The Blazing Sun Desert

After hearing his mother's words and learning about what had happened in the past, Garen silently guessed at the truth.

"More than ten years ago, the Radiant Church suddenly grew powerful. What could have happened to the Radiant Church?"

He could think of only one possibility.

"Could it be that Linley's mother was sacrificed, and the Radiant Church received a great many rewards from the Chief God, creating a large number of Level Nine powerhouses? It seemed even the king of the Fenlai Kingdom had somehow risen directly from the seventh level to the ninth."

Garen made a wild guess.

When Saint Realm powerhouses couldn't take part in battles, Level Nine powerhouses were the strongest fighters around. And on the Yulan Continent, Level Nine powerhouses were probably even rarer than those in the Saint Realm. After all, as long as no one killed them, Saint Realm powerhouses had unlimited lifespans, while Level Nine powerhouses could live at most five hundred years.

And later, they kept trying to capture my mother. Could there be something special about her? The Radiant Church was strange. They seemed to want to capture all sorts of people. It made sense that they'd target people with pure souls and powerful bodies, but they even went after necromancers. What was wrong with them?

I even have an uncle. He actually graduated from O'Brien Warrior Academy, so he must be at least a Seventh-level Warrior, or even an Eighth-level Warrior. As long as he doesn't walk into a trap, he should be able to get by in another kingdom.

"The Radiant Church sure knows how to cause trouble. They really know how to make their presence felt. Well, now that I have this kind of grudge against them, I can kill people from the Radiant Church for experience without feeling guilty."

"Garen, the Radiant Church is powerful. Although you've reached the Saint Realm, two fists can't fight four hands. In the face of a giant like the Radiant Church, you still need to keep a low profile for now. Don't act rashly."

His father was afraid that Garen, young and hotheaded, might act impulsively, so he cautioned him.

"That's right. Although we have a deep grudge against the Radiant Church, now isn't the time to take revenge. We can only grow stronger little by little and wait for a chance to deal with them."

His mother chimed in.

"Mm, I know. Don't worry. I lived in the Fenlai Kingdom for so many years, so I know how powerful the Radiant Church is. Once my human form reaches the Saint Realm, I'll be invincible among Saint Realm powerhouses. Then I'll go settle things with the Radiant Church."

Hearing Garen say this, both of his parents felt reassured.

"By the way, Father, Mother said yesterday that you went to sell a Level Six Magic Crystal Core. Are there Magical Beasts near Blazing Sun City? Where did you get the core?"

"Although the Blazing Sun Desert doesn't have as many Magical Beasts as the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Sunset Mountain Range, or the Dark Forest, it still has everything from low-level to high-level Magical Beasts. There are even Saint Realm Magical Beasts deep in the desert."

After hearing his father's explanation, Garen's thoughts began to stir.

He had originally planned to spend more time with his parents now that he was home, even if it meant letting his cultivation fall behind. But if there were Magical Beasts not far from home, he could spend time with his parents without neglecting his training. It was the best of both worlds.

The Blazing Sun Desert was less than twenty kilometers from home. It stretched for eight thousand kilometers and was two thousand kilometers across at its widest point—not much smaller than the Magical Beast Mountain Range. There should be plenty of Magical Beasts there.

Garen summoned the Golden Sun Eagle. His parents weren't surprised to see it. After all, Garen had reached the Saint Realm, so it was only natural for him to have a Magical Beast.

"Xiao Pa, I have a mission for you. Spend the next few days scouting the Blazing Sun Desert. Find out where the Level Nine Magical Beast groups are, as well as the territories of any Saint Realm Magical Beasts. Come back and tell me."

At the Golden Sun Eagle's speed, it should be able to finish scouting in about half a month. Garen wasn't worried about its safety. It was only scouting, so as long as it didn't do anything reckless, it should be fine.

And so, Garen spent a leisurely half month at home with his parents.

During that time, when Irene learned that Garen was already a Level Nine Mage, she was even more shocked than when he had reached the Saint Realm. After all, the Four Ultimate Warriors had long since become legendary across the continent. A human in the ninth level and a transformed body in the Saint Realm were still somewhat understandable, since Warriors had always been easier to train than Mages.

