Punishment

Chapter: Punishment

"So, he refined a divine spark. No wonder he came to help that brat. This kid would rather give his treasures to these Saint-level nobodies than offer them to me!" Aofen cast a warning glance at Teluzake, who was struggling and resisting, still refusing to submit.

Becoming a god! These two incredible words swirled in the minds of everyone present. They had actually been dealing with Deity-level powerhouses all this time, and some of them had even tried to pressure the merchant guild to seize its assets. The nobles who had engaged in such behavior couldn't help but wet themselves in terror.

Those who dare to offend the gods meet the same fate as the two who just dared to berate them!

Earl Hoken looked up at Aier and Lincoln with trembling eyes, his voice shaking as he asked, "Lord Lincoln, Lady Aier, are you... are you truly Deity-level powerhouses?"

Aier smiled gently. "Earl Hall, there is no need to be so panicked. We are merely standing up for this young man. You have always treated me with respect in the past, so you will be fine."

But what about those who were disrespectful? Those who had been unfriendly to Aier and the merchant guild in the past grew even more panicked. Earl Hall quickly chimed in, "Themis is young and ignorant. Please, my lords, forgive her rudeness. Once I return, I will certainly confine her until she mends her ways!"

Aier sighed and gave a soft nod. This was the reason she had always disliked revealing her true strength and identity; once exposed, the joy of doing business vanished. It seemed she could no longer stay on this plane. It was a pity; her business had not yet reached its peak, and now she would have to start all over again.

Lincoln, however, gave a crooked smirk toward Aofen. "A mere Demigod, yet you speak with such arrogance. Do you think that by relying on that light-element Demigod on his way here, you can take us down?" As he spoke, his divine domain expanded. He reached out a hand toward the hall entrance, and the roar of surging divine power echoed. Everyone turned to look outside, only to see a massive binding force seize the approaching light-element Demigod. Moments later, the light-element Demigod was dragged into the banquet hall at a speed even faster than his own.

The light-element Demigod was a white-haired youth, the only Deity-level powerhouse of the Church of Light on the Wata Plane. He stood before Lincoln, looking utterly panicked. He lamented his bad luck; he had only come to help hold the line, never imagining his opponent would be unimaginably strong. He had been captured alive without even a chance to resist!

"Heris, you..." Aofen was stunned for a moment before quickly bowing to Lincoln. "I did not know your strength, my lord. Please, forgive me! As long as you spare me, I am willing to give you everything!" He was joking, right? This man named Lincoln had clearly used water-element divine power just now, yet his speed in capturing someone was faster than his own wind-element speed or Heris's light-element speed. Furthermore, the intensity of that divine domain was likely that of a Mid-God. How could he possibly resist?

Lincoln looked at Aofen with a playful expression. "The strong bullying the weak is nothing out of the ordinary, but now that I am the butcher and you are the fish, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Aofen grew desperate. "My lord, please spare me! I can... I can offer you all the faith of the entire Putuoluo Empire!"

Lincoln shook his head, then remembered something and said, "You just reminded me. A mere Demigod daring to covet faith is a heresy that should be purged."

Aofen kowtowed and begged for mercy again. Seeing that Lincoln remained unmoved, his mental state finally collapsed under the threat of death. He couldn't help but lash out viciously, "You only refined a Mid-level Sovereign Spark you got from Teluzake! A mere ant of a Saint-level, how dare you bully me! And you, Teluzake, I told you again and again, you should have just handed over the legacy treasures of that Deity-level powerhouse to me! If you had, I wouldn't be in this situation!"

Lincoln was speechless. A Mid-level Sovereign Spark? That was something he wouldn't even glance at; he had already refined a Mid-level Sovereign Spark himself. However, this Teluzake had obtained the legacy of a Deity-level powerhouse? That was interesting.

"Noisy!" Seeing Aofen continue to curse and even attempt to move against Teluzake, Lincoln shot a sharp look at him. A wind-element Demigod divine spark fell from Aofen's forehead as he collapsed to the ground, dead, with no breath left in him.

Aier said nothing, habitually walking over to collect Aofen's interspatial ring and divine spark.

Seeing this, Heris was terrified and quickly prostrated himself. "My lord, Heris did not know how Aofen offended you. He only invited me to attend the wedding; I knew nothing of this!"

Lincoln had intended to let him go, as it was rare to find people who could look out for one another, but hearing this, he retorted, "You knew nothing? Is a junior's wedding worth you rushing over here? I wasn't going to kill you, but now it seems I should send you to keep him company!" With that, a soul attack shot into Heris's body, and he too collapsed with dim eyes.

The hall fell into a deathly silence. Their ancestors had been instantly wiped out, and many were so terrified they were leaking fluids. This was a Deity-level powerhouse who surpassed their empire's ancestors, someone who found killing an ancestor simpler than killing an ant!

Aier helped the limp Earl Hoken up, using her divine power to soothe his nerves, and smiled. "Lincoln and I should be leaving in a few days. I will have someone deliver those medicines to your estate. From now on, this merchant guild is yours to manage." She then raised her voice slightly. "Remember, you are managing the guild for me. You must handle it well. When I am not here, you have full authority."

Earl Hoken tremblingly agreed. Aier then collected Heris's divine spark and interspatial ring before walking to Lincoln's side.

Lincoln pointed at Teluzake from a distance, and the seals on his battle aura and voice were completely undone. He then led Aier out of the hall, leaving behind only one sentence: "Follow me. I have something to say to you."

Teluzake pondered for a moment before hurrying to follow them.

After stepping out of the hall, Teluzake saw Lincoln take a strange metallic object from his interspatial ring. The object floated in the air, transforming into a peculiar shape as it hovered near the ground, and then a door opened. Lincoln and Aier walked inside, and Teluzake followed without hesitation. In front of a powerhouse who could kill Aofen in seconds, there was no point in playing tricks.

Once the three were inside, the Metal Lifeform took flight, speeding toward the headquarters of the Aier Merchant Guild.

Inside the Metal Lifeform, the furniture and decor were complete and magnificent. A cup of hot tea emitting a strange, fragrant aroma sat before each of the three. Teluzake took one sniff and immediately felt refreshed, his internal battle aura showing signs of surging and refining.

"Drink it. It will help with your cultivation," Aier said, gesturing with a bright smile.

Teluzake quickly stood up and said respectfully, "I didn't know you two were Deity-level powerhouses before, and I acted out of turn, ruining your mood. Please forgive me!" He was referring to the incident where they had killed the level-seven Magic Beast.

Aier smiled and explained, "We were traveling through the Material Plane and didn't intend to reveal our strength. Because of what happened today, it would be boring for us to stay on this Walun Plane any longer. So, we are actually grateful to you; otherwise, we wouldn't have helped you today."