Marquis Lanling returned to the Marquis's Estate just as dawn was breaking. A faint smile still touched his feminine face, clearly showing that he was in a good mood.
However, the moment he entered the estate, the steward told him with a mournful face that the two Giant Sun Elephants had gone berserk the previous night, broken through their iron cages, and killed more than a dozen guards and servants.
Marquis Lanling's heart gave a violent jolt, and he rushed straight into his own courtyard.
The Dark Soul Seal had vanished!
An ominous premonition made Marquis Lanling tremble all over. When he reached the door of his bedchamber, he was actually too frightened to raise a hand and push it open.
Only after his thoughts had raced through several turns did he grit his teeth and push the door open.
The sight before him filled Marquis Lanling with shock and fury, nearly making him spit up blood.
The secret cabinet behind the bookshelf stood wide open without the slightest concealment, while more than a dozen puppets had blood streaming from their lower bodies. Yet none of that mattered compared to what terrified him even more: a hole dug into the floor.
"Damn it!" Marquis Lanling jumped down. When he followed the tunnel to the underground passage, the last shred of hope in his heart was utterly shattered.
With both legs nearly trembling, Marquis Lanling made his way to the black crystal secret chamber at the end of the passage. When he saw the mangled corpse on the floor, his whole body went limp and he collapsed onto the ground.
"Master is finished. I'm finished too. Who was it? Who could have killed Master..." Marquis Lanling muttered to himself. He could not understand what kind of expert had broken in and directly ripped out Venerable Wutian's heart and brain. One had to know that Venerable Wutian had once been a Dark Saint Mage. Although he had suffered grievous injuries in his battle with Nan Wuya and fallen to the realm of an Earth Grade Mage, he was not someone who could be dealt with so easily.
Marquis Lanling was no ordinary person after all. He slowly drove the terror from his heart and began thinking calmly.
Giant Sun Elephant, Qi Bei, mysterious expert...
He linked the three together. Had Qi Bei tampered with the Giant Sun Elephants, causing them to go berserk for no apparent reason? However, with Qi Bei's strength, he absolutely could not have killed Venerable Wutian and rescued Nan Wuya. Moreover, it was impossible for him to make the Dark Soul Seal vanish without leaving a sound.
There was another point: if the expert had come from the Dreamy Sea, it was impossible that they would spare him, the traitor who had betrayed and killed his own master.
Then there was only one possibility that made sense: the mysterious expert had most likely come for the thing Venerable Wutian wanted. Furthermore, that expert might also be from the dark faction. If they were not proficient in Dark Magic, they could only forcibly destroy the Dark Soul Seal, which would inevitably leave traces. Yet the Dark Soul Seal had vanished so completely. That meant it had been deciphered, not destroyed.
Having figured this out, Marquis Lanling felt much lighter. He went upstairs, threw the puppets whose lower bodies had been severed into the underground passage, and then sealed the tunnel.
The steward of the Marquis's Estate stood nervously before Marquis Lanling, unsure what punishment this eccentric and ruthless marquis would inflict on him. The two Giant Sun Elephants that had gone berserk the previous night had killed more than a dozen people.
"Regarding what happened last night, everyone in the estate is ordered not to reveal a single word to outsiders. Otherwise, this marquis will cut them to pieces and feed them to the dogs," Marquis Lanling said darkly.
"Yes... My lord, those two Giant Sun Elephants..." The steward hurriedly nodded, then stammered.
The moment Marquis Lanling heard "Giant Sun Elephant," his gaze grew even colder, and the corner of his mouth twitched faintly. He said darkly, "Don't concern yourself with them. Once you've dealt with matters in the estate, go to the Magic Tower and find Elder Weir. Tell him this marquis has an urgent matter to discuss with him."
"Yes, my lord." The steward did not dare ask more and immediately took his leave.
The Magic Tower was the headquarters of the Golden Leaf Dynasty's Mage Guild. Elder Weir was an Advanced Fire Mage, as well as a Potion Master.