But what was a seventeen-year-old Level Nine Mage supposed to be?

Still, it was all true, and she could only slowly come to terms with it.

Then his mother actually took out a collection of Fire-style magic skills from the seventh level to the Saint Realm.

His maternal grandmother had been an Eighth-level Fire-style Mage, while his grandfather had been a peak Level Nine powerhouse and the king of a duchy. It made sense that his mother had a book of Saint Realm magic skills.

The Fire-style magic book was taken care of, but he still didn't have one for wind magic. Garen thought about it for a moment. There was no rush. Even Saint Realm magic wouldn't be of much use to him right now.

That day, the Golden Sun Eagle returned with the information Garen wanted.

In the core region of the Blazing Sun Desert, there were several Level Nine Magical Beast groups.

A Level Nine Golden Tail Scorpion group, a Level Nine Desert Dragon Lizard group, a Level Nine Six-Eyed Magic Spider group, a Level Nine Crocodile Dragon Beast group, and a Level Nine Black-Armored Giant Scorpion group. Among the last was the Saint Realm Black-Armored Giant Scorpion King. There were also the Saint Realm Twin-Horned Flood Dragon, Saint Realm Sand Dragon, and Saint Realm Golden Snake King.

"What a surprise! A huge surprise! There are so many Level Nine Magical Beast groups in the desert? And it even found so many Saint Realm Magical Beasts?"

"Wait, one of those Magical Beasts sounds familiar. Right—the Black-Armored Giant Scorpion. I think its king later went with Linley and the others to the Graveyard of the Gods. Its strength was second only to the five peak Saint Realm powerhouses. I probably can't handle it yet, so I'll cross the Black-Armored Giant Scorpion King off the list for now."

Garen was relieved. Luckily, he'd remembered that. Otherwise, if he went there with his current strength and got hit by the Saint Realm Black-Armored Giant Scorpion King's poisonous tail, he'd be in agony.

The other Saint Realm Magical Beasts hadn't even qualified to enter the Graveyard of the Gods, so they probably weren't that powerful.

After telling his parents, Garen climbed onto the Golden Sun Eagle.

The desert stretched endlessly in every direction, but Garen's eyesight was now excellent, and he still spotted some Magical Beasts.

Near the outskirts of the Blazing Sun Desert, he often saw Jumping Mice. Jumping Mice were among the weakest of the Rat-type Magical Beasts. Most were Level One to Level Three Magical Beasts, and even the strongest only reached Level Five.

Flying farther in, he spotted some Magic-Eared Foxes, which normally reached Level Four as adults and could grow as strong as Level Six, as well as Vipers, which were Level Six Magical Beasts; White Wolf Spiders, which were Level Seven Magical Beasts; and Yellow-Tailed Scorpions, which were Level Eight Magical Beasts.

A little over two hours later, they reached the core region. Below, Garen saw Golden Tail Scorpions, each a full seven or eight meters long. Their tails glimmered with a faint golden light in the sun. No one could doubt how deadly they were.

Garen thought about how the Golden Sun Eagle had followed him for some time and had worked hard without complaint. He decided to raise it to the Saint Realm. It was only a little short of reaching the peak of Level Nine anyway, so he opened the pet experience-sharing switch and leaped down.

Several hundred meters above the Golden Tail Scorpions, Garen drew the God-Slaying Blade. A terrifying killing intent spread out. More than a hundred Golden Tail Scorpions spotted the figure in the sky, but as Garen drew closer, their bodies trembled. The terrifying killing intent suppressed the energy within them, leaving their limbs weak and filling them with the urge not to resist.

Garen descended from the sky like a god. At that moment, his energy, spirit, and focus were at their peak. He struck with his blade, unleashing the Profundity of Explosion with all his strength.

"Boom!"

Dozens of Golden Tail Scorpions exploded. Their hard shells were utterly useless; their bodies burst apart, killing them all.

Ding, ding, ding...

You killed a Level Nine Magical Beast, Golden Tail Scorpion. You gained 600 experience.

Your pet Xiao Pa gained 600 experience.

The system notifications rang out continuously.

I really got a contract! Could some big shot tip me 100 points?