The moment the powerful werewolf fell, the entire battlefield fell silent.
"Hmph!" Aliquin gathered up the werewolf's belongings, then swept his indifferent gaze over the other bandits. A cold smile played at the corner of his mouth.
"What! That Buso guy actually died just like that!" The purple-haired burly man among the bandits watched this unfold, his pupils suddenly contracting.
Buso was a bona fide Six-Star Fiend, and he excelled at both offense and speed. He was no weakling even among Six-Star Fiends.
"That black-robed guy is really underhanded." The purple-haired man cursed inwardly. The man was clearly a Six-Star Fiend, yet he still liked to sneak up on people and play dirty. Shameless!
The purple-haired man narrowed his eyes. "That black-robed Fiend is strong, and he has a capable pet. Looks like we'll need to have one of the envoys handle this personally."
"I wonder who that elf girl really is, to have caught the Prefect's attention." The purple-haired man glanced at the elf girl, who was surrounded by the others. "But since the Prefect has his eye on you, you can only blame your bad luck!"
Clearly, the purple-haired man wasn't a real bandit. Even Buso had only been hired by him temporarily.
The two knew each other well and had worked together many times. Buso had made quite a bit of money following him, so he'd joined in this time without a second thought. But if you walked the night road often enough, you were bound to meet a ghost.
One bad gamble was enough to cost him his life.
"We've gotten all the information we need on the Fiends. It's time to notify the steward." The purple-haired man's other Divine Clone immediately flew toward the steward's residence.
With his two Divine Clones stationed in separate places, he could send messages extremely quickly.
Even from thousands of miles away, this purple-haired man, Diersen, could easily keep track of the situation aboard Luo Ya and the others' Metal Lifeform.
With the werewolf Buso dead, Aliquin, a Six-Star Fiend, was free to act.
Without Buso holding him back, Aliquin slaughtered the bandits—ordinary Highgods and even Midgods—with ease. In moments, he had shattered their fighting spirit, sending them fleeing in terror in every direction. In the blink of an eye, not a single bandit remained nearby.
"Let's go back." Seeing that the bandits had scattered, the surviving Fiends gathered around Aliquin, the elf girl, and the others once more. Before long, more than two hundred Fiends had regrouped.
The white-robed steward beside the elf girl addressed them in a clear voice. "Everyone, I'm sorry we ran into so many bandits this time. More than two hundred Fiends died in such a short time. Thankfully, we had Mr. Aliquin and Mr. Coradi, along with the others..."
"When we reach Liulan City, we'll increase your payment."
After the white-haired elder finished speaking, a golden light flashed, and a new Metal Lifeform appeared in the air. It was clearly a size smaller than the previous one.
The Fiends filed inside once more.
Soon, the Metal Lifeform set off again. Fiends lived with their lives on the line. After cultivating for countless years, they all wanted to live life to the fullest and reach the summit of Hell. Death wasn't all that frightening to them...
They were loath to face death, and when an irresistible danger came, they would flee.
But when they truly faced death, they wouldn't be afraid.
After all, every Fiend had been prepared for it ever since becoming one!
"That white-robed steward has some conscience, at least. He knew to raise our payment." Berik shook his head as he held a glass of wine. "But I have a feeling this escort mission won't be so simple."
A mission that could hire a Six-Star Fiend like Aliquin was bound to be difficult.
"We're already on board. There's no point thinking about it now," Luo Ya said, taking it all in stride. "If we'd slipped away in the chaos earlier, that would've been one thing. But now we're back on the Metal Lifeform. If we choose to back out and leave now, word will get around... and we'll lose face."
"You're right. I should've taken Ludi and run just now," Berik said, nodding in agreement.
Perhaps he'd been too shocked by the strength Luo Ya had shown. He'd somehow ended up coming back with the others.
"There's no need to worry too much," Luo Ya said, taking things in stride. "Whatever happens, even if we run into enemies, we won't be their main target. The employer is. We just need to protect ourselves."
Luo Ya had no intention of doing his utmost to protect their employer, after all...
His pay was only eight hundred thousand Moshi.
"You're right."
Everyone nodded, then dispersed to their rooms to cultivate. Perhaps because Milia had seen the werewolf's desperate final strike, she went straight into deep cultivation.
"Looks like Milia might've comprehended a new Law Profound Mystery this time—the Profound Mystery of Sound Waves?" Luo Ya wondered.
In a secluded courtyard inside the City Lord Mansion in Liulan City,
a square-faced elder with long gray hair received a report from his subordinate, Diersen. His brow furrowed. "I didn't expect that little girl from the Barnett Clan to have recruited such a powerful Fiend. That little golden cat pet probably has the strength of a Six-Star Fiend, too."
The square-faced elder didn't consider the possibility that the Fiend was a Seven-Star Fiend.
As peerless experts with titles, Seven-Star Fiends weren't short on money, and they were already at the peak of the Fiend ranks. They generally didn't take on missions.
A moment later, a burly young man with a bare upper body and wild hair appeared in the courtyard.
"Mr. Ambrose, the target of this mission is a bit troublesome. I'm afraid you'll have to handle it personally..." The square-faced elder immediately gave the envoy a clear account of what had happened in the earlier battle.
As one of the four envoys personally recruited by the Prefect, Ambrose was a Seven-Star Fiend!
With him on the job, dealing with two Six-Star Fiends would be a piece of cake.
"I understand." The burly man had a stern face and blood-red eyes. A hideous, cross-shaped scar marked the center of his brow, and his whole presence was ferocious.
More than a year passed aboard the Metal Lifeform.
"So that's how the Profound Mystery of Sound Waves in the Laws of Wind works. If this method is used in a physical attack, it'll be impossible to guard against..." In her room, Milia demonstrated a sword move.
In just one year, Milia had successfully begun to comprehend the Profound Mystery of Sound Waves. She had now begun to comprehend four Profound Mysteries of the Laws of Wind.
"Hm?" At that moment, Luo Ya, who was also in the room, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Luo Ya, what's wrong?" Milia immediately asked with concern.
Luo Ya looked outside through the window. "It's nothing. I just felt a little uneasy while cultivating." Below the Metal Lifeform stretched a dense primeval forest, its countless unknown ancient trees so tall they were frightening.
Meanwhile, the Metal Lifeform flew at tremendous speed.
"Could we be running into another powerful enemy?" Milia joked, glancing outside. The Metal Lifeform was just about to pass through the primeval forest, with an inconspicuous hill ahead.
The instant the Metal Lifeform reached the hill, it suddenly—
"Boom!"
Exploded!
Before you continue