If one could not find even a single mage among ten thousand ordinary people, then among ten thousand mages, there might not be even one Potion Master.
Even the lowest-grade magic potion cost over ten thousand gold coins and was still impossible to buy on demand, because the demand was simply too great while Potion Masters were far too scarce.
A low-grade mana potion that could instantly increase a beginner mage's mana by thirty percent could only be used once, yet it cost fifty thousand gold coins.
A low-grade Battle Qi pill that could instantly increase a beginner warrior's Battle Qi energy by thirty percent could only be used once, yet it cost twenty thousand gold coins.
As for medium-grade mana potions and medium-grade Battle Qi pills, it would not be unusual for their prices to multiply more than tenfold.
Therefore, although Elder Weir was merely an Advanced Mage, his ability to refine medium-grade potions had made him one of the Magic Tower's ten great elders. He wielded immense authority and had an extremely broad network of connections. Even Emperor Hanmos treated him with considerable courtesy.
However, it was rumored that Elder Weir had always looked down on Marquis Lanling for his fondness for men. No one knew why Marquis Lanling would seek him out after something had happened.
An hour later, Elder Weir arrived at the Marquis's Estate.
Elder Weir was an old man with a long beard. He wore a magic robe as red as flames and held an ornate fiery-red magic staff. As the hem of his robe swayed, it seemed like a blazing flame was burning fiercely around him, and a noble air radiated from his very bones.
Marquis Lanling personally went out to welcome him, and the two entered the estate's study.
"Is he dead?" The moment Elder Weir entered the study, he immediately turned around and stared at Marquis Lanling.
"That's right." Marquis Lanling nodded.
"Hahahaha, that evil old bastard is finally dead! What a relief! I've had enough of his control." Elder Weir burst into loud laughter, his face twisted with manic glee. The expression he had always maintained with perfect composure had long since been thrown to the winds.
Marquis Lanling coquettishly brushed back a lock of hair without saying anything, merely watching Elder Weir vent.
After a long while, Elder Weir's laughter abruptly stopped, only for him to burst into tears. His beard became covered in snot and tears as he sobbed like a child.
Marquis Lanling let out a soft sigh, placed a hand on Elder Weir's shoulder, and said, "You've thought it through, haven't you? Even though that old bastard is dead, we've already fallen into darkness and can't turn back. The Netherworld Mark on us can never be erased, not even by death."
Elder Weir disgustedly used his magic staff to knock Marquis Lanling's hand away, then wiped his nose and tears. His emotions quickly returned to normal, and he said coldly, "Why did you call me here?"
"Weir, we're in the same boat now. If the boat sinks, this marquis won't meet a good end, and you, an elder of the Magic Tower, will become a disgrace as well. I'll be frank with you: an expert broke in last night and killed that old bastard. I suspect that expert was also from the dark faction." Marquis Lanling spoke blandly, but his threat was plain as day.
The veins on Elder Weir's neck bulged and subsided. Only after a long while did he snort coldly. "What do you want me to do?"
"For you, it's a trivial matter. Go and see what drug was used on those two Giant Sun Elephants." Marquis Lanling spoke as Qi Bei's mocking smile surfaced before his eyes once more. He had to find out whether this matter was connected to the Nord Family.
Weir carefully examined the two Giant Sun Elephants, which had been restrained so tightly that they could not move. His brows furrowed, and he said softly to Marquis Lanling, "It's a stimulating potion carrying an aura of darkness."
Marquis Lanling let out a long breath of relief. It seemed this had nothing to do with the Nord Family. Instead, just as he had expected, it had been done by an expert from the dark faction. Perhaps, in the eyes of such an expert, he was merely a tiny ant, not even worth the effort of dealing with. That meant he would not have to flee for his life. He could continue being Marquis Lanling and a nominal disciple of the Dreamy Sea. His future remained bright.
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