A Mouse in the Shadows

"So strong!"

The purple-haired Bodi was utterly stunned.

More than a dozen bandits had been killed in the blink of an eye by that crimson giant snake! For a Midgod to wield an Elemental War Beast to such an extent was simply unbelievable!

"How is this possible? The three Kalu brothers are dead just like that!" The other bandits who witnessed the scene stared wide-eyed in shock.

"That one's tough!"

"Let's go that way!"

Knowing that a powerhouse like Luo Ya was in this direction, the bandits naturally wouldn't keep charging toward him. The many bandits led by Midgods fled in terror in every other direction.

After seeing that terrifying whip just now, they didn't have even the slightest courage to fight back.

"He's so strong. So terrifying."

This was the first time these people had ever encountered a Midgod this powerful. He was even more terrifying than those Highgods!

"Those guys..." Luo Ya glanced coldly at the countless bandits swarming past like locusts but didn't pursue them. There were simply too many.

As long as they didn't come looking for trouble, he couldn't be bothered to attack them again.

"That kid is powerful." In the distance, a purple-robed man hidden among the crowd frowned as he watched Luo Ya's performance. With a flash, he slipped into the shadows and began stealthily approaching like a phantom assassin.

The purple-robed man was incredibly fast, and none of the other powerful fighters along the way noticed him.

"Luo Ya, you're incredible!" The purple-haired Bodi looked at Luo Ya with admiration, his face filled with reverence.

But he didn't notice the purple shadow that had just emerged from his own shadow.

"A Midgod's soul is too weak. He can't possibly see through my concealment!" The purple-robed man was quite confident.

As the saying went, everyone had their specialty. Of all the Laws, the Laws of Darkness were the most suited to concealment. Even Highgods of the same rank had to focus their attention to detect him.

A Midgod? No chance of seeing through his concealment!

"Die!" The thrill of killing a genius surged through his mind. His right hand, clad in a purple glove, lightly swung toward the side of Luo Ya's head!

"Look out!" Only when the purple-robed man struck did Bodi, Milia, and the others finally notice him.

"It's too late!" The purple-robed man wore a smug expression as blood-red light flared in his hand!

"What!" But just as he thought he was about to succeed, he noticed Luo Ya's cold gaze, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Thump!" Like someone smashing a watermelon, Luo Ya's right hand, wearing a Blood-colored Glove, struck the purple-robed man's head first!

"You—" The purple-robed man's face filled with terror, his eyes widening like a pair of copper bells.

In the next instant, his head was smashed apart, and a dark, shadowy Highgod spark drifted down.

A Highgod of Darkness was dead!

"Th-this is a Highgod?" Bodi and the others were completely stunned.

"A Highgod of Darkness was hiding and moving in stealth. That was close!" Bodi broke out in a cold sweat. Thank goodness the Highgod had been targeting Luo Ya. If it had been him, he wouldn't have had time to react!

"Luo Ya has such keen combat instincts. He stayed so calm under those circumstances!" Bodi couldn't help admiring him even more. No wonder he could fuse Profound Mysteries while still a Midgod.

"Luo Ya, are you all right?" Milia and Morti had also been badly startled.

"I'm fine. It was just a rat hiding in the shadows." The purple-robed man had thought he was doing a good job of sneaking around, but Luo Ya had sensed something was amiss as soon as he approached the area.

"A rat?" Hearing Luo Ya describe him that way, Bodi could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Perhaps this was how the world of geniuses worked.

After what had happened with the purple-robed man, no one dared let their guard down, even though no one else seemed to be heading their way.

The bandits had arrived quickly, and they left just as fast. Once the main force began to retreat, the smaller, scattered bandit groups also withdrew one after another like the tide.

These bandits were smart, too. Though they were ruthless, they wouldn't completely wipe out the Soth Tribe. They only came at regular intervals to "share" the fruits of the tribe's labor.

After all, if they destroyed the tribe, wouldn't they have to plant the flowers and grass themselves?

The battle soon came to an end, and it would soon be time to head into the city.

In the Spatial Ring of the dead Highgod of Darkness, Luo Ya had actually found two Metal Lifeforms.

But Soth Valley was more than twenty million kilometers from the nearest city, House City, and they had no one capable of effectively deterring bandits along the way, such as a Highgod Fiend.

So even though they had Metal Lifeforms, Luo Ya still planned to travel to the city with the Soth Tribe.

"Once Morti refines a Divine Spark and becomes a Highgod, traveling will be much easier." Having a Highgod aboard a Metal Lifeform could deter the bandits along the way to a great extent.

"Mr. Luo Ya, Chief Soth thinks very highly of you. If you're willing to join the tribal army, you can become a Commander right away, with a status equal to that of the other three Highgod Commanders..." Inside Tree Fortress, a silver-haired butler-like Highgod was doing his utmost to persuade Luo Ya.

Everyone had witnessed Luo Ya's astonishing performance in the battle two months ago. In particular, his final strike had "narrowly" turned the tables on a Highgod of Darkness who had ambushed him, impressing countless onlookers!

In fact, plenty of people had been coming to Tree Fortress lately, hoping to befriend him. Luo Ya couldn't be bothered to meet them, though, and had Morti turn them away for him.

"My goal is to become a Fiend and seek breakthroughs through one dangerous mission after another. Life in the tribe is too comfortable. It's not for me..." Luo Ya gave a faint smile and firmly rejected Chief Soth's offer.

"Become a Fiend?" Hearing Luo Ya say that, the silver-haired butler Kele knew there was no point trying to persuade him further.

People had different ideas. Some sought a peaceful life, while others were drawn to adventure and excitement.

In his eyes, Luo Ya was one of the latter.

"Fiends... Even Chief Soth gave up on it after a few dangerous missions. Being a Fiend is too dangerous!" First, one had to pass the Fiend Assessment, whose selection process was exceptionally brutal.

Even if one passed and became an official Fiend, they could encounter a powerful enemy on their very next mission and die unexpectedly!

Those who could take on high-risk Fiend Missions time and time again and still survive were all powerhouses in Hell!

But there were far too few of them.

"Then I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Luo Ya!" Since Luo Ya had firmly decided to leave, Butler Kele naturally didn't try to hold him back.

Soon, the day of departure arrived. Luo Ya and the other two boarded the Metal Lifeform bound for House City.

"There are so few cities in Hell. Liang'an Prefecture spans more than a billion li, yet it has only ten cities. That's not even one in a thousand. It's astonishing." Milia had been a little taken aback when she first heard this.

Inside the Metal Lifeform, Luo Ya and the other two chatted as they admired the scenery.

Thanks to Luo Ya's earlier display of strength, the three of them had been given the largest and most comfortable cabins.

"Anyone who can establish themselves in one of Hell's major cities is among Hell's elite." Thinking of the property prices in Hell, Luo Ya couldn't help shaking his head.

Becoming a resident of a city in Hell was something to be very proud of.