"Hahaha, Mr. Electra, you're really giving me far too much credit. I'm quite flattered. Well then, I'll head inside first."
After hearing Salomon's words, Hobbs laughed and gave him a slight nod. Then he didn't linger and headed straight into the room.
After Hobbs left, Salomon's smile faded, and a trace of resentment appeared on his face. But he quickly reined it in, once again looking like a sunny young man.
"People in the city have been talking about Ren, the powerhouse from the Battle Arena, these past few days. Hobbs must be here because of him. I hope that Ren fellow kills the old man outright. Then I can take Nini and leave."
Salomon sighed inwardly and turned to look southwest, where his younger sister lived. His expression softened. Then he looked east, toward the Boyd Clan's residence, his eyes filled with fury. After a long while, he could only shake his head helplessly.
As the illegitimate children of the Boyd Clan patriarch, he and his sister Nisi were in an awkward position. Unlike the Four Divine Beasts Clan and the Eight Great Clans, the Boyd Clan had no Divine Beast Bloodline to pass down.
Therefore, the patriarch wasn't Boyd's son, but a descendant from some unknown generation. He had been chosen as patriarch because he was good at managing the clan's businesses. Though he was called the patriarch, his standing was actually rather low. Besides their ancestor Boyd, several elders outranked him—a situation completely unlike that of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
Salomon and Nisi were the illegitimate children that the Boyd Clan patriarch, Jerome Boyd, had secretly fathered elsewhere. The patriarch's wife was the granddaughter of an elder, and her status was no lower than the patriarch's. As a result, the Boyd Clan refused to acknowledge the two as the patriarch's children.
When Salomon first showed up at the clan's doorstep, its members had nearly killed the two of them. To protect himself and his sister, Salomon had taken the initiative to ask his father to send him to Electra, a Seven-Star Demon who was traveling across the Zijing Continent at the time, and become his disciple.
Electra had unusual tastes, which had tarnished his reputation to some extent. Among the Seven-Star Demons, people simply called him a pervert. Even Aliquin of the Zijing Continent had heard of him. So when a handsome young man like Salomon had willingly sought to become his disciple, it had practically been like walking into a tiger's den.
But Salomon had no choice. He knew he couldn't rely on his father. While he was still weak, he needed to find someone powerful to protect him and his sister Nisi from their tragic fate. So he endured the humiliation his teacher brought him and began a life of arduous cultivation.
Fortunately, although Electra didn't pay much attention to him as a disciple, even a nominal disciple reflected on his reputation to some extent. The Boyd Clan therefore stopped harassing Salomon and his sister.
Salomon stayed by Electra's side, hiding all his resentment. On the surface, he always seemed like a sunny young man, and he acted as though he and his teacher shared a loving father-and-son relationship. He had practically become a twisted person. Deep down, all he felt was hatred for the Boyd Clan, along with the last bit of tenderness he still reserved for his sister Nisi.
Now, with his teacher's guidance, he had already broken through to become a Highgod and learned his teacher's ultimate technique, Light of Destruction. He was finally capable of protecting himself, and the thought of leaving had begun to take hold of him. But without his teacher's permission, he didn't dare leave on his own, and remained bound to Electra.
"If the Boyd Clan were to be destroyed one day, and I were the only illegitimate son left outside the clan to inherit its wealth, how wonderful would that be!"
A glimmer of longing flashed in Salomon's eyes. He knew himself that it was almost impossible. The Boyd Clan would only fall if their ancestor Boyd were killed.
But Boyd was a veteran Seven-Star Demon, famous throughout Liang'an Prefecture for countless years. How could he possibly be killed so easily?
Hobbs had no idea what was going through Salomon's mind, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. He only needed to carry out the Prefect's orders.
"Waaah..."
As he entered the mansion, he heard a faint sob. Before him was a handsome, blue-haired young man, bound up and staring in terror.
Standing in front of the boy was an old man in gray robes, his long hair loose. His withered hand held a red crystal ball, and a strange light gleamed in his cloudy gray eyes.
"Oh? Isn't this Butler Hobbs? Long time no see. What brings you to my place? Does the Prefect have some orders for me?"
The gray-robed old man slowly turned around, looked at Hobbs with his cloudy eyes, and grinned.
"Mr. Electra, a new powerhouse with fifty consecutive victories has appeared in Liang'an City. The Prefect wants you to test him, so he sent me to inform you."
Hobbs acted as if he hadn't noticed the bound boy beside them. With a pleasant expression, he explained the situation to Electra.
"Oh? Another fifty-win streak? It hasn't been long since the last one. That fellow from last time couldn't even withstand a single move from me." Electra's tone turned somber, and he spoke with some displeasure.
Ever since becoming one of the Prefect's subordinates, he had occasionally helped the Prefect deal with so-called powerhouses from the Battle Arena. But in his eyes, most of them were trash. A thousand years ago, a fellow who had only just reached the threshold of a Six-Star Demon couldn't even withstand one of his moves. Fighting people like that did nothing to stir his interest.
"Of course, that person from a thousand years ago couldn't compare to you. But this time, your opponent is sure to satisfy you. The person entering the Battle Arena is the Iceblood City Lord, Ren." At Hobbs's words, he immediately smiled and explained.
"Oh? Ren?"
The old man's voice rose, and a flash of excitement passed through Electra's eyes. A satisfied smile spread across his gaunt face.
He had heard of Ren. Though he was a youngster who had cultivated for only a few tens of millions of years, he already had the strength of a Seven-Star Demon. That was the kind of opponent who made a fight interesting. A weak opponent would only bore him.
His tastes might be unusual, but that didn't mean he disliked fighting. A rising Seven-Star Demon like Ren was just the sort of opponent he wanted. If he defeated Ren and brought him under the Prefect's command, Electra would benefit as well. And if Ren wasn't sensible enough to submit to the Prefect, then killing him would be no problem.
Electra had never considered the possibility of being defeated by Ren. Even among Seven-Star Demons, there were differences in strength.
As a veteran Seven-Star Demon who primarily cultivated the Law of Destruction, he was confident that only people like the Purple Blood Demon, the Silver Moon Demon, or Elder Bru of the Four Divine Beasts Clan—figures close to the level of a Commander—could defeat him. A newly risen Seven-Star Demon like Ren was no match for him.
Before you continue