asked, "What do you think?"

Old Mark spread out his hands and then stood at a side as if saying, 'I don't care. And I am not able to interfere anymore.'

Rody laughed happily and smiled towards Mouse. "If you are confronting a person that is cunning and causes trouble every single moment, would you have any way to make him obedient? I believe a sorcerer like you would know quite a lot of methods."

The Black Veil Saint was in a good mood. When Rody asked her, she pondered for a bit and showed a strange smile. "This? I have a lot of methods…We might as well try them all…"

She turned to looked at Yin Xing and said, "Lord Yin Xing. Now, we just hope you can keep your mouth shut."

Yin Xing thought for a moment and then saw Rody’s scimitar. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He then quickly nodded his head.

...

Amongst the clouds, six tall and steep peaks of the mountains could faintly be seen. At these six peaks were artificially made suspension bridges. The six peaks were linked together by the suspension bridges and surprisingly formed a hexagram!

There was a towering and majestic palace at the summit of the tallest peak. On top of the tower built with large black rocks was a huge magic crystal. It illuminated the six mountain peaks throughout the day and night.

Outside the palace were stairs with hundreds of s.p.a.cious steps. Hundreds of cultivators wearing black robes knelt on the stone floor facing the palace, mumbling incantations and kowtowing. Their faces looked extremely pious and solemn.

Next to the tallest mountain was a slightly shorter one. There was another tall building that was just slightly shorter than that black tower on this mountain; it had a pointed top. At the top of that building was a large crystal window with a semi-arch appearance. A slender figure was standing there looking at the crowd near the palace on the tallest peak.

The slender fair hands gently caressed the crystal window and sighed, "Religion! Religion! It is just a special method to secure a human’s soul! It makes a person willing to put on the shackles! Humans are really funny! Look…look at these devout believers! They came here from thousands of miles away to wors.h.i.+p in the Temple!"

The figure turned around and looked at the corner of the room. At the same time, light fell onto her face to reveal an extremely beautiful face. Her beautiful eyes looked attentively at the corner as she gave a shallow smile. Her long eyelashes seemed to cover her eyes. She laughed and asked, "What do you think?"

A black robed figure slowly emerged from the corner. The figure had been cleverly hidden in the black robe in the darkness of the corner. "The Temple was originally such a place. We Dragons and the G.o.ds have been in contact for over a millennium. Have you still not understood this? Your Excellency Ars.Lan2?"

"It is nothing more than making use of each other!" Ars.Lan laughed and revealed a gorgeous smile. Her smile seemed as though it cleared off the haze in the room and melted the unchanging snow on the mountain...

As she walked, the lower corners of her robes lifted to reveal a golden armor inside.

She gently looked at the huge stone round plate on the wall. It was also unknown as to what kind of stone the plate was made of. It glowed with a faint blue light. Symbols were engraved on it like a clock. Five symbols were engraved around the stone, forming a pattern as though a host of lesser lights were surrounding the leading one.

But it was truly unfortunate. There were five tranquil flames on it, but four of it were already extinguished. Only the largest flame at the middle remained, dancing in blue tongues of fire.

Ars.Lan lightly sighed. She then sneered and said, "Hm. Amore Hughes, Amu, Ice, and also Ni Lin. They have already died. Looks like the cost of the collaboration this time is not small."

At this moment, a respectful voice came from outside. "The Elder has summoned Your Excellency, Paladin Ars.Lan!"

The figure at the corner immediately replied loudly, "Understood! The Paladin will go over shortly!"

Ars.Lan sighed. "I need to go and see those despicable guys again? Every time I see them, I have this impulsive urge to crush them to death."

The woman named Ars.Lan then left the room. The person at the corner of the room slowly came out.

He saw that there was n.o.body left in the room. He then slowly walked towards the crystal window and looked out quietly.

Through the crystal window, he could see Ars.Lan follow a priest out. They crossed the bridge and headed towards the palace on the tallest mountain. He then looked at the crowd below the palace in disappointment.

"It is obviously a shackle. Why are so many people willingly engrossed in it?" He wryly smiled and then said to himself, "Why am I thinking of such ridiculous things? Why am I showing compa.s.sion to the humans? They willingly put on shackles, but what does it matter to me?"

After pondering for a moment, he whispered to himself. "Perhaps we have the same dilemma? The humans have shackles. Can we say that we, the Dragons, don't have shackles?"

He slowly closed his eyes and then recalled that scene in the past.

The weather on that day was similar to the current weather. That person had unexpectedly crossed the Mythical Beast Forest and ended up in the Dragon race’s territory. He was just a small human, but he dared to climb up the Dragon’s mountains and asked to see the Dragon’s Elder. An even more infuriating thing was that this person had the contract bestowed by the G.o.ds from thousands of years ago!

That contract was the Dragons’ shackle! By virtue of that contract, the Dragon warriors must spill their blood for this person!

He thought of this and then turned back to look at the stone plate on the wall. Four out of the five flames had been extinguished.

"Only Ars.Lan of the five Dragon warriors is left. That envoy of the Radiant Empire really has supernatural powers?"

Translator's Notes:

1難望項背,nán wàng xiàng bèi. Too much difference in performance, quality, achievements.

2. There was a '.' in the name 'Ars.Lan'. The name used for this Dragon also changed from ‘Ars.Lan’ to just ‘Lan’ later on